JP2012144859A - Lid body opening/closing mechanism and electronic equipment equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lid body opening/closing mechanism focusing on the fact that sliding resistance is not required in the opening operation of a lid body, capable of keeping the lid body at least at a predetermined opening position by producing the sliding resistance only in the closing operation.SOLUTION: The lid body opening/closing mechanism comprises: a screen part 132 having an engaging element 147 at the front end side and mounted turnably at the base end side; and a screen supporting part 133 for supporting the engaging element 147. The screen supporting part 133 includes a closing guide groove 166 for guiding the engaging element 147 to be moved with the closing operation, an opening guide groove 161 for guiding the engaging element 147 to be moved with the opening operation, and a leaf spring 168 provided in the closing guide groove 166 for slide-contacting the engaging element 147 to impart the sliding resistance to the lid body to be kept at the predetermined opening position.

Description

  The present invention relates to a lid opening / closing mechanism capable of maintaining a lid attached to an apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable at a predetermined open position, and an electronic apparatus including the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a lid opening / closing mechanism, in a multi-function machine in which a scanner is mounted on the upper side of a printer, a scanner that is a lid for opening and closing the upper part of the printer is opened and closed around a hinge (Patent Document). 1).
The hinge includes a cylindrical case attached to the printer, a rotating body attached to the scanner and having a cam portion and a sliding contact portion, and is slidably received with respect to the case. A wedge body having a sloping surface that slides in contact with the coil body, a coil spring that is accommodated in the case and biases the wedge body toward the rotating body, and is formed on the inner wall of the case, and is in sliding contact with the sliding contact portion as the rotating body rotates. And a sliding contact surface. An opening moment is applied to the scanner by urging the wedge body toward the rotating body by the coil spring. On the other hand, when the scanner is turned and closed, a sliding resistance generated by the sliding contact between the sliding contact portion and the sliding contact surface causes a moment in the opening direction to act against the moment in the closing direction. This brakes the rotation of the scanner in the closing direction and prevents a sudden drop.

JP 2004-116208 A

  However, in such a configuration, when the scanner is opened, the same sliding resistance as when the scanner is closed is generated. Therefore, when the sliding resistance is large and the weight of the printer is light, the scanner can be rotated in the opening direction. Following this, there was a problem that the printer (that is, the entire multi-function peripheral) floated. That is, in the conventional opening / closing mechanism, priority is given to the sliding resistance at the time of closing. In particular, in the opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes a relatively heavy lid such as a scanner, the above-described problem of floating occurs. The same problem occurs when the scanner is kept open at an intermediate position using sliding resistance.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the fact that no sliding resistance is required in the opening operation of the lid, and the sliding body is generated only in the closing operation to bring the lid into at least a predetermined opening position. It is an object of the present invention to provide a lid opening / closing mechanism that can be maintained and an electronic device including the same.

  The lid opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is a lid opening / closing mechanism in which the lid is attached to the apparatus main body so as to be freely opened and closed, and has an engagement element on the distal end side, and one of the lid and the apparatus main body on the proximal end side. And a partition receiving portion that is provided on the other of the lid and the apparatus main body and receives the engaging element, and the partition receiving portion is closed from the fully open position of the lid. A closing guide portion that guides movement of the engagement element accompanying the movement of the lid, an opening guide portion that guides movement of the engagement element that accompanies the opening operation from the fully closed position of the lid, and a sliding guide section that is provided in sliding contact with the engagement element. And an opening maintaining means for providing a sliding resistance for maintaining the lid at at least a predetermined opening position.

  According to this configuration, the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion guide the movement of the engagement member accompanying the closing operation of the lid body and the movement of the engagement member accompanying the opening operation by different paths. Different behaviors of sliding resistance can be produced during operation and closing operation. That is, a configuration can be adopted in which sliding resistance is generated only in the closing operation, and sliding resistance is not generated in the opening operation. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the above-mentioned problem of floating, and to generate an appropriate sliding resistance in the closing operation regardless of the opening operation, and to maintain the lid at at least a predetermined opening position. Can do. The configuration may be “providing sliding resistance for maintaining the lid in a predetermined open position”, or “providing sliding resistance for maintaining the lid in an arbitrary open position”. It may be a configuration. In addition, it is preferable that the open guide portion connects the guide start end portion and the guide end end portion to each other with the closing guide portion.

  In this case, it is preferable that the partition unit is attached to the lid frame of the lid, and the partition receiving unit is provided in the device frame of the apparatus main body.

