JP2005255298A - Image-forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain an increase in the size of a device itself, to secure the easiness of the exchange work of a sheet storage unit, and to improve the degree of freedom of the installation posture of the device itself. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of roll paper storage units 20 is arranged opposingly in a device body 11 and can be withdrawn in opposite directions each other from the device body 11 regarding an image-forming device 10 for transferring an image to pull-out paper R0 by performing prescribed image formation processing to the pull-out paper R0 withdrawn from the roll paper R fitted to the roll paper storage unit 20 that is subjected to interior decoration to the device body 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to perform a predetermined image forming process on a sheet fed from a sheet storage unit built in the apparatus main body, thereby transferring an image onto the sheet.

  Conventionally, an image forming apparatus as described in Patent Document 1 is known. This image forming apparatus has a roll paper feed cassette mounted in a plurality of stages in the apparatus main body, and performs a predetermined transfer process based on image information on the roll paper drawn from the paper feed cassette. Thus, an image is formed on the roll paper.

  Each of the paper feed cassettes is detachably attached to the apparatus main body from one side of the apparatus main body. Therefore, in the case where small items, fixtures, etc. are arranged on one side, these equipment etc. Prevents the paper cassette from being pulled out of the apparatus body, and roll paper cannot be replaced. In order to eliminate such inconvenience, the apparatus main body is installed so that one side surface thereof is directed away from the side on which the equipment is present, but in this way, the operation panel may deviate from the front of the operator. A new problem is raised that the degree of freedom of installation posture becomes narrow, such as poor usability.

In order to eliminate such inconvenience, Patent Document 2 proposes a paper feed cassette that can be pulled out toward both sides of one side of the apparatus main body and the other side facing the one side. By adopting such a method, when equipment or the like is arranged on one side of the apparatus main body, the sheet feeding cassette may be pulled out from the other side, thereby improving the degree of freedom of apparatus installation.
JP-A-9-106124 Japanese Patent No. 3451462

  However, in Patent Document 2, as the number of stages of a plurality of paper feed cassettes increases, the height of the apparatus main body increases accordingly, and the upper surface of the apparatus main body on which the operation panel and the document feed unit are provided becomes larger. Since it becomes a high position, the inconvenience that operativity falls arises.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and while suppressing the enlargement of the apparatus main body, the ease of replacement work of the paper storage unit is ensured and the degree of freedom of the installation posture of the apparatus main body is improved. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus for transferring an image onto a sheet fed from a sheet storing unit built in the apparatus body, the sheet storing is performed. The unit is configured such that a pair of the units are disposed opposite to each other in the apparatus main body and can be pulled out in the opposite directions from the apparatus main body.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to mount a paper storage unit twice the set number of stages in the apparatus main body, thereby suppressing an increase in the size of the image forming apparatus and various sizes and a larger amount of paper. Can be mounted in the apparatus main body.

  In addition, since the paper storage unit can be pulled out from the apparatus main body in opposite directions, if there is a foreign object such as equipment or small items on one drawer side of the paper storage unit arranged oppositely, The paper storage unit on the other drawer side can be used, thereby ensuring the ease of replacing the paper storage unit and setting the installation posture of the apparatus main body without being affected by the presence of foreign matter. Therefore, the degree of freedom in setting the installation posture of the image forming apparatus is improved.

  According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the paper is a roll paper.

  By adopting such a configuration, the same effects as those of the first aspect can be obtained for the image forming apparatus for roll paper.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, each paper storage unit is provided with a lead-out port for leading the paper upward on the opposite surface, while the inside of the main body of the apparatus. The sheet storage unit is opposed to each outlet in a state in which each sheet storage unit is pushed into the apparatus main body, and has a wide sheet inlet for guiding the sheet led out from each outlet to a predetermined sheet transport path. Is provided.

  By adopting such a configuration, in a state where each paper sheet storage unit is pushed into the apparatus main body, the paper led out from one of the paper storage units via the outlet port is provided in the paper transport path. Thus, the sheet is reliably captured by the wide receiving port and heads toward the sheet conveyance path.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the paper storage unit includes a housing including a support roller that supports the roll paper, and a drive that drives the support roller around a roller center. The housing is supported so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by a guide rail laid so as to cross the apparatus main body in the front-rear direction. is there.

  According to such a configuration, the roll paper is pivotally supported by the support roller of the housing of the paper storage unit so that the roll paper is mounted on the housing so as to be rotatable around the roller core, and is supported by driving of the drive system. The sheet is fed toward the image forming position by driving rotation around the roller center of the roller. Since the casing on which the roll paper is mounted is supported so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by guide rails laid so as to cross the inside of the apparatus main body in the front-rear direction, The insertion / removal operation with respect to the main body becomes easy.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the casing of the casing is inserted into the apparatus body in a state where the casing is pushed into a predetermined storage position in the apparatus body. A stopper that partially stops and a holding pin that holds the housing state at the housing position of the housing are provided, and the housing is engaged with the holding pin and released to release the engagement. An engagement member that changes the posture between the postures is provided.

  If such a configuration is adopted, the casing pushed into the apparatus main body is restricted by a stopper provided in the apparatus main body, so that overrun is prevented and is stored in a predetermined storage position. Then, the engagement member is engaged with the holding pin by setting the engagement member to the engagement posture in a state in which the housing is housed in the apparatus main body, whereby the housing state of the housing in the apparatus main body is obtained. On the other hand, the housing can be pulled out from the apparatus main body by releasing the engagement of the engagement member with the holding pin by operating the engagement member.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the pair of paper storage units are arranged opposite to each other in the apparatus main body, it becomes possible to mount the paper storage units twice the set number of stages in the apparatus main body. As a result, the size of the image forming apparatus can be suppressed, and various sizes and a larger amount of paper can be mounted in the apparatus main body, and the image forming apparatus can be made compact.

