JP2010169979A - Caster with adjuster, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a caster which has an adjuster and makes it easy to install an image forming apparatus and to move it during the maintenance. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus moving caster 100A has wheels 1, and a caster up/down mechanism 1A supporting the wheels 1 free to move up and down. The positioning adjuster 100B has a device fixing leg 2, and an adjuster up/down mechanism 2A supporting the device fixing leg 2 free to move up and down. The caster up/down mechanism 1A and the adjuster up/down mechanism 2A are continuously moved by operating a wheel adjuster actuator arm 6. The wheel adjuster actuator arm 6 is locked or released by operating the lock release arm 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention includes a caster device with an adjuster that includes a device moving caster and a position fixing adjuster on a bottom surface portion of a body to be attached such as an image forming device main body, and that enables the device main body to be moved and fixed. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. In particular, the caster device with an adjuster according to the present invention is effective when applied to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, an image reading device, or a complex machine thereof that requires flatness of the device installation surface. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various sizes of an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, a facsimile machine such as a printer, an image reading apparatus, or a composite machine of them are placed on the floor. In these image forming apparatuses, casters having wheels on their leg portions for facilitating the movement of the apparatus and movable leg members for fixing the movement of the apparatus and supporting the weight of the apparatus are provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus main body. An adjustable adjuster is attached.

  The caster device facilitates the movement of the image forming apparatus with a light force, for example, by a wheel mechanism of the caster. In addition, the adjuster unit has its adjuster shaft screwed in, and the amount of tightening is adjusted individually to adjust the height of the adjuster legs higher than the caster wheels, and the height of each adjuster leg is connected to the adjuster. The structure is such that all the ground can reach the floor evenly. As a result, the image forming apparatus can be stably placed without rattling with the floor surface.

  On the other hand, an image forming apparatus in which an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and an image reading apparatus are combined has an operation display unit having an operation function and a display function for operating the apparatus from the upper side to the lower side of the apparatus. ing. Furthermore, image input means including a flatbed image input device for image input, image forming means for drawing image information based on information data on the recording medium, means for stacking and aligning the recording medium, and recording at the bottom And medium storage means. Then, a control means for controlling the processing of the information data, the operation display means, the image input means, and the image forming means, a storage device for storing the information data, and individual means so as to fill the space of each means A power supply for supplying power to the battery is disposed without any gap.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism configuration of an adjuster that is provided with an adjuster on a leg base having a caster, and an adjuster elevating pedal and a lock member that prevents the elevating movement in the leg base fixing device. In this configuration, there is shown a compact footrest fixing device that can lock the movement by the caster and the movement by the adjuster.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that in an image forming apparatus in which an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, and an image reading apparatus are combined, each constituent unit is replaced for each unit, and the apparatus is maintained / An apparatus configuration that can be easily maintained is disclosed.

  In other words, the composite apparatus includes an operation display device having an operation function and a display function for device operation from the upper side to the lower side of the device, an image input device including a flatbed image input device for image input, and a recording It comprises an output device that outputs to a medium and a control device. In this composite apparatus, a moving device is provided in the housing so that the operation direction of each apparatus is the same, and the output device is moved in the front direction between the storage position and the maintenance work position. Provide. As a result, it is shown that when the function is improved, it can be dealt with by replacement for each desired component, and the maintenance and maintenance of the apparatus can be easily performed.

  Furthermore, in the example of the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 3, a moving caster is provided on the bottom surface of the apparatus casing in the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof, so that the apparatus can be easily configured. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that can be moved.

Fixed leg portions are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the bottom surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus, and two or more casters are provided on at least one edge side of the bottom surface of the housing. The caster is located outside the leg portion on the one end edge side and inside the one end edge, so that a part of the caster protrudes from a tangent line between the one end edge and the leg portion on the one end edge side, and The height is configured to be lower than the height of the leg portion. In this configuration, it is shown that when the apparatus is moved, the apparatus main body is inclined and moved with the caster as a fulcrum.
JP 2001-130203 A JP-A-10-304116 JP 2006-126605 A

  In an image forming apparatus in which an electrophotographic copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and an image reading apparatus are combined, in recent years, the size of the image forming apparatus has been reduced and the size of the apparatus has been reduced to save space. It is required to be stored in a frame. Operation display means, image input means, image forming means, means for stacking and aligning recording media, recording medium storage means, control means for controlling information data processing and various means, information data storage device, In this situation, the power supply for supplying power is disposed in the main body (housing) without any gap.