  According to this configuration, the cover member can be firmly and stably held by providing the receiving side member (screen receiving portion) on the apparatus frame.

  The device frame is preferably made of resin, and the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion are preferably formed integrally with the device frame.

  According to this configuration, the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion can be formed easily and accurately, and the opening and closing of the lid can be stabilized. Moreover, the apparatus cost can be suppressed by integral molding.

  Further, it is preferable that the lid body and the apparatus main body are rotatably connected via a hinge portion, and the partition portion and the partition receiving portion are disposed in the vicinity of the hinge portion.

  According to this structure, since the partition part and the partition receiving part can be arrange | positioned in the position close | similar to the rotation center, these are arrange | positioned in the position far from the rotation center, On the other hand, a partition part is made small. it can. In addition, when the work in the apparatus main body is performed with the lid open, the screen portion is located on the rotation center side, so that the work is not disturbed.

  On the other hand, the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion are each configured by a guide groove with which the engaging element is slidably contacted, and the partitioning part is a stand member having the engaging element, and the engaging element is directed to the groove bottom of the guide groove through the stand member. It is preferable to further include an engaging member urging means for urging the urging force.

  According to this configuration, by having the engagement element urging means, the engagement element can be reliably engaged with the guide groove. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the engagement element from being removed from the open surface of the guide groove.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the partition receiving part further has a first movement blocking means for blocking the movement of the engaging element from the guide start end part of the closing guide part to the guide terminal end part of the open guide part.

  On the other hand, it is preferable that the partition receiving portion further includes a second movement blocking means for blocking the movement of the engagement element from the guide start end portion of the open guide portion to the guide end portion of the closing guide portion.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to reliably prevent the engagement element from reversing between the opening guide portion and the closing guide portion.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the partition part further has an engagement element moving means for moving the engagement element that has reached the guide start end part of the closing guide part to a position where it contacts the opening maintaining means.

  According to this configuration, by having the engagement element moving means, the engagement element can be smoothly moved to the position of the opening maintaining means, and the reverse movement of the engagement element can be reliably prevented.

  Further, the closing guide portion has two guide walls arranged so that the engagement element slides and sandwiches the engagement element, and the opening maintaining means is composed of an elastic body that also serves as at least one of the two guide walls. Preferably it is.

  In this case, it is preferable that the elastic body is any one of a leaf spring, an elastic rubber, and a composite body of the leaf spring and the elastic rubber.

  According to these configurations, the opening maintaining means can be simplified, and the sliding resistance can be easily adjusted by the material, shape, installation position, and the like of the elastic body. In particular, the sliding resistance can be partially and freely adjusted from the start to the end of the closing guide portion in consideration of opening maintenance and closing impact.

  The electronic device of the present invention preferably includes the lid opening / closing mechanism.

  In this case, it is preferable that the lid includes an image reading device that reads an image on a reading medium, and the device main body includes an image recording device that records an image on a recording medium.

  According to these configurations, since the opening / closing feeling of the lid can be designed flexibly, it can be appropriately changed to an opening / closing feeling that can be easily used by the image reading apparatus and the image recording apparatus.

