JP2000049989A - Image forming device provided with reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device provided with a reader where an opening/closing cover is easily open and the manufacture cost for the entire device is reduced while making the device main body small without mounting the reader on the opening/closing cover to open an upper part of a printer. SOLUTION: An image reader 6 reading an image on original paper P is mounted on a paper feed port cover 8 that is open independently of a top cover 1c and the weight of the top cover 1c is reduced by the weight of the image reader 6 in comparison with a conventional laser printer with the reader where the image reader 6 is mounted on the top cover 1c. Furthermore, it is not required to provide a damper mechanism to support the top cover different from the conventional laser printer with the reader and the manufacture cost of the entire laser printer 1 with the reader is reduced accordingly. Moreover, it is not required to provide separately a space in a main body case 1a on which the image reader 6 is mounted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a reading device capable of reading an image on a document sheet and printing on a recording sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as an image forming apparatus having a reading device, for example, a copy machine, a facsimile,
Multifunctional peripheral devices having various functions such as a printer function and a copy function have been developed. For multifunction peripherals,
For example, a contact image sensor (hereinafter referred to as CIS (Contac
t Image Sensor) and a laser printer as a printing device for forming an image on recording paper (printing paper). Then, printing is performed by the laser printer based on the image data of the document paper read by the reading device and the image data supplied from the host device such as the host computer.

[0003] This multifunctional peripheral device laser printer
A mechanism for forming a toner image on a photosensitive drum by an electrophotographic process, and transferring and fixing the toner image on recording paper is provided.

By the way, at the rear of the main body case of the multifunctional peripheral device, that is, upstream of the main body case in the paper feeding direction, a recording paper such as an ACF (Auto Cutsheet Feeder) is fed to the laser printer. A paper feeding device is provided, a laser printer is provided downstream of the paper feeding device, and a reading device is provided further downstream of the laser printer. As described above, the laser printer and the reading device are arranged in parallel without being overlapped with each other, and it is necessary that both the laser printer and the reading device can be opened above for maintenance. Because. That is, above the laser printer, an opening / closing cover that is attached to the main body case so as to be openable and closable is disposed, and by opening the opening / closing cover, maintenance inside the main body case of the multifunctional peripheral device, for example, The replacement of the toner cartridge or the process cartridge, or the removal of the recording paper having a paper jam is performed. On the other hand, the reading device is configured such that an upper mechanism can be opened and closed as a reading device cover at a boundary of a document sheet transport path, and the document sheet having a paper jam is removed. As described above, in the multifunction peripheral device having the reading device, it is necessary to separately provide a space for opening and closing the upper portion of the laser printer as a printing device and a space for opening and closing the upper portion of the reading device in the main body case. As a result, the depth length of the main body case, that is, the length of the main body case in the paper feeding direction is increased, and the multifunctional peripheral device becomes larger as a whole.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-233238 proposes a multifunctional peripheral device in which a reading device is mounted on an opening / closing cover that opens the upper part of a laser printer, and the reading device and the opening / closing cover are integrally formed. ing. According to this multifunctional peripheral device, unlike the case where the reading device and the opening / closing cover are separately arranged in parallel in the main body case, there is no need to provide a space for disposing the reading device in the main body case. Accordingly, the multifunction peripheral device is reduced in size as a whole.

[0006]

However, according to the multifunctional peripheral device in which the reading device is mounted on the opening / closing cover, the weight of the opening / closing cover increases by the weight of the reading device. There is a problem that opening and closing becomes difficult, and the opening and closing work becomes difficult. Also, after opening the opening and closing cover, in order to prevent the opening and closing cover from closing by its own weight during maintenance work, for example,
It is necessary to hold the open / close cover in an open state by a damper mechanism or the like. However, when the damper mechanism is mounted, the number of components of the multi-function peripheral device increases accordingly, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the multi-function peripheral device as a whole increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reduce the size of the apparatus main body without mounting a reading apparatus on an opening / closing cover for opening the upper part of the printing apparatus. It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus provided with a reading device capable of easily opening an opening / closing cover and reducing a manufacturing cost of the entire apparatus.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus provided with a reading device according to claim 1 is provided.
An apparatus main body in which an opening / closing cover is attached to be openable and closable, a printing apparatus housed in the apparatus main body and printing on recording paper,
A paper feeding device for feeding recording paper to the printing device; and a paper feeding port provided in the device main body for installing the recording paper upstream of the paper feeding device in the paper feeding direction. The image forming apparatus further includes a reading device that reads an image, the reading device being mounted on the reading device, and a sheet feeding port cover provided at the sheet feeding port in the apparatus main body.

According to the image forming apparatus having the reading device according to the first aspect, the recording paper is set in the paper feed port having the paper feed port cover opened. The recording paper set in the paper feed port is fed to the printing device by the paper feeding device and printed by the printing device, while the image of the original paper is read by the reading device. Since the reading device for reading the image of the original paper is mounted on the paper feed port cover, the opening / closing cover is reduced by the weight of the reading device compared to the image forming apparatus having the conventional reading device in which the reading device is mounted on the opening / closing cover. Weight is reduced.

