JP2002002995A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a noiseless image forming device capable of stably carrying a sheet and forming a high quality image. SOLUTION: A guide member 12a inclined upward is installed between a paper feeding means 2A for feeding the sheet P housed in a sheet housing means 1a and a transfer means 11 for transferring a toner image formed in an image forming part 101 to the sheet P, and the sheet P fed from the paper feeding means 2A along the guide member 12a is carried to the transfer means 11. When the sheet P is carried toward the guide member 12a with the paper feeding means 2A, the sheet carrying direction of the paper feeding means 2A is made almost the same as the inclined angle of the guide member 12a to eliminate the direction change of the sheet P fed from the paper feeding means 2A in the guide member 12a.

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, and more particularly, to a configuration of a sheet feeding means for conveying a sheet stored in a sheet storing means toward a conveying path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic system such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a word processor and a facsimile machine, and other recording systems, a sheet stored in a sheet storing means is formed by an image forming section. And transfer the toner image formed by the image forming unit to a sheet, and then fix the transferred image to the sheet.

In such an image forming apparatus, paper feeding means for conveying a sheet to an image forming section, transfer means for transferring a toner image formed in the image forming section to the sheet, and fixing the transferred image to the sheet. In some cases, a fixing unit is provided, and a sheet is conveyed from a sheet feeding unit to a transfer unit to a fixing unit via a conveyance path provided substantially horizontally or substantially vertically.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer which is an example of such a conventional image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 51, transfer means 5 in the center
2. The fixing means 53 is disposed substantially horizontally on the left side.

An image forming means 54 such as a process cartridge and a laser scanner are provided above a substantially horizontal sheet conveying path R for conveying the sheet P to a sheet feeding means 51, a transferring means 52 and a fixing means 53. An image forming unit including the light source unit 55 is arranged. With such a configuration, the laser beam printer 50 conveys the sheet P to the image forming unit, transfers the toner image formed by the image forming unit (image forming unit 54) to the sheet, and transfers the toner image on the sheet. Heat fixing is performed.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of another laser beam printer.
Reference numeral A denotes a sheet feeding unit 51 at the lower end, a transfer unit 52 at the center, and a fixing unit 53 at the upper end, which are arranged substantially vertically, and an image forming unit 54 and a light source beside the sheet conveyance path R provided substantially vertically. The means 55 is arranged.

By the way, in a conventional image forming apparatus having such a configuration, for example, in a laser beam printer 50 shown in FIG. 6, a sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet P on a sheet feeding tray 56 as shown in FIG. 51, a sheet conveying direction by a separating member 51b abutting on the sheet feeding roller 51a, and a sheet conveying path from the sheet feeding unit 51 to the transfer unit 52 (hereinafter, referred to as a sheet transferring and conveying path). R1 has an angle α of about 20 to 45 degrees. In the figure, reference numeral 57 denotes a conveyance roller for conveying the sheet P separated and conveyed from the paper supply means 51 toward the transfer means.

[0008]

However, in such a conventional image forming apparatus, the sheet P
When the sheet is conveyed to the sheet transfer transfer path R1 by the sheet supply means 51, there is an angle α between the sheet conveyance direction of the sheet supply means 51 indicated by the arrow in FIG. A major change in direction is required.

Here, when such a large change of direction is performed, the leading end of the sheet P is moved to the transport surface 6 of the sheet transfer transport path R1.
0, and the sheet P is greatly bent at the time of the direction change, so that at the moment the sheet P separates from the sheet feeding means 51, the rigidity of the sheet P causes the rear end of the sheet P to largely jump, thereby reducing noise. Occurred in some cases. Also,
Due to the vibration when the trailing edge of the sheet comes off, the transfer unit 52 sometimes disturbs the toner image being transferred.

