JP2004029842A - Process unit and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for which an operator can perform repair, replacement, jam process, etc., of an image forming element without paying attention to the position or the way of holding the image forming element. <P>SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus has the image forming element 12 which is provided at the part to be opened/closed and loaded/unloaded relative to the base 1 of the device, and which is, when externally exposed, desirebly untouched by the hand of an operator, and has a handle part 33 for the operator to hold in opening/closing and loading/unloading this image forming element 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

The present invention relates to a process unit and an image forming apparatus provided with an image forming element that is provided to be opened and closed and attached to and detached from a base of the apparatus, and that is exposed to the outside and is not easily touched.

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus configured as an electronic copier, a printing machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine having at least two of these functions can open and close an openable body and an image forming element inside the apparatus in the same direction. The image forming element can be easily repaired or replaced, or a jam can be easily removed by opening the opening / closing body.

However, some image forming elements are not desirable for the operator to touch. For example, in an image forming apparatus of a type in which a toner image is formed on the surface of a latent image carrier, or in an image forming apparatus of a type in which the toner image is transferred to an intermediate transfer body which is one of transfer means, a latent image carrier or When the intermediate transfer member is touched with a hand, fingerprints and oils adhere to the surface thereof, and when a toner image is formed on the latent image carrier or the intermediate transfer member, the surface is significantly deteriorated.

For this reason, the operator has to pay attention to the position and the way of holding the image forming element when opening and closing the image forming element. Further, when the opening / closing body is opened and the undesirably touchable image forming element is exposed to the outside as described above, the operator is liable to accidentally touch the image forming element. Further, the image forming apparatus has a latent image carrier, and an endless intermediate transfer body wound around a pair of rollers so as to contact the latent image carrier. In the detachable process unit, the occupied area of the endless intermediate transfer body is large. Therefore, when the endless intermediate transfer body is operated in parallel when it is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus main body from the upper side, the image from the operator is lost. There is a problem that the mounting side with the forming apparatus main body becomes difficult to see, and the operability is deteriorated. For this reason, in the process unit having such a configuration, it is desired that the process unit is mounted in a longitudinal direction from above the image forming apparatus main body.

JP-A-09-171338

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 03-016156 JP-A-05-088421 JP-A-01-155366 JP 07-325534 A JP 09-197940 A

The present invention has been made based on the above-described recognition, and an object of the present invention is to repair or replace an image forming element without causing an operator to care about the position and the way of holding the image forming element, or to perform a jam. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing operations such as processing, and further, while achieving this, protects an undesirably touchable image forming element and prevents an operator from touching it. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of performing the above.

Therefore, the invention according to claim 1 includes a latent image carrier, and an endless intermediate transfer member wound around a pair of rollers so as to contact the latent image carrier, and one of the rollers of the roller pair In the process unit detachable from above from the image forming apparatus main body, a handle portion of an operator is provided near the other roller of the roller pair.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the process unit of the first aspect, the handle portion has a convex portion. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the process unit according to the first or second aspect, the latent image carrier is drum-shaped.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the process unit according to any one of the first to third aspects.

When the image forming apparatus has an openable / closable body that can be opened and closed with respect to the base of the apparatus, the handle portion is set in an open position formed between the openable body and the base when the openable body is opened. The opening / closing body is configured so as to occupy a retracted position that does not hinder the image forming operation when the opening / closing body is closed. This is advantageous because the handle does not hinder the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body and the image forming operation.

At this time, it operates with the opening and closing operation of the opening / closing body, moves the handle part occupying the evacuation position to the operating position, and operates with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body and retracts the holding part. It is advantageous to provide a drive means for moving to a position.

The driving means includes a driving source, a driving gear rotatably driven by the driving source, a gear attached to the handle, and meshing with the driving gear, and the rotation of the driving gear causes the handle to be retracted from the operating position. And a driven gear that is driven to rotate between the positions.

When the opening / closing body is opened, the movement of the opening / closing body brings the hand-held portion to the operating position, and when the opening / closing body closes, the hand-held portion is brought to the retracted position by the movement of the opening / closing body. The regulating means for regulating the movement of the handle may be provided in place of the driving means.

The regulating means includes an urging member for urging the handle toward the operating position, and when the opening / closing body is closed, the handle is pressed by the opening / closing body to cause the urging member to move. Occupies the retracted position against the urging action of the handle, and when the opening / closing body releases the pressing action on the handle by the opening / closing body, the urging action of the urging member moves the handle to the operating position. Advantageously, it is configured to

The handle portion is rotatably supported by a support member that supports the image forming element that is not preferably touched by the hand, between the operating position and the retracted position, and the biasing member is a spring. It is advantageous.

The handle is rotatably supported between the retracted position and the operating position, and the restricting means is disposed concentrically with the center of rotation of the handle and is fixed to the handle. A driven gear, a driving gear that is rotated by the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body while meshing with the driven gear, and a biasing unit that rotationally biases the handle toward the operating position. Is also good.

The restricting means includes a lever connected to the drive gear and rotating integrally with the drive gear, and the handle, the drive gear, and the lever are pivotable to a support member that supports the image forming element. Further, when the opening / closing body is closed, the lever occupies a first position in which the handle portion is held at the retracted position by the pressing action from the opening / closing body, and the opening / closing body is opened. When the pressing action from the opening / closing body is released, the holding portion may be rotatably supported so as to occupy the second position where the holding portion is held at the operating position by the biasing action of the biasing member. Good.

Each of the image forming apparatuses described above occupies an operating position that covers at least a part of the undesirably touchable image forming element and protects the element when the openable body is opened. When the is closed, a protection member occupying a retreat position which does not hinder the image forming operation may be provided, and the protection member may be provided with each of the handle portions.

(4) The handle portion is preferably a U-shaped member spanned in the longitudinal direction of the protective member, because the operator can firmly hold the image forming element when opening and closing or attaching and detaching the image forming element.

In the case where the protective member has a cover portion rotatably supported by a support member supporting the image forming element between an operating position and a retracted position and extending in a width direction of the image forming element, the handle The portions may be provided at both ends or at the center of the cover portion so as to protrude outward from the center of rotation of the protection member.

Alternatively, the cover member is rotatably supported by the support member supporting the image forming element between the operating position and the retracted position and extends in the width direction of the image forming element. In the case where the end portions have side walls extending in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the covering portion at both ends thereof to form a U-shaped cross section, the handle portion may be provided on each of the side walls. Good. In addition, it is preferable that an uneven portion is provided on the handle portion so that the uneven portion is caught by an operator's hand and can be securely held when operating the image forming element.

If the handle portion has an identification portion for identifying at least an image forming element that is exposed to the outside and is not preferred to be touched by the hand, the handle portion and the image forming element are positively It is preferred because it can be identified and inadvertent contact between the imaging element and the operator's hand is avoided.

The identification section may be made of a different color or material from the handle section or the image forming element.
Each of the above-described image forming apparatuses includes a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing unit that visualizes the latent image carrier as a toner image, and a toner image on the surface of the latent image carrier. Transfer means for transferring, first charge applying means for transferring the toner image on the surface of the latent image carrier to the transfer means, and second charge applying means for transferring the toner image formed on the transfer means to a recording material Means, and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording material, when the opening and closing body is opened, undesired image forming elements that are exposed to the outside and are not touchable by the transfer means. Become.

