JP2012252059A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem in which: with a holding structure having constant resistance force against the movement of a movable part irrespective of a direction of the movement of the movable part, usability can be adversely affected.SOLUTION: A holding part H holds a movable part K in such a way that resistance force that is applied by the holding part H to the movable part K when the movable part K is moved in a first direction to have the attitude thereof changed from the predetermined attitude, is made larger than resistance force that is applied by the holding part H to the movable part K when the movable part K is moved in a second direction to have the attitude thereof changed from the predetermined attitude.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a movable portion that can change a posture with respect to an apparatus main body.

  The image forming apparatus is provided with an operation unit including buttons and a touch panel for a user to operate the apparatus, and a display unit such as a display for displaying the state of the apparatus. In recent years, the operability and visibility of these operation units and display units can be secured and the operability and visibility can be adjusted according to the user's convenience while keeping the overall size of the device during transportation and storage small. It is requested to be. In view of this, a configuration has been proposed in which the operation unit and the display unit are provided in a movable unit that is held such that the posture with respect to the apparatus main body can be changed by changing the angle and height (see Patent Document 1).

  Further, the image forming apparatus can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body and opened with respect to the apparatus main body in order to change the cartridge for image formation or to perform jam processing generated in the apparatus. An opening / closing member for opening the inside is provided. A configuration has also been proposed in which such an opening / closing member holds the opening / closing member so that the posture of the apparatus main body can be changed so that the user opens to a predetermined position and is held in that state (see Patent Document 2).

  Such a conventional holding structure will be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of the holding structure. Reference numeral 51 denotes a rotating arm that is integrally connected to the movable portion and is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body. The arm 51 is provided with an engaging groove 51b. An engagement pin 52 that can be fitted in the engagement groove 51 b, a compression spring 53 that biases the engagement pin 52, and a spring holder 54 that serves as a base for the compression spring 53 are provided on the apparatus main body side. C indicates the expansion / contraction direction of the compression spring 53. The arm 51 is rotated so that the engagement pin 52 is selectively fitted into one of the plurality of engagement grooves 51b and is urged in the fitting direction by the compression spring 53, whereby the arm 51 and the movable portion are set in a predetermined manner. Hold in posture.

JP2007-163812 Shokai 59-167269

  Here, when the operation unit is provided in the movable unit, when the user presses the operation unit from the front of the operation unit toward the rear side in order to operate the operation unit, the movable unit is moved backward by the pressing force. It is necessary to hold the movable part firmly so that it does not move to the side. For this reason, it is conceivable to increase the spring force of the compression spring 53, increase the resistance force against the movement of the movable portion, and increase the holding force for holding the movable portion. However, even when moving the movable part from the rear side to the front side, the movable part must be moved against this resistance force (holding force), so an operation force larger than necessary is required, There is a risk of impairing usability.

  As described above, if the holding configuration has a constant resistance to the movement of the movable part regardless of the direction in which the movable part is moved, the usability may be impaired.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a movable part holding structure with good usability.

  The present invention includes a movable part that can change a posture with respect to the apparatus main body, and a holding part that holds the movable part so that the posture with respect to the apparatus main body can be changed. The movable part has a first direction and a first direction. An image forming apparatus in which the attitude of the movable part relative to the apparatus body is changed by moving in the second direction opposite to the first direction, and the attitude is changed by moving the movable part from a predetermined attitude to the first direction. The holding unit moves the movable part so that the force necessary for moving the movable part from the predetermined posture in the second direction is larger than the force necessary for changing the posture. It is characterized by holding.

  An image forming apparatus having a movable part holding structure with good usability can be provided.

