JP2002156887A - Supporting structure of drive unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide constitution of a supporting structure capable of easily assembling and supporting an unstable drive unit of constitution for supporting a motor of a heavy object like a cantilever at a bracket to a main body frame. SOLUTION: The supporting structure for supporting the drive unit 12 constituted by having the bracket 13 and the motor 14 at a main body frame 45 is provided with a through-hole 46 for mounting the motor 14 on the main body frame 45 and the peripheral part of this through-hole 46 is provided with guides 47, 47, etc., for guiding the motor 14 in mounting the motor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive unit support structure, and more particularly, to a support structure capable of easily assembling the drive unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique has been known in which a drive unit is detachably mountable to a main body frame, and a support structure for supporting and attaching the drive unit to the main body frame is known. For example, the drive unit includes a bracket and a motor attached to the bracket, and the bracket supports a gear train that transmits power from the motor.

As described above, the bracket, the gear train, and the motor are integrally assembled as a drive unit in advance, and the drive unit is then assembled to the main body frame. The handling can be made convenient, and the number of steps for manufacturing and maintenance can be reduced.

[0004]

In this case, the motor generally has a considerable weight, and the other brackets and gear trains are generally designed to be light in weight.
Therefore, when the drive unit is configured by supporting the motor cantilevered by the vertically arranged bracket, the motor that occupies most of the weight is arranged at a position where the motor is biased, and the center of gravity of the drive unit as a whole is greatly biased. The weight balance becomes unstable.

Therefore, when assembling the drive unit to a vertical main body frame, it is necessary to assemble the drive unit in a vertical state while supporting the drive unit by hand. Moreover, the motor is a heavy object, and the force for the drive unit to fall down is considerable.
Therefore, the assembling work was extremely difficult and troublesome.

[0006]

The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems will be described.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a support structure for supporting a drive unit having a bracket and a motor on a main body frame, the main body frame is provided with a through hole for mounting the motor. Are provided with guides for guiding when the motor is mounted.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the guide is a plate-like object protruding inside the main body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the through hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and the guide is provided on the bottom side and both side sides of the through hole.

[0010]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front of the reading unit is pulled up and rotated to remove a paper jam, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the top cover is rotated and opened, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state where the jammed sheet is pulled out and removed.

FIG. 1 shows a copy / facsimile multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. This multifunction peripheral has a reading unit 3 disposed above an image forming apparatus 2. I have.

The reading section 3 is used as a flat bed type scanner that scans a reading device provided in the reading table 6 to read a stationary document or the like. The scanner 7 can be used as a sheet-feed type scanner that performs reading while feeding a document by an automatic document feeder (ADF) attached to one end of the scanner 7.

A paper feeder 1 is disposed below the image forming apparatus 2, and a plurality of paper feed cassettes 1 constituting the paper feeder 1 are provided.
Recording papers 0 and 10 each have a different size. The recording papers are stacked and stored, and the paper can be fed from one of the paper feeding cassettes and fed to the image forming apparatus 2 according to the required paper size. are doing.

The image forming apparatus 2 is the same as that in a general electrophotographic copying machine, and has a paper transport path for transporting the paper fed from the paper feeder 1.
A transport roller, a photosensitive drum, a transfer device, and a fixing device are arranged in the middle of the paper transport path. The photoreceptor drum is uniformly charged by a charging unit, and then selectively exposed in accordance with image information read by the reading unit 3 (or image information received from a facsimile machine of the other party). An image is formed. A toner image is formed on the electrostatic latent image by a developing unit, and the toner image is transferred and recorded on a sheet by a transfer unit. The sheet that has passed through the transfer machine is sent to a fixing device, where the toner is thermally fused, the image is fixed, and the image forming process is completed. Thereafter, the sheet is sent to the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 2, discharged to the discharge tray 5 and deposited.

The photosensitive drum and the process means acting on the photosensitive drum (that is, the process means) acting on the photosensitive drum are included in the image forming apparatus 2.
The charging unit, the exposing unit, the developing unit, etc.) are integrated as a process cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as “cartridge”), and this cartridge is configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus to facilitate maintenance. For example, FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 show a procedure for removing a sheet when a paper jam occurs in a sheet transport path of the image forming apparatus 2. The handle 6a is provided as shown in FIG. 2. The front cover 8 of the image forming apparatus 2 appears by lifting the front side of the reading table 6 and rotating it upward while pulling the handle 6a. The top cover 8 is configured to be rotatable and openable via a fulcrum on the back side, and the cartridge 9 and the fixing device 11 inside the image forming apparatus 2 are opened by opening the top cover 8 as shown in FIG. Etc. are exposed. By grasping the holding portion 9a formed on the upper surface of the cartridge 9 and pulling it up as shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge 9 can be removed to expose the paper transport path, and the paper transport path is jammed. By pulling out the sheet as shown in FIG. 5, the state of the paper jam is eliminated.