The image forming apparatus further includes a front housing rotatably supported on the image forming apparatus main body, wherein at least the latent image carrier and the transfer unit are configured as an integrated process unit. Is detachably supported by opening the front housing, and when the opening / closing body is composed of the front housing, a toner image is transferred to a recording material when the front housing is opened. Preferably, the transfer area of the transfer unit is covered with the protection member.

Each of the above-described image forming apparatuses includes a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, and a charge that transfers the toner image to a recording material. In a case where the image forming element includes an application unit and a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred to the recording material, the undesired image forming element that is exposed to the outside and touched by hand when the opening and closing member is opened is a latent image bearing member. Be a body.

When the retreat position of the handle is set to a position adjacent to the fixing device, a heat-resistant resin, or a metal member and an outer surface thereof are used so that the handle is not deformed by heat from the fixing device. It may be configured by a heat insulating member to be covered to take heat measures.

According to the present invention, in a process unit in which one roller side of a pair of rollers around which an endless intermediate transfer body is wound is detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus main body from above, an operator holds the roller near the other roller of the pair of rollers. Since the hand unit is provided, if the operator has a process unit, the handle is provided at a position distant from the center of gravity of the unit. The process unit can be oriented so as to be set in the longitudinal direction from above with respect to the main body, so that the mounting with the main body of the image forming apparatus becomes easy to see. Further, when the latent image carrier is in the form of a drum, the position of the center of gravity can be made closer to the intermediate transfer body, and the moment of gravity can be further increased.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the internal structure of a color image forming apparatus configured as a printer. The image forming apparatus shown here is an image forming apparatus main body 1 that is a base of an apparatus that is immovably mounted on an installation surface such as a floor surface, and is rotatably mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1 via a support shaft 9A. An opening / closing body 2 constituting a pivotally supported front housing. The opening / closing body 2 can be freely opened and closed in an opening direction indicated by an arrow D (hereinafter referred to as “opening direction D”) and a closing direction indicated by an arrow E (hereinafter referred to as “closed direction E”) as shown in FIG. The open state shown in FIG. 1 and the closed state shown in FIG. 2 are occupied. When the opening / closing body 2 is rotated in the opening direction D and is placed at the open position, an open space Z between the opening and closing body 2 and the image forming apparatus main body 1 is formed.

プ ロ セ ス The image forming apparatus main body 1 has a process unit 3 in which a plurality of process elements are integrally assembled and is detachably and rotatably mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1. This process unit 3 is also called a process cartridge.

In FIG. 1, an endless belt-shaped photosensitive member 9 as an example of a latent image carrier is wound around belt rollers 8a and 8b rotatably supported by a unit case 4 serving as a support member of an image forming element. I have. As the latent image carrier, a drum-shaped photosensitive member, a dielectric drum, a dielectric belt, or the like can be used. A charging device including a charging charger 10 is disposed at a position facing the photoconductor 9, and the charging charger 10 is also supported by the unit case 4.

The image forming apparatus main body 1 supports a laser writing unit 5 serving as an exposure device, and a rotary type color developing device 6 and a black developing device 7 serving as developing means. The laser writing unit 5 has a laser light source (not shown), and reflects a laser beam from the light source on a polygon mirror 5B that is rotationally driven by a motor 5A, and outputs an f · θ lens 5C and mirrors 5E and 5F. The surface of the photoreceptor 9 is irradiated with light through the surface of the photoreceptor 9 to expose it.

The color developing device 6 is configured as a unit in which a yellow developing device 6Y, a magenta developing device 6M, and a cyan developing device 6C are integrally assembled, and the whole is rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body 1. The yellow developing device 6Y, the magenta developing device 6M, and the cyan developing device 6C contain yellow, magenta, and cyan developers, respectively. The color developing device 6 is provided with a mechanism for selecting a developing device for each color. The color developing device 6 synchronizes the developing device storing the developer of the corresponding color with the developing timing of the corresponding color to a position where the developing device can be developed (photoconductor). 9 (a position facing 9). As the developer, either a two-component developer having a toner and a carrier or a one-component developer having no carrier may be used. Further, a liquid developer can be used, but in the illustrated example, a powdery developer is used.

The black developing device 7 is arranged above the color developing device 6. The black developing device 7 is provided laterally in the vicinity of the black developing device 7 and can be freely moved toward and away from the photosensitive member 9 by the rotation of a cam 29 which is rotationally driven by a driving device (not shown). Contains the agent. The cam 29 and a motor (not shown) constitute contacting / separating means for the black developing device 7.

The belt roller 8b is connected to a driving device (not shown) to form a driving roller, and is driven to rotate during the image forming operation to rotate the photosensitive member 9 in the direction of arrow A. At this time, the surface of the photosensitive member 9 is subjected to a charge removing operation by a charge removing lamp 21 which is an example of a charge removing device, and then the surface of the photosensitive member 9 is uniformly charged by the charging charger 10. Is exposed by the laser light 5D modulated from light emitted from the laser beam. Thus, a first electrostatic latent image corresponding to the written information is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 9. At this time, for example, the yellow developing device 6Y of the color developing device 6 is located to face the surface of the photoconductor 9, and the first electrostatic latent image is visible as a yellow toner image by the yellow developing device 6Y. Imaged. At this time, the black developing device 7 is separated from the surface of the photoconductor 9, and does not perform the developing operation.

(4) The unit case 4 rotatably supports an appropriate number of belt rollers 11a and 11b in this example, which are disposed apart from each other. An endless intermediate transfer belt 12, which is an example of an intermediate transfer member in a transfer unit, is wound around these belt rollers 11a and 11b, and one of the belt rollers 11a is driven by a driving device (not shown) to drive the intermediate transfer belt. The transfer belt 12 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow B. The intermediate transfer belt 12 and the photoconductor 9 are in contact with each other at an appropriate pressure at the position of the intermediate transfer portion P. On the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 12 in the intermediate transfer portion P, a transfer brush 13 which is an example of a contact transfer member serving as a first charge applying unit is disposed with its tip abutting. The transfer brush 13 is supported by the unit case 4.

The contact transfer member of the first charge applying unit includes a transfer roller and a transfer blade, and the non-contact transfer member of the first charge imparting unit includes a corona discharger or the like, and these may be used. Examples of the intermediate transfer member include an intermediate transfer drum and an intermediate transfer roller, and these may be used.

When the yellow toner image thus formed on the surface of the photoconductor 9 reaches the intermediate transfer portion P, a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied to the transfer brush 13, whereby The toner image on the surface is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12.

After the transfer of the toner image, the toner remaining without being transferred adheres to the surface of the photoreceptor 9, and the transfer residual toner is supported by the unit case 4 and the leading end thereof is pressed against the photoreceptor 9. It is scraped and removed by a cleaning member that is made up of the cleaned cleaning blade 15A and performs mechanical cleaning. The untransferred toner removed from the surface of the photoreceptor 9 in this way falls into the cleaning case 39 integrally attached to the unit case 4. As the cleaning member, other appropriate means such as a fur brush can be adopted, and a plurality of cleaning members can be used in combination. The cleaning blade 15 </ b> A and the cleaning case 39 constitute a cleaning device 40 for the photoconductor 9, and the transfer residual toner removed from the photoconductor 9 is transferred to a toner conveying screw 41 as a toner conveying member provided in the cleaning case 39. Is discharged out of the cleaning case 39.