  Conventionally, these image forming apparatuses require maintenance for installation and use at the user's site. At this time, considering the contents of the time required for the work of the service person, there is a current situation where it takes time to make the work ready in addition to the actual part replacement.

  That is, it takes time to secure the work space. In a complex image forming apparatus, in order to access individual units / parts, the target parts cannot be accessed directly, but can only be accessed after removing other units / parts. is there. At this time, work from other side surfaces than the one surface side of the apparatus is also required. In addition, there are many parts to be removed, and this installation space is necessary. Since the removed parts are contaminated with toner, dust, oil, etc., as a countermeasure, a space is required to spread newspapers to prevent the floor from becoming dirty. there were. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to move the apparatus. In a small office or the like, the left and right sides and the back are blocked, and it is difficult to secure these work spaces by moving the apparatus. Also, there are many passages in front of the device, and even if the device is moved to the passage for the purpose of maintenance, not only will the passage be blocked, but the front side will have obstacles on the opposite side of the passage. In many cases, it is difficult for an operator to go around the rear side because the width is only the width of the apparatus. Furthermore, there were problems such as causing troubles in other operations of the user, and countermeasures were required.

  In recent complex image forming apparatuses, unlike the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to perform from one direction, and it is performed from the front side, the rear side, and the left and right side sides of the apparatus body. It is necessary.

  In such a device, when replacing each component means or performing maintenance (maintenance), etc., a work space is required around the device main body. As a result, in a limited installation space such as an office, it is difficult work. In order to secure a working space, it is necessary to move the apparatus. Therefore, improvement of workability is required.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 3, fixed leg portions are provided in the vicinity of the four corners of the bottom surface of the apparatus housing, and two or more casters are provided on at least one edge side of the bottom surface of the housing. The caster is located outside the leg portion on the one end edge side and inside the one end edge, so that a part of the caster protrudes from a tangent line between the one end edge and the leg portion on the one end edge side, and It is comprised so that height may become lower than the height of the said leg part. When the device is moved, the device main body is tilted with the caster as a fulcrum, thereby enabling easy installation and movement. However, when moving, it is necessary to incline the heavy equipment body, and when the installation floor is a soft material such as carpet, etc., the caster wheels bite and become difficult to roll, so the movement resistance increases. Sometimes.

  Therefore, the work operation force with the apparatus tilted increases, making it difficult to move and rotate, and countermeasures have been required.

  Further, when a footrest fixing device as described in Patent Document 1 is used for the image forming apparatus, an adjuster as a fixed leg is provided on a footrest having a caster having a moving wheel, and an adjuster lifting / lowering pedal and a lifting / lowering movement are provided. It is set as the mechanism structure of the lock member which prevents this. Therefore, the movement by the caster and the movement by the adjuster can be locked. However, the height of the device by the adjuster is set higher than the height of the device by the caster, that is, the height of the device is changed by the individual switching operation between the caster and the adjuster (leg).

  In the image forming apparatus, this is a switching operation between a caster and an adjuster (leg), and one of the four-point support on the bottom surface of the apparatus becomes high, and the bottom surface side of the apparatus is distorted. If the device is distorted, the relationship between the image writing laser device and the image carrier (drum), the relationship between the drum and the transfer paper, the positional relationship of the paper conveyance roller pair, etc. will be distorted, and the output image Will degrade the image quality. It has been desired to switch between a caster having moving wheels and an adjuster (leg) as a fixed leg without distorting the device.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been conceived in order to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a caster device with an adjuster that facilitates device movement during installation and maintenance work of an image forming apparatus. Is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to switch between installation and movement without changing the height of the apparatus during installation and movement, and switching between installation and movement in one operation, without distorting the apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a caster device with an adjuster capable of reducing the above.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a caster device with an adjuster capable of performing device installation and maintenance work in a small number of installation locations and shortening the work time, and an image forming apparatus provided with such a caster device with an adjuster. Is to provide.