[Drive Unit] As shown in FIG. 5, a drive unit 12 is supported on one side of the image forming apparatus 2.
The power from the drive unit 12 is transmitted to the cartridge 9, the fixing device 11, and the like to be driven. Hereinafter, the drive unit 12 will be described. FIG. 6 is an overall side view of the drive unit.

FIG. 6 shows the overall structure of the drive unit 12. The drive unit 12 has a frame 13 as a frame made of sheet metal, and one side of the frame 13 has a motor 14 as a drive source. The frame 13 supports a number of gear trains for transmitting the power of the motor 14. On the upper part of the frame 13, two drive output units, that is, a fixing device drive output unit 15 and a cartridge drive output unit 16, are arranged.
The driving force of the motor 14 is constantly transmitted through the gear train.

[Fixing Unit Driving Output Unit] The fixing unit driving output unit 15 will be described. FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing the configuration of the fixing unit drive output section of the drive unit.

A fixing device driving input gear 17 for receiving a driving force for the fixing device 11 is disposed on the fixing device driving output section 15, and the driving force is connected to and disconnected from the fixing device driving input gear 17. The fixing device drive output section 15 is configured so as to be able to. More specifically, the sun gear 1 supported by the frame 13 and interlocked with the motor 14 via a gear train.
8, a swing arm (second frame) 19 pivotally supported by the frame 13 so as to be vertically swingable about the same axis as the sun gear 18;
And a planetary gear 20 which is a drive gear and is always meshed with the sun gear 18. With this configuration, when the swing arm 19 rotates upward, the planetary gear 20 is engaged with the fixing device drive input gear 17 to be in a state where power can be transmitted. When the swing arm 19 rotates downward, the engagement is released, and the power transmission is cut off.

Here, a configuration for smoothly swinging the swing arm 19 up and down will be described. That is,
In the drive unit 12 of this embodiment, a sun gear shaft 21 is supported between the frames 13, and the sun gear 18 is rotatably disposed on the sun gear shaft 21. As shown in FIG. 7, the swing arm 19 is formed by bending a sheet metal into a “U” shape (in a frame shape) in plan view so that both ends face the same side, and both ends are turned base portions 19a, 19a, respectively. As described above, the swing arm 19 is supported so as to be swingable about the sun gear shaft 21 so that the sun gear shaft 21 penetrates. The rotation base 19a · 1
The outer surface 9a is close to the inner surface of the frame 13 respectively. The sun gear shaft 2 is provided inside the swing arm 19.
The planetary gear shaft 22 is supported in parallel with 1, and the planetary gear 20 is supported on the planetary gear shaft 22 so as to be rotatable. Even when the swing arm 19 swings, the distance between the two gear shafts 21 and 22 is constant, and
Is configured to be constantly maintained.

In the above configuration, a plurality of small projections 23 are formed on the outer surface of the pivot bases 19a of the swing arm 19 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The swing arm 19 rotates while being in contact with the inner surface of the frame 13. That is, if the projections 23 are not formed, the frame 13 and the swing arm 19 are both formed of sheet metal. There are cases where the sound does not work smoothly due to noise or being caught. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the frame 1 is
3. Since the swing arm 19 is in contact, the sheet metal does not rub against each other, so that the generation of abnormal noise is suppressed, the jamming is prevented, and the reliability of the swing operation is improved. Therefore, it is not necessary to particularly perform secondary processing such as deburring of a sheet metal, which can contribute to cost reduction.

The same effect can be obtained not only when the projections 23 are provided on the swing arm 19 but also when the projections are provided on the inner surface side of the frame 13 and the tips thereof are brought into contact with the outer surface of the swing arm 19. Can be. That is, if a projection is formed on one of the frame body 13 and the swing arm 19 at a portion of the surface where the frame body 13 and the swing arm 19 face each other, the above-described abnormal noise generation and smooth operation are achieved. You can do it. The shape of each projection 23 is not limited either, and any shape may be used as long as the area where the frame 13 and the swing arm 19 are in contact with each other can be reduced. Therefore, it is sufficient to have a protrusion (protrusion). However, from the viewpoint of more effectively suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when swinging the swing arm 19 and reliably preventing the operation from being caught, each of the protrusions 23 as in the present embodiment is used.
It is desirable that 23 is formed small in a rounded shape so that the two 13 and 19 rub against each other at one point. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The number of projections 23 formed on the outer surface is three, and is formed at equal intervals on a circumference centered on the sun gear shaft 21. However, this is not a limitation,
For example, a configuration in which four or more projections are provided may be used.

