JP2005189551A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which effectively utilizes space by providing a recording material discharge portion between an image forming portion and an image reading portion arranged at the upper part of the image forming portion, whose occupied area and occupied height are reduced, and where the inside of the image forming portion with simple constitution can be opened by easy operation. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 includes the image forming portion 2 recording an image on recording material P; an opening/closing member 6 provided in a housing 7A covering over the image forming portion and turning to open the inside of the image forming portion 2; the image reading portion 3; link members 4 and 5 linking the image forming portion 2 and the image reading portion 2 and also provided with a holding means 4c holding the member 6; and the image reading portion 3 is arranged at the upper part of the image forming portion 2 through a recording material discharge part 113 on which the recording material P discharged from the image forming portion 2 is stacked, and the member 6 is constituted to open the inside of the image forming portion 2 by the link member interlocked with the turning operation of the image reading portion 3 from a 1st position to a 2nd position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image reading unit on an upper part of an image forming unit, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus in which a recording material discharge unit for a recording material is disposed between an image forming unit and an image reading unit. Is.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method charges an electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive member) as an image carrier, and then exposes it according to image information to form an electrostatic image on the photosensitive member. The electrostatic image is developed as a developer image (toner image) using a developer (toner), and then the toner image is transferred to a recording material and then fixed to obtain a recorded image. . The image forming unit not only functions as a printer that forms an image in response to an image information signal transmitted from an external device, but also includes an image reading unit that optically reads an image of document image information and converts it into an electrical signal. A host that functions as a copying machine that forms an image in the image forming unit according to image information read by the image reading unit, or that is connected to the image forming apparatus so that the information read by the image reading unit can communicate with the image forming apparatus 2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses (multifunction machines) that function as scanner apparatuses that transmit to external devices such as computers are widely used.

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, a process cartridge system in which a photosensitive member and process means acting on the photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. Is adopted. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in image forming apparatuses. In some cases, a developing device for developing an electrostatic image formed on a photosensitive member is a unit (developing cartridge) that can be independently attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  For example, in a small-sized / medium-sized multi-function peripheral in which an image reading unit is provided above the image forming unit and a recording material discharging unit for recording material is disposed between the image forming unit and the image reading unit, When performing maintenance such as internal cleaning and replacement of consumable parts (replacement parts) such as a cartridge, a configuration for opening the inside of the image forming unit is required.

  Conventionally, the image reading unit slides in the translation direction with respect to the image forming unit disposed below the image forming unit to open the inside of the image forming unit, or a fixed image reading unit that hits the upper part of the image forming unit. A method is used in which a sufficient space is secured between the image forming unit and the inside of the image forming unit is opened by opening and closing an upper lid member provided on the upper part of the image forming unit (for example, Patent Documents). 1).

  However, when the image reading unit slides in the translation direction with respect to the image forming unit, it is essential to provide a rail member, a bearing, and the like for slidably holding the heavy image reading unit, and the number of parts increases. Was.

  Further, since the image reading unit slides in the translation direction with respect to the image forming unit, the area occupied by the apparatus main body becomes large, and it is necessary to take a large installation space.

Furthermore, a sufficient space between the fixed image reading unit and the image forming unit that hits the upper part of the image forming unit is secured, and the upper lid member provided at the upper part of the image forming unit is opened and closed to enter the inside of the image forming unit. In order to enable access to the image reading unit, it is necessary to provide a sufficient opening between the image forming unit and the image reading unit, and the height of the apparatus must be increased. However, there is a disadvantage that the operability is deteriorated and the apparatus main body is enlarged.
JP 2000-92275 A

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and an image reading unit is arranged at an upper portion of the image forming unit and the image forming unit. A recording material discharge unit is provided between the image reading unit and the image reading unit to effectively utilize the space, reducing the occupied area and height of the device, and opening the image forming unit with a simple configuration and operation. An image forming apparatus capable of performing the above is provided.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording material discharge unit between an image forming unit and an image reading unit disposed above the image forming unit in an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and an image reading unit. Space can be effectively used to reduce the occupied area and height of the device, and also enables the switching operation of the stop device provided in the device with a simple operation, trouble processing inside the image forming unit, It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which cleaning and replacement of consumable parts (replacement parts) such as a cartridge are safe and easy.