The above object is achieved by a caster device with an adjuster according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus provided with such a caster device with an adjuster. In summary, according to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus moving caster, the position fixing adjuster unitized with the apparatus moving caster, the apparatus moving caster and the position fixing adjuster are attached. A caster device with an adjuster that is attached to the bottom surface portion of the body to be mounted using the mounting base.
The apparatus moving caster includes a wheel, and a caster elevating unit that supports the wheel so as to be movable up and down.
The position fixing adjuster includes a device fixing leg, and an adjuster lifting / lowering means for supporting the device fixing leg so as to be lifted and lowered.
The operation of the caster elevating means and the adjuster elevating means is continuously performed by operating one wheel adjuster operating arm member,
Locking or releasing the wheel adjuster operating arm member is performed by a lock releasing arm member.
A caster device with an adjuster is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus in which a plurality of caster devices having wheels are attached to the bottom surface portion of the casing of the image forming apparatus main body, and the image forming apparatus main body can be moved.
An image forming apparatus is provided, wherein the at least one caster device is a caster device with an adjuster configured as described above.

According to the present invention,
(1) Since the wheels of the caster device can be moved up and down with respect to the body to be mounted such as the image forming apparatus main body to which the caster device is attached, the device installation height by the device fixing leg and the device movement by the wheel The height can be matched. Therefore, when the apparatus is installed or moved, no distortion stress is applied to the apparatus body. In particular, in the image forming apparatus, the height of these leg portions does not change and the apparatus main body is not twisted. Therefore, there is no distortion when transferring a copy image, and there is no possibility of deteriorating the output image quality.
(2) Further, a unit body that supports the device fixing leg and the wheel in close proximity is provided, and the unit body includes a caster lifting / lowering unit that moves the device fixing leg to be movable up and down, and a caster lifting / lowering unit that moves the wheel to be movable up and down. The configuration. Then, each lifting means of at least one unit body is continuously operated by one arm member, so that switching between installation and movement can be instantaneously performed by one operation at the support leg portion of the caster device. Can be reduced.
(3) Therefore, with the configuration of the present invention, anyone can realize a comfortable and smooth device moving operation. Compared to the prior art, there is an effect of shortening apparatus installation / maintenance work time, reducing apparatus downtime, and improving the efficiency of office work.

  Hereinafter, a caster device with an adjuster according to the present invention and an image forming apparatus including such a caster device with an adjuster will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in the following examples should be changed as appropriate according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. Unless otherwise specified, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these.

Example 1
First, referring to FIG. 1, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with a moving caster and a position fixing adjuster on the bottom surface of the apparatus casing, thereby enabling easy movement and fixing of the apparatus. A configuration of an electrophotographic copying machine as an example of a photographic image forming apparatus will be described.

(Electrophotographic image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus main body 900 includes a document placing table 906, a light source 907, a reading element (CIS: contact image sensor) 908, a paper feeding unit 909, an image forming unit 902, and the like.

  The sheet feeding unit 909 includes cassettes (storage containers) 910 and 911 that store the sheet material S and are detachable from the apparatus main body 900. Each cassette 910 and 911 has a sheet feeding roller (sheet feeding unit). Each is arranged.

  The image forming unit 902 includes a cylindrical photosensitive drum 914, a developing unit 915, a transfer charging unit 916, a separation charging unit 917, a cleaner 918, a primary charging unit 919, and the like. A conveyance guide 920, a fixing device 904, a discharge roller 905, and the like are disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 902.

  Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described.

  A paper feed signal is output from a control device (not shown) provided on the apparatus main body 900 side. As a result, the light reflected from the light source 907 on the document D placed on the document placement table 906 and reflected is replaced with an electric image signal via the reading element (CIS: contact image sensor) 908. This electric image signal is transmitted to the laser scanner device 921 and irradiated from a laser light emitting element (not shown) to the photosensitive drum 914 through the polygon mirror 922 and the lenses 923 and 924. The photosensitive drum 914 is charged in advance by a primary charger 919, and an electrostatic latent image is formed when irradiated with light. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing unit 915 and visualized as a toner image.

  On the other hand, the sheet material S fed from the sheet feeding unit 909 is corrected for skew by the registration rollers 910 and further sent to the image forming unit 902 at a proper timing. In the image forming unit 902, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 914 is transferred to the sheet material S by the transfer charger 916, and the sheet material S that has received the transfer of the toner image is reversed in polarity from the transfer charger 916 by the separation charger 917. It is charged and separated from the photosensitive drum 914.