[Cartridge Drive Output Unit] The cartridge drive output unit 16 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6 showing a fixing device drive output portion. FIG. 9 is a view showing a fixing device drive output portion in which a displacement of an axis between a drive output gear and a drive input shaft of the cartridge is shown. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a certain case, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the axis of the drive output gear is inclined from the state of FIG. 9 to engage with the drive input shaft of the cartridge.

As shown in FIG. 6, at a position adjacent to the fixing device drive output section 15, the drive output gear 24
The drive output gear 24 is constantly transmitted with power from the motor 14 via the gear train. The mounting position of the drive output gear 24 is shown in FIG.
8, as shown in FIG. 8, it is arranged concentrically with a drive input shaft 25 as a driven member that receives a driving force for the cartridge 9. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive input shaft 25 is arranged on the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 39 housed in the cartridge 9, and has one end protruding from the side surface of the cartridge 9. An annular guide 40 is attached to the side surface of the cartridge 9 around the projecting portion of the drive input shaft 25. The drive output gear 24 is formed integrally with a shaft having support shafts 24b and 24c protruding from both side surfaces thereof. The support shaft 24b farther from the cartridge 9 is attached to the first cylindrical bearing 41 and the cartridge 9 Shaft 24 on the side closer to
c are respectively supported by the second bearings 42. The second bearing 42 is formed on a guide cover 43 mounted on the outer surface of the frame body 13 facing the cartridge 9, and the guide cover 43 has an oblique guide for inserting the annular guide 40. A groove 43a is integrally formed (FIGS. 6 and 8), and the second bearing 42 is positioned at the end (lower end) of the guide groove 43a. With this configuration, by inserting the annular guide 40 of the cartridge 9 into the guide groove 43a and sliding along the guide groove 43a, the cartridge 9 can be set while being guided to an accurate position. And can be easily removed.

At the end of the support shaft 24c of the drive output gear 24, there is formed a coupling portion 24a which is detachable from the drive input shaft 25 of the cartridge 9. The first bearing 41 and the second bearing 42 are both configured as sliding bearings, and the support shafts 24 b and 24 c of the drive output gear 24 are provided.
Not only the sliding rotation but also the sliding movement in the thrust direction, and the movement in the thrust direction causes the drive input shaft 25 of the cartridge 9 to be engaged and disengaged from the coupling portion 24a.

Here, the structure for supporting the drive output gear 24 will be described. That is, as described above, the drive output gear 24 is arranged on the same axis as the drive input shaft 25 on the cartridge 9 side, but the axes of the two members 24 and 25 can be attached with a deviation due to an assembly error or the like. In this case, if the two members 24 and 25 whose shafts are misaligned are directly engaged with each other, the coupling portion 24a is pryed and damaged, and rotation cannot be transmitted.
Are forcibly connected to each other, a strong radial force acts on the end of the drive input shaft 25, so that the rotation axis of the drive input shaft 25 is inclined or displaced, causing the photosensitive drum 39 to rotate eccentrically, and causing the eccentric rotation of the recorded image. There was a risk that the quality would drop. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the shaft hole of the second bearing 42 is configured to be slightly larger to secure a small clearance between the second bearing 42 and the supported shaft 24c, and to allow a small inclination of the axis. Meanwhile, the drive output gear 2 is driven by the two bearings 41 and 42.
4 is supported. In other words, the second bearing 42 only supports the support shaft 24c loosely, and does not perform strict positioning. Instead, the drive output gear 24 engages with the drive input shaft 25 when the drive output gear 24 is engaged with the drive input shaft 25. The positioning is performed by the coupling part 24a and the first bearing 41.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, even when the drive output gear 24 is mounted so that its axis is displaced from the drive input shaft 25 by the distance s, the shaft center of the drive output gear 24 is engaged. Are tilted as shown in FIG. 10 within the range permitted by the clearance c of the second bearing 42, and the above-mentioned displacement s of the axis is absorbed. Therefore, the drive output gear 2 can be driven without forcing the drive input shaft 25.
4 can be connected, and damage to the coupling portion 24a and misalignment of the photosensitive drum 39 can be prevented.