  The above object is achieved by the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In summary, the present invention relates to an image forming unit that records and outputs an image on a recording material; and an opening / closing unit that is provided in a housing that covers the image forming unit and that can open the inside of the image forming unit by rotating. An image reading unit for optically reading an image into an electrical signal; a link member provided with a holding means for connecting the image forming unit and the image reading unit and holding the opening / closing member; The image reading unit is disposed above the image forming unit with a recording material discharging unit on which the recording material discharged from the image forming unit is stacked, and is closed with respect to the image forming unit The image forming unit is attached to the image forming unit so as to be rotatable between a first position and a second position for opening the inside of the image forming unit, and the opening / closing member is connected to the first position of the image reading unit. From position to said second position It rotated by the movement of the link member linked to the dynamic operation, an image forming apparatus characterized by opening the inside of said image forming unit.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, the image forming unit corresponds to a first state corresponding to an operable state of the image forming unit or the image forming unit and the image reading unit, and an inoperable state. A release target whose state is changed between the second state and the opening / closing member, the release member being interlocked with an operation of rotating the image reading unit from the first position to the second position; There is provided switching means for changing the state of the object from the first state to the second state.

  The release target is the state change between the first state in which the image forming unit or the control unit of the image forming unit and the image reading unit is in the operating state and the second state in the stopped state. When the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, the operation of the image forming unit or the image forming unit and the image reading unit is stopped. According to another embodiment, the release target is changed in the state between the first state in which the exposure unit included in the image forming unit can be irradiated with light and the second state in which the light irradiation is impossible. When the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, the exposure unit cannot emit light. According to another embodiment, the release target includes the first state in which a predetermined pressure is applied to the recording material to the fixing unit that fixes the toner image included in the image forming unit to the recording material, and the pressure A fixing pressure releasing means that changes the state to the second state in which the image reading section is released. When the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, the pressure of the fixing means is released. Is done. According to still another embodiment, the release target allows the drive transmission of the transmission means included in the image forming unit that transmits driving to a driven body of a cartridge that is detachable from the image forming unit. Drive transmission canceling means in which the state change is made between the state 1 and the second state for canceling the drive transmission, and when the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, The drive transmission of the drive transmission means is canceled by the switching means. In the present invention, the image forming unit may include two or more of the above cancellation targets.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, the opening / closing member is rotated and closed by the movement of the link member that is interlocked with the rotation operation of the image reading unit from the second position to the first position. In one embodiment, the image forming unit includes at least two link members that connect the image forming unit and the image reading unit in series.

  Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus further includes a fixing unit that fixes the image reading unit in a closed state; a releasing unit that releases the fixing of the image reading unit by the fixing unit; An urging unit provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit for urging the image reading unit in a rotation direction from the first position toward the second position; By releasing the fixation of the fixing means by the releasing means, the image reading unit is urged by the urging means and rotates to a predetermined angle in a direction from the first position toward the second position. .

  According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit and an image reading unit, a space is provided by providing a recording material discharge unit between the image forming unit and the image reading unit disposed above the image forming unit. Can effectively reduce the occupied area and height of the device, and can open the inside of the image forming unit with a simple configuration and operation, and is provided inside the device with a simple operation. Switching operation of the stop device or the like can be performed, and trouble processing, cleaning inside the image forming unit, and replacement of consumable parts (replacement parts) such as a cartridge are safe and easy.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Example 1
The image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes an image forming unit (hereinafter referred to as “printer unit”) 2 and an image reading unit (hereinafter referred to as “scanner unit”) 3, and the printer unit 2 is the image forming apparatus 1. In addition to functioning as a printer or copying machine that forms an image in accordance with image information from an external device such as a host computer that is communicably connected to the document or document image information read by the scanner unit 3, The multifunction peripheral can also function as a scanner device that transmits read document image information to an external device that is communicably connected to the image forming apparatus 1.

  In the following description, “front” with respect to the image forming apparatus 1 is the front side in FIG. 1 and 7 and the right side in FIGS. 2 to 5, and “back” is the back side in FIG. 2 to 5, and “left” and “right” with respect to the image forming apparatus 1 refer to the left and right when the image forming apparatus 1 is viewed from the “front”.

[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 7.

  The image forming apparatus 1 roughly includes a printer unit 2 and a scanner unit 3. The scanner unit 3 is arranged above the printer unit 2 with a recording material discharge unit (described later) interposed therebetween. As will be described in detail later, the scanner unit 3 is compared with the printer unit 2 in the present embodiment in the horizontal direction of the image forming apparatus 1 at the rear end of the image forming apparatus 1 (substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording material P). Are attached so as to be able to rotate (rotate) about a rotation (rotation) center A along the direction of the rotation. The printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are connected to each other by a pair of link members, that is, a lower link 4 and an upper link 5 provided near the front left and right ends of the image forming apparatus 1. As a result, as will be described in detail later, the door 6 that covers substantially the entire upper portion of the printer unit 2 opens together with the scanner unit 3 by lifting the front end 3A of the scanner unit 3 upward with respect to the printer unit 2. The inside of the printer unit 2 can be opened. Note that the rotation center of the scanner unit 3 is not limited to the position of the present embodiment, and the scanner unit 3 has a rotation center at an arbitrary position as long as the inside of the printer unit 2 can be sufficiently opened. It may rotate as an axis.

  FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the printer unit 2. The printer unit 2 is a laser beam printer that records an image on a recording material P, for example, a recording sheet, a plastic sheet (OHP sheet), a cloth, etc. by an electrophotographic method. is there. Since the electrophotographic image forming process itself is well known to those skilled in the art, detailed description is omitted, but an image is formed by the following general configuration and operation.

  That is, a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as “photosensitive drum”) 101a as an image carrier is rotatably disposed in the printer unit 2, and the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 101a is rotated during image formation. Are uniformly charged by a charging roller 101b as a charging means. Then, the charged photosensitive drum 101a is irradiated with an optical image corresponding to the image information from the exposure means (image writing means) 103 to form an electrostatic image on the photosensitive drum 101a. A laser scanner unit 103 serving as an exposure unit for irradiating the photosensitive drum 101a with a light image is provided in front of the printer unit 2. For example, the laser scanner unit 103 irradiates (scans and exposes) laser light from the polygon mirror 104 to the photosensitive drum 101a in accordance with image information from the host computer, and forms an electrostatic image on the photosensitive drum 101a according to the image information. To do. Of course, an electrostatic image can also be formed according to the image information read by the scanner unit 3.

  The electrostatic image formed on the photosensitive drum 101a is then developed as a developer image (toner image) by supplying a developer (toner) by a developing device 101c as a developing unit.

  On the other hand, the recording material P stored in the cassette 105 as the recording material storage unit is, for example, one sheet at a time by a supply roller 106 as a recording material supply member and a separation pad 107 as a recording material separation means in response to a print signal from a host computer. Separated and fed. The separated recording material P is conveyed by a conveying roller pair 108 serving as a recording material conveying member to a transfer portion including a photosensitive drum 101a and a transfer roller 109 serving as a transfer unit pressed against the photosensitive drum 101a.

  Then, the toner image is transferred to the recording material P at the press contact portion between the photosensitive drum 101 a and the transfer roller 109. The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to a fixing unit (fixing means) 110 including a fixing film 110a and a pressure roller 110b pressed against the fixing film 110a, and the toner image is fixed. The recording material P on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 112 and is discharged to the recording material discharge portion 113 at the top of the printer unit 2.

  Further, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 101a after the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 101a to the recording material P by the transfer roller 109 is removed by a cleaning unit 101d including a cleaning blade that contacts the photosensitive drum 101a as a cleaning member. The

  In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 101a and the charging roller 101b, the developing device 101c, and the cleaning unit 101d as process means acting on the photosensitive drum 101a are integrally formed into a cartridge by the cartridge frame 100, and the image forming unit. 2, that is, the process cartridge 101 is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. As will be described in detail later, the process cartridge 101 opens the scanner unit 3 and the door 6, and as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, from the front of the image forming apparatus 1 (in the longitudinal direction (of the photosensitive drum 101 a). It can be inserted in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction), mounted via a mounting guide (not shown) provided in the image forming unit 2, and removed by the reverse operation. The process cartridge 101 is detachably mounted on the image forming unit 2 through a cartridge mounting unit 102 that is a holding member, a positioning member, or the like included in the image forming unit 2. The aspect of the process cartridge is not limited to that of the present embodiment, and the electrophotographic photosensitive member is integrated with at least one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means as process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member. In other words, the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  The recording material discharge unit 113 is provided on the upper surface of the door 6 that is an opening / closing member, which is a part of the housing 7 </ b> A of the printer unit 2. The door 6 is provided with a rotation center A at the rear end of the image forming apparatus 1, which is common to the scanner unit 3, on a frame 7 corresponding to a portion of the housing 2 </ b> A of the printer unit 2 excluding the door 6. It is arranged so that it can be opened and closed as the center. By opening the door 6 with respect to the main body of the printer unit 2, the inside of the printer unit 2 can be opened, and an operator can access the process cartridge 101, jam processing of the recording material P, and the like. In the present embodiment, the rotation center of the door 6 is common to the scanner unit 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inside of the printer unit 2 can be sufficiently opened. For example, the door 6 may be rotated about the rotation center at an arbitrary position.

  In this embodiment, the scanner unit 3 is a well-known flatbed scanner that has a photoelectric conversion element in the imaging unit and optically reads a document image. Since the internal structure and operation of the scanner unit 3 are not important in the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[Scanner and door opening and closing mechanism]
Next, the opening / closing mechanism of the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  A scanner part rotation support part 3 a constituting a hinge part is provided at the lower rear part of the scanner part 3, and this scanner part rotation support part 3 a is integrated with the upper surface 7 c of the frame 7 of the printer part 2. The scanner unit 3 is integrated with the printer unit 2 by being attached to the scanner unit rotation holding unit 7b formed in the above-described manner so as to be rotatable about the rotation center A. Further, the front end 3A of the image forming apparatus 1 which is opposite to the rotation center A of the scanner unit 3 is a recess of a hook 3b provided at the lower part of the end 3A when the scanner unit 3 is closed. 3b1 (FIG. 1) is fixed by hooking a claw 8a of a latch 8 provided inside the printer unit 2 as a fixing means. Thereby, the scanner unit 3 is fixed in the closed state. In this embodiment, the hook 3 b and the latch 8 are provided in the vicinity of both left and right ends of the image forming apparatus 1.