Further, since the reading device is mounted on a paper feeding port cover attached to a paper feeding port provided in the apparatus main body, it is necessary to separately provide a space for mounting the reading device in the apparatus main body. Absent. Therefore, an image forming apparatus provided with a conventional reading device, for example, a conventional image forming device in which a paper feeding device, a printing device, and a reading device are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper feeding direction of the recording paper in the main body of the device. As compared with the apparatus, the size of the apparatus body can be reduced by the space for mounting the reading apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reading device according to the first aspect, wherein the precursor sheet feeding port cover is provided independently of the opening / closing cover of the apparatus main body. , Is attached to the paper feed port of the apparatus body so as to be freely opened and closed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reader according to the second aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided on one of the apparatus main body and the paper feeding port cover. Alternatively, a slide groove formed in a long hole shape from the upper side to the lower side of the paper feed port cover is engaged with the slide groove so as to be slidable relative to the slide groove. A swing shaft that is provided on the other side and supports the paper feed port cover in a swingable manner.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the third aspect, the image forming apparatus operates in the same manner as the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the second aspect, and additionally, when the sheet feeding port cover is opened. The paper feed port cover is opened when the swing shaft slidably engaged with the slide groove rotates in the slide groove. The slide groove is formed in a long hole shape from the upper side of the apparatus main body or the paper feed port cover downward, and when the paper feed port cover is opened via the swing shaft, the swing shaft moves in the slide groove. Relatively slid. By the relative sliding of the swing shaft with respect to the slide groove, the paper feed port cover is opened while sliding upward relative to the apparatus main body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reading device according to the second or third aspect, wherein the sheet feeding device is provided at the sheet feeding port. A paper feed roller for feeding recording paper, a support member for supporting the recording paper fed by the paper feed roller, and an urging member for urging the support member toward the paper feed roller The paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted includes an urging release member that releases the urging of the support member by the urging member when the paper feed port cover is opened.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the fourth aspect, it operates in the same manner as the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the second or third aspect, and is installed at the paper feed port. The recording paper is supported in the paper feed port by a support member that is urged toward the paper feed roller by the urging member, and is sandwiched between opposing portions of the support member and the paper feed roller. When the paper roller operates, the recording paper is fed to the printing device by the paper feed roller. On the other hand, when the recording paper is set in the paper feed port, the urging of the supporting member is released by the urging member of the support member by the urging release member by opening the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted. The gap width of the opposing portion between the member and the paper feed roller is increased.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reader according to the fourth aspect, wherein the urging release member is arranged between the paper supply port cover and the support member. And a pressing member that presses the support member in a counter-biasing direction by the biasing member in conjunction with the opening operation of the paper feed port cover.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reader according to the fifth aspect, wherein the support member has a paper feed port cover on which the reader is mounted. A locking member is provided for locking the pressing member when is opened.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reader according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, wherein the upper part of the reader is openably covered. The swing center when opening and closing the reading device cover is provided on the opposite side of the swing center when opening and closing the paper feed port cover.

According to the image forming apparatus having the reading device according to the seventh aspect, the image forming apparatus operates in the same manner as the image forming apparatus having the reading device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects. When a document jam occurs in the reading device mounted on the paper mouth cover, the reading device cover that covers the upper portion of the reading device so as to be freely opened is opened, and the jammed document paper is removed. In addition, the swing center when opening and closing the reading device cover is provided on the side opposite to the swing center when opening and closing the sheet feeding port cover. Therefore, for example, unlike when the swing center of the reading device cover is provided on the swing center side of the sheet feeding port cover, the sheet feeding cover is not opened together when the reading device cover is opened. It is not necessary to provide a stopper mechanism or the like for preventing the paper feed port cover and the reading cover from being opened together at the paper feed port cover and the reading device cover.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the reading device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the reading device reads an image of a document sheet. Is provided.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a multifunction peripheral device, a laser printer 1 with a reading device, which is an embodiment of an image forming device provided with a reading device of the present invention. Arrow X indicates the direction in which the document paper P is fed, and arrow Y indicates the direction in which the printing paper (recording paper) PP is fed.

The laser printer 1 with a reading device mainly includes a paper feeding device 2 for feeding a plurality of printing papers PP one by one, and a printing paper PP fed by the paper feeding device 2.
A recording device 3 for forming and transferring a toner image on the photosensitive drum 15 by an electrophotographic process, and the recording device 3
A laser beam scanning device 4 for performing exposure to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 and a fixing device 5 for fixing the toner image transferred by the recording device 3 to the printing paper PP. An image reading device 6 is provided for reading, from the original paper P, an image copied (copied) to the paper PP or an image transmitted to a host device such as a host computer.

This laser printer 1 with a reading device comprises a main body case 1a formed of a synthetic resin in a box shape so as to enclose the outer periphery thereof, and a main frame 1b further housed inside the main body case 1a. The main body case 1a and the main frame 1b are integrally formed by injection molding or the like. On top of the main frame 1b of the main body case 1a, a top cover 1c made of synthetic resin that covers the upper part of the main frame 1b is covered. The top cover 1c is a lid of the main body case 1a which is opened when the recording device 3 is replaced or when the printing paper PP is jammed. It is rotatably attached to the front part (the right side in FIG. 1) of the main body case 1a in the clockwise direction. That is, the top cover 1
c is opened by being rotated clockwise via the rotating shaft 1d, and is closed by being rotated counterclockwise. A paper feeder 2 that feeds a plurality of printing papers PP stored one by one is provided behind the top cover 1c (left side in FIG. 1) and above the rear part of the main body case 1a.

The paper feeder 2 has a shallow box-shaped print paper holder 7 capable of stacking and storing a plurality of unused print papers PP. The print paper holder 7 is further rearward from the rear of the main body case 1a. (Left side in FIG. 1) Extends upward. The upper part of the print paper holder 7 is formed open, and a paper feed port cover 8 on which the image reading device 6 is mounted is openably and closably provided above the open part.
The details of the image reading device 6 mounted on the paper feed port cover 8 will be described later.

Inside the printing paper holder 7 covered by the paper feeding port cover 8, a substantially flat pressure plate 9 inclined from the rear of the main body case 1a toward the rear upper side is provided. The pressure plate 9 is for supporting the printing paper PP from below, and sandwiches both sides of the printing paper PP in the paper width direction between both sides in the paper width direction (a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1). In this manner, the pair of substantially flat side plates 9a are erected toward the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8, respectively. The upper end of the side plate 9a is rotatably (swingably) attached to the printing paper holder 7 via a rotation shaft 9b, and the pressure plate 9 is connected to the printing paper holder 7 via the rotation shaft 9b and the side plate 9a. It is swingably mounted inside.

