JP2007155880A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily taking out a sheet, on which an image has been formed, from the front side of the apparatus while maximumly obtaining a merit that a sheet conveying path is made into an erect state. <P>SOLUTION: An image scanner 20 is arranged at the upper part of housing structure 40, and a turn-back ejection unit 30 and a paper ejection tray 34 are attached to the housing structure 40. Since the ejection unit 30 turns the sheet 6 ejected from a pair of paper ejection rollers 14 to the inner side to the front side of the apparatus and ejects it to the front side of the apparatus, the sheet 6 on which the image has been already formed is taken out from the front side of the apparatus without inserting a hand into space between the housing structure 40 and the image scanner 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus capable of performing jam processing by opening a sheet conveying surface to the front side of the apparatus, and more specifically, taking out an image-formed sheet when an image reading device or the like is disposed above a housing structure. The present invention relates to a sheet discharge / stacking structure for improving the performance.

  Image forming apparatuses such as laser printers have increased home and personal installation opportunities as their prices have decreased and become widespread, and further reduction in installation area and improvement in maintainability are required.

  One of the ideas for reducing the physical installation area is a sheet storage unit (paper feed cassette) used for image formation, an image formation unit for image formation, and sheet stacking for stacking sheets on which image formation has been completed. Is a device configuration in which parts are stacked in the vertical direction.

  Moreover, the device which improves maintenance property is made | formed, reducing the substantial installation area including a work area. One of the contrivances is a device configuration that allows normal maintenance operations such as toner replacement and jam sheet removal in addition to operation of the operation panel, sheet replenishment, and sheet removal to be performed from the front side of the housing structure device. It is.

  In Patent Document 1, a sheet storage unit, an image forming unit, and a sheet stacking unit are stacked and an image reading device (a so-called scanner) is disposed above the housing structure, and the housing structure and the image reading device are arranged. An image forming apparatus is shown in which sheets are discharged and stacked at intervals of. Here, the housing structure is divided on the sheet conveyance surface and can be opened and closed to the front side of the apparatus. In addition to operation of the operation panel and sheet replenishment, the sheet conveyance surface can be opened to replace toner and remove jammed sheets. The normal maintenance operation mentioned above is also possible from the front side of the device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-80843

  In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the sheet conveyance path is arranged substantially horizontally, and the sheet conveyance surface is opened up and down, and the upper portion is rotated forward to enable access to the sheet conveyance surface. ing. Therefore, it is necessary to dispose the image reading device at a position higher than the turning radius of the upper portion. However, in the case of a monochrome printer, only one photosensitive drum unit is required. However, in a color printer, usually four photosensitive drums are arranged, so that the sheet conveyance surface to be opened becomes longer by three photosensitive drums. .

  When the huge upper portion accommodating such a long sheet conveyance surface is to be rotated, the image reading device is disposed at a position considerably higher than the sheet stacking portion in order to secure the rotation space. There is a need.

  In this case, it is easy to insert a hand from the front side of the apparatus into the interval between the image reading apparatus and the sheet stacking unit and take out the sheet from the sheet stacking unit, but the overall design of the apparatus including the image reading apparatus impairs balance. . If the height of the apparatus is abnormally high, the operation of the image reading apparatus will be hindered, the transportation and storage costs will increase, and it will be easy to collapse during an earthquake disaster.

  In view of this, a structure has been proposed in which the sheet conveying surface is opened and closed forward and backward with the conveying path standing so that the opening / closing portion of the sheet conveying surface does not interfere with the upper space (see FIG. 5). When the conveyance path is in the standing state, the depth of the housing structure is reduced, and the installation area is further reduced.

  In addition, by adopting a structure that discharges from the standing conveyance path to the upper side of the housing structure as it is, the entire conveyance path is concentrated on the front side of the device, and is conveyed by only one front door. The entire jammed sheet can be taken out (see FIG. 6: front door 19).

  However, if the image reading device is arranged at a lower position above the housing structure with reduced depth, the image reading device protruding to the front side of the device becomes an obstacle. This makes it impossible to take out the sheet by inserting a hand from the front side of the apparatus into the space between the image reading apparatus and the housing structure (see FIG. 7).

