JP2007052276A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing the rupture of components caused by forcibly turning the operation lever of a draw-out unit in advance. <P>SOLUTION: A copying device is equipped with: a main body 100; and the draw-out unit 500 provided inside the main body 100, holding a plurality of components and acting to freely slide to/from the main body 100. The draw-out unit 500 has: the operation lever 502 fixing the draw-out unit 500 in the main body 100 by performing turning action; a lock member restraining the turning action of the supporting shaft of the operation lever 502 when the draw-out unit 500 is drawn out from the main body 100; and a warning display member 510 having a warning display part, fixed on the supporting shaft and turning with the turning operation of the supporting shaft. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a full-color image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a fax machine, which has a drawer unit that holds a plurality of units and mechanical parts and operates slidably back and forth with respect to a main body by a slide rail. .

Conventionally, as a means to improve operability when removing remaining paper in the case of paper jam that has occurred in the transfer paper transport path of an electrophotographic apparatus, a unit related to transfer paper transport is provided with a slide mechanism and pulled out to the front. There are ways to improve visibility and accessibility.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-45538 (page 19, FIG. 22)

  However, in the conventional electrophotographic apparatus, as the number of drawer units increases and the drawer unit becomes larger, the drawer operation force tends to increase accordingly. Moreover, the fitting mechanism at the time of attachment / detachment tends to be complicated. In particular, when a fitting problem occurs when the drawer unit is set, there may be a problem such as a component being damaged by trying to force it even though the operating lever is not operable.

  The present invention provides a mechanism for discriminating such an abnormal state, and prevents damage to components and realizes improvement in usability.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a main body and a drawer unit that is provided inside the main body and holds a plurality of components and operates slidably with respect to the main body, and the drawer unit is rotated. An operation lever for fixing the drawer unit with respect to the main body, a lock member for suppressing the rotation of the support shaft of the operation lever when the drawer unit is pulled out from the main body, and a warning display section. And a warning display member that is fixed to the support shaft and rotates together with the rotation operation of the support shaft.

  With this configuration, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can notify the user by the warning display section that the operation lever is locked when the operation lever is locked and cannot be rotated. Since it can be recognized, component destruction can be prevented in advance.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, when the drawer unit is deformed by rotating the support shaft in a state where the rotation operation of the support shaft is suppressed by the lock member, the warning display unit It has the structure provided with the housing | casing cover in which the small window was formed in the position which can be visually recognized.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the small window is configured such that the support shaft is operated with an operation force equal to or less than a breaking strength of the component of the drawer unit in a state where the rotation operation of the support shaft is suppressed by the lock member. It has a configuration in which the warning display portion is formed at a position where it can be visually recognized when it is rotated and deformed.

  According to the present invention, when the operation lever is locked and cannot be rotated, even if it is forcibly turned by mistake, the user can recognize that it is forcibly turned by a warning display. Can be prevented in advance.

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

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, which is a tandem indirect transfer type electrophotographic apparatus as an image forming apparatus.

  In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes a main body, 200 denotes a paper feed table on which the main body 100 is placed, 300 denotes a scanner attached on the main body 100, and 400 denotes an automatic document feeder (ADF) attached to the scanner 300.

  The main body 100 is provided with an endless belt-like intermediate transfer member 10 in the center. In the illustrated example, the intermediate transfer member 10 is wound around three support rollers 14, 15, and 16 so as to be able to rotate and convey clockwise in the drawing.

  In the illustrated example, an intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 that removes residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after image transfer is provided to the left of the second support roller 15 among the three support rollers 14, 15, 16.

  Further, on the intermediate transfer member 10 that is stretched between the first support roller 14 and the second support roller 15 among the three support rollers 14, 15, and 16, along the conveyance direction of the intermediate transfer member 10. The yellow image forming unit 18Y, the cyan image forming unit 18C, the magenta image forming unit 18M, and the black image forming unit 18K are arranged side by side to constitute the tandem image forming apparatus 20.

  An exposure device 21 is further provided on the tandem image forming apparatus 20 as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, a secondary transfer device 22 is provided on the side opposite to the tandem image forming apparatus 20 with the intermediate transfer body 10 interposed therebetween. In the illustrated example, the secondary transfer device 22 is configured by spanning a secondary transfer belt 24, which is an endless belt, between two rollers 23, and is pressed against the third support roller 16 via the intermediate transfer body 10. The image on the intermediate transfer body 10 is transferred to a sheet.

