JP2003066813A - Operating-direction display mechanism for movable member, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mechanism for displaying the operation direction of a movable member which can prevent user's misoperation and breakage of the movable member. SOLUTION: An arrow display 20 is provided on a cover 16 inside a reset lever 15. The reset lever 15 hides an upward arrow head 20b of the arrow display at a position (a) where jam processing is performed and displays only a downward arrow head 20a. At a position (b) of a jam processing state, the reset lever 15 hides the downward arrow head 20a of the arrow display and displays only the upward arrow head 20b. Consequently, the direction in which the reset lever 15 should be operated for the jam processing and the direction in which the reset lever 15 should be operated after the jam processing are clearly displayed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operation direction display mechanism for a movable member, which is provided in, for example, an image forming apparatus and includes a movable member and a display member that indicates the operation direction of the movable member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers and facsimiles, there is a movable member operated by a user. For example, a release lever for removing a jammed paper sheet, a lever for removing a toner bottle, a process unit, or the like.

Usually, in the image forming apparatus, a display for indicating to the user the operating direction of these levers or the like is provided near the levers or the like. FIG. 3 illustrates a release lever and its vicinity for performing a jam process at a transfer unit in an example of a conventional image forming apparatus.

In this figure, the photosensitive drum unit 2
A transfer / conveying belt unit 25 is disposed below the unit 8. The transfer / transport belt unit 25 is swingably provided with one side as a fulcrum, and is displaceable between an operating position shown by a solid line in the drawing and a jam processing position shown by a virtual line in the drawing. The lower portion of the transfer / conveyance belt unit 25 is supported by a holding stay 26 and is held at an operating position. When the release lever 24 provided coaxially with the holding stay 26 is rotated counterclockwise by about 90 degrees from the position shown in the drawing. , Holding stay 2
The holding by 6 is released and the sheet moves to the jam processing position.
As a result, the transfer / conveyance belt is separated from the photosensitive drum, and the jammed paper can be removed in the vicinity of the transfer portion.

Further, in this conventional apparatus, an arrow mark 30 is provided on the inner cover 27 near the release lever 24 to indicate to the user the direction in which the release lever 24 is operated (the direction in which the jam is removed). "OPEN"
And a character display 31 are provided.

[0006]

However, in the displays 30 and 31 showing the release lever 24 and its operating direction as shown in FIG. 3, even if the direction in which the release lever 24 is first moved at the time of jam handling is known, the jam is detected. The direction to operate after processing is not clear. In the case of the arrow display as shown in FIG. 3, the user infers that the direction in which the release lever 24 should be operated after the jam processing is the opposite direction to the initial direction (the direction of the arrow 30), and the release lever 24 is moved in the opposite direction. At present, the operation of rotating the transfer and transport belt unit 25 to reset the transfer and transport belt unit 25 is performed. However, in this case, the operation direction of the release lever 24 after the jam processing is the direction opposite to the arrow display 30, and the direction of the next operation and the display direction are opposite, and the display and the operation of the operation that should assist the operation. There was a problem that the directions were different.

In such a case, looking at the arrow 30 after the jam processing is completed (the arrow 30 indicates the direction in which the lever is operated for the jam processing, not the direction in which the lever is operated after the processing). The user may try to rotate the lever 24 in the first direction (release direction) from the release position, and the release lever 24 may be damaged.

Also, depending on the device configuration, even if there is a display indicating the operation direction of the release lever or the like, the display becomes difficult to see when the user holds the lever (the display is hidden by the user's own hand). There is something. In such a case, the direction in which the lever or the like is moved becomes unclear, and the lever or the like may be broken by operating in the opposite direction to the direction in which the lever or the like is originally moved. In FIG. 4, as a result of the user gripping the release lever 24,
The display on the side of the lever is hidden.

The present invention solves the problem that the movement direction of the movable member in the conventional movable member and its operation direction display member is not clear, and prevents the user's erroneous operation and prevents the movable member from being damaged. An object is to provide a mechanism for displaying the movement direction of a member.

