JP5317440B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily perform opening/closing of a shutter member and engagement/disengagement of a coupling in an attachable/detachable toner container attached to a main body frame. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is equipped with a shutter opening/closing mechanism 80 for opening/closing the shutter member of the toner container interlocked with the opening/closing operation of a cover member 10, and a motive power switching mechanism 90 for engaging/disengaging the coupling to/from the toner container. The shutter opening/closing member 81 engaged with the shutter member of the toner container is rotated in a direction shown by an arrow (e) via a sector gear 84, an idle gear 85 and a rack 86 by the closing operation of the cover member 10 in a direction shown by an arrow (a), thereby rotating the shutter of the toner container to open a toner supply port. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a shutter of a developer container is opened and closed to engage and disengage a coupling in conjunction with an opening and closing operation of a cover member that covers an opening on an upper surface of a main body frame.

In image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers, an image forming apparatus is proposed in which a plurality of couplings are engaged simultaneously to transmit power to a plurality of developing cartridges (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This has a plurality of springs for urging each coupling toward the developing cartridge, and a plurality of regulating members for regulating the advancement of each coupling, and each regulating member is a single connecting member. In addition, a lever is disposed at the end of the connecting member. When the lever is manually operated by the user, the couplings can be simultaneously engaged with the developing cartridges to transmit power, and conversely, the couplings can be disengaged all at once. .
JP 2006-154746 A

  However, according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is complicated because the user needs to manually operate the lever.

  A similar problem also occurs in a developer container having a developer conveying screw that contains a developer for replenishing the developing device. Such a developer container is generally provided with a developer supply port, and a shutter for opening and closing the developer supply port is mounted. The shutter allows the developer to be supplied by opening the developer supply port only when the developer container is disposed at a predetermined position of the main body frame. On the other hand, other than this, the developer is securely closed to prevent the developer from spilling from the developer supply port. In such a developer container, it is necessary to open the developer supply port after being mounted on the main body frame, and it is possible to adopt the same configuration as that of Patent Document 1 described above for opening. However, also in this case, the lever operation becomes complicated.

  Therefore, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which the shutter of the developer container is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover member, and the coupling is disengaged so that the user does not need to operate the lever. It is the purpose.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a developer having a shutter member that takes a closed position for closing the developer supply port and an open position for opening the developer supply port, and a developer transport member that transports the developer toward the developer supply port. A container, a main body frame having an opening on the upper surface, and a cover member that is swingably supported by the main body frame and takes a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which the developer container is attached to and detached from a predetermined position in the main body frame from above the opening in a state where the developer container is disposed in the open position. The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a shutter opening / closing mechanism and a power connection / disconnection mechanism which are disposed on the main body frame and operate in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the cover member. The shutter opening / closing mechanism includes a shutter opening / closing member that has a receiving position that enables engagement / disengagement of the shutter member in a state of being disposed in the closed position, and an operating position in which the shutter member is disposed in the opening position, and the cover A first transmission mechanism that moves the shutter opening / closing member to the receiving position in response to the opening operation of the member, and moves the shutter opening / closing member to the operating position in response to the closing operation of the cover member. Yes. The power connection / disconnection mechanism includes a coupling that takes an engagement position that engages with the developer transport member and a retreat position that disengages the developer container so that the developer container can be attached and detached, and the cover member is opened. A second transmission mechanism that moves the coupling to the retracted position in response to the operation and moves the coupling to the engaging position in response to the closing operation of the cover member. The shutter opening / closing mechanism is disposed at a position of one side of the pair of side plates facing each other in the main body frame and one side of the pair of side plates of the developer container. The power connection / disconnection mechanism is disposed at a position on the other side of the side plate and the other side of the pair of side plates of the developer container. The shutter member is rotatably disposed on the developer container side, and the shutter opening / closing member is rotatably disposed on one side of the pair of side plates. The shutter member is formed with a T-shaped engaging projection protruding from one side of the pair of side plates of the developer container, and a shutter closing portion for opening and closing the developer supply port. When the shutter member is in the closed position, the T-shaped engagement convex portion can be vertically engaged with and disengaged from the T-shaped engagement concave portion of the shutter opening / closing member in the vertical direction, and the developer container Can be attached to and detached from a predetermined position of the main body frame. Further, when the shutter member of the developer container disposed at a predetermined position of the main body frame is in the open position, the T-shaped engagement convex portion and the T-shaped engagement concave portion are in the vertical direction. The T-shaped engaging convex portion cannot be separated upward from the T-shaped engaging concave portion by rotating from the engaged state to a laterally engaged state, and the developer container is removed from the T-shaped engaging convex portion. It is characterized in that it cannot be detached upward from a predetermined position of the main body frame.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the first transmission mechanism is reciprocated by meshing with the first gear and the first gear that rotate integrally with the cover member. A first rack, and the shutter opening / closing member is supported by the main body frame so as to be rotatable forward and backward, and meshed with the first rack, so that the opening / closing movement of the cover member is performed by the first gear, the first 1 It is characterized in that it is converted into a forward / reverse rotational motion and transmitted through a rack.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, the second transmission mechanism is reciprocated by meshing with the second gear that rotates integrally with the cover member. It has a second rack and a cam mechanism which is engaged with the second rack and converts the reciprocating motion of the second rack into the reciprocating motion in the axial direction of the coupling.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, a plurality of the developer containers that are mounted in an aligned state in the horizontal direction in the vicinity of the opening of the main body frame, and a plurality of the developers A plurality of the shutter opening / closing members corresponding to the container and a plurality of the couplings are provided.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the developer is biased upward at a position corresponding to the bottom of the developer container in the main body frame. An urging member that pushes up the container from the opening is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the cover member is disposed at the open position, the shutter opening / closing member is disposed at the receiving position by the shutter opening / closing mechanism to close the developer supply port of the developer container, and Engagement is possible. Further, the power connection / disconnection mechanism releases the coupling engagement with the developer conveying member, thereby enabling the developer container to be attached and detached. Thereby, the developer container can be taken out from the main body frame in a state where the developer supply port is closed. Conversely, it can be mounted. On the other hand, when the cover member is closed with the developer container mounted, the shutter member opens the developer supply port by the shutter opening / closing mechanism, and for example, the developer can be supplied to the developing device. Further, the coupling is engaged with the developer conveying member by the power connection / disconnection mechanism. Thereby, for example, power can be transmitted to the developer conveying member via the coupling by a motor disposed on the main body frame side.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing operation of the cover member is converted into a rotational motion via the first transmission mechanism and transmitted to the shutter opening / closing member.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the opening / closing operation of the cover member is converted into the reciprocating motion in the axial direction and transmitted to the coupling via the second transmission mechanism.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the shutter opening / closing mechanism and the power connection / disconnection mechanism can simultaneously operate the plurality of shutter opening / closing members and the plurality of couplings by the first rack and the second rack. That is, the case where there is a single developer container or a plurality of developer containers can be handled with the same basic configuration.

