JP2005250324A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discriminate the occurrence of at least one of the open state of an exterior cover or the pulled-out state of a paper feeding cassette in a simple structure using a single sensor. <P>SOLUTION: The freely openable and closable exterior cover 20 to expose an interior structure and a paper feeding cassette 30 which can be pulled out from a main body 2 are provided to the front part of the main body 2 of a printer 1. An opening and closing detection means 40 is provided with a first actuator 41 sliding and changing its position with the opening and closing of the exterior cover 20, a second actuator 42 supported by the first actuator 41 and rotating and changing its position with pulling out/storing of the paper feeding cassette 30, and a sensor 43 detecting the movement of both actuators. The sensor 34 detects the superposed movement of both actuators through the second actuator 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus represented by a copying machine or a printer.

  Image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers are provided with exterior covers that can be freely opened and closed at various locations. By opening these exterior covers, the paper that has jammed in the paper conveyance path inside the main body is removed, the toner cartridge is replaced, and maintenance is performed. In addition, a paper feed cassette that stacks and accommodates sheets is often provided in the lower part of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and is pulled out from the main body to replenish paper.

  In such an image forming apparatus, if the operation of the image forming apparatus is performed while the exterior cover is opened or the paper feeding cassette is pulled out, the paper feeding operation cannot be performed or the paper can be fed from the opening. Problems such as popping out to the outside and new paper jams. For this reason, opening detection means for detecting the opening of the exterior cover and the paper feed cassette are arranged at important points. As a result, the image forming apparatus cannot be operated when the exterior cover or the paper feed cassette is open.

However, in an image forming apparatus having a large number of exterior covers and paper feed cassettes, a large number of sensors are required when opening detection means are arranged in various places, and there is a concern about a significant increase in cost. In view of this, a technique has been proposed in which a single sensor can detect a plurality of states. One example can be seen in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-7-175365 (page 2-3, FIG. 1)

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, whether one light source corresponding to a sensor is provided with three light paths including light pipes, and whether a detachable member such as a paper feed cassette interferes with the light path. The presence / absence of a detachable member is detected based on the result. However, in such a method, in order to accurately detect that the exterior cover and the paper feed cassette are positioned in a state where the operation of the image forming apparatus is possible, the optical path is arranged by strict optical axis alignment. It is necessary and its arrangement is very difficult. In addition, in order to detect the presence or absence of a removable member such as a paper cassette, the optical path must be partially divided. Detection is performed by blocking the optical path when dust such as paper dust is generated at the divided position. May cause mistakes.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a simple structure using a single sensor, and at least one of a state in which an exterior cover is opened and a state in which a paper feed cassette is pulled out. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reliably identifying the image.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has an openable / closable exterior cover that allows the internal structure of the main body to be exposed, and stacks and accommodates paper for jam processing, toner cartridge replacement, and maintenance work. In the image forming apparatus including a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out from the main body, the exterior cover, and an open detection unit that detects the opening of the paper feed cassette, the open detection unit is interlocked with the displacement of the external cover. A first actuator that is displaced, a second actuator that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the paper feed cassette, and a single sensor that detects the displacement of the two actuators. It is possible to identify the occurrence of at least one of the state where the exterior cover is opened and the state where the paper cassette is pulled out It was it is.

  Further, one of the first actuator and the second actuator supports the other, and the sensor detects a movement in which the movements of both actuators are superimposed through the actuator on the supported side. It was.

  The first actuator is a slide member that slides with the opening and closing of the exterior cover, and the second actuator is rotatably supported at a sensor-side end of the first actuator, and the paper feed cassette It was decided to be a rotating member that rotates with the drawer / storage.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the first actuator that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the exterior cover, the second actuator that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the paper feed cassette, and the displacement of these two actuators are detected. A single sensor that can identify whether the exterior cover is open or at least one of the states in which the paper feed cassette is pulled out. did. Accordingly, it can be reliably identified that either the exterior cover or the paper feed cassette is in a state that hinders the operation of the image forming apparatus. In addition, the detection sensors can integrate the displacements of both the outer cover and the paper feed cassette into one. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the displacement of both the outer cover and the paper feed cassette is detected using an actuator, it is not necessary to perform the exact optical axis alignment as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, and the outer cover and the paper feed cassette are included. There is no need to pay special attention to the internal structure of the image forming apparatus.

  In addition, one of the first actuator and the second actuator supports the other, and the sensor detects the movement in which the movements of both actuators are superimposed through the supported actuator. In the sensor, only the supported actuator interferes with the portion that detects the movement of the actuator. Thereby, since it is not necessary to use a large sensor, the structure can be made compact and the cost can be further reduced.