Further, when a sheet P such as a cardboard or an envelope is conveyed, if the sheet is bent to change the direction, the sheet P tends to be defective due to the resistance due to the rigidity of the sheet P. In such a case, the paper feed pressure of the paper feed roller 51a and the transport pressure of the transport roller 57 may be set to be large.
When the sheet feeding pressure or the conveying pressure is set to a large value as described above, the roller marks of the sheet feeding roller 51a or the conveying roller 57 may adhere to the sheet when the sheet such as thin paper is fed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has been made in view of the foregoing circumstances. It is intended to provide a device.

[0012]

The present invention conveys a sheet stored in a sheet storing means to an image forming section, and transfers a toner image formed in the image forming section to the sheet. In an image forming apparatus adapted to fix the sheet, a sheet feeding unit for conveying the sheet stored in the sheet storing unit to the image forming unit, and a toner image formed in the image forming unit is transferred to the sheet. Transfer means, and a guide member provided between the paper supply means and the transfer means, for guiding the sheet fed from the paper supply means to the transfer means, wherein the guide member and the sheet storage The sheet feeding means is arranged at an angle, and the sheet feeding direction of the sheet feeding means is set to a direction along the guide member.

Further, in the invention, it is preferable that the paper feeding means includes a feeding means for feeding the sheets, and a separating means which is pressed against the feeding means so as to separate the sheets one by one and arranged substantially in parallel with the guide member. And a member.

Further, according to the present invention, the sheet stored in the sheet storing means is conveyed to an image forming section, and after the toner image formed in the image forming section is transferred to the sheet, the transferred image is fixed to the sheet. In the image forming apparatus described above, a sheet feeding unit that conveys the sheet stored in the sheet storing unit to the image forming unit, and the sheet forming unit is disposed diagonally above the sheet feeding unit and formed by the image forming unit. Transfer means for transferring the transferred toner image to the sheet, and a guide member provided between the paper supply means and the transfer means, and inclined upward to guide the sheet fed from the paper supply means to the transfer means. Wherein the sheet conveying direction of the sheet feeding means is substantially the same as the inclination angle of the guide member.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a fixing means arranged diagonally above the transfer means and for fixing the transferred image to a sheet, and provided between the transfer means and the fixing means, wherein the toner image is provided. Another guide member inclined upward to convey the transferred sheet to the fixing unit,
An upwardly inclined conveyance path for conveying the sheet fed from the paper feeding means by the guide member and the other guide member to the fixing means via the transfer means is formed.

Further, the invention is characterized in that the transport path is formed linearly by the guide member and another guide member.

Further, according to the present invention, the sheet feeding means includes a feeding means for feeding the sheet, and a separating means which is pressed against the feeding means so as to separate the sheets one by one and arranged substantially in parallel with the guide member. And a member.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a contact portion of the separating member with the feeding means has a curved surface.

[0019]

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer adopting an electrophotographic system which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view thereof.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a laser beam printer.
The image forming unit 101 includes a sheet feeding unit 102 that feeds a recording material P, which is a sheet, to the image forming unit 101;
Transfer section 103 for transferring the toner image to the sheet P, and fixing section 104 for fixing the toner image transferred to the sheet P to the sheet
And

Here, the paper supply unit 102 includes a paper supply tray 1 serving as sheet storage means for loading the recording material P, and a paper supply tray 1
Roller 2, which is a feeding means disposed on the upper front end side of
And a sheet supply means 2A having a separation pad 4 which is a separation member that comes into pressure contact with the sheet supply roller 2.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a pressing plate which constitutes the front end of the recording material loading surface 1a of the sheet feeding tray 1 and is pressed upward by a biasing means (not shown). Recording material P loaded on recording material loading surface 1a
Is pressed against the paper feed roller 2.

When the recording material P comes into pressure contact with the paper feed roller 2 and the paper feed roller 2 rotates,
The uppermost recording material P is picked up by the paper feed roller 2, and thereafter, the uppermost recording material P is separated and conveyed one by one from other recording materials P by the separation pad 4 and the paper feed roller 2, Conveying roller pair 5a, 5b constituting conveying means
To the transfer unit 103.