  According to the invention of claim 5, when the cover member is disposed at the closed position, the shutter opening / closing member is disposed at the operating position to close the developer supply port, and the coupling is disposed at the engaging position. Therefore, even if the developer container is urged by the urging member, the developer container is not pushed up from the mounted position. On the other hand, when the cover member is disposed at the open position, the shutter opening / closing member is disposed at the receiving position, and the coupling is disposed at the retracted position so that the developer container can be attached and detached. And is pushed up from the opening. As a result, the developer container can be easily attached and detached. Further, the amount of the developer container pushed up by the biasing member decreases as the remaining amount of the developer in the developer container increases, so that the remaining amount of the developer can be estimated from the pushed-up amount.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the member etc. which attached | subjected the same code | symbol are the same structures, The duplication description about these shall be abbreviate | omitted suitably. Moreover, in each drawing, members and the like that are not necessary for the description are omitted as appropriate.

<Embodiment 1>
The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, the front, rear, left, right, top and bottom of the image forming apparatus 1 and its constituent elements (each member, apparatus, etc.) are appropriately indicated by arrows. 1 to 9 , FIG. 1 illustrates the entire image forming apparatus 1.
It is the perspective view seen from the left diagonal upper part of the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire image forming apparatus 1 as viewed from the rear and obliquely upward on the left side. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 1 as viewed from the left side. 4 to 9 will be described later.

  Here, examples of the image forming apparatus 1 include a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine of these. In the following description, a case where the image forming apparatus 1 is a printer will be described as an example. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a four-color full-color image forming apparatus 1 adopting an electrophotographic system, an intermediate transfer system, and a tandem system.

  A configuration of the entire image forming apparatus 1 as viewed from the outside will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 3 as appropriate. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a substantially box-shaped (cuboid) image forming apparatus main body 2 and a front cover 3 supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The image forming apparatus main body 2 has a front surface covered with a front cover 3 and a left side surface and a right side surface covered with a left exterior panel 4 and a right exterior panel 5 made of synthetic resin. On the rear surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2, a rear side plate 7 constituting a part of a main body frame 6 as a structure is exposed. The upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body 2 is covered with a top cover (cover member) 10 that also serves as the paper discharge tray 8.

  The front cover 3 is provided with an operation panel 12 on the upper end side, and an openable and closable manual feed tray 13 on the front side. A touch panel type liquid crystal display unit and various buttons are arranged on the operation panel 12, and the operator stands on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 and the entire image forming apparatus 1 is operated by the operation panel 12. Can be operated. The manual feed tray 13 is swingably supported at the lower end 13a side by the front cover 3. The upper end 13b side is pulled out toward the front side (in the direction of the arrow R13) from the stowed storage position C1 shown by a solid line in FIG. By disposing the sheet feeding position C2 in the inclined posture shown by the dotted line, the upper surface can be used as the sheet stacking surface 13c of the manual feeding table. The entire front cover 3 is supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2 so that the lower end 3a is swingable. A standing position A1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and an open position (not shown) in an inclined position. You can move between. As shown in FIG. 2, release levers 15 with buttons 14 are provided near the left and right ends on the upper end side and the rear side of the front cover 3. A hook (not shown) is connected to the release lever 15 via a connecting member (not shown). The hook is disposed on the front cover 3 side, and when the front cover 3 is closed, the hook is engaged with a locking member (not shown) on the image forming apparatus main body 2 side to lock the front cover 3. When opening the front cover 3, when the button 14 is pulled forward, the hook is swung via the connecting member and released from the locking member, so that the lock is released. In this state, the front cover 3 can be opened by pulling the upper end side toward the front side (front side).

  The sheet discharge tray 8 is composed of an inclined surface that is gently inclined so that the rear end side is positioned higher, and a plane that continues to the rear end of the inclined surface. As will be described later, the sheet discharge tray 8 is rearward from the sheet discharge port 11 after image formation. The sheet discharged toward the head is supported from below. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the top cover 10 has a shaft 83 (see FIG. 4) supported by the image forming apparatus main body 2 in a swingable manner on the rear end 10a side. The front end side can be opened and closed. In the closed position D1 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3, the top cover 10 constitutes the paper discharge tray 8 and is opened in the direction of the arrow R10 shown in FIG. 3 and disposed at the open position D2 indicated by the two-dot chain line. In some cases, the image forming apparatus main body 2 has an opening 6a at the upper portion of the main body frame 6 that is opened up substantially in an upright posture. A developing unit 40A, a drum unit 36A, an intermediate transfer unit 31A, and toner containers 47, 48, 49, and 50 for each color, which will be described later, are attached and detached from above through the opening 6a.

