CN112859561A

CN112859561A - Opening and closing device and image forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN112859561A
Application number: CN202011246023.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 远山英彦
Original assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ricoh Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-11-12
Filing date: 2020-11-10
Publication date: 2021-05-28
Also published as: JP2021076769A

Abstract

The application discloses an opening and closing device and an image forming apparatus. The opening and closing device includes a device main body, an opening and closing member, and a first holding mechanism and a second holding mechanism. The opening and closing member is disposed in an openable and closable manner with respect to the device main body. The first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism are configured to hold the opening and closing member in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body. The first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism are configured to hold different positions in the longitudinal direction of the opening-closing member.

Description

Opening and closing device and image forming apparatus

Technical Field

The invention relates to an opening and closing device and an image forming apparatus.

Background

In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) including a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, an opening and closing member openable and closable with respect to an apparatus main body is arranged to open an inside of the apparatus. By opening the opening and closing member, for example, it is possible to remove paper jammed in the image forming apparatus.

Further, in the opening and closing member as described above, a holding mechanism is arranged to hold the opening and closing member in a closed state with respect to the device main body.

For example, an image forming apparatus disclosed in japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2017-108018 includes a front cover arranged in an openable and closable manner with respect to the image forming apparatus. Jammed members are arranged at two positions in a lateral direction of one end portion in a longitudinal direction of the front cover, and adhering members are arranged at two corresponding positions on a main body of the image forming apparatus. The adhering member causes the caught member to adhere thereto, so that the front cover is held by the main body of the image forming apparatus and the closed state can be maintained.

As described in japanese unexamined patent application No. 2017-108018, in the configuration in which the opening and closing member is held at two positions in the lateral direction of the apparatus main body, there are problems as follows: the opening and closing member bends or flexes when closed relative to the device body.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, an opening and closing device includes a device main body, an opening and closing member, and first and second holding mechanisms. The opening and closing member is disposed in an openable and closable manner with respect to the device main body. The first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism are configured to hold the opening and closing member in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body. The first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism are configured to hold different positions in the longitudinal direction of the opening-closing member.

According to aspects of the present invention, bending or flexing of the opening and closing member can be prevented.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a right cover and a housing of the image forming apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the right cover, the housing, and a retaining mechanism for retaining the right cover;

fig. 4 is a side view for illustrating the right cover, the housing, and the holding mechanism for holding the right cover;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a locking member;

fig. 6 is a view illustrating a relationship between the lock member and the handle in a state where the handle is not gripped, in which (a) is a side view of the right cover, and (b) is a perspective view of the right cover;

fig. 7 is a view illustrating a relationship between the locking member and the handle in a state where the handle is gripped, in which (a) is a side view of the right cover, and (b) is a perspective view of the right cover;

fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between the lock member and the lock pin when the right cover is closed;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the magnet member;

fig. 10 is a view illustrating a state in which a magnet is adhered to a sheet metal member; and

fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the right cover is further pushed inward from the position illustrated in fig. 10.

The drawings are intended to depict exemplary embodiments of the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the scope thereof. The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Detailed Description

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In describing the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology may be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner and achieve a similar result with the same function.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanation will be simplified or omitted as appropriate.

An image forming unit 2 in which four

process units

9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk are removably mounted is arranged in the center of the color image forming apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1. All the

process units

9Y, 9M, 9C, and 9Bk have the same configuration except that they store developers of different colors, such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk), corresponding to color separation components of a color image.

Specifically, each processing unit 9 includes: a photoconductor drum 10 which is a drum-shaped rotating body capable of bearing toner (toner) as a developer on a surface thereof; a charging roller 11 that uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 10; a developing device that supplies toner to the surface of the photoconductor drum 10; a cleaning roller 13 for removing residual toner on the surface of the photoconductor drum 10; and so on.

The exposure unit 3 is disposed above the process unit 9. The exposure unit 3 emits laser light based on image data.

