JP2007219228A - Unit for processing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of forming a high-quality image by attaching a unit for processing to an apparatus main body with high reliability with high quality by accelerating the attachment of the unit for processing to the apparatus main body after the unit for processing takes posture free from possibility that it is knocked against the surroundings. <P>SOLUTION: A drum unit 40 is attached/detached to/from the image forming apparatus where an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photoreceptor drum is developed with toner in a developing cartridge and a toner image is transferred and fixed on recording paper. A unit cover 42 is attached to the drum unit 40, and a bar-like member 43 and a weight member 44 at the edge thereof are turnably suspended on the unit cover side. An interior part 45 inside which a path space S2 allowing the turning of the bar-like member and the weight member, and a path space S3 allowing the pull-up of the weight member only when taking appropriate posture are defined is formed on a drum unit main body side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a process unit, and more particularly, to a process unit that needs to be removed before being mounted since a cover for protecting a main body is attached to the image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic recording type image forming apparatus that exposes and forms an electrostatic latent image based on image data on the surface of a carrier made of a photosensitive member has been known. The toner image on the surface of the carrier carried by developing the toner with a developing device is transferred to an image forming surface such as recording paper to form an image.

  In this type of image forming apparatus, since the electrostatic latent image is repeatedly formed on the surface of the carrier and the toner image is attached, it is necessary to replace the carrier as a consumable to maintain the image quality. . Also, the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the carrier is developed by adhering the toner contained in the developing device. Therefore, when the contained toner is consumed, the toner container is replaced to replenish the toner. There is also.

Here, a unit cover may be attached to the process unit that includes the carrier and executes a part of the image forming process so as not to damage the surface of the carrier when being replaced. In such a case, it is necessary to remove the unit cover and then attach it to the apparatus main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-264757 A

  However, in such a conventional process unit, the unit cover can be removed and attached to the apparatus body as it is held by the hand, so that it may hit the surroundings with the unit cover removed. In spite of the fact that the unit cover is attached, there are cases where the exposed carrier surface is damaged just before the mounting. If the surface of the carrier is damaged in this manner, the electrostatic latent image or the toner image cannot be formed with high quality, and the image quality deteriorates.

  Here, in the process unit including the toner container, it is preferable that the toner is mounted on the apparatus main body in a state where the toner is made as uniform as possible in the extending direction of the developing roller of the developing device.

  However, even in these process units, similarly, the unit cover can be removed and attached to the apparatus body as it is held by the hand. In some cases, the developing roller may be damaged in the removed state, or it may be attached to the apparatus main body with the material to be stored in a biased state. If the developer is damaged in this way, or if the storage material is biased, the toner that forms the image will be biased and the image quality will deteriorate, or the remaining amount will be detected incorrectly. There is.

  Therefore, the present invention eliminates the possibility of hitting the surroundings, and makes the process unit reliable by encouraging the process unit to be mounted on the apparatus body after setting the posture to eliminate the bias of the material to be accommodated. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of forming a high-quality image by realizing high-quality and high-quality mounting on the apparatus main body.

  A first invention of a process unit that solves the above problems is constructed to be detachable from an image forming apparatus that records and forms an image by attaching a recording medium to an image forming surface based on the image data and fixing it. A process unit used in the image forming process, which is designed to be attachable to a unit cover to be removed from the unit main body when attached to the image forming apparatus main body, and a posture detecting means for detecting the posture of the unit main body, Limiting means for restricting removal of the unit cover from the unit main body in accordance with detection information by the attitude detection means.

  In this invention, a unit cover is attached to a unit main body that houses members such as a carrier used in an image forming process and a consumable material such as toner, and the unit cover is removed according to the posture of the unit main body. It can be designed to be limited and allowed. Therefore, the unit cover can be set to be allowed to be removed only in an optimum posture for the unit body.

  In a second aspect of the process unit for solving the above problems, in addition to the specific matters of the first aspect, a recording medium to be adhered and fixed to an image forming surface on which an image is formed is accommodated in the unit body. It is characterized by being.

  According to the present invention, the unit cover can be designed to be restricted and allowed to be removed from the unit main body in which the recording medium such as toner used in the image forming process is internally provided. Therefore, it is possible to set so as to allow the removal of the unit cover only in an optimum posture for the recording medium in the unit main body.