It is another object of the present invention to prevent a user's erroneous operation and prevent the movable member from being damaged in an image forming apparatus having a movable member.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned problem is constituted by a movable member capable of performing two or more operations and a display member indicating a moving direction of the movable member, and a specific member of the movable member is provided. A moving member movement direction display mechanism is characterized in that the display member is provided to display the next movement direction of the movable member at a position.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, the display member is an arrow mark, and the arrow mark has an arrow head indicating each operation direction of the movable member, and the movable member is the specific member. It is proposed to be provided so as to hide the arrowhead indicating a direction other than the next movement direction at the position.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention proposes that the movable member and the display member are arranged in a positional relationship such that the display member can be visually recognized in an operating state of the movable member. To do.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention proposes that the movable member also serves as a grip member for operating the movable member.

According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the moving direction display mechanism for a movable member according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Will be resolved. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention proposes that the movable member is a lever for performing jam clearance.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the vicinity of an image forming unit in an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in this figure, around the photosensitive drum 1, an electrophotographic process such as a charging device 2, an exposure device 3, a developing device 4, a transfer / transport belt unit 5 as a transfer device 5, a cleaning device 6 and the like is performed. Various necessary devices are provided. In the figure, on the right side of the transfer / conveying belt unit 5, there is arranged a registration roller pair 7 for sending out a sheet fed from a sheet feeding device (not shown) at a timing. Further, a fixing device 8 is arranged on the left side of the transfer / transport belt unit 5 in the figure.

The operation of this image forming apparatus will be briefly described. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged by the charger 2, and the writing light from the exposure device 3 causes
An electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information is formed on the photoconductor. The latent image is developed by the developing device 4 and visualized as a toner image.

On the other hand, a sheet is fed from a sheet feeding device (not shown) and conveyed to the registration roller 7. Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 is sent to the transfer position at a timing.

The transfer / conveying belt unit 5 transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 onto the sheet sent to the transfer position, and the sheet is sent to the fixing device 8. And
After the unfixed toner image on the paper is fixed by the fixing device 8, the paper is discharged to a paper discharge tray (not shown). The photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image transfer is cleaned by the cleaning device 6 to prepare for the next image formation.

In the transfer / conveying belt unit 5, the transfer / conveying belt 10 is stretched around a driving roller 11 and a driven roller 12, and is rotationally driven counterclockwise in the drawing. The transfer / conveyance belt unit 5 is swingably provided so that the driven roller 12 side moves up and down with the shaft of the drive roller 11 as a fulcrum, and the belt 10 contacts the operating position where the belt 10 contacts the photosensitive drum 1. It can be displaced to a jam processing position separated from the photosensitive drum 1.

Below the transfer / conveying belt unit 5, a holding stay 9 which is rotatable about a shaft 13 is provided. When the holding stay 9 is at the solid line position in the figure, the stay front end contacts the bottom plate 14 of the transfer / transport belt unit 5 to push up the unit 5, and the transfer / transport belt 10 is pressed against the photosensitive drum 1. Further, when the holding stay 9 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing from the solid line position as shown by the phantom line, the transfer / conveying belt unit 5 rotates so that the driven roller 12 side moves downward with the shaft of the driving roller 11 as a fulcrum. The belt 10 moves and separates from the photosensitive drum 1.

That is, when jamming near the transfer portion, the holding stay 9 is rotated to a position indicated by an imaginary line,
The jammed paper is removed by separating the transfer / transport belt 10 from the photosensitive drum 1. To rotate the holding stay 9, a user manually operates (rotates) a release lever 15 (FIG. 2) fixedly provided coaxially with the shaft 13.
By doing.