A spring member 10 composed of a coil spring is disposed on the lower end side of the pressure plate 9, that is, on the opposite side of the pressure plate 9 from the side on which the rotary shaft 9b is mounted (right side in FIG. 1). The spring member 10 is for urging the pressure plate 9 upward, and the lower surface of the pressure plate 9 and the bottom plate 7 of the printing paper holder 7 are provided.
a. Therefore, the spring member 10
As a result, the pressure plate 9 is urged upward, and the printing paper PP supported by the pressure plate 9 is urged in a direction in which the printing paper PP comes into close contact with the paper feed roller 11. The paper feed roller 11 is a roller member for feeding the printing paper PP supported by the pressure plate 9, and is rotatably supported by the main body case 1a in a counterclockwise direction.

An operating plate 9c is integrally formed at the lower end of the side plate 9a of the pressure plate 9, and a bottom plate 7 of the printing paper holder 7 is formed on the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 adjacent to the operating plate 9c.
The pressing plate 8a extending toward "a" is integrally formed. Below the feed roller 11, the feed roller 1 described above is provided.
1, a separation pad 12 is provided for separating a plurality of printing papers PP one by one. The printing paper PP in the printing paper holder 7 is fed by the paper feed roller 11 and the separation pad 1.
2, the printing paper PP is sequentially sent out from the uppermost stacked printing paper PP. The printing paper PP sent out by the automatic paper feeding device is sent to the recording device 3 by a pair of upper and lower registration rollers 13 and 14. The printing paper P is fed by the feed roller 11 and the separation pad 12.
A paper feed port 2a for feeding P to the recording device 3 is configured.

The recording device 3 is a device for visualizing a print image based on image data on a print sheet PP. The recording device 3 includes a process cartridge 3a made of a synthetic resin detachably formed in the main frame 1b.
In the process cartridge 3a, the photosensitive drum 1 is provided.
5, transfer roller 16, developing roller 17, supply roller 1
8, a cleaning roller 19, a scorotron type charger 20, a toner cartridge 21 and the like are provided.
As described above, the recording device 3 is housed in the process cartridge 3a to be formed into a cartridge.
Can be replaced integrally, and maintenance work can be simplified. Further, since the toner cartridge 21 is detachably formed in the process cartridge 3a, when the toner in the toner cartridge 21 runs out, the process cartridge 3a can be taken out and only the toner cartridge 21 can be replaced. Therefore, even if the toner runs out before the end of the life of the recording device 3, it is sufficient to supply the toner to the toner cartridge 21, and it is not necessary to replace the entire recording device 3, so that the running cost of the laser printer 1 with the reading device is reduced. Can be reduced.

The photosensitive drum 15 provided in the process cartridge 3a is rotatably supported by the process cartridge 3a in a clockwise direction, and a charger 20 is disposed below the photosensitive drum 15. On one side of the photosensitive drum 15 and downstream of the charger 20 in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 15 (left side in FIG. 1), the developing roller 1
7 and a supply roller 18 are provided. Further, on one side of the supply roller 18 and opposite to the photosensitive drum 15 (left side in FIG. 1), a toner cartridge 21 containing toner as a developer is detachably mounted. Also,
A transfer roller 16 is arranged above the photosensitive drum 15 in contact with the photosensitive drum 15, and a cleaning roller 19 is arranged on one side of the photosensitive drum 15 and downstream of the transfer roller 16 in the rotation direction. Have been. still,
A discharge lamp 19a is disposed downstream of the cleaning roller 19 in the sheet feeding direction.

The developing roller 17 includes the toner cartridge 2
1 is supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 and the toner is adhered to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 to visualize the electrostatic latent image. Things. The toner contained in the toner cartridge 21 is agitated by the agitator 21 a provided in the toner cartridge 21, released from the toner cartridge 21, and carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 17 via the supply roller 18. . The thickness of the toner layer carried on the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 17 is regulated by the blade 17a. The toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 is transferred between the transfer roller 16 and the photosensitive drum 15 by the transfer roller 16 to which a transfer bias having a potential opposite to that of the photosensitive drum 15 is applied. It is transferred to the paper PP. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 15 is held by the cleaning roller 19, and is returned to the photosensitive drum 15 by applying a bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner to the cleaning roller 19 at a predetermined timing. Collected.

Below the recording device 3, a laser beam scanning device 4 is provided. The laser beam scanning device 4 performs exposure according to image data of a print image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 uniformly charged by the charger 20 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15. belongs to. An upper support plate 4a is provided above the laser beam scanning device 4, and the upper support plate 4a is fixed to a stay 1b2 integrally formed above the bottom plate 1b1 of the main frame 1b by screwing. . In the upper support plate 4a, a scanner hole 4b is formed in a lower portion of the developing roller 17 described above, and the scanner hole 4b extends in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 15, that is, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. It is formed wide. The entire area of the scanner hole 4b is covered with a transparent glass plate 4c.

On the upper surface of the upper support plate 4a, a toner sensor 4d projecting upward is provided. The toner sensor 4d includes a pair of a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and detects the presence or absence of toner in the toner cartridge 21. The toner sensor 4d is provided by mounting the recording device 3 in the main frame 1b.
The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are respectively inserted into two concave portions 21 b provided on the lower surface of the toner cartridge 21. The toner sensor 4d pushed into the recess 21b is
When the light receiving unit does not receive the light emitted from the light emitting unit, it is determined that the toner remains in the toner cartridge 21. On the other hand, when the light emitting unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit, It is determined that no toner remains in the cartridge 21.