  As described above, the sheet material S separated from the photosensitive drum 914 is conveyed to the fixing device 904 by the conveying device 920, and the unfixed transfer image is permanently fixed to the sheet material S by pressing and heating in the fixing device 904. The Then, the sheet material S on which the image is fixed is discharged from the apparatus main body 900 by a discharge roller 905.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, at least one caster device 100 with an adjuster according to the present invention, which is integrally provided with an apparatus moving caster and a position fixing adjuster, is installed on the bottom surface portion of the apparatus main body 900. ing. The remaining caster device can be a conventional caster device 200. With such a configuration, the apparatus main body 900 can be easily moved and fixed.

(Caster device with adjuster)
2 to 6 show an embodiment of a caster device 100 with an adjuster according to the present invention. The adjuster-equipped caster device 100 includes a device moving caster 100A and a position fixing adjuster 100B. In this embodiment, the device moving caster 100A and the position fixing adjuster 100B are integrated into a unit. ing.

  That is, the device moving caster 100A and the position fixing adjuster 100B integrated with the device moving caster are attached to the mounting base 4, and the mounting base 4 is used to mount the body to be mounted. Then, it is attached to the bottom portion of the image forming apparatus main body 900.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the caster device with adjuster 100 as a unit as seen from the front, and FIG. 3 is a view as seen from above. 4 is a view seen from the right side, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views seen obliquely from above and obliquely below, respectively.

  The apparatus moving caster 100A includes a wheel (caster) 1 and caster elevating means 1A for supporting the wheel 1 so as to be movable up and down. Further, the position fixing adjuster 100B includes an apparatus fixing leg (adjuster) 2 and an adjuster elevating means 2A for supporting the apparatus fixing leg 2 so as to be movable up and down.

  The operation of the caster lifting / lowering means 1A and the adjuster lifting / lowering means 2A is continuously performed in conjunction with each other by operating one wheel adjuster operating arm member (hereinafter also simply referred to as “operating arm member”) 6. . The operation arm member 6 is locked or released by the lock release arm member 7 via a positioning plate 61 formed integrally with the operation arm member 6.

  Hereinafter, each means and member will be described in more detail.

  In this embodiment, the caster device 100 with an adjuster has a support base 3 attached to a horizontal mounting base 4 via a bearing 5 so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis Oy. . In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the support base 3 is an adjuster arm support base 25 that supports a mounting frame 5 </ b> A integral with the housing of the bearing 5 and an adjuster arm 22 (see FIG. 20) described later. And a support member 26 that guides the adjuster shaft 2b.

  Further, the support base 3 supports an inverted U-shaped support frame 11 that supports the support shaft 12 of the wheel 1 and constitutes the caster elevating means 1A.

  Specifically, as is understood with reference to FIGS. 2, 6, 7, and 15, the support frame 11 is integrally formed on one side of the ceiling (in FIG. 2). The right) vertical strip 11a is engaged with the groove 5Ab of the vertical piece 5Aa formed in the mounting frame 5A. Further, the vertical strip 11 a on the other side (left side in FIG. 2) is engaged with the groove 25 b of the vertical piece 25 a of the adjuster arm support base 25. Thus, the support frame 11 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction without rotating with respect to the support base 3 and the adjuster arm support base 25.

  The support frame 11 has a shaft 13 attached to the support frame 11 engaged with a guide groove 36 of the cam frame 31, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, FIG. 15 to FIG. The movement in the vertical direction is controlled.

  Here, the bearing 5 divides the wheel frame that supports the caster wheel 1 and its support shaft 12 from the caster support frame 11, and is arranged between the remaining caster support frame 11 so that only the wheel portion can rotate. It is good also as a simple structure.

  On the other hand, the adjuster 2 that is a device fixing leg has a seat surface 2a and a shaft portion 2b (see FIG. 2). As will be described later with reference to FIGS. The adjuster lifting / lowering means 2A is attached to an adjuster arm 22 via a shaft 27. The seating surface 2a of the fixed leg 2 is a non-slip grounding surface with a large friction coefficient with respect to the floor surface.

  The adjuster arm 22 is swingably attached to an adjuster arm support base 25 by a shaft 24, and the pair of cam frames 31 are swingable by a shaft 34 on the adjuster arm support base 25. The adjuster arm support base 25 is attached.

  The cam frame 31 that is swingably supported on the adjuster arm support 25 by the shaft 34 is a member that is actuated by the actuating arm member 6 as understood with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 described later. There is a member that changes the height positions of the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2. In the present embodiment, the support frame 11 is provided in pairs in front of and behind.