The surface of the photoreceptor 9 whose surface has been cleaned in this way is again subjected to the charge removing operation by the charge removing lamp 21, is uniformly charged by the charging charger 10, and is then irradiated from the laser writing unit 5 to the charged surface. The laser beam 5D is applied to form a second electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 9. When the electrostatic latent image passes through the color developing device 6, the rotation of the device causes the magenta developing device 6M, for example, to face the photoconductor 9, whereby the second electrostatic latent image can be used as a magenta toner image. It is visualized. This toner image is also superimposed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 on which the yellow toner image has been previously transferred by the operation of the transfer brush 13 at the intermediate transfer portion P in the same manner as described above. Transcribed. The toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 9 after the transfer of the magenta toner image is also scraped off the surface of the photoconductor 9 by the cleaning blade 15A.

In exactly the same manner as described above, a cyan toner image and a black toner image are sequentially formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 9 by a cyan developing device 6C and a black developing device 7 facing the surface of the photoreceptor, respectively. The toner images previously transferred on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 at the intermediate transfer portion P are superimposed and sequentially transferred. The transfer residual toner image is removed from the surface of the photosensitive member 9 by the cleaning blade 15A each time each toner image is transferred, and the surface is cleaned. Thus, a full-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12. When a black toner image is formed, the black developing device 7 is brought closer to the surface of the photoconductor 9 by the rotation of the cam 29, and a predetermined developing operation is performed.

A recording material 22 composed of recording paper or an OHP sheet made of a plastic sheet is stacked on a paper supply cassette 17 serving as a paper supply unit set in the image forming apparatus main body 1. The materials 22 are fed one by one in the direction of arrow C. The recording material 22 fed in this manner is rotatably supported by a pair of transport rollers 19 rotatably supported by the open / close body 2 and the unit case 4, respectively, and rotatably supported by the open / close body 2 and the unit case 4, respectively. The intermediate transfer belt 12 is conveyed by the rotation of the pair of registration rollers 20 and is aligned with the front end of the full-color toner image formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12, and the second charge applying means disposed opposite to the intermediate transfer belt 12 Is transferred to a nip portion N which is formed between a transfer roller 14 rotatably supported by the opening / closing body 2 and serves as a transfer portion. At this time, a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roller 14, whereby the full-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is collectively transferred to the surface of the recording material 22. As the second charge applying means, a brush or a blade which contacts or slides on the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 as a contact transfer member, and an appropriate means such as a corona discharger as a non-contact transfer member can be adopted.

After leaving the intermediate transfer belt 12, the recording material 22 to which the full-color toner image has been transferred passes between the fixing roller 24 of the fixing device 23 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the heating / pressing roller 25, and At this time, the toner image is fixed on the surface of the recording material 22 by the action of heat and pressure. The recording material 22 that has exited from the fixing device 23 is placed on a discharge stack 27 at the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1 by an output roller pair 26 rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body 1, with the image surface down. It is discharged for

(4) The transfer residual toner image remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 12 after transferring the full-color toner image onto the recording material 22 is removed by the cleaning device 16 for the intermediate transfer belt 12. The cleaning device 16 includes a cleaning blade 16A whose front end is pressed against the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 around the belt roller 11a. The transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 16A, whereby the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is cleaned. The cleaning blade 16A is an example of a cleaning member for the intermediate transfer belt 12, and the cleaning blade 16A is disposed in a cleaning case 16B formed by a part of the unit case 4. As the cleaning member, a cleaning member of another appropriate form such as a fur brush can be adopted.

The cleaning blade 16 </ b> A is freely movable toward and away from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12. When a toner image is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 in the transfer process of each color, the cleaning blade 16 </ b> A separates from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12. After transferring the full-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 to the recording material 22, the intermediate transfer belt 12 is pressed against the belt surface only when cleaning the toner remaining on the surface. The transfer residual toner scraped from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 by the cleaning blade 16A is discharged out of the cleaning case 16B by a toner conveying screw 16C provided in the cleaning case 16B.

An electrical control unit 30 for controlling an electric drive source and various display units (not shown) of the apparatus is provided on the left side of the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus, and a fan 28 is provided above the electrical control unit 30. The fan 28 exhausts the air inside the machine to prevent the temperature inside the machine from rising excessively. In addition, a relatively small-sized sheet feeding device 31 is provided at a right side portion in FIG.

The above description is an image forming operation for forming a full-color image on the recording material 22. As a developing unit, only one of each of the developing units constituting the color developing unit 6 and the black developing unit 7 is used. May be used to form a single-color image, or an appropriate number of developing units and black developing devices 7 to form a two-color or three-color image.

In the illustrated image forming apparatus, as described above, the opening / closing member 2 is pivotally movable with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1 in the opening direction D and the closing direction E in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the opening / closing body 2 is supported and rotated in the opening direction D.

The process unit 3 is rotatably supported around the center axis of the belt roller 11b with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1. The open / close body 2 is opened as shown in FIG. The unit 3 is configured to be able to be detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1 by rotating the unit 3 upward substantially as it is when the unit 3 is rotated substantially to the middle of the open space Z shown in FIG. In this way, if the process unit 3 is detachable, when the life of the unit 3 expires, it can be easily replaced with a new process unit 3.

In this image forming apparatus, the rack developing device 7 and the color developing device 6 are also provided detachably with respect to the image forming device main body 1, and can be easily replaced even when the device reaches the end of its life. It is configured as follows.

In the image forming apparatus, the opening / closing body 2 is configured to be freely opened and closed with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1. Therefore, even when a conveyance trouble of the recording material 22, that is, a jam of the recording material 22 occurs, the opening / closing body 2 is opened. 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 2 so that the jam can be easily removed.

The basic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus have been described above. However, in the image forming apparatus shown here, the opening and closing member 2 is opened while the operator is located on the front side, that is, the area on the right side in FIG. The jam can be removed or the process unit 3 can be rotated for replacement.

The intermediate transfer belt 12 is covered by the unit case 4 except for a transfer area S where the toner image is transferred onto the recording material 22. When the opening and closing member 2 is opened, the transfer area S is exposed to the outside. Therefore, in the vicinity of the transfer area S, when the opening / closing body 2 is turned in the opening direction D to be in the open state, the image forming element exposed to the outside and not easily touched, that is, the intermediate transfer belt 12 When the opening / closing body 2 is turned to the closed direction by closing the open / close body 2 in the closed position by occupying at least a part of the open position and protecting the elements and occupying the operating position of positioning the handle portion 33 described later in the open space, the image A protection member 32 occupying a retracted position that does not hinder the forming operation is provided. The protection member 32 occupies the retracted position in the state of FIG. 1, and occupies the operating position in the state of FIG. The protection member 32 is provided with a handle portion 33 that is held by an operator when the process unit 3 is rotated or removed. The above-described basic configuration of the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 is common to each specific configuration example described later.

With this configuration, when the opening / closing body 2 is rotated in the opening direction D from the closed state shown in FIG. 1 to the open state as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer distribution area S of the intermediate transfer belt 12 exposed to the outside becomes In addition, since it is covered by the protection member 32 occupying the operating position, it is possible to prevent the operator from touching here. When the protection member 32 occupies the operating position, the handle 33 also occupies the operating position. Therefore, when the process unit 3 is rotated in the opening direction D and the closing direction E, the operator is positioned in the open space Z. 33 can be rotated. When removing the process unit 3, it is sufficient to hold the handle 33 and lift it. For this reason, when the operator operates the process unit 3, it is not necessary to search for a place to hold the process unit 3, and the operability at the time of turning and attaching and detaching the process unit 3 improves.