  The first actuator is a slide member that slides as the exterior cover is opened and closed, and the second actuator is rotatably supported on the sensor-side end of the first actuator, and draws out / stores the paper feed cassette. It was decided that it was a rotating member that rotated with it. In this way, the sensor detects the movement in which the movements of both actuators are superimposed through the second actuator, and both the actuators perform different operations, so that each of the displacement of the exterior cover and the displacement of the paper feed cassette is detected. It is easy to follow.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, an outline of the structure of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing a schematic structure of a monochrome printer which is an example of an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing opening and closing operations of an exterior cover and a paper feed cassette. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the right side is the front side of the printer, and the left side is the back side.

  In FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 30 as a paper supply unit is disposed below the inside of the main body 2 of the printer 1. The paper P is stacked and accommodated in the paper cassette 30. The paper P is sent out toward the upper right of the paper feed cassette 30 in FIG. The paper feed cassette 30 can be pulled out horizontally from the front side of the main body 2, that is, from the right side in FIG.

  A sheet conveyance path 3, a registration roller 4, an image forming unit 5, a transfer unit 6, a fixing unit 7, a sheet conveyance path 8, and a sheet discharge unit 9 are disposed downstream of the sheet feeding cassette 30 in the sheet conveyance direction. The paper discharge unit 9 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 2.

  An openable / closable exterior cover 20 that allows the internal structure of the main body 2 to be exposed is provided above the front portion of the main body 2 of the printer 1, that is, at the upper right side in FIG. The exterior cover 20 is opened when a toner cartridge (not shown) is replaced or when maintenance is performed.

  The printer 1 having the above configuration performs an image output operation as follows.

  The paper P before printing is stacked and stored in the paper feed cassette 30, and is sent out separately from here. The fed paper P reaches the registration roller 4 through the paper conveyance path 3. The registration roller 4 corrects the oblique feeding of the paper P, measures the timing with the toner image formed by the image forming unit 5, and sends the paper P to the transfer unit 6.

  Image data signals such as characters, graphics, and patterns from an external computer (not shown) are transmitted to the printer 1, and an electrostatic latent image is created in the image forming unit 5 based on the image data. A toner image is formed from the electrostatic latent image, and the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 6 onto the paper P sent in synchronization by the registration roller 4.

  Thereafter, the paper P carrying the unfixed toner image is sent to the fixing unit 7 and the toner image is fixed by the heat roller. The paper P discharged from the fixing unit 7 is sent upward through the paper conveyance path 8 and is discharged out of the apparatus from a paper discharge unit 9 provided on the upper surface of the main body 2.

  In order to stop the operation of the printer 1 when the exterior cover 20 is opened or the paper feed cassette 30 is pulled out before or during the start of such an image output operation, the exterior cover 20 and the paper feed cassette are stopped. Opening detection means for detecting the opening of 30 is arranged inside the main body 2.

  Next, the detailed configuration of the opening detection means for detecting the opening of the exterior cover 20 and the paper feed cassette 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing a schematic structure of the front portion of the printer.

  As described above, the exterior cover 20 is provided above the front portion of the main body 2 of the printer 1. The exterior cover 20 has panels on the front surface, upper surface, and left and right side surfaces of the main body 2. A curved hinge piece 21 is fixed to the rear upper end of the exterior cover 20. The exterior cover 20 is supported by the main body 2 by the support portion 22 at the tip of the hinge piece 21 and is rotatably provided around the support portion 22, and can be opened by lifting the front portion upward. It is possible (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

  As described above, the paper feed cassette 30 is provided inside the main body 2 of the printer 1. The paper feed cassette 30 can be pulled out horizontally from the front surface of the main body 2 by a slide guide (not shown) (see FIGS. 2 and 5). A panel 31 is provided on the front surface of the paper feed cassette 30, and this panel 31 plays a role of constituting a part of the housing at the lower front surface of the main body 2. The main body of the paper feed cassette 30 is composed of a cassette frame 32. The cassette frame 32 is constituted by a flat box having an open upper surface, and stacks and accommodates the sheets P from the upper surface direction. The paper P is sent out in the upper right direction in FIG. 3 by a paper feeding device (not shown) provided at the upper front portion of the paper feeding cassette 30.

  The opening detection means 40 is provided near the side panel of the main body 2. The opening detection means 40 includes a first actuator 41 that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the exterior cover 20, a second actuator 42 that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the paper feed cassette 30, and the displacement of these two actuators. And a single sensor 43 for detecting.