  However, if the image reading device is moved and arranged on the back side, the image reading device protrudes to the back side and the meaning of reducing the depth of the housing structure is lost. In addition, if the image reading apparatus is arranged at a high position so as to secure a sheet take-out space, there is no point in raising the conveying path in the first place. Even when the entire image reading apparatus is mounted so as to be movable upward or backward, the installation area and installation space of the image forming apparatus including the work space increase.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily take out a sheet on which an image has been formed from the front side of the apparatus while maximally enjoying the advantage of having the sheet conveyance path in an upright state.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention has a conveyance path that conveys a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along one side surface of the housing structure, and that can be divided on the sheet conveyance surface and opened to the one side surface side. An image reading device disposed above the housing structure and a sheet discharged from the conveyance path to the upper surface of the housing structure toward the back side viewed from the one side surface are folded back to the one side surface. A folding discharge mechanism is provided that conveys and discharges the image reading apparatus to a lower space of the image reading apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the sheet conveying surface can be accessed from one side by opening one side of the sheet conveying surface to one side without interfering with the upper space of the housing structure. Therefore, normal maintenance operations such as cleaning of the sheet conveying surface, replacement of parts, and removal of jammed sheets can be easily performed from one side. In addition, the work interference space associated with the opening and closing of the sheet conveying surface is limited to one side of the housing structure, so that the image reading apparatus can be disposed close to the upper surface of the housing structure.

  The folding discharge mechanism turns the sheet conveyance direction to the one side surface and discharges the sheet to the one side surface. Therefore, an image-formed sheet can be formed without inserting a hand between the image reading device and the housing structure. Can be obtained from one side.

  Hereinafter, a color copying machine 50 which is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The image forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the color copying machine 50 of the present embodiment, and may be implemented by a monochrome copying machine, a facsimile, a monochrome printer, a complex machine of these, or the like. The image forming method of the color copying machine 50 is not limited to the electrostatic photography method, and may be replaced with various printing formats including an ink jet image forming apparatus and a stencil printing method.

  The color printer 50 of the present embodiment is not limited to the limited combination of constituent members described below, and may be realized in another embodiment in which some or all of the replacement members are replaced.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of the color copying machine according to the first embodiment viewed from the side, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the front door of the color copying machine is opened, and FIG. It is. The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment can read a copy original image by the image scanner 21 installed on the upper portion of the housing structure 40 and can rotate the front door 19 to the front side of the apparatus to open the sheet conveyance surface. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sheet feeding cassette 5 on which sheets 6 used for image formation are stacked is mounted at the bottom of the color printer 50 so as to be drawn out in the direction of arrow D. The sheets taken out one by one from the paper feed cassette 5 by the paper feed roller 7 are corrected in skew by the registration rollers 8 and wait. Then, the sheet enters the sheet conveyance surface between the photosensitive drums 1C, 1Y, 1M, and 1K and the transfer conveyance belt 9 at a predetermined timing.

  The four process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K are detachably mounted (see FIG. 2) independently of each other so as to face the transfer conveyance belt 9. In the process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K, the transfer colors are cyan (C), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and black (K), respectively. Each of the process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K includes a photosensitive drum 1C, 1Y, 1M, and 1K, a primary charger 3C, 3Y, 3M, and 3K, and a toner developer 4C, 4Y, 4M, and 4K. is doing.

  A laser scanner device 15 is arranged in a standing state on the back side of the process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K. The laser scanner device 15 scans a laser beam using a built-in polygon mirror (not shown), whereby the photosensitive drums 1C, 1Y, 1M, and 1K that are primarily charged by the primary chargers 3C, 3Y, 3M, and 3K are used. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface.

  The fixing device 13 disposed on the end side of the transfer conveyance belt 9 melts and fixes the toner image to the surface structure of the sheet 6 by sandwiching the sheet 6 between a pair of heater-heated rollers and applying heat and pressure. . The sheet 6 on which the toner image is fixed is transferred to the discharge roller pair 14 and discharged from the housing structure.

  A folded discharge unit 30 is disposed adjacent to the discharge roller pair 14. The discharge unit 30 is positioned by fitting the convex portion 30A into the concave portion 43 formed in the housing structure 40, and is fixed to the housing structure 40 by a screw member (not shown). The folded discharge unit 30 includes a reversing conveyance guide 32 that is rotated by approximately 180 degrees, and a discharge roller pair 31 that is rotated by receiving power transmission from the rotation shaft of the discharge roller pair 14.

