JP2005115218A - Both-sided image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attach an option unit to an image forming apparatus of a small size, thereby constructing the apparatus as a both-sided printable apparatus, and to uncover the inverting conveyance path of the option unit and the conveyance path of a main body, thereby facilitating removal of a jam, etc. <P>SOLUTION: An option unit 50, in addition to a manual tray 25, is disposed on one side of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 so as to be opened via a vertical shaft disposed at the end of a rear side. On the inverting conveyance path 55 disposed in the option unit 50, the processing of a jam is easily removed, for example, by allowing an outer guide plate 53 to be opened/closed and also allowing one member to be opened while the other member is opened. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a double-sided image forming apparatus configured to return one-side recorded paper to the recording unit by additionally mounting an optional unit on the side of the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus, and to cope with recording on the back side. The present invention relates to an apparatus configured such that an optional unit can be opened largely through a vertical axis on the rear side when a jam is processed in a sheet conveyance path of the apparatus main body.

It has been known in many examples in the past that an image forming apparatus capable of printing on one side of a sheet is configured as an apparatus capable of double-sided recording by combining a reverse conveyance unit. For example, a reversing conveyance device configured as one unit is combined by connecting a reversing conveyance path that connects between a recording paper discharge unit of a small image forming apparatus and a lower paper feeding unit, It is also known that the device is configured so that one-sided recording paper can be reversed and returned to the paper feed unit, and then recorded on the back side of the paper when passing through the recording unit, making it easy to create double-sided recording paper. It has been. An image forming apparatus capable of producing only a small-size single-sided copy sheet is made multifunctional by adding the reverse conveying device to the side of the apparatus main body and enabling the function as a double-sided image forming apparatus. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-202095

  When the paper reversing unit is attached to the side portion of the apparatus main body and attached to make the small-sized image forming apparatus multifunctional as in the conventional example, a jam or the like occurs in the main conveyance path of the apparatus main body. In this case, the processing of the jammed paper can be easily performed by opening the optional unit. On the other hand, when a jam occurs in the paper transport path in the option unit, it is necessary to provide means for opening the paper transport path in the unit separately. However, opening the paper transport path of the apparatus main body with the paper transport path in the unit open has a problem that the two swinging portions interfere with each other, and the paper transport path of the apparatus main body is greatly increased. It may not be possible to open it.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which two sheet transport paths can be easily opened, and in particular, a main transport path of the apparatus body can be opened largely in an apparatus provided with a combination of optional units on the side of the apparatus body. It is aimed.

The present invention arranges a reversing conveyance device in parallel so as to short-circuit the upstream and downstream portions of the paper conveyance path with respect to the paper conveyance path passing through the recording and fixing unit of the image forming apparatus,
The present invention relates to a double-sided image forming apparatus that records on both sides by reversing and conveying a single-side recorded sheet through the reversing conveyance device.
The invention of claim 1 is configured such that the reverse conveying device is additionally provided on a side portion of a conveying path passing through the recording / fixing unit,
The unit is provided to be swingable with respect to the apparatus main body, and the reversing conveyance path provided to the unit is provided to be openable.
An axis for swinging the unit with respect to the apparatus main body and an axis for opening the reverse conveyance path with respect to the unit main body are arranged with an angle of approximately 90 °.

In the invention of claim 2, the support shaft for swinging the unit to open the paper conveyance path of the apparatus main body is vertical,
The support shaft of the swing member outside the unit for opening the reversal conveyance path is provided horizontally.

In the invention of claim 3, a vertical shaft for swinging the unit is disposed on the rear side of the apparatus body,
The support shaft of the outer member of the unit for opening the reversal conveyance path is disposed at the lower part of the unit.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the paper conveyance path that is opened by swinging the unit is a conveyance path that passes through the recording / fixing unit of the image forming apparatus,
By opening the unit with respect to the apparatus main body, it is possible to cope with an operation such as removal of the paper stopped on the conveyance path.