  This is the end of the description of the configuration of the entire image forming apparatus 1 viewed from the outside.

  Next, the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a sheet storage unit 20, a substrate storage unit 21, an image forming unit 22, a toner supply unit 23, and a top cover 10 as a sheet discharge unit in order from the lower side to the upper side of the image forming apparatus main body 2. Is provided. A sheet conveying unit 24 is provided between the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 2 and the front cover 3.

  A sheet cassette 25 is disposed in the sheet storage unit 20. The sheet feeding cassette 25 stores a plurality of sheets in a stacked state, and biases the leading end side (the right side in the figure) of the stacked sheets upward by a lift plate 26 disposed at the bottom. Yes. As a result, the uppermost sheet in the sheet feeding cassette 25 is fed by a pickup roller 27 of a sheet transport unit 24 described later, and further, the feeding roller 28 and the retard roller 30 prevent double feeding, and only one sheet is downstream. To the side. The paper feed cassette 25 can be inserted / removed (detached) from the front side (front side) of the image forming apparatus 1. A substrate storage unit 21 is disposed above the paper feed cassette 25.

  The substrate storage unit 21 is provided with a substrate and electrical components (not shown) that control the entire image forming apparatus 1. An image forming unit 22 is disposed above the substrate storage unit 21.

  The image forming unit 22 includes an intermediate transfer belt 31 and four (four color) image forming stations aligned along the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 31 (arrow R31 direction), that is, magenta (M), Image forming stations 32, 33, 34, and 35 for forming toner images with cyan (C), yellow (Y), and black (K) toners are provided. Since the four-color image forming stations 32 to 35 have the same configuration, the magenta image forming station 32 will be described below, and the description of the remaining three-color image forming stations 33 to 35 will be omitted as appropriate. .

  The intermediate transfer belt 31 is formed in an endless shape, and is stretched between a driving roller (first roller) 43 and a driven roller (second roller) 44. The drive roller 43 is a so-called secondary transfer counter roller that faces the secondary transfer roller 45 described later and sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 31 between the drive roller 43 and the secondary transfer roller 45. The intermediate transfer belt 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R31 by the rotation of the driving roller 43 in the direction of the arrow. The driving roller 43 and the driven roller 44 are rotatably supported by a synthetic resin transfer frame 39 formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The upper surface of the transfer frame 39 is formed in a waveform following the shape of the bottom of toner containers 47, 48, 49, and 50 described later. In the present embodiment, a driving roller 43, a driven roller 44, an intermediate transfer belt 31, four primary transfer rollers 41 (to be described later), a belt cleaner 46, and the like are integrally incorporated into the transfer frame 39 as a whole. The intermediate transfer unit 31A is configured. The intermediate transfer unit 31A can be easily attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 2 as described later.

  The magenta image forming station 32 includes a photosensitive drum 36, a charging device 37, an exposure device 38, a developing device 40, and a primary device which are arranged around the photosensitive drum 36 in the order of rotation (arrow direction). A transfer roller 41, a drum cleaner 42, and the like are included.

  The photosensitive drum 36 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow at a predetermined process speed. In this embodiment, an a-Si (amorphous silicon) photosensitive drum is used as the photosensitive drum 36.

  The charging device 37 uniformly (uniformly) charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 to a predetermined polarity and potential.

  The exposure device 38 is constituted by, for example, a laser scanner. The exposure apparatus 38 includes a laser oscillator (not shown), a polygon mirror 38a, lenses 38b and 38c, reflection mirrors 38d, 38e, and 38f, and these are integrally incorporated to constitute an exposure unit 38A. . The exposure device 38 reflects a laser beam L emitted from a laser oscillator (not shown) based on image information sent from a personal computer (not shown) or the like by a polygon mirror 38a that rotates at high speed, and lenses 38b, Then, the light is guided to the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 after uniform charging via a mirror 38c, reflecting mirrors 38d, 38e, 38f and the like. The surface of the photosensitive drum 36 is exposed to the laser beam L to remove the charge on the exposed portion, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image.

  The developing device 40 develops the electrostatic latent image. The developing device 40 includes a developing container 40a in which a developer is accommodated, a developing sleeve 40b, developer agitating members 40c and 40d, and the like, which constitute a developing unit 40A. The developer carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 40 b is selectively attached to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 by applying a developing bias between the developing sleeve 40 b and the photosensitive drum 36. This is developed as a toner image. In the present embodiment, a two-component developer mainly composed of toner and carrier is used as the developer.

  The primary transfer roller 41 transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 to the intermediate transfer belt 31. The primary transfer roller 41 presses the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 31 to bring the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 36. As a result, a primary transfer nip T <b> 1 is formed between the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 36. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 is conveyed to the primary transfer nip T1 as the photosensitive drum 36 rotates in the arrow direction. At this time, by applying a primary transfer bias to the primary transfer roller 31, the magenta toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 is primarily transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31.

  The drum cleaner 42 removes toner (primary transfer residual toner) remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 31 in the above-described primary transfer. In the present embodiment, the photosensitive drum 36, the charging device 37, the drum cleaner 42, and the like are integrally configured to constitute the drum unit 36A.