The image forming unit 101 includes a process cartridge 10 which constitutes an image forming means having a photosensitive drum 10a, a developing unit 10b, a charging roller 10c, a cleaner (not shown), and the like, and a surface of the photosensitive drum 10a. And a laser scanner 7 that forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 10a upon exposure. 7a is a polygon mirror, 7b is a scanner motor for rotating the polygon mirror 7a, and 8 is a return mirror.

Further, the transfer unit 103 includes the photosensitive drum 10
a transfer nip is formed by pressing the recording material P onto the recording material P when the recording material P passes through the transfer nip. I have. Further, the fixing unit 104
A fixing device 13 as a fixing unit having a heating roller 13a and a pressure roller 13b pressed against the heating roller 13a.
It consists of.

Incidentally, in FIG.
A first transport guide 12b, which is a guide member for guiding the recording material P separated and transported by A to the transfer unit 103, is a recording material P after the transfer roller 11 transfers the toner image.
A second conveyance guide 14, which is another guide member for guiding the recording material P to the fixing device 13, is a paper discharge roller, and the recording material P on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 13 is integrated with the outer cover 15 by the paper discharge roller 14. Discharge tray 1 formed of
6 to be discharged.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 6 denotes a registration sensor for detecting the position of the leading end of the recording material P. A control means (not shown) controls the position of the leading end of the recording material By synchronizing the light emission timing of the laser scanner 7 as a light source, an image is drawn from a predetermined position on the recording material P. 1
7 is an electrical component comprising an AC power source, a DC power source, and a high voltage power source,
Reference numeral 18 denotes a motor as a drive source.

Next, an image forming operation in the laser beam printer 100 thus configured will be described.

When the image forming operation is started, first, the photosensitive drum 10a is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and a predetermined potential by the charging roller 10c. After the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a is charged in this manner, the surface of the photosensitive drum 10a is subjected to image exposure based on image information by the laser scanner 7, and as a result, the charge of the exposed portion is removed and the electrostatic latent image is removed. An image is formed. Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 10b, and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum.

On the other hand, the recording material P stored in the paper feed tray 1 in parallel with the toner image forming operation is picked up by the paper feed roller 2 and then separated by the separation pad 4 and the paper feed roller 2. Then, the sheet is further conveyed by a pair of conveying rollers 5a and 5b to a transfer nip portion between the photosensitive drum 10a and the transfer roller 11 along the first conveying guide 12a.

At this time, the leading end of the recording material P is detected by the registration sensor 6, and the control means synchronizes the light emitting timing of the laser scanner 7 with the leading end position of the recording material P based on the detection signal of the registration sensor 6. Thereby, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum can be transferred to a predetermined position on the recording material P.

Next, the recording material P on which the toner image has been transferred as described above is transferred to the fixing device 13 along the second transport guide 12b.
Are transported to a fixing nip constituted by a heating roller 13a and a pressure roller 13b, where the unfixed toner image is heated and pressed to be fixed on the surface of the recording material. The recording material P after the toner image is fixed in this way
Is discharged onto a discharge tray 16 by a discharge roller 14.

In the present embodiment, the sheet feeder 2A, the transfer unit 103 (transfer roller 11), and the fixing unit 1
The fixing device 13 (fixing device 13) is arranged obliquely upward substantially in a straight line with the fixing device 13 at the top, as shown in FIG. A recording material loading surface 1a of the paper feed tray 1;
The recording material P conveyed from the paper feeding means 2A is transferred to the transfer roller 11
First and second transport guides 12 transported to fixing device 13
The angle formed by the upwardly sloping and substantially straight conveyance path R composed of a and 12b is configured to be an obtuse angle.

On the other hand, the recording paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 1
The transport direction A when the paper is separated and transported by the paper feed roller 2 and the separation pad 4 is a first transport guide 12a that forms a substantially straight transport path R that is inclined upward as shown in FIG.
The angle is set to be substantially the same. The separation pad 4 is arranged substantially parallel to the first conveyance guide 12a so that the recording material P can be conveyed in such a direction.

The recording material P is conveyed at substantially the same angle as the first conveying guide 12a inclined upward as described above, so that the recording material P is fed from the sheet feeding tray 1 to the conveying path R (first
The direction change when heading toward the transport guide 12a) can be reduced.