Below the upper support plate 4a, a laser diode (not shown) for emitting laser light and a polarizing device 2 are provided.
The polarizing device 22 includes a polygon mirror 22a, a scanner motor 22b for driving the polygon mirror 22a, and a drive circuit 22c for driving the scanner motor 22b. Further, a lens 23 is disposed on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 1) of the laser beam of the polarizing device 22.
, A reflection mirror 24 is disposed on the upstream side of the optical path L, and a reflection mirror 25 is disposed on the downstream side of the optical path L. A glass plate 4c that covers the above-described scanner hole 4b is disposed further downstream of the reflection mirror 25 disposed downstream of the lens 23 on the optical path L. In FIG. 1, the optical path L of the laser light is shown by a two-dot chain line.

Therefore, the laser light emitted from the laser diode is reflected by the polygon mirror 22a and the reflection mirror 24, enters the lens 23, and is reflected by the reflection mirror 25.
Then, the light passes through the glass plate 4c and is irradiated on the surface of the photosensitive drum 15. The photosensitive drum 15 is a charger 2
Since the photosensitive drum 15 is uniformly charged by 0, the surface of the photosensitive drum 15 is irradiated with a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface.

The printing paper PP on which the toner image has been transferred is sent to a fixing device 5 provided downstream of the recording device 3.
The printing paper PP sent to the fixing device 5 is passed between the heating roller 26 and the pressure roller 27 of the fixing device 5. The toner image transferred onto the printing paper PP is heated and melted here and fixed on the printing paper PP. The heating roller 26 is constituted by an aluminum tube whose outer peripheral surface is coated with fluorine, and a fixing heater 26a constituted by a halogen lamp is provided inside the aluminum tube. The pressure roller 27 is a roller member made of rubber, and its surface is covered with a fluororesin.

The printing paper PP on which the toner image is fixed by the heating roller 26 and the pressure roller 27 is
The laser beam is discharged from a paper discharge port 30 to a paper discharge tray 31 extending to the outside of the laser printer 1 with a reading device by a paper discharge roller 28 and a pinch roller 29 disposed on the downstream side such as 6.
One end of the paper discharge tray 31 is rotatably attached to the main body case 1a via a rotary shaft 31a. When the paper discharge tray 31 is not used, it is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1c, it can be folded and stored while covering the top cover 1c.

Next, the image reading device 6 mounted on the above-described paper feed port cover 8 will be described. The image reading device 6 that reads an image described on the document paper P is mounted on the upper portion of the paper feed port cover 8, and a panel cover 32 is covered on the upper portion. The panel cover 32 has an operation panel provided with a plurality of buttons (not shown) on its surface (upper surface) and a liquid crystal display (not shown) for displaying the operation status of the laser printer 1 with a reader. The laser printer 1 with a reading device is operated by operating a button provided on the operation panel. In addition, the panel cover 32 is supplied in a state where the panel cover 32 is inclined downward from the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 1) of the original sheet P in the sheet feeding direction (the direction of the arrow X in FIG. It is attached to the paper mouth cover 8 so that it can be opened and closed freely. Therefore, for example, by opening the panel cover 32, it is possible to remove a paper jam of the document sheet P in the image reading device 6 and perform maintenance of the image reading device 6. The details of the opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the panel cover 32 will be described later.

The rear end side (left side in FIG. 1) of the panel cover 32,
That is, on the upstream side in the transport direction of the document sheet P, a document sheet holder 33 that is a space in which a plurality of document sheets P can be inserted in a stacked state is formed. A substantially L-shaped pad pressing member 34 is attached to the lower side of the panel cover 32 on the downstream side of the document paper holder 33 in the paper feeding direction (the right side in FIG. 1). The pad pressing member 34 is for urging and pressing the separation pad 35 toward the separation roller 36, and is formed of an elastic metal material such as a thin plate-like stainless steel material. Screwed so that it can swing up and down.

On a lower surface side of the pad pressing member 34, a separation pad 35 formed of a synthetic resin material such as silicone rubber having flexibility and formed in a substantially flat plate shape is screwed. The separation pad 35 is for separating a plurality of original sheets P one by one in cooperation with a separation roller 36 described later, and is formed of a synthetic resin material having a large surface friction coefficient such as silicon rubber. Therefore, a plurality of original sheets P in contact with the surface can be hooked and separated one by one. Further, the leading end of the separation pad 35 is urged toward the separation roller 36 by the pad pressing member 34, and comes into contact with (contacts) the upper surface of the separation roller 36 to separate the document paper P. Make up the points.

The separation roller 36 cooperates with the separation pad 35 to separate a plurality of original papers P one by one and transports the original papers P downstream in the transport direction. , Is rotatably mounted on the paper feed port cover 8. On the downstream side of the separation roller 36, a CIS 37 for reading an image of the document paper P is provided on the paper feed port cover 8. A reading unit 3 for reading an image is provided on the upper surface of the CIS 37.
7a is provided, and a white tape 38, which serves as a white reference when reading an image, is disposed above the reading section 37a. The white tape 38 is attached to the lower surface of a document pressing member 39 disposed on the lower surface of the panel cover 32. The document pressing member 39 is urged downward by the coil spring 40 toward the reading unit 37a. I have. When the document paper P passes between the white tape 38 and the reading unit 37a of the CIS 37, an image is read by the reading unit 37a.

Further downstream of the CIS 37, the CIS 37
The document sheet P on which the image has been read by the
A paper discharge roller 41 rotatably mounted on the paper feed port cover 8 for discharging paper to the outside of the printer, and a rotatable shaft on the lower surface of the panel cover 32 for pressing the original paper P against the paper discharge roller 41. A pinch roller 42 to be attached is provided.
The document sheet P from which an image is read by the reading unit 37a of the CIS 37 is nipped by the discharge roller 41 and the pinch roller 42, and is conveyed at a predetermined speed as the discharge roller 41 rotates. The sheet is discharged to the upper surface of the top cover 1c. As described above, the image reading device 6 includes the panel cover 32 that accommodates the upper mechanism and the paper feed port cover 8 that constitutes the lower mechanism, with the transport path of the document paper P as a boundary.