  The latch 8 is urged by a latch spring 9 in a direction in which the hook 3b is always hooked around the latch rotation center 8a (in the present embodiment, toward the front of the image forming apparatus 1). The latch release button 10 (FIG. 1) as a release means for releasing the lock between the hook 3b and the latch 8 and the latch 8 are held so as to be interlocked on the same axis, and the latch release button 10 is pushed. As a result, the latch 8 hung on the hook 3b of the scanner unit 3 is released.

  Between the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3, as a connecting means, a pair of link members respectively provided in the vicinity of the left and right end portions on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, a lower link 4 as a first link member, They are connected by an upper link 5 as a second link member. In this embodiment, the lower link 4 and the upper link 5 are substantially parallel to a plane along the recording material conveyance direction of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1 (substantially parallel to the paper surface of FIGS. 2 to 6). ) Move (rotate) along the surface. In the present embodiment, the link members 4 and 5 provided on the left and right sides of the image forming apparatus 1 have substantially the same configuration on the left and right and perform the same function. Note that the link member serving as the connecting means is not limited to the mode provided on the left and right sides of the image forming apparatus 1, and may be either one. The connecting means can typically be configured to have at least two link members for connecting the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 in series. However, as in this embodiment, one set includes two links. It is not limited to the aspect comprised with the member. More link members may constitute the connection means as a set.

  The lower link 4 is attached to the printer unit 2 by the lower link rotation support unit 4a being rotatably supported by the lower link rotation holding unit 7a provided on the upper surface 7c of the frame 7 of the printer unit 2. It is done. The upper link 5 is attached to the scanner unit 3 by the upper link rotation support unit 5a being rotatably supported by an upper link rotation holding unit 3c provided at the lower part of the scanner unit 3. The lower link 4 and the upper link 5 are respectively provided with a lower link joint portion 4b provided on the end side opposite to the lower link rotation support portion 4a and an end portion opposite to the upper link rotation support portion 5a. It is joined so that rotation is possible in the upper link junction part 5b provided in this. The lower surface of the scanner unit 3, the frame body 7 of the printer unit 2, the lower link 4, and the upper link 5 are rotatably supported by the respective rotation support units to form a four-bar link.

  A link protrusion 4c serving as a holding means for holding the door 6 is provided at the tip of the lower link 4 opposite to the lower link rotation support portion 4a. is there. On the other hand, the side surface of the door 6 is provided with a guide groove 6a as a holding receiving means on which the link protrusion 4c can be fitted and slid. The link protrusion 4c moves back and forth in the guide groove 6a as the lower link 4 rotates. When the link protrusion 4c pushes up the upper surface 6a1 of the guide groove 6a, the door 6 rotates in the opening direction, and when the lower surface 6a2 is pressed down, the door 6 rotates in the closing direction.

  A pop-up spring 16, which is an elastic member, is disposed as an urging means between the upper surface 7 c of the frame 7 of the printer unit 2 and the bottom surface 3 f of the scanner unit 3. A spring protrusion 3e is provided so as to press the. As will be described in detail later, when the lock by the hook 3b of the scanner unit 3 and the latch 8 of the printer unit 2 is released, the scanner unit 3 moves the rotation center A by the spring projection 3e being pushed by the pop-up spring 16. It is held in a state rotated to a predetermined angle as the center. Further, the scanner unit 3 rotates about the rotation center A by lifting the front part of the scanner unit 3 upward.

  The printer unit 2 is provided with a release target whose state is changed between a first state corresponding to the operable state of the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 and a second state corresponding to the inoperable state. . In this embodiment, an interlock switch 11 serving as a stop device for turning on / off the control unit of the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 is provided as a release target. This interlock switch 11 is a printer unit in this embodiment. 2 is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 provided in FIG. By turning on / off the interlock switch 11, the operations of the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are turned on / off. The door 6 is provided with an interlock switch protrusion 6c as an interlock switch switching means for pushing down the switch lever 11a of the interlock switch 11. When the door 6 is closed, the interlock switch protrusion 6c pushes down the switch lever 11a, and the interlock switch 11 is in an ON state, that is, the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are in an operating state. When the door 6 is opened at a certain angle or more, the interlock switch protrusion 6c is separated from the switch lever 11a, and the interlock switch 11 is turned off, that is, the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are stopped.

