JP2005049659A - Opening and closing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to freely and easily adjust the opening angle of an opening/closing part of a platen cover etc., as necessary, in equipment such as an image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: On the rear side of the apparatus body 11, a stopper member 24 having a plurality of locking parts 24a formed at prescribed intervals in a vertical direction is arranged, and on the rear side of the opening/closing part 12, a locking member 23 which is selectively locked in one of the plurality of locking parts is arranged. In accordance with the operation of an operating lever 24, a link bar 25 is selectively moved from the front side to the rear side, or from the rear side to the front side, and then, the locking member is selectively moved from the front side to the rear side, or from the front side to the rear side, and when the opening/closing part is opened around the fulcrum, one of the plurality of locking parts is selected in accordance with the position of the locking member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing mechanism used when opening / closing an opening / closing portion disposed on an upper surface of an apparatus main body using one end side of the apparatus main body as a fulcrum, and is particularly provided on the upper surface of an image forming apparatus main body such as a copying machine. The present invention relates to an opening / closing mechanism for supporting the original pressing portion on the image forming apparatus main body so as to be opened and closed.

  In general, an image forming apparatus is provided with a document pressing unit for pressing a document placed on a document table (document placement surface of a document reading device) provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body. The presser part can be opened and closed with a hinge provided on one end side (back side) of the image forming apparatus as a fulcrum. Further, the document pressing unit may be provided with an automatic document feeder (auto feeder), and when performing image formation (for example), the document is set on the automatic document feeder or the document pressing unit is opened to open the document. After placing the document on the table, the document pressing portion is closed and copying is performed.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, the opening angle of the document pressing portion is specified in advance. Generally, the opening angle is specified to about 60 degrees, but when the document pressing portion is provided with an automatic document feeder, If the document pressing portion itself becomes very heavy and the opening angle of the document pressing portion is restricted by the stopper, the inertia force is applied to the stopper when the document pressing portion is opened, and the stopper may be damaged.

  In order to prevent breakage of the stopper that restricts the maximum opening angle of the reading device (document pressing portion) and the lock mechanism that holds the opening angle of the reading device at a predetermined angle, the reading device is hinged to the recording device (image forming apparatus main body). A stopper that can be freely opened and closed and that restricts the opening angle of the reading device with respect to the recording device is provided between the devices, and a locking mechanism that holds the opening angle at a predetermined angle is provided on the stopper, and the stopper serves as the recording device and the reading device. And a metal lever formed with a round hole through which one pin is inserted and a long hole through which the other pin is inserted. The lock mechanism is attached to the lever and attached to the other pin. There is one provided with a pair of resin claws 13 and 13 extending inwardly from the side of the long hole to be engaged and disengaged (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-296710 A (paragraph (0015) to paragraph (0020), FIGS. 3 to 4)

  By the way, the above-mentioned opening angle is set on the assumption that the healthy person uses, for example, and there is no inconvenience when the healthy person uses the image forming apparatus. For people who are difficult to reach, it is extremely troublesome to open and close the document presser.Therefore, some of the above-mentioned opening angles can be adjusted. It is necessary for the man to adjust the opening angle by opening and closing the document holding part, and the opening angle cannot be freely adjusted by the user as necessary. There is a problem that it is bad to use.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an opening / closing mechanism that allows a user to freely adjust an opening angle of an opening / closing part such as a document pressing part as needed.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides an open / close mechanism that supports an open / close portion disposed on the upper surface of the device body so as to be openable and closable with respect to the upper surface of the device body with the back side of the device body as a fulcrum. An opening angle restricting means that is arranged on the back side of the device main body and regulates the opening angle of the opening / closing part in stages, an operation lever provided on the front side of the opening / closing part, and interlocked with the operation of the operation lever And opening angle selecting means for selecting one of the opening angles restricted by the opening angle restricting means as a selected opening angle.

  For example, the opening angle restricting means includes a stopper member disposed on the back side of the device main body and having a plurality of engaging portions formed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and the angle selecting means includes the opening / closing portion. A locking member that is provided on the back side and is selectively locked to any one of the plurality of locking portions, and from the front side to the back side or from the back side according to the operation of the operation lever. A link member that selectively moves in the direction of the front side and selectively moves the locking member from the front side to the back side or from the back side to the front side, and the opening / closing part When opening around the fulcrum, one of the plurality of locking portions is selected according to the position of the locking member.

  The device main body is, for example, an image forming apparatus main body, and the upper surface of the device main body is a document table surface used when a document is placed and an image on the document is read, and the opening / closing unit is A document pressing portion for pressing the document when the document is placed on the document table surface.

  As described above, the opening / closing mechanism of the present invention is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body, and has an opening angle restricting means for stepwise restricting the opening angle of the opening / closing part, and an operation lever provided on the front side of the opening / closing part. And an opening angle selecting means for selecting one of the opening angles restricted by the opening angle restricting means in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever as a selected opening angle. In addition, there is an effect that the opening angle of the opening / closing part such as the document pressing part can be easily adjusted.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, but are merely illustrative examples. Not too much.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a part of an image forming apparatus in which an opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention is used. In FIG. 1, only an image reading device of the image forming apparatus main body is shown. A document pressing portion 12 is attached to an upper surface of the image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter simply referred to as an apparatus main body) 11 so as to be openable and closable. In the example shown in the figure, an automatic document feeder (auto feeder) 13 is mounted on the document pressing portion 12, and the user can use the auto feeder 13 as necessary.