As shown in FIG. 2, the release lever 15 is fixedly attached to the shaft 13 of the holding stay 9, and the lever 15 is manually operated (rotated) by the user to move the release lever 15. As described above, the holding stay 9 is rotated to move the transfer / conveying belt unit 5 to the jam processing position or the operating position. In the present embodiment, the release lever 15 has the structure shown in FIG.
The rotation operation from the position (a) to the left (counterclockwise) is shown in FIG.
Two operations, that is, a right (clockwise) rotation operation from the position (b), can be performed. The rotation range is about 75 degrees.

In the present embodiment, the inner cover 16 is provided inside the release lever 15 (the rear side in the front-rear direction of the apparatus) for maintaining the appearance of the machine. The inner cover 16 has an operation direction of the release lever 15. A double-headed arrow display 20 is provided. The double-headed arrow display 20 indicates a downward arrowhead 20a indicating the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated to perform the jam processing, and the release arrow 20a to return the transfer conveyance belt unit 5 to the operating position after the jam processing is completed. An upward arrowhead 20 indicating the direction in which the lever 15 should be operated
b and are provided. In addition, as the arrow display 20,
Any form such as engraving on the inner cover 16, printing, sticking a sticker, or the like can be adopted.

By the way, FIG. 2A shows the release lever 15 and the arrow display 20 during the non-jamming process (the state before the jam process is started and the state after the jam process is completed and the state is restored).
2B shows the release lever 15 and the arrow mark 20 during the jam processing.

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), in a state in which the jam processing is about to be performed, the upward arrow head 20b of the arrow display 20 is hidden behind the tip of the release lever 15 and cannot be seen by the user. . Therefore, the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated to perform the jam clearance is clearly shown by the downward arrow head 20a of the arrow mark 20. That is, the arrow display 20 displays only the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated first (first) during the non-jamming process.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the jam processing is being performed or the jam processing is completed and the transfer / conveying belt unit 5 is about to be returned to the operating position, the arrow mark 20 is displayed. The downward arrowhead 20a is hidden behind the tip of the release lever 15 and is invisible to the user. For this reason, the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated after the end of the jam processing is clearly shown by the upward arrow head 20b of the arrow display 20. That is, the arrow display 20 displays only the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated second during jam processing.

As described above, the release lever 15 (movable member) in this embodiment and the arrow display 2 showing the operating direction thereof.
0 (display member) means that when the release lever 15 is in the non-jamming position, the arrow display 20 indicates the next operation direction (in this case, the downward direction), and the release lever 15 is in the jam processing position. At some time, the arrow display 20 can display the next operation direction (in this case, the upward direction). That is, at a specific position of the movable member (release lever 15) (position for non-jamming process, position for jamming process), the display member (arrow display 20) indicates the next movement direction of the movable member (downward for jamming process). Direction, upward direction for reset) can be displayed.

As a result, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated and the display are always the same (in both the non-jamming process and the jamming process), and the arrow mark 20 is displayed.
Can clearly indicate the direction in which the release lever 15 should be operated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an erroneous operation by the user at the time of jam handling and prevent the release lever 15 from being damaged.

By the way, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a display 2 provided on the inner cover 16 is provided.
0 is provided so that the arrow head indicating the operation direction of the release lever 15 can be visually recognized even when the user holds the release lever 15.

That is, in the state of FIG. 2A, the release lever 15 is in a substantially vertical position, and the downward arrow head 20a can be seen even if the operator grips the knob portion (near the head) of the lever. Further, in the state of FIG. 2B, the release lever 15 is in a substantially horizontal position, and the upward arrowhead 20b can be seen even if the knob portion of the lever is held by hand. For this reason, even when the user grips the release lever 15, the lever operation direction can be confirmed, and the user's erroneous operation can be prevented and damage to the lever can be prevented.

Further, in this embodiment, since the release lever 15 itself also serves as a gripping member that the user holds with his / her hand to operate the lever, it is necessary to separately provide a gripping member for operating the lever. Therefore, the cost of the member can be suppressed.