1 is an external perspective view showing a multifunction machine according to an embodiment. It is the perspective view which showed the compound machine at the time of making a scanner unit into an open state. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the multifunction machine. It is the perspective view which showed the internal structure of the scanner unit. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the internal structure of the printer unit. It is the side view which showed the opening / closing mechanism. It is the side view which showed the scanner holding | maintenance part. It is the side view which showed the partition receiving part. (A) is the back perspective view which showed the scanner holding part at the time of scanner unit opening. FIG. 6B is a rear perspective view showing the scanner holding unit when the scanner unit is closed. It is the transition diagram which showed the operation | movement from a complete obstruction | occlusion state to an open holding state. It is the transition diagram which showed the operation | movement from an open holding state to a complete blockage state.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a multifunction peripheral (electronic device) to which a lid opening / closing mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention is applied will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the multifunction device 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a multifunction machine 1 includes a printer unit (image recording apparatus) 2 that is an apparatus main body, and a scanner unit (image reading apparatus: lid) that is an upper unit disposed on the printer unit 2. 3 are integrally provided. In the following description, it is assumed that the front-rear direction in FIG. 1 is the X-axis direction and the left-right direction is the Y-axis direction.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the multi-function device 1 with the scanner unit 3 opened. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the scanner unit 3 is rotatably supported by the printer unit 2 via an opening / closing means 4 at the rear end portion, and covers the upper part of the printer unit 2 so as to be openable and closable. . That is, by pulling up the scanner unit 3 in the rotation direction, the upper surface opening 10 of the printer unit 2 is exposed, and the inside of the printer unit 2 is exposed through the upper surface opening 10 (open state: see FIG. 2). ). On the other hand, the scanner unit 3 is pulled down in the rotation direction and placed on the printer unit 2 to close the upper surface opening 10 by the scanner unit 3 (closed state: see FIG. 1). As described above, by opening the scanner unit 3, the ink cartridge 84 can be replaced, or a paper jam can be eliminated.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the multifunction machine 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the scanner unit 3 includes a resin upper frame (lid frame) 11 as a housing, an image reading unit 12 (see FIG. 4) housed in the upper frame 11, And an upper lid 13 rotatably supported on the upper portion of the upper frame 11. As will be described in detail later, a component member on the scanner unit 3 side of the opening / closing means 4 is provided at the rear end portion of the upper frame 11.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the scanner unit 3. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper frame 11 includes a box-shaped lower case 16 that houses the image reading unit 12, and an upper case 17 that covers the top surface of the lower case 16. The upper case 17 is provided with a wide glass document placing plate (document table) 21 on which a reading medium with a reading surface facing down is placed. On the other hand, the image reading unit 12 accommodated in the lower case 16 extends in the Y-axis direction and supports the sensor carriage 32 in a slidable manner, with a line sensor type sensor unit 31, a sensor carriage 32 on which the sensor unit 31 is mounted. And a self-propelled sensor moving mechanism 34 that moves the sensor carriage 32 along the guide shaft 33. The sensor unit 31 includes an image sensor (sensor unit) 41 which is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type line sensor extending in the X-axis direction, and is driven along the guide shaft 33 by a motor-driven sensor moving mechanism 34. Reciprocates in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the image of the reading medium (original) on the original document placing plate 21 is read. A CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) line sensor may be used as the image sensor.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 2 is disposed above the feed path R, a conveyance unit 61 that feeds a sheet recording medium (printing paper or cut sheet) along the feed path R, A printing unit 62 that performs printing processing on a recording medium by an ink jet method, a panel-type operation unit 63 disposed on the front surface, a transport unit 61, a printing unit 62, and an apparatus frame 64 on which the operation unit 63 is mounted. A device housing 65 for covering. Although not shown, a USB port and a power supply port are provided at the bottom of the rear surface. That is, the multifunction device 1 is configured to be connectable to a computer or the like via a USB port.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the printing unit 62 is supported by the device frame 64 and is supported by the guide frame 71 so as to be reciprocally movable, and a guide frame 71 made of a sheet metal that extends to the full width in the Y-axis direction. The carriage unit 72 and a carriage moving mechanism 73 (see FIG. 2) for reciprocating the carriage unit 72 along the guide frame 71 are provided. An ink jet head 83 is mounted on the carriage unit 72.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the carriage unit 72 includes a box-shaped carriage 81 that is reciprocally supported by the guide frame 71 via an engagement slider portion 81 a, and an inkjet head that is integrated with the lower surface of the carriage 81. 83 and four ink cartridges 84 detachably accommodated in the carriage 81. The ink jet head 83 has four nozzle rows (not shown) that eject ink droplets of four colors, and by mounting four ink cartridges 84 that store ink of four colors on the carriage 81, Directly connected to the inkjet head 83 from above.

  The transport unit 61 is positioned on the downstream side of the separation roller 92, a movable paper tray 91 that sets the recording medium right aligned, a separation roller 92 that separates and feeds the recording medium from the paper tray 91 one by one, A paper feed roller 93 that feeds the recording medium along the feed path R, a medium regulating member (corresponding to a platen) 95 that is located on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 93 and faces the ink jet head 83, and a medium A serrated guide roller 97 located on the downstream side of the restricting member 95 and a paper discharge roller 96 that is located on the downstream side of the guide roller 97 and feeds the recording medium from the discharge port 100 (see FIG. 2). .

  The recording medium fed from the paper tray 91 by the separation roller 92 is intermittently fed in the X-axis direction toward the paper discharge roller 96 by the paper feed roller 93 (sub scanning). In synchronization with this intermittent feed, the carriage unit 72 selectively ejects ink (main scanning) while reciprocating in the X-axis direction, and desired printing is performed. On the other hand, the leading edge of the recording medium that has passed the medium regulating member 95 and reached the guide roller 97 is sent to the paper discharge roller 96 so that the guide roller 97 corrects the upward warping state. In this way, the recording medium on which printing has been completed is sent forward from the discharge port 100 by the discharge roller 96.

  FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the apparatus frame 64 is a frame that supports each part of the printer unit 2, and is made of an integrally molded resin. Specifically, the apparatus frame 64 includes a base frame portion 64a, a pair of left and right side frame portions 64b that are provided on the base frame portion 64a and support the constituent members of the transport unit 61 and the guide frame 71 on both sides, A pair of left and right front frame parts 64c for supporting the front part of the scanner unit 3 and supporting the operation part 63 at the front part of the base frame part 64a, and a printer unit via the opening / closing means 4 at the rear part of the base frame part 64a. And a pair of left and right rear frame parts 64d that support 2 in an openable and closable manner.

  The pair of rear frame parts 64d are erected to the outside of the apparatus housing 65 through a rear opening part opened at the rear part of the apparatus housing 65, and will be described later in detail. Is formed.

  Here, the opening / closing means 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the opening / closing means 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the opening / closing means 4 includes a pair of left and right hinges 111 that pivotably connect the scanner unit 3 to the printer unit 2 at the rear end portion of the multifunction machine 1 and serve as a center of rotation. A right scanner holding portion (opening / closing mechanism) 112 that is disposed in front of and in the vicinity of the hinge portion 111 and that holds the scanner unit 3 in an open state.

  Each hinge portion 111 includes a scanner side hinge portion 121 provided at the rear end portion of the upper frame 11 and a printer side hinge portion 122 provided on the upper portion of each rear frame portion 64d and having a hinge pin 123. . The scanner side hinge part 121 is formed integrally with the upper frame 11, and the printer side hinge part 122 is formed integrally with the apparatus frame 64.

  The scanner-side hinge 121 includes a circular guide hole 126 that encloses the hinge pin 123 rotatably, and an attachment / detachment groove 127 that is continuous in the radial direction of the guide hole 126 and that attaches / detaches the scanner-side hinge 121 to / from the hinge pin 123. Have. On the other hand, the hinge pin 123 protrudes outward from the printer side hinge portion 122 and has an oval cross section lacking an upper portion and a lower portion. The scanner unit 3 is erected substantially at a right angle so that the extending direction of the attaching / detaching groove 127 and the extending direction of the hinge pin 123 are matched. In this state, the scanner side hinge portion 121 (scanner unit 3) is mounted on the hinge pin 123. It has become so. The scanner-side hinge 121 (scanner unit 3) is detached from the hinge pin 123 in the reverse procedure. In the state in which the scanner unit 3 is incorporated in the printer unit 2, the standing angle (rotation angle) of the scanner unit 3 is restricted to a right angle or less, so that the scanner unit 3 can be easily detached from the printer unit 2. Absent.

Next, the scanner holding unit (opening / closing mechanism) 112 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the scanner holding unit 112. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the partition receiving portion 133. FIG. 10A is a rear perspective view showing the scanner holding unit 112 when the scanner unit 3 is opened. FIG. 10B is a rear perspective view showing the scanner holding unit 112 when the scanner unit 3 is closed. In FIG. 10B, the upper lid 13 and the upper case 17 are omitted.
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the scanner holding portion 112 includes a shaft portion 131 formed integrally with the upper frame 11 (strictly speaking, the lower case 16), and is rotatable to the shaft portion 131 on the base end side. A partition part 132 that is attached and has an engagement element 147 on the distal end side, and a partition receiving part 133 that is formed on the outer side surface of the rear frame part 64d and receives the engagement element 147 is provided. When the scanner unit 3 is opened / closed, the partition receiving portion 133 guides the movement of the engaging element 147 accompanying the opening / closing operation, and applies a necessary sliding load. Then, the partition receiving unit 133 locks the engaging element 147 at a predetermined locking position P (see FIG. 9), so that the scanner unit 3 is connected to the printer unit 2 through the partitioning unit 132 by a predetermined opening position. Held at (rotation angle).

  The screen part 132 is provided so that the base end side (upper side) is rotatably attached to the shaft part 131 and is wound around the shaft part 131, and the stand member 141 is urged to rotate backward. A torsion coil spring (engagement element moving means and engagement element urging means) 142.

