JP2009258325A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus in which the gap between an opening and closing cover and a fixed cover is easily adjusted while the opening and closing cover is closed. <P>SOLUTION: In the image forming apparatus provided with the opening and closing cover openably and closably provided in an apparatus body and the fixed cover fixed to the apparatus body, a fitting adjustment mechanism for adjusting the gap between the opening and closing cover and the fixed cover is provided in the apparatus body. The fitting adjustment mechanism is configured to include a lift member 17 which includes a fitting hole 16 on the side of the apparatus body and disposed to be vertically movable and an operation part (a dial 21 and a cam 22) which vertically moves the lift member 17. The dial 21 is provided in a storage box 7 storing office supplies. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a fitting adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between an opening / closing cover and a fixed cover.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a sheet by electrophotography develops a latent image formed on an image carrier as a toner image by a developing device, and supplies the toner image at an appropriate timing. The toner image transferred onto the sheet is fixed on the sheet by a fixing device.

  In such an image forming apparatus, for example, an opening / closing cover such as a front cover that is opened / closed at the time of maintenance is provided on the front of the apparatus main body so as to be openable / closable. An adjustment mechanism is provided. This adjustment mechanism can change the scooping amount by adjusting the hinge of the fulcrum part of the opening / closing cover to the left or right or front / rear, or moving the guide back and forth in the configuration in which the opening / closing cover is scooped up by the guide immediately before the opening / closing cover is closed. Etc. are known.

  By the way, Patent Document 1 has an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and a reading apparatus that is installed above the image forming apparatus and optically reads a document, and between the image forming apparatus and the reading apparatus. At least one surface of the paper discharge space where the paper on which the image is formed is discharged is an open surface, a support member for supporting the reading device, and one end fixed to the support member across the open surface In the image forming reading apparatus having a reinforcing member that supports the reading apparatus by pressing the other end in contact with the reading apparatus and supporting the reading apparatus, the reinforcing member fixes the supporting portion to the supporting member and the reading apparatus. There has been proposed a configuration that prevents the occurrence of an abnormal image due to the distortion of the optical path by making the vertical distance to the contact location variable.

  Patent Document 2 includes a magnet catch having a long hole for position adjustment and a rotation stopper, and a stay having a fitting hole into which the rotation stopper is fitted, and the magnet catch is attached to the stay with a screw. There has been proposed an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the opening / closing force of the front door by adjusting the mounting position of the magnet catch by loosening.

  In Patent Document 3, in a hinge device for pivotally supporting a cover unit with respect to a main unit so as to be freely opened and closed, the hinge unit is fitted with a hinge receiving portion provided in the main unit, and is vertically moved with respect to the hinge receiving portion. A slidable fitting portion, a hinge mounting portion fixed to the cover unit, a pivot shaft connecting the fitting portion and the hinge mounting portion to each other so as to be pivotable, and a lower surface of the cover unit A positioning engagement member that engages with the hinge receiving portion of the main body unit or a positioning support member provided close to the main body unit when in the closed position in contact with the upper surface of the main body unit; When the cover unit is closed by the main body unit, the cover unit is defined as a predetermined position with respect to the main body unit. Configuration to eliminate the positional deviation with respect to the main body unit so as to obtain a high-quality image data have been proposed.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 discloses a document table glass on which a document side edge abutting reference member is arranged, an exterior member that positions and retains the document table glass, a positioning projection provided on the exterior member, and the positioning projection An optical system for adjusting an optical system in a document reading apparatus comprising an apparatus main body having a positioning reference hole that fits into the apparatus and an optical system adjustment jig that adjusts an optical system that is replaceably mounted on the apparatus main body A configuration has been proposed in which the positioning protrusion provided on the adjustment jig can be fitted into the positioning reference hole provided in the apparatus main body, thereby positioning the document side edge butting reference member at a predetermined position on the apparatus main body. .
JP 2007-067517 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-271052 JP 2003-149754 A JP 2001-197265 A

  However, in the conventional adjustment mechanism, after the opening / closing cover is opened and adjusted, a scale is provided on the hinge portion that needs to be closed and checked, and the hinge is adjusted in accordance with the adjustment amount of the fitting portion of the opening / closing cover. Since the fitting of the opening / closing cover is adjusted by determining the amount of movement of the opening / closing cover, there are problems that the adjustment time for fitting fitting varies and the delicate adjustment is difficult.

  In addition, in the fitting configuration with the horizontal cover, the fitting property of the other upper and lower covers becomes the quality of the finished product, and it may be necessary to move the upper and lower covers, etc. Adjustment was difficult.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of easily adjusting a gap between the open / close cover and the fixed cover while the open / close cover is closed. is there.

