JP2007328166A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus with which a sufficient space for maintenance can be assured in the upper part of an image forming apparatus body by opening an upper part unit of an image reading section and the like and the need for allowing for the moving space of the upper part unit can be eliminated. <P>SOLUTION: When the upper part unit 2 opening or closing the upper part of a printer body 1 is pushed backward in a cross direction, the unit is put into an inclined attitude lifted in the rear part of the unit and the upper part of the printer body 1 is widely opened, and thereby the space allowing the easy maintenance is assured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a multifunction machine.

  In the field of various image forming apparatuses described above, a structure in which an image reading device or the like is provided as an upper unit on the upper part of an image forming apparatus main body is often used. In the case of an upper unit by an image reading apparatus, for example, an ADF function is combined with a flatbed scanner function having a cover that opens and closes a document table as required. In such an image forming apparatus, a paper discharge space for discharging sheets such as recording paper after image formation is provided between the apparatus main body and the upper unit, and the upper unit is opened to release the paper discharge space. The sheet is easily taken out. Further, by opening and closing the upper portion of the apparatus main body with such an upper unit, the apparatus main body can be easily maintained, and a sheet jammed in the sheet conveyance path can be easily removed.

  As an example of an image forming apparatus provided with such an opening / closing structure type upper unit, as shown in FIG. 5, an image forming apparatus in which the rear end portion of the upper unit 31 is attached to the upper portion of the apparatus body 30 by a hinge portion 32 so as to be opened and closed (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, an image forming apparatus is also proposed in which the upper unit 41 is swiveled to open and close in the horizontal plane above the apparatus main body 40, or is opened and closed by sliding in the horizontal direction. (For example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-22143 A JP 2004-45906 A

  However, in the case of the structure in which the upper unit 31 illustrated in FIG. 5 is opened and closed from the rear end hinge portion, there are the following problems. Depending on the inclination angle of opening the upper unit 31, the document presser cover 23 may be opened carelessly. If a lock mechanism is provided so that the document presser cover 23 is not opened by mistake, the apparatus becomes complicated, the number of parts increases, and the cost increases. Further, when the upper unit 22 is greatly opened to facilitate maintenance, it is unstable, and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient working space because the opening angle is limited.

  Further, in the structure in which the upper unit 41 illustrated in FIG. 6 is moved by a swivel rotation type or a horizontal slide type, it is necessary to secure a movement space by rotation or slide around the apparatus main body, which requires a large installation space. There is an inconvenience.

  Further, in FIG. 5, when the operation panel 34 having a display unit, input operation keys, and the like is provided on the upper surface of the front part of the upper unit 31, there is the following problem. If the upper unit 31 is opened forward, the operation panel 24 is hidden, making it difficult to see or operating. Also in FIG. 6, when the upper unit 41 rotates and slides the swivel, the operation panel 43 turns sideways or greatly deviates from the front of the operator, so that it is also difficult to see and difficult to operate.

  An object of the present invention is to open an upper unit such as an image reading unit so that a sufficient space for maintenance or the like can be secured in the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the moving space of the upper unit can be used as an installation space for the main body of the image forming apparatus. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that does not need to be expected.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the upper unit provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body moves and opens or closes the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body, the fixed position where the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is closed. A slide mechanism that slides the front part of the upper unit rearward, and a link that lifts the rear part of the upper unit upward in conjunction with the slide mechanism. And an upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body is opened when the upper unit is tilted.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, when the upper unit that opens or closes the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is pushed rearward in the front-rear direction, the rear part of the unit is in a tilted posture, and the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is widened. Space that is easy to open and maintain is secured. In addition, in order to open the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body, the moving space of the upper unit can be substantially contained within the plane area of the image forming apparatus main body. Therefore, there is an advantage that the installation area of the image forming apparatus main body can be suppressed to a minimum space.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 4 show a multi-function printer (MFP: multi-function printer) that combines a laser beam printer and a flatbed image scanner as a specific example of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

  The printer main body 1 is provided with an image forming unit that forms an image based on image information, and a control unit that integrates and controls the operation of the entire printer main body 1 including the image forming unit.