Next, the paper feed port cover 8 on which the image reading device 6 is mounted will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a partial side sectional view of the laser printer with a reading device 1 in a state where a paper feed port cover 8 is opened, and an arrow A in the drawing indicates an opening direction of the paper feed port cover 8 and an arrow B
Indicates the direction in which the panel cover 32 is opened. As shown in FIG. 2, a bracket 43 is provided upright on the upper part of the main body case 1a. This bracket 4
Reference numerals 3 stand upright on both sides of the paper feed port cover 8 in the paper width direction (substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) so as to sandwich the paper feed port cover 8. Cylindrical sliding pins 43a protrude toward both side surfaces of the paper feed port cover 8 in the paper width direction.

Around the sliding pin 43a, a substantially U-shaped sliding wall 44 extending from the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 toward the cover of the panel cover 32 is provided. Is set up from the side surface of the paper feed port cover 8 facing the bracket 43 toward the bracket 43. The slide wall 44 supports the paper feed port cover 8 on the upper part of the main body case 1a via the slide pin 43a of the bracket 43, and slides inside a slide groove 44a formed inside the main body case 1a. The pin 43 is rotatable, and
It is slidably engaged. Note that FIG. 2 shows only the bracket 43 and the slide wall 44 provided on the far side in the direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

A substantially triangular guide plate 45 extends toward the inside of the main body case 1a on the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 below the slide groove 44. This guide plate 4
Reference numeral 5 denotes a sheet feeding port cover 8 for guiding the opening and closing operation, and a substantially cylindrical guide pin 45a is provided at a lower end thereof. A guide wall 46 is provided below the guide pin 45a so as to contact the lower surface thereof. The guide wall 46 guides the movement of the guide pin 45 a in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the sheet feeding port cover 8, and regulates a moving path in the direction of arrow A accompanying the opening and closing of the sheet feeding port cover 8. And is provided in the main body case 1a. Inside the guide wall 46, an arc-shaped guide groove 46a into which a guide pin 45a is rotatably and slidably engaged.
The guide groove 46 a is formed in the guide wall 4.
Along the print paper holder 7, the print paper holder 7 is inclined upward.

On the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 behind the guide plate 45, a pressing plate 8a of the above-described paper feed port cover 8 is extended toward an operation plate 9c of the pressure plate 9, and this pressing is performed. The plate 8 is used to push down the pressure plate 9 in the direction of the urging (compression) of the spring member 10 via the operation plate 9c, and a projection-like engaging claw 8a1 is provided at the lower end thereof. . The engaging claw 8a1 is engaged with an engaging groove 9c1 formed in the upper end of the operating plate 9c of the pressure plate 9, and
A guide surface 9c2 is formed below c1 to guide the engagement claw 8a1 into the engagement groove 9c1.

Next, referring to FIG.
The opening and closing mechanism will be described. FIG. 3 shows the panel cover 3
2 is a partial side sectional view of the laser printer with a reading device 1 in a state where the cover 2 is opened, wherein an arrow A in the figure indicates an opening direction of the sheet feeding port cover 8, and an arrow B indicates opening of the panel cover 32. The arrow X indicates the feeding direction of the document paper P.

As shown in FIG. 3, a substantially rectangular bracket 47 extends from the panel cover 32 toward the original paper holder 33 on the side of the original paper holder 33 of the paper feed port cover 8. This bracket 47 is attached to the panel cover 32.
And extends downward from both side portions of the paper feed port cover 8 in the paper width direction (a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3). A substantially cylindrical sliding pin 47 is provided on the lower end of the bracket 47.
a is provided.

The slide pin 47a is rotatably engaged with a slot-like slide groove 48 formed in a portion of the paper feed port cover 8 on the side of the document paper holder 33. In addition, the slide groove 48 is formed wide in the document feeding direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow X, and the slide pin 43a of the bracket 47 is slidably engaged.
In FIG. 3, the bracket 47 and the slide groove 4 provided on the near side in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.
Only 8 is shown.

A substantially cylindrical guide pin 49 is provided above the paper feed port cover 8 on the downstream side of the slide groove 48. The guide pins 49 are provided on the panel cover 32.
A guide groove 5 formed in a guide plate 50 extending in a substantially arcuate shape from the lower surface side of the paper feeder cover 8 toward the upper portion.
0a. The guide pins 49 and the guide plate 50 are for guiding the opening and closing operation of the panel cover 32. The guide groove 50a is formed in the guide plate 50 so as to be curved in a substantially arc shape along the outer shape of the guide plate 50, and the guide pin 49 is rotatably and slidably engaged.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, the opening operation of the paper feed port cover 8 on which the image reading device 6 is mounted will be described. FIG. 4 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the laser printer 1 with the reading device in a state where the paper feed port cover 8 is closed, and an arrow X in the drawing shows a feeding direction of the original paper P. Arrow A indicates the opening direction of the paper feed port cover 8, arrow B indicates the opening direction of the panel cover 32, and arrow C indicates the rotation direction of the pressure plate 9.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the paper feed port cover 8 is closed, the slide pins 43a of the bracket 43 erected on the main body case 1a are erected on the side face of the paper feed port cover 8. The sliding wall 44 is engaged with the sliding groove 44a at an upper position in the sliding groove 44a. On the other hand, the guide pin 45a of the guide plate 45 extending downward from the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 is
It is engaged with a lower position in a guide groove 46a provided in the main body case 1a. In such a case, when the paper feed port cover 8 is opened in the direction of arrow A, the guide pin 45a of the paper feed port cover 8 moves along the guide wall 46 in the guide groove 46a in conjunction with the opening operation. It is slid upward.