  According to a third aspect of the process unit for solving the above-mentioned problems, in addition to the specific matter of the first or second aspect, the posture detection means is disposed on one of the unit main body and the unit cover. A weight member that is displaced according to the posture of the unit body is provided, and as the restricting means, a movement path space of the weight member that is disposed on the other of the unit body or the unit cover and is displaced according to the posture of the unit body is defined. In addition, a movement path space for the weight member that is displaced along with the relative movement of the unit cover in the removal direction when the unit body is in an appropriate posture is also defined.

  In this invention, when the weight member is displaced and moved in the movement path space according to the posture of the unit main body, and the unit main body is in an appropriate posture, the weight member is also removed in the direction of removing the unit cover from the unit main body. The unit cover can be removed and moved to complete the unit cover removal work. On the other hand, when the unit body is in an inappropriate posture, the weight member can be moved even if the unit cover is moved away from the unit body. The unit cover cannot be removed because it cannot be displaced / moved due to being stopped. Therefore, the movement path space of the weight member can be set so that the unit cover is allowed to be removed only in the optimal posture of the unit body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the process unit for solving the above-mentioned problems, in addition to the specific matters of the third aspect, the weight member is supported by one of the unit main body side or the unit cover side and the base end side is supported. It is fixed to the front end side of the rod-like member that is suspended so that its posture can be changed.

  In the present invention, the weight member suspended from the rod-like member is displaced and moved in the movement path space by swinging according to the posture of the unit body. Therefore, the weight member can be suspended without the rod-shaped member being deformed, and if the unit cover is to be removed even though the unit body is in an inappropriate posture, the unit is immediately caused by the bump of the weight member. The removal of the cover can be restricted, and the weight member can be prevented from being caught by the wall surface of the movement path space.

  According to a fifth aspect of the process unit for solving the above-mentioned problems, in addition to the specific matter of the third or fourth aspect, the weight member rotates about a horizontal axis of the unit body, and the single axis A set that displaces in accordance with a change in posture due to rotation about the other axis that intersects the axis, or two or more sets for each rotation, is provided.

  In the present invention, the posture of the unit body can be detected with all rotation directions centered on one or both of the one axis and the other axis of the unit body as detection targets. Therefore, the removal of the unit cover from the unit body can be restricted and allowed with high reliability.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to set the posture when removing the unit cover from the unit main body in which a member such as a carrier used in the image forming process or a consumption material such as toner is installed. When the unit cover is placed on a flat table, the unit cover is urged to be removed, and the unit cover is placed in a state in which there is little risk of hitting the carrier and the like, or the toner to be stored is not biased. The unit main body can be removed and the unit main body can be attached to the apparatus main body. Therefore, the unit main body in a high quality state can be mounted on the apparatus main body with high reliability, and image formation with high image quality can be ensured.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the invention will be described based on the drawings. 1 to 9 are views showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which the first embodiment of the process unit according to the present invention is attached.

  In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus is a printer that is used by connecting to an external device such as a personal computer PC for creating and outputting an image such as a character. The image forming apparatus receives image data such as a character for image formation. An image recording apparatus 10 that receives and records and forms recording paper (image forming surface) on one side or both sides of the recording paper (image forming surface) by an electrophotographic method, and transports a plurality of stacked recording papers to the image recording apparatus 10 and records and forms images. And a sheet conveying device 20 that carries the recording sheet out of the apparatus and stacks it.

  In brief, the image recording apparatus 10 is based on a laser beam scanning device 11 that scans the laser beam L based on image data, and the laser beam L emitted from the laser beam scanning device 11 and scanned, based on the image data. A photosensitive drum (carrier) 12 on which an electrostatic latent image is exposed and formed on the surface, and a charger 13 for charging the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 so that an electrostatic latent image can be formed by irradiation with laser light L; , Yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) toner (recording medium) is accommodated, and the accommodated toner is selectively adhered to thereby electrostatic latent on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12. A developing cartridge 14 for each color for developing an image with toner (only one portion is shown), and a developing rotor that stores the developing cartridge 14 in an installation space 15a for each color and rotates about a rotation shaft 15b. A unit 15, an intermediate transfer belt 16 that receives a toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 12 and forms a toner image (monochrome image or color image) that can be transferred and recorded on the recording paper, and the recording paper that has been conveyed A transfer roller 17 that transfers the toner image carried by the intermediate transfer belt 16 and conveys the recording paper to the downstream while being pressed between the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the intermediate transfer belt 16. The toner image is transferred and conveyed, and the recording sheet is heated and pressed to fix the toner image, and the recording sheet is nipped and conveyed further downstream, and the photosensitive drum 12 and the intermediate transfer. Waste toner tank 1 for collecting and storing toner remaining on the surface of the belt 16 by a cleaning blade 19a It has a, and.