When the opening / closing body 2 is rotated in the closing direction E from the open state shown in FIG. 2, the handle 33 moves together with the protection member 32 to the retracted position. It is not obstructed by the handle 32 or the handle 33. Since the protection member 32 and the handle 33 are retracted from the conveyance path of the recording material 22, the movement of the recording material 22 can be allowed.

A specific configuration example related to the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 will be described.
The protection member 32 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a length longer than the width of the intermediate transfer belt 12 and extends in the width direction indicated by the arrow X so as to extend across the width of the intermediate transfer belt 12. And a side wall 32a integrally provided at each end located in the width direction of the cover portion 32b, and the unit case 4 ( (See FIGS. 2 to 4). The cover 32b is formed in an arc shape about the rotation center of the protection member 32, that is, the center axis of the pin 35.

(5) In the vicinity of the protection member 32, a driving means 36 is provided as shown in FIG. When the opening / closing body 2 and the handle 33 are turned in the opening direction D and opened, the driving means 36 starts to operate in accordance with the opening operation, and has occupied the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. The protection member 32 and the handle 33 are moved to the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5, and also functions as a drive unit of the handle 33. The driving means 36 stops when the handle 33 is located at the operating position.

In this manner, the transfer area S exposed to the outside of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is covered, and while the operator is prevented from touching the transfer area S, the handle 33 is simultaneously placed in the open space Z that is easy for the operator to hold. ing. When the opening / closing body 2 is turned in the closing direction E to be in the closed state, the driving means 36 starts operating again with the closing operation, whereby the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 are moved to the position shown in FIG. It moves from the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the retracted position indicated by the solid line. Thus, when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the image forming operation can be executed without any trouble.

The drive means 36 shown in FIG. 5 includes a drive source composed of an electric motor (not shown) supported by the unit case 4 and a drive that is rotatable with respect to the unit case 4 but is fixedly supported in position and is rotationally driven by the drive source. It has a gear 37 and a driven gear 38 attached to the protection member 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the driven gear 38 is formed at one end of the outer surface of the cover 32b along an arc thereof, and meshes with the drive gear 37. The handle 33 protrudes outward from the center of rotation of the protective member 32, that is, radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the cover 32b, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the cover 32b, that is, the intermediate transfer belt 12. Are arranged at both ends located in the X direction in the width direction. The handle 33 in the vicinity of the driven gear 38 is disposed outside the driven gear 38 so as not to hinder the engagement between the driving gear 37 and the driven gear 38.

When the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the protection member 32 occupies the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, but when the opening / closing body 2 starts to rotate in the opening direction, a switch (not shown) is turned on, and the drive The electric motor (not shown) of the means 36 starts operating, and rotates the drive gear 37 counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the protection member 32 and the handle 33 rotate clockwise in FIG. 5 around the pin 35 and move to the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line, and at this time, the electric motor is turned off.

(4) When the opening / closing body 2 starts to be closed, the switch is operated again, and the driving means 36 starts rotating in the reverse direction. Thereby, the drive gear 37 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5, the protection member 32 and the handle 33 rotate counterclockwise around the pin 35, and move to the retreat position shown by the solid line, and the Operation stops.

As described above, the driven gear 38 is driven and rotated by the rotation of the drive gear 37 so that the protection member 32 rotates between the operating position and the retracted position. Therefore, when the driving unit 36 is provided, the protection member 32 and the handle 33 can be automatically turned to the operating position and the retracted position when the opening / closing body 2 is opened and closed.

At this time, the protection member 32 is rotatable between the operating position and the retracted position on the unit case 4 serving as a support member for supporting the intermediate transfer belt 12 which is an undesired image forming element that cannot be touched. Since the drive gear 37 and the electric motor are also supported by the unit case 4, the opening and closing member 2 is opened, and when the process unit 3 is rotated in the opening direction D, the process unit 3 is also image-formed. Even when detached from the apparatus main body 1, the protection member 32 and the handle part 33 can be reliably held at the operating position.

In this example, the drive gear 37 and the electric motor are provided in the unit case 4, but they may be provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, for example. With this configuration, when the opening / closing body 2 is open, the protection member 32 and the handle 33 are held at the operating position by the engagement of the driving gear 37 and the driven gear 38 as described above. However, when the process unit 3 is independently rotated in the opening direction D by holding the handle 33, the engagement of the two gears is released, and the protection member 32 rotates about the pin 35 with respect to the process unit 3. Be free. Therefore, when the process unit 3 is opened as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the angle of the protection member 32 with respect to the process unit 3 can be changed, and the protection member 32, the handle 33, or the handle 33 is provided. Contact between the hand and the open / close body 2 placed in the open state can be avoided, and the operability can be further improved.

When the process unit 3 is rotated, the drive gear 37 and the driven gear 38 are in mesh with each other. Therefore, by providing an overload prevention mechanism such as a torque limiter between the drive gear 37 and an electric motor (not shown), Can be prevented, and the drive gear 37, the electric motor, the passive gear, and the protection member 32 provided with the same can be prevented from being damaged.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, since the protection member 32 is driven by the electric motor, it can be reliably operated. However, the use of the electric motor inevitably increases the cost of the image forming apparatus.

Therefore, in the examples shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the opening / closing body 2 is opened, the movement brings the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 to the operating position, and when the opening / closing body 2 closes, the movement causes Restriction means 54 and 64 for restricting the movement of the protection member 32 are provided so that the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 are brought to the retracted position. With this configuration, the electric motor can be eliminated.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the protection member 32 is basically the same as that shown in FIG. 6, and is integrally provided on the cover 32b and each end in the longitudinal direction X. 7, only one side wall is shown in FIG. 7, and a pin 35 (similarly, only one pin) fixed to each side wall 32 a is rotatably supported by the unit case 4. Have been. However, the driven gear 38 shown in FIG. 5 is not provided on the protection member 32 shown in FIG. Further, one end of an urging member formed of a tension spring 42 is locked to the protrusion 53 projecting from the side wall 32 a of the protection member 32, and the other end of the spring 42 is locked to the unit case 4. I have. The protection member 32 is urged by a tension spring 42 toward an operation position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7.

加 圧 A pressure member 43 is protruded from the opening / closing body 2. The pressure member 43 presses the protection member 32 when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state shown in FIG. For this reason, the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 provided on the protection member 32 are located at the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. When the opening / closing body 2 is set to the open state shown in FIG. 2, the protection member 32 is released from the pressing action from the opening / closing body 2 via the pressing member 43. It pivots around 35 and moves to the operating position. Thus, the handle portion 33 can be brought to the operating position while protecting the intermediate transfer belt 12 with the protection member 32. When the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the opening / closing body 2 presses the protection member 32 via the pressing member 43 to rotate the protection member 32 and the handle 33 to the retreat position.