  The folded discharge unit 30 can be attached to and detached from the housing structure 40. When the folded discharge unit 30 is not attached, the sheet 6 discharged from the discharge roller pair 14 is stacked on the sheet stacking portion 41 as it is. A standing wall 42 is formed sandwiching the sheet stacking portion 41 from the left and right (front and rear in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface), and a recess 44 is formed on the upper surface of the standing wall 42.

  The image scanner 20 is installed above the housing structure 40. In the image scanner 20, a document pressing plate 22 is attached to the upper surface of the image reading unit 21 so as to be opened and closed. The left and right legs 23 fixed to the bottom surface of the image reading unit 21 are positioned by fitting into the recesses 44 of the upright wall 42 and fixed to the upright wall 42 and thus to the housing structure 40 by a screw member (not shown). Has been.

  A paper discharge tray 34 is disposed below the image scanner 20. The discharge tray 34 is detachably supported by inserting a leading end into a recess 46 formed in the housing structure 40, and stacks the sheets 6 discharged through the discharge roller pair 31 of the folded discharge unit 30. Then, hold it so that it can be removed from the front side of the device.

  The transfer conveyance belt 9 that conveys the sheet 6 along the photosensitive drums 1 </ b> C, 1 </ b> Y, 1 </ b> M, and 1 </ b> K is wound around drive rollers 10 and 11 attached to the front door 19. Transfer rollers 12C, 12Y, 12M, and 12K that are in contact with the photosensitive drums 1C, 1Y, 1M, and 1K with the transfer conveyance belt 9 interposed therebetween are also attached to the front door 19.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front door 19 can be rotated about 90 degrees toward the front side of the apparatus around the rotation fulcrum 17, and the sheet conveying surface can be opened toward the front side of the apparatus. When the front door 19 is opened to the front side of the apparatus, not only the sheet 6 jammed on the transfer conveyance belt 9 but also the sheet 6 jammed by the registration roller 8 and the fixing device 13 can be easily taken out.

  Further, as representatively shown by the yellow (Y) process cartridge 2Y, the four process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K can be easily mounted, removed, and replaced independently of each other.

  In the color copying machine 50 of the first embodiment configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 1, the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, and 1C of each color form an electrostatic latent image by the laser scanner device 15. Is done. Each color developing device 4K, 4M, 4Y, 4C forms each color toner image from the electrostatic latent image. The sheet 6 fed from the sheet feeding cassette 5 by the sheet feeding roller 7 passes through the registration roller pair 8 and is conveyed by the transfer conveying belt 9 while being transferred from the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, and 1C to each color toner image. Is transcribed. Thereafter, the sheet 6 on which the toner image has been fixed by the fixing device 13 enters the folding discharge unit 30 from the pair of paper discharge rollers 14 and is reversed by the reverse conveyance guide 32. In this state, the paper is discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray 34.

  The process cartridges 2K, 2M, 2Y, and 2C containing the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, and 1C can be easily replaced as shown in FIG. This is because the opening 18 is formed on the front surface of the apparatus (right side in the drawing) by rotating the transfer / conveying belt apparatus 16 around the rotation fulcrum 17 in the arrow A direction. Jam processing during the conveyance of the sheet 6 can also be performed from the opening 18.

  Further, the paper cassette 5 can be attached and detached from the front of the apparatus as indicated by an arrow D. In addition, the document can be placed on the image scanner 21 by opening the document pressing plate 22 backward from the front of the apparatus.

  A folding discharge unit 30 and a discharge tray 32 are provided so that the sheets 6 are discharged and stacked on the front side of the apparatus. As a result, the visibility of the image-formed sheet 6 from the user is good, the access to the sheet 6 is good, and the process cartridges 2K, 2M, 2Y, and 2C can be replaced and jammed without removing the sheet 6. Can be carried out from the front of the device. In order to improve workability, it is possible to temporarily remove only the paper discharge tray 32.

  In the first embodiment, the folded discharge unit 30 and the discharge tray 32 are separate members. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the folded discharge unit 30 and the discharge tray 32 are integrally formed and screwed. The member 51 may be detachable at the same time. In this case, a pilot hole as a “mechanism attachment means” is formed in advance at a position where the screw member 51 of the housing structure 40 (FIG. 1) is fixed.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of the color copying machine according to the second embodiment viewed from the side. Since the color copying machine 60 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the turn-back discharge unit 30A, the same reference numerals are given to the same components in FIG. Detailed description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the color copying machine 60 of the second embodiment includes a folding discharge unit 30A that folds back and discharges the sheets 6B and 6C discharged from the discharge roller pair 14 in a switchback manner. The folded discharge unit 30A has a switchback roller pair 38 that can be pressed and separated. The switchback roller pair 38 moves the guide roller 38b up and down by a solenoid mechanism (not shown) with respect to the drive roller 38a whose shaft position is fixed.