  As a result, the image recording apparatus 10 develops the electrostatic latent image based on the image data formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 by the laser beam scanning device 11 in the development rotary unit 15 switched according to the image data. The cartridge 14 develops toner, and thereafter, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 12 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 16 and secondarily transferred to the recording paper conveyed by the paper conveying device 20. After recording, the fixing roller pair 18 is heated and pressed to fix the image to form an image. At this time, for example, when the developing rotary unit 15 contains a developing cartridge 14 containing toner of each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K), the photosensitive drum By switching the color of the toner that develops the electrostatic latent image on the image 12, the toner of each color is overlaid or selected based on the received image data, and a color image to a single color image is printed on a recording sheet. be able to. Further, when the developing rotary unit 15 contains the developing cartridge 14 containing toner of the same color, for example, black (K), in all the developing cartridges 14, the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 12. Can be used as a dedicated machine for sequentially forming and forming monochrome images on recording paper by switching the developing cartridge 14 for developing the image.

  Briefly, the paper transport device 20 is detachably set at the lower part of the main body of the device, a paper cassette 21 on which a plurality of recording papers are stacked, and a recording paper raised by a lifting plate 21a on the bottom surface of the paper cassette 21. A pickup roller 22 that pulls out the uppermost recording sheet by feeding and rotating to the bundle and feeds it to the conveyance path f, and receives the recording sheet fed by the pickup roller 22 and holds it in the downstream conveyance path f. The intermediate transfer belt 16 and the transfer roller 17 of the image recording apparatus 10 receive the recording paper in the conveyance path f conveyed by the pair of relay conveyance rollers 23a and 23b and the conveyance conveyance roller pair 23a and 23b. A pair of registration rollers 24 sandwiched and conveyed at the position, and an intermediate transfer belt from the pair of registration rollers 24 6 and the transfer roller 17 and the conveying path f passing between the fixing roller pair 18 to receive a recording sheet on which a fixed image is formed on one surface side and carry it onto a paper discharge table 29 at the upper part of the apparatus main body. A pair of paper discharge rollers 25a and 25b for paper discharge and stacking is provided. Note that the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the transfer roller 17 and the fixing roller pair 18 of the image recording apparatus also have a function of conveying a recording sheet, and thus constitute a part of the sheet conveying apparatus 20.

  As a result, the sheet conveying apparatus 20 delivers the recording sheet pulled out from the sheet cassette 21 by the pickup roller 22 to the registration roller pair 24 via the relay conveying roller pair 23a, 23b, and then the registration roller pair 24 In synchronization with the operation of the image recording apparatus 10, the intermediate transfer belt 16 and the transfer roller 17 are fed to an image recording position where the image is pressed, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 16 is transferred and recorded. Then, the recording paper fixed by the fixing roller pair 18 is received by the paper discharge roller pairs 25 a and 25 b, carried out on the paper discharge table 29, discharged and stacked.