The transfer unit 4 is disposed directly below the image forming unit 2. The transfer unit 4 includes an endless intermediate transfer belt 16, which extends between a driving roller 14 and a driven roller 15 so as to move in an endless manner, a primary transfer roller 17, and the like, the primary transfer roller 17 being arranged at a position facing the photoconductor drum 10 of each process unit 9 across the intermediate transfer belt 16. Each primary transfer roller 17 presses the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16 at each position, thereby forming a primary transfer nip in a portion where the pressed portion of the intermediate transfer belt 16 is in contact with each photoconductor drum 10.

Further, across the intermediate transfer belt 16, a secondary transfer roller 18 is disposed at a position facing the drive roller 14 on the intermediate transfer belt 16. The secondary transfer roller 18 presses the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 16, so that a secondary transfer nip is formed in a portion where the secondary transfer roller 18 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 16.

The paper feed unit 5 is located at a lower portion of the image forming apparatus 1, and includes a paper feed cassette 19 in which paper P as a recording medium is accommodated; a paper feeding member 20, the paper feeding member 20 outputting the paper P from the paper feeding cassette 19; and so on.

The conveyance path 6 is a conveyance path for conveying the sheet P output from the paper feed unit 5, and the conveyance roller pair includes a registration roller pair 21, and the registration roller pair 21 is appropriately arranged on the way to the paper discharge unit 8 (to be described later) along the conveyance path 6.

The fixing device 7 includes a fixing roller 22 heated by a heating member; a pressure roller 23 capable of applying pressure to the fixing roller 22; and so on.

The sheet discharge unit 8 is disposed on the most downstream side of the conveyance path 6 in the image forming apparatus 1. A pair of paper discharge rollers 24 and a paper discharge tray 25 are arranged in the paper discharge unit 8, the paper discharge rollers 24 being for discharging the sheets P to the outside, the paper discharge tray 25 being for stacking the discharged sheets P.

The automatic feeding document device 26 separates sheets one by one from a stack of sheets placed on the document tray 26a, and conveys the plurality of sheets to a contact glass (contact glass) on the sheet reading unit 27. The document reading unit 27 reads the document conveyed onto the contact glass.

The basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 as described above will be described below with reference to fig. 1.

In the image forming apparatus 1, if an image forming operation is started, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 10 of each of the

process units

9Y, 9C, 9M, and 9 Bk. The image information exposed on each photoconductor drum 10 by the exposure unit 3 is image information on a single color obtained by separating a desired full-color image into a plurality of color information on yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. An electrostatic latent image is formed on each photoconductor drum 10, and toner stored in each developing device 12 is supplied to the photoconductor drum 10, so that the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image (developer image) which is a developed image.

In the transfer unit 4, by the rotational drive of the drive roller 14, the intermediate transfer belt 16 is driven to move in the direction of arrow a in the figure. Further, a constant voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner or a voltage subjected to constant current control is applied to each of the primary transfer rollers 17. Thus, a transfer electric field is formed in the primary transfer nip, and the toner images formed on the respective photoconductor drums 10 are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 16 in a superimposed manner in the primary transfer nip.

In contrast, when the image forming operation is started, the uppermost sheet P stored in the sheet feed cassette 19 in the sheet feed unit 5 is fed to the conveyance path 6 by the sheet feed member 20. The conveyance of the sheet P fed to the conveyance path 6 is carried to the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 18 and the drive roller 14 at a timing regulated by the registration roller pair 21. In this case, a transfer voltage of a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 16 is applied, and a transfer electric field is formed in the secondary transfer nip. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 16 is collectively transferred onto the paper sheet P by a transfer electric field formed on the secondary transfer nip.

The sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 7, where the sheet P is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 22 and the pressing roller 23, so that the toner image is fixed to the sheet P. Then, the paper P on which the toner image is fixed is separated from the fixing roller 22, conveyed by the conveying roller pair, and discharged to the paper discharge tray 25 by the paper discharge roller 24 in the paper discharge unit 8.

The image forming operation for forming a full-color image on the sheet P has been described above, but a single-color image may be formed by using any one of the four

process units

9Y, 9C, 9M, and 9Bk, or a two-color image or a three-color image may be formed by using any two or three of the process units 9.

