JP4678363B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for smoothly opening and closing a lid on a side surface of an apparatus casing provided with a manual feed tray in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system.

In recent years, image forming apparatuses typified by laser printers, copiers, fax machines, multifunction machines, and the like have been improved in space efficiency due to the demand for compactness, and as a result, the gaps between components are kept as small as possible.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a configuration part of a conventional image forming apparatus having a configuration in which a part of the manual feed tray is housed in a recess disposed on a side surface of the apparatus main body.

The image forming apparatus 1000 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is composed of a plurality of other members with an apparatus main body 1110 incorporating a printer engine such as an electrophotographic system as a main component.
For example, on one side of the image forming apparatus 1000, the vertical conveyance unit 1120 that pivotally supports the refeed unit 1130 is pivotally supported on the apparatus main body 1110 in a further rotatable state. There is.

Further, on the same side surface of the apparatus main body 1110, a manual feed unit 1140 is pivotally supported at a position below the vertical conveyance unit 1120 and below the rotation axis of the vertical conveyance unit 1120.
The manual feed unit 1140 includes a tray holder 1150 fixed to the apparatus main body 1110 and a manual feed tray 1160 pivotally supported by the tray holder 1150.

The vertical conveyance unit 1120, the refeed unit 1130, and the manual feed unit 1140 are opened and closed by swinging. The vertical conveyance unit 1120 and the refeed unit 1130 are opened and closed mainly for jamming. The manual feed unit 1140 is opened and closed depending on whether or not it is used.
As shown in FIG. 15, when the vertical conveyance unit 1120, the refeed unit 1130, and the manual feed unit 1140 are all closed, the concave portion 1130a in the refeed unit 1130 extends from the front end 1160a to the central portion 1160b of the manual feed tray 1160. And the main surface thereof is flush with the main surface of the refeed unit 1130.

Thus, by making the outer surfaces of the plurality of members flush, a sense of unity can be obtained and design can be improved.
JP-A-8-20459

  However, in the refeed unit 1130, the storage space for the manual feed tray 1160 must be secured, and the density of components inside the apparatus is increased due to the demand for compactness. Therefore, the space that can be secured as the recess 1130a is reduced to the limit. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, the gap 1132 between the tip 1160a and the inner wall 1130b of the recess 1130a must be set small.

  Therefore, when attempting to open the refeed unit 1130 from a state in which both the refeed unit 1130 and the manual feed unit 1140 are closed, the manual feed unit 1140 is pushed by the rotation operation of the refeed unit 1130. By further rotating, as shown in FIG. 16, the rotation axis of the manual feed unit 1140 is lower than the rotation axis of the refeed unit 1130, so that the leading end 1160a lowers the bottom surface of the recess 1130a. It rises and comes into contact with the inner wall surface 1130b.

As a result, the rotation of the re-feed unit 1130 is hindered, and there is a problem that smooth opening and closing cannot be performed.
Therefore, in order to open the refeed unit 1130, it is necessary to open the manual feed unit 1140 first, and the operator is forced to perform complicated operations.
This is the same even if the manual feed tray is stored not in the case of the refeed unit 1130 but in a simple lid member that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus. Accordingly, in this specification, the re-feeding unit that can be opened and closed as described above and a simple lid member are referred to as a “lid”.

Further, although it is desirable in terms of design that the entire manual feed tray is housed in the concave portion of the “lid”, the same problem as described above occurs even if at least the tip portion is housed in the concave portion.
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and in the case where at least the tip of the manual feed unit is accommodated in the concave portion of the lid disposed on the rotatable member, this lid An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be opened and closed smoothly when is opened by rotation.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention swings about a first horizontal axis along a side surface of an apparatus main body, and closes a side surface portion of the apparatus main body. And a manual feed tray that swings about a second horizontal axis disposed below the horizontal axis and opens and closes a paper feed path that is open on a side surface of the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus in which a concave portion is formed on a front surface side and at least a front end portion of the manual feed tray in a closed state is stored in the concave portion, wherein the front end of the manual tray in the closed state of the concave portion The opposing wall surface facing the portion is formed to be inclined so as to be further away from the tip end portion as the distance from the bottom surface of the recess is reduced, and when the lid body and the manual feed tray are both in the closed state, the lid body is Swing to open When turned to state, opposing wall that the inclined abuts against the distal end of the manual feed tray, characterized in providing a component force that swings in an opening direction with respect to the manual feed tray.