  That is, as understood with reference to FIG. 5, the cam frame 31 is pivoted by the operating arm member 6 that pivots about the shaft 33 that is attached through both side plates of the inverted U-shaped support base 3. By moving 32, it rotates about the shaft 34. The shaft 32 is fitted in a long hole 6 a formed in the operating arm member 6.

  As can be understood with reference to FIG. 5 and the like, the operating arm members 6 are arranged in pairs on the front and rear sides of the apparatus, are integrally formed with each other by the stay 6b, and the shaft 33 serves as a fulcrum as described above. It is possible to rotate freely.

  The unlocking arm member 7 rotates with the shaft 33 of the mounting frame 5A as a fulcrum, engages with the positioning plate 61, and fixes the movement of the operating arm member 6 at a predetermined position.

  8-13 is a figure explaining operation | movement of the said lock release arm member 7. FIG. 8 is a front view of the locked state, FIG. 9 is a sectional view, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the locked state. 11 is a front view of the unlocked state, FIG. 12 is a sectional view, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the unlocked state.

  8 and 9, a lock pin 72 is disposed through a guide groove 73 formed on both side walls of the mounting frame 5A formed in an inverted U shape. The lock pin 72 is engaged with positioning grooves 62 and 63 of a positioning plate 61 provided integrally behind the operation arm member 6.

  In addition, a release cam shape 71 that contacts the lock pin 72 is provided at the end of the lock release arm member 7, and the lock pin 72 is a spring that returns to its original position (the direction opposite to the arrow B). Since the urging force is acting on the elastic member 75 (FIG. 10) or the like, it moves in the guide grooves 73 formed on the both side walls of the mounting frame 5A along the shape of the release cam shape 71.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8 and its sectional view 9, when the lock release arm member 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the lock pin 72 is pushed by the release cam 71 of the lock release arm member 7. Then, it is moved in the direction of arrow B along the guide groove 73 of the mounting frame 5A. As a result, as shown in FIG. 11 and its sectional view 12, the lock pin 72 is disengaged from the positioning grooves 62 and 63 of the positioning plate 61 integrally formed on the rear side of the operating arm member 6. Is rotatable about the shaft 33 in the direction of arrow C.

  Here, an elastic member 76 (FIGS. 9 and 12) such as a spring and an elastic member 75 (FIG. 10) are returned to the unlocking arm member 7 and the lock pin 72 so as to return to the original positions (the direction opposite to the arrow B). ) The urging force is acting.

  Further, the positioning grooves 62 and 63 of the positioning plate 61 of the operating arm member 6 are set so as to match the positions of the state in which the wheel 1 of the apparatus moving caster 100A is extended and the state in which the adjuster 2 which is the apparatus fixing leg is extended. ing.

  FIG. 14 is a view showing a state where the operation arm member 6 is moved, the wheel 1 of the apparatus moving caster 100A is raised, and the adjuster 2 which is the apparatus fixing leg in the position fixing adjuster 100B is lowered.

  FIGS. 15 to 21 are diagrams of the mechanism of the wheel 1 portion of the apparatus moving caster 100A and the adjuster 2 portion which is the apparatus fixing leg in the position fixing adjuster 100B. 15 is a front view, FIG. 16 is a top view, FIG. 17 is a side view, FIG. 18 is a top perspective view, FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view, FIG. 20 is a front view, and FIG.

  In FIG. 15, the wheel 1 of the apparatus moving caster 100 </ b> A is rotatably supported on a caster support frame 11 by a shaft 12.

  20 and 21, the adjuster 2 in the position fixing adjuster 100B includes the seat portion 2a and the shaft portion 2b that are integrally connected to the seat portion 2a as described above. The shaft portion 2b of the adjuster 2 is connected to and supported by the adjuster arm 22 by a shaft 27, as understood with reference to FIGS. 19, 20, and 22.

  On the other hand, the adjuster arm 22 is swingably supported by the adjuster arm support base 25 by the shaft 24 as described above. A cam frame 31 is swingably supported by a shaft 34 on the adjuster arm support base 25.

  A support member 26 that guides the shaft portion 2b of the adjuster 2 guides the adjuster 2 in the exit / exit direction.