  Here, the sheet conveying device 20 is disposed in a re-conveying path r for reversing a recording sheet on which an image is formed on one side and sending it to the conveying path f on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 24 and the path r. The intermediate conveyance roller pair 27 is provided, and the intermediate conveyance roller pair 27 receives the recording sheet sent into the re-conveyance path r when the paper discharge roller pairs 25a and 25b are reversed, and is received by the registration roller pair 24. By passing, it is possible to form an image on both sides of the recording paper. In addition, the sheet conveying device 20 includes a manual feeding path m for sending a manually fed recording sheet to a conveying path f on the upstream side of the registration roller pair 24 and a manual feeding roller pair 28 disposed in the path m. The recording paper inserted into the manual feed path m is received by the pair of manual feeding rollers 28 and transferred to the registration roller pair 24, whereby an image can be formed on one side or both sides of the recording paper.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the developing cartridge 14 of the image recording apparatus 10 is a container 31 that contains toner of any one of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). It is designed to develop the toner by selectively attaching the accommodated toner T to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 by providing the developing roller 14a and the supply roller 14b therein. A developing unit for developing toner on the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 12 and a cartridge for storing the toner in a replenishable / replaceable manner are configured. The container 31 is formed in a similar shape so as to be housed in each housing space 15 a partitioned by the partition frame 15 c of the developing rotary unit 15 and stores each color toner T. The developing roller 14a is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral side of the container 31 separated from the rotating shaft 15b of the developing rotary unit 15 by applying a developing bias voltage. The developing roller 14a is transferred from the supply roller 14b and transferred to the regulating blade 32. The toner T charged by the toner is caused to fly according to the potential of the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 facing the toner T and is selectively attached. The supply roller 14b is pivotally supported by the container 31 so as to be adjacent to the developing roller 14a on the rotating shaft 15b side of the developing rotary unit 15, and presses and rotates the developing roller 14a to remove the surrounding toner T. Supply. In the container 31 of the developing cartridge 14, a partition plate 33 is installed at a position adjacent to the supply roller 14b. The partition plate 33 communicates the space on the rotating shaft 15b side with the upper portion of the installation space of the supply roller 14b. Thus, the storage space for the toner T in the container 31 is partitioned.

  With this configuration, in the developing cartridge 14, the toner T in the space on the outer peripheral side of the container 31 partitioned by the partition plate 33 is supplied to the developing roller 14a in which the supply roller 14b rotates in pressure contact. Further, when the developing rotary unit 15 rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise in FIG. 1 and rotates 180 degrees, the developing cartridge 14 stores the toner T stored on the rotating shaft 15b side and the supply roller 14b side of the container 31. After being put together at the upper part of the partition plate 33 (downward in FIG. 1), the toner T contained in the container 31 is stirred and refreshed by further rotating by 90 degrees and the toner T is transferred to the developing roller 14a. Collect on the supply roller 14b side so that supply is possible. That is, in the developing cartridge 14 mounted on the developing rotary unit 15 that rotates in this way, the stored toner T is replenished while being agitated toward the supply roller 14b by the rotation. An adjusting device (so-called agitator device or auger device) for performing the operation can be omitted as appropriate. However, when the adjusting device is omitted, the developing cartridge 14 has, for example, a count value by the toner counter, the number of dots of the image, and the like before at least the toner T supplied to the developing roller 14a disappears from the periphery of the supplying roller 14b. When the usage amount of the toner T detected by the accumulated developing operation (image formation) time, the accumulated number of developed images, or the actually measured remaining amount of the toner T exceeds a preset value, the developing rotary unit 15 is moved. The toner T needs to be supplied and stirred for rotation.

  Further, in the image recording apparatus 10, the developing rotary unit 15 is rotated and the developing roller 14a of the developing cartridge 14 is moved to the developing position P1 where the developing roller 14a faces the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 as shown in FIG. When the remaining amount of toner in the developing cartridge 14 is reduced by repeating the image forming operation, the toner of the type (color) that needs to be replenished (replaced) is stored. A message for requesting replacement of the developing cartridge 14 is displayed on an operation panel (not shown), and the developing rotary unit 15 rotates as shown in FIG. 14 is positioned at the uppermost replacement position P2. That is, the developing cartridge 14 constitutes one of the process units. Note that the rotation and positioning of the developing cartridge 14 to the replacement position P2 is designed so as to be performed in accordance with an input instruction for replacement work from the operation panel by the operator, thereby continuing the image forming process by the other developing cartridges 14. It goes without saying that it can be made possible.

  Similarly, when the image recording apparatus 10 reaches the end of the life of the photoconductor applied to the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor drum 12 by repeating the image forming operation, the photoconductor drum 12 can be freely rotated. The drum unit (main body) 40 shown in FIG. 4 is designed to be pulled out from the apparatus main body for replacement. That is, the drum unit 40 also constitutes one of the process units.