On the other hand, the guide pins 45 of the guide plate 45
a, the sliding wall 44 slides upward.
Is rotated clockwise relative to the sliding pin 43a and slid upward relative to the sliding pin 43a. By sliding the slide wall 44 upward, the front portion (the right side in FIG. 4) of the paper feed port cover 8, that is, the portion of the paper feed port cover 8 on the slide wall 44 side is in the front upper direction (the upper right side in FIG. 1). ).

Thereafter, when the paper feed port cover 8 is further opened in the direction of arrow A, the guide pin 45a of the paper feed port cover 8 moves upward in the guide groove 46a along the inner side surface of the guide wall 46. Slide toward the guide groove 46
a, that is, the position of the guide pin 45a in FIG. On the other hand, as the guide pin 45a slides, the slide wall 44 is further rotated clockwise relative to the slide pin 43a, and further slid upward relative to the slide pin 43a. .

By sliding the sliding wall 44 upward, the sliding pin 43a relatively moves the sliding groove 44.
a, and the sliding pin 43a reaches the position below the slide groove 44a as shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the paper feed port cover 8 is opened, the slide wall 44 side portion is moved upward by the height H with respect to the main body case 1a. It is moved forward (left side in FIG. 4) by the movement length W with respect to 1a.

Therefore, when the paper feed port cover 8 is opened, the paper feed port cover is moved upward by a height H with respect to the main body case 1a on which the printing paper holder 7 is provided, and is moved forward. Since the slide is performed by the amount W, the space formed between the lower surface of the paper feed port cover 8 and the print paper holder 7 can be increased. Therefore, the paper feed port cover 8
When the printing paper PP is stored in the printing paper holder 7 by opening the paper feeding port cover 8, the printing paper PP does not collide with the lower surface of the paper feeding port cover 8.
And the printing paper PP can be smoothly inserted into the space formed between the two.

When the paper feed port cover 8 shown in FIG. 4 is opened, the pressing plate 8a of the paper feed port cover 8 pushes the pressure plate 9 against the biasing direction of the spring member 10 (arrow in FIG. 4). C
Direction). That is, when the paper feed port cover 8 is opened in the direction of arrow A, the engaging claw 8a1 of the pressing plate 8a comes into contact with the guide surface 9c2 of the operating plate 9c of the pressure plate 9 with the opening operation. Thereafter, when the paper feed port cover 8 is further opened in the direction of the arrow A, the engaging claw 8a1 of the pressing plate 8a slides upward on the guide surface 9c2 of the operating plate 9c, and with this sliding. Operating plate 9c
Is pressed in the direction of arrow C by the pressing plate 8a. When the operation plate 9c is pressed in the direction of arrow C, the pressure plate 9
Is rotated in the clockwise direction (arrow C direction) in FIG. 4 around the rotation shaft 9b, and the lower end of the pressure plate 9 (left side in FIG. 4)
Is pushed down.

By opening the paper feed port cover 8 as described above, the pressure plate 9 is pushed down as shown in FIG. 2, and the gap width of the opposing portion between the pressure plate 9 and the paper feed roller 11 shown in FIG. Therefore, the leading end of the printing paper PP can be easily inserted into a portion where the gap between the pressure plate 9 and the paper feed roller 11 is opposed. For this reason, it is not necessary to separately provide a device for pressing down the pressure plate 9 in the sheet feeding device 2, and the manufacturing cost of the entire laser printer 1 with a reading device can be reduced accordingly.

When the paper feed port cover 8 is further opened, the engaging claw 8a1 of the pressing plate 8a is engaged with the engaging groove 9a of the operating plate 9c.
It is engaged with c1. Moreover, in such a case, the pressing plate 8a
Is a pressure plate 9 urged by a spring member 10 in a direction opposite to arrow C.
Is biased upward through the operating plate 9c of the paper feed port cover 8 having the increased weight with the image reading device 6 mounted thereon.
The paper feed port cover 8 can be held in the open state shown in FIG.

Next, the opening and closing operation of the panel cover 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the open panel cover 32 is closed as shown in FIG.
First, when the panel cover 32 is pressed down in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the slide pin 47a of the bracket 47 is slid rearward and upward (upper left in FIG. 3) in the slide groove 48 of the paper feed port cover 8 while the clock is pressed. Rotated in the direction. On the other hand, when the panel cover 32 is pushed down in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the guide pins 4
Guide plate 5 with a guide groove 50a formed therein for engaging
Also, the guide pin 49 is slid relatively upward in the guide groove 50a with the movement of the guide plate 50. Thereafter, when the panel cover 32 is further pushed down in the direction of the arrow B, the slide pin 47a reaches the rear side of the slide groove 48, while the guide plate 50 further lowers, and the guide pin 49 is moved to the guide groove 5
The inside of the panel cover 32 is completed by sliding in the inside of Oa and reaching the upper side of the guide groove 50a.

When the panel cover 32 is opened, the operation is the reverse of the operation of closing the panel cover 32 described above. That is, when the closed panel cover 32 is lifted in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2 as shown in FIG.
Is rotated counterclockwise while being slid forward and downward (the lower right side in FIG. 3) in the slide groove 48 of FIG. On the other hand, when the panel cover 32 is lifted in the direction of the arrow B, the guide plate 50 in which the guide groove 50a in which the guide pin 49 is engaged is also moved upward in conjunction with the opening of the panel cover 32, and the guide plate 50 is moved upward. As the guide plate 50 moves, the guide pins 49 slide relatively downward in the guide grooves 50a. Thereafter, when the panel cover 32 is further lifted in the direction of arrow B, the sliding pin 47a reaches the front side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the sliding groove 48, and the guide plate 50 further rises to guide the pin. 49 is a guide groove 50
The inside of the panel cover 32 is slid to reach the lower side of the guide groove 50a, and the opening of the panel cover 32 is completed.