The image forming apparatus 1 as described above is an opening and closing apparatus including a right cover as an opening and closing member, the right cover being disposed in an openable and closable manner with respect to an apparatus main body. The right cover and the holding mechanism for holding the right cover in the closed state will be described below with reference to fig. 2 to 11. In the following description, XYZ coordinates perpendicular to each other as illustrated in fig. 2 are used for convenience of explanation.

As illustrated in fig. 2, a right cover 30 (opening and closing member 20) which is disposed in an openable and closable manner with respect to a housing 50 of the image forming apparatus as an apparatus main body and opens the inside of the image forming apparatus is disposed on the right side surface side of the image forming apparatus. The right cover 30 includes a conveying roller, a guide member, and the like for conveying the sheet on the inner surface of the apparatus. Meanwhile, in the drawings, only a part of the housing on the back surface side among the entire housing of the image forming apparatus is illustrated.

The right cap 30 is arranged so as to be elongated in the Z direction in the drawing (hereinafter, this direction is referred to as the longitudinal direction of the right cap 30). The right cover 30 is rotatable relative to the main body of the image forming apparatus about a virtual axis B that is arranged on one end side in the longitudinal direction and extends in the X direction, and by this rotation, the right cover 30 opens and closes relative to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

If the right cover 30 is opened, the inside of the image forming apparatus can be opened and the paper P jammed in the conveying path 6 can be removed. Meanwhile, the right cover 30 is an open-close cover disposed on the right side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 in fig. 1, and constitutes a part of the design surface of the right side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 when in the closed state.

A holding mechanism for holding the right cover 30 in a closed state with respect to the housing 50 is arranged in the image forming apparatus. The holding mechanism will be described below.

As illustrated in fig. 3 and 4, a first holding mechanism 71 and a second holding mechanism 72 are arranged in the image forming apparatus. The first retaining mechanism includes: a locking member 31 arranged on one end side of the right cover 30 in the lateral direction; and a lock pin (locked member) 51 disposed in the housing 50 at a position corresponding to the lock member 31 of the right cover 30 in the closed state. Further, the second holding mechanism includes a metal sheet member (magnet or caught member) 32, the metal sheet member 32 being arranged on one end side of the right cover 30 in the lateral direction and on the opposite side (on the upper side of the image forming apparatus) of the lock member 31 in the longitudinal direction; and a magnet member 52, the magnet member 52 being disposed in the housing 50 at a position corresponding to the sheet metal member 32 of the right cover 30 in the closed state. In this way, in the first embodiment, each of the holding mechanisms is a holding mechanism including a pair of members, one of which is disposed on the right cover 30 and the other of which is disposed on the housing 50. The first holding mechanism 71 and the second holding mechanism 72 hold different positions in the longitudinal direction on one end side of the right cover 30 in the lateral direction.

The detailed configuration of the first holding mechanism 71 will be described below.

The lock pin 51 is a fixing pin that is fixed to the housing 50 and extends in the X direction.

As illustrated in fig. 5, the locking member 31 arranged on the right cover 30 includes, on the top surface side thereof: a recess 31a in which the lock pin 51 is locked; the protruding portion 31 b; and an inclined portion 31 c.

As illustrated in fig. 6(a), when the right cover 30 is in the closed state, the lock pin 51 of the housing 50 is locked in the recess 31a of the lock member 31, so that the right cover 30 is held by the housing 50.

As illustrated in fig. 6(a) and 6(b), the lock member 31 is connected to a handle 33 via a plurality of link members or the like, the handle 33 being disposed on the outer surface side of the right cover 30. The locking member 31 is arranged so as to be rotatable about a rotational shaft 311 fixed to the right cover 30.

As illustrated in fig. 7(a) and 7(b), by grasping and lifting the handle 33 from the outer surface side of the right cover 30, the handle 33 can be rotated in the direction of arrow C1. The rotational force at this time is transmitted to the lock member 31 via the link member, and the lock member 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow C2 about the rotational shaft 311. With the rotation of the lock member 31, the locked state between the lock member 31 and the lock pin 51 is released, so that the held state of the right cover 30 by the first holding mechanism 71 is released.