  As described above, in the magenta image forming station 32, the magenta toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 36 is primarily transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31. Similarly, in the remaining three color (cyan, yellow and black) image forming stations 33, 34 and 35, toner images of cyan, yellow and black are formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 36, respectively. The toner images are sequentially primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 31 by the primary transfer roller 41 and superimposed. As will be described later, these four color toner images are secondarily transferred onto the sheet all at once by applying a secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer roller 45 at the secondary transfer nip T2. Toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 after the secondary transfer of the toner image (secondary transfer residual toner) is removed by a belt cleaner 46 disposed in the vicinity of the driven roller 44. A toner replenishing unit 23 is provided above the image forming unit 22.

  The toner replenishing unit 23 is provided with four toner containers (toner containers) each containing toner of each color, that is, magenta, cyan, yellow, and black toner containers 47, 48, 49, and 50. . Of these, the black toner container 50 is generally formed in a large size so as to have a larger capacity than the other color toner containers 47 to 49 because the black toner consumes a larger amount of toner than the other color toners. Has been. The developing devices 40 of the color image forming stations 32 to 35 described above are provided with a remaining amount sensor (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of the developer. When it is detected that the amount of the developer is less than a predetermined value, toner is supplied to the developing device 40 of each color from the toner containers 47 to 50 of each color. The toner containers 47 to 45 will be described later again. Above the toner replenishing portion 23, the above-described top cover 10 that can be opened and closed with respect to the swing center 10a on the rear end side is provided.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet conveyance unit 24 is provided between the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 2 and the front cover 3, and a sheet conveyance path 52 that guides a sheet from below to above, and the sheet conveyance unit. It has a sheet re-conveying path 53 that is disposed on the front side of the path 52 and guides the sheet from the upper side to the lower side, and further has a manual feeding unit 54.

  The sheet conveyance path 52 rises upward from the vicinity of the above-described feeding roller 28, extends upward while gently curving backward, and extends upward in the vicinity of the secondary transfer nip T2 by changing the bending direction to the front. The sheet extends obliquely upward toward the rear and reaches the sheet discharge port 55. The sheet conveyance path 52 includes a rear guide 52a and a front guide 52b facing each other, and a part of the front guide 52b is formed in a conveyance unit 73 described later. In the sheet conveyance path 52, the pickup roller 27, the feeding roller 28, the retard roller 30, the conveyance roller pair 56, the registration roller pair 57, and the intermediate transfer belt 31 are sandwiched between the driving roller 43 in order from the bottom. A transfer roller 45, a fixing device (fixing unit) 58, a conveyance roller pair 60, a switching flapper 61, a paper discharge roller pair 62, and the like are provided. The above-described fixing device 58 includes a fixing roller (fixing member) 63 including a heating member (not shown), and a pressure roller (pressure member) 64 that forms a fixing nip N in pressure contact therewith. .

  The sheet fed by the pickup roller 27, the feeding roller 28, and the retard roller 30 from the sheet feeding cassette 25 is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 56 and the registration roller pair 57, and in the secondary transfer nip T2. The four color toner images on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 are secondarily transferred at once, and heated and pressurized when passing through the fixing nip N to fix the four color toner images on the surface. The sheet on which the toner image has been fixed is guided to the lower surface of the switching flapper 61 by the conveying roller pair 60 and conveyed to the paper discharge roller pair 62, and is moved rearward from the sheet discharge port 11 facing the back side by the paper discharge roller pair 62. Then, the paper is discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray 8. In the figure, the sensor flag 65 of the paper discharge sensor disposed immediately downstream of the paper discharge roller pair 62 is operating with the sheet P being discharged.

  The sheet re-conveying path 53 extends obliquely from the upper side to the front side of the above-described sheet discharge port 11, is gently curved and extends to the rear side with a steep slope, and protrudes downward at the lower end portion. Then, the sheet merges with the sheet conveyance path 52 described above. The sheet re-conveying path 53 includes a rear guide 53a and a front guide 53b that face each other. A part of the rear guide 53a is formed in a transport unit 73 described later. Further, most of the front guide 53b is incorporated inside (rear end side) of the front cover 3. In the sheet re-conveying path 53, the reverse roller pair 66, the switching flapper 61, the first, second, third and fourth re-conveying roller pairs 67, 68, 70 and 71 are arranged.

  When images are formed on both sides of the sheet, the switching flapper 61 is switched to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, and the sheet on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed to the conveying roller pair 60 and the switching flapper 61 It is conveyed along the upper surface and further conveyed rearward by the reverse roller pair 66. Then, the rear end of the sheet passes through the conveying roller pair 60, and the reverse roller pair 66 is reversely rotated before passing through the reverse roller pair 66, and the first to fourth re-conveying roller pairs 67, 68, 70, 71 The sheet is conveyed downward and conveyed to the sheet conveyance path 52. Then, the toner image is transferred and fixed on the rear surface of the sheet in the same manner as on the front surface, and is discharged backward from the sheet discharge port 11 and stacked on the discharge tray 8. A manual feed roller 72 is disposed immediately in front of the conveyance roller pair 56 in the sheet conveyance unit 24. The manual feed roller 72 feeds the sheet set on the sheet stacking surface 13c of the manual feed tray 13 disposed at the paper feed position C2 in FIG. 3 toward the conveyance roller pair 56 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the above-described sheet conveyance unit 24 is provided with a conveyance unit 73 that can be freely opened and closed. The transport unit 73 is disposed between the sheet transport path 52 and the sheet re-transport path 53, and a part of the front guide 52 b in the sheet transport path 52 and a part of the rear guide 53 a in the sheet re-transport path 53. And the first roller 57a of the registration roller pair 57, the secondary transfer roller 45, and the first and second rollers 70a and 71a of the third and fourth re-conveying roller pairs 70 and 71, respectively. Yes. The transport unit 73 has a swing center on the lower end 73a side, and is supported by the image forming apparatus body 2 so as to be swingable (openable and closable).