  Further, since the paper storage unit can be pulled out from the apparatus body in opposite directions, even if it becomes difficult to pull out one paper storage unit due to various reasons, the paper storage unit on the other drawer side is used. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to set the installation posture of the main body of the apparatus without being affected by the presence of foreign matter while ensuring the ease of paper replacement work, improving the freedom of setting the installation posture of the image forming apparatus. Can be made.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since roll paper is adopted as the paper, the roll paper is bulky in the vertical direction as compared with the sheet, and thus the vertical dimension of the apparatus main body tends to be excessive. However, it is possible to effectively suppress an excessive increase in the apparatus body by arranging the pair of sheet storage units to face each other at the same height level in the apparatus body.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the sheet led out from any one of the sheet storage units via the outlet port in a state where each sheet storage unit is pushed into the apparatus main body is transferred to the sheet conveyance path. Since it is captured by the wide receiving port provided, regardless of which paper storage unit is selected for image formation, the paper loaded in the paper storage unit can be reliably directed to the paper transport path. it can.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the roll paper is pivotally supported by the support roller of the housing of the paper storage unit so that the roll paper is mounted on the housing so as to be rotatable around the roller center. Since the sheet is fed toward the image forming position by the driving rotation around the roller center of the support roller by driving, the roll paper can be reliably fed to the image forming position.

  In addition, since the casing with the roll paper is moved forward and backward while being guided by guide rails laid so as to cross the apparatus main body in the front-rear direction, it is easy to insert and remove the casing from the apparatus main body. It can be carried out.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the casing pushed into the apparatus main body is restricted by a stopper provided in the apparatus main body, so that overrun is prevented and stored in a predetermined storage position. When the engagement member is set to the engagement posture in the state of being accommodated in the main body, the engagement member is engaged with the holding pin, whereby the housing state of the housing with respect to the apparatus main body is maintained. Since the engagement member can be pulled out of the apparatus main body by releasing the engagement of the engagement member with the holding pin, the complete housing state of the housing with respect to the apparatus main body can be ensured. Locking and unlocking can be performed reliably.

  In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described by taking a copying machine of a type using roll paper as transfer paper as an example. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional explanatory views for explaining the outline of the internal structure. FIG. 2 shows that both of the pair of roll paper storage units 20 at the upper position 191 are in the apparatus main body 11. FIG. 3 shows a state in which both of the pair of roll paper storage units 20 are pulled out from the apparatus main body 11. In these drawings, the XX direction is referred to as the width direction, the YY direction is referred to as the front-rear direction, and in particular, the -X direction is referred to as the left, the + X direction is referred to as the right, the -Y direction is referred to as the rear, and the + Y direction is referred to as the front. .

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes an apparatus main body 11 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width dimension longer than a front-rear dimension and a height dimension of approximately 1 m. Various devices for image formation are mounted in the apparatus main body 11. The apparatus main body 11 is provided with a document feed tray 12 slightly shorter than the width dimension and elongated in the width direction at the rear portion of the upper surface thereof, and a transfer process is performed immediately below the document feed tray 12. A long paper discharge port 13 is provided in the width direction in which the opening for discharging the drawer paper R0 (paper) is directed rearward.

  Further, a sheet receiving portion 14 that is opened and closed by a double door is provided in front of the lower position of the paper discharge outlet 13 in the apparatus main body 11. The sheet receiving portion 14 is provided integrally with each front plate 141 and a pair of front plates 141 in the width direction that covers the front surface of the apparatus main body 11, and the upper and lower sides corresponding to the respective widthwise edges of the front surface of the apparatus main body 11. The sheet discharge box 140 is formed between the apparatus main body 11 and the front panel 141. The sheet discharge box 140 is formed between the apparatus main body 11 and the front panel 141 by closing each front panel 141. It has become.

  The front plate 141 has an upper edge that is curved forward, thereby facilitating reception of the drawn paper R0 that is discharged from above due to the enlargement of the upper opening of the discharge box 140. By opening the sheet receiving portion 14, a roll paper R (FIG. 2) described later loaded in the apparatus main body 11 can be replaced.

  A double door opening / closing door 15 is provided between the paper discharge port 13 and the paper receiving portion 14. Then, by opening the opening / closing door 15, a unit on which various devices are mounted can be pulled out. By opening the open / close door 15 and pulling the unit forward from the apparatus main body 11, maintenance work of various devices mounted on the unit can be easily performed.

  Further, a cover body 16 that covers the fed document P is provided at a position behind the document feed tray 12, and a document reading unit 17 described later is provided in the cover body 16. The document P fed from the document feed tray 12 to the document reading unit 17 is ejected by sliding on the rear upper surface of the apparatus main body 11.

  Hereinafter, the outline of the internal structure of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a document reading unit 17 formed on the upper surface position of the apparatus main body 11, an image forming unit 18 provided immediately below the document reading unit 17 in the apparatus main body 11, It has a basic configuration including a roll paper storage unit 19 set at a position below the image forming unit 18.

  The document reading unit 17 includes a pair of feed rollers 171 in the front-rear direction that are vertically opposed across the cover body 16 and the apparatus main body 11, and the cover body 16 between the pair of feed roller pairs 171. A document pressing roller 172 that presses the document P toward the contact glass 173 provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 11 and an optical system unit 174 provided immediately below the contact glass 173. It is prepared for.