  With the configuration as described above, the option unit can be greatly opened toward the rear side when trying to remove the paper stopped in the paper conveyance path of the apparatus main body, and the jam processing operation can be easily performed. It becomes possible to do. In addition, since the support shaft of the option unit for opening the side of the device main body is a vertical shaft and the support shaft for opening the reverse conveyance path is a horizontal shaft, it is possible to open both of them simultaneously When trouble occurs, it is possible to easily perform maintenance and removal of jammed paper by opening a part of the paper conveyance path together with the reverse conveyance device.

  In the embodiments described below, a small-sized single-sided recordable image forming apparatus has a basic configuration, and an apparatus capable of double-sided recording only by attaching an optional unit to the side surface of the apparatus main body. Can be easily configured. In addition, the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus is not limited to a small-sized image forming apparatus as described below, and can be configured to be any known image forming apparatus. As an image forming apparatus described below, in addition to an apparatus having only a function as a general copying machine or a printer, an apparatus configured as a multifunction machine in combination with a function of a facsimile machine (FAX) is an object. However, since only the mechanism for creating the recording paper has the gist of the present invention, in the following description, the configuration of the paper transport mechanism will be mainly described.

  The configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described according to the illustrated example. An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus configured in a small size as an apparatus capable of producing recording paper using an electrophotographic method, and an image of a document is placed on an upper part of an apparatus main body 2 provided with a recording unit. Are combined with an image reading device 30 for reading the above. The apparatus main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a paper feed tray 3 at the lowermost part thereof so that paper can be fed toward the recording unit by a paper feed roller 4. In addition, a sheet feeding device equipped with one or a plurality of sheet feeding trays or the like is separately provided in the lower part of the apparatus main body 2, and a sheet of different sizes is accommodated in the sheet feeding unit. It is also possible to easily cope with this.

  A recording unit 10 is provided above the sheet feeding unit so as to correspond to a sheet conveyance path 5 that is disposed on one side of the apparatus body 2 and conveys the sheet upward. After the toner image is recorded on the paper by the recording unit 10, the toner image is fixed through a fixing device 18 provided on the paper, and the recording paper is discharged to a discharge tray 22. In the lower part of the recording unit 10, the sheets separated one by one from the sheet feeding tray 3 by the sheet feeding roller 4 are stopped by the registration roller device 6 at the position of the merging unit 7 in the sheet conveying path. Provided. In the registration roller device 6, the toner image formed on the photoconductive drum 11 is synchronized with the toner image and works to feed out the paper. In addition, the leading edge of the paper is abutted against the nip position of the roller. And control so that the sheet is not conveyed obliquely by the recording unit.

  The recording unit 10 is provided with a charging unit 12, a writing unit 13, a developing device 16, a transfer unit 14, a cleaner 15, and the like around the photosensitive drum 11 according to a predetermined arrangement relationship. For the photosensitive drum 11 arranged in the recording unit 10, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged by an arbitrary discharge means, for example, discharge from the corotron 12, and then the original is scanned. Light information is emitted from the writing device 13 to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Then, toner is supplied from the paper feed roller 17 of the developing device 16 to the electrostatic latent image to make it visible as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a sheet. At a position where the toner image is transferred to the paper, a predetermined value of voltage is applied to the transfer roller while conveying the paper so that the paper is sandwiched between the photoconductive drum and the transfer roller 14. The transfer to the sheet is performed in the same manner as in the case of an image forming apparatus using a conventional general electrophotographic system.

  The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is sent to a fixing device 18 provided at the top thereof, and the toner melted by the heat of the heat roller 19 is pressed from behind the sheet by a pressing roller 19a to be fixed on the sheet. Therefore, the same fixing action as that of a general heat roller type fixing device is performed. The paper fixed as described above is sent to the discharge tray 22 by the discharge roller device 21 through the discharge path 20, and when a plurality of recording papers are continuously discharged, the image surface faces downward. Are stacked one after another. In addition, when the apparatus main body 2 is configured as a single-sided recording apparatus, the discharge roller apparatus 21 has a drive system configured to be driven only in one side. On the other hand, as will be described below, when the apparatus main body 2 is configured as an apparatus capable of double-sided recording, the conveying roller apparatus 21 is illustrated so as to be capable of forward and reverse rotation. It is connected to a driving device that is omitted, and an operation is performed to return the single-sided recording paper to the paper feed unit through the reverse conveyance path. The configuration of the device for that purpose will be described in detail later.