  Here, the drum unit 40 rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 12 with a substantially half circumference of the outer peripheral surface thereof exposed to the outside, and the developing unit 14 of the developing cartridge 14 positioned at the developing position P1 by the developing rotary unit 15. The photosensitive drum 12 is mounted on the image recording apparatus 10 in such a posture that the photosensitive drum 12 faces the developing roller 14a, in other words, the inclined portion 41a of the exterior 41 adjacent to the photosensitive drum 12 is vertical. Although not shown, this photosensitive drum 12 has a driven gear that meshes with a gear train on the apparatus body side at the end, and is rotatably supported in the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40. ing.

  Since the drum unit 40 is provided with the photosensitive drum 12 on which the photosensitive material sensitive to scratches is formed on the outer peripheral surface, the drum unit 40 covers the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 as shown in FIG. The unit cover 42 is detachably attached to the exterior 41 so as to be stored in the storage unit. When the unit cover 42 is attached to the apparatus main body, for example, a tape material (not shown) for fixing to the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40 is removed. The unit cover 42 needs to be removed. The fixing of the unit cover 42 to the drum unit 40 main body (exterior 41) is not limited to a tape material or the like. For example, a lock mechanism that fixes the unit cover 42 by engaging a lock claw may be provided. is there.

  The unit cover 42 is formed longer than the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, a rod-like member 43 is rotatably suspended on the short inner surface side. In addition, a weight member 44 formed in a cubic shape is fixedly provided on the distal end side of the rod-shaped member 43. The rod-shaped member 43 is set to such a length that the tip weight member 44 can rotate along the outer surface on the short side of the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40. Here, the unit cover 42 is formed with a vertical window 42a that opens the bar-like member 43 in a vertically suspended state so as to be visible.

  On the other hand, on the outer surface side of the short side of the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40, an interior part is formed so as to cover the rod-like member 43 and the weight member 44 that are pivotally supported on the attached unit cover 41 side. In the interior portion 45, a path space S along the locus of the rotating rod-shaped member 43 and the weight member 44 is defined between the outer surface of the exterior 41. In the interior portion 45, a path space S1 that allows the rod-like member 43 of the unit cover 42 attached to the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40 to rotate left and right is fixed to the tip of the rod-like member 43. A path space S2 that allows the weight member 44 to rotate left and right, and a path that opens upward to allow the weight member 44 in a state where the rod-like member 43 is vertically suspended to fall upward. A space S3 is formed, of which the path space S2 is closed at both ends so that the weight member 44 does not come out from side to side and communicates with the path space S3.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9A, when the drum unit 40 is placed on a desk or the like and is in a horizontal state, for example, the rod-like member 43 and the weight member 44 on the unit cover 42 are suspended vertically. Thus, the weight member 44 can be pulled out from the path space S3 at the center of the path spaces S1 and S2 in the interior portion 45, and the unit cover 42 can be pulled up as it is. To do. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9B, the drum unit 40 is in a state of being tilted by being held by a hand or the like, for example, a rod-shaped member 43 and a weight member 44 on the unit cover 42 side. Swinging to the right or left in the path space S1, S2 in the interior portion 45 according to the posture can restrict the weight member 44 from being displaced from the path space S3 and being pulled upward, The unit cover 42 can be prohibited from being removed from the drum unit 40. At this time, the weight member 44 is fixed to the distal end portion of the rod-like member 43 and rotates in the path space S2, so that the weight member 44 may come into contact with the corner of the wall surface of the path space S2 and stop. In addition, the drum unit 40 can be rotated (posture detection) with high reliability depending on whether or not the drum unit 40 is inclined. That is, the rod-shaped member 43 and the weight member 44 constitute posture detecting means for detecting the posture of the drum unit 40, and the path spaces S1 to S3 in the interior portion 45 restrict the removal of the unit cover 42 from the drum unit 40. The limiting means is configured.

  Therefore, the removal of the unit cover 42 is allowed only when the drum unit 40 is placed on a desk, etc., so that the unit cover 42 can be prohibited from being removed while being inadvertently held by a hand. It is possible to prevent the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 of the drum unit 40 from being inadvertently damaged by urging the user to remove the unit cover 42 by placing it on a desk.