  In FIG. 15, guide grooves 35 and 36 are formed in the cam frame 31, the shaft 23 extending from the adjuster arm 22 is guided to the guide groove 35, and the shaft 13 extending from the caster support frame 11 is guided to the guide groove 36. Each is guided. In this state, the shafts 23 and 13 engaged with the guide grooves 35 and 36, respectively, are prevented from further upward movement by the guide grooves 35 and 36. That is, the image forming apparatus main body 900 is supported by the wheels 1. Further, the adjuster 2 is lifted upward by the cam frame 31 because the adjuster arm 22 is rotated clockwise around the shaft 24 in FIG.

  Next, when the actuating arm member 6 is actuated counterclockwise in the drawing around the shaft 33 in FIG. 2, the movement of the actuating arm member 6 is transmitted to the movement of the shaft 32 on the cam frame 31. It is done.

  The cam frame 31 moves in the direction of arrow D (counterclockwise) about the shaft 34 in FIG. When the cam frame 31 moves, the caster support frame 11 integrated with the shaft 13 guided by the guide groove 36 moves, and the caster wheel 1 supported by the shaft 12 also moves in the same manner.

  Further, the adjuster arm 22 integrated with the shaft 23 guided by the guide groove 35 of the cam frame 31 also rotates counterclockwise on the shaft 24 (FIG. 20) in accordance with the movement of the cam frame 31. . A shaft 27 located opposite to the shaft 23 of the adjuster arm 22 around the shaft 24 also rotates in the same direction around the shaft 24. When the shaft 27 at the other end of the adjuster arm 22 moves, the adjuster 2 supported by the shaft 27 also moves in the guide direction of the adjuster support member 26.

  That is, by the movement of the cam frame 31, the wheel 1 of the apparatus moving caster 100A and the adjuster 2, which is the apparatus fixing leg in the position fixing adjuster 100B, move together.

  When the cam frame 31 is moved to the state shown in FIG. 23 by the operating arm member 6, the shafts 23 and 13 engaged with the guide grooves 35 and 36 are moved further downward by the guide grooves 35 and 36. Be blocked. That is, the image forming apparatus main body 900 is supported by the adjuster 2. Further, the wheel 1 is raised from the apparatus grounding surface because the shaft 13 is lifted upward by the cam frame 31.

  Of course, it is also possible to move the operation arm member 6 in the opposite direction to that described above, and move the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2 from the state of FIG. 23 to the state of FIG.

Here, the shape of the guide grooves 35 and 36 of the cam frame 31 is such that the cam frame 31 is positioned at a position a in FIG. 15, a position b in FIG. 22, and a position c in FIG. Yes. That means
(1) At the position a in FIG. 15, only the wheel 1 of the caster is grounded to the floor surface.
(2) At the position b in FIG. 22, both the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2 of the caster are grounded to the floor surface.
(3) At position c in FIG. 23, only the adjuster 2 is grounded to the floor.

  By pressing the unlocking arm member 7, the operating arm member 6 can be moved, and by moving the operating arm member 6, the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2 are moved up and down.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the lifting and lowering operation of the wheel 1 and the adjuster (device fixing leg) 2 by the operating arm member 6 raises the adjuster 2 after the wheel 1 is grounded, and the wheel after the adjuster 2 is grounded. It is set as the structure which raises 1.

  In other words, the present invention is characterized in that the adjuster 2 of the position fixing adjuster 100B is lowered before moving the wheel 1 of the apparatus moving caster 100A, and both the casters 100A are grounded to the floor surface. Wheel 1 is raised. Conversely, the wheel 1 of the caster 100A is lowered before the movement to raise the adjuster 2, and the adjuster 2 is raised after both wheels are grounded to the floor. That is, the height of the apparatus main body 900 is not changed when switching between the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2 of the caster 100A. Thereby, it is possible to freely switch between the wheel 1 and the adjuster 2 of the caster 100A.

  Here, the adjuster 2 is good also as a structure which can rotate the seat surface 2a of a grounding part with respect to the axial part 2b. With this mechanism, the apparatus can be rotated more easily.

  FIG. 24 shows a trajectory when the image forming apparatus main body 900 using the caster apparatus 100 with an adjuster according to the present invention is moved. That is, at least one of the image forming apparatus support legs (caster apparatus) is the caster apparatus 100 with an adjuster according to the present invention, and the other is the caster apparatus 200 having normal caster wheels.