  Further, a manual feed tray 25 is provided on the side of the apparatus main body 2 on the side where the sheet conveyance path 5 is arranged, that is, on the right side of the drawing, and the apparatus main body is associated with the manual feed tray 25. 2, a paper feed roller 29 is provided, and the paper conveyance path is formed up to the junction 7. The manual feed tray 25 is provided with a second tray member 27 so as to be swingable with respect to the tray main body 26, and when feeding a large size paper, the second tray 27 is greatly expanded. To. Further, the manual feed tray 25 is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the apparatus main body via a hinge portion 28. When the tray is not used, the manual feed tray 25 is provided so as to be stood on the side surface of the apparatus main body.

  An image reading device 30 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 2, and a scanning device 35 is provided inside the frame 32 of the reading device 31 so as to be movable in the left-right direction in the figure. A large platen 33 corresponding to a flat bed scanner (FBS) and a small platen 34 corresponding to an automatic document feeder (ADF) are provided above the frame 32 of the reading device 31. Then, the reading operation is performed on the original of the book set on the platen 33 while moving the scanning device 35 at a predetermined speed. Further, when reading using the ADF function, the document conveyed in the document conveyance path 45 of the ADF 41 is read with the scanning device 35 stopped at the position of the small platen 34.

  The scanning device 35 provided so as to be movable in the frame 32 of the reading device 31 is provided so as to be reciprocally movable at a constant speed by a drive mechanism (not shown), and is set on the platen 33 using the FBS function. A document is read. The scanning device 35 is provided with a lamp 36 at the top of its moving frame, and a number of mirrors 37 are combined in the frame so as to reflect light at a predetermined angle and reflect light. The optical path is configured to have a predetermined length. Then, the light reflected by the multiple mirrors 37... Is imaged on a CCD 39 as a photoelectric conversion means via a lens 38, and the image light is converted as a digital signal by the CCD to form a photosensitive drum. It is possible to cope with an arbitrary usage method such as direct transmission or transmission to another FAX apparatus using the image transmission function of the FAX apparatus.

  The upper device 40 provided on the upper portion of the reading device 31 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the large platen 33 has a large front side on the rear side of the frame 32 of the image reading device 30 via a hinge member (not shown). It is supported so that it can be opened and closed. The upper device 40 is integrally formed with a function of the ADF 41 and a plate member serving as a document discharge tray 48 and a platen cover. The ADF 41 includes a document tray 42, a document conveyance path 45 formed in a substantially U shape in the horizontal direction, and a discharge tray 48 positioned at the end of the document conveyance path 45, as in a conventionally known apparatus. Composed.

  Then, the original set on the discharge tray 42 is taken out by the pickup roller 43, separated one by one by the paper separating device 44, conveyed at a constant speed by the conveying roller device 46, and placed below the small platen 34. The image is read by the stopped scanning device 35. The document that has been read is sent out toward the discharge tray 48 by the discharge roller device 47, but the reading operation is continued while the documents set on the document tray 42 are sequentially sent. Note that the image reading operation of the document by the image reading device 30 is performed by operating information input to or selected by the control panel of the image forming apparatus. In other words, based on information selected by the operator, such as selection of the recording paper size and information on the setting of the enlargement / reduction ratio, an image reading operation is performed by the reading device, so that the recording paper can be created and the FAX function can be set. It is used as information for image transmission using.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above, an optional unit 50 as an auxiliary means (sheet reversing conveyance mechanism) for double-sided recording can be mounted on the side of the apparatus body 2 as necessary. doing. First, when the image forming apparatus is configured to be capable of only single-sided recording without the optional unit, a marginal space 9 is formed on the side surface of the apparatus body 2 as shown in FIG. In this state, the manual feed tray 25 is accommodated in the space portion 9. Therefore, when the manual feed tray 25 is not used, the space 9 on the side of the apparatus main body is placed in a state where the bottom plate portion of the main body of the manual feed tray 25 closes the side opening.