  The optical system unit 174 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown). The optical system unit 174 emits light from the light source of the light emitting unit toward the document surface of the document P through the contact glass 173 and from the document surface. The reflected light is received by a CCD (charge coupled device) provided in the light receiving section. The analog image information of the original P received by the CCD is converted into digital data, stored in the storage device 175, and output to the image forming unit 18 as necessary.

  The image forming unit 18 has a photosensitive drum 181 that is long in the width direction (a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. 2) rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, and a rotational direction around the photosensitive drum 181. A cleaning device 182, a charging unit 183, an exposure unit 184, and a developing device 185 that are sequentially arranged from the upstream side, and a fixing device 186 provided in front of the cleaning device 182 are provided.

  The cleaning device 182 is for removing residual toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181 to clean the peripheral surface, and preparing the photosensitive drum 181 for the next transfer process. The charging unit 183 supplies electric charges to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181 cleaned by the cleaning device 182, thereby charging the peripheral surface uniformly.

  The exposure unit 184 irradiates laser light toward the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 181 that is uniformly charged based on the image information stored in the storage device 175. By this laser light irradiation, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181.

  The developing device 185 supplies toner toward the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed. By supplying the toner, a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181. This toner image is transferred to the drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R of the roll paper storage unit 19 by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 181 in the counterclockwise direction.

  The fixing device 186 performs a fixing process on the toner image of the drawn paper R0 that has been transferred by the photosensitive drum 181 and is arranged to face the heating roller 186a and below the heating roller 186a. And a pressure roller 186b. The drawn paper R0 is heated by the heating roller 186a while passing between the rollers 186a and 186b, and the toner image is fixed on the paper surface of the drawn paper R0 by melting the toner. ing. Then, the drawn paper R0 subjected to the fixing process by the fixing device 186 is discharged to the outside through the paper discharge port 13 provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 11 and received by the paper discharge box 140. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the heating roller 186a and the pressure roller 186b also play a role of pulling out the drawer paper R0 from the roll paper R together with a later-described transport roller pair 194 by pressing and holding the drawer paper R0 while rotating. . That is, the heating and pressure rollers 186a and 186b and the conveying roller pair 194 are provided with a function of pulling out the drawing paper R0 from the roll paper R with the assistance of a driving mechanism (driving system) 40 described later.

  The roll paper storage unit 19 is a part that stores the roll paper R to be transferred, and is set at a position below the image forming unit 18 in the apparatus main body 11. The roll paper storage unit 19 includes a roll paper storage unit 20 on which the roll paper R is mounted. In this embodiment, the roll paper storage unit 19 is formed in two upper and lower stages, and two roll paper storage units 20 are detachably attached to the apparatus main body 11 at the upper stage position 191, and the lower stage At the position 192, one roll paper storage unit 20 is detachably mounted.

  Of the two roll paper storage units 20 mounted at the upper position 191 of the roll paper storage unit 19, the one on the front side (to the right of the paper surface of FIG. 2) faces forward, as shown in FIG. The rear side can be pulled out and can be pulled out rearward as shown in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the roll paper storage unit 20 mounted at the lower position 192 is used preliminarily when the roll paper R at the upper position 191 is exhausted, and one unit is provided at the lower position 192. However, the number is not limited to one, and two may be mounted in the same manner as the upper position 191.

  In a state where both of the two roll paper storage units 20 at the upper position 191 are stored in the apparatus main body 11, the front (right side in FIG. 2) roll paper storage unit 20 is completely in the apparatus main body 11. In contrast, the rear roll paper storage unit 20 is in a state in which approximately half of the rear roll paper storage unit 20 protrudes from the apparatus main body 11 to the outside. However, this is because the thickness dimension before and after the apparatus main body 11 is shorter than the length dimension of two roll paper storage units 20, and the thickness of the apparatus main body 11 is set to two roll paper storage units 20. Alternatively, by setting the front and rear dimensions of the roll paper storage unit 20 to be short, the roll paper storage unit 20 in the stored state can be prevented from protruding from the apparatus main body 11.

  As for the roll paper R mounted on each of the roll paper storage units 20, a selected one of the two roll papers is pulled out, and the paper roll R extends upward from the contact position of the front and rear roll paper storage units 20. Then, the toner image is supplied to the lower peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181, and here, the transfer process of the toner image formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 181 to the drawing paper R 0 is executed.

  A predetermined set of transport roller pairs 194 is provided in the transport path 193, and the drawn paper R 0 drawn from the roll paper R is sent toward the photosensitive drum 181 by the drive rotation of the transport roller pair 194. It has become. A cutter 195 for cutting the drawn paper R0 with a predetermined length set in advance is provided at an appropriate position on the transport path 193.

  Then, the drawn paper R0 that has reached a predetermined drawn length is cut over the entire length in the width direction by the cutter 195, and thereafter becomes a sheet and is subjected to a transfer process by the photosensitive drum 181 and then the fixing device 186. Then, the fixing process is performed, and the paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 13 to the paper discharge box 140.

  Further, at the lower end portion of the conveyance path 193, each roll paper storage unit 20 faces the paper outlet port 203 of the roll paper storage unit 20 in a state where the roll paper storage unit 20 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11, and each paper outlet port 203. A wide paper receiving port 196 for guiding the drawn paper R0 derived from the paper to the transport path 193 is provided, and in this state, each roll paper storage unit 20 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11, and either one of the roll paper storages is stored. The roll paper R led out from the unit 20 through the paper lead-out port 203 is surely captured by the wide paper inlet 196 and goes to the paper conveyance path.

  FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a pair of roll paper storage units 20 mounted at the upper position 191, and FIG. 5 shows the roll paper R mounted on the front roll paper storage unit 20. It is a perspective view which shows the state made. 6 is a cross-sectional view in a side view showing a state in which the roll paper R is mounted on the rear roll paper storage unit 20, and FIG. 7 is a holding member for explaining an embodiment of the drive mechanism 40. It is sectional drawing of a side view. In these drawings, the direction indications indicated by X and Y are the same as those in FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the roll paper storage unit 20 moves forward and backward while being guided by a pair of guide rails 21 extending in the front-rear direction disposed opposite to the pair of side walls in the width direction of the apparatus main body 11 (FIG. 2). Thus, the position can be changed between the storage position stored in the apparatus main body 11 and the drawing position extracted from the apparatus main body 11 to the outside. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the front roll paper storage unit 20 is set at the storage position, and the rear roll paper storage unit 20 is set at the drawer position.

  The roll paper storage unit 20 includes a holding member 30 that holds the cylindrical core material R1 (FIG. 5) of the roll paper R in a casing 201 that has a rectangular shape in plan view, and a cylinder that is held by the holding member 30. The drive mechanism 40 (FIG. 7) that rotates the core material R1 around the cylinder center and the roll support cylinder 50 (FIG. 5) that supports the roll paper R are mounted.

  The casing 201 includes a pair of sliders 22 in the width direction that are slidably mounted on the guide rails 21, a pair of side plates 23 in the width direction fixed to the opposing surfaces of the pair of sliders 22, and a pair of the sliders 22. A lower guide plate 24 (FIG. 6) installed between the side plates 23, and an upper guide plate 25 installed between the pair of side plates 23 on the upper side of the lower guide plate 24 and disposed opposite to the lower guide plate 24. And a bottom plate 202 connected to the lower guide plate 24.

  Further, the holding member 30 is attached to each side plate 23 on the upstream side of the guide plates 24 and 25 (the front side in the case of the front roll paper storage unit 20 and the rear side in the case of the rear roll paper storage unit 20). Opposed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the slider 22 is formed such that the upper and lower edges are folded outwardly in contact with the opposing surfaces of the guide rails 21. On the other hand, it can slide back and forth in the state of being prevented from coming off. The guide plates 24 and 25 are installed between the pair of side plates 23, and a pair of front and rear tie rods 26 are installed. As a result, the housing 201 is guided through the slider 22 in a stable state. 21 can be moved forward and backward in an integrated manner while being guided by 21.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lower guide plate 24 is further upstream on the downstream side of the side plate 23 (the rear side of the side plate 23 in the roll paper storage unit 20 on the front side shown in FIG. 6). The upper guide plate 25 is formed so as to be inclined, and is disposed above the lower guide plate 24 so as to face the lower guide plate 24 at a predetermined interval. The drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R is inserted into the roll paper passage gap 230 formed between the lower guide plate 24 and the upper guide plate 25.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the upper guide plate 25 includes an upstream upper guide plate 251 and a downstream upper guide plate 252 adjacent to the upstream upper guide plate 251 on the downstream side. On the downstream upper guide plate 252 side, an upper idler roller 231 is provided in the center between the pair of side plates 23, while on the lower guide plate 24 side, a lower idler facing the upper idler roller 231 is provided. A roller 232 is provided. The idle rollers 231 and 232 pass through the upstream upper guide plate 251 and the lower guide plate 24 and the peripheral surfaces thereof are in contact with each other, and the drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R is the idle roller 231. , 232 so as to move forward.

  Each roll paper storage unit 20 has a partition plate 27 as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 on the front end side (opposite surface side) of each housing 201 (in FIG. 4, for convenience of illustration, the rear side A partition plate 27 is not shown on the roll paper storage unit 20). The partition plate 27 is installed between the pair of side plates 23, and the vertical dimension is set so that the upper edge portion faces the opening opened before and after the lower end portion of the transport path 193. By providing the partition plate 27, the drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R (particularly, the drawn paper R0 from the roll paper R at the lower position 192) is guided to the partition plate 27 and smoothly fed into the transport path 193. Will be.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the roll support cylinder 50 includes a cylinder main body 51 on which the roll paper R is fitted, and a mounting ring 52 that is concentrically and detachably connected to both ends of the cylinder main body 51. Configured. The cylinder main body 51 is set to have an outer diameter dimension substantially the same as the inner diameter dimension of the cylindrical core material R1 of the roll paper R. By fitting the cylindrical core material R1 to the cylindrical main body 51, Although it rotates integrally around the cylinder center by the frictional force between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical core member R1 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body 51, it is in a sliding contact state when a force in the direction opposite to the rotational direction is applied to either one of them. It can be idle.

  The mounting ring 52 has a ring body 53 having an outer diameter dimension substantially the same as the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical core member R1, and a ring gear 54 having a slightly smaller diameter than the ring body 53 formed concentrically with the ring body 53. It is made up of. The ring gear 54 has an inner diameter dimension so that the cylinder body 51 is fitted so as to be integrally rotatable. Therefore, the roll paper R is attached to the roll support cylinder 50 by fitting the ring gears 54 to both ends of the cylinder main body 51 to which the cylindrical core material R1 is externally fitted.