In the image forming apparatus having such a configuration, when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state and the protective member 32 occupies the retracted position against the urging action of the tension spring 42 due to the pressing action by the opening / closing body 2, the holding member is integrally held. The hand portion 33 also occupies the retracted position, and when the pressing action of the opening and closing body 2 on the protection member 32 is released by opening the opening and closing body 2, the protection member 32 is moved to the operating position by the urging action of the tension spring 42. Since the handle portion 33 is also configured to move, the restricting means 54 constitutes a restricting means for the handle portion 33.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the protection member 32 is rotatably supported by the unit case 4 supporting the intermediate transfer belt 12 between the operating position and the retracted position. Since the process unit 3 is rotated in the open space Z as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and when the process unit 3 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1, the protection member 32 is used. The transfer area S of the intermediate transfer belt 12 can be protected, and the handle 33 can be held at a position where it can be easily held.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the protection member 32 is basically the same as the protection member shown in FIG. 5, and includes a cover 32 b and a pair of members provided integrally at both ends in the width direction X. The unit case 4 has a side wall 32a and pins 35 projecting from the base end of the side wall 32a. The pins 35 are rotatably supported by the unit case 4. Also in this example, the driven gear 38 shown in FIG. 5 is not provided, but a driven gear 44 concentric with one of the pins 35 is provided integrally with the side wall 32a instead.

(4) A fan-shaped drive gear 45 meshing with the driven gear 44 is rotatably supported on the unit case 4 via a pin 46 so as not to move. A base end of a lever 47 is integrally fixed to the drive gear 45 at a position of a pin 46 serving as a rotation center thereof. One end of a biasing member formed of a tension spring 48 is locked to the drive gear 45, and the other end of the tension spring 48 is locked to the unit case 4. The tension spring 48 urges the drive gear 45 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8, and urges the driven gear 44 meshing with the gear 45 to rotate in the clockwise direction. The hand-held portion 33 is urged toward the operating position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

加 圧 A pressure member 48 is protruded from the opening / closing body 2. The pressing member 48 presses the lever 47 when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state shown in FIG. As a result, the lever 47 is held at the first position shown by the solid line in FIG. At this time, the tension spring 48 urges the protection member 32 through the drive gear 45 and the driven gear 44 toward the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line, but the lever 47 is held at the first position. ing. For this reason, since the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 provided on the protection member 32 occupy the retracted position between the unit case 4 and the fixing device 23, the image forming operation can be performed without any trouble.

When the opening / closing body 2 is rotated in the opening direction D (see FIG. 2) to be in an open state at the time of a jam clearance or the like, the pressing member 49 moving with the opening / closing body 2 is indicated by a two-dot chain line from the lever 47 as shown in FIG. As shown, the pressing action previously applied to the lever 47 is released. As a result, the lever 47 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 around the central axis of the pin 46 by the urging action of the tension spring 48, and hits a stopper (not shown) as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Stop at the second position. With the rotation of the lever 47, the drive gear 45 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, whereby the driven gear 44 and the protection member 32 rotate in the clockwise direction, and the protection member 32 and the hand-held portion 33 move to the operating position. Stop at Therefore, the transfer area S exposed to the outside of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is covered and protected by the protection member 32, and at the same time, the handle portion 33 provided on the protection member 32 is placed in the open space Z where the operator can easily operate. Is placed.

When the opening / closing body 2 is turned in the closing direction E (see FIG. 1) to be in the closed state, the pressing member 49 attached thereto presses the lever 47 and pushes the lever 47 against the action of the tension spring 48. It is rotated to the first position shown by the solid line in FIG. As a result, the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 rotate to the retreat position shown by the solid line, retreat from the conveyance path of the recording material 22, and can continue the image forming operation without any trouble.

In the image forming apparatus shown here, as shown in FIG. 8, the protection member 32 is rotatably supported between the retracted position and the operating position, and accordingly, the handle 33 is also moved to the retracted position. The driven gear 44 is rotated to the operating position, is disposed concentrically with the rotation center of the protection member 32, and is fixed to the protection member 32 by the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body 2 while meshing with the driven gear 44. Since the regulating means 64 includes the rotating drive gear 45 and the tension spring 48 for urging the protection member 32 toward the operating position, the regulating means 64 serves as a regulating means for the handle 33. Also works.

Further, the regulating means 64 includes a lever 47 which is connected to the drive gear 45 and rotates integrally with the gear 45, and this lever 47 is pressed by the opening / closing body 2 when the opening / closing body 2 is closed when the protection member 32 is closed. And the handle portion 33 occupies the first position held at the retracted position, and when the pressing action from the opening and closing body 2 is released with the opening of the opening and closing body 2, the protection member is urged by the tension spring 48. The handle 32 and the handle 33 are rotatably supported so as to occupy a second position held in the operating position.

According to such a configuration, the operating angle range of the protection member 32 can be freely set by appropriately setting the gear ratio between the driving gear 45 and the driven gear 44. Moreover, since the lever 47 is used, even when other elements are arranged around the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33, the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 can be operated without being disturbed by this. The handle portion 33 can be placed in an operating position (in the open space Z) where the operator can easily operate.

Further, the protection member 32, the drive gear 45, and the lever 47 are rotatably supported by the unit case 4 that supports the intermediate transfer belt 12, and the urging member moves the protection member 32 and the handle 33. As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the process unit 3 is rotated in the open space Z as shown in FIGS. Even when detached from the main body 1, the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 can be held at the operating position. In addition, since the urging members of the restricting means 54 and 64 are composed of the tension springs 42 and 48, the cost can be reduced.

The protection member 32 described above is attached to the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier configured as a photoconductor 8 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a color developing device 6 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, and a black developing device. Developing means comprising an apparatus 7, transfer means comprising an intermediate transfer belt 12 to which a toner image on the surface of the latent image carrier is transferred, and a transfer brush for transferring the toner image on the surface of the latent image carrier to the transfer means 13, a second charge applying unit including a transfer roller 14 for transferring the toner image transferred and formed on the transfer unit to the recording material 22, and fixing the toner image transferred on the recording material 22. When the opening / closing member 2 is in the open state, the image forming element is exposed to the outside and is not preferably touched by the user.

In addition, the image forming apparatus has an opening / closing body 2 serving as a front housing rotatably supported on the image forming apparatus main body 1 so that at least the photosensitive member 8 and the intermediate transfer belt 12 are integrated. The process unit 3 is configured to be rotatable and removable by opening and closing the opening / closing body 2. Moreover, when the opening / closing body 2 is opened, a portion of the transfer unit that transfers the toner image to the recording material 22, that is, the transfer area S of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is covered with the protection member 32.

By providing the protective member 32 in such an image forming apparatus, it is possible to reliably prevent the operator from touching the intermediate transfer belt 12 when the opening / closing body 2 is in the open state. It is possible to prevent the image quality of the formed toner image from deteriorating. Furthermore, since the protection member 32 is provided with the handle portion 33 that the operator has when rotating the process unit 3, the operability when rotating the process unit 3 is improved, and the operator and the operator can rotate the process unit 3. Inadvertent contact with the process unit 3 can be prevented.

When the opening / closing member 2 is in the open state, the protection member 32 can be configured to prevent the operator's hand from contacting the latent image carrier. In this case, the image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, and transfers the toner image to a recording material. A latent image forming element which includes a charge applying means and a fixing device for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording material, and which is exposed to the outside and is not easily touched when the opening / closing body 2 is opened. It becomes a carrier. Each of the configurations described above can be applied to such an image forming apparatus.

In each of the above-described image forming apparatuses, the protection member 32 is often retracted to a position adjacent to the fixing device 23 as typified by FIGS. 5, 7, and 8. In the illustrated example, the protective member 32 is configured to rotate from the downstream side in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 12 to the upstream side thereof and protect the transfer area S of the intermediate transfer belt 12. A part 33 is provided.