  The conveyance guide 36 forms a switchback path for the images 6 </ b> B and 6 </ b> C on which images have been formed. A conveyance roller pair 35 and a discharge roller pair 31 are arranged along the conveyance guide 36. Similarly to the first embodiment, the conveyance roller pair 35, the discharge roller pair 31, and the switchback roller pair 38 are powered from the rotation shaft of the discharge roller pair 14 by a gear mechanism (not shown).

  In the color copying machine 60 of the second embodiment configured as described above, the guide roller 38b is lowered, and the switchback roller pair 38 stands by in a separated state. The sheet 6C on which the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 13 is conveyed along the conveyance guide 36 via the paper discharge roller 14 and reaches the switchback roller pair 38. Before the trailing edge of the sheet 6C passes through the paper discharge roller pair 14 and the conveying force is not transmitted to the sheet 6C, the switchback roller pair 38 is in a pressure contact state, and the switchback roller pair 38 causes the trailing edge of the sheet 6C to move. It is conveyed until it reaches the switchback point 36A. Here, the switchback roller pair 38 starts reverse rotation, and the trailing edge of the sheet 6C is conveyed to the nip of the conveying roller pair 35 as the leading edge of the sheet 6B. When the leading edge of the sheet 6B reaches the conveying roller pair 35 and obtains conveying force, the switchback roller pair 38 is again separated and waits for the next conveyed sheet 6C. In the separated switchback roller pair 38, the preceding sheet 6C and the succeeding sheet 6B can pass each other.

  Thereafter, the sheet 6B is nipped by the pair of paper discharge rollers 31 and conveyed, and is discharged and stacked on the paper discharge tray 32 with the image surface facing down. As for the stacked state of the image-formed sheet 6B, the front and back and front and rear are opposite to those of the first embodiment.

<Image Forming Apparatus of Comparative Example>
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the color printer of the comparative example viewed from the side, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the color printer of the comparative example with the front door opened, and FIG. 7 is the color copier of the comparative example viewed from the side. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration example in which the image reading devices are arranged in a horizontal direction. Since the color printer 80 and the color copying machine 90 of the comparative example are configured in the same manner as the color copying machine 50 of the first embodiment except for the portions related to the image scanner 20, they are common to FIG. 1 in FIGS. Constituent members are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, and 1C of each color of black (K), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and cyan (C) are electrostatic latent images by a laser scanner device 15. Formed. Each color toner image is carried by each color developing device 4K, 4M, 4Y, 4C.

  The sheet 6 sent out from the paper feed cassette 5 by the paper feed roller 7 passes through the registration roller pair 8 and is conveyed by the transfer conveyance bell 9 while the toner images of the respective colors are transferred from the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, 1C. Transcribed. When the toner image is transferred to the sheet 6, heat and pressure are applied by the fixing device 13, whereby the toner image is melted and fixed to the sheet 6, and the image surface is placed on the sheet discharge tray 15 through the sheet discharge roller pair 14. It is discharged and loaded in the state.

  By rotating the transfer / conveying belt device 16 about the rotation fulcrum 17 in the direction of arrow A, an opening 18 is formed on the front surface (right side in the drawing). As shown in FIG. 6, the process cartridges 2K, 2M, 2Y, and 2C containing the photosensitive drums 1K, 1M, 1Y, and 1C are attached and detached by forming an opening 18 on the front surface (right side in the drawing). Can be replaced. Further, jam processing during the conveyance of the sheet 6 can also be performed from the opening 18. Further, the paper cassette 5 can be attached and detached from the front of the apparatus as indicated by an arrow. Therefore, for normal maintenance, front access is possible and high usability is realized.

  However, as shown in FIG. 7, a problem arises when an image scanner 21 serving as an image reading apparatus that reads a document and supplies the read image information to an image forming unit is installed above the color printer 80 of the comparative example. This is because, although the document pressing plate 22 can be opened and closed from the front side and front access can be performed, the image scanner 21 covers the sheet 6 on which the image discharged and stacked on the sheet stacking unit 41 is fixed. . Therefore, the user cannot visually recognize the seat 6 from the front side of the apparatus, and the sheet 6 must be taken out from the rear side of the apparatus, resulting in extremely poor usability.