  Further, in the developing cartridge 14, like the photosensitive drum 12 of the drum unit 40, the developing roller 14a that is opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is rotatably supported in an exposed state. The unit cover is detachably attached so as to be stored in a state of covering the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 14a, and when mounted on the apparatus main body side, it is placed on a desk. The unit cover can be removed.

  Therefore, the developing cartridge 14 can prevent the surface of the developing roller 14a from being inadvertently brought into contact with surrounding members to be contaminated, and at the same time, the toner contained in the container 31 can be substantially evenly distributed. It can be set in the developing rotary unit 15 so as to execute high-quality toner development in a state where it can be supplied to the side 14a.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the posture of removing the unit cover 42 and the like from the drum unit 40 and the developing cartridge 14 can be set, for example, as a posture of placing on the desk, and the photosensitive drum 12 and the developing roller 14a can be set. There is little risk of bumping around, and the unit cover can be removed and attached to the apparatus main body side with the toner contained in the developing cartridge 14 being unbiased. Therefore, the replacement and replenishment operation of the photosensitive drum 12 and the developing cartridge 14 can be performed while ensuring a state where high-quality image formation can be performed with high reliability.

  Next, FIGS. 10 to 12 are views showing an example of an image forming apparatus to which the second embodiment of the process unit according to the present invention is attached.

  10 and 11, the image forming apparatus is disposed inside the interior portion 45 of the drum unit 40 of the image recording apparatus 10 (outward from the outer surface of the exterior 41 of the drum unit 40), and the rotation of the rod-shaped member 43 and the weight member 44. A path space S along the movement trajectory is defined, and the width of the path space S2 that allows the weight member 44 fixed to the distal end portion of the rod-shaped member 43 to rotate left and right is widened. That is, in the interior portion 45, the lengthwise direction of the drum unit 40 in the path space S3 opened upward so as to allow the weight member 44 to be lifted upward only in a state where the rod-like member 43 is vertically suspended. The weight member 44 can also be displaced from the path space S3 in the length direction of the drum unit 40 by allowing the rod-shaped member 43 to be displaced also on the wall surface side. Here, the path space S2 does not need to be widened in the entire length, and at least the circumference of the path space S3 may be widened so that the weight member 44 can be displaced.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the drum unit 40 is placed on a desk or the like and is in a horizontal state, for example, the rod-shaped member 43 and the weight member 44 on the unit cover 42 side are vertically suspended. Thus, the weight member 44 can be pulled out from the path space S3 at the center of the path spaces S1 and S2 in the interior portion 45, and the unit cover 42 is allowed to be pulled up as it is. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12B, the drum unit 40 is tilted at least in the short direction, for example, by being held by a hand (rotates around the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 12). The rod-like member 43 and the weight member 44 on the unit cover 42 side are swung to the right or left in the path spaces S1 and S2 in the interior portion 45 according to their postures, so that the weight is removed from the path space S3. The member 44 can be restricted from being displaced and pulled upward, and the unit cover 42 can be prohibited from being removed from the drum unit 40. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12C, the drum unit 40 is held in a horizontal direction in the short direction, for example, by being held by a hand, but is inclined in the longitudinal direction (photosensitive member). In the state of rotating around the other axis in the direction intersecting with the rotation axis of the drum 12, the rod-like member 43 and the weight member 44 on the unit cover 42 side are route spaces S1, S2 in the interior portion 45 in accordance with their postures. Even if the rod-shaped member 43 is located in the vertical window 42a and the weight member 44 is also swung in the longitudinal direction in the path space S3, the weight member 44 is displaced from the path space S3 and moved upward. The unit cover 42 can be prohibited from being removed from the drum unit 40.

  Therefore, it is possible to allow the unit cover 42 to be removed only when the drum unit 40 is placed on a desk so as to be horizontal in the short direction and the long direction (XY direction). It is possible to more reliably prevent the surface of 12 from being inadvertently damaged.