  Further, the printer unit 2 is provided with a laser shutter opening / closing mechanism 12 serving as a blocking means for turning on / off the laser scanner unit as a release target, and the laser shutter switch 12a of the laser shutter opening / closing mechanism 12 is moved up and down. As a result, the laser beam irradiation from the polygon mirror 104 of the laser scanner unit 103 is turned ON / OFF. The door 6 is provided with a laser switch projection 6d for pushing down the laser shutter switch 12a as a blocking means switching means. When the door 6 is closed, the laser switch projection 6d pushes down the laser shutter switch 12a, and the laser The shutter opening / closing mechanism 12 is in an ON state, that is, a state in which laser light can be irradiated, and an electrostatic image can be formed on the photosensitive drum 101 a in the process cartridge 101 mounted on the printer unit 2. When the door 6 is opened at a certain angle or more, the laser switch protrusion 6d is separated from the laser shutter switch 12a, the laser shutter opening / closing mechanism 12 is in the OFF state, and the laser beam is not irradiated.

  Further, the printer unit 2 is provided with a pressure release lever 14 as a fixing pressure release means as a release target, and this pressure release lever has an arbitrary rotating shaft (in the vicinity of the fixing unit 110 in this embodiment). By rotating to the center, the pressure release lever cam 14a spreads a sheet metal (not shown) that adjusts the pressure of the fixing unit, and is applied to the recording material P by the fixing film 110a and the pressure roller 110b in the fixing unit 110. Release pressure. The pressure release lever 14 is provided with a pressure release lever groove 14b formed by a round long hole, and is engaged with a pressure release lever protrusion 6e as a fixing pressure release mechanism switching means provided on the side surface of the door 6. Therefore, the pressure release lever 14 also rotates in the same direction as the door 6 is opened and closed. Therefore, when the door 6 is closed, the pressure release lever 14 is also closed, and pressure is applied to the fixing unit 110. When the door 6 is opened at a certain angle or more, the pressure release lever 14 is also opened, and the pressure of the fixing unit 110 is released.

  Further, the printer unit 2 has a drive transmission canceling unit for connecting / releasing the drive transmission path to the process cartridge 101 as a cancel target. Referring also to FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the process cartridge 101 is driven at one end in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum 101 a as a driven body (the end on the back side in FIG. 2 and the front side in FIG. 6). ) Is transmitted through a cartridge side coupling portion (not shown) provided in the above. The printer unit 2 has a transmission unit for transmitting the drive from a drive motor as a drive unit provided in the printer unit 2 to the cartridge side coupling unit of the process cartridge 101 arranged at a regular image forming position. A coupling gear (not shown) is provided. The printer unit 2 is provided with a coupling release lever 15, and the lower end portion 15 a of the coupling release lever 15 is connected to the coupling cam 17. The coupling cam 17 rotates to move the coupling gear so as to connect / release the cartridge side coupling portion and the coupling gear. The coupling release lever 15 and the coupling cam 17 constitute drive transmission release means. A coupling release lever protrusion 15b is provided at the upper end of the coupling release lever and is substantially fitted in a coupling release groove 6f as a coupling switching means provided in the door 7 so as to be within the coupling release groove 6f. Are configured to slide. Thereby, with the opening and closing of the door 6, the coupling release lever 15 moves up and down, and the coupling cam 17 rotates.

  When the door 6 is opened, the lower end 6f1 of the coupling release groove 6f pulls up the coupling lever upper end (coupling release lever protrusion) 15b, so that the coupling lever lower end 15a pulls the coupling cam 17. As a result, the coupling cam 17 rotates clockwise in FIG. 6, the coupling gear provided in the printer unit 2 moves backward, and the drive transmission to the cartridge side coupling unit of the process cartridge 101 is released.

  When the door 6 is closed, the upper end 6f2 of the coupling release groove 6e pushes down the coupling lever upper end (coupling release lever protrusion) 15b, so that the coupling lever lower end 15a pushes in the coupling cam 17. As a result, the coupling cam 17 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6, the coupling gear of the printer unit 2 meshes with the cartridge side coupling unit of the process cartridge 101, and the drive transmission is possible.

[Scanner and door opening and closing operations]
Next, the opening / closing operation of the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 will be described.

  During steady operation, that is, when performing a printing operation, a document scanning operation, or the like with the process cartridge 101 mounted in the printer unit 2, the scanner unit 3 includes a scanner unit rotation support unit 3a and a scanner unit. The hook 3b provided at the tip 3A opposite to the rotation center A of FIG. 3 is fixed to the printer unit 2 by a lock unit that is hooked on the latch 8 of the printer unit 2 (first position). (Figure 3).