After the leading edge of the manual feed tray comes into contact with the opposing wall surface in accordance with the swinging operation in which the lid shifts to the open side of the apparatus main body due to the inclination of the opposing wall surface, the leading edge portion presses the opposing wall surface. The reaction force of the generated force acts in the direction in which the manual feed tray separates the concave portion of the lid.
Accordingly, there is an effect that the manual feed tray can be smoothly opened in accordance with the opening operation of the lid without any human hand.

Further, the storage when the lid and the manual feed tray are both in a closed state is such that the surface of the manual feed tray opposite to the manual feed tray main body is substantially flush with the main surface. The entire manual feed tray may be fitted into the recess of the lid.
Thereby, the sense of unity between the lid and the manual feed tray is improved, and the effect that the design is improved is achieved.

Furthermore, when the manual feed tray is in the closed state, an engagement means for engaging with and fixing the manual feed tray is provided, and the engagement between the engagement means and the manual feed tray is performed manually. You may comprise so that it may be cancelled | released with the rocking | fluctuation to the opening direction of a tray.
Accordingly, when the lid is in the closed state, the manual feed tray stored in the concave portion of the lid is firmly fixed, and the manual feed tray is prevented from being opened against the operator's intention due to vibrations or the like. When the manual feed tray swings in the opening direction in accordance with the swinging operation of the lid, the engagement is released, so that the lid opening operation is not hindered.

[Embodiment]
<Configuration>
An image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a side portion of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.
A casing 110 of the image forming apparatus 100 is substantially a rectangular parallelepiped, and a known electrophotographic printer engine is accommodated therein. This printer engine forms an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive drum, develops it with toner, transfers the toner image onto a recording sheet, and then thermally fixes it. However, the printer engine employed in the present invention may be another image forming method, for example, an ink jet method.

  A vertical conveyance unit 120 that conveys a recording sheet in the vertical direction from a paper feeding cassette disposed below to an upper transfer position / fixing position is pivotally supported on the right side surface of the housing 110 so as to be openable and closable. Below the vertical conveyance unit 120, a refeed unit 130 that reverses the recording sheet on which the image is formed on the first surface at the transfer position, feeds the recording sheet to the transfer position again, and performs duplex printing is pivotally supported to be openable and closable. ing. These opening operations are mainly performed at the time of jam processing in each paper feed path.

In addition, a manual feed unit 140 is pivotally supported at the lower portion of the refeed unit 130 so as to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body.
The manual feed unit 140 is a paper feed mechanism provided auxiliary to the outside of the apparatus housing 110 in addition to a normal paper feed tray disposed in the apparatus housing 110, and is a manual feed tray on which paper is placed. 160 and a tray unit main body 150 that supports the manual feed tray 160 and includes a mechanism for feeding paper.

The opening / closing operation of the manual feed unit 140 is performed by the user according to the necessity of manual paper feed, and its main surface is flush with the main surface of the refeed unit 130 in the closed state from the viewpoint of improving design. Yes.
When only the manual feed tray 160 is opened and closed, the manual feed tray 160 swings forward and is provided in the A section by inserting a finger into the recess 132 provided in the refeed unit 130 and pulling it forward. The engagement means is unlocked and opened.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the periphery of part A in FIG. 1 when the manual feed tray 160 is in an open state.
As shown in the figure, the manual feed tray 160 is slidable in the width direction on the manual feed tray body 161, the side wall portion 162 disposed on the side surface of the manual feed tray body 161, and the longitudinal direction. Each paper guide plate 163 slides symmetrically with respect to the center in the width direction of the manual feed tray main body 161 so that the paper is fed. Guide to the center of the manual feed tray main body 161.