As a result, when the recording material P is conveyed toward the conveyance path R (the first conveyance guide 12a), the recording material P does not bend in the conveyance path R due to a change in direction. It is possible to prevent the sound of the rear end bouncing and the sound of the recording material P rubbing against the first transport guide 12a from being generated,
Paper feeding operation noise can be reduced. Further, the trailing edge of the recording material P comes off from the paper feed roller 2, and it is possible to prevent the vibration when the direction is changed, and the transfer image is disturbed by the vibration of the recording material P when the transfer roller 11 transfers the toner image. Can also be prevented.

As described above, the recording material P is transported along the first transport guide 12a at substantially the same angle as the first transport guide 12a inclined upward, and the direction of the recording material P is gradually changed. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the paper feeding operation sound and also to prevent the transfer image from being disturbed.

Further, since the resistance of the recording material P due to the bending in the conveyance path R can be reduced, the recording material P such as a thick paper or an envelope can be stably fed even at a low feeding pressure or a low conveyance pressure. Becomes possible. Thereby, a quiet and high-quality image can be formed, and an apparatus having high media flexibility can be provided.

By the way, FIG. 3 described above shows the case where the separation surface 4a of the separation pad 4 is a plane, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. The separation surface 4a, which is a contact portion with the paper roller 2, may be a curved surface. Then, as described above, the separation surface 4a of the separation pad 4 is formed.
Is curved so that the paper feed roller 2 and the separation pad 4
Of the recording material P can be improved, and the reliability of separation of the recording material P can be improved.

Further, by forming the separation surface 4a of the separation pad 4 as a curved surface, the angle of the conveyance path R and the feeding direction A of the recording material P by the feeding roller 2 and the separation pad 4 are set to be substantially the same. The entry angle β of the recording material P picked up by the paper feed roller 2 and the pressure plate 3 into the separation pad 4 can be reduced. Thereby, it is possible to improve the direction change of the recording material P from the sheet feeding tray 1 to the conveyance path R, and to provide a device with a small sheet feeding operation sound, high image quality and stable sheet feeding performance. it can.

On the other hand, as described above, the paper feed means 2A, the transfer roller 11, and the fixing device 13 are arranged obliquely upward substantially in a straight line with the fixing device 13 being the uppermost portion as shown in FIG. After the recording material P stacked on the paper feed tray 1 is fed by the paper feed roller 2, it is conveyed to the transfer section 103 by the conveyance roller pair 5a, 5b along the substantially straight conveyance path R, and thereafter the photosensitive drum 10a and the transfer roller 11, the fixing device 1
3 is conveyed.

Since the conveyance path R of the recording material P during this period is substantially straight, the sliding noise between the recording material P and the guide members 12a and 12b during the conveyance of the recording material can be reduced, and The recording material P can be stably conveyed, and the reliability of recording material conveyance can be improved.

Further, since the fixing device 13 is disposed at the uppermost portion of the transport path R, even when the printing operation is continuously performed, the heat generated from the fixing device 13 is formed in the outer cover 15. It is discharged out of the apparatus from a louver part (not shown). Further, since the process cartridge 10 and the laser scanner 7 are disposed below or beside the fixing device 13, a good output image can always be obtained without being affected by the heat generated from the fixing device 13. It becomes possible.

Further, the transport path R is made to be substantially parallel or coincident with the diagonal line of the laser beam printer main body 100A. And by configuring in this way,
Various mechanisms can be effectively arranged, and the size of the device can be reduced.

Next, the arrangement of the laser scanner 7, the process cartridge 9, the electrical unit 17, and the motor 18 will be described as an example of an arrangement for miniaturizing such an apparatus.

Here, in order to make the size of the laser beam printer 100 as small as possible, a laser beam as an example of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. The transport path R as in the printer 100
It is most effective that laser light is incident on the photosensitive drum 10a from a direction substantially perpendicular to the laser beam. With such a configuration, the laser beam printer 10
The depth and height of 0 can be reduced to the minimum dimensions.