(A) The perspective view of the image forming apparatus in the state in which the movable part fell down. FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus in a state where the movable portion is raised. (A) The perspective view of the operation part vicinity of the state in which the movable part fell down. (B) The perspective view of the operation part vicinity of the state in which the movable part was raised. Sectional drawing of the movable part vicinity of the state in which the movable part was hold | maintained. (A) Sectional drawing of the vicinity of a movable part at the time of rotating in the direction which defeats a movable part. (B) Sectional drawing of the vicinity of a movable part at the time of rotating in the direction which raises a movable part. (A) Sectional drawing which shows the force concerning an engagement pin in the state holding the attitude | position of a movable part. (B) Sectional drawing which shows the force applied to an engaging pin when rotating to the direction (A direction) which defeats a movable part. Movable part measurement data when rotating the movable part. Sectional drawing of the movable part vicinity of the state in which the movable part was hold | maintained. (A) Sectional drawing of the vicinity of a movable part at the time of rotating in the direction which defeats a movable part. (B) Sectional drawing of the vicinity of a movable part at the time of rotating in the direction which raises a movable part. (A) Sectional drawing which shows the force concerning an engagement pin in the state holding the attitude | position of a movable part. (B) Sectional drawing which shows the force applied to an engaging pin when rotating to the direction (A direction) which defeats a movable part. (A) Sectional drawing of the movable part vicinity of the state in which the movable part in the conventional structure was hold | maintained. (B) Sectional drawing of the movable part vicinity at the time of rotating in the direction which defeats the movable part in a conventional structure. (C) Sectional drawing of the movable part vicinity at the time of rotating in the direction which raises the movable part in a conventional structure.

<First Embodiment>
(Image forming device)
First, the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus. (A) shows a state where the movable part K is tilted, and (b) shows a state where the movable part K is raised. The movable part K will be described later.

  The image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In the main body of the image forming apparatus 100, a not-shown photosensitive drum and a charger, a scanner unit, a developing device, a transfer roller, a cleaner, and a fixing device as process means acting on the photosensitive drum are provided.

  In forming an image on a sheet as a recording material, the surface of the photosensitive drum is charged by a charger while rotating the photosensitive drum, and the charged photosensitive drum surface is exposed by a scanner unit to form a latent image. The image is visualized as a toner image, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. Next, the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum is transferred onto a sheet conveyed to a transfer nip portion between the transfer roller and the photosensitive drum, and the sheet is conveyed to a fixing device and heated and pressed at the fixing nip. A fixed image is formed thereon. Toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum that is not transferred to the sheet at the transfer nip is cleaned by a cleaner and removed from the surface of the photosensitive drum. The sheet on which the fixed image is formed on the sheet is discharged from above the stacking surface 21 and is stacked on the stacking surface 21. Forming an image on a sheet in this way and discharging it onto the stacking surface 21 is defined as an image forming operation.

  On the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 100, a touch panel 10 having a display function as a display unit and a function as an operation unit for operating the apparatus when touched by a user is supported by the arm 10. . The touch panel 10 outputs a signal when the user touches (presses) it. This signal is sent to a control unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 100 to control the image forming operation, and the operation of the image forming apparatus 100 such as the image forming operation is controlled based on this signal.

(Moving mechanism for movable part K)
In the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, the movable unit K including the touch panel 10 and the arm 11 has an angle and a height (position) so that the operability and the visibility of the touch panel 10 can be freely changed according to the convenience of the user. , Posture) and the like are held in the image forming apparatus main body 100 so as to be changeable. Next, the holding mechanism for such a movable part K will be described.

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the vicinity of the movable portion K in a state where the movable portion K is tilted, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the vicinity of the movable portion K in a state where the movable portion K is raised. In FIG. 2, for the sake of simplicity, a part of the apparatus main body exterior is seen through and the inside of the apparatus exterior is illustrated.

  The movable portion K is supported by the apparatus main body 100 so as to be rotatable about a rotation center (rotation shaft) 11c. The arm 11 is integrally formed with a fan-shaped disk portion 11a. In the circumferential direction of the disk portion 11a (circumferential direction around the rotation shaft 11c of the arm 11), a plurality of engaging groove portions (concave portions) 11b are arranged side by side. The touch panel 10, the arm 11, and the part formed integrally with the arm 11 are the movable part K.

  On the image forming apparatus main body 100 side, an engagement pin (convex portion) 12 that can be engaged with the groove 11b of the arm 11, a compression spring 13 that urges the engagement pin 12 in the direction of the rotation shaft 11c, an engagement pin 12, and A spring holder 14 that holds the compression spring 13 is provided. Due to the restoring force of the compression spring 13, the engagement pin 12 is urged to engage with the groove 11b in the direction of the rotation shaft 11c. In a state where the engaging pin 12 is engaged with the groove portion 11 b, the arm 11 is held in that state, and the movable portion K is also held in a predetermined posture via the arm 11. Thus, the engaging pin 12, the compression spring 13, and the spring holder 14 function as the holding portion H of the arm 11 and the movable portion K.