The engaging means of the manual feed tray 160 includes a claw portion 152 provided on the inner side surface of the tray unit main body 150 and a convex portion 162a provided on the outer side of the side wall portion 162 of the manual feed tray 160. The engagement is released when the claw portion 152 is detached from the convex portion 162a.
The lock release lever 151 provided at the left end of the tray unit main body 150 is a lever that releases the lock of the engagement mechanism (not shown) when the entire manual feed unit 140 is swung horizontally.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the operation of opening the refeed unit 130 or the operation of opening the vertical conveyance unit 120 by operating the lock lever 111 is performed, such an operation is performed. The manual feed tray 160 that is in a closed state following the opening is smoothly opened without the assistance of the operator.
Hereinafter, a configuration in which the manual feed tray 160 is opened following the opening operation of the refeed unit 130 or the vertical conveyance unit 120 will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the assumed cross section in FIG.
The re-feed unit 130 is provided with a recess 132 having a bottom portion 130b that is further retracted from the main surface 130a toward the apparatus housing 110 side.
The upper side wall 132a of the recess 132 is provided with an inclination such that the angle θ is an acute angle.

A specific value of the angle θ is desirably 30 ° or more and 80 ° or less.
Here, C1, C2, and C3 indicate rotation axes of the manual feed tray 160, the refeed unit 130, and the vertical conveyance unit 120, respectively.
When the vertical conveyance unit 120, the refeed unit 130, and the manual feed unit 140 are all closed, there is a gap between the front end portion 160a of the manual feed unit 140 and the side wall 132a, as shown in FIG. When the re-feed unit 130 is slightly opened, the tip 160a rises up the bottom 130b of the recess 132 with the swing of the re-feed unit 130, and a part of the tip 160a reaches the side wall 132a. Reach and touch.

At this time, since the contact portion generates a force F1 that pushes the side wall 132a along the bottom 130b, and the side wall 132a is inclined at an angle θ, the force F1 is a force F2 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the side wall 132a, It is divided into a force F3 in the direction along the side wall 132a.
Since the inclination angle θ of the side wall 132a is an acute angle, the force F3 takes a positive value instead of 0, and the leading edge 160a of the manual feed tray 160 rises up the side wall 132a by this force F3.

As shown in FIG. 7, the claw portion 152 (see FIG. 2) provided on the side surface of the tray unit main body 150 is projected from the convex portion 162 a (see FIG. 2) disposed on the side wall portion 162 of the manual feed tray 160. In order to come off, the manual feed tray 160 is detached from the recess 132, and shifts to an open state by gravity as shown in FIG.
Further, the refeed unit 130 also shifts to the open state by gravity.

As described above, the manual feed tray 160 is also opened following the opening operation of the refeed unit 130.
Further, when the vertical conveyance unit 120, the refeed unit 130, and the manual feed unit 140 are all closed, the manual feed tray 160 is also opened following the same when the vertical conveyance unit 120 is opened. The

  This is because the re-feed unit 130 is accommodated in the vertical transport unit 120, the re-feed unit 130 and the vertical transport unit 120 move together, and the rotation axis C1 of the vertical transport unit 120 is also re-feeded. Since the position is very close to the rotation axis C <b> 2 of the paper unit 130 (see FIG. 5), the behavior of the manual tray 160 associated with the opening operation of the vertical conveyance unit 120 is This is because it is almost the same as the behavior.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the vertical conveyance unit 120 is slightly opened, the bottom portion 130 b of the recess 132 is moved to the front end of the manual feed tray 160 in accordance with the swing of the refeed unit 130 accommodated in the vertical conveyance unit 120. The portion 160a rises and a part of the tip 160a reaches and contacts the side wall 132a, and the force generated by this contact is divided into a force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the side wall 132a and a force along the side wall 132a. The tip portion 160a rises up the side wall 132a by the force along the side wall 132a.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the refeed unit 130 is further opened, the claw portion 152 (see FIG. 2) provided on the side surface of the tray unit main body 150 is disposed on the side wall portion 162 of the manual feed tray 160. In order to disengage from the concave portion 162a (see FIG. 2), the tip end portion 160a is detached from the concave portion 132, and, as shown in FIG. And migrate.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the tray unit main body 150 can swing the manual feed unit 140 in the storage state in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 12, and is further in the open state as shown in FIG. The manual feed unit 140 can be swung horizontally.
Normally, the horizontal swing is possible in the range of 0 to 90 degrees. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the manual feed unit 140 is swung horizontally by about 45 degrees with the manual feed tray 160 standing up. In this state, when the paper re-feed unit 130 is further opened, the corner portion 160b of the front end portion 160a of the manual feed tray 160 just contacts the side wall 132a.