  In the state as described above, the operation of creating the recording paper by transferring the toner image to the paper fed from the paper feeding unit of the apparatus main body by the recording unit can be continued. As described above, in the embodiment of the image forming apparatus configured without providing the option unit as an apparatus capable of producing only single-sided copy paper, one guide surface of the conveyance path 5 is regulated, and the registration roller device 6 In order to hold the pressure roller and the transfer roller 14, a block body 9 a is provided in the space portion on the side portion side of the apparatus main body. The block body 9a can be integrated with a second block body 9b provided in the option unit 50 to constitute an inner frame described as reference numeral 57, as will be described next with reference to FIG. That is, one guide surface of the conveyance path 5 and the guide surface inside the reverse conveyance path 55 can be configured as an inner frame 57 by one large block body.

  When the optional unit 50 is attached to the space portion of the apparatus main body 2 to form a double-sided recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 3, the main body frame 51 of the optional unit 50 provided with the reverse conveyance path 55. Is mounted on the side of the apparatus main body 2 of the image forming apparatus. In order to attach the main body frame 51, any connecting means for combining units can be used, and a locking method such as screw engagement can be used. In addition, for example, general locking such as providing a plurality of locking means on the option unit mounting portion of the apparatus main body 2 and combining the locking means provided protruding from the corresponding part of the option unit 50, etc. -You may combine using a holding means.

  The optional unit 50 is configured as described in FIG. 3, and an outer guide 53 that defines a guide surface 56 of the reverse conveyance path 55 with respect to the main body frame 51 disposed on the side of the apparatus main body. Is supported by a lower support shaft 54 so as to be openable and closable. Further, the main body frame 51 of the option unit 50 is supported by a vertical shaft 52 provided at the rear side end portion of the apparatus main body 2, and a large opening can be formed on the front side of the option unit 50, as described in FIG. It is said. In the example of the option unit 50 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the option unit 50 is indicated by a phantom line in FIG. 3, and in a state indicated by a solid line in FIG. It corresponds to. Further, as will be described below, when the optional unit itself or a part of the optional unit is provided to be swingable or openable / closable, a manual feed tray 25 pivotally supported by the apparatus main body is provided below the optional unit 50. In the case where the movement of the unit 50 is disturbed, the unit 50 is rotated around the support shaft 28 from the normal paper feeding position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 3 to the position indicated by the solid line in the figure. It may be configured.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, when a jam occurs in the reverse conveyance path 55 while the option unit 50 is positioned and combined with the side of the apparatus main body 2 and the double-sided recording paper is being created, In order to remove the jammed paper, it is possible to open the outer guide member 53 around the horizontal support shaft 54 as shown by a solid line in the figure and remove the jammed paper from the opening. In a state where the outer guide member 53 is opened, the jamming paper can be easily pulled out by separating the pinch roller member of the conveying roller device 58 from the driving roller member to make the paper free. In addition, the opening range of the outer guide member 53 can be set to an arbitrary width as long as the jammed paper can be processed, and is not particularly limited for each opening.

  Further, when the paper stops in the transport path 5 of the apparatus main body 2, the option unit 50 is fully opened together with the inner frame 57. However, when the option unit 50 is swung around the vertical axis 52 on the rear side. This prevents any trouble even if the outer guide member 53 is opened. For example, when the manual feed tray 25 gets in the way, the manual feed tray is swung downward and processed so that the main body frame 51 or the outer guide member 53 of the option unit 50 does not contact. When the option unit 50 is opened around the vertical axis 52, the paper that is stopped in the transport path 5 can be easily pulled out by inserting a hand from the side of the apparatus body 2. To be formed. When the optional unit 50 is closed after processing the jammed paper, the pinch roller member and the transfer roller of the registration roller device 6 are automatically positioned with respect to the corresponding roller members, and the recording paper creation mode is restored. Will be.