  Next, the holding mechanism of the movable part K by such an engaging pin 12 and the engaging groove part 11b is demonstrated. The change of the posture of the movable portion K is performed by applying a predetermined load to the movable portion K or the arm 11 and changing the groove portion 11b into which the engagement pin 12 is inserted among the plurality of groove portions 11b. This will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the holding mechanism of the movable portion K in a state where the movable portion K is held in a predetermined posture, as viewed from the direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 11c. FIG. 4A shows the holding mechanism of the movable part K in a state where the movable part K is rotated in the direction of tilting the movable part K from a predetermined posture (A direction: first direction) from the direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 11c. Sectional view, (b) shows the holding mechanism of the movable part K in a state in which the movable part K is rotated in a direction (B direction: second direction) where the movable part K is raised from a predetermined posture, as viewed from the direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 11c. It is sectional drawing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the engagement pin 12 is urged in the C direction by the compression spring 13 and is fitted in the engagement groove portion 11 b in a state of being in contact with the restriction surface S <b> 1 and the restriction surface S <b> 2. The engagement pin 12 is abutted against the restriction surfaces S1 and S2 by the action of the compression spring 13 and is restricted from moving, whereby the engagement pin 12 is held in a state of being fitted in the engagement groove portion 11b.

  The engagement pin 12 is restricted in movement in a direction orthogonal to the C direction by a guide (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 100, and is basically movable only in the C direction and in the opposite direction. However, a certain amount of play is formed between the engagement pin 12 and a guide (not shown) in the direction orthogonal to the C direction so that the engagement pin 12 can move smoothly without being caught in the C direction.

  With this configuration, when the arm 11 moves in the A direction, the engagement pin 12 moves in the direction opposite to the C direction against the urging force of the compression spring 13 to overcome the restriction surface S1. It moves and it will be in the state by which fitting (engagement) with the engagement groove part 11b shown to Fig.4 (a) was cancelled | released. Similarly, when the arm 11 moves in the B direction, the engagement pin 12 moves in the direction opposite to the C direction against the urging force of the compression spring 13, thereby moving over the regulating surface S2, and FIG. ) And the engagement groove portion 11b shown in FIG.

  When the arm 11 moves in the A direction, the regulating surface S1 is inclined by α (°) (α ≦ 90 °) with respect to the direction A ′ in which the engagement pin 12 is about to move with respect to the engagement groove portion 11b. Yes. Further, when the arm 11 moves in the B direction, the regulation surface S2 is inclined by β (°) (α ≦ 90 °) with respect to the direction B ′ in which the engagement pin 12 is about to move with respect to the engagement groove portion 11b. is doing.

  Fig.5 (a) is a figure which shows the force concerning the engaging pin 12 currently fitted to the engaging groove part 11b. As shown in this figure, when the force applied from the engagement pin 12 to the engagement groove portion 11b of the arm by the urging force of the compression spring 13 is Fs, the tangential and vertical component forces of Fs are Fs1 = Fssinα, Fs2 = It can be expressed as Fscosα. Further, reaction forces applied from the arm engagement groove 11b to the engagement pin 12 can be expressed as Fp1 = Fssinα and Fp2 = Fscosα, respectively.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating the force applied to the engagement pin 12 when the movable portion K is rotated in the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted (direction A). When FA is a force applied to the engagement pin 12 when the user rotates in the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted (A direction), the tangential direction and vertical component force of the FA are F1 = FA cosα and F2 = FA sinα, respectively. It can be expressed. The engagement pin 12 is in contact with the engagement groove portion 11b at two places, that is, a restriction surface S1 in the direction of tilting the movable portion K (A direction) and a restriction surface S2 in the direction of raising (B direction). When the reaction forces transmitted from the surfaces S1 and S2 to the engagement pin 12 are balanced, the position of the engagement pin 12 is maintained. That is, the posture of the movable part K is maintained in this state.