  A document table surface 11a is defined on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 11, and the document placed on the document table surface 11a is scanned by an image reading device, and a recording sheet according to an electrophotographic process based on the image data obtained thereby. Image formation is performed.

  An opening / closing mechanism 21 is disposed on one end side (back side) of the apparatus main body 11, and the document pressing portion 12 is supported by the opening / closing mechanism 21 so as to be openable / closable with respect to the apparatus body 11 with the back side as a fulcrum. The opening / closing mechanism 21 includes a hinge mechanism 22, a contact member (locking member) 23, a stopper member 24, a link bar (link bar) 25, and an operation lever 26. Accordingly, the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 can be adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation lever 26 is positioned on the other end side (front side) of the document pressing portion 12 and projects forward from the front end of the document pressing portion 12. One end of a link bar 25 is connected to the operation lever 26, the link bar 25 extends toward the back side in the internal space of the document pressing portion 12, and a contact member 23 is connected to the other end. Further, a stopper member 24 is disposed on the back surface of the apparatus main body 11, and the contact member 23 comes into contact with the stopper member 24 to restrict the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 as will be described later.

  Referring to FIG. 2, the hinge mechanism 22 includes first and second hinge portions 22a and 22b, and the first and second hinge portions 22a and 22b are hinged to each other. The first hinge portion 22a is positioned on the aforementioned document pressing portion 12 (FIG. 1) side, and the second hinge portion 22b is positioned on the apparatus main body 11 (FIG. 1) side. As shown in FIG. The stopper member 24 is disposed on the back surface of the second hinge portion 22b. As shown in the drawing, the surface of the stopper member 24 is formed into a wave shape. As a result, protrusions (locking portions) 24a are formed on the surface of the stopper member 24 at a predetermined pitch downward in the drawing. Will be.

  A first hinge portion 22a is attached to the frame 12a of the document pressing portion 12, and a contact member 23 is supported on the frame 12a. The contact member 23 has a first plate member 23a supported by the frame 12a, and a second plate member 23b extending downward from the rear end of the first plate member 23a perpendicular to the first plate member. As shown in the figure, the other end of the link bar 25 is connected to the inner surface of the second plate member 23b.

  Here, referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, a pressing member 26 a is disposed on the aforementioned operation lever 26, and one end side of the pressing member 26 a is supported by the rotation fulcrum 261, whereby the pressing member 26 a It can be rotated around a rotation fulcrum 261. And as shown in FIG. 3, the end of the link bar 25 is connected with the press member 26a. Further, the first plate member 23a of the contact member 23 is rotatably supported by a pair of support portions 121 formed on the frame 12a by a support shaft portion 23c (see FIG. 3). 3 is slid in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. 3, the pressing member 26a is rotated around the rotation fulcrum 261 from the state shown in FIG. 4 by a cam (not shown) to be in the state shown in FIG.

  As a result, the link bar 25 is pushed in the direction indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. As a result, the second plate member 23b of the contact member 23 is pushed to the back side, and the contact member 23 itself rotates about the support shaft portion 23c to the back side around the fulcrum.

  As is clear from the above description, the amount of rotation of the pressing member 26a varies depending on the amount of operation of the operation lever 26, and as a result, the amount of movement of the link bar 25 varies depending on the amount of operation of the operation lever 26. become. That is, the movement amount of the link bar 25 is defined according to the operation amount of the operation lever 26 arranged on the front side, and the contact member 23 can be moved by the operation lever 26.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, now, when the user presses the free end located on the front side of the document pressing portion 12 and pulls up the document pressing portion 12, the document pressing portion 12 rotates around the hinge mechanism 22. Thus, the document pressing portion 12 is opened to a predetermined opening angle defined by the contact member 23 and the stopper member 24, and the document table surface 11a (FIG. 1) is exposed.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip of the second plate member 23b of the contact member 23 is caught by one of the protrusions 24a of the stopper member 24, and the rotation of the document pressing portion 12 is stopped. As a result, the opening angle is regulated.

  The aforementioned opening angle is determined depending on which projection 24 a of the projection 24 a formed on the stopper member 24 is engaged with the second plate member 23 b. As described above, when the abutting member 23 is pushed to the back side, the tip of the second plate member 23b is proportional to the pushed portion of the protrusion 24a formed on the stopper member 24. As a result, the opening angle is increased by that amount.

  That is, the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 can be adjusted stepwise according to the operation of the operation lever 26. In other words, as the link bar 25 moves to the back side, the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 increases.