  In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 8, the image scanner 21 is disposed sideways, the upper side of the paper surface of FIG. 8 is the front surface of the apparatus, and the sheets 6 of the sheet stacking unit 41 are loaded from the upper side of the paper surface of FIG. It can be taken out. That is, the sheet 6 is configured to be discharged and stacked on the sheet stacking unit 41 from the right side to the left side of the color copying machine 90, and the sheet feeding cassette 5 is also attached to and detached from the front side of the apparatus, that is, above the sheet surface of FIG. A device modified to do from the side is conceivable.

  As a result, the attachment / detachment of the paper feed cassette 5, the access to the image-formed sheet 6, and the placement of the original on the image scanner 20 can be accessed from the front of the apparatus. However, the access to the process cartridges 2K, 2M, 2Y, and 2C and the jam processing are access from the right side of the apparatus, and the usability is deteriorated due to the two-way access.

  Also, the paper feed cassette 5 is attached / detached in a direction perpendicular to the sheet 6 conveyance direction, and when the paper feed cassette 5 is attached / detached, a relief mechanism for the paper feed roller 7 is required. There are also complicated problems.

  In contrast, in the color copying machines 50 and 60 of the first and second embodiments described above, the sheet 6 discharged toward the back side is folded back to the front side of the apparatus and discharged. Therefore, even if the image scanner 20 is installed as an image reading device that reads the document and supplies the read image information to the image forming unit (laser scanner device 15), the image-formed sheet 6 is visible to the user. good. The image-formed sheet 6 can be easily accessed, and all maintenance including replacement of the process cartridges 2K, 2M, 2Y, and 2C and jam processing can be performed without removing the image-formed sheet 6. Implementation is possible from the front.

<Correspondence with Invention>
The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment conveys the sheet 6 from the lower side to the upper side along the front surface of the housing structure 40, and has a conveyance path that can be divided by the sheet conveyance surface and opened to the front side of the device. And an image scanner 20 disposed above the housing structure 40. Then, the sheet 6 discharged to the upper surface of the housing structure 40 from the conveyance path toward the back side as viewed from the front side of the apparatus is folded back and conveyed to the front side of the apparatus, and is discharged to the lower space of the image scanner 20. A unit 30 is provided. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the sheet conveying surface can be accessed from one side by opening one side of the sheet conveying surface to one side without interfering with the upper space of the housing structure. Therefore, normal maintenance operations such as cleaning the sheet conveying surface, replacing parts, and removing jammed sheets can be easily performed from the front side of the apparatus. In addition, since the work interference space associated with the opening and closing of the sheet conveying surface is limited to the front side of the housing structure 40, the image scanner 20 can be disposed close to the upper surface of the housing structure 40. Since the folding discharge unit 30 changes the conveying direction of the sheet 6 to the front side of the apparatus and discharges the sheet 6 to the front side of the apparatus, the image can be printed without inserting a hand between the image scanner 20 and the housing structure 40. The formed sheet 6 can be obtained from the front side of the apparatus.

  The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment is provided with the paper discharge tray 34 that stacks the sheets discharged from the folding discharge unit 30 and holds the sheets so that they can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus. The sheet 6 can be received and stored. Thereby, the sheet 6 can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus at an arbitrary timing.

  In the color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment, the process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K for transferring an image to the sheet 6 are detachably mounted on the opened sheet conveyance surface. Anyone can easily exchange 2M and 2K.

  The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment has a front door 19 that can be opened and closed by rotating the front side of the housing structure 40 toward the front side of the apparatus, and transfers and conveys the sheet along the sheet conveyance surface. The belt 9 is disposed on the front door 19. A plurality of process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M and 2K constituting the image forming means are arranged on the sheet conveyance surface in contact with the transfer conveyance belt 9 with the front door 19 closed. Therefore, the process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K can be replaced simply by opening the front door 19.

  In the color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment, a sheet feeding cassette 5 for a sheet 6 used for image formation is arranged below the front door 19 so as to be able to be pulled out to the front side of the apparatus. Therefore, the addition and replenishment of the seat 6 can be performed from the front side of the apparatus, and a work space is not required on the side or back side of the apparatus.