  The stand member 141 is formed in the shape of a square bar, and at the base end portion thereof, an insertion hole 141a through which the shaft portion 131 is inserted, and a regulation protrusion that abuts a part of the upper frame 11 and regulates the position of the rotation end thereof. A portion 141b is formed. The front end of the stand member 141 is formed at an acute angle, and a cylindrical engagement element 147 projecting inward is formed on the inner surface of this part. That is, the engaging element 147 protrudes toward the partition receiving portion 133 and engages with the partition receiving portion 133 (strictly, in each guide groove 161, 166 described later). Note that the engaging element 147 may be constituted by a roller. In addition, the shaft portion 131 is inserted through the insertion hole 141a with play so that the stand member 141 can be slightly swung by each of the retrograde prevention step portions 162 and 167 described later.

  The torsion coil spring 142 is wound around the shaft portion 131, one end is locked to the upper frame 11, and the other end is locked to the stand member 141 (the torsion coil spring 142 in FIG. 8 is in a free state). Represents.) The torsion coil spring 142 according to the embodiment not only urges the stand member 141 to rotate backward by a torsional moment, but also functions as a tension spring in the axial direction, and the stand member 141 is laterally (partition receiving portion 133). Side). Then, the former urging moves the engaging element 147 to a locking position P (a position contacting a leaf spring 168 described later: see FIG. 9) behind the partition receiving portion 133, and the latter urging causes the engaging element to move to the engaging element P. 147 is pressed against the partition receiving portion 133 side. Note that the locking portion on the upper frame 11 side of the torsion coil spring 142 has a plurality of grooves arranged in the Y direction, and the spring end of the torsion coil spring 142 is locked in any of the plurality of grooves. By doing so, the spring force of the torsion coil spring 142 as a tension spring can be adjusted.

  The partition receiving portion 133 includes a closing path portion 151 having a closing movement path L1 that is a moving path of the engaging element 147 when the scanner unit 3 is closed, and an opening moving path L2 that is a moving path of the engaging element 147 when the scanner unit 3 is opened. And an open path portion 152 having The closing movement path L1 and the opening movement path L2 are grooves having a U-shaped cross section, and constitute an oblique “D” -shaped path as a whole. That is, the partition receiving portion 133 is configured to guide the engaging element 147 of the stand member 141 through different movement paths in the closing operation and the opening operation.

  Strictly speaking, the closing movement path L1 is a movement path of the engaging element 147 accompanying the closing operation from the fully opened position of the scanner unit 3, and extends greatly curved downward from above. On the other hand, the opening movement path L2 is a movement path of the engaging element 147 that accompanies the opening operation of the scanner unit 3 from the fully closed position, and extends obliquely linearly from below to above. The path termination portion of the blocking movement path L1 communicates (connects) with the path start end of the open movement path L2, and the path termination section of the opening movement path L2 communicates (connects) with the path start end of the blocking movement path L1. is doing. That is, the closing movement path L1 and the opening movement path L2 are in the form of a loop by connecting the path start end portions and the path end portions with each other.

  The opening path portion 152 is formed in the right rear frame portion 64d, and along the opening movement path L2, an opening guide groove 161 that guides the movement of the engaging element 147 accompanying the opening operation, and a guide end portion of the opening guide groove 161. A first retrograde blocking step (first movement blocking means) 162 provided at the (path end portion of the open movement path L2) and formed so as to rise from the groove bottom. Since the stand member 141 is always urged to rotate backward by the torsion coil spring 142 described above, the engaging element 147 moves while lightly sliding on the rear side wall of the open guide groove 161. Therefore, the engagement element 147 moves while being guided by the rear side wall of the open guide groove 161 substantially.

  The first retrograde prevention step portion 162 is inclined upward in the route traveling direction and is formed so as to form a step with the groove bottom of the route start end portion of the closing movement route L1. Since the torsion coil spring 142 always biases the engaging element 147 toward the groove bottom of the closing guide groove 166 via the stand member 141, the closing movement path beyond the first retrograde prevention step portion 162. The engaging element 147 that has fallen into the path start end of L1 does not travel backward from the path start end of the closing movement path L1 to the path end of the open movement path L2. That is, the first retrograde prevention step portion 162 prevents the engagement element 147 from retrograde at the path start end of the closing movement path L1.

