JP2007127846A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To not only secure the visibility of the screen of a control panel, but also make checking operability of a discharged paper excellent, in an in-body paper discharging type image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is provided with: an image forming section (1) forming image information on a paper; a scanner section (3) reading the image information and supplying it to the image forming section; supports (5 and 8) for supporting the scanner section with space on the upper side of an apparatus housing, to form a paper discharging section space on the image forming section; and a control panel (7) apposed to the scanner section on the side near an operator. The side edges of the control panel are supported by the supports, the control panel is rotated around a rotation supporting point by a rotating mechanism attached in the supports, to obtain an inclined angle with respect to the plane of the scanner section, and an opening is generated between the control panel and the scanner section when the control panel is inclined with respect to the plane of the scanner section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a fax machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions, and more particularly to a wingless type image forming apparatus referred to as a so-called in-body discharge type image forming apparatus. Is.

JP-A-5-207210 JP 2001-242673 A JP 2003-337506 A

  In recent years, a space formed between the image forming unit and the scanner unit, which is arranged so as to lift the scanner unit above the image forming unit without overhanging the discharge tray on the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus. An “in-body discharge type image forming apparatus” that discharges a sheet to a section has become very popular.

  Prior to the advent of such an in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile that needs to read an original image, the original is read by a scanner unit disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body. Then, after the read image information is transferred and fixed on a sheet, the sheet is discharged onto a sheet discharge tray (external sheet discharge tray) attached to the side surface of the apparatus main body. However, such a so-called wing type image forming apparatus has a problem that, depending on the installation location, a person hits the external paper discharge tray and breaks the tray, and the installation space is the projected area of the apparatus main body. It needed to be much wider, and was a big bottleneck for downsizing the device.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the space occupied by the image forming apparatus and increase the degree of freedom of installation, the applicant of the present application disclosed an image forming engine that forms an image on a sheet and forms an image using the image forming engine. A sheet discharging unit that discharges the discharged sheets, an image forming engine casing that forms a sheet stacking unit on which the sheets discharged by the sheet discharging unit are stacked, and a space above the sheet stacking unit. And a scanner unit that converts document image information into an electrical signal and supplies the electrical signal to the image forming engine, and a support unit that supports the scanner unit above the sheet stacking unit with a space therebetween. An image forming apparatus was proposed. As described above, the in-body discharge type image forming apparatus (wingless type apparatus) that discharges paper between the image forming unit and the scanner unit does not need to extend the discharge tray to the side of the apparatus casing. The above-described sparseness of the external paper discharge tray is eliminated, and restrictions on the installation space of the apparatus can be reduced.

  However, such an in-body paper discharge type image forming apparatus has a unique problem in its configuration. This is because the paper on which the image has been formed and the fixing process has been completed is discharged into a space (paper discharge space) between the image forming unit and the scanner unit. In general, the operator's line of sight is considerably higher than the paper discharge space, and the user must twist and look into the discharged paper. In particular, when a so-called operation panel is arranged in parallel with the scanner unit and on the side close to the operator (front side), the paper discharge space is largely blocked from the upper side, and the paper is opened from the front side open part of the paper discharge space. In order to confirm this, the operator is forced to move his / her line of sight considerably, which makes it difficult to check and take out the paper.

  The operation panel is generally composed of a panel part consisting of a liquid crystal screen, a numeric keypad, etc. (the numeric keypad is also displayed in the panel part and may be used for both input and display). In some cases, reflected light is generated from the panel, making it difficult to see the display on the panel. In spite of such circumstances, the height of the operation panel is fixed, and the height that is easy to operate according to the height of the average worker is selected, and variations in height are taken into account. Absent. However, according to recent office circumstances, there is a tendency that the number of workers using wheelchairs and the like also increases, and there are many situations where the image forming apparatus is operated at a low eye position such as a sitting state. In such a case, if the operation panel is fixed and the orientation cannot be changed, the liquid crystal screen is difficult to see.

  Therefore, the operation panel is configured so that it can be easily swung to an arbitrary angle with respect to the apparatus main body so that the visibility of the screen of the operation panel can be secured even if the illumination light or the viewing angle changes. Proposals have been made to make the posture relative to the main body variable (for example, Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3).

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an in-body discharge type image forming apparatus that not only ensures the visibility of the screen of the operation panel, but also has excellent confirmation operability for discharged sheets.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming unit that forms image information on a sheet, a scanner unit that reads image information and supplies the information to the image forming unit, and a paper discharge unit space on the image forming unit. In order to form, the apparatus includes a support body that supports the scanner unit at a distance above the apparatus housing, and an operation panel juxtaposed with the scanner unit on a side close to an operator, and the side edge of the operation panel is supported by the support panel. The operation panel is supported by the body and attached to the support body so that the operation panel can rotate about the rotation fulcrum and take an inclination angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit. This is achieved because an opening is formed between the operation panel and the scanner unit when the scanner unit is inclined with respect to the plane of the scanner unit, and an operator can see the paper discharge unit space.