  The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment conveys the sheet 6 from the lower side to the upper side along the front surface of the housing structure 40 and directly moves the upper surface of the housing structure 40 toward the back side as viewed from the front surface side of the device. A transport path for discharging is provided. The housing structure 40 is divided on the sheet conveying surface of the conveying path, and the front door 19 that can be opened and closed to the front side of the apparatus, and the transfer conveying belt that is disposed on the front door 19 and conveys the sheet 6 along the sheet conveying surface. 9. Process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K having different transfer colors arranged on the sheet conveyance surface in contact with the transfer conveyance belt 9 with the front door 19 closed, are formed on the upper surface of the housing structure 40, and pass through the conveyance path. A sheet stacking unit 41 on which the discharged sheets 6 are stacked. Then, the image scanner 20 mounted above the sheet stacking unit 41 and the folding discharge unit 30 that folds back the sheet 6 discharged from the conveyance path to the front side of the apparatus and discharges the sheet 6 at an interval between the image scanner 20 and the housing structure 40. And are provided. A paper discharge tray 34 is provided that stacks the sheets 6 discharged from the folded discharge unit 30 and holds the sheets 6 so that they can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus. Accordingly, the conveyance path is concentrated in a portion along the front surface of the apparatus, and the front door 19 is opened forward of the apparatus, so that almost the entire sheet conveyance surface can be accessed from the front surface of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2, the jammed sheet from the registration roller 8 to the discharge roller pair 14 can be easily taken out through the opening 18, and an opening / closing structure other than the front door 19 is not required. Then, both the operation of opening the front door 19 and taking out the jammed sheet from the sheet conveying surface and the operation of taking out the image-formed sheet 6 can be executed from the front of the apparatus.

  In the color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment, both the return discharge unit 30 and the discharge tray 34 are detachably attached to the housing structure 40. For example, attachment / detachment can be selected according to a work space behind. Further, by removing the paper discharge tray 34, it is possible to remove the jammed sheet from the sheet conveying surface more brightly and easily.

  The color copying machine 50 according to the first embodiment is mounted along a conveyance path for conveying a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along the front surface side of the housing structure 40 and in a form that can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus. Process cartridges 2C, 2Y, 2M, and 2K. A sheet stacking portion 41 is formed on the upper surface of the housing structure 40 and on which the sheets 6 discharged from the front side of the apparatus to the back side are stacked through the discharge roller pair 14 in the transport path. An upright wall 42 and a recess 44 to which the image scanner 20 overlapping in a planar shape can be attached above the sheet stacking portion 41 are formed in the housing structure 40. The housing structure 40 is also formed with a recess 43 to which the folded discharge unit 30 for returning the sheet 6 discharged from the discharge roller pair 14 to the front side of the apparatus and discharging it can be attached. Therefore, the same housing structure 40 can be shared by the color printer (80) and the color copying machine (90), and the cost of manufacturing and storage can be reduced by sharing the parts. Further, an optional device, that is, an image scanner 20 can be provided as an option, and other optional devices such as a printer server, a FAX transceiver, a table, an electronic blackboard, a projector, and a large screen TV can be provided only by using a common leg 23. It is easy to cope with the above. It is easy to change or cancel the optional device after installation, for example, to change the functions of the color printer (80) and the color copier (90).

  The folding discharge unit 30 according to the first embodiment conveys a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along the front surface side of the housing structure 40 and discharges the sheet 6 toward the back side on the upper surface of the housing structure 40. It can be attached to the copying machine 50. Then, a convex portion 30A that can be attached to the housing structure 40, a paper discharge roller pair 31 that reversely conveys the sheet discharged from the housing structure 40, and discharges it to the front side of the apparatus, and a reverse conveyance guide 32 are provided. Have. Therefore, attachment to and removal from the housing structure 40 can be selected and executed as necessary.

  The folding discharge unit 30A shown in FIG. 3 is integrated with a discharge tray 34 that stacks the sheets 6 discharged by the discharge roller pair 31 and holds the sheets 6 so that they can be taken out from the front of the apparatus. Accordingly, the discharge tray 34 can be mounted together with the discharge unit 30A, and the mounting structure prepared on the housing structure 40 side can be simplified.