[Linking Configuration of Both Output Units] Next, the linking configuration of the fixing unit drive output unit 15 and the cartridge drive output unit 16 will be described. That is, the swing arm 19 of the fixing device drive output unit 15 and the cartridge drive output unit 16
When the fixing device drive output unit 15 is disconnected from the fixing device drive input gear 17, the cartridge drive output unit 16 Drive input shaft 25
It is configured to release the connection with. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cam mechanism that pushes a side surface of the drive output gear to move the drive output gear in the axial direction.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the same, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the swing arm rotates downward from the state of FIG. 12 and the pushing cam pushes the side surface of the drive output gear.

The cam mechanism 27 will be described. 6 and 1
1. As shown in FIG. 12, a pin 37 is protruded from the free end of the swing arm 19, and a plate-shaped push cam as a push member is provided near the free end of the swing arm 19. 26 is pivotally supported at the lower end thereof, and the pushing cam 26
The one side edge portion is close to one side surface of the drive output gear 24. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the rotary cam 26 is provided with a slender slender cam groove 26a, and the tip of the pin 37 is inserted into the cam groove 26a. On the other hand, a biasing spring 38 is interposed between the other side surface of the drive output gear 24 and the frame 13 in a contracted state (FIG. 11).
The biasing spring 38 constantly applies a biasing force in a direction in which the drive output gear 24 is engaged with the drive input shaft 25.
As shown in FIG. 12, on the side surface of the drive output gear 24 on the side close to the push cam 26, a reinforcing rib 24d is formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction. The reinforcing rib 24d
Is opposed to a side edge of the pushing cam 26. Therefore, when the swing arm 19 rotates downward from the state shown in FIG.
7 moves downward in the cam groove 26a.
a, the pushing cam 26 falls down, the side edge of which contacts the reinforcing rib 24d and the driving output gear 24
To push. The drive output gear 24 moves in the axial direction against the biasing force of the biasing spring 38, and the connection state with the drive input shaft 25 is released. With the configuration of the cam mechanism described above, when the swing arm 19 is rotated downward to release the connection between the fixing device drive input gear 17 and the planetary gear 20, the drive output gear 24 and the drive input shaft 25 The connection with is released.

When the force for rotating the swing arm 19 downward is released, the biasing spring 38 pushes the side surface of the drive output gear 24 to protrude the coupling portion 24a, thereby causing the drive input shaft 25 to move. Connect with At this time, the drive output gear 24 pushes the push cam 26 through the reinforcing rib 24d to erect it, so that the cam groove 26
An upward force is applied to the pin 37 by the cam action a, and the swing arm 19 is rotated upward. That is, the urging spring 38 also functions as a return spring for returning the swing arm 19 to downward rotation. Therefore, when the cam 30 does not push the pushing surface of the swing arm 19 downward in the cam mechanism 27 described below,
The swing arm 19 rotates upward, and the supported planetary gear 20 is engaged with the fixing device drive input gear 17.

As described above, the driving output gear 24 has the reinforcing rib 24d formed in an annular shape along the circumferential direction, and when the pushing cam 26 falls down to push the driving output gear 24, the pushing rib 26d is pushed. The moving cam 26 comes into contact with and pushes the reinforcing rib 24d. That is, in a configuration in which the pushing cam 26 directly contacts the side surface of the drive output gear 24 and pushes without the provision of such a reinforcing rib 24d,
When pushed, the drive output gear 24 may be damaged and damaged.
If the contact point 6 is close to the tooth surface of the drive output gear 24, the tooth surface will be scratched or depressed, and good meshing with other gears will not be obtained, and the drive transmission will be smooth. There is a strong possibility that it will not be performed. From this point of view, in the present embodiment, the drive output gear 24 (particularly, its tooth surface) is provided with the reinforcing rib 24d at the portion of the drive output gear 24 where the push cam 26 comes into contact, as described above. This prevents scratches and dents from being formed, thereby preventing deterioration in the quality of the recorded image due to image distortion or the like due to uneven rotation.

Further, since the reinforcing rib 24d is formed along the circumferential direction, even if the driving output gear 24 is in any rotational phase when the pushing cam 26 falls down, the pushing cam 26 always has the above-mentioned structure. It is ensured that the drive output gear 24 is pressed against the reinforcing rib 24d through the reinforcing rib 24d. Therefore, the drive output gear 24 is reliably prevented from being damaged or depressed. In the present embodiment, the shape of the reinforcing rib 24d is trapezoidal in cross section as shown in FIG. 11, but is not limited to this configuration, and may be, for example, arcuate.