  It is more effective that the pivot point is on the front side of the operation panel. The rotation mechanism includes a lock release button, an elastically biased lock release stay that can be slid by pressing the button, and an operation panel that engages with the lock release stay and is released by sliding of the stay. A plurality of engagement grooves are cut in the arm so that the operation panel takes a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit. Is preferable.

  Arms with operation panel are provided at the left and right side edges as viewed from the operator of the operation panel so that when the lock release button is pressed, the disengagement between the arm with the operation panel and the unlocking stay is different. In addition, the engagement point with the unlocking stay may be shifted by the left and right arm with operation panel. It is more preferable that a torsion spring means is provided at the rotation fulcrum and that the pressure of the means is released by pressing the lock release button.

  According to the present invention, the side edge of the operation panel is supported by the support, and the operation panel is rotated about the rotation fulcrum by the rotation mechanism attached to the support, and the tilt angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit. When the operation panel is tilted with respect to the plane of the scanner unit, an opening is created between the operation panel and the scanner unit so that the operator can see the paper discharge unit space. Not only can the visibility be ensured, it is also excellent in the confirmation operability of the discharged paper.

  If the rotation fulcrum is on the front side of the operation panel, the paper checking operability can be reliably improved. The rotation mechanism includes a lock release button, an elastically biased lock release stay that can be slid by pressing the button, and an operation panel that engages with the lock release stay and is released by sliding of the stay. A plurality of engagement grooves are cut in the arm so that the operation panel takes a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit. The tilt of the operation panel can be easily changed by pushing a button.

  Arms with operation panel are provided at the left and right side edges as viewed from the operator of the operation panel so that when the lock release button is pressed, the disengagement between the arm with the operation panel and the unlocking stay is different. In addition, if the engagement point with the unlocking stay is shifted by the left and right arm with operation panel, the operator can easily recognize the left and right operation panel when returning the operation panel to the basic horizontal position. Become. If the torsion spring means is provided at the rotation fulcrum and the pressure of the means is released by pressing the lock release button, the tilt of the operation panel is semi-automated.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an external appearance of a typical in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus according to the present invention. An image forming unit 1 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the apparatus, and a paper feeding unit 2 is located immediately below the image forming unit 1. Although the sheet feeding unit 2 is illustrated as including three stages of sheet feeding cassettes, the number of cassettes can be increased or decreased as necessary. A scanner unit 3 for reading an original is provided above the image forming unit 1 with a predetermined space therebetween. A space between the image forming unit 1 and the scanner unit 3 is formed as a paper discharge unit 4 to discharge a sheet on which an image has been copied.

  The overall mechanism of this apparatus is basically the same as that of the prior art. In the image forming unit 1, a charging charger that performs charging processing on the surface of the drum around the photosensitive drum, and image information is lasered on the drum. An exposure device that irradiates with light, a developing device that visualizes the electrostatic latent image on the drum, a transfer roller that transfers the toner image on the drum to paper, a cleaning device that removes and collects residual toner on the drum, etc. A fixing device that performs a fixing process on the paper after the image transfer is disposed on the downstream side of the electrophotographic process means.

  In addition, the paper feed unit 2 including three stages of paper feed cassettes stores sheets of different sizes or different loading directions in the respective paper feed cassettes. Further, a manual feed tray that can be freely opened and closed is provided on the side of the apparatus housing 5 of the image forming unit 1. An automatic document feeder (ADF) 6 is attached to the scanner unit 3, and scanning of a document on contact glass which is fed from the ADF 6 or placed manually is performed.

  The paper discharge unit 4 on the image forming unit 1 is surrounded by a wall surface forming a part of the apparatus housing 5 on the left side and the back side as viewed in FIG. 1, and the operation panel 7 positioned in front of the scanner unit 3 is It is configured to be supported by a front portion of the wall surface and a support column 8 attached to the right front end of the image forming unit 1. The paper discharged to the paper discharge unit 4 is taken out from the open space between the side wall surface supporting the operation panel 7 and the column 8. As a result of the multi-functionalization of the image forming apparatus, the operation panel 7 is larger in size and width than the conventional one as can be understood from FIGS. It overhangs to cover more.