  The closing path portion 151 is formed in the right rear frame portion 64d, and includes a closing guide groove 166 that guides the movement of the engaging element 147 accompanying the closing operation along the closing movement path L1, and a guide terminal portion of the closing guide groove 166. (Path end portion of the closing movement path L1) provided in the closing guide groove 166, a second retrograde blocking step (second movement blocking means) 167 formed so as to rise from the groove bottom, A leaf spring (opening maintaining means) 168 that presses the engagement element 147 against the front side wall of the closing guide groove 166 and a guide start end (path start end of the closing movement path L1) of the closing guide groove 166, just before locking. A click protrusion 169 that makes contact with the engagement element 147 to cause a click feeling. The front side wall of the closing guide groove 166 and the leaf spring 168 form two guide walls that sandwich the engagement element 147, and the engagement element 147 is guided by the movement while being sandwiched between the two guide walls.

  The second retrograde prevention step portion 167 is formed so as to be inclined upward in the route traveling direction and to form a step with the groove bottom of the route start end portion of the open movement route L2. Since the torsion coil spring 142 always urges the engaging element 147 toward the groove bottom of the open guide groove 161 via the stand member 141, the second reverse running is performed similarly to the first reverse blocking step 162. The engaging element 147 that has dropped into the path start end of the open movement path L2 beyond the blocking step 167 does not go backward from the path start end of the open movement path L2 to the path end of the closing movement path L1. In other words, the second retrograde prevention step 167 prevents the engagement element 147 from going backward at the path start end of the open movement path L2. In addition, instead of the first retrograde prevention step portion 162 and the second retrograde prevention step portion 167, a rotationally biased check plate may be provided so as to cross the path.

  The leaf spring 168 is formed in a deformed “S” shape, is fixed to the rear frame portion 64 d at the upper end portion, and extends while being bent at a rearward position in the closing guide groove 166. The leaf spring 168 is biased toward the front side wall of the closing guide groove 166 with respect to the engaging element 147 passing through the closing guide groove 166 from the top to the bottom. Thereby, the leaf | plate spring 168 and a front side wall provide predetermined | prescribed sliding resistance to the engaging element 147 to move. In this case, the leaf spring 168 is bent, and the biasing force of the leaf spring 168 increases as the portion is closer to the front side wall, and the sliding resistance of the engagement element 147 increases. That is, the open / close resistance in a series of closing operations of the scanner unit 3 can be continuously adjusted by the cooperation of the moving position of the engagement element 147 and the bent form of the leaf spring 168. In the present embodiment, the leaf spring 168 has the first proximity portion 168a formed so as to be close to the front side wall at the locking position P and the first proximity portion 168a formed so as to be close to the front side wall in the vicinity of the path end portion. 2 proximity portion 168b.

  The first proximity portion 168a provides a sliding resistance necessary for locking the engaging element 147 at the locking position P. Specifically, the scanner unit 3 is maintained (held) in the open position against the moment load received from the scanner unit 3 in the open state, and an external force in the closing direction (a force G for closing the user G: For example, a sliding resistance that slides in the closing direction in response to 0.1 kgf ≦ G ≦ 1 kgf) is applied. That is, due to the sliding resistance applied by the first proximity portion 168a, the engaging element 147 is brought into a non-moving state, and the scanner unit 3 is held in the open position (fully open position).

  The second proximity portion 168b provides a sliding resistance against the force in the closing direction at the end of the closing movement route L1. In other words, in the vicinity of the complete blockage, the scanner unit 3 is prevented from suddenly closing by generating a sliding resistance against the force in the closing direction.

  Here, the opening / closing operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a transition diagram showing the operation from the completely closed state to the open holding state. FIG. 12 is a transition diagram showing the operation from the open holding state to the completely closed state. Here, the state where the scanner unit 3 is pulled down to the fully closed position is referred to as a fully closed state, and the state where the scanner unit 3 is held at a predetermined open position slightly lowered from the fully open position is referred to as an open held state. To do. First, with reference to FIG. 11, the operation of the scanner unit 3 from the completely closed state to the open holding state will be described. In the fully closed state, the engagement element 147 is located at the path start end of the open movement path L2 (FIG. 11A).

  When the scanner unit 3 is pulled up from this state, the engaging element 147 is guided and moved along the opening movement path L2 by the opening guide groove 161. When the scanner unit 3 is lifted up and is pulled up to the fully open position, the engaging element 147 reaches the path start end of the closing movement path L1 through the first retrograde prevention step 162 (FIG. 11). (See (b)). This state is the fully opened state of the scanner unit 3 and then the engaging element 147 is instantaneously moved to the locking position P by the rearward bias of the torsion coil spring 142 as the scanner unit is slightly pulled down. To do. When the engaging element 147 moves to the locking position P, a sliding resistance is generated in a form sandwiched between the front side wall of the closing guide groove 166 and the first proximity portion 168a, and the engaging element 147 is brought into an immobile state. As a result, the scanner unit 3 shifts to the open holding state (FIG. 11C).

  Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the operation of the scanner unit 3 from the open holding state to the fully closed state will be described. When the scanner unit 3 is pulled down from the above open holding state (FIG. 12A), the engaging element 147 moves along the closing movement path L1 by the closing guide groove 166 (FIG. 12B). At this time, sliding resistance is generated by the second proximity portion 168b at the path end portion of the closing movement path L1, and a predetermined opening / closing resistance is generated. When the lowering of the scanner unit 3 proceeds and the scanner unit 3 is lowered to the fully closed position, the engaging element 147 reaches the path start end of the open movement path L2 over the second retrograde prevention step 167 accordingly. At this time, the engaging element 147 is disengaged from the leaf spring 168, and the scanner unit 3 shifts to a completely closed state without resistance (FIG. 12C).

  According to the configuration described above, the closing guide groove 166 and the opening guide groove 161 guide the movement accompanying the closing operation of the scanner unit 3 and the movement accompanying the opening operation through different paths. Different behaviors of sliding resistance can be produced during operation and closing operation. That is, a configuration can be adopted in which sliding resistance is generated only in the closing operation, and sliding resistance is not generated in the opening operation. Therefore, the above-mentioned problem of floating can be solved, and an appropriate sliding resistance can be generated in the closing operation regardless of the opening operation, and the scanner unit 3 is maintained at least at a predetermined opening position. be able to.

  Further, by providing the receiving side member (partition receiving portion 133) in the apparatus frame 64, the lid can be held firmly and stably.

  Furthermore, by forming the opening guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166 integrally with the apparatus frame 64, the opening guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166 can be easily and accurately formed, and the opening and closing of the scanner unit 3 can be stabilized. Further, the device cost can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, by disposing the scanner holding portion 112 in the vicinity of the hinge portion 111, the partition portion 132 and the partition receiving portion 133 can be disposed at a position close to the rotation center, so that it is far from the rotation center. In contrast to arranging them in position, the partition 132 can be made smaller. Further, when the scanner unit 3 is opened and the work in the printer unit 2 is performed, the partition part 132 is located on the rotation center side, so that the work is not disturbed.

  In addition, the torsion coil spring 142 urges the engaging element 147 toward the groove bottoms of the guide grooves 161 and 166, so that the engaging element 147 can be reliably engaged with the guide grooves 161 and 166. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent the engaging element 147 from being detached from the open surfaces of the guide grooves 161 and 166.

  Further, by having the first retrograde prevention step portion 162 and the second retrograde prevention step portion 167, the retrograde movement of the engaging element 147 can be reliably prevented between the open guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166. In addition, the structure which has only any one of the 1st retrograde prevention stage part 162 and the 2nd retrograde prevention stage part 167 may be sufficient.

  Furthermore, the engaging element 147 that reaches the guide start end of the closing guide groove 166 is moved to the position of the first proximity part 168a by the torsion coil spring 142, so that the engaging element 147 is smoothly moved to the locking position P. It is possible to prevent the engagement element 147 from reversing.

  Further, the open maintaining means for maintaining (holding) the scanner unit 3 in the open state is configured by the plate spring 168 that forms one guide wall, whereby the open maintaining means can be simplified and the plate spring can be configured. The sliding resistance can be easily adjusted by the material, shape, installation position, and the like of 168. In particular, the sliding resistance can be partially and freely adjusted in consideration of opening maintenance and closing impact from the start end to the end of the closing guide groove 166.

  In this embodiment, the scanner unit 3 is maintained at a predetermined one open position (rotation angle). However, the scanner unit 3 is maintained at a plurality of open positions (rotation angles). There may be. In such a case, the proximity portion is formed at a position corresponding to each open position.

  In the present embodiment, the leaf spring 168 is formed so as to provide sliding resistance in the vicinity of complete occlusion, but is not limited thereto. For example, the leaf spring 168 may be formed so as to always give a predetermined sliding resistance at the time of closing, or a sliding resistance that causes a click feeling is given at a plurality of open positions (rotation angles). A leaf spring 168 may be formed.

  In this embodiment, the partition receiving unit 133 is disposed on the apparatus frame 64. However, the partition receiving unit 133 may be disposed on a separate member on the printer unit 2 side. . For example, the screen receiving portion 133 may be disposed (for example, formed) on the device housing 65.