[Drive transmission / opening / closing
Configuration for Canceling Transmission] Next, the cam mechanism 27 for connecting the top cover 8 and the swing arm 19 of the fixing device drive output section 15 will be described. That is, the swing arm 19 and the top cover 8 are connected to the cam mechanism 2 described below.
7, the swing arm 19 is rotated upward when the top cover 8 is closed, so that the fixing device driving output unit 15 is connected to the fixing device driving input gear 17 and the cartridge is connected. 9 drive input shafts 25
Is connected to the cartridge drive output unit 16 to drive the fixing device 11 and the cartridge 9. On the other hand, when the top cover 8 is rotated upward and opened to access the inside of the image forming apparatus 2 such as for removing a paper jam, the swing arm 19 is rotated downward to fix the fixing device drive input gear 17. The connection of the fixing device drive output unit 15 to the cartridge 9 is released to make the rotation of the roller of the fixing unit 11 free, and the connection of the cartridge drive output unit 16 to the drive input shaft 25 of the cartridge 9 is released to remove the cartridge 9. Thus, the jammed paper can be easily removed. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a cam mechanism for linking a top cover and a swing arm.

The cam mechanism 27 shown in FIG. 14 is disposed between the top cover 8 which is rotatably opened and closed via a fulcrum 44 and the drive unit 12 at a position sandwiching the top and bottom thereof. . The cam mechanism 27 includes a pin 28 serving as a convex body provided on the top cover 8, and a lever 29 having a hook portion 29 a at an upper end capable of engaging with the pin 28.
And a cam 30 having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of the lever 29. As shown in FIG. 14, the pin 28 is formed by integrally forming a bracket 8a on a ceiling surface (a surface facing the inside of the image forming apparatus 2) of the top cover 8 and hanging down.
It is provided in the form integrally formed at the lower end of a. The pin 2
8 is the lever 29 when the top cover 8 is closed.
And the lever 29 can be pulled upward through the hook portion 29a as the top cover 8 rotates upward. The upper end of the lever 29 has a hook-like portion on the front side of the device, and is hookable and detachable from the top cover 8 via the pin 28 as the hook portion 29a. An opening 29e is formed on the rear side of the lever 29 to open upward.

The lever 29 is disposed in the up-down direction, and has an elongated hole 29b in the middle part in the longitudinal direction. The support pin 33 provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 2 is inserted into the elongated hole to allow the lever 29 to be inserted. The lever 29 is supported. The lever 29 can be moved up and down and tilted within a certain range while being guided by the elongated hole 29b.
The wide play portion 29c is provided below the elongated hole 29b, and when the lever 29 moves upward as described later, the support pin 33 enters the play portion 29c, so that the lever 29 Lower end (Cam 3
(A pivot portion with zero) can be rotated about the center.

Two urging springs 31 and 32 are interposed between the lever 29 and the main body of the image forming apparatus 2, and the first urging spring 31 moves the lever 29 to the front side of the apparatus and the second urging spring 31. The biasing spring 32 applies a biasing force to pull the lever 29 substantially downward. A stopper 34 is provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 2.
The lever 29 receiving the urging force of the first urging spring 31 causes the side edge of the lever 29 to abut against the stopper 34, thereby restricting the lever 29 from further tilting toward the front of the apparatus. ing. A concave portion 29d is provided on a side edge of the lever 29 that comes into contact with the stopper 34, and when the lever 29 moves upward, the lever 29 can be tilted so that the stopper 34 enters the concave portion 29d. It has become.

The hook portion 29a at the upper end of the lever 29 has a bottom portion 35 inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the lever 29.
When the top cover 8 is closed, the pin 28 comes into contact with the bottom 35 and slides on the lever 2.
9 is configured to be able to be pushed in a direction against the tension of the first biasing spring 31.

In the vicinity of the swing arm 19 of the drive unit 12, a cam 30 is pivotally supported by the main body of the image forming apparatus 2 at an intermediate portion thereof like a seesaw, and one end of the cam 30 is connected to the lower end of the lever 29. Is connected to The swing arm 19 has a flat pressing surface 19b.
(FIG. 7), and as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the other end of the cam 30 comes into contact with the pushing surface 19b, and can be pushed downward, or the pushing can be released. It is configured as follows.