The panel cover 32 thus opened and closed
In the opening direction of the panel cover 32, a sliding pin 47a, which is the center of rotation, is provided on the opposite side to the slide groove 44a with which the sliding pin 43a, which is the center of rotation of the paper feed port cover 8, is engaged. The direction (arrow B direction) is opposite to the opening direction (arrow A direction) of the paper feed port cover 8. That is, for example, when the paper feed port cover 8 and the panel cover 32 are opened together, the paper feed port cover 8, the panel cover 32, and the main body case 1a are opened in an inverted Z-shape. It is configured to: Therefore, for example, when the panel cover 32 is opened, such as when the rotation center of the panel cover 32 is provided on the rotation center side of the paper feed port cover 8,
Can be prevented from being accidentally opened together, and the panel cover 32 can be accidentally opened when the paper feed port cover 8 is opened.

Further, as in the case where the center of rotation of the panel cover 32 is provided on the side of the center of rotation of the sheet feeding port cover 8,
Since there is no need to provide a stopper mechanism or the like for preventing the paper feed port cover 8 from being opened together with the panel cover 32 on the paper feed port cover 8 or the panel cover 32, the laser printer 1 with a reading device is correspondingly provided. The manufacturing cost as a whole can be reduced.

As described above, according to the laser printer 1 with a reading device of the present embodiment, the image reading device 6 for reading the image of the document paper P is provided with the paper feed port cover opened independently of the top cover 1c. 8, the weight of the top cover 1c can be reduced by the weight of the image reading device 6 as compared with a conventional image forming device in which the image reading device 6 is mounted on the top cover 1c. Therefore, when the top cover 1c is opened and closed to perform maintenance inside the main frame 1b, for example, to check or replace the recording device 4, the opening and closing operation can be performed smoothly because the weight of the top cover 1c is reduced. it can. Moreover, since the top cover is reduced in weight, there is no need to provide a damper mechanism or the like for holding the top cover as in a conventional laser printer with a reading device, and the manufacturing cost of the entire laser printer with a reading device 1 is reduced accordingly. Can be reduced. Further, since the paper feed port cover 8 does not need to be largely opened unlike the top cover 1c which is opened for maintenance, even if the image reading device 6 is mounted on the paper feed port cover 8, the opening / closing operation thereof is performed. The opening and closing operation can be performed smoothly without difficulty.

Further, since the image reading device 6 is mounted on the paper feeding port cover 8 which is provided above the printing paper holder 7 of the paper feeding device 2 provided in the main body case 1a, the image is stored in the main body case 1a. There is no need to separately provide a space for mounting the reading device 6. Therefore, a conventional laser printer with a reading device, for example, the paper feeding device 2, the recording device 4, and the image reading device 6 are arranged in parallel from the upstream to the downstream in the paper feeding direction of the printing paper PP in the main body case 1a. The main body case 1a can be reduced in size by the space for mounting the image reading device 6 as compared with the laser printer with a reading device described above. For this reason, the manufacturing cost of the main body case 1a is reduced, and the laser printer 1 with the reader is provided.
Can be reduced in size.

As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can easily be inferred.

[0066]

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the first aspect, the reading device for reading the image of the original paper is mounted on the paper feed port cover, so that the reading device is mounted on the opening / closing cover. The weight of the opening / closing cover can be reduced by the weight of the reading device as compared with an image forming apparatus having a conventional reading device. Therefore, when the opening / closing cover is opened / closed when performing maintenance inside the apparatus main body, for example, when inspecting or replacing parts of the printing apparatus, the opening / closing operation can be performed smoothly because the opening / closing cover is reduced in weight. There is. Moreover,
Since the opening / closing cover is reduced in weight, there is no need to provide a damper mechanism or the like for holding the opening / closing cover as in an image forming apparatus having a conventional reading device. This has the effect that the manufacturing cost of the device can be reduced.

Further, since the reading device is mounted on a paper feeding port cover attached to a paper feeding port provided in the apparatus main body, it is necessary to separately provide a space for mounting the reading device in the apparatus main body. Absent. Therefore, an image forming apparatus provided with a conventional reading apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus arranged in the order of a sheet feeding apparatus, a printing apparatus, and a reading apparatus from the upstream side to the downstream side in the paper feeding direction of the recording paper in the apparatus main body. In comparison, the size of the apparatus main body can be reduced by the space for mounting the reading device. Therefore, there is an effect that the manufacturing cost of the apparatus main body is reduced and the image forming apparatus including the reading device can be downsized.