Although the present invention has been described by taking the release lever of the transfer / conveying belt unit in the image forming apparatus of the embodiment as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in an image forming apparatus, various devices and units are often provided detachably in the apparatus body. Examples include a toner bottle that is replaced when it becomes empty, and a process unit that is detachably provided for maintenance or replacement at the end of its life. The present invention can be applied to movable members such as levers and handles provided for attaching and detaching these devices and units, and display members for indicating the operation direction of these movable members.

Of course, the image forming apparatus is a copying machine,
It goes without saying that it may be a device of any form such as a printer or a facsimile. Further, the present invention can be applied to a movable member provided in an apparatus other than the image forming apparatus and a display member indicating the operation direction of the movable member.

Further, the operation of the movable member is not limited to two operations, but may be a member which performs three or more operations. Further, the specific position of the movable member is not limited to two positions, and may have three or more specific positions.

Furthermore, the display form of the display member is not limited to the arrow, and it is possible to use any form of display such as characters and pictorial marks.

[0038]

As described above, according to the movable member movement direction display mechanism of the present invention, the display member is provided so as to display the next movement direction of the movable member at a specific position of the movable member. Therefore, the next operation direction of the movable member capable of performing two or more operations can be clarified, and erroneous operation by the user and damage to the movable member can be prevented.

According to the structure of claim 2, the display member is an arrow display, and the arrow display has an arrow head indicating each operation direction of the movable member, and the movable member is in a direction other than the next operation direction at a specific position. Since the arrowhead shown is hidden, the movable member can hide the arrowhead indicating a direction other than the next movement direction at a specific position to easily indicate the next movement direction.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the movable member and the display member are arranged in such a positional relationship that the display member can be visually recognized in the operating state of the movable member, so that a person operates the movable member to operate the movable member. Even when grasped, the display member can be seen and the next operation direction of the movable member can be confirmed.

According to the structure of claim 4, the movable member itself is
Since it also serves as a gripping member for operating the movable member, it is not necessary to separately provide a gripping member for operating the movable member, and the cost can be suppressed.

According to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to clearly indicate the next operation direction of the movable member included in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation by the user and damage to the movable member. You can

According to the structure of claim 6, it is possible to prevent erroneous operation of the lever and damage to the lever during jam handling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the vicinity of an image forming unit in an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an operation of a release lever for performing a jam process near the transfer unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a release lever for carrying out jam processing at a transfer portion and its vicinity in an example of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a display on the side of the release lever is hidden.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 photoconductor drum 5 Transfer and transport belt unit 9 Holding stay 15 Release lever (movable member) 16 Inner cover 20 Arrow display (display member) 20a downward arrow head 20b upward arrow head

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2C061 AP03 AP04 BB13 BB15 BB35                 2H027 GA28 GA45 GB06 GB19                 2H071 BA14 BA23 BA24 BA27 BA37                       DA23                 3F049 AA04 DA03 DB02 LA02 LA05                       LA07 LB03                 3J070 AA03 BA46 CB38 DA43 DA44                       DA45 EA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A movable member capable of performing two or more operations, and a display member that indicates the moving direction of the movable member, wherein the display member has a next moving direction of the movable member at a specific position of the movable member. Is provided so as to display the moving direction display mechanism of the movable member. 2. The display member is an arrow display, and the arrow display has an arrow head indicating each operation direction of the movable member, and the movable member indicates a direction other than the next operation direction at the specific position. The movement direction display mechanism for the movable member according to claim 1, wherein the movement direction display mechanism is provided so as to hide the arrow head. 3. The movable member according to claim 1, wherein the movable member and the display member are arranged in a positional relationship such that the display member can be visually recognized in an operating state of the movable member. Movement direction display mechanism. 4. The moving member movement direction display mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the movable member also serves as a gripping member for operating the movable member. 5. An image forming apparatus comprising the movable member movement direction display mechanism according to claim 1. Description: 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the movable member is a lever for performing a jam process.