  This completes the description of the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The image forming apparatus 1 further opens and closes the shutter member 47c (see FIG. 6) of the toner containers 47 to 50 by the shutter opening and closing mechanism 80 (see FIG. 4) in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the cover member 10. Further, the coupling 91 is engaged with and disengaged from a conveying screw (developer conveying member: not shown) in the toner containers 47 to 50 by a power connection / disconnection mechanism 90 (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, this point will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Of the toner containers 47 to 50, the magenta, cyan, and yellow toner containers 47 to 49 have the same configuration, and the size of the black toner container 50 is larger than the others. However, the basic configuration of the present invention is the same as that of the magenta toner container 47 and the like. Therefore, the magenta toner container 47 will be described below, and the description of the other toner containers 48 to 50 will be omitted.

  4 to 9, FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the left side plate 74 side. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the power connection / disconnection mechanism 90 when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the right side plate 75 side. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the shutter member 47c provided at the bottom of the toner container 47 on the left end side. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the shutter opening / closing member 81 in a cutaway manner. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration for transmitting a driving force to the coupling 91. FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views for explaining the operation of the coupling 91. FIG. 9A shows a state in which the coupling 91 is disposed at the retracted position F2. FIG. The state arrange | positioned at F1 is shown.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a shutter holding portion 47a having a cylindrical appearance is provided on the left end side of the bottom portion of the toner container 47, and the toner holding portion 47a has a toner holding portion at the bottom thereof. A toner supply port (developer supply port) 47b for communicating the inside and outside of the container 47 is formed. A shutter member 47c is rotatably supported inside the shutter holding portion 47a. On the outer surface of the shutter member 47c, in the state (vertical direction) shown in FIG. The shutter member 47c has a shutter closing portion (not shown) that is curved along the inner surface of the shutter holding portion 47a. The shutter member 47c is rotatably supported by the shutter holding portion 47a described above, and FIG.
When the vertical orientation shown in a) is obtained, the shutter closing portion closes the toner supply port 47b .
On the other hand, when the engaging convex portion 47d is in the horizontal direction shown in FIG. 6B, the shutter closing portion opens the toner supply port 47b to enable toner supply. As described later, the toner container 47, when the engaging projection 47d of the shutter member 47c is vertically shown in FIG. 6 (a), the shutter is disposed in receiving position E2 (see FIG. 7) opening When the member 81 can be attached to and detached from the member 81 in the horizontal direction shown in FIG. 6B, the shutter opening and closing member 81 is disposed at the operating position E1, and the attachment and detachment becomes impossible.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 includes four shutter opening / closing members 81 and a first transmission mechanism 82 for operating them, and the first transmission mechanism 82 further includes a shaft portion 83 and a sector shape. A gear (first gear) 84, an idle gear 85, and a rack (first rack) 86 are provided.

  FIG. 7 shows the right half of the shutter opening / closing member 81. The shutter opening / closing member 81 is rotatably supported by a through hole 74d formed in the left side plate 74, and the engagement convexity of the toner container 47 described above is formed on a portion of the left side plate 74 located on the inner wall 74a side. A "T-shaped" engaging recess 81a that can be engaged with and disengaged from the portion 47d is formed. However, the right half is shown in the figure. The engaging recess 81a has a notch 81b on the upper end side, and this notch 81b communicates with the lower end of a guide groove 74c formed in the inner wall 74a of the left side plate 74 in the vertical direction. . Of the shutter opening / closing member 81, a portion 81c located on the outer wall 74b side of the left side plate 74 is formed in a stepped cylindrical shape, and a tooth portion 81d meshed with a tooth portion 86b of a rack 86 to be described later. Is formed. The shutter opening / closing member 81 can move to the receiving position E2 in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 7 and the operating position E1 in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. The engagement convex portion 47d of the toner container 47 is guided from above to the guide groove 74c and can be engaged through the notch portion 81b. The shutter opening / closing member 81 is rotated approximately 90 degrees by a rack 86, which will be described later, and is disposed at the operating position E1. When the shutter opening / closing member 81 is disposed at the operating position E1, the shutter member 47c of the toner container 47 is disposed at the position shown in FIG. 6B so as to open the toner supply port 47b.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft portion 83 of the first transmission mechanism 82 is formed integrally with the rotation center of the rotation support portion 10 b on the left end side of the cover member 10 described above, and accompanies the opening / closing operation of the cover member 10. Rotate in the same direction. The sector gear 84 is formed integrally with the shaft portion 83. The idle gear 84 is meshed with the sector gear 83 and changes the rotation direction of the sector gear 83 to the reverse direction. The rack 86 is formed in a plate shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and has a tooth portion 86a meshing with the idle gear 85 on the proximal end side, and sequentially four shutter opening / closing members 81 toward the distal end side. A tooth portion 86b meshing with the tooth portion 81d is formed. The rack 86 is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable in the front-rear direction by a guide member (not shown) disposed on the outer wall 74 b of the left side plate 74 described above. The actuator is moved back and forth, and the shutter opening / closing member 81 is rotated so that the operating position E1 and the receiving position E2 are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5, the power connection / disconnection mechanism 90 includes four couplings 91 disposed at positions corresponding to the right end sides of the toner containers 47 to 50 in the mounted state, and a second for moving these back and forth in the left-right direction. And the second transmission mechanism 92 includes a shaft portion 93 and a sector gear (
A second gear 94, an idle gear 95, a rack (second rack) 96, and a cam mechanism 97 are provided (see FIGS. 8 and 9) .