When the retreat position of the protection member 32 is set to a position adjacent to the fixing device 23 as described above, the fixing device 23 is generally heated to a high temperature. The hand 33 may be deformed, the protection member 32 may not be able to perform the above-described operation, and the handle 33 may not be held by the operator. In such a case, it is desirable that the protection member 32 and the handle 33 be made of a heat-resistant resin that is not deformed by the heat from the fixing device 23. This configuration can be applied to all the configuration examples described above.

On the other hand, if the protection member 32 is made of metal and the rigidity thereof is increased so that the protection member 32 can perform a predetermined operation, or the formability of the handle portion 33 and the protection member 32 is also taken into consideration, both are formed of the same member. It is desirable to configure. Therefore, it is conceivable that both are formed of metal. However, since the metal has high thermal conductivity, when the protective member 32 and the handle 33 are retracted near the fixing device 23, they are heated to a high temperature. Is done. Therefore, when the opening and closing member 2 is opened and the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 are rotated to the operating position, it is not preferable that the operator touches the hand.

Therefore, when the retreat position of the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 is set to a position adjacent to the fixing device 23, as shown in FIG. 9, the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 are made of metal. It is integrally formed with the member 32A, and the entire outer surfaces of the handle portion 33 and the protection member 32 are covered with the heat insulating member 32B. When the protection member 32 and the handle portion 33 have a two-layer structure, the rigidity of the metal member 32A and the safety of the operator can be ensured by the heat insulating member 32B while increasing the rigidity of both members. This configuration can also be applied to all the configuration examples described above.

By the way, when the protection member 32 occupies the operating position shown by the two-dot chain line as in the examples shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 8, this is the area that becomes the conveyance path of the recording material 22, When the opening / closing member 2 is opened and the recording material 22A which has caused a conveyance trouble as shown by a broken line in FIG. There is a possibility that the recording material 22 is stained by the unfixed toner.

In such a case, as shown in FIG. 6, it is desirable to form a plurality of protrusions 34 on the outer surface of the cover 32a of the protection member 32. The protrusions 34 can reduce the contact area between the protection member 32 and the recording material 22A, thereby making it difficult for unfixed toner to adhere to the protection member 32. If the protrusion 34 is formed as a ridge extending in the transport direction of the recording material 22, when the protection member 32 moves to the operating position, the protrusion 34 smoothly contacts the recording material 22A, and the recording is performed. There is no risk of damaging the member 22 or hindering the operation of the protection member 32. The configuration of the protrusion 34 can also be applied to the configuration examples of all the image forming apparatuses described above.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the cleaning member 61 is in contact with the outer surface of the cover 32 b of the protection member 32 when the protection member 32 occupies the retracted position indicated by the solid line, toner is applied to the protection member 32. Even when the toner adheres, the cleaning member 61 can clean the toner. In this case, the cleaning member 61 is made of a material having flexibility that does not hinder the movement of the protection member 32, and in particular, is preferably made of at least one of a felt, a foam, a flocked member, and a brush. The cleaning member 61 may be provided on the unit case 4 in addition to being provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side. The configuration related to the cleaning member 61 is also applicable to the configuration examples of all the image forming apparatuses described above.

Next, various forms of the handle portion 33 will be described.
The handle portion 33 shown in FIG. 10 is formed with a concave portion 50 serving as a concave and convex portion which is depressed inward in the width direction of the protective member 32 (only one is shown in the figure). It may be a through opening instead of a recess. When the recess 50 is provided in this manner, the finger of the operator's hand is inserted or bites into the recess 50, so that the process unit 3 can be firmly held when the process unit 3 is rotated or removed, thereby improving operability.

Like the handle portion 33 shown in FIG. 11, a protrusion 51 serving as an uneven portion directed outward in the width direction of the protection member 32 is provided so as to protrude from each of the side surfaces 33B (only one is shown in the figure). Is also good. When such a convex portion 51 is provided, a finger of an operator's hand is hooked on the convex portion 51, particularly when the process unit 3 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1, so that the process unit 3 can be prevented from dropping easily. Can be achieved.

他 In addition, the uneven portion may be formed by continuously forming knurls or grooves, or may be formed by roughening the surface of the handle portion 33 by appropriate means such as sandblasting or sandpaper. Alternatively, a high friction portion having a higher coefficient of friction than other portions may be provided in the handle portion 33. The high friction portion may be configured by directly roughening the surface of the handle portion 33 or by attaching a non-slip member to the surface.

The handle 33 shown in FIG. 12 is provided with an identification section 52 for individually identifying the process unit 3 and the protection member 32 from the handle 33 on the upper surface 33A. When the identification section 52 is provided in the handle section 33 in this manner, the operator can easily recognize the handle section 33. The place where the identification portion 52 is provided is not limited to the upper surface 33A, and may be provided so as to extend from the upper surface 33A to the side surface 33B as shown in FIG.

The identification unit 52 is, for example, a unit that makes the process unit 3 and the protection member 32 have different colors and materials, different textures, and the like. The identification section 52 may be formed by painting, or may be provided by transferring a thin sheet of resin or metal to the handle section 33 by heating. As the color used for the identification unit 52, a color opposed to a material used for the process unit 3 or the protection member 32 or a color painted or coated is preferable. In consideration of the distinctiveness in the dark, a material having a light emitting property or a light storing property, or a paint or a sheet material containing such a material may be attached to the handle 33.

The location where the handle portion is provided is not limited to both ends of the cover portion 32b as described above, and may be provided on each side wall 32a as in the handle portion 56 shown in FIGS. When provided on each side wall 32a in this manner, there is no member that protrudes in the outer peripheral direction from the outer surface of the cover portion 32b, so that the space area when the protection member 32 rotates about the pin 35 can be reduced, and This is effective in reducing the size of the device.

場所 In addition, the location where the handle portion is provided may be provided at the center of the cover portion 32b so as to extend in the width direction X, as in the handle portion 55 shown in FIGS. When provided in the central portion of the cover 32b, the operator's hand is small, and there is no problem that it does not reach the handles 33, 56 provided at both ends of the cover 32b and the side walls 32a. Can hold the handle portion 55, and stable operability for the process unit 3 can be obtained.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the handle may be a handle 57 provided so as to straddle each side wall 32a of the protection member 32. The handle portion 57 is formed of a U-shaped member extending in the longitudinal direction of the protection member 32 and bending both ends thereof. When the protection member 32 occupies the operating position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 19 by the driving means 36, the handle portion 57 is positioned at substantially the center of the cover portion 32b so that both ends 57a thereof are located substantially at the center of the cover portion 32b. Is fixed to each side wall 32a. The handle 57 is provided so as not to interfere with the drive gear 37 when the drive unit 36 is rotated between the retracted position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 19 and the operating position shown by the solid line in FIG. .

When the U-shaped handle portion 57 is provided in this manner, when the operator rotates the process unit 3, the operator grips the entire palm of the hand, instead of holding it with the fingertips as in each of the above-described hand-held portions. Therefore, the process unit 3 can be reliably rotated by holding the handle portion 57, or can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1, thereby improving operability. Further, when the process unit 3 is configured by integrating a plurality of functional units, the weight of the process unit 3 is large, so that the holding unit 57 can be reliably held when the process unit 3 is attached to or detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1. It is possible to avoid the risk of falling down and careless fall when rotating the unit, and it is extremely effective to prevent damage to the process unit 3, the opening / closing body 2, the image forming apparatus main body 1, and the like.