According to the image forming apparatus having the reading device according to the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the image forming device having the reading device according to the first aspect, the paper supply port cover can be freely opened and closed at the paper supply port. Therefore, by opening the sheet feeding port cover, the opening amount of the sheet feeding port can be increased. Therefore, there is an effect that the work of opening the paper feed port cover and setting the recording paper in the paper feed port can be easily performed. In addition, since the paper feed port cover does not need to be opened as widely as an opening / closing cover that is opened for maintenance of the printing apparatus, even if a reading device is mounted on the paper feed port cover, the paper feed port cover is not required. Has the effect that the opening operation can be performed smoothly.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the third aspect, in addition to the effect achieved by the image forming device provided with the reading device according to the second aspect, the sheet feeding port cover is swingably supported. Since the swing shaft is slidably engaged with a slide groove formed in a long hole shape from the upper side to the lower side of the apparatus body or the paper feed port cover, the paper feed port cover is rocked. When opening the paper feed port cover, the paper feed port cover can be opened by sliding the paper feed port cover relatively upward with respect to the apparatus main body by relatively sliding the swing shaft in the slide groove. Therefore, when the paper feed port cover is opened, the opening amount of the paper feed port cover can be increased by the amount that the paper feed port cover is slid upward. For this reason, there is an effect that the work of opening the paper feed port cover and installing the recording paper in the paper feed port can be easily performed.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effect of the image forming device provided with the reading device according to the second or third aspect, the paper feeder on which the reading device is mounted is provided. When the mouth cover is opened, the urging member releases the urging of the support member toward the paper feed roller by the urging member, thereby reducing the gap width between the support member and the paper feed roller. Can be expanded. Therefore,
In such a case, there is an effect that the recording paper can be easily inserted into the opposing portion between the support member and the paper feed roller.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the image forming device provided with the reading device according to the fourth aspect, the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted is provided. When released, the support member supporting the recording paper is urged toward the paper feed roller by the urging member by a pressing member extending from the paper supply port cover in conjunction with the opening operation of the paper supply port cover. Is released, it is possible to increase the gap width of the opposing portion between the support member and the paper feed roller.
Therefore, in such a case, there is an effect that the recording paper can be easily inserted into the opposing portion between the support member and the paper feed roller.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the sixth aspect, in addition to the effect of the image forming device provided with the reading device according to the fifth aspect, the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted is provided. When released, the pressing member that presses the support member in the counter-biasing direction of the biasing member is locked by the locking member provided on the support member, so that the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted can be moved. It can be opened without rattling. Therefore, when the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted is opened, the paper feed port cover can be held in an open state without rattling due to the weight of the reading device. There is.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the seventh aspect, in addition to the effect provided by the image forming device provided with the reading device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, the reading device cover can be opened and closed. Since the swing center at the time of opening is provided on the opposite side of the swing center at the time of opening and closing the paper feed port cover,
As in the case where the swing center of the reading device cover is provided on the swing center side of the sheet feeding port cover, it is possible to prevent the sheet feeding port cover from being opened together when the reading device cover is opened. This has the effect. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a stopper mechanism or the like for preventing the paper feed port cover and the reading device cover from being opened together, the paper feeding port cover and the reading device cover need to be provided. There is an effect that the manufacturing cost of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

According to the image forming apparatus provided with the reading device according to the eighth aspect, in addition to the effect provided by the image forming device provided with the reading device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the image of the original paper can be obtained. The contact-type image sensor for reading has a smaller number of components than various optical components and a CCD that requires a predetermined optical path length, and can greatly reduce the size of the entire reading device. There is an effect that it can be easily mounted on the cover.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a laser printer with a reading device as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus having a reading device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the laser printer with a reading device in a state where a paper feed port cover is opened.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view of the laser printer with a reading device in a state where a panel cover is opened.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the laser printer with a reading device in a state where a paper feed port cover is closed.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laser printer with a reading device (image forming apparatus provided with a reading device) 1a Main body case (apparatus main body) 1c Top cover (opening / closing cover) 2 Paper feeding device 3 Recording device (part of printing device) 4 Laser beam scanning device ( 5 Part of printing device 5 Fixing device (part of printing device) 6 Image reading device (reading device) 7 Print paper holder (part of printing device, part of paper feed port) 8 Paper feed port cover 8a Press plate (Biasing release member, pressing member) 9 pressure plate (supporting member, part of printing device, part of paper feeding port) 9c operating plate (locking member) 10 spring member (biasing member) 11 paper feeding roller (feeding) 44a Sliding groove 43a Sliding pin (swing shaft, swing center when opening and closing paper feed cover) P Original paper PP Printing paper (recording paper)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus body having an openable / closable cover openably and closable, a printing apparatus housed in the apparatus body for printing on recording paper, and a paper feeding apparatus for feeding recording paper to the printing apparatus. An image forming apparatus comprising: a paper feed port provided in the apparatus main body for installing recording paper on an upstream side in a paper feeding direction of the paper feed apparatus; and a reading device for reading an image of an original paper. An image forming apparatus provided with a reading device, wherein the reading device is mounted and a sheet feeding port cover provided at the sheet feeding port in the apparatus main body is provided. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper supply port cover is attached to the paper supply port of the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable independently of an opening / closing cover of the apparatus main body.
An image forming apparatus comprising the reading device according to the above. 3. A slide groove provided on one of the apparatus main body and the paper feed port cover and formed in a long hole shape from the upper side to the lower side of the apparatus main body or the paper feed port cover; And a swing shaft provided on the other side of the apparatus main body or the paper feed port cover, and swingably supporting the paper feed port cover. An image forming apparatus comprising the reading device according to claim 2. 4. A paper feeding device, comprising: a paper feeding roller installed in the paper feeding port for feeding recording paper; a support member for supporting the recording paper fed by the paper feeding roller; A biasing member for biasing a support member toward the paper feed roller, wherein the paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted is configured to be supported by the biasing member when the paper feed port cover is opened. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an urging release member configured to release the urging of the member. 5. The urging release member extends from the paper feed port cover toward the support member, and a biasing direction by the urging member in conjunction with an opening operation of the paper feed port cover. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a pressing member that presses the supporting member. 6. The support member is provided with a locking member for locking the pressing member when a paper feed port cover on which the reading device is mounted is opened. Item 6. An image forming apparatus comprising the reading device according to Item 5. 7. A reading device cover for covering the upper portion of the reading device so that the reading device cover can be opened freely, and the swing center when opening and closing the reading device cover is set to the swing center when opening and closing the sheet feeding port cover. An image forming apparatus comprising the reading device according to claim 2, wherein the image forming device is provided on an opposite side. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading device includes a contact type image sensor for reading an image on a document sheet.