As shown in FIG. 8, the coupling 91 has a triangular engagement portion 91a on the inner tip side.
The toner container 4 is advanced and retracted along the axis C by a cam mechanism 97 described later.
7 is engaged with and disengaged from a base end portion (not shown) of a transport screw (developer transport member) located on the right end side of the head 7. The coupling 91 will be described later again.

As shown in FIG. 5, the shaft portion 93 of the second transmission mechanism 92 is formed on the right end side 7 of the cover member 10 described above.
5 is formed integrally with the rotation center of the rotation support portion 10b, and rotates in the same direction as the cover member 10 opens and closes. The sector gear 94 is formed integrally with the shaft portion 93. The idle gear 95 is meshed with the sector gear 94 and changes the rotation direction of the sector gear 94 to the reverse direction. The rack 96 is formed in a plate shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and has a tooth portion 96a that meshes with the idle gear 95 on the proximal end side, and four pins 96b that mesh with the cam mechanism 97 toward the distal end side. Is protruding. The rack 96 is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable in the front-rear direction by a guide member (not shown) disposed on the outer wall 75 a of the right side plate 75, and in the front-rear direction as the idle gear 95 rotates. Reciprocally move and the coupling 91 via the cam mechanism 97
(See FIG. 8) .

  As shown in FIGS. 8, 9A, and 9B, the cam mechanism 97 rotatably supports the rotating cam 98 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the coupling 91 and the rotating cam 98. The right side plate 75 and the cylindrical holding member 99 are integrated. However, the holding member 99 is not shown in FIG. The rotating cam 98 includes a cylindrical portion 98a disposed on the outer periphery of the coupling 91, and an arm 98b and a cam follower 98c that protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 98a.

  Here, the coupling 91 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9A, the coupling 91 includes an inner cylindrical portion 91b, an outer cylindrical portion 91c, and a flange-shaped connecting portion 91d that connects these. The inner cylindrical portion 91b is engaged with an outer peripheral surface of a drive shaft 105 that is integral with a drive gear 104 described later. A rotation stopper (not shown) is provided between the drive shaft 105 and the inner cylindrical portion 91 b, and the inner cylindrical portion 91 b is not rotatable relative to the drive shaft 105 and is movable in the axial direction. . Flange portions 91e and 91f are formed at both ends in the axial direction of the outer cylindrical portion 91c, respectively, so that a rotating cam 98 described later can move in the axial direction integrally with the coupling 91. A compression spring 106 is interposed between the connecting portion 91d and a drive gear 104 described later. The compression spring 106 biases the coupling 91 in the right direction in the drawing, that is, toward the right end side of the toner container 47. A rotation cam 98 described later is also urged in the same direction by the compression spring 106 via the coupling 91.

  Returning to the explanation of the rotating cam 98, FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the cylindrical portion 98 a of the rotating cam 98 is loosely fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 91 c of the coupling 91, and both end portions in the axial direction are flange portions of the coupling 91. It is regulated by 91e and 91f. As a result, the rotary cam 98 and the coupling 91 are rotatable relative to each other and move integrally in the axial direction. The arm 98b is provided with a long hole 98d on the distal end side, and the pin 96b of the rack 96 is engaged with the long hole 98d. As shown in FIG. 8, the cam follower 98c is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 9A, the holding member 99 supports the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 98a of the rotary cam 98 so as to be rotatable and axially movable, and is provided on the cam surface 99a at a portion facing the cam follower 98c. have. The cam surface 99a is inclined in the same direction as the cam follower 98c. The rotating cam 98 is urged toward the toner container 47 through the coupling 91 by the compression spring 106 described above, thereby causing the cam follower 98c to contact the cam surface 99a.

  In the cam mechanism 97 configured as described above, the arm 98b of the rotary cam 98 is swung via the pin 96b when the rack 96 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the cylindrical part 98a rotates and the cam follower 98c integral with this rotates. Since the cam follower 98c is in contact with the cam surface 99a of the holding member 99 by the compression spring 106 as described above, the entire rotating cam 98 reciprocates in the axial direction by rotating. As a result, the coupling 91 is advanced and retracted in the same direction.

  A configuration for rotating the coupling 91 will be described with reference to FIG. A motor 100 is attached to the outer wall of the right side plate 75 (not shown in FIG. 8). A gear 101 is attached to the output shaft of the motor 100, and a gear 102 is engaged with the gear 101. A gear 103 having a smaller diameter than this is integrally formed with the gear 102, and a large-diameter driving gear 104 is engaged with the gear 103. As shown in FIG. 9A, the drive shaft 104 is integrally formed with the drive gear 104. The above-described coupling 91 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the drive shaft 105. As described above, the coupling 91 is capable of moving in the axial direction (moving forward and backward) with respect to the drive shaft 105 and rotating integrally without being relatively rotatable.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the cover member 10 is disposed at the open position D2, the shutter opening / closing member 81 of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 is as shown in FIG. In addition, the engaging recess 81a is disposed at the receiving position E2 facing in the vertical direction. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9A, in the power connection / disconnection mechanism 90, the coupling 91 is disposed at the retracted position F2, and the engagement of the toner container 47 with the conveying screw is released. In this state, when the toner container 47 is already mounted at a predetermined position of the main body frame 6, the shutter member 47 c of the toner container 47 corresponds to the receiving position E <b> 2 of the shutter opening / closing member 81 and the engaging convex portion. 47d is oriented vertically, and the toner supply port 47b is closed. Therefore, in this state, by lifting the toner container 47 upward, the toner container 47 can be taken out from the predetermined position of the main body frame 6 through the opening 6a without any trouble. Conversely, when the toner container 47 is not attached, the toner container 47 can be attached to a predetermined position of the main body frame 6 from above via the opening 6a. As a result, the engaging convex portion 47 d of the shutter member 47 c of the toner container 47 is engaged with the engaging concave portion 81 a of the shutter opening / closing member 81.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the cover member 10 at the open position D2 is closed in the direction of arrow a, the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 has the sector gear 84 in the direction of arrow b and the idle gear 85 in the direction of arrow c. As a result, the rack 86 moves in the direction of arrow d (rearward), and the shutter opening / closing member 81 is rotated in the direction of arrow e. When the cover member 10 is disposed at the closed position D1 (see FIG. 3), the shutter opening / closing member 81 is rotated approximately 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow e to open the toner supply port 47b of the toner container 47. As a result, toner can be supplied from the toner container 47 to the developing device 40.