The hand-held parts 33, 55, 56, and 57 described above are provided on the protection member 32 that occupies the operating position and the retracted position in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body 2, but is not limited to this mode.

The hand-held portion 58 shown in FIG. 20 has a length longer than the width of the intermediate transfer belt 12, and bends each longitudinal end of a connecting portion 58 b positioned so as to span the entire width of the intermediate transfer belt 12. The side portion 58a is formed in a U-shape in cross section. A pin 59 is protruded from the base end side of each side portion 58a, and is rotatably supported by the unit case 4 similarly to the protection member 32.

駆 動 The driving means 62 is arranged near the hand-held portion 58. The drive means 62 includes a drive source composed of an electric motor (not shown) supported by the unit case 4, a drive gear 60 rotatably supported by the unit case 4, which is supported in a fixed position and rotated by the drive source, and a hand-held device. And a driven gear 61 attached to the portion 58. When the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state as shown in FIG. 1, the driving means 62 puts the handle 58 in the retracted position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 21 and starts opening the opening / closing body 2 from the closed state. A switch (not shown) is turned on to operate an electric motor (not shown), and the drive gear 60 is driven in a counterclockwise direction to rotate the handle 58 around the pin 59 in a clockwise direction in FIG. When the handle 58 is occupied in the operating position, the operation of the electric motor is stopped.

When the drive means 62 starts to close the opening / closing body 2, an electric motor (not shown) is operated to rotate the drive gear 60 clockwise in FIG. 21 and rotate the handle 58 around the pin 59 in a counterclockwise direction. To move to the retreat position shown by the two-dot chain line. When the handle 58 occupies the retreat position, the operation of the electric motor is stopped.

有 す る By having the driving means 62 having such a configuration, it is possible to automatically rotate only the handle portion 58 to the operating position and the retracted position independently of the opening / closing of the opening / closing body 2. Further, the handle 58 is supported by the unit case 4 so as to be rotatable between an operating position and a retracted position, and the drive gear 60 and the electric motor are also supported by the unit case 4. Even when the process unit 3 is opened and the process unit 3 is rotated in the opening direction D (see FIG. 2), or when the process unit 3 is detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1, the handle 33 is securely held in the operating position. Thus, the operability at the time of turning the process unit 3 and at the time of attaching and detaching is good.

When the driving gear 60 and the electric motor are provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, the handle 58 is rotated by the opening / closing body 2 in the opening direction D to engage the driving gear 60 and the driven gear 61 as described above. Is held. When the process unit 3 is rotated in the opening direction D by holding the handle 58, the engagement of both gears is released, and the protection member 32 is rotatable about the pin 59 with respect to the process unit 3. Become. For this reason, when the process unit 3 is opened as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the angle of the handle 58 with respect to the process unit 3 can be changed. In addition, contact with the opening / closing body 2 placed in an open state can be avoided, and operability can be improved. Also in this case, by providing the overload prevention mechanism between the electric motor and the drive gear as in the above-described example, the overload on the electric motor can be reduced, and damage to each gear and the electric motor can be prevented.

In order to position the handle portion 58 between the operating position and the retracted position in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body 2 without using the electric motor, the regulating means 54 may be used as shown in FIG. In this case, a projection 53 is protruded from a side 58a of the handle 58, and one end of a biasing member formed of a tension spring 42 is locked to the projection 53, and the other end of the spring 42 is locked to the unit case 4. I do. The handle portion 58 is biased by the tension spring 42 toward an operating position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Further, the opening / closing body 2 is provided with a pressing member 43 for pressing the handle portion 58 when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state.

With this configuration, when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the handle portion 58 occupies the retracted position shown by the solid line in FIG. 22 independently against the urging action of the tension spring 42. When the opening / closing body 2 is opened as shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 58 is released from the pressing action from the opening / closing body 2 via the pressing member 43. It pivots around 59 and moves alone to the operating position.

When the handle 58 is rotated independently in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body 2, a drive source such as an electric motor and the above-described protection member 32 are not required, and cost is reduced while considering the operability of the apparatus. This is advantageous for reduction and energy saving.

(4) Instead of the regulating means 54, a regulating means 64 may be used as shown in FIG. In this case, the driven gear 44 concentric with the pin 59 is provided integrally with the side portion 58a. The unit case 4 supports a fan-shaped drive gear 45 that meshes with the driven gear 44 via a pin 46 so as to be rotatable and positionless. The base end of the lever 47 is integrally fixed to the drive gear 45 at the position of the pin 46 serving as the rotation center thereof. One end of a biasing member formed of a tension spring 48 is locked to the drive gear 45, and the other end of the spring 48 is locked to the unit case 4. As a result, the driving gear 45 is urged to rotate in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 23, and the driven gear 44 meshing with the gear 45 urges to rotate in the clockwise direction to move the handle 58 to the two-dot chain line in FIG. Bias toward the operating position indicated by.

When the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the lever 47 is pressed and held at the first position shown by the solid line in FIG. A pressing member 49 for releasing the pressing is provided.

According to such a configuration, when the opening / closing body 2 is in the closed state, the tension spring 48 urges the handle portion 58 via the drive gear 45 and the driven gear 44 toward the operating position indicated by the two-dot chain line. However, since the lever 47 is held at the first position, the handle 58 occupies the retracted position alone between the unit case 4 and the fixing device 23, and can perform an image forming operation without any trouble. .

When the opening / closing member 2 is opened at the time of jam clearance, the pressing member 49 moving therewith is separated from the lever 47 as shown by a two-dot chain line as shown in FIG. 23, and the pressing action on the lever 47 is released. Therefore, the lever 47 is rotated counterclockwise around the central axis of the pin 46 by the urging action of the tension spring 48, and hits a stopper (not shown) in the second direction indicated by a two-dot chain line. Stop at position. With the rotation of the lever 47, the drive gear 45 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, whereby the driven gear 44 and the handle 58 rotate in the clockwise direction. Stop. Therefore, the handle portion 58 is placed at a position where the operator can easily operate.

When the opening / closing body 2 is closed, the pressing member 49 attached thereto presses the lever 47 and turns the lever 47 to the first position shown by a solid line in FIG. Move. As a result, the handle 58 is independently rotated to the retreat position shown by the solid line, and retreats from the conveyance path of the recording material 22. Thus, the image forming operation can be continued without any trouble.

As described above, even if the handle portion 58 is independently rotated in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing body 2, a driving source such as an electric motor and the above-described protection member 32 are not required, and the operability of the device is improved. This is advantageous for cost reduction and energy saving while taking into account.

手 The hand-held portions 55, 56, 57, 58 in the above-described embodiments may be coated with a heat insulating member 32A as shown in FIG. 9 or provided with an identification portion 52 shown in FIGS. In this way, safety and recognizability to the operator can be secured, and operability is further improved.