  Here, referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 shows an example in which the document pressing portion 12 is adjusted to the four-stage opening angle by the operation of the operation lever 26. As described above, the contact member 23 is rotatably supported on the frame 12a (support portion 121) by the support shaft portion 23c. When the contact member 23 is pushed to the back side by the link bar 25, the contact member 23 is pressed. Is rotated by a predetermined amount (an amount proportional to the amount of movement of the link bar) about the support shaft 23c, whereby the attachment angle of the contact member 23 is changed. When the document pressing portion 12 is opened, the contact position between the second plate member 23b and the stopper member 24 changes, and the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 is restricted. That is, the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 can be changed according to the operation amount of the operation lever 26 (the movement amount of the link bar 25).

  In the illustrated example, the stopper member 24 is formed with three protrusions 24a in the vertical direction at a predetermined pitch (interval) (in the following description, the first to third protrusions sequentially from the upper protrusion 24a). In the state where the tip of the second plate member 23b of the contact member 23 is locked to the first protrusion 24a (the state indicated by the symbol “A” in FIG. 7), the document is referred to as the protrusion 24a. The opening angle of the presser portion 12 is set to be 30 degrees.

  Hereinafter, in a state where the tip of the second plate member 23b is locked to the second protrusion 24a (a state indicated by “B” in FIG. 7), the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 is 45 degrees, In the state where the tip of the second plate member 23b is locked to the third protrusion 24a (the state indicated by the symbol “C” in FIG. 7), the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 is 60 degrees.

  The opening angles of 30 degrees and 45 degrees are the opening angles for disabled persons using wheelchairs, and the opening angle of 60 degrees is the opening angle for normal users (healthy persons). The link lever 25 is pushed to the back side by operating the operation lever 26 until the tip of the second plate member 23b is disengaged from the third protrusion 24a (indicated by the symbol “D” in FIG. 7). Then, the document pressing portion 12 has an opening angle of approximately 90 degrees, and is in this state during maintenance or the like.

  As is clear from the above description, the stopper member 24 functions as an opening angle restricting means, and the contact member 23 and the link bar 25 function as an opening angle selecting means.

  In the first embodiment described above, the position at which the contact member 23 is locked to the protrusion 24a of the stopper member 24 is changed (associated) in accordance with the operation amount of the operation lever 26, and the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 is changed. The opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 can be changed and the operability can be improved simply by operating the operation lever 26 in a restricted manner. However, when the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 is two steps, The protrusion 24a does not need to be formed on the stopper member 24, and the second plate member 23b of the contact member 23 is locked to the stopper member 24 and the second plate member 23b is detached from the stopper member 24. In this case, the opening angle of the document pressing portion 12 can be changed in two stages.

  An opening angle restricting means that is arranged on the back side of the device body and regulates the opening angle of the opening / closing part in stages, an operation lever provided on the front side of the opening / closing part, and an opening angle in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever Since it has an opening angle selection means for selecting one of the opening angles restricted by the restriction means as a selected opening angle, an opening / closing part that opens and closes to the apparatus main body is not limited to an apparatus such as an image forming apparatus As a result of being able to easily adjust the opening angle when the user opens and closes the opening / closing part, the user can easily use it.

1 is a side view schematically showing an image forming apparatus in which an embodiment 1 of an opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention is used. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the link of an operation lever and a contact member in Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the movement of a link bar in Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the movement of a link bar in Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the latching | locking by the stopper member of the contact member at the time of opening the document pressing part in Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention. It is a side view for demonstrating selection of the opening angle of a document pressing part in Example 1 of the opening / closing mechanism by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Image Forming Apparatus Main Body 12 Document Pressing Unit 13 Automatic Document Feeder (Auto Feeder)
11a Document surface 21 Opening / closing mechanism 22 Hinge mechanism 23 Contact member 24 Stopper member 25 Link bar (link bar)
26 Operation lever 24a Projection

Claims (3)

In an opening / closing mechanism that supports an opening / closing portion disposed on the upper surface of the device main body with the back side of the device main body as a fulcrum, so as to be openable / closable with respect to the upper surface of the device main body,
An opening angle regulating means arranged on the back side of the device main body for regulating the opening angle of the opening / closing part in stages;
An operation lever provided on the front side of the opening and closing unit;
An opening / closing mechanism comprising opening angle selection means for selecting one of the opening angles restricted by the opening angle restriction means in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever as a selection opening angle. The opening angle restricting means includes a stopper member having a plurality of engaging portions that are arranged on the back side of the device main body and formed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction.
The angle selecting means is provided on the back side of the opening / closing part and is selectively locked to any one of the plurality of locking parts, and the front side according to the operation of the operation lever. A link that selectively moves from the front side to the front side by selectively moving the locking member from the front side to the back side or from the back side to the front side. Having a member,
2. The opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein when the opening / closing part is opened around the fulcrum, one of the plurality of locking parts is selected according to the position of the locking member. .   The apparatus main body is an image forming apparatus main body, and an upper surface of the apparatus main body is a document table surface used when a document is placed and an image on the document is read, and the opening / closing unit is disposed on the document table surface. The opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing mechanism is a document pressing portion for pressing the document when the document is placed.

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