  When the roll paper R is mounted on the roll support cylinder 50, the roll paper R and the roll support cylinder 50 are caused by the frictional force between the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder main body 51 and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical core member R1. In principle, it rotates integrally around the cylinder center. For example, while the rotation speed of the roll support cylinder 50 is constant, the rotation speed of the roll paper R increases (that is, the amount of the drawn paper R0 is pulled out). As the diameter increases, the diameter of the roll paper R gradually decreases, whereby the rotation speed of the roll paper R gradually increases), and the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder main body 51 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical core member R1 slip. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the holding member 30 is provided on the bottom plate 202 at a position slightly spaced from the side plates 23, and is provided above the pair of tie rods 26 in parallel with the side plates 23. Each holding member 30 includes a pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 that are parallel to each other and a predetermined number of support rollers 32 that are interposed between the cylindrical body holding plates 31 and support the ring body 53.

  Each cylindrical body holding plate 31 has a semicircular cut formed by being cut away from the upper edge portion, with the mutual separation dimension being set slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the ring body 53 (FIG. 5). A notch 33 is provided. These semi-circular cutout portions 33 are set so that the radius of curvature is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ring main body 53, and the support roller 32 has a semicircular cut at a part of its peripheral surface. The pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 are disposed so as to face each other in the front-rear direction so as to protrude to the notch 33.

  Further, a cover plate 34 (FIG. 5) that covers the semicircular cutout 33 is attached to the outer surface of the pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 so as to cover the semicircular cutout. The ring body 53 attached to the portion 33 is prevented from coming off toward the outside. The ring body 53 is provided with a flange 531 (FIG. 5) formed concentrically with the ring body 53 on the outer surface side. The flange 531 has a formation position set so as to be located outside the pair of support rollers 32 in a state where the ring main body 53 is mounted on the holding member 30, and is thereby fitted in the semicircular notch 33. The ring body 53 is prevented from coming off inward.

  According to the configuration of the holding member 30, as shown in FIG. 5, the ring main body 53 is in a semicircular cutout portion 33 of the pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 in a state where the roll paper R is held by the holding member 30. Since the support roller 32 can rotate around the roller center, the roll support cylinder 50 can rotate around the cylinder center.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the drive mechanism 40 has a semicircular notch 33 between the cylinder holding plates 31 in one holding member 30 (the holding member 30 on the front left side in FIG. 7). Are formed at substantially lower positions.

  The drive mechanism 40 rotates the roll support cylinder 50 held by the holding member 30 around the cylinder center, and includes a drive gear 41 disposed between the pair of cylinder holding plates 31 and a first driven body. A gear 42, a first pulley 43, a second pulley 44, a third pulley 45, a second driven gear 46, a fourth pulley 47, an endless belt 48, and a third driven gear 49 are provided. Has been.

  The drive gear 41 is rotatably supported around a drive gear shaft 411 provided between a pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 at a lower front position of the holding member 30, and is provided in the apparatus main body 11. The drive motor rotates by driving the drive motor.

  The first driven gear 42 is rotatably supported by the front tie rod 26 and is rotated around the tie rod 26 by meshing with the drive gear 41. The first pulley 43 is pivotally supported by the front tie rod 26 so as to be rotatable integrally with the first driven gear 42, and the second pulley 44 is pivotally supported by the rear tie rod 26. Yes.

  The third pulley 45 is pivotally supported around the first support shaft 35 provided between the pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 at the upper rear portion of the second pulley 44. The second driven gear 46 is pivotally supported by the first support shaft 35 so as to be rotatable integrally with the third pulley 45.

  The fourth pulley 47 is rotatably supported around a second support shaft 36 provided between the pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 at a substantially intermediate position between the second pulley 44 and the rear support roller 32. ing.

  The endless belt 48 is stretched around the first pulley 43, the second pulley 44, the third pulley 45, and the fourth pulley 47. The first endless belt 48 is driven through the first driven gear 42 by the driving rotation of the driving gear 41. The pulley 43 rotates so as to circulate between the first pulley 43 and the third pulley 45 via the second pulley 44 and the fourth pulley 47.

  The third driven gear 49 is rotatably supported around a third support shaft 37 provided between the pair of cylindrical body holding plates 31 above the second driven gear 46. The position and size of the third driven gear 49 are set so as to mesh with both the second driven gear 46 and the ring gear 54 of the roll support cylinder 50.

  Therefore, in FIG. 7, when the drive gear 41 rotates counterclockwise around the drive gear shaft 411, this drive rotation is transmitted to the first driven gear 42 meshing with the drive gear 41 and the first gear. The driven gear 42 rotates clockwise around the front tie rod 26. The rotation of the first driven gear 42 is transmitted to the endless belt 48 via the first pulley 43, whereby the endless belt 48 circulates clockwise between the first driven gear 42 and the third pulley 45. Therefore, this rotation is transmitted to the second driven gear 46 via the third pulley 45, and the second driven gear 46 rotates around the first support shaft 35 in the clockwise direction. The rotation of the second driven gear 46 is transmitted to the third driven gear 49 meshing with the second driven gear 46, and the third driven gear 49 rotates about the third support shaft 37 in the counterclockwise direction. .

  Then, the counterclockwise rotation of the third driven gear 49 is transmitted to the ring gear 54 meshing with the third support shaft 37, and thereby the roll is supported by the clockwise rotation around the axis of the ring gear 54. The cylindrical body 50 rotates clockwise around the cylinder center, whereby the roll paper R that is externally fitted to the cylinder main body 51 via the cylindrical core member R1 rotates clockwise so that the transport roller pair 194 is rotated. Together with the synchronous rotation, the roll support cylinder 50 is pulled out from the position.