It is explanatory drawing of the structure which looked at the color copying machine of 1st Embodiment from the side. It is explanatory drawing of the state which opened the front door of the color copying machine. It is explanatory drawing of the modification of a return | turnback discharge | emission unit. It is explanatory drawing of the structure which looked at the color copying machine of 2nd Embodiment from the side. It is explanatory drawing of the structure which looked at the color printer of the comparative example from the side. It is explanatory drawing of the state which opened the front door of the color printer of a comparative example. It is explanatory drawing of the structure which looked at the color copying machine of the comparative example from the side. It is explanatory drawing of the structural example which has arrange | positioned the image reading apparatus shifting back.

Explanation of symbols

2 Transfer unit (process cartridge)
5 Storage member (paper cassette)
6 Sheet 9 Belt member (transfer conveyor belt)
19 Door member (front door)
20 Image reading device (image scanner)
30 Folding discharge mechanism (Folding discharge unit)
30A Housing attachment means (convex part)
31, 32, 38 Folding discharge means (paper discharge roller pair, reverse conveyance guide, switchback roller pair)
34 Stacking tray member (output tray)
40 Housing structure 42, 44 Device mounting means (standing wall, recess)
43 Mechanism attachment means (concave)
41 Sheet stacking unit 50, 60 Image forming apparatus (color copying machine)

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus having a conveyance path that conveys a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along one side surface of the housing structure, and that can be divided on the sheet conveyance surface and opened to the one side surface side.
An image reading device disposed above the housing structure;
A sheet that is conveyed back to the upper surface of the housing structure from the conveyance path toward the inner side as viewed from the one side surface is folded back and conveyed to the lower space of the image reading apparatus. An image forming apparatus comprising: a discharge mechanism.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stacking tray member that stacks the sheets discharged from the folding discharge mechanism and holds the sheets so that the sheets can be taken out from the one side surface side.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet is detachably mounted on the opened sheet conveying surface. A door member that can be opened and closed by rotating the one side surface of the housing structure to the one side surface;
A belt member that conveys a sheet along the sheet conveyance surface is disposed on the door member,
4. A plurality of transfer units constituting the image forming unit are arranged on the sheet conveyance surface in contact with the belt member in a state where the door member is closed. Image forming apparatus.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a storage member for a sheet to be used for image formation is disposed below the door member so that the storage member can be pulled out to the one side surface side. . A conveyance path that conveys a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along one side surface of the housing structure and discharges it to the upper surface of the housing structure as it is viewed from the one side surface side;
A door member that can be opened and closed to the one side surface by dividing the housing structure on a sheet conveyance surface of the conveyance path;
A belt member disposed on the door member for conveying a sheet along the sheet conveying surface;
A plurality of transfer units having different transfer colors arranged on the sheet conveying surface in contact with the belt member in a state where the door member is closed;
A sheet stacking unit that is formed on the upper surface of the housing structure and on which sheets discharged through the conveyance path are stacked;
Optional equipment mounted above the sheet stacking section;
A folding and discharging mechanism that folds the sheet discharged from the conveyance path toward the one side surface and discharges the sheet at an interval between the optional device and the housing structure;
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a stacking tray member that stacks the sheets discharged from the folding discharge mechanism and holds the sheets so that they can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the folding discharge mechanism and the stacking tray member is detachably attached to the housing structure. A conveyance path for conveying a sheet from the lower side to the upper side along the front side of the apparatus of the housing structure;
Image forming means mounted along the transport path in a form that can be removed from the front side of the apparatus;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet stacking unit that is formed on an upper surface of the housing structure and stacks sheets discharged from the front side of the apparatus toward the back side through the discharge side of the conveyance path;
Device attachment means capable of attaching an optional device that overlaps in a planar manner above the sheet stacking unit;
An image forming apparatus characterized in that a mechanism attaching means capable of attaching a folding / discharging mechanism that folds and discharges a sheet discharged from the discharge side to the front side of the apparatus is formed in the housing structure. A folding and discharging mechanism that can be attached to an image forming apparatus that conveys a sheet from below to above along the front side of the housing structure and discharges the sheet toward the back on the top surface of the housing structure;
A housing attachment means attachable to the housing structure;
A folding / discharging mechanism comprising: a folding / discharging unit configured to convey the sheet discharged from the housing structure in a folded manner and discharge the sheet to the front side of the apparatus. 10. The folding and discharging mechanism according to claim 9, further comprising a stacking tray member that stacks the sheets discharged by the folding and discharging mechanism and holds the sheets so that they can be taken out from the front side of the apparatus.

Images