However, since the side wall 132a is inclined and the corner portion 160b of the manual feed tray 160 has a circular arc shape (see FIG. 13), a force acts in the direction of escaping from each other even if contacted. When pushed by the paper unit 130, the manual feed unit 140 swings so as to open further in the horizontal direction.
<Others>
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the engaging means includes a claw portion 152 provided on the side surface of the tray unit main body 150 and a convex portion 162 a provided on the side wall portion 162 of the manual feed tray 160. However, it is not limited to this configuration.

For example, when the gravity center position of the manual feed tray 160 in the closed state is present behind the rotation shaft 165 provided on the side surface of the tray unit main body 150, that is, on the apparatus housing 110 side, It does not matter even if the structure has no engaging means.
This is because, when the above conditions are satisfied, the force generated due to gravity acts in the direction of pressing the manual feed tray 160 toward the apparatus housing 110 side, so that it does not move from the position in the closed state unless external force is applied. .

  Further, the engaging means does not need to be constituted by the claw portion 152 and the convex portion 162a. For example, if one is a magnet and the other is a ferromagnetic material, the same as described above. Demonstrate the function.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system having a manual feed tray.

1 is a perspective view of a side portion of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a shaft support portion of a tray unit main body 150 in the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a side portion of the image forming apparatus when the re-feed unit is opened in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a side portion of the image forming apparatus during an opening operation of the vertical conveyance unit 120 in the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of each of the units when the vertical conveyance unit, the refeed unit, and the manual feed unit are all closed in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical conveyance unit, a refeed unit, and a manual feed unit at the start of opening a refeed unit in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vertical conveyance unit, the refeed unit, and the manual feed unit in the embodiment in the middle of opening the refeed unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical conveyance unit, a refeed unit, and a manual feed unit at the end of reopening of the refeed unit in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical conveyance unit, a refeed unit, and a manual feed unit at the start of opening the vertical conveyance unit in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vertical conveyance unit, the refeed unit, and the manual feed unit in the embodiment in the middle of opening the vertical conveyance unit. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a vertical conveyance unit, a refeed unit, and a manual feed unit at the end of opening of the vertical conveyance unit in the present embodiment. It is a perspective view in the state where the manual feed unit in the closed state was rotated horizontally 90 degrees in the present embodiment. It is a perspective view in the state where the open manual feed unit in this embodiment was rotated 90 degrees horizontally. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the refeeding unit in an opened state when the manual feed unit in the closed state is rotated horizontally by 45 degrees. It is sectional drawing of the conventional image forming apparatus. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the conventional image forming apparatus when the refeed unit is opened.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Image forming apparatus 110 Housing | casing 111 Lock lever 120 Vertical conveyance unit 130 Refeed unit 130a Main surface 130b Bottom part 132 Concave part 132a Side wall 140 Manual feed unit 150 Tray unit main body 151 Lock release lever 152 Claw part 160 Manual feed tray 160a Tip part 160b Corner Part 161 manual feed tray body part 162 side wall part 162a convex part 163 paper guide plate 165 rotation shaft 1000 image forming apparatus

Claims (3)

A lid that swings about a first horizontal axis along the side surface of the apparatus body and closes the side surface of the apparatus body, and a second horizontal axis that is disposed below the first horizontal axis. And a manual feed tray that opens and closes a paper feed path opened on a side surface of the apparatus main body, and a concave portion is formed on the outer surface side in the closed state of the lid, and the concave portion is in the closed state. An image forming apparatus configured to store at least a front end portion of a manual feed tray,
The opposite wall surface of the concave portion facing the front end portion of the manual feed tray in the closed state is formed so as to be inclined away from the front end portion as the distance from the bottom surface of the concave portion is increased.
When the lid body and the manual feed tray are both in the closed state, when the lid body is swung to turn to the open state, the inclined opposing wall surface comes into contact with the front end of the manual tray, An image forming apparatus, wherein a component force swinging in an opening direction is applied to a manual feed tray.   The storage when the lid and the manual feed tray are both closed is such that the surface of the manual feed tray opposite the manual feed tray main body and the main surface are substantially flush with each other. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the entire tray is fitted into the recess of the lid. Furthermore, when the manual feed tray is in the closed state, an engagement means that engages with and fixes the manual feed tray is provided.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the engagement between the engagement means and the manual feed tray is released as the manual feed tray swings in the opening direction.

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