  Accordingly, when the movable portion K is rotated in the direction in which the position of the movable portion K is tilted (direction A), the force applied to the engagement pin 12 from the groove portion 11b of the arm is tangential to the engagement pin 12 Fp1 = Fssinα. A large force F1 = FA cos α is applied. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 4A, the engaging pin 12 can climb over the regulating surface S1 of the arm groove 11b, and the groove 11b into which the engaging pin 12 enters can be changed. That is, the following conditions are required to change the posture of the movable portion K by changing the groove portion 11b in which the engagement pin 12 is inserted.

F1 = FA cosα> Fp1 = Fssinα
By organizing this equation, the force required to change the posture of the movable part K can be expressed as follows.

FA> Fstanα (α ≦ 90 °) (1)
That is, if the urging force Fs of the compression spring 13 is the same, the greater the angle α of the regulating surface S1 of the engagement groove portion 11b, the more the movable portion K cannot be changed in posture unless a large load is applied to the movable portion K. This shows that the force required to change the posture of K increases. In other words, the greater the angle α of the regulating surface S1, the greater the resistance force that the holding portion H gives to the movable portion K when the movable portion K is moved in the A direction to change the posture.

  Similarly, when the force applied to the engagement pin 12 when rotating in the direction in which the movable part K is raised (B direction) is FB, the above-described direction is used to change the direction in which the movable part K is raised (B direction). The following force is required in the opposite direction.

FB> Fstanβ (β ≦ 90 °) (2)
At this time, when the user gives FB that is larger than Fstan β, the engagement pin 12 rides up from the regulation surface S2 of the engagement groove portion 11b of the arm 11 and the engagement pin 12 enters as shown in FIG. The groove 11b can be changed.

  As in the case of moving the movable part in the A direction, if the urging force Fs of the compression spring 13 is the same, a lighter load is applied to the movable part K as the angle β of the regulating surface S2 of the engagement groove part 11b is smaller. The posture of the movable part K can be changed by simply applying it. In other words, the smaller the angle β of the regulating surface S2, the smaller the resistance force that the holding part H gives to the movable part K when the movable part K is moved in the B direction to change the posture. This shows that the force required to change the posture is reduced.

  Here, in this embodiment, the movable part K provided with the large-screen touch panel 10 is mounted on the upper part of the main body 100. Here, since the touch panel 10 has a large screen, the movable part K is heavy, and a large holding force is required to hold it firmly. Further, when the user touches the touch panel 10 to control the image forming apparatus 100, a pressing force acts on the movable portion K from the front side to the rear side (direction in which the movable portion K is tilted). For this reason, when the user touches the touch panel 10 to control the image forming apparatus 100, it is necessary to hold the movable part K with a sufficient holding force that does not move the position of the movable part K.

  In order to increase the holding force of the movable part K, it is conceivable to increase the urging force of the compression spring 13. As described above, when the urging force of the compression spring 13 is increased, the force Fs applied by the engagement pin 12 to the engagement groove portion 11b of the arm increases, and when the movable portion K and the arm 11 rotate, the adjacent engagement is performed. The force required when moving to the groove part 11b increases. For this reason, when moving in the direction in which the movable portion K is raised, the movable portion must be moved against this holding force, so that an unnecessarily large operating force is required, which may impair usability. There is.

  However, in the configuration of the conventional movable portion shown in FIG. 10A, the angles of the regulating surfaces S1 and S2 of the engagement groove 52 are the same (α = β) regardless of the operation direction (rotation direction). The operation force required when the user changes the installation angle of the movable part K is the same regardless of the operation direction (rotation direction). That is, Fstanα = Fstanβ, and FA = FB from the relationship of the above formulas (1) and (2). Therefore, the same operating force is required when the movable part is raised and tilted. For this reason, if the urging force of the compression spring 13 is increased in order to keep the movable portion K, which is heavy on a large screen, from moving during the operation of the panel, the operating force in the direction to be raised may become unnecessarily large and the usability may be impaired. There is.

  Therefore, the present invention is configured such that the operating force when adjusting the posture of the movable part K varies depending on the rotation direction of the movable part.