  In FIG. 2 when the printer main body 1 is viewed from the side, sheets 20 such as recording sheets are stacked on the feeding cassette 5, fed one by one by a feeding roller 21, and fed to the image forming unit. In the image forming unit, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum based on the information of the document image read by the document reading unit 3, and this electrostatic latent image is developed with a developer (toner). The developed toner image is transferred onto the sheet 20 by the transfer unit 22. The sheet 20 is sent to the fixing unit 23 where heat and pressure are applied to fix the transferred image. After fixing, the sheet 20 is discharged to the discharge port 6 by the discharge roller 24.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper unit 2 is attached to the upper surface of the printer main body 1 of the multifunction printer. The upper unit 2 includes a document reading unit 3 having a document table on the upper surface, and a document cover 4 is pivotally supported by a rear end portion of the document reading unit 3 with a hinge pin 4a. Can be opened and closed in the direction of opening up. A display unit 7 is provided on the upper surface of the front end of the document reading unit 3 to display the current status of the internal devices of the printer main body 1 and the operation procedure, and the operation of the input unit 8 provided with input keys, operation buttons, and the like. A panel is provided.

  Further, a “slide mechanism” shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 is provided. At the front end of the upper unit 2, convex slide protrusions 9 are provided so as to protrude on both the left and right sides of the lower surface. The slide protrusion 9 is guided by being engaged with guide rails 10 provided in parallel on the left and right sides of the upper surface of the printer main body 1, and slides and slides in the front-rear direction toward the front of the printer main body 1.

  In addition, a “link mechanism” including the following members is provided. One base end portion of the lift arm 11 is connected to the left and right side surfaces of the rear portion of the printer main body 1 by a fulcrum pin 11 a, and the other end portion of the lift arm 11 is a unit gravity center portion on the left and right side surfaces of the upper unit 2. Are connected by a movable pin 11b. That is, the upper unit 2 is supported at the upper part of the printer main body 1 at the three points of the slide protrusion 9, the fulcrum pin 11a, and the movable pin 11b, and a three-point link mechanism in which the slide protrusion 9 moves is configured. By this three-point link mechanism, the upper unit 2 is rotated from the fixed position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 where the upper part of the printer main body 1 is closed to the inclined posture of the forward and backward bending shown in FIGS. Move to the position to open the top of the.

  With the above configuration, when the maintenance operation of the printer main body 1 is performed by opening the upper unit 2, the operator pushes the front end portion of the upper unit 2 backward. With this pushing force, the slide mechanism and the link mechanism operate in conjunction with each other. That is, the slide protrusions 9 on the left and right sides of the upper unit 2 are guided by the guide rail 10 on the printer main body 1 side by the pushing force, and slide to slide to the right in FIG. In conjunction with the movement of the slide projection 9, the lift arm 11 of the three-point link mechanism rotates in the clockwise direction with the fulcrum pin 11a at the base end as a fulcrum. As the lift arm 11 rotates, the upper unit 2 is bent forward and tilted upward via the movable pin 11b at the center of gravity. Since the upper unit 2 is bent forward, it is difficult for an operator standing up in front of the printer main body 1 to see the operation panels such as the display unit 7 and the input unit 8, and there is no problem in operation.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper unit 2 moves backward in a forward bent posture and moves backward, so that the upper portion of the printer body 1 is opened and a space free from any inconvenience is secured, and jam processing, cleaning, etc. are smooth. Maintenance work can be performed.

  By the way, in the upper unit 2 that is in an inclined posture after being bent forward in FIG. 4, the movable pin 11 b that is substantially at the center of gravity of the unit is slightly rearward from the position of the fulcrum pin 11 a on the printer body 1 side. Therefore, the upper unit 2 is stabilized by leaning its own weight toward the rear side. The stability is realized by the slide protrusions 9 on both sides of the front end being locked to the guide rail 10 on the printer body 1 side at that position. Further, when the upper unit 2 is held in such a stable open state, the document presser cover 4 cannot be naturally opened because the rear end side hinge portion 4a is above in the vertical direction. . Therefore, there is no need for a lock mechanism that prevents the document pressing cover 4 from being inadvertently opened when the upper unit 2 is opened.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a printer cover 12 for opening and closing the sheet stacking surface of the sheet discharge port 6 is provided, and the printer cover 12 is opened to perform jam processing in the printer main body 1 or the toner cartridge 13. You can exchange. At that time, since the upper unit 2 is opened above the printer cover 12, it is completely opened, and the maintenance inside the printer main body 1 can be looked over. Further, the display unit 7 and the input unit 8 face in a direction in which the display unit 7 and the input unit 8 can be directly viewed from the front of the printer body 1 even when the upper unit 2 is opened. Therefore, an operation operation for displaying a maintenance operation procedure on the display unit 7 and accepting a user operation by the input unit 8 can be carried smoothly without any trouble.