  Next, the lock structure 60 for the apparatus main body 11 (FIG. 2) of the roll paper storage unit 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are partially enlarged perspective views of a main part of the roll paper storage unit 20 for explaining the lock structure 60 for the apparatus main body 11 of the roll paper storage unit 20, and FIG. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the roll paper storage unit 20 is removed from the slider 22. FIG. 8 shows the roll paper storage unit 20 on the front side. Moreover, the direction display by X and Y in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is the same as that of FIG.

  As shown in these drawings, the lock structure 60 includes a unit-side locking projection 61 (FIG. 8) provided on the side plate 23 of the housing 201 and a paper discharge port 13 (FIG. 1, FIG. 2) in the apparatus main body 11. ) A device main body side protrusion (holding pin) 62 protruding from a nearby frame (not shown), a device main body side lock member 63 provided on the device main body 11 side corresponding to the unit side locking protrusion 61, A unit side lock member (engagement member) 64 provided on the side plate 23 of the housing 201 corresponding to the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 is provided.

  The unit-side locking projection 61 projects outward (leftward) from the lower front end position of the slider 22 on the side plate 23. On the other hand, the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 is positioned above the unit side locking protrusion 61 of the roll paper storage unit 20 in the drawn state in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 13 in a predetermined frame in the apparatus main body 11 (FIG. 8). ).

  The apparatus main body side locking member 63 engages and releases the unit side locking projection 61 and faces the unit side locking projection 61 in a state where the roll paper storage unit 20 is pulled out. In the position. The apparatus main body side lock member 63 includes a lock plate 632 pivotally supported around the apparatus main body side support shaft 631 fixed to the apparatus main body 11, and a front side of the lock plate 632 is bent outward. The operation piece 633 is formed by being formed. The operation piece 633 is for rotating the apparatus main body side lock member 63 around the apparatus main body side support shaft 631.

  A locking recess 634 formed by being cut out downward is provided at the center in the front-rear direction of the upper edge of the lock plate 632, and a rear portion of the locking recess 634 has a rear side. A guide slanted edge 635 is formed so as to point downward. The locking recess 634 and the guide inclined edge 635 are provided corresponding to the unit-side locking protrusion 61, and the unit-side locking protrusion 61 in the state where the roll paper storage unit 20 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 11 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, it fits into the locking recess 634.

  The apparatus main body side lock member 63 is maintained in a horizontal posture by a biasing force of a coil spring 636 mounted on the apparatus main body side support shaft 631. Therefore, when the casing 201 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 11, the unit side locking projection 61 interferes with the guide inclined edge 635 of the lock plate 632, and the lock plate 632 resists the biasing force of the coil spring 636. After rotating counterclockwise around the main body side support shaft 631, the lock plate 632 is rotated clockwise by the urging force of the coil spring 636 to fit into the locking recess 634 (FIG. 8). The drawer state of the unit 20 is locked.

  In order to release this lock, the operation piece 633 is operated upward. As a result, the lock plate 632 is turned counterclockwise around the apparatus main body side support shaft 631 to release the lock state of the unit side engagement protrusion 61 with respect to the engagement recess 634, whereby the casing 201 is moved into the apparatus main body 11. Can be pushed into.

  The unit-side lock member 64 performs locking and unlocking with respect to the device main body side protrusion 62 in a state where the housing 201 is pushed into the device main body 11, and the case 201 is pushed in. It is provided at a position facing the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 in the state. As shown in FIG. 9, the unit-side lock member 64 includes a lock plate 642 that is pivotally supported around a side plate-side support shaft 641 fixed to the upper front end of the side plate 23, and a front side of the lock plate 642. The operation piece 643 is formed by bending the side inward. The operation piece 643 is for rotating the unit side lock member 64 about the side plate side support shaft 641.

  A locking recess 644 formed by being cut out downward is provided at the center in the front-rear direction of the upper edge of the lock plate 642, and a rear portion of the locking recess 644 is provided rearwardly. A guide slanted edge 645 is formed so as to point downward. The locking concave portion 644 and the guide inclined edge 645 are provided corresponding to the apparatus main body side protrusion 62, and the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 is shown in FIG. 9 in a state where the roll paper storage unit 20 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11. As shown, it fits into the locking recess 644.

  The unit-side lock member 64 is maintained in a horizontal posture by an urging force of a coil spring (not shown) attached to the side plate side support shaft 641. Therefore, when the casing 201 is pushed toward the apparatus main body 11, the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 interferes with the guide inclined edge 645 of the lock plate 642, causing the lock plate 642 to resist the urging force of the coil spring. After rotating around the side support shaft 641 in the counterclockwise direction, the lock plate 642 is rotated in the clockwise direction by the biasing force of the coil spring and fitted into the locking recess 644 (FIG. 9). Is pushed into the apparatus main body 11.

  In order to release this lock, the operation piece 643 is operated upward. As a result, the lock plate 642 is turned counterclockwise around the side plate-side support shaft 641 to release the locked state of the apparatus main body side protrusion 62 with respect to the locking recess 644, and the roll paper storage unit 20 is thereby released from the apparatus main body 11. It can be pulled out.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the frame (not shown) in the apparatus main body 11 is provided with a stopper 65 for stopping the front edge of the side plate 23 in a state where the casing 201 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11. ing. In the present embodiment, a leaf spring bent in a U-shape is adopted as the stopper 65, and the impact when the housing 201 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11 with force is the elasticity of the stopper 65 made of this leaf spring. It is alleviated by deformation.