  When it is desired to open the inside of the printer unit 2 by replacing the process cartridge 101 or performing jam processing, the latch 5 that is interlocked with the latch 5 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the hook 3 b is released from the latch 8. Then, the spring projection 3e is pressed by the pop-up spring 16 provided between the upper surface 7c of the frame 7 of the printer unit 2 and the spring projection 3e of the bottom surface 3f of the scanner unit 3, and the scanner unit 3 3 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 3 to a predetermined angle α1 with respect to the portion 2, and held in that state (FIG. 4).

  Thus, the operator can easily recognize that the lock between the hook 3b and the latch 8 has been released.

  At this time, since the scanner unit 3, the frame body 7 of the printer unit 2, the lower link 4, and the upper link 5 form a four-bar link, the lower link 4 rotates around the lower link as the scanner unit 3 rotates. 3 and 4 rotate clockwise around the moving support portion 4a, and the upper link 5 rotates on a predetermined locus around the upper link joint portion 5b counterclockwise in FIGS. .

  Then, the link protrusion 4c provided on the lower link 4 also rotates on a predetermined trajectory as the lower link 4 rotates, and pushes up the upper surface 6a1 of the guide groove 6a in which the link protrusion 4c is substantially fitted. When the guide groove 6a is pushed up in this way, the door 6 is pushed up and attached to the rotation holding portion of the frame body 7 of the printer portion 2 so as to be rotatable around the rotation center A common to the scanner portion 3. 4 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4 with the rotation support portion 6b of the door 6 as a center.

  When the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 are opened to a predetermined angle via the link members 4 and 5 by pressing the latch release button 10, the interlock switch protrusion 6c, the laser switch protrusion 6d attached to the door 6 Both the pressure release lever 6e and the coupling release groove 6f are pushed upward. Thus, when the door 6 is opened to a predetermined angle α1, the interlock switch projection 6c is separated from the interlock switch lever 11a, the laser switch projection 6d is separated from the shutter switch 12a, and the pressure release lever 6e is fixed to the fixing unit 110. The pressure is released, and the coupling release groove 6f pulls the coupling release lever 15 upward.

  As a result, the interlock switch 11 is released and the operations of the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are stopped, so that the operator can access the inside of the printer unit 2 safely. Further, since the laser beam is blocked, the laser beam does not touch the operator's eyes. In addition, when there is a recording material P during paper passing, since the fixing pressure is released, the paper can be pulled out with a weak force. Further, since the coupling for driving transmission to the process cartridge 101 is also in the released state, the process cartridge 101 can be taken out without difficulty.

  From the state in which the scanner unit 3 is opened at the predetermined angle α1 with respect to the printer unit 2, the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 are further pushed upward by further lifting the front end 3A of the scanner unit 3 by hand. Then, by pushing the scanner unit 3 up to a predetermined angle α2 with respect to the printer unit 2, the lower link 4 and the upper link 5 are held to such an extent that they can be manually released when the scanner unit 3 is closed. Hold open. In this state, the link protrusion 6e supports the guide groove 6a, and the door 6 is also kept open. Thus, the operator can access the inside of the printer unit 2 (second position) (FIG. 5).

  On the other hand, when the scanner unit 3 is closed, the scanner unit 3 is rotated clockwise in FIGS. 3 to 5 by pushing down the tip 3A opposite to the rotation center A of the scanner unit 3. At this time, since the lower surface of the scanner unit 3, the frame body 7 of the printer unit 2, the lower link 4, and the upper link 5 form a four-bar link, the lower link 4 moves downward as the scanner unit 3 rotates. The upper link 5 rotates on a predetermined locus around the link rotation support portion 4a in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and the upper link 5 rotates in the clockwise direction in the drawing around the upper link joint portion 5b.

  The link protrusion 4c provided on the lower link 4 also rotates on a predetermined locus as the lower link 4 rotates, and pushes down the lower surface 6a2 of the guide groove 6a in which the link protrusion 4c is substantially fitted. When the guide groove 6a is pushed down, the door 6 is pushed down, and turns around the door turning support portion 6b in the clockwise direction in FIG.

  When the door 6 is in the normal closed state, the interlock switch protrusion 6c, laser switch protrusion 6d, pressure release lever protrusion 6e, and coupling release groove 6f attached to the door 6 are all pushed down to each other, The lock switch 11 is in the ON state, the laser shutter opening / closing mechanism 12 can irradiate the laser beam, the fixing pressure is secured by the pressure release lever 14, and the drive transmission to the process cartridge 101 is also turned on by the coupling release mechanism. Thus, a normal printing operation is possible.

  The latch 8 is always urged in the clockwise direction in FIGS. 3 to 5 by the latch spring 9, but immediately before the scanner unit 3 is completely closed, when the hook 3b enters from above, the latch spring 8a Against the biasing force, it rotates counterclockwise in the figure for a moment, and again rotates clockwise by the latch spring 8a. For this reason, the concave portion 3b1 of the hook 3b is caught by the claw 8a of the latch 8, and the tip portion 3A opposite to the rotation center A of the scanner portion 3 is fixed.