  The first actuator 41 is a member that extends long in the vertical direction, and is provided on the upper part of the opening detection means 40. The first actuator 41 is disposed between the two vertical guides 10 provided in the main body 2 with a space in the horizontal direction. Further, a vertical slot 41a is provided at the center in the vertical direction of the first actuator 41, and one horizontal pin 11 provided in the main body 2 is inserted into the slot 41a. Thus, the first actuator 41 can be displaced by sliding in the vertical direction so that the main body portion thereof is along the vertical guide 10 and the long hole 41a is along the horizontal pin 11. Since the periphery of the first actuator 41 is covered with a cover or a frame (not shown) provided in the main body 2, it does not come off in the horizontal direction.

  A spring 44 is provided inside the elongated hole 41 a of the first actuator 41. The spring 44 is disposed between the upper end of the long hole 41 a and the horizontal pin 11. The spring 44 is composed of a compression coil spring. The first actuator 41 is always urged upward by the spring 44. As shown in FIG. 3, when the exterior cover 20 is closed, the upper end of the first actuator 41 comes into contact with the lower surface of the engaging protrusion 23 provided in the exterior cover 20 and projecting in the horizontal direction, and the spring 44. It is pushed down against the resilience of. Like the first actuator 41, the spring 44 does not come off in the horizontal direction.

  The second actuator 42 is a boot-like member having a vertical cross-sectional shape parallel to the front-rear direction of the printer 1, that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 3, and is rotatably supported at the lower end of the first actuator 41. As a result, the entire second actuator 42 is displaced in the vertical direction in accordance with the vertical displacement of the first actuator 41. Further, the second actuator 42 can rotate in a vertical plane around the support portion 42a.

  In the second actuator 42, a spring 45 is provided in a portion corresponding to the boot-shaped upper. The spring 45 is constituted by a tension coil spring, one end of which is connected to the second actuator 42 and the other end is connected to a connecting portion 41 b provided at the lower portion of the first actuator 41. The second actuator 42 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by the spring 45 so that the toe portion of the boots is always lifted upward. As shown in FIG. 3, when the paper feed cassette 30 is stored, the second actuator 42 has a boot-like toe portion that contacts a vertical support surface 32 a provided on the cassette frame 32 of the paper feed cassette 30. The spring 45 is displaced clockwise against the elastic force of the spring 45.

  The sensor 43 is provided at the lower end of the opening detection means 40 and is fixed to the main body 2. The sensor 43 is composed of a micro switch, and a hinge lever 43a is provided on the top thereof. The hinge lever 43a can be rotated around the one end in the front-rear direction of the printer 1, that is, in a vertical plane parallel to the left-right direction in FIG. 3, and the free end side is displaced up and down by this rotation. Is made. As shown in FIG. 3, when the exterior cover 20 is closed and the paper cassette 30 is further accommodated, the second actuator 42 contacts the hinge lever 43a of the sensor 43, and the free end side of the hinge lever 43a is pushed downward. .

  Next, the operation of the opening detection means 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 in addition to FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing the schematic structure of the front part of the printer similar to FIG. 3, and shows a state in which only the exterior cover is opened, and FIG. 5 shows a state in which only the paper feed cassette is pulled out. FIG. 6 shows a state in which both the outer cover and the paper feed cassette are opened.

  In FIG. 3, as described above, since the exterior cover 20 is in a closed state, the first actuator 41 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 23 of the exterior cover 20 and pushed down. Further, since the paper feed cassette 30 is in the housed state, the second actuator 42 is displaced in the clockwise direction with the toe portion of the boots contacting the cassette frame 32. Thus, when both actuators are displaced, the second actuator 42 supported by the first actuator 41 contacts the hinge lever 43a of the sensor 43 and pushes down the hinge lever 43a. Thereby, the sensor 43 can identify that the exterior cover 20 is in the closed state and at the same time that the paper feed cassette 30 is in the stored state.

  In FIG. 4, since the exterior cover 20 is in an open state, the first actuator 41 is released from the engagement projection 23 and pushed upward by the action of the spring 44. At this time, although the paper feed cassette 30 is in the housed state, the second actuator 42 is vertically displaced as a whole as the first actuator 41 moves upward. Thus, when the first actuator 41 is displaced, the second actuator 42 supported by the first actuator 41 is separated from the hinge lever 43a of the sensor 43, and the restraint of the hinge lever 43a is released. Thereby, the sensor 43 can identify whether the exterior cover 20 is opened or the sheet feeding cassette 30 is pulled out.