As described above, the image forming apparatus in which the opening / closing body 2 is configured as a front housing is illustrated, but the present invention is also applied to an image forming apparatus in which the opening / closing body is configured as a front door, an upper door, or the like of the image forming apparatus main body. it can. Furthermore, in an image forming apparatus in which the image forming apparatus main body is divided into an upper main body and a lower main body, and the upper main body can be opened and closed with respect to the lower main body, the upper main body is configured as an opening / closing body. The invention can be applied. Further, the present invention can be applied without any trouble even when the image forming element which is not preferably touched when the opening / closing body is opened is other than the transfer means and the latent image carrier.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 when an opening / closing body is opened. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view when a process unit of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 is rotated. FIG. 4 is a sectional view when the process unit of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is further rotated. It is a figure showing a specific example of a handle part and a protection member which are main parts of the present invention. It is an expansion perspective view showing an example of a protection member provided with a handle part. It is a figure which shows the evacuation position of the protection member provided with the handle part, the operation position, and an example of a form of a regulating means. It is a figure which shows the evacuation position of the protection member provided with the handle part, the operation position, and another form example of a regulating means. It is sectional drawing of the protection member provided with the handle part. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the handle part provided with the uneven | corrugated part. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the handle part provided with the uneven | corrugated part of another form. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the handle part provided with the recognition part. It is the elements on larger scale which show the handle part provided with the recognition part of another form. It is a perspective view showing another example of arrangement of a handle part. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a state where an operator holds the handle shown in FIG. 14. It is a perspective view which shows another example of arrangement | positioning of a handle part. FIG. 17 is a view showing a state where an operator holds the handle shown in FIG. 16. It is a perspective view which shows the protection member provided with the handle part of another form. FIG. 19 is an operation diagram showing a retracted position and an operating position of the protection member provided with the handle shown in FIG. 18. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a single handle part, and its drive means. 21 is an operation diagram showing a retracted position and an operating position of the handle shown in FIG. 20. FIG. It is a figure showing an evacuation position of a handle part, an operation position, and an example of a form of a regulation means. It is a figure which shows another example of a form of the evacuation position of a handle part, an operation position, and a regulating means.

Explanation of reference numerals

1 Image forming apparatus main body (base)
2 Opening / closing body 3 Process unit 4 Support member (unit case)
6, 7 developing means 8 latent image carrier (image forming element)
12 transfer means (image forming element)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 1st charge provision means 14 2nd charge provision means 22 recording material 23 fixing device 32 protective member 32b covering part 32a side wall 32A metal member 32B heat insulating member 33 handle part 36,62 drive means 37,60 drive gear 38, 61 driven gear 42, 48 biasing member 44 driven gear 45 drive gear 47 lever 50, 51 concave / convex portion 52 identification portion 54, 64 regulating means 55, 56, 57, 58 handle portion S transfer area X image forming element Width direction Z Open space

Claims (20)

A hand-holding portion which is provided for opening / closing and attaching / detaching with respect to the base of the apparatus and which has an unexposed hand which is exposed to the outside and which cannot be touched, and which the operator has when opening / closing and attaching / detaching this image forming element. An image forming apparatus comprising: An opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with respect to a base of the device, wherein the handle occupies an operating position located in an open space formed between the base and the opening when the opening / closing body is opened; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to occupy a retracted position that does not hinder the image forming operation when the opening / closing body is closed. It operates in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening / closing body, moves the handle portion occupying the evacuation position to the operating position, and operates in conjunction with the closing operation of the opening / closing body to move the handle portion to the evacuation position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a driving unit that moves the image forming apparatus. The handle is rotatably supported by a support member that supports the image forming element between the operating position and the retracted position,
The driving means includes a driving source, a driving gear rotated by the driving source, a driving gear attached to the handle, meshing with the driving gear, and retreating the handle to an operating position by rotation of the driving gear. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a driven gear that is driven and rotated to rotate between the position and the position. When the opening / closing body opens, the movement of the opening / closing body brings the handle to the operating position, and when the opening / closing body closes, the movement of the opening / closing body brings the handle to the retracted position. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a restricting means for restricting the movement of the handle. The restricting means includes an urging member for urging the handle toward the operating position, and when the opening / closing body is closed, the handle is pressed by the opening / closing body to cause the handle to move. It occupies the retracted position against the urging action of the urging member, and when the opening / closing body is released to release the pressing action on the handle portion by the opening / closing body, the urging action of the urging member causes The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the handle is configured to move to the operating position. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the handle is rotatably supported by a support member that supports the image forming element between the operating position and the retracted position, and the biasing member is a spring. Image forming apparatus. The handle is rotatably supported between the retracted position and the operating position, and the restricting means is disposed concentrically with the center of rotation of the handle, and It has a fixed driven gear, a driving gear that is rotated by the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body while meshing with the driven gear, and an urging unit that urges the handle portion to rotate toward the operating position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The regulating means includes a lever connected to the drive gear and rotating integrally with the drive gear, and the handle, the drive gear, and the lever pivot on a support member supporting the image forming element. Supported as possible,
The lever occupies a first position in which the handle portion is held at the retracted position by a pressing action from the opening / closing body when the opening / closing body is closed. When the pressing action is released, the handle is rotatably supported so as to occupy the second position where the handle is held at the operating position by the biasing action of the biasing member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein When the opening / closing body is opened, it occupies an operating position for covering at least a part of the image forming element which is not preferably touched and protecting the image forming element, and when the opening / closing body is closed, an image forming operation is performed. A protection member occupying a retracted position that does not hinder
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the handle is provided on the protection member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the handle portion is formed of a U-shaped member that extends in a longitudinal direction of the protection member. The protection member is rotatably supported between the operating position and the retracted position by a support member that supports the image forming element, and has a cover that extends in a width direction of the image forming element.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the handle is provided at both ends or a center of the cover so as to protrude outward from a center of rotation of the protection member. The protection member is rotatably supported by the support member that supports the image forming element between the operating position and the retracted position, and extends in a width direction of the image forming element. The end of the portion has side walls extending in the direction intersecting with the extending direction of the covering portion and has a U-shaped cross section,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the handle is provided on each of the side walls. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein an uneven portion is provided on the handle. The said handle part has an identification part for discriminating at least the image forming element which is exposed to the outside and is not preferable to be touched by a hand, The identification part in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 14 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the identification unit is made of a different color or material from the handle unit or the image forming element. A latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; developing means for visualizing the latent image carrier as a toner image; transfer means for transferring the toner image on the latent image carrier surface; First charge applying means for transferring the toner image on the surface of the latent image carrier to the transfer means, second charge applying means for transferring the toner image formed on the transfer means to a recording material, and transfer to the recording material. A fixing device for fixing the toner image.
17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming element that is exposed to the outside and is not preferably touched when the opening / closing body is opened is the transfer unit. apparatus. The image forming apparatus has a front case supported rotatably openable and closable with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, and at least the latent image carrier and the transfer unit are configured as an integrated process unit. The front housing is detachably supported by opening the front housing, the opening / closing body is formed of the front housing, and when the front housing is opened, a toner image is transferred to a recording material. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a transfer area of the transfer unit is covered with the protection member. A latent image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed, developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image as a toner image, charge applying means for transferring the toner image to a recording material, and transfer to the recording material 17. A latent image carrier, comprising a fixing device for fixing the formed toner image, wherein the undesired image forming element which is exposed to the outside when the opening / closing body is opened is untouchable. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. The retracted position of the handle is set at a position adjacent to the fixing device, and the handle is a heat-resistant resin that is not deformed by heat from the fixing device, or a heat insulating material that covers a metal member and its outer surface. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured by a member.

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