  A fixing device 25 for fixing the transfer image on the sheet is provided beside the secondary transfer device 22. The fixing device 25 is configured by pressing a pressure roller 27 against a fixing belt 26 that is an endless belt.

  The secondary transfer device 22 described above is also provided with a sheet transport function for transporting the image-transferred sheet to the fixing device 25. Of course, a transfer roller or a non-contact charger may be arranged as the secondary transfer device 22, and when a transfer roller or a non-contact charger is arranged as the secondary transfer device 22, this sheet conveyance function is also provided. Becomes difficult.

  In the illustrated example, under such a secondary transfer device 22 and a fixing device 25, a sheet reversing device 28 for reversing the sheet so as to record images on both sides of the sheet in parallel with the tandem image forming device 20 described above. Is provided.

  Now, when making a copy using this color electrophotographic apparatus, a document is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400. Alternatively, the automatic document feeder 400 is opened, a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300, and the automatic document feeder 400 is closed and pressed by it.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, when the document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32, and then the document is set on the other contact glass 32. At that time, the scanner 300 is immediately driven to travel the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34. Then, the first traveling body 33 emits light from the light source and further reflects the reflected light from the document surface toward the second traveling body 34, and is reflected by the mirror of the second traveling body 34 and passes through the imaging lens 35. The document is placed in the reading sensor 36 and the original content is read.

  When a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the support rollers 14, 15 and 16 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), the other two support rollers are driven to rotate, and the intermediate transfer body 10 is rotated and conveyed. To do. At the same time, the image forming units 18Y, 18C, 18M, and 18K rotate the photoreceptors 40 to form yellow, cyan, magenta, and black monochrome images on the photoreceptors 40, respectively. Then, along with the conveyance of the intermediate transfer member 10, the single color images are sequentially transferred to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10.

  On the other hand, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed, one of the paper feed rollers 42 of the paper feed table 200 is selectively rotated, the sheet is fed out from one of the paper cassettes 44 provided in the paper bank 43 in multiple stages, and the separation roller 45 Are separated one by one into the paper feed path 46, transported by the transport roller 47, guided to the paper feed path 48 in the main body 100, abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.

  Alternatively, the sheet feed roller 50 is rotated to feed out the sheets on the manual feed tray 51, separated one by one by the separation roller 52, put into the manual feed path 53, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped.

  Then, the registration roller 49 is rotated in synchronization with the composite color image on the intermediate transfer member 10, the sheet is fed between the intermediate transfer member 10 and the secondary transfer device 22, and transferred by the secondary transfer device 22. A color image is recorded on the sheet.

  The image-transferred sheet is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 22 and sent to the fixing device 25. The fixing device 25 applies heat and pressure to fix the transferred image, and then the switching roller 55 is used to switch the discharge roller. The paper is discharged at 56 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 57. Alternatively, it is switched by the switching claw 55 and put into the sheet reversing device 28, where it is reversed and guided again to the transfer position, and an image is recorded also on the back surface, and then discharged onto the discharge tray 57 by the discharge roller 56.

  On the other hand, the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer is removed by the intermediate transfer body cleaning device 17 to remove residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer body 10 after the image transfer, so that the tandem image forming apparatus 20 can prepare for another image formation.

  Here, the registration roller 49 is generally used while being grounded, but it is also possible to apply a bias for removing paper dust from the sheet.

  Next, the configuration of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus will be described. In FIG. 2, the drawer unit 500 is provided so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 100 by a right slide rail 501 and a left slide rail (not shown). The drawer unit 500 includes a registration roller pair 49 (see FIG. 1), a secondary transfer device 22 (see FIG. 1), a transport device 24 (see FIG. 1), a fixing device 25 (see FIG. 1), and a switching claw. 55 (see FIG. 1) or the like is provided, and a transfer paper transport path is exposed by pulling out the drawer unit 500. In addition, an operation lever 502 used when the drawer unit 500 is attached and detached is provided at substantially the center of the drawer unit.