  The same applies to the developing cartridge 14, and the surface of the developing roller 14a can be more reliably prevented from being inadvertently brought into contact with surrounding members and contaminated. 31 is set in the developing rotary unit 15 in such a manner that the toner accommodated in the toner roller 31 is surely substantially uniform in the axial direction and the rotational direction of the developing roller 14a, so that high-quality toner development is performed more reliably. Can do.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the operational effects of the above-described embodiment can be obtained with higher reliability, and there is less possibility of hitting the photosensitive drum 12 and the developing roller 14a to the surroundings, and the toner contained in the developing cartridge 14 The unit cover can be removed and attached to the apparatus main body side with no bias. Therefore, the replacement and replenishment operation of the photosensitive drum 12 and the developing cartridge 14 can be performed while ensuring a state where high-quality image formation can be performed with higher reliability.

  Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be implemented in various forms within the scope of the technical idea. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus that employs an electrophotographic recording system that forms an image using dry toner will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It goes without saying that the present invention may be applied to an image forming apparatus that contains a fluid such as highly viscous ink as a recording medium. Also in this case, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the flowing recording medium can be attached to the apparatus main body in a stable state in the horizontal direction.

1 is a view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus to which a first embodiment of a process unit according to the present invention is mounted, and is a perspective front view illustrating a schematic overall configuration thereof. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal configuration of the developing cartridge. It is a figure explaining attachment and detachment of the developing cartridge, (a) is a conceptual front view showing the state at the time of operation, (a) is a conceptual front view showing the state at the time of replacement. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the drum unit before the mounting | wearing. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged exploded perspective view showing a main part configuration of the drum unit. It is an enlarged front view which shows the principal part structure of the drum unit. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows the principal part structure of the drum unit. It is an enlarged front view explaining the removal of the unit cover from the drum unit. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of removing the unit cover from the drum unit, (a) is a conceptual top view which shows the state at the time of removing with an appropriate attitude | position, (b) is when removing with an inappropriate attitude | position It is a conceptual top view which shows the state of. It is a figure which shows an example of the image forming apparatus which mounts 2nd Embodiment of the process unit which concerns on this invention, and is a partially expanded disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part structure of the drum unit. It is a partially expanded sectional view which shows the principal part structure of the drum unit. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of removing the unit cover from the drum unit, (a) is a conceptual top view which shows the state at the time of removing with an appropriate attitude, (b) and (c) are removed with an inappropriate attitude. It is a conceptual top view which shows the state at the time of trying.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image recording device 11 ... Laser beam scanning device 12 ... Photosensitive drum 14 ... Developing cartridge 14a ... Developing roller 14b ... Supply roller 15 ... Developing rotary unit 16 ... Intermediate transfer belt 17 ... Transfer Roller 18 ... Fixing roller pair 20 ... Paper transport device 31 ... Container 40 ... Drum unit 41 ... Unit cover 41 ... Exterior 41a ... Slope 42 ... Unit cover 42a ... Vertical window 43 ... Bar-shaped member 44 …… Weight member 45 …… Interior part P1 …… Development position P2 …… Replacement position S, S1 to S3 …… Path space T …… Toner

Claims (5)

A process unit that is constructed to be detachable from an image forming apparatus that records and forms an image by attaching and fixing a recording medium to an image forming surface based on image data, and is used in the image forming process,
It is designed to be able to attach a unit cover that is removed from the unit body when it is attached to the image forming apparatus body.
A process unit comprising: an attitude detection unit that detects an attitude of the unit main body; and a limiting unit that restricts removal of the unit cover from the unit main body according to information detected by the attitude detection unit.   2. The process unit according to claim 1, wherein a recording medium to be adhered and fixed to an image forming surface on which an image is formed is accommodated in the unit main body. The posture detecting means includes a weight member disposed on one of the unit main body or the unit cover and displaced according to the posture of the unit main body,
As the restricting means, a movement path space of a weight member disposed on the other of the unit main body or the unit cover and displaced in accordance with the posture of the unit main body is defined, and the unit main body is in a proper posture. 3. The process unit according to claim 1, wherein a movement path space of the weight member that is displaced in accordance with the relative movement of the cover in the removing direction is also defined.   The weight member is fixed to one of the unit main body side or the unit cover side and fixed to the distal end side of a rod-like member that is supported on the base end side and is suspended so that the posture can be freely changed. The process unit according to claim 3. The weight member is a set that is displaced according to a change in posture due to rotation around one horizontal axis of the unit body and rotation around another axis that intersects the one axis, or two for each rotation. 5. The process unit according to claim 3 or 4, wherein an equation or more is installed.

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