  Further, an upper block 51a is integrally provided on the upper portion of the option unit 50, and is configured to be separated from the upper portion of the apparatus main body together with the main body frame 51. The upper block 51 a defines a paper conveyance path that connects the discharge path 20 and the reversing path 55 at the upper part of the fixing device 18. When the option unit 50 is opened, the main body frame 51, the upper block 51a, and the inner frame member 57 are separated from the side of the apparatus main body, so that the side surface of the fixing device 18 is opened. Become. Therefore, when performing maintenance or the like on the fixing device 18 or when a paper jam occurs in the vicinity of the fixing device 18, the option unit 50 is opened, as shown by a virtual line in the figure, Since the side portion of the fixing device 18 can be greatly opened, a necessary work can be easily performed by inserting a tool or a hand through the opening.

  The option unit 50 can be attached only to the required image forming apparatus, and the single-sided recording apparatus can be changed as a double-sided recording apparatus. In order to meet the user's request as described above, the option unit 50 is connected to the drive / control means provided in the apparatus main body 2 only by connecting a system such as signal transmission and power feeding. It is configured to be able to perform the sheet transport operation in The option unit 50 is provided with a drive mechanism for the transport roller device 60, a sensor for detecting passage of paper, a sensor for detecting connection with the apparatus main body, and the like. By simply mounting, the upper and lower paths of the reversing path 55 are connected to the sheet conveyance path of the apparatus main body.

  In the state where the option unit 50 having the above-described configuration is mounted on the side of the apparatus main body 2, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the upper portion of the reverse conveyance path 55 is connected to the discharge path of the apparatus main body. Further, the lower part of the reverse conveying path 55 is configured as a conveying path connected from the lower part of the block member 9 a constituting a part of the inner frame 57 to the alignment position by the registration roller device 6. Then, the one-side recorded paper prepared through the fixing device 18 passes through the guide surface on the lower surface of the gate 23 and is discharged to the end portion of the paper by the discharge roller device 21 positioned at the end portion of the discharge path 20. And the discharge roller device 21 is controlled to be driven in the reverse direction at the timing when it has passed through the portion of the gate 23.

  Then, the one-side recorded paper is guided to the reverse conveyance path 55 of the option unit 50 through the guide surface on the gate 23, and is conveyed downward by the conveyance roller device 60 in the reverse conveyance path 55 to convey the paper. The leading end portion of the sheet is inserted into the nip portion of the registration roller device 6 through the merging portion 7 below the path 5 and stopped. Thereafter, an additional feeding action is applied by the transport roller device 62 so that a loop is formed on the paper so that the front edge of the paper is uniformly pressed against the registration roller device 6. Perform matching and wait.

  As described above, the information on the next image is transmitted to the recording unit 10 while the one-side recorded paper is waiting, and charging, writing, and developing field operations on the photosensitive drum 11 are sequentially performed. In the middle of the operation, the registration roller device 6 starts to be driven in accordance with the information on the front end portion of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11, and the one-side recorded paper is transferred from the photosensitive drum to the toner image transfer portion. Feed the paper toward. A double-sided recording sheet is created by applying a predetermined potential while pressing from the back of the sheet with a transfer roller, transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum onto the sheet, and then fixing it with the fixing device 18. Therefore, the sheet is discharged as it is to the discharge tray 22 by the discharge roller device 21.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, the gate device 23 that guides the paper above the fixing device 18 provided in the apparatus main body 2 is biased to one side such as a torsion spring with respect to the shaft 23 a. By providing weak urging means, the gate member 23 is swung by the paper discharged from the fixing device 18 to allow passage. Further, in the gate member 23, by appropriately adjusting the overall balance around the support shaft 23a, when the paper is discharged from the fixing device, the gate is opened by the passing paper so that the paper can pass therethrough. To do. Thereafter, the shape and operation of the gate can be appropriately configured so as to stop at the position where the discharge path and the inversion path 55 are connected. In order to control the swinging movement of the gate member, a conventionally known gate switching mechanism can be appropriately applied.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the fixing device 18 is a conventionally known heat roller type device, in which a heat roller 18a and a pressure roller 18b are arranged so as to have a predetermined nip pressure, and the periphery thereof is arranged. Covered with a frame 18c, an opening through which the sheet passes is provided at the upper and lower portions of the nip portion. Further, the toner image carried on the sheet contacts the heat roller 18a of the fixing device 18, and in order to prevent the sheet from adhering to the surface of the roller 18b due to the melted toner, peeling is performed. A nail 19 is provided. The side of the fixing device 18 on the option unit side is preferably provided with a space through which air can flow so that excess heat can be discharged as much as possible. In addition, if there is no hindrance to the paper transporting function, the main body frame 51 of the option unit 50 can be provided with an opening communicating with the outside to prevent heat from being generated inside the apparatus main body.