  When the drawer unit 500 is set in the main body 100, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fitting holes 504a and 504b provided in the drawer unit front side plate 504 and the fitting pins 101a and 101b provided in the main body front side plate 102 are provided. And a fitting hole (not shown) provided in the drawer unit rear plate 505 (see FIG. 5) and a fitting pin (see FIG. 6) provided in the main body rear plate 103 (see FIG. 6). (Not shown) and are positioned. Further, the positioning of the drawer unit 500 in the set direction is performed by abutting against the fitting pins 101a and 101b provided on the front plate 102 on the main body and the stepped portions of the fitting pins provided on the rear plate on the main body.

  Next, the operation lever 502 of the drawer unit 500 will be described. In FIG. 5, the support shaft 503 of the operation lever 502 is provided so that the drawer unit front plate 504 and the drawer unit rear plate 505 communicate with each other, and the positioning member 506 provided at the rear end is as shown in FIG. The rollers 506a and 506b of the positioning member 506 are inserted into the main body rear side plate 103 by the rotation of the support shaft 503 as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. The main body 100 and the drawer unit 500 are fixed with respect to the attaching / detaching direction. A warning display member 510 is provided in the vicinity of the operation lever 502 and is fixed so as to operate integrally with the rotation operation of the operation lever 502. At the tip of the warning display member 510, there is a warning display portion 510a.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a lock member 507 is provided in the vicinity of the rollers 506a and 506b of the support shaft 503. When the drawer unit 500 is pulled out from the main body 100, the claw 503a provided on the support shaft 503 is locked. The rotation of the support shaft 503 is suppressed by fitting into the groove 507 a formed in the member 507. Further, the lock member 507 is pushed into the main body rear side plate 103 (see FIG. 6) in conjunction with the operation of setting the drawer unit 500 to the main body 100, whereby the claw 503a of the support shaft 503, the groove 507a of the lock member 507, Is released, and the support shaft 503 becomes rotatable.

  Next, the display mechanism of the warning display member 510 of the drawer unit will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the drawer unit 500 is pulled out from the main body 100 (see FIG. 2), the operation lever 502 and the warning display member 510 are in the posture as shown in FIG. Further, the lock member 507 (see FIG. 7) is functioning and cannot be operated. However, if the user accidentally turns the operation lever 502 forcibly, the support shaft 503 is twisted, and the operation lever 502 and the warning display member 510 rotate by a certain angle. In the actual product, as shown in FIG. 9, the warning display member 510 is covered with a housing cover 511 provided with a small window 511a. The positional relationship is set so that the warning display section 510a appears through the small window 511a as shown in FIG.

  The small window 511a is deformed when the support shaft 503 is rotated and operated with an operation force equal to or less than the breaking strength of the components of the drawer unit 500 in a state where the rotation operation of the support shaft 503 is suppressed by the lock member 507. The warning display part 510a of the warning display member 510 is formed at a position where it can be visually recognized.

1 is a side view of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a part of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a part of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a portion different from the portion shown in FIG. 3 of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. A perspective view of a part of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. (A) Front view of positioning member and main body rear plate before positioning member of electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 fitted to main body rear side plate (b) Positioning member of electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. Side view of positioning member and main body rear plate before fitting (c) Side view of positioning member and main body rear plate when positioning member of electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is fitted to main body rear plate 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a positioning member of a drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a warning display member of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the vicinity of a housing cover of a drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a top view of the vicinity of the housing cover of the drawer unit of the electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Main body 500 Drawer unit 502 Operation lever 503 Support shaft 507 Lock member 510 Warning display member 510a Warning display part 511 Case cover 511a Small window

Claims (3)

A main body, and a drawer unit that is provided inside the main body and holds a plurality of components and operates slidably with respect to the main body;
The drawer unit is operated to rotate, and an operation lever that fixes the drawer unit to the main body, and a lock that suppresses the rotational operation of the support shaft of the operation lever when the drawer unit is pulled out from the main body. An image forming apparatus comprising: a member; and a warning display member that has a warning display portion, is fixed to the support shaft, and rotates with the rotation of the support shaft. In the drawer unit, a small window is formed at a position where the warning display portion can be visually recognized when the support shaft is rotated and deformed in a state where the rotation operation of the support shaft is suppressed by the lock member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a housing cover. The small window is deformed when the support shaft is rotated and deformed with an operation force equal to or less than a breaking strength of a component of the drawer unit in a state where the rotation operation of the support shaft is suppressed by the lock member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the warning display unit is formed at a visually recognizable position.

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