Further, when the right cover 30 in the opened state is to be closed, as illustrated in fig. 8, the right cover 30 is rotated in the closing direction (see the direction of the arrow D2 in the drawing), and by this rotation, the lock member 31 approaches the lock pin 51 (see fig. 3) fixed to the housing 50, so that the lock pin 51 relatively moves on the inclined portion 31c of the lock member 31. By further rotating the right cover 30 in the direction of the arrow D2 from the position shown in the drawing, the lock pin 51 is inserted into the recess 31a through the projection 31b, and the lock pin 51 is locked in the lock member 31. Therefore, the right cover 30 is held on the main body of the image forming apparatus by the first holding mechanism 71. In this way, the first holding mechanism 71 is a latch mechanism that locks the lock pin 51 on the lock member 31.

Next, the detailed configuration of the second holding mechanism 72 will be sequentially described below.

As illustrated in fig. 9 and 10, the magnet member 52 includes a magnet 52a as an adhesion member, a magnet cover 52b, a magnet holder 52c, and a spring member 52d as a biasing member. As illustrated in fig. 9, the magnet cover 52b is a sheath member for holding the magnet 52a and the like inside thereof, and the distal end portion of the magnet 52a is exposed to the outside of an opening arranged on one end side of the magnet cover 52b in the Y direction. Further, a plate-like extending portion of a magnet cover 52b is fixed to the case 50 by screws, the magnet cover 52b being disposed on one end side in the Y direction with respect to a sleeve portion for holding the magnet 52 a.

As illustrated in fig. 10, the magnet 52a is held inside the magnet cover 52b by the magnet holder 52 c.

The sheet metal member 32 is a plate-like member made of metal, and is fixed to the right cover 30, and is disposed at a position where the sheet metal member 32 faces, and is capable of contacting the distal end surface of the magnet 52a exposed from the magnet cover 52b when the right cover 30 is in the closed state. The sheet metal member 32 adheres to the magnet 52a due to the contact between the distal end surface of the magnet 52a and the sheet metal member 32.

The spring member 52d is an elastic member, one end of which is connected to the magnet cover 52b and the other end of which is connected to the magnet holder 52c, and is expandable and retractable in the horizontal direction in the drawing. The magnet holder 52c and the magnet 52a held by the magnet holder 52c are biased rightward in the drawing (in a direction approaching the sheet metal member 32) due to the biasing force of the spring member 52 d.

Since the magnet 52a and the magnet holder 52c are biased to the right in the figure by the spring member 52d, the magnet holder 52c is in contact with the contact face E of the magnet cover 52 b. That is, the positions of the magnet 52a and the magnet holder 52c with respect to the magnet cover 52b are determined at the position where the magnet holder 52c contacts the contact surface E. In this way, by determining the position of the magnet 52a at the predetermined contact position of the magnet cover 52b, it is possible to arrange the magnet 52a at the predetermined position with high accuracy and prevent the amount of protrusion from the magnet cover 52b from excessively increasing.

If the right cover 30 is operated in the closing direction (see the direction of arrow F in the drawing), the sheet metal member 32 comes into contact with the magnet 52a, and the sheet metal member 32 adheres to the magnet 52 a. With this configuration, the sheet metal member 32 is held by the magnet member 52, and the right cover 30 is held on the main body of the image forming apparatus by the second holding mechanism 72.

As illustrated in fig. 11, if a force is applied in a direction (the direction of arrow F in the drawing) in which the right cover 30 is closed further from the position where the magnet 52a is in contact with the sheet metal member 32, the sheet metal member 32 presses the magnet 52a to the left in the drawing, so that the magnet 52a and the magnet holder 52c are pushed to the left in the drawing against the biasing force of the spring member 52 d. In other words, the magnet 52a and the magnet holder 52c are relatively moved to the left in the drawing with respect to the magnet cover 52 b. Therefore, as shown by the dotted circle in the figure, a gap is formed between the contact surface E of the magnet holder 52c and the magnet cover 52 b.

Further, if the operating force on the right cover 30 is relieved, the magnet 52a and the magnet holder 52c move to the right in the drawing due to the biasing force of the spring member 52d, so that the magnet holder 52c returns to the position as illustrated in fig. 10 where the magnet holder 52c is in contact with the contact face E of the magnet cover 52 b.