  The image forming apparatus described as an embodiment of the present invention is provided with a reading device that combines an ADF and an FBS function. However, the scanning device may be configured as a small-sized reading device having only an FBS function. . Further, in the image forming apparatus, the configuration of the sheet conveying device and the recording unit can be an arbitrarily configured device without departing from the object of the present invention. It is not limited to the apparatus of the mechanism demonstrated. In addition, by using the paper transport mechanism that performs the operation of returning the single-side recorded paper as described above, it is possible to simplify the structure of the apparatus and obtain image information with good image quality.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the state which does not provide an option unit. It is explanatory drawing of the state which attached the option unit to the side part of the apparatus main body. It is explanatory drawing of the state which opened the option unit centering | focusing on the vertical axis.

Explanation of symbols

1 image forming apparatus, 2 apparatus main body, 3 paper feed tray, 5 transport path,
6 registration roller device, 7 merging section, 10 recording section,
11 photosensitive drum, 12 charging corotron, 13 writing device,
14 transfer roller 5 cleaner, 16 developing device, 17 developing roller, 18 fixing device, 20 discharge path, 21 discharge roller device,
22 discharge tray, 23 gate, 25 manual feed tray,
26 tray body, 27 second tray, 28 hinge,
29 paper feed roller, 30 image reading device, 31 reading device,
32 frames, 33/34 platen, 35 scanning device,
36 lamp, 37 mirror, 38 lens, 39 CCD,
40 upper member, 41 ADF, 42 document tray,
43 Pickup roller, 44 Paper separation device, 45 Document transport path,
46 Conveying roller device, 47 Discharging roller device, 48 Discharging tray,
50 optional units, 51 body frame, 52 vertical axis,
53 outer guide member, 54 horizontal axis, 55 reverse conveyance path,
56 guide surface, 57 inner frame member, 58 transport roller device.

Claims (4)

A reversing conveyance device is arranged in parallel with the paper conveyance path passing through the recording / fixing unit of the image forming apparatus so as to short-circuit the upstream and downstream portions of the paper conveyance path,
A double-sided image forming apparatus that records on both sides by reversing and conveying a single-side recorded paper through the reversing and conveying device,
The reverse conveying device is configured as a unit that is additionally provided on the side of the conveying path passing through the recording / fixing unit,
The unit is provided to be swingable with respect to the apparatus main body, and the reversing conveyance path provided to the unit is provided to be openable.
A double-sided image forming apparatus, wherein an axis for swinging the unit with respect to the apparatus main body and an axis for opening the reverse conveyance path with respect to the unit main body are arranged at an angle of about 90 °.   The support shaft for swinging the unit to open the paper transport path of the apparatus main body is vertical, and the support shaft of the swing member outside the unit for opening the reverse transport path is provided horizontally. The double-sided image forming apparatus according to claim 1. A vertical axis for swinging the unit is disposed on the rear side of the apparatus body;
3. The double-sided image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a support shaft of an outer member of the unit for opening the reverse conveyance path is disposed at a lower portion of the unit. The paper conveyance path opened by swinging the unit is a conveyance path passing through the recording / fixing unit of the image forming apparatus,
4. The double-sided image formation according to claim 1, wherein the unit can be opened with respect to the apparatus main body to cope with an operation such as removal of the paper stopped on the conveyance path. 5. apparatus.

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