  In the present embodiment, the partition unit 132 is disposed on the scanner unit 3 side and the partition receiving unit 133 is disposed on the printer unit 2 side. Conversely, the partition receiving unit 133 is disposed on the scanner unit 3 side. It may be arranged on the 3 side (lid side), and the partition part 132 may be arranged on the printer unit 2 side (apparatus main body side).

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the open guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166 are formed integrally with the apparatus frame 64. However, the separate open guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166 are attached to the apparatus frame 64. It may be a thing. Further, in this embodiment, the open guide groove 161 and the closing guide groove 166 are integrally formed, but may be formed separately.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the front side wall of the closing guide groove 166 is a sliding contact surface, and the sliding resistance is applied by urging from the rear side. The side wall may be a slidable contact surface and may be urged from the front side to provide sliding resistance.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the engagement spring 168 is urged by the leaf spring 168 to apply the sliding resistance. However, instead of the leaf spring 168, an elastic rubber may be used. As a result, the structure which provides sliding resistance using the composite_body | complex of the leaf | plate spring 168 and elastic rubber may be sufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the opening / closing means 4 for opening and closing the scanner unit 3 with respect to the printer unit 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as it is an opening / closing means for an electronic device. For example, the present invention may be applied to the opening / closing means of the upper lid 13 in the scanner unit 3, the opening / closing means of a display in a laptop computer, or the opening / closing means in a foldable mobile phone or portable information terminal. May be applied.

  1: MFP, 2: Printer unit, 3: Scanner unit, 11: Upper frame, 64: Device frame, 111: Hinge part, 112: Scanner holding part, 132: Screen part, 133: Screen receiving part, 141: Stand Member, 142: torsion coil spring, 147: engagement element, 161: open guide groove, 162: first reverse blocking step, 166: closing guide groove, 167: second reverse blocking step

Claims (12)

An opening / closing mechanism for the lid body, which is attached to the apparatus body so as to be freely opened and closed,
A partition having an engaging element on the distal end side and pivotally attached to one of the lid and the apparatus main body on the proximal end side,
A partition receiving portion that is provided on the other of the lid and the apparatus main body and receives the engaging element,
The partition receiving portion is
A closing guide part that guides the movement of the engagement member in accordance with the closing operation from the fully open position of the lid;
An opening guide portion that guides the movement of the engagement member in accordance with the opening operation from the fully closed position of the lid,
Opening maintaining means that is provided in the closing guide portion and that slides on the engaging member and applies sliding resistance to maintain the lid at at least a predetermined opening position. Opening and closing mechanism for the lid. The partition is attached to a lid frame of the lid,
The lid opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the partition receiving portion is provided on an apparatus frame of the apparatus main body. The device frame is made of resin,
The lid opening / closing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion are formed integrally with the device frame. The lid and the apparatus main body are rotatably connected via a hinge part,
4. The lid opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the partition part and the partition receiving part are disposed in the vicinity of the hinge part. Each of the closing guide portion and the opening guide portion is constituted by a guide groove with which the engaging element is slidably contacted,
The partition portion further includes a stand member having the engagement element, and an engagement element urging unit that urges the engagement element toward the groove bottom of the guide groove via the stand member. The lid opening / closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The partition receiving portion is
6. A first movement preventing means for preventing movement of the engagement element from a guide start end portion of the closing guide portion to a guide end portion of the open guide portion. The lid opening / closing mechanism according to any one of the above. The partition receiving portion is
7. A second movement blocking means for blocking movement of the engaging element from a guide start end of the open guide portion to a guide end portion of the closing guide portion. The lid opening / closing mechanism according to any one of the above. The partition part is
8. An engagement element moving means for moving the engagement element that has reached the guide start end of the closing guide section to a position in contact with the opening maintaining means. A lid opening and closing mechanism according to claim 1. The closing guide portion has two guide walls arranged so that the engagement element is in sliding contact with the engagement element sandwiched therebetween,
The lid opening / closing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the opening maintaining means is formed of an elastic body that also serves as at least one of the two guide walls.   The lid opening / closing mechanism according to claim 9, wherein the elastic body is any one of a leaf spring, an elastic rubber, and a composite body of the leaf spring and the elastic rubber.   An electronic device comprising the lid opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1. The lid includes an image reading device that reads an image of a reading medium,
The electronic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the apparatus main body includes an image recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium.

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