  According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus 1 having the scanner unit 3 on the upper part of the printer unit 2 via the recording material discharge unit, the cover 6 which is a part of the housing 7A of the scanner unit 3 and the printer unit 2 is rotated. By being configured to be movable, the occupied area and occupied height of the image forming apparatus 1 are reduced as much as possible, and the opening and closing operation of the cover 6 is performed along with the opening and closing operation of the scanner unit 3 via the link members 4 and 5. And operability can be greatly improved.

  By opening and closing the scanner unit 3, the interlock switch 11 is turned on / off, the laser scanner unit 13 is shut off, the fixing pressure is turned on / off, and drive transmission to the process cartridge 101 is performed via the door 6. It becomes possible to perform ON / OFF simultaneously.

  Thereby, the scanner unit 3 is arranged on the upper part of the printer unit 2 via the recording material discharge unit 113, so that the occupied area and the occupied height of the apparatus are reduced as much as possible and the inside of the printer unit 2 is opened. Sufficient space can be secured, and access to the inside of the printer unit 2 can be performed safely and easily by a single opening operation of the scanner unit 3, thereby simplifying the operation. In addition, trouble handling and cleaning inside the printer unit 2 and replacement of internal consumable parts (replacement parts) can be performed safely and easily.

  In this embodiment, via the link members 4 and 5 and the door 6, the latch release button 10 is pushed and the hook 3 b and the latch 8 are unlocked substantially simultaneously (that is, the scanner unit 3 pops up). The printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 are in a stopped state (until the interlock state is turned off), the laser switch unit is shut off, the fixing pressure is released, and the drive transmission to the process cartridge 101 is released). And As a result, it is possible to prevent the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 from operating in an unsteady state where the lock is released. However, the present invention is not limited to this mode, and the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 are further opened from the state where the scanner unit 3 is popped up to such an extent that the operator can access the inside of the printer unit 2. In the meantime, the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 may be stopped. Further, the scanner unit 3 and the door 6 are not limited to the mode of starting to open at the same time, and the link protrusion 4c and the guide groove 6a may be configured so that the door 6 starts to open when the scanner unit 3 opens a predetermined angle or more. Good.

Example 2
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross section of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment. The basic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the configuration of the scanner unit is different. Therefore, elements having the same or corresponding configurations and functions as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment is a document including a contact image sensor 114 that optically reads a document image as an image capturing unit as an image reading unit (scanner unit) 3 instead of the flat bed scanner according to the first exemplary embodiment. Equipped with an automatic feed scanner. The scanner unit 3 has a configuration in which a document placement tray 115 and a document discharge tray 116 are provided upstream and downstream of the contact image sensor 114, respectively.

  A document (sheet material) 117 is set on the document placing tray 115 with the document surface facing upward, and is conveyed one by one from the uppermost document 117 to the document reading unit by the pickup roller 118. The conveyed original 117 is photoelectrically read from the image on the original by the contact image sensor 114, and the read original 117 is discharged downward on the original discharge tray 116 of the original reading apparatus.

  Between the scanner unit 3 and the printer unit 2, similarly to the first embodiment, a lower link 4 and an upper link 5, both of which are not shown, have a four-bar link configuration. The operations of opening / closing the scanner unit 3 and the door 6, the operation of the interlock switch, the blocking of the laser light, the release of the coupling of the process cartridge 101, and the release of the fixing pressure can be the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the repeated description is omitted. To do.

  As described above, according to the present invention, even if the scanner unit 3 itself is slightly increased in size in the image forming apparatus 1 provided with the scanner unit 3 of the automatic document feeding method, according to the present invention, the upper portion of the printer unit 2 is used. The recording material discharge unit 113 can be provided to reduce the occupied height of the apparatus as much as possible. Similarly to the first embodiment, the inside of the printer unit 2 can be opened by a simple operation, so that the printer can be safely and easily It is possible to perform trouble-handling inside the unit 2, cleaning, and replacement of consumable parts (replacement parts) such as a cartridge.

  In each of the above embodiments, the consumable part (replacement part) that can be replaced by opening the door 6 of the printer unit 2 is a process cartridge. However, the present invention is limited to this aspect. It is not a thing. In addition, for example, the developing device is a cartridge (developing cartridge) that can be detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, or the developer container is a cartridge that can be detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus. Even if this is the case, the present invention is equally applicable.