  Further, due to the closing operation of the cover member 10 in the direction of arrow a, the power connection / disconnection mechanism 90 is operated in parallel with the operation of the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 described above, as shown in FIG. The gear 95 rotates in the arrow g direction, the rack 96 moves in the arrow h direction (forward), and the rotating cam 98 of the cam mechanism 97 rotates in the arrow i direction. As a result, the coupling arranged at the retracted position F2 shown in FIG. 9A advances in the direction of the arrow j and is arranged at the engaging position F1 shown in FIG. Engaged.

  As described above, when the cover member 10 is in the closed position D1, the toner supply port 47b of the toner container 47 is opened and the coupling 91 is engaged so that the conveyance screw can rotate. It becomes. When the motor 100 shown in FIG. 8 is rotated in this state, this rotation is transmitted to the drive gear 104 via the gears 101, 102, and 103, and is further transmitted to the drive shaft 105 integral with the drive gear 104. . The rotation of the drive shaft 105 is transmitted to the coupling 91 engaged with the conveying screw of the toner container 47 in a biased state by the compression spring 102, and the conveying screw is rotated. Accordingly, the toner in the toner container 47 is conveyed toward the toner supply port 47b in an open state, and is supplied from the toner supply port 47b toward the developing device 40.

  When the cover member 10 is opened from the closed position D1 to the open position D2, in the shutter opening / closing mechanism 80 and the power connection / disconnection mechanism 90 described above, each component operates in a direction opposite to that during the closing operation. Therefore, the shutter opening / closing member 81 is disposed at the receiving position E2, and the coupling 91 is disposed at the retracted position F2. As a result, the toner container 47 can be attached and detached.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover member 10, the toner supply port 47 b of the toner container 47 is closed and the engagement of the coupling 91 with the toner container 47 is released. The toner container 47 can be removed from the main body frame 6. On the other hand, in conjunction with the closing operation of the cover member 10, the toner supply port 47 b is opened, and the coupling 91 is engaged to enable rotation of the conveying screw. Thus, the user can easily perform opening / closing of the toner supply port 47b of the toner container 47 and engagement / disengagement of the coupling 91 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the cover member 10 without performing separate operations. .

<Embodiment 2>
The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Among these, FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional state in which the cover member 10 is opened. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating how the toner container 47 is pushed up by the compression spring (biasing member) 111. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the cover member 10 is opened in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, conventionally, when the cover member 10 that has been disposed at the closed position is opened and disposed at the open position D <b> 2, the toner containers 47 to 50 are disposed at predetermined positions on the main body frame 6. The upper surfaces of the toner containers 47 to 50 were only exposed from the opening 6a.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, it is attached between one end side (for example, the right end side) of the bottom 47 e of the toner container 47 and the pedestal 110 protruding from the inner surface of the right side plate 75. A biasing member (compression spring) 111 was interposed. As a result, the toner container 47 is biased upward by the spring force F of the compression spring 111.

  Here, conventionally, even when the cover member 10 is opened, the shutter member remains held at the operating position E1 and the coupling 91 remains disposed at the engaging position F1, so that Even when the compression spring 111 is provided as described above, the toner container 47 cannot be pushed up in conjunction with the opening operation of the cover member 10.

  On the other hand, according to the present invention, as described in the first embodiment, the shutter opening / closing member 81 and the coupling 91 that restrain the toner container 47 by opening the cover member 10 include the cover member 10. In conjunction with the opening operation, they are arranged at the receiving position E2 and the retracted position F2, respectively, and the restriction on the toner container 47 is released. Therefore, when the cover member 10 that presses the toner container 47 from above is opened, the right end side of the toner container 47 is pushed up by the compression spring 111 in conjunction with the opening. At this time, the toner container 47 is in a state in which the total weight W, which is the total weight of the toner container 47 itself and the weight of the toner stored inside, is balanced with the spring force F, as shown in FIG. Stand still with the side raised.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 12, when the amount by which the toner container 47 is pushed up by the compression spring 111 is a push-up amount H, the push-up amount H increases as the total weight W decreases. Therefore, for example, if the scale A is depressed on the right side surface of the toner container 47, the remaining amount of toner in the toner container 47 can be estimated by reading the scale. When the remaining amount is small, for example, a toner container can be prepared in advance.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the right end side of the toner container 47 is pushed up and protrudes from the opening 6a as the cover member 10 is opened, so that the toner container 47 can be easily attached and detached. . Further, since the toner container 47 is moved up and down as the cover member 10 is opened and closed, the toner in the toner container 47 is also appropriately stirred.