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus including an open / close cover provided on the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable, and a fixed cover fixed to the apparatus main body. The apparatus main body is provided with a fitting adjustment mechanism for adjusting the gap.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the fitting adjustment mechanism includes a lift member provided with a fitting portion on the apparatus main body side and arranged to be movable up and down, and the lift member is moved up and down. It is characterized by including an operation unit to be operated.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the operation unit is provided in a storage box for storing office supplies.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the cam according to the second or third aspect, wherein the lift member is urged upward by the urging means, and the operation portion is brought into contact with the upper surface of the lift member. It is characterized by comprising a dial for rotating the.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the operation portion is configured by a screw that is screwed onto the upper surface of the lift member.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the height adjustment position of the fitting portion on the apparatus main body side is adjusted by the fitting adjustment mechanism provided on the apparatus main body, so that the open / close cover is closed and fixed to the open / close cover. The gap of the cover can be easily adjusted.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the vertical height position of the fitting portion provided on the lift member is adjusted by operating the operation portion of the fitting adjustment mechanism to move the lift member up and down. The gap between the open / close cover and the fixed cover can be easily adjusted with the open / close cover closed.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, since the operation portion of the fitting adjustment mechanism is provided in the storage box for storing office supplies, the operability of the fitting adjustment mechanism is improved and the appearance of the image forming apparatus is impaired. It will not be.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the lift member can be moved up and down by rotating the cam with the dial, the vertical height position of the fitting portion provided on the lift member is adjusted and opened and closed. The gap between the cover and the fixed cover can be easily adjusted.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the lift member can be moved up and down by turning the screw, the opening / closing cover and the fixed cover are adjusted by adjusting the vertical height position of the fitting portion provided on the lift member. Can be easily adjusted.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
1 and 2 are perspective views of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 4 is a front view of a storage box cover, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the storage box cover, FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the storage box cover, FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the fitting adjustment mechanism, and FIG. It is a back side perspective view of a fitting adjustment mechanism.

  The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a copying machine and includes a rectangular box-shaped apparatus main body 2. The apparatus main body 2 includes a photosensitive drum, a charger, Various process devices (not shown) such as a developing device and a fixing device are incorporated. A paper discharge tray 4 is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2. A scanner unit 5 for optically reading a document is disposed above the paper discharge tray 4, and a front side of the scanner unit 5. The operation display unit 6 is disposed in the screen.

  A tray-like storage box 7 for storing office supplies such as clips and staples and a storage box cover 8 covering the tray are provided next to the operation display unit 6.

  Further, an open / close cover 9 and a fixed cover 10 are provided on the left and right sides of the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, and upper and lower two-stage sheet feeding cassettes 11 and 12 on which sheets are stacked are detachably disposed. Yes. Here, the opening / closing cover 9 is rotatable about the upper and lower hinges 13 and 14 and can be opened to the front side as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the hinges 13 and 14 are centered. The front opening of the apparatus main body 2 can be closed together with the fixed cover 10 by being turned and closed. The fixed cover 10 is fixed to the apparatus main body 2. Further, the paper feed cassettes 11 and 12 can be pulled out toward the front side, and paper can be replenished thereto.

  Incidentally, as shown in detail in FIG. 3, a fitting protrusion 15 that protrudes horizontally inwardly projects from the upper back of the opening / closing cover 9, and the opening / closing cover 9 is provided on the apparatus main body 2 side. A fitting hole 16 is provided in which the fitting projection 15 is fitted when closed.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the vertical height position of the fitting hole 16 provided on the apparatus main body 2 side is adjusted by a fitting adjustment mechanism described later. Here, the detail of a structure of a fitting adjustment mechanism is demonstrated based on FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a channel-shaped lift member 17 that is long in the vertical direction is provided inside the storage box cover 8 so as to be movable up and down. Are projecting integrally toward the front, and the boss 18 is formed with the fitting hole 16 having a long hole shape that is long in the width direction. A two-stage cylindrical projection 19 is integrally provided above the boss 18 on the front surface of the lift member 17, and a screw 20 is screwed into the center of the projection 19.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a long hole 8 a that is long in the width direction is formed in the lower part of the front surface of the storage box cover 8, and a long hole 8 b that is long in the vertical direction is formed above it. A boss 18 and a protrusion 19 are inserted into the long holes 8 a and 8 b, respectively, and a fitting hole 16 formed in the boss 18 opens at the lower front of the storage box cover 8. Further, the screw 20 screwed into the protrusion 19 of the lift member 17 abuts on the peripheral edge of the long hole 8 b on the front surface of the storage box cover 8 to guide the vertical movement of the lift member 17. As shown in FIG. 5, a minute gap δ is formed in the vertical direction between the long holes 8 a and 8 b of the storage box cover 8 and the boss 18 and the protrusion 19.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 9, a bracket 7a extending vertically downward is integrally formed on the bottom surface of the storage box 7, and a horizontal shaft 7b projects integrally with the bracket 7a. It is installed. An integrated dial 21 and a cam 22 are rotatably inserted into and supported by the shaft 7b. The dial 21 is a rectangular hole formed at the bottom corner of the storage box 7, as shown in FIG. Part is exposed from 7c.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the lift member 17 is urged upward by a spring 23 that is compressed between the bottom of the storage box cover 8, and the upper surface of the lift member 17 is against the cam 22. It is in contact.

  Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, after opening the opening / closing cover 9 and opening it, the opening / closing cover 9 is pivoted back about the hinges 13 and 14 to make it open. When closed, the fitting projection 15 projecting from the back surface of the opening / closing cover 9 is fitted into the fitting hole 16 on the apparatus body 2 side to position the opening / closing cover 9, but in the final process of the production line, etc. When the fitting protrusion 15 and the fitting hole 16 are not properly positioned in the vertical direction, and the fitting between the fitting protrusion 15 and the fitting hole 16 is not good, it is exposed to the bottom of the storage box 7 with the opening / closing cover 9 closed. The height position of the fitting hole 16 can be adjusted by turning the dial 21.

  That is, when the dial 21 is rotated as described above, the cam 22 rotates integrally therewith, so that the lift member 17 whose upper surface abuts on the cam 22 moves up and down within the range of the minute gap δ shown in FIG. As a result, the vertical position of the fitting protrusion 15 on the opening / closing cover 9 side and the fitting hole 16 on the apparatus main body 2 side is appropriately adjusted so that the fitting of both is good, and the storage box cover 8 and the opening / closing cover 9 And the clearance gap between the fixed covers 10 is adjusted easily and appropriately.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the gap between the open / close cover 9, the storage box cover 8, and the fixed cover 10 can be easily adjusted while the open / close cover 9 is closed. In this embodiment, the dial 21 that is the operation portion of the fitting adjustment mechanism is provided in the storage box 7 that stores office supplies such as clips, so that the operability is improved and the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 is improved. Will not be damaged.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  9 is a cross-sectional view of the storage box cover of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the storage box cover, FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the storage box cover, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the fitting adjustment mechanism, and in these drawings, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted hereinafter. To do.

  The present embodiment is characterized in that the operation portion of the fitting adjustment mechanism is replaced by a screw 24 instead of the dial 21 and the cam 22 of the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. .

  That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, a circular hole-like recess 7d is formed at the corner of the storage box 7, and the screw 24 passes vertically through the recess 7d. Has been. The lower end of the screw 24 is screwed into the upper part of the lift member 17, and its head is exposed in the recess 7 d of the storage box 7.

  Thus, also in the present embodiment, when the vertical positions of the fitting projection 15 and the fitting hole 16 are not appropriate in the final process of the production line or the like, the fitting between the two is not good. With the opening / closing cover 9 closed, the height position of the fitting hole 16 is adjusted by turning the screw 24 whose head is exposed in the recess 7d formed at the bottom of the storage box 7 using a tool such as a screwdriver.

  That is, when the screw 24 is turned as described above, the lift member 17 screwed into the screw 24 moves up and down in the range of the minute gap δ shown in FIG. 10, thereby the vertical direction between the fitting protrusion 15 and the fitting hole 16. Are properly adjusted so that the fitting between them is good, and the gap between the opening / closing cover 9, the storage box cover 8, and the fixed cover 10 is easily adjusted.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the gap between the opening / closing cover 9, the storage box cover 8, and the fixed cover 10 can be easily adjusted while the opening / closing cover 9 is closed. In this embodiment, since the screw 24 that is the operation portion of the fitting adjustment mechanism is provided in the storage box 7 that stores office supplies such as clips, the operability is improved and the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1 is improved. Will not be damaged.

  In the above, the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a copying machine has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to other arbitrary image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a facsimile in addition to the copying machine. Of course.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a storage box cover of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a storage box cover of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the storage box cover of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a front side perspective view of the fitting adjustment mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a back side perspective view of the fitting adjustment mechanism of the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the storage box cover of the image forming apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a front side perspective view of the storage box cover of the image forming apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of a storage box cover of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. It is a front side perspective view of the fitting adjustment mechanism of the image forming apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Apparatus main body 3 Main body frame 4 Paper discharge tray 5 Scanner part 6 Operation display part 7 Storage box 7a Bracket 7b Shaft 7c Rectangular hole 7d Recessed part 8 Storage box cover 8a, 8b Long hole 9 Opening / closing cover 10 Fixed cover 11, 12 Paper cassette 13, 14 Hinge 15 Fitting protrusion (fitting part)
16 Fitting hole (fitting part)
17 Lifting member 18 Boss 19 Projection 20 Screw 21 Dial (operation part)
22 Cam (operation unit)
23 Spring (biasing means)
24 Screw (operation part)
δ Minute gap

Claims (5)

In an image forming apparatus provided with an opening / closing cover provided on the apparatus main body so as to be openable and closable and a fixed cover fixed to the apparatus main body,
An image forming apparatus, wherein a fitting adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the opening / closing cover and the fixed cover is provided in the apparatus main body.   2. The fitting adjustment mechanism includes a lift member provided with a fitting portion on the apparatus main body side and arranged to be movable up and down, and an operation unit for moving the lift member up and down. The image forming apparatus described.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation unit is provided in a storage box for storing office supplies.   4. The lift member according to claim 2, wherein the lift member is urged upward by an urging means, and the operation portion is constituted by a cam that contacts the upper surface of the lift member and a dial that rotates the cam. The image forming apparatus described. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation unit includes a screw that is screwed onto an upper surface of the lift member.

Images