  As described in detail above, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment forms a predetermined image on the drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R mounted on the roll paper storage unit 20 built in the apparatus main body 11. By performing the processing, the image is transferred to the drawer paper R0. A pair of roll paper storage units 20 are arranged opposite to each other in the apparatus main body 11 and can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 11 in opposite directions. Therefore, it is possible to mount the roll paper storage unit 20 twice as many as the set number of stages in the apparatus main body 11, thereby suppressing an increase in the size of the image forming apparatus and increasing the number of types. A larger amount of roll paper R can be loaded in the apparatus main body 11.

  In addition, since the roll paper storage unit 20 can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 11 in opposite directions, foreign matters such as fixtures and small articles are present on one drawer side of the roll paper storage unit 20 arranged oppositely. In such a case, it is possible to use the roll paper storage unit 20 on the other drawer side, thereby ensuring the ease of replacing the roll paper storage unit 20 and being influenced by the presence of foreign matter. Therefore, it is possible to set the installation posture of the apparatus main body 11 and improve the degree of freedom of setting the installation posture of the image forming apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, the roll paper R is adopted as the paper stored in the roll paper storage unit 20. In particular, in the case of the roll paper R, the apparatus main body becomes bulky in the vertical direction as compared with the sheet. However, the roll paper storage unit 20 adopts the roll paper R by arranging a pair of roll paper storage units 20 to face each other at the same height level in the apparatus main body 11. Even if it is a thing, the excessive enlargement of the apparatus main body 11 can be suppressed effectively.

  Further, at the lower end portion of the conveyance path 193, each roll paper storage unit 20 faces the paper outlet port 203 of the roll paper storage unit 20 in a state where the roll paper storage unit 20 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11, and each paper outlet port 203. A wide paper receiving port 196 is provided for guiding the drawn paper R0 derived from the paper to the transport path 193. With this, each roll paper storage unit 20 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11, and either one of the roll paper storages is stored. Since the roll paper R led out from the unit 20 through the paper lead-out port 203 is surely captured by the wide paper inlet 196 and goes to the paper transport path, the image is transferred to the roll paper R. No matter which roll paper storage unit 20 is selected, the delivery paper R0 from the roll paper R loaded in the roll paper storage unit 20 is reliably conveyed. It can be directed to 93.

  In addition, the roll paper storage unit 20 includes a housing 201 including a pair of support rollers 32 that support the roll paper R, and a drive mechanism 40 that rotates the support rollers 32 around the roller center. Since the body 201 is supported so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by the guide rail 21 laid so as to cross the inside of the apparatus main body 11 in the front-rear direction, the roller of the support roller 32 driven by the drive mechanism 40 The roll paper R is rotated by the driving rotation around the center, whereby the drawn paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R is fed toward the image forming position. The casing 201 loaded with the roll paper R is supported so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by the guide rail 21 laid so as to cross the apparatus main body 11 in the front-rear direction. The insertion / removal operation of the body 201 with respect to the apparatus main body 11 can be easily performed.

  Further, the apparatus main body 11 is provided with a stopper 65 that stops the front edge of the side plate 23 of the casing 201 when the casing 201 is pushed into a predetermined storage position in the apparatus main body 11. The casing 201 pushed into the apparatus main body 11 is restrained by a stopper 65 provided in the apparatus main body 11 to prevent overrun, and is stored in a predetermined storage position. If the case 201 is employed, the impact when the casing 201 is pushed into the apparatus main body 11 is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the leaf spring, thereby effectively preventing the generation of noise and vibration.

  In addition, a predetermined frame in the apparatus main body 11 is provided with an apparatus main body side protrusion 62 that holds the storage state of the casing 201 at the storage position, while the side plate 23 of the casing 201 has an apparatus main body side. Since the unit-side lock member 64 that changes the posture between the engagement posture for engaging with the protrusion 62 and the release posture for releasing the engagement is provided, the housing 201 is stored in the apparatus main body 11. Then, by setting the unit side lock member 64 to the engagement posture, the unit side lock member 64 is engaged with the unit side locking projection 61, thereby ensuring the housing state of the housing 201 in the apparatus main body 11. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience that the casing 201 is pulled out naturally.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes the following contents.

  (1) In the above embodiment, the roll paper storage unit 19 is configured to store the roll paper R, but the present invention is limited to storing the roll paper R in the roll paper storage unit 19. However, the sheet may be configured to be stored.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the upper stage position 191 and the lower stage position 192 are set as the roll paper storage unit 19, and one roll paper storage unit 20 is attached to the lower stage position 192 as an auxiliary. In the present invention, one auxiliary roll paper storage unit 20 is not essential, and may not be particularly provided.

  (3) In the above embodiment, two roll paper storage units 20 that can be drawn back and forth are stored in series at the upper position 191 of the roll paper storage section 19, and one roll paper storage unit is stored at the lower position 192. 20, but instead of storing the two roll paper storage units 20 at the lower position 192, the two roll paper storage units 20 are stored in a plurality of stages (two stages, three stages). Alternatively, it may be 4 stages).