A description will be given of how the swing arm 19 is actually linked in accordance with the opening / closing operation of the top cover 8 in the above configuration. FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the top cover is pulled up and opened from the state of FIG. 14, and the pin pivots the cam via the lever to push the swing arm downward, and FIG. 16 shows the lever tilted. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the recess is engaged with the positioning pin, the swing arm is locked in a state where the swing arm is pushed downward, and the pin comes off the hook portion. On the other hand, FIG. 17 is a side view showing a state in which the top cover in the open state is pulled down and the pin abuts on the bottom of the hook portion of the lever. FIG. 18 shows that the pin pushes the bottom of the hook portion of the lever, and the lever tilts. FIG. 19 is a side view showing the state, and FIG. 19 is a view showing a state in which the engagement between the concave portion of the lever and the positioning pin is released, the lever is pulled down, and the downward pushing of the swing arm is released. FIG. 20 is a table showing the relationship between the state of the top cover and the driving connection state.

First, the operation for opening the top cover 8 will be described. The state shown in FIG. 14 is a state in which the top cover 8 is closed, the pin 28 is in the hook portion 29 a of the lever 29, and the lever 29 is pulled downward by the second biasing spring 32. It is at the lower end position defined by the elongated hole 29b and the support pin 33. Further, the lever 29 is pulled toward the front side of the apparatus by the first biasing spring 31, and its side edge is brought into contact with the stopper 34 to be stopped. Since the cam 30 is pulled down on the side where the lever 29 is pivoted, the other side is pulled up and is not in contact with the pushing surface 19 b of the swing arm 19. The swing arm 19, which is biased upward by the biasing spring 38 (FIG. 11) as described above, rotates upward to engage the supporting planetary gear 20 with the fixing device drive input gear 17, and The power from the motor 14 can be transmitted to the fixing device 11. Further, the drive output gear 24 that is interlocked with the swing arm 19 via the pushing cam 26 and the like is engaged with the drive input shaft 25 of the cartridge 9, as shown in FIG.

When the top cover 8 is rotated upward from this state as shown by the chain line in FIG.
Abuts on the hook 29 a of the lever 29. When the top cover 8 is further pulled upward, as shown in FIG.
The pin 28 raises the hook portion 29 a of the lever 29, and the lever 29 moves upward while being guided by the elongated hole 29 b and the support pin 33. The cam 30 whose one end is pulled up by the lower end of the lever 29 is lowered at the other end,
The swing arm 19 contacts and pushes the pushing surface 19b,
The swing arm 19 is rotated downward. Accordingly, the planetary gear 20 supported by the swing arm 19 moves downward to release the engagement with the fixing device drive input gear 17 and is interlocked with the swing arm 19 via the pushing cam 26 and the like. Drive output gear 24
The engagement with the drive input shaft 25 is released, and the state shifts to the state of FIG.

When the lever 29 is lifted by a predetermined amount, the concave portion 29d formed in the lever 29 also moves upward to reach the height of the stopper 34, and at the same time, the support pin 33 becomes longer. Since the lever 29 enters the play portion 29c at the lower end of the hole 29b, the lever 29 is in a state in which the upper portion thereof can be tilted toward the apparatus. FIG. 15 shows a state immediately before the tilting is started. Immediately after this, the lever 29 is pulled by the tension of the first biasing spring 31.
FIG. 16 shows the state shown in FIG. 16 in which the lower end (the portion pivotally connected to the cam 30) is tilted substantially toward the center of the apparatus and the stopper 34 is inserted into the recess 29d.

When the tilting of the lever 29 is completed, the stopper 34
The state shown in FIG. 16 in which the lever 29 is engaged with the recess 29d is a locked state in which the lever 29 cannot move up and down.
Therefore, the cam 30 is maintained in a state where the swing arm 19 is pushed downward. On the other hand, when the lever 29 is tilted, the hook portion 29a at the upper end of the lever 29 releases the engagement of the top cover 8 with the pin 28, and the pin 2
8, the opening 29e is located. Therefore, since the pin 28 can be removed from the inside of the hook portion 29a, the top cover 8 can be rotated upward to the limit. With this configuration, the top cover 8 can be largely opened, access to the inside of the image forming apparatus 2 is facilitated, and maintenance is improved.