  In the first and second embodiments, the case where the toner container 47 is attached / detached has been described as an example, but the same applies to the other toner containers 48 to 50.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the first transmission mechanism 82 and the second transmission mechanism 92 are configured by a rack and a pinion has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a tooth It can also be configured by a combination of a pulley with a tooth and a toothed belt or a combination of a link mechanism. Also in this case, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  The present invention is not limited to an image forming apparatus, and can be widely applied to an apparatus that performs two functions in parallel in conjunction with an opening and closing operation of a cover member that opens and closes an opening of an apparatus main body. is there.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire image forming apparatus as viewed from the diagonally upper left side on the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the entire image forming apparatus as viewed from the rear and obliquely upward on the left side thereof. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an internal structure of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the left side. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a shutter opening / closing mechanism when the image forming apparatus is viewed from the left side plate side. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a power connection / disconnection mechanism when the image forming apparatus is viewed from the right side plate side. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram explaining operation | movement of the shutter member provided in the bottom part of the left end side of a toner container. It is a perspective view which fractures | ruptures and shows a shutter opening / closing member. It is a perspective view explaining the structure for transmitting a driving force to a coupling. (A), (b) is a schematic diagram explaining the operation | movement of a coupling, (a) shows the state by which the coupling was arrange | positioned in the retracted position, and (b) the state arrange | positioned in the engagement position FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the state which open | released the conventional cover member. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how a toner container is pushed up by a compression spring (biasing member). It is a schematic diagram explaining the state which open | released the cover member.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 2 ... Image forming apparatus main body, 6 ... Main body frame, 6a ... Opening part, 10 ... Cover member, 47-50 ... Toner container (developer container), 47b ... Toner Supply port (developer supply port), 47c... Shutter member, 80... Shutter opening / closing mechanism, 81. ... Rack (first rack), 90 ... Power connection / disconnection mechanism, 91 ... Coupling, 92 ... Second transmission mechanism, 94 ... Second gear, 96 ... Rack (second rack), 97 ... Cam mechanism, 111... Biasing member, D1... Closed position, D2... Open position, E1... Operating position, E2 ... receiving position, F1.

Claims (5)

A developer container having a shutter member that takes a closed position for closing the developer supply port and an open position for opening the developer supply member; a developer transport member that transports the developer toward the developer supply port; and an opening on the upper surface. A main body frame, and a cover member that is swingably supported by the main body frame and takes a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens, and the cover member is disposed at the open position. In the image forming apparatus in which the developer container is attached to and detached from a predetermined position in the main body frame from above the opening.
A shutter opening / closing mechanism and a power connection / disconnection mechanism disposed on the main body frame and operating in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the cover member;
The shutter opening / closing mechanism includes a shutter opening / closing member that has a receiving position that enables engagement / disengagement of the shutter member in a state of being disposed in the closed position, and an operating position in which the shutter member is disposed in the opening position, and the cover A first transmission mechanism that moves the shutter opening / closing member to the receiving position in response to an opening operation of the member and moves the shutter opening / closing member to the operating position in response to a closing operation of the cover member;
The power connection / disconnection mechanism includes a coupling that takes an engagement position that engages with the developer transport member and a retreat position that disengages the developer container so that the developer container can be attached and detached, and the cover member is opened. A second transmission mechanism that moves the coupling to the retracted position in response to an operation and moves the coupling to the engagement position in response to a closing operation of the cover member;
The shutter opening / closing mechanism is disposed at a position of one side of the pair of side plates facing each other in the main body frame and one side of the pair of side plates of the developer container. The power connection / disconnection mechanism is disposed at a position on the other side of the side plate and the other side of the pair of side plates of the developer container;
The shutter member is rotatably disposed on the developer container side, and the shutter opening / closing member is rotatably disposed on one side of the pair of side plates;
The shutter member is formed with a T-shaped engagement convex portion protruding from one side of the pair of side plates of the developer container, and a shutter closing portion for opening and closing the developer supply port,
When the shutter member is in the closed position, the T-shaped engagement convex portion can be vertically engaged with and disengaged from the T-shaped engagement concave portion of the shutter opening / closing member in the vertical direction, and the developer container is It can be attached to and detached from the main frame
When the shutter member of the developer container disposed at a predetermined position of the main body frame is in the open position, the T-shaped engagement convex portion and the T-shaped engagement concave portion are engaged in the vertical direction. The T-shaped engaging convex portion cannot be detached upward from the T-shaped engaging concave portion, and the developer container is removed from the main body frame. It is impossible to leave upward from the predetermined position of
An image forming apparatus. The first transmission mechanism includes a first gear that rotates integrally with the cover member, and a first rack that meshes with the first gear and reciprocates.
The shutter opening / closing member is supported by the main body frame so as to be rotatable forward and backward, and meshed with the first rack, and the opening / closing movement of the cover member is rotated forward / reversely via the first gear and the one rack. Converted into movement and transmitted,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The second transmission mechanism includes a second gear that rotates integrally with the cover member, a second rack that meshes with the second gear and reciprocates, and a second rack that engages with the second rack. A reciprocating motion of the coupling to a reciprocating motion in the axial direction of the coupling,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2. In the vicinity of the opening of the main body frame, there are a plurality of developer containers mounted in an aligned state in the horizontal direction, a plurality of shutter opening / closing members corresponding to the plurality of developer containers, and a plurality of the couplings. ,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. A biasing member that pushes the developer container upward from the opening by biasing the bottom part upward at a position corresponding to the bottom part of the developer container in the main body frame;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

Images