Therefore, the laser scanner 7 rises from the polygon mirror 7a to the left as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 so that the laser beam can be incident on the photosensitive drum 10a from a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport path R. Or, it is arranged to rise to the right. In addition, by adopting such an arrangement,
Scanner motor 7b for rotating polygon mirror 7a
Is almost horizontal, so the load on the bearing of the scanner motor 7b is eliminated, and the problem that the life of the scanner motor 7b is shortened due to the shaving of the bearing can be prevented, and the scanner can be used for a long time. Becomes

Further, with the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the process cartridge 9 can be attached and detached substantially horizontally in the direction of the paper feed tray 1, and the jam processing and the replacement of the process cartridge 9 in the image forming apparatus are all the same. It can be performed from the direction, and usability can be improved.

In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the mounting and dismounting of the process cartridge 7 is performed from above.
Since the laser scanner 7 can be moved away from the fixing device 13, there is an advantage that the influence of the temperature rise due to the heat of the fixing device 13 can be reduced. If the setting of the laser beam incident angle is made as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5, a large degree of freedom is provided for the arrangement of the laser scanner 7, so that problems of usability and temperature rise can be avoided. It will be easier.

On the other hand, the electrical unit 17 composed of an AC power source, a DC power source and a high-voltage power source is connected to the transport path R as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG.
And the space area in the electrical unit
To the fixing unit 104. As a result, a path for an air flow generated by the heat generated from the electrical unit 17 is secured.

The heat generated from the fixing unit 13 disposed above the electrical unit 17 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus from the louver (not shown) provided on the outer cover 15 as described above. However, at this time, by providing a space between the rear surface of the fixing device 13 and the exterior cover 15, it is possible to generate an airflow also in this portion due to the maturation of the fixing device 13.

A large space is provided below the fixing device 13 so that the electrical component 17 is arranged and the fixing device 1 is provided.
By providing a space on the rear side of the fan 3 for fan cooling
Even without the above, it is possible to generate an air flow for waste heat from the electrical unit 17 to the fixing unit 13, thereby eliminating the heat buildup inside the laser beam printer main body and preventing the temperature rise. is there.

As a result, a FAN-less configuration can be achieved, and cost reduction can be achieved.
Since there is no sound generated from the laser beam printer, it is also possible to provide a quiet laser beam printer 100.

Further, in order to effectively use the space area below the transport path R, the electrical component 17 has an L-shaped layout including a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, thereby further increasing the efficiency of the electrical component. be able to. Specifically, a component or element that is a heat source is arranged on the vertical surface side, and a component or element that does not generate heat relatively is arranged on the horizontal plane side. By laying out in this manner, it is possible to more efficiently discharge waste heat from the electrical component unit 17.

Further, the motor 18 as a driving source is
Is mounted directly on the inside of the conductive side wall 19 which is a part of the frame of the laser beam printer 100 shown in FIG. The motor 18 is disposed below the transport path R, and by arranging the motor 18 at such a position, the size of the motor can be increased or the stepping motor can be moved from the DC motor to the DC motor when the laser beam printer 100 is operated at high speed. It is possible to flexibly respond to changes and the like. This allows, for example, 10 ppm to 2
It is possible to easily achieve a high speed of 0 ppm.

Further, by directly mounting the motor 18 inside the conductive frame 19 of the laser beam printer 100, the heat generated by the motor itself can be easily dissipated to the entire frame, thereby improving the motor efficiency. In addition to this, it is easy to take the ground and the total cost can be reduced.

In the present embodiment, the frame structure of the laser beam printer 100 is, as shown in FIG.
A, a pair of transport rollers 5a and 5b, a transfer roller 11, a fixing device 13, a transport plate 21 made of resin for holding the first and second transport guides 12a and 12b, a conductive scanner plate 22 for holding the laser scanner 7, and Electrical part 1
7 is formed of a conductive bottom plate 23 disposed at the bottom of the laser beam printer main body 100A.