Next, the operation when the top cover 8 is closed in reverse will be described. FIG. 17 shows a state in which the top cover 8 is opened. When the top cover 8 is pulled down and closed from this state, the pin 28
9 and enters the inside of the hook portion 29a through the opening portion 29e at the upper end, and comes into contact with the slanted bottom portion 35 as shown by a chain line. The bottom portion 35 is provided with a pin 2 for opening and closing the top cover 8.
18 is inclined with respect to the locus of FIG.
The bottom 35 is pushed toward the inner side of the apparatus as shown in FIG.
As a result, the lever 29 is tilted such that the upper portion moves toward the inner side of the apparatus while having its lower end substantially at the center, while resisting the tension of the first biasing spring 31. With the inclination of the lever 29, the concave portion 29d formed on the side edge is
Is released. FIG. 18 shows a state immediately before the release of the engagement is completed. Immediately after this, the lever 29 pulled downward by the second biasing spring 32 is connected to the long hole 29 b and the support pin 33. It moves downward while being guided, and eventually stops in the state of FIG. 19 in which the support pin 33 is in contact with the upper end of the elongated hole 29b.

Since one end of the cam 30 is pulled down by the lowering lever 29, the other end is pulled up, and the downward pushing of the swing arm 19 is released. Therefore, the swing arm 19 is lifted upward by the action of the return spring 38, the supporting planetary gear 20 meshes with the fixing device drive input gear 17, and the swing arm 1
9, a drive output gear 24 linked via a push cam 26
Is engaged with the drive input shaft 25 of the cartridge 9.

The operation of the cam mechanism 27 according to the opening operation and the closing operation of the top cover 8 has been described above. However, as shown in the table of FIG. The meshing between the gear 17 and the planetary gear 20 is released to allow the rollers constituting the fixing device 11 to rotate freely, thereby facilitating the removal of jammed paper during maintenance.・ 2
That is, the fixing device 11 is driven by making the engagement of 0. When the top cover 8 is opened, the connection between the drive input shaft 25 and the drive output gear 24 of the cartridge 9 is released, so that the cartridge 9 can be removed to improve the maintainability, while the top cover 8 is closed. Thus, the two 25 and 24 are connected to drive the photosensitive drum 39 and the like in the cartridge 9.

When the cam mechanism 27 is configured as described above, a force acts on the pin 28 of the top cover 8 during the opening operation of the top cover 8 as shown by a chain line in FIG. From the state shown in FIG. 15 to the state shown in FIG. 15, the closing operation is performed from the state shown by the chain line in FIG. 17 to the state shown in FIG. 18, and no force acts on the pin 28 otherwise. I have. That is, the top cover 8
In the open and closed positions, the pin 28
Is not applied at all, and the force is applied only during a part of the opening / closing operation of the top cover 8. Accordingly, the required strength of the pin 28 is less than that required in the related art. In this embodiment, the pin 28
Is formed integrally with the top cover 8 made of plastic, and does not take a reinforcing structure for improving its strength, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost.

[Attaching Structure of the Drive Unit to the Image Forming Apparatus] Finally, the drive unit 12 of the image forming apparatus 2
A description will be given of a mounting configuration for the. FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling the drive unit to the image forming apparatus, and FIG.
2 is a perspective view showing a state where the motor of the drive unit is received in the through hole of the main body frame.

That is, as described above, the driving unit 12
The motor 14 is mounted on the frame 13 (as a bracket).
The motor 14 is generally a heavy object, and usually occupies most of the entire weight of the drive unit 12. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the drive unit 12 is a heavy motor 14.
Is mounted on the frame 13 while being supported in a cantilever manner. Since the center of gravity is deviated and the balance is poor, it is not easy to make the upright state. On the other hand, drive unit 1
2 needs to be attached to the main body frame 45 on the side of the image forming apparatus 2 in an upright state, and as it is, it is difficult to assemble the image forming apparatus 2.

In this embodiment, a rectangular through hole 46 for mounting the motor 14 is provided in the main body frame 45 of the image forming apparatus 2 made of a sheet metal.
6 (specifically, both sides and the bottom side)
Guide 47 for a plate-like object to be along the side surface or bottom surface of 4
47 are provided so as to protrude into the apparatus. With the above configuration, when assembling the drive unit 12 to the image forming apparatus 2, first, the motor 14 is inserted into the through hole 46 from the outside of the main body frame 45 as shown in FIG. Is mounted on the guide 47 on the bottom side so that the body frame 45 receives the weight of the motor 14 itself. Thereby, the drive unit 12 can be easily held in the upright state. In this embodiment, the motor 14 is moved from the state shown in FIG.
The frame 1 of the drive unit 12 is slid along
3 is attached to the body frame 45, and both 13 and 45 are fixed by screws (not shown). Since such an easy assembling method can be adopted, the number of assembling steps is reduced.