  (4) In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism 40 that makes it easy to pull out the drawn paper R0 by rotating the roll paper R stored in the roll paper storage unit 20 is provided on the apparatus main body 11 side. When a drawer mechanism that pulls the drawer paper R0 strongly is employed, the drive mechanism 40 does not have to be provided on the roll paper storage unit 20 side.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism 40 is configured to rotate the roll support cylinder 50 at a constant speed. Instead of this, the cumulative drawing amount of the drawing paper R0 in the image forming unit 18 is used. The rotational speed of the roll support cylinder 50 may be controlled so as to increase sequentially in proportion to. By doing so, the drawing speed of the drawing paper R0 drawn from the roll paper R and the moving speed of the drawing paper R0 transferred by the image forming unit 18 are always the same, so that the transfer process to the roll paper R is smoother. Is realized.

  (6) In the above embodiment, a leaf spring is adopted as the stopper 65, but the present invention is not limited to the stopper 65 being a leaf spring, and an elastic material such as rubber, a coil spring, etc. Any material having elasticity can be used as the stopper 65.

  (7) In the above embodiment, a sensor for detecting that the roll paper R loaded in the roll paper storage unit 20 has been consumed is provided, and the image forming unit 18 is informed based on the detection result of the sensor. You may comprise so that paper feeding may be switched from the other roll paper storage unit 20 in which the roll paper R exists. By doing so, even if there is no roll paper R in the roll paper storage unit 20 in use, it is automatically switched to another roll paper storage unit 20 and the image forming process is continued. There is no need to perform troublesome work such as interrupting the image forming process and supplying the roll paper R, and work efficiency can be improved accordingly.

1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram for explaining an outline of an internal structure of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, and shows a state in which any of a pair of roll paper storage units at an upper stage position is stored in the apparatus main body. . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram for explaining an outline of an internal structure of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1, and shows a state in which any of a pair of roll paper storage units at an upper position is pulled out from the apparatus main body. It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of a pair of roll paper storage unit with which the upper stage position was mounted | worn. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which roll paper was mounted | worn with the roll paper storage unit of the front. It is sectional drawing of the side view which shows the state by which roll paper was mounted | worn with the back roll paper storage unit. It is sectional drawing of the side view of the holding member for demonstrating one Embodiment of a drive mechanism. It is a partial expanded perspective view of the principal part of the roll paper storage unit for demonstrating the lock structure with respect to the apparatus main body of a roll paper storage unit, and has shown the state by which the roll paper storage unit was supported by the slider. It is a partial expanded perspective view of the principal part of the roll paper storage unit for demonstrating the lock structure with respect to the apparatus main body of a roll paper storage unit, and has shown the state from which the roll paper storage unit was removed from the slider.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 11 Apparatus main body 12 Document feed tray 13 Paper discharge port 14 Paper receiving part 140 Paper discharge box 141 Front plate 142 Side plate 15 Opening / closing door 16 Cover body 17 Document reading part 171 Feed roller pair 172 Document pressing roller 173 Contact Glass 174 Optical system unit 175 Storage device 18 Image forming unit 181 Photosensitive drum 182 Cleaning device 183 Charging unit 184 Exposure unit 185 Developing device 186 Fixing device 186a Heating roller 186b Pressure roller 19 Roll paper storage unit 191 Upper position 192 Lower position 193 Conveying path 194 Conveying roller pair 195 Cutter 196 Paper receiving port 20 Roll paper storing unit (paper storing unit)
201 Housing 202 Bottom plate 203 Paper outlet 21 Guide rail 22 Slider 23 Side plate 230 Roll paper passage gap 231 Upper idle roller 232 Lower idle roller 24 Lower guide plate 25 Upper guide plate 251 Upstream upper guide plate 252 Downstream upper guide plate 26 Tie rod 27 Partition plate 30 Holding member 31 Cylindrical holding plate 32 Support roller 33 Semicircular notch 34 Cover plate 35 First support shaft 36 Second support shaft 37 Third support shaft 40 Drive mechanism (drive system)
41 drive gear 411 drive gear shaft 42 first driven gear 43 first pulley 44 second pulley 45 third pulley 46 second driven gear 47 fourth pulley 48 endless belt 49 third driven gear 50 roll support cylinder 51 cylinder main body 52 Mounting ring 53 Ring body 531 Flange 54 Ring gear 60 Locking structure 61 Unit side locking projection 62 Device body side projection (holding pin)
63 Device body side lock member 631 Device body side support shaft 632 Lock plate 634 Locking recess 635 Guide inclined edge 64 Unit side lock member (engagement member)
641 Side plate side support shaft 642 Lock plate 643 Operation piece 645 Guide inclined edge P Original R Roll paper (paper)
R0 drawer paper R1 cylindrical core material

Claims (5)

In an image forming apparatus for transferring an image to a sheet by performing a predetermined image forming process on a sheet fed from a sheet storage unit built in the apparatus main body,
A pair of the sheet storage units are arranged opposite to each other in the apparatus main body, and are configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body in opposite directions.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper is roll paper.   Each sheet storage unit is provided with a lead-out port for leading the sheet upward on the opposite surface, while the sheet storage unit is pushed into the apparatus body in the apparatus body. 3. The image according to claim 1, wherein a wide paper inlet is provided to face each of the outlets and to guide the paper led out from each outlet to a predetermined paper transport path. Forming equipment.   The paper storage unit includes a housing including a support roller that supports the roll paper, and a drive system that drives the support roller around a roller center, and the housing moves forward and backward in the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is supported so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by a guide rail laid so as to cross.   The device main body has a stopper that stops a part of the housing when the housing is pushed into a predetermined storage position in the device main body, and a holding device that holds the housing state in the housing position. A pin is provided, and the housing is provided with an engagement member that changes an attitude between an engagement attitude that engages with the holding pin and a release attitude that releases the engagement. Item 5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.

Images