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a state in which a scanner unit and a door are opened in an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an internal structure of a printer unit of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the scanner unit is closed in the opening / closing operation of the scanner unit and the door of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the scanner unit pops up after unlocking in the opening / closing operation of the scanner unit and the door of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the scanner unit and the scanner unit are opened in an opening / closing operation of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the scanner unit and the scanner unit are opened in an opening / closing operation of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1 in a steady state. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the printer part of the other Example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this invention, and a scanner part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Printer part (image forming part)
3 Scanner unit (image reading unit)
3b Hook 4 Lower link (Link member)
4c Link protrusion (holding means)
5 Upper link (link member)
6 Door (opening / closing member)
6a Guide groove (holding receiving means)
6c Interlock switch protrusion (switching means)
6d Laser switch protrusion (switching means)
6e Pressure release lever protrusion (switching means)
6f Coupling release groove (switching means)
7 Frame 8 Latch (Fixing means)
11 Interlock switch (can be released)
12 Laser shutter opening / closing mechanism (to be released)
14 Pressure release lever (to be released)
15 Coupling release lever (to be released)
16 Pop-up spring 17 Coupling cam (to be released)
101 Process cartridge 103 Laser scanner unit 110 Fixing section (fixing means)
113 Discharge stacking unit 114 Contact image sensor

Claims (10)

An image forming unit that records and outputs an image on a recording material;
An opening / closing member that is provided in a housing that covers the image forming unit, and that is capable of opening the inside of the image forming unit by rotating;
An image reading unit for optically reading an image into an electrical signal;
A link member provided with holding means for connecting the image forming unit and the image reading unit and holding the opening and closing member;
Have
The image reading unit is disposed above the image forming unit with a recording material discharging unit on which the recording material discharged from the image forming unit is stacked, and is closed with respect to the image forming unit. The image forming unit is attached to the image forming unit so as to be rotatable between a second position for opening the inside of the image forming unit,
The opening / closing member is rotated by the movement of the link member interlocked with the rotation operation of the image reading unit from the first position to the second position, thereby opening the inside of the image forming unit. An image forming apparatus.   The image forming unit changes state between a first state corresponding to an operable state of the image forming unit or the image forming unit and the image reading unit, and a second state corresponding to an inoperable state. And the opening / closing member moves the image reading unit from the first state to the second position in conjunction with an operation of rotating the image reading unit from the first position to the second position. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising switching means for changing the state to the second state.   The release target is the state change between the first state in which the image forming unit or the control unit of the image forming unit and the image reading unit is in the operating state and the second state in the stopped state. The stop device is configured to stop the operation of the image forming unit or the image forming unit and the image reading unit when the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The release target is a blocking unit that changes the state between the first state in which the exposure unit included in the image forming unit can be irradiated with light and the second state in which the light irradiation is impossible. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, the exposure unit cannot emit light.   The release target includes the first state in which a predetermined pressure is applied to the recording material to the fixing unit that fixes the toner image provided in the image forming unit to the recording material, and the second state in which the pressure is released. A fixing pressure releasing unit that changes the state depending on a state, and the pressure of the fixing unit is released when the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.   The release target includes the first state that enables drive transmission of a transmission unit included in the image forming unit that transmits driving to a driven body of a cartridge that is detachable from the image forming unit, and drive transmission. The drive transmission canceling means in which the state change is made to the second state to be canceled, and when the image reading unit is rotated by a predetermined angle from the first position, the switching transmission means causes the drive transmission means to The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drive transmission is canceled.   As the release target, (i) the first state in which the image forming unit or the control unit of the image forming unit and the image reading unit is in an operating state, and the second state in which it is in a stopped state. A stop device in which the state change is made; and (ii) the state change occurs between the first state in which the exposure unit included in the image forming unit can be irradiated with light and the second state in which the light irradiation is impossible. (Iii) the first state in which a predetermined pressure is applied to the recording material, and the pressure is released to the fixing unit that fixes the toner image provided in the image forming unit to the recording material. A fixing pressure releasing unit that changes the state to the second state; and (iv) a transmitting unit included in the image forming unit that transmits driving to a driven body of a cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming unit. Enabling the drive transmission of 1 and the second state in which the drive transmission is canceled, and two or more drive transmission cancellation means for changing the state are provided, and the image reading unit is at a predetermined angle from the first position. When rotated, (a) the operation of the image forming unit or the image forming unit and the image reading unit is stopped corresponding to each of the cancellation targets (i) to (iv), and (b) 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the exposure unit cannot emit light, (c) the pressure of the fixing unit is released, and (d) the drive transmission of the drive transmission unit is released.   8. The opening / closing member is rotated and closed by movement of the link member that is interlocked with a rotation operation from the second position to the first position of the image reading unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least two link members that connect the image forming unit and the image reading unit in series. A fixing means for fixing the image reading unit at the first position;
Release means for releasing the fixing of the image reading unit by the fixing means;
An urging unit provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit for urging the image reading unit in a rotation direction from the first position toward the second position;
Have
By releasing the fixation of the fixing means by the releasing means, the image reading unit is urged by the urging means and rotates to a predetermined angle in a direction from the first position toward the second position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

Images