The guide 47 is formed by punching out the through hole 46 of the main body frame 45 while leaving the guide portion, and then bending the guide portion toward the inside of the image forming apparatus 2. . This contributes to reducing the size of the device by reducing the portion protruding outside the device. In addition, since the direction in which the guide 47 is bent and the direction in which the motor 14 is inserted at the time of assembly match, the motor 14 can be smoothly moved. It can be inserted along the guide 47. The through hole 46 is formed in a rectangular shape, and the guide 47 is formed in a flat plate shape so as to conform to the shape of the casing of the motor 14 which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped.

[0052]

The present invention is configured as described above.
The following effects are obtained.

More specifically, in a supporting structure for supporting a drive unit having a bracket and a motor on a main body frame, the main body frame is provided with a through hole for mounting the motor. Since a guide for guiding the motor at the time of mounting the motor is provided in the periphery of the hole, the motor is inserted into the through hole of the main body frame, and the weight of the motor itself is once received by the main body frame through the hole. Thus, the drive unit can be easily held in the upright state. Therefore, there is no need to support the drive unit by hand so that the drive unit does not fall, and the drive unit can be assembled to the main body frame while moving the motor along the guide. Providing such an easy assembling method can reduce the number of assembling steps and contribute to a reduction in manufacturing cost.

As the second aspect of the present invention, the guide is a plate-like material protruding inward of the main body, so that a portion protruding outside of the apparatus is reduced, which can contribute to downsizing of the apparatus. In the configuration in which the motor is inserted from the outside of the main unit to the inside of the main unit, the direction in which the guide is bent and the direction in which the motor is mounted match, so the motor can be smoothly inserted along the guide and assembled. Can be performed smoothly. Further, since the guide is a plate-like material, when the main body frame is formed of a plate-like material such as a sheet metal, the guide portion is punched out of the through-hole, and the guide portion is bent toward the inside of the main body. Thereby, a guide can be easily formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the through hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and the guide is provided at the bottom side and both side sides of the through hole. Therefore, the present invention can be easily applied to a motor having a rectangular parallelepiped casing. . Further, since the guides are provided on the bottom side and both side sides, the drive unit can be accurately assembled by appropriately guiding the motor casing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view showing the overall configuration of a multi-function facsimile machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a front side of a reading unit is pulled up and turned to remove a paper jam.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a top cover is rotated and opened.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cartridge is removed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a jammed sheet is pulled out and removed.

FIG. 6 is an overall side view of the drive unit.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a configuration of a fixing unit drive output unit in the drive unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a fixing unit driving output unit,
A sectional arrow view.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case where there is an axial displacement between a drive output gear and a drive input shaft of a cartridge in a fixing device drive output unit.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the axis of the drive output gear is inclined from the state of FIG. 9 and engages with the drive input shaft of the cartridge.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a cam mechanism that pushes a side surface of the drive output gear to move the drive output gear in the axial direction.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the same.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the swing arm rotates downward from the state of FIG. 12, and the pushing cam pushes the side surface of the drive output gear.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing a cam mechanism for linking a top cover and a swing arm.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing a state in which the top cover is lifted up and opened from the state of FIG. 14, and the pin pivots the cam via the lever to push the swing arm downward.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing a state in which the lever is tilted, the concave portion engages with the positioning pin, the swing arm is locked in a state where the swing arm is pushed downward, and the pin comes off the hook portion.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a state in which the top cover in the open state is pulled down, and a pin abuts on the bottom of the hook portion of the lever.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing a state in which a pin pushes a bottom of a hook portion of the lever, and the lever is tilted.

FIG. 19 is a view showing a state in which the engagement between the concave portion of the lever and the positioning pin is released, the lever is pulled down, and the downward pushing of the swing arm is released.

FIG. 20 is a table showing a relationship between a state of the top cover and a driving connection state.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling the drive unit to the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a state in which the motor of the drive unit is received in the through hole of the body frame.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Drive Unit 13 Frame (Bracket) 14 Motor 45 Body Frame 46 Through Hole 47 Guide

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A support structure for supporting a drive unit comprising a bracket and a motor on a main body frame, wherein the main body frame is provided with a through hole for mounting the motor, and a peripheral portion of the through hole is provided with a through hole. A support structure for a drive unit, wherein a guide for guiding the motor when mounted is provided. 2. The support structure for a drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the guide is a plate-like object protruding inside the main body. 3. The drive unit support according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is formed in a rectangular shape, and the guide is provided on a bottom side and both side sides of the through hole. Construction.