  In FIG. 5, since the exterior cover 20 is in a closed state, the first actuator 41 is engaged with the engagement protrusion 23 of the exterior cover 20 and pushed down. On the other hand, since the paper feed cassette 30 is in the pulled-out state, the second actuator 42 is disengaged from the boot frame-like toe portion of the cassette frame 32 and rotated counterclockwise by the action of the spring 45. It is displaced. When the second actuator 42 is displaced in this manner, the second actuator 42 is separated from the hinge lever 43a of the sensor 43, and the hinge lever 43a is released. Thereby, the sensor 43 can identify whether the exterior cover 20 is opened or the sheet feeding cassette 30 is pulled out.

  In FIG. 6, the exterior cover 20 is in an open state, and the first actuator 41 is disengaged from the engagement protrusion 23 and is pushed upward by the action of the spring 44. In addition, the paper feed cassette 30 is in the pulled out state, and the second actuator 42 is disengaged from the boot frame-shaped toe portion of the cassette frame 32 and rotated and rotated counterclockwise by the action of the spring 45. doing. As a result, the sensor 43 obtains the same identification result as that shown in FIGS.

  In this way, the first actuator 41 that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the exterior cover 20, the second actuator 42 that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the paper feed cassette 30, and the displacement of these two actuators are And a single sensor 43 that detects that at least one of the state in which the exterior cover 20 is opened and the state in which the paper feed cassette 30 is pulled out has occurred. Is possible. Thereby, it can be reliably identified that either one of the exterior cover 20 or the paper feed cassette 30 is in a state that hinders the operation of the printer 1. Further, the detection sensor 43 can collect the displacements of both the exterior cover 20 and the paper feed cassette 30 into one. Therefore, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

  Further, one of the first actuator 41 and the second actuator 42 supports the other, and the sensor 43 is a second actuator which is a supported side of the movement in which the movements of both actuators are superimposed. Therefore, only the second actuator 42 is in contact with the hinge lever 43a, which is a part for detecting the movement of the actuator in the sensor 43. Thereby, since it is not necessary to use the large sensor 43, the structure can be made compact and the cost can be further reduced.

  The first actuator 41 is a slide member that slides with the opening and closing of the exterior cover 20, and the second actuator 42 is rotatably supported at the end of the first actuator 41 on the sensor 43 side to feed paper This is a rotating member that rotates together with the drawer / storage of the cassette 30. In this way, the sensor 43 detects the movement in which the movements of the two actuators are superimposed through the second actuator 42, and the two actuators perform different operations. It is easy to follow each of the displacements.

  The sensor 43 is not limited to the micro switch shown in the present embodiment, and other contact type sensors may be used. Further, a transmissive optical sensor such as a photo interrupter or an optical sensor such as a reflective optical sensor may be used.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used in an image forming apparatus provided with an openable / closable exterior cover that allows the internal structure of the main body to be exposed and a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out from the main body.

These are the model vertical cross-section side views which show the printer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an opening / closing operation of an exterior cover and a paper feed cassette of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing a schematic structure of a front portion of the printer shown in FIG. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing the front part of the printer similar to Fig. 3, and shows a state in which only the exterior cover is opened. Fig. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing the front part of the printer similar to Fig. 3, and shows a state in which only the paper feed cassette is pulled out. Fig. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view showing the front part of the printer similar to Fig. 3, and shows a state where both the exterior cover and the paper feed cassette are opened.

Explanation of symbols

1 Printer (image forming device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Main body 10 Vertical guide 11 Horizontal pin 20 Exterior cover 23 Engagement protrusion 30 Paper feed cassette 32 Cassette frame 32a Support surface 40 Opening / closing detection means 41 1st actuator 41a Elongate hole 41b Connection part 42 2nd actuator 42a Support part 43 Sensor 43a Hinge lever

Claims (3)

For jam processing, toner cartridge replacement, and maintenance work, an openable and closable exterior cover that allows the internal structure of the main body to be exposed, a paper feed cassette that stacks and stores paper and can be pulled out from the main body, In an image forming apparatus comprising an exterior cover and an opening detection means for detecting the opening of the paper feed cassette,
The opening detection means detects a first actuator that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the exterior cover, a second actuator that is displaced in conjunction with the displacement of the paper feed cassette, and the displacement of these two actuators. A sensor that can detect that at least one of the state in which the exterior cover is open and the state in which the paper feed cassette is pulled out has occurred. A featured image forming apparatus.   One of the first actuator and the second actuator supports the other, and the sensor detects a motion in which the motions of both actuators are superimposed through the supported actuator. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The first actuator is a slide member that slides with the opening and closing of the exterior cover, and the second actuator is rotatably supported at the sensor-side end of the first actuator, and the drawer of the paper feed cassette is pulled out The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a rotating member that rotates together with storage.

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