In this way, by allowing the sheet metal member 32 to be further pushed to the left in fig. 10 with respect to the position where the magnet 52a and the sheet metal member 32 adhere to each other, in other words, by providing a space in which the right cover 30 can be pushed to the left, the right cover 30 can be moved until the lock pin 51 (see fig. 5) is locked in the recess 31a through the protrusion 31 b. Further, after the pushing, the magnet 52a can be returned to the original position due to the biasing force of the spring member 52d, so that the sheet metal member 32 can be reliably made to adhere to the magnet 52 a.

As a configuration different from the present embodiment, when the right cover 30 is held by a single holding mechanism, and if the right cover 30 receives a load at a position away from the holding mechanism, the right cover 30 may be bent or flexed. In contrast, as described above, in the present embodiment, the two holding mechanisms arranged at different positions hold the right cover 30 in the closed state with respect to the housing 50, so that bending or flexing on the right cover 30 can be prevented. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the holding mechanism holds two different portions of the right cover 30 in the longitudinal direction, so that a portion that is greatly distant from the holding position of the holding mechanism in the longitudinal direction is less likely to occur. So that the bending or flexing of the right cap 30 can be effectively prevented. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent positional deviation of the right cover 30 with respect to the housing 50, and to prevent adverse effects on the appearance of the image forming apparatus (e.g., generation of a gap on a design surface) due to the positional deviation

When the right cover 30 is large or the right cover 30 is made of resin, bending or flexure as described above is likely to occur, and thus bending or flexure can be effectively prevented by applying the configuration of the present embodiment.

Further, in the present embodiment, the adhesive force of the magnet 52a can be changed by replacing the magnet 52a, so that the holding force of the housing 50 with respect to the right cover 30 can be adjusted according to the amount of bending or deflection of the right cover 30.

Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can of course be applied within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the color image forming apparatus as illustrated in fig. 1, but may be a monochrome image forming apparatus, a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or an MFP including a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine, or the like.

The recording medium includes, in addition to the paper P (plain paper), thick paper, postcards, envelopes, thin paper, coated paper (coated paper, copperplate, etc.), tracing paper, overhead projector (OHP) paper, plastic films, prepregs, copper foils, and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the locking member 31 is disposed on the right cover 30 and the lock pin 51 is disposed on the housing 50 as the first holding mechanism 71, but the member to be locked may be disposed on the right cover 30 and the locking member may be disposed on the housing 50. Further, although the case has been described in which the sheet metal member 32 is disposed on the right cover 30 and the magnet 52a is disposed on the housing 50 as the second holding mechanism 72, it is possible to dispose the magnet on the right cover 30 and the magnet on the housing 50.

The above embodiments are illustrative, and do not limit the invention. Accordingly, many additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. For example, at least one element of the various illustrative and exemplary embodiments herein may be combined with or substituted for one another within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. Further, features of the components of the embodiments, such as the number, position, and shape, do not limit the embodiments, and thus may be preferably provided. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

1. An opening and closing device, comprising:

a device main body;

an opening-closing member disposed in an openable-closable manner with respect to the device main body; and

a first holding mechanism and a second holding mechanism configured to hold the opening and closing member in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body, wherein

The first holding mechanism and the second holding mechanism are configured to hold different positions in a longitudinal direction of the opening and closing member.

2. The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the first holding mechanism comprises a latch mechanism including a pair of members among the device main body and the opening and closing member, one of the members being locked in the other of the members.

3. The opening-closing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second holding mechanism comprises a magnet and a magnet, the magnet being disposed in one of the device body and the opening-closing member, the magnet being disposed in the other of the device body and the opening-closing member and configured to adhere to the magnet.

4. The opening-closing device according to claim 1 or 2,

the second retaining mechanism further includes a spring member configured to bias one of the magnet and the magnet toward a direction of approaching the other of the magnet and the magnet, the spring member being expandable and contractible in the approaching direction and a direction opposite to the approaching direction, and

one of the magnet and the magnet biased by the spring member is movable in an integral manner as the spring member expands and contracts.

5. An image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a recording medium, comprising the opening and closing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.