  In the present embodiment, the remaining caster device 200 is moved with the adjuster (device fixing leg) 2 of the caster device 100 with adjuster as the center of rotation. With this configuration, the apparatus main body 900 can be rotated with a small turning radius, and the apparatus main body can be moved freely.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the lifting / lowering operation of the wheel 1 and the fixed leg 2 by the lifting / lowering means 1A and 2A is performed after the wheel 1 is grounded and the lifting of the wheel 1 is fixed. It operates after the leg 2 is grounded. Further, by continuously operating with one operating arm member 6, it is possible to switch between installation and movement with one operation without changing the installation and movement device height. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce installation and movement switching work operations without applying distortion stress to the apparatus main body.

  Furthermore, by using at least one caster device among the plurality of caster devices as the caster device 100 with an adjuster according to the present invention, the fixed leg 2 is the center of rotation, and the wheels of the remaining caster devices are rotated to minimize the space. Rotation of the device is possible. Therefore, the apparatus can be easily moved even in an environment where there is a limited space around the apparatus.

  As described above, the configuration of the present invention enables anyone to realize a comfortable and smooth device moving operation. Compared to the conventional system, equipment installation and maintenance work time will be shortened, equipment downtime will be reduced, and office work efficiency will be improved.

Example 2
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In this embodiment, the caster device 100 with an adjuster is configured to fix the wheel 1 portion of the device moving caster 100A. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and members having the same configurations and functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the first embodiment is used, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration of the adjuster 2 in the position fixing adjuster 100B of the first embodiment is different. In the present embodiment, the position fixing adjuster 100B includes an adjuster 201 that is a device fixing leg.

  FIG. 25 is a front view, and FIG. 26 is a perspective view.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the wheel adjuster operating arm member 6 can be moved by pushing the unlocking arm member 7. By moving the operating arm member 6, the cam frame 31 moves, and the shaft 23 guided in the guide groove 35 swings by the movement, and is further guided by the adjuster support member 26, and the adjuster 201 is moved to the arrow. Go up and down in the direction. According to the present embodiment, this movement pushes the pad member 202 that constitutes the locking means that stops the rotation of the wheel 1 during the lifting operation, presses the wheel 1, and fixes the movement.

  27 to 29 show an embodiment of the adjuster 201 portion in the position fixing adjuster 100B for fixing the wheel 1 portion of the apparatus moving caster 100A.

  In the present embodiment, the adjuster 201 moves from the state of FIG. 27 to the state of FIG. 28 and the state of FIG. 29 by the same operation as described in the first embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, in FIG. 27 and FIG. 30, a support portion 26 a is provided that holds the pad member 202 as a lock means that is connected to the support member 26 that guides the adjuster shaft 201 b and restricts the rotation of the wheel 1. . The support portion 26a is formed with guide holes 26b on both side surfaces of the support portion 26a. The holding shape 202b provided on both sides of the pad member 202 and the elastic member 203 that is a leaf spring are inserted into the guide hole 26b, and the pad member 202 is urged away from the wheel 1 by the leaf spring of the elastic member 203. The configuration. The adjuster 201 is formed with a ball plunger composed of a sphere 204 and a spring 205.

  Next, the operation will be described. When the adjuster 201 is lowered in the state of FIG. 28, the pad member 202 is pushed in the direction of the wheel 1 by the sphere 204 urged by the spring 205 to fix the rotation of the wheel 1. To do. That is, the adjuster 201 operates the pad member 202 that is a locking unit during the lifting operation to fix the wheel 1.

  Furthermore, when the adjuster 201 is lowered to the state shown in FIG. 29, the pad member 202 is moved away from the wheel 1 by the leaf spring of the elastic member 203, and the rotation of the wheel 1 is restored.

  With the above configuration, the rotation of the wheel 1 is restricted in the process in which the adjuster 201 moves.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the apparatus moving caster 100B operates the locking means for fixing the rotation of the wheel 1 for facilitating the movement of the apparatus main body 900 during the raising / lowering operation of the caster 201. With this configuration, the movement of the apparatus can be easily and finely controlled without stopping the caster 201 by stopping the movement of the wheel 1 (rotating around that point).

  Therefore, the configuration of the present invention enables anyone to realize a comfortable and smooth device moving operation. Compared to the prior art, there is an effect of shortening apparatus installation and maintenance work time, reducing apparatus downtime, and improving the efficiency of office work.

  The caster device with an adjuster according to the present invention can be used as an image forming device for forming an image or the like on a sheet such as a copying machine, a printer, a FAX, or a printing machine, or a support leg that enables movement and fixing of various other devices. It is.