  In the horizontal basic position as shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 7 is slightly inclined toward the front side (7 degrees in the illustrated example). When an operator with average height operates the operation panel 7 and confirms the sheet on which an image is formed and discharged to the sheet discharge unit 4 in the same posture, or an operator with a low eye position operates the operation panel 7. To do so, the operation panel 7 is tilted forward as shown in FIG. By tilting the operation panel 7 forward, a gap between the operation panel 7 and the scanner unit is opened, and it is possible to look into the paper discharge unit from above, and the visibility of the liquid crystal panel is impaired for those with low eyes. There is nothing. In the panel tilt operation, the tilt operation can be easily performed with one hand by pressing the lock release button 10 on the side surface of the column 8.

  FIG. 4 shows a mechanism for realizing the tilt operation. When the lock release button 10 is pressed, the lock release stay 12 slides to the left in the figure, and the press of the arms 13 and 14 on the operation unit side that has positioned and locked the operation panel is released, so that it can rotate around the fulcrum shaft 15. Become. The operation side arm 13 and 14 have several grooves, and the tilt angle can be fixed only at the groove (three positions in the figure: 7 degrees → 30 degrees → 53 degrees, etc. Change). When the hand is released from the lock release button 10, the slid lock release stay 12 is automatically set to its original state by a spring 16 attached to the end. If a torsion bar spring is provided on both sides of the fulcrum shaft and the torsion spring pressure is released by pressing a button, the operation panel can be tilted semi-automatically.

  When the lock release button 10 is pressed to release the engagement with the lock release stay, the timing at which the left and right arms 13 and 14 are released can be shifted. The sliding lock release stay has a notch for releasing the engagement when sliding, but as shown in FIG. 5, the release timing is adjusted by shifting the position from the left and right arm lock release points. Can be shifted. As a result, the sliding stay 12 ′ and the locking arms 13, 14 can be easily fitted, and the operator who operates can properly check the lock point. In the example shown, the left arm locks first, and the right arm locks with a delay so that the right arm locks late, but the right arm fits into the stay cutout, You can get a decent lock.

  In the present invention, the position of the fulcrum shaft 15 is important. This will be described with reference to FIG. The in-body discharge-type image forming apparatus performs sheet take-out from the front side of the apparatus due to its configuration. However, if it is intended to increase the number of sheet feeding trays in the sheet feeding unit, the height of the operation panel position is naturally limited. Therefore, the height between the operation panel / scanner unit and the image forming unit, that is, the height of the paper discharge unit is inevitably narrowed. At that time, if the fulcrum shaft for tilting the operation panel is on the side close to the scanner unit (the rear side as viewed from the operator side), the operation panel covers the take-out port of the paper output unit, and the paper is taken out. The operability is deteriorated and the confirmation of the paper discharge unit is also troublesome. On the other hand, the fulcrum shaft to be tilted is located on the front side of the operation panel as in the present invention, so that the width of the discharge port of the paper discharge unit can be secured, and the operation panel and the scanner unit are opened to the open space when the operation panel rises. Thus, the operator can check the paper discharge unit.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view of an operation panel. It is a perspective view at the time of tilting an operation panel. It is a perspective view of the rotation mechanism for an operation panel. It is a figure for demonstrating that the unlocking position with the arm of an unlocking stay has shifted | deviated on the right and left. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining that the position of a pivotal fulcrum of the operation panel brings about paper confirmation and affects the width of the paper discharge unit opening.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming part 2 Paper feed part 3 Scanner part 4 Paper discharge part 5 Apparatus housing 6 Automatic document feeder 7 Operation panel 8 Support | pillar 10 Lock release button 12 Lock release stay 13, 14 Arm 15 Supporting point shaft 16 Spring

Claims (5)

An image forming unit for forming image information on paper;
A scanner unit that reads image information and supplies the information to the imaging unit;
A support for supporting the scanner unit at a distance above the apparatus housing in order to form a paper discharge unit space on the image forming unit;
An operation panel juxtaposed with the scanner unit on a side close to an operator, the operation panel is pivoted by a pivoting mechanism that is supported by the support body and is attached to the support body. It can rotate around and take an inclination angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit, and when the operation panel is tilted with respect to the plane of the scanner unit, an opening is created between the operation panel and the scanner unit. An image forming apparatus, wherein a person can see the paper discharge unit space.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation fulcrum is on a front side of the operation panel.   The rotating mechanism includes a lock release button, an elastically biased lock release stay that can be slid by pressing the button, and an operation panel that engages with the lock release stay and is released by sliding the stay. A plurality of engagement grooves are cut in the arm so that the operation panel takes a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the plane of the scanner unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   Arms with operation panel are provided at the left and right side edges as viewed from the operator of the operation panel so that when the lock release button is pressed, the disengagement between the arm with the operation panel and the unlocking stay is different. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the engagement point with the unlocking stay is shifted by the left and right arms with operation panels.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a torsion spring means is provided at the rotation fulcrum, and the pressure of the means is released by pressing a lock release button.

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