  In addition, although the said embodiment was described about this invention, if it is in the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention, another embodiment, an application example, a modified example, and those combination are also possible.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the upper unit 2 is held in a tilted posture in which the upper unit 2 is bent forward and bent with the upper portion of the printer main body 1 open, and is stabilized by its own weight. For example, the upper unit 2 may be very heavy such as a document reading unit that reads a document size of A3 or larger, or a document reading unit that includes an ADF (automatic document feeder). In such a heavy upper unit 2, it is possible to use a spring member to assist in lifting the rear end of the unit upward. Further, a lock device for fixing the upper unit 2 in the open position, a shock absorber such as a damper for reducing the impact of the operation when the upper unit 2 returns to a fixed position on the printer main body 1 can be provided.

  Further, the document reading unit 3 is illustrated as an arbitrary upper unit 2. Of course, in addition to the document reading unit 3, a part of the printer body 1, a control device, and a paper processing device such as a sorter or finisher for sorting discharged sheets. In general, the present invention also applies. Further, the document reading method and the image recording method are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, but can be applied to various recording devices such as a sheet conveying method reading device and an ink jet printer.

1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper unit is opened in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. The side view which shows the same upper unit open state. The perspective view which shows the upper unit opening-and-closing structure of a prior art example. The perspective view which shows the upper unit opening-and-closing structure of another prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer main body 2 Upper unit 3 Document reading part 4 Document pressing cover 5 Feed cassette 7 Display part (operation panel)
8 Input section (operation panel)
9 Slide protrusion (slide mechanism)
10 Slide rail (slide mechanism)
11 Lift arm (link mechanism)
11a fulcrum pin (link mechanism)
11b Movable pin (link mechanism)
12 Printer cover 13 Toner cartridge

Claims (8)

In the image forming apparatus in which the upper unit provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body moves to open or close the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body,
A slide mechanism that slides the front part of the upper unit backward by applying a force to push the upper unit backward in the front-rear direction from a fixed position where the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is closed, and interlocked with the slide mechanism And a link mechanism that lifts the rear part of the upper unit upward, and the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is opened when the upper unit is tilted. The slide mechanism is
A guide rail provided parallel to the left and right sides of the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body and extending in the front-rear direction;
Slide protrusions that are provided on the left and right sides of the front portion of the upper unit and that are guided by the guide rail and slide;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The link mechanism is
One end of the longitudinal direction is connected to the image forming apparatus main body by a fulcrum pin and the other end is connected to the upper unit by a movable pin so as to be rotatable; The lift arm is rotated with the fulcrum pin as a rotation fulcrum with a force pushing the upper unit rearward, and the movable pin is displaced with respect to the image forming apparatus main body so as to lift the rear part of the upper unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the other end of the lift arm is connected to the position of the center of gravity of the upper unit or a position adjacent thereto via the movable pin.   When the upper unit is tilted and the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus is opened, the upper unit is supported at three points by the slide protrusion, the fulcrum pin and the movable pin, and the movable pin is connected to the vertical line connecting the fulcrum pin. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper unit is stably held by its own weight by being positioned rearward.   An operation panel having at least a display unit and an input unit is provided on the upper surface of the front part of the upper unit, and the operation panel is faced forward even when the upper unit is tilted and the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body is opened. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arbitrary upper unit stores an image reading unit that reads and scans an image of a document.   The upper unit in which a document pressing cover for pressing and holding the document on the document table of the image reading unit is opened and closed from the front end portion and fixed at the rear end portion, and the fixed rear end portion opens the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image forming apparatus is arranged in a higher position in a tilting posture.

Images