1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view of one Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of one Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention. It is a side view of one Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the upper direction of one Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of one Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the support stand of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows the locked state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member and lock release arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing of the lock state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member and lock release arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster shown in FIG. 8 which concerns on this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the upper direction which shows the lock state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and a lock release arm member. It is a side view which shows the lock release state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member and lock release arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing of the lock release state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member and lock release arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster shown in FIG. 11 which concerns on this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the upper side which shows the lock release state of the wheel adjuster action | operation arm member of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and a lock release arm member. It is a side view which shows the state which the adjuster 2 which is an apparatus fixing leg of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention fell. It is a front view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is a top view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the caster for apparatus movement of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is a side view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the caster for apparatus movement of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is the perspective view seen from the upper part which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the caster for apparatus movement of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is the perspective view seen from the lower part which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is a front view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is the perspective view seen from the upper part which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the caster for apparatus movement of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is a front view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. It is a front view which shows the mechanism of the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention, and the adjuster part of an apparatus fixing leg. FIG. 3 is a movement locus diagram of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is a front view of the other Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of the other Example of the caster apparatus with an adjuster which concerns on this invention. It is a mechanism figure of the adjuster part of the apparatus fixing leg which fixes the wheel part of the apparatus movement caster, Fig.27 (a) is a front view, FIG.27 (b) is sectional drawing. It is a mechanism figure of the adjuster part of the apparatus fixing leg which fixes the wheel part of the apparatus moving caster, Fig.28 (a) is a front view, FIG.28 (b) is sectional drawing. It is a mechanism figure of the adjuster part of the apparatus fixing leg which fixes the wheel part of the apparatus moving caster, Fig.29 (a) is a front view, FIG.29 (b) is sectional drawing. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the pad member holding | maintenance part of the caster apparatus with an adjuster concerning this invention.

1 Casters (wheels)
1A Caster lifting and lowering means 2 Adjuster (device fixing leg)
2A adjuster elevating means 3 support base 4 mounting base 5 bearing 6 wheel adjuster operating arm member 7 lock release arm member 11 support frame 22 adjuster arm 31 cam frame 100 caster device with adjuster 100A device moving caster 100B device fixing adjuster 200 caster device 201 Adjuster (device fixing leg)
202 Pad member (locking means)
900 Image forming apparatus main body (attachment body housing)

Claims (6)

An apparatus moving caster, a position fixing adjuster integrated with the apparatus moving caster, and a mounting base for mounting the apparatus moving caster and the position fixing adjuster. A caster device with an adjuster that is attached to the bottom portion of the body to be attached,
The apparatus moving caster includes a wheel, and a caster lifting and lowering unit that supports the wheel so as to be lifted and lowered.
The position fixing adjuster includes a device fixing leg, and an adjuster lifting / lowering means for supporting the device fixing leg so as to be lifted and lowered.
The operation of the caster elevating means and the adjuster elevating means is continuously performed by operating one wheel adjuster operating arm member,
Locking or releasing the wheel adjuster operating arm member is performed by a lock releasing arm member.
A caster device with an adjuster. A support base that is mounted to be rotatable about a vertical axis via a bearing with respect to the horizontal mounting base;
The wheel adjuster operating arm member is swingably attached to the support base,
A cam frame connected to the caster elevating means and the adjuster elevating means is provided;
By operating the cam frame by the wheel adjuster operating arm member to operate the caster elevating means and the adjuster elevating means to perform the elevating operation of the wheel and the device fixing leg,
The caster device with an adjuster according to claim 1.   3. The adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the position fixing adjuster includes a lock unit configured to fix the rotation of the wheel, and the lock unit is operated during the lifting and lowering operation of the device fixing leg. Caster device with   The ascending / descending operation of the wheel and the device fixing leg by the wheel adjuster operating arm member causes the device fixing leg to rise after the wheel is grounded by the cam frame, and the wheel after the device fixing leg is grounded. The caster device with an adjuster according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein In the image forming apparatus in which a plurality of caster devices including wheels are attached to the bottom surface portion of the casing of the image forming apparatus main body, and the image forming apparatus main body can be moved.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one caster device is a caster device with an adjuster according to claim 1.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the remaining caster device is moved with the device fixing leg of the caster device having an adjuster as a center of rotation.