Here, the right and left side walls 19 and 20 are made of a sheet metal, which is suitable from the viewpoints of rigidity, electric ground, and electromagnetic wave shielding. And, as described above, the motor 18 is directly mounted on the right side plate 19, and thus, great advantages are obtained from heat dissipation, vibration reduction, and ease of electric ground connection.

The sheet feeding means 2A, the pair of conveying rollers 5a,
The transport plate 21 having a portion holding the main unit such as 5b and the first and second transport guides 12a and 12b
An integrally molded product made of a resin material is used because it has a merit of reducing costs by making a complicated shape into one part and heat insulation from the electrical component part 17.

The scanner plate 22 needs to have high rigidity in order to reduce vibration caused by the rotation of the polygon mirror 7a, and uses a sheet metal material. Further, the bottom plate 23 disposed at the lowermost portion of the apparatus is made of a sheet metal material in view of the rigidity as a part of the structure and the characteristics of an electromagnetic wave shield required for holding the electrical component 17.

By adopting the above-described frame structure, there is an effect that low cost can be achieved while satisfying functions of heat insulation, high rigidity, heat radiation, and vibration reduction.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the sheet is conveyed to the guide member by the sheet feeding means, the sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding means by setting the sheet conveying direction along the guide member. The direction change of the sheet by the guide member can be eliminated, so that the sheet can be conveyed quietly and stably, and a high-quality image can be formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer as an example of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the laser beam printer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper feeding unit of the laser beam printer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another configuration of a paper feeding unit of the laser beam printer.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer as an example of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer as an example of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of another conventional laser beam printer.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a paper feed unit of the conventional laser beam printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 paper feed tray 2A paper feed means 2 paper feed roller 3 pressure plate 4 separation pad 9 process cartridge 10a photosensitive drum 11 transfer roller 12a first transport guide 12b second transport guide 13 fixing device 100 laser beam printer 101 image forming unit

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sheet accommodated in a sheet accommodating unit is conveyed to an image forming unit, and a toner image formed by the image forming unit is transferred onto the sheet, and then the transferred image is fixed on the sheet. In the image forming apparatus, a sheet feeding unit that conveys a sheet stored in the sheet storing unit to the image forming unit; a transfer unit that transfers a toner image formed in the image forming unit to the sheet; A guide member provided between the transfer unit and the transfer unit, for guiding the sheet fed from the paper supply unit to the transfer unit, the guide member and the sheet storage unit having an angle. The image forming apparatus is arranged, and the sheet feeding direction of the sheet feeding unit is set to a direction along the guide member. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding unit feeds the sheet, and a separating member that is in pressure contact with the feeding unit so as to separate the sheets one by one and that is disposed substantially in parallel with the guide member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. A sheet stored in a sheet storage unit is transported to an image forming unit, and a toner image formed by the image forming unit is transferred to the sheet, and then the transferred image is fixed to the sheet. In the image forming apparatus, a sheet feeding unit that conveys a sheet stored in the sheet storing unit to the image forming unit, and a toner image that is disposed obliquely above the sheet feeding unit and formed by the image forming unit Transfer means for transferring the sheet to the sheet; and a guide member provided between the sheet supply means and the transfer means, and inclined upward to guide the sheet fed from the sheet supply means to the transfer means. An image forming apparatus, wherein a sheet conveying direction of the sheet feeding unit is substantially the same as an inclination angle of the guide member. 4. A fixing unit disposed diagonally above the transfer unit and fixing the transferred image to a sheet, and provided between the transfer unit and the fixing unit, wherein the toner image is transferred. And another guide member inclined upward to convey a sheet to the fixing unit. The fixing unit passes the sheet sent from the sheet feeding unit by the guide member and the other guide member via the transfer unit. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a conveying path inclined upward is formed for conveying the sheet. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said conveyance path is formed linearly by said guide member and another guide member. 6. The paper feeding means includes a feeding means for feeding out the sheet, and a separating member which is in pressure contact with the feeding means so as to separate the sheets one by one and which is arranged substantially in parallel with the guide member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a contact portion of the separation member with the feeding unit has a curved surface.