  That is, in the present embodiment, when the movable portion K moves, the angles α and β of the regulating surface S1 and the regulating surface S2 with respect to the direction in which the engaging pin 12 is about to move with respect to the engaging groove portion 11b are set to different angles. It is possible by setting. Specifically, α> β. By setting in this way, the operating force FA required for rotating the movable part K and the arm 11 in the direction of tilting is made larger than the operating force FB required for rotating in the raising direction. In other words, when the movable portion K is moved from the predetermined posture in the A direction and the posture is changed, the resistance force applied to the movable portion K by the holding portion H moves the movable portion K from the predetermined posture in the B direction. The holding portion H is configured to be larger than the resistance force applied to the movable portion K when the posture is changed by moving.

When these relationships are described using the above-described equations, the following relationships are established.
Fstanα> Fstanβ
That is, FA> FB from Expression (1) and Expression (2), and the operating force can be changed according to the rotation direction of the movable part K.

  In the present embodiment, the angle of the restricting surface S1 of each of the seven engaging groove portions 11b is set to α = 50 to 60 °, and the angle of the restricting surface S2 is set to β = 35 to 40 °. The angle α of the regulation surface S1 over which the pin 12 rides is set to be larger than the angle β of the regulation surface S2 over which the engagement pin 12 rides when the movable part K is raised. As a result, the structure is provided with a sufficient holding force when rotating in the direction in which the movable part K is tilted (A direction), and the operation force when rotating in the raising direction (B direction) is not increased more than necessary. Yes.

  FIG. 6 shows measurement results of the operating force when changing the installation angle of the movable part K when the spring pressure of the compression spring 13 is 16N. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the installation angle of the movable part K, that is, the angle at which the surface of the touch panel 10 of the movable part K is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the apparatus main body 100. (The surface of the touch panel 10 is horizontal). The vertical axis represents the operating force when changing the posture of the movable part K.

  The installation angle of the movable part K in the present embodiment can be set to seven angles of 0 °, 15 °, 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, 75 °, and 90 °, and the respective installation angles and operation directions. The operation force in is shown. Looking at this, the operating force when rotating in the direction of tilting the movable part K (A direction) is about 2N larger than the operating force when rotating in the direction of raising (B direction). . Thereby, when operating the touch panel 10, it is possible to hold the movable part K firmly so as not to fall down, and to smoothly change the angle when the touch panel 10 is raised.

Moreover, in this embodiment, it is comprised so that the operation force at the time of rotating to the same direction may become fixed irrespective of an installation angle. This is because the angles α and β of the restricting surfaces S1 and S2 of the engaging groove portion 11b at each installation angle are set to different values so that the operating force does not fluctuate depending on the installation angle due to the weight of the movable portion K. Is possible. In other words, the movable portion K is in a posture that is affected by its own weight as it moves in the direction (A direction) to tilt the movable portion K within the movable range of the movable portion K (between the installation angles of 0 ° to 90 °). Yes. For this reason, the angle α of the restriction surface S1 that rides when the movable part K is rotated in the direction of tilting the movable part K (direction A) is set to be larger as the installation angle approaches horizontal. On the contrary, the movable portion K becomes less susceptible to the influence of its own weight as it moves in the direction of raising the movable portion K (B direction) within the movable range of the movable portion K. For this reason, the angle β of the regulating surface S2 that is climbed when rotating in the raising direction (direction B) is set to be larger as the installation angle approaches vertical. In the present embodiment, the relationship between the installation angle of the movable portion K and the angles α and β of the restricting portions S1 and S2 of the engaging groove portion 11b is set as follows.
0 °: β = 35 °
15 °: α = 60 °, β = 35 °
30 °: α = 60 °, β = 35 °
45 °: α = 60 °, β = 37.5 °
60 °: α = 57.5 °, β = 40 °
75 °: α = 55 °, β = 40 °
90 °: α = 50 °, β = 90 °
In this way, by setting the angles α and β of the regulating surfaces S1 and S2 in consideration of the dead weight of the movable part K, the operation force necessary for changing the position in the same rotation direction as shown in FIG. 6 is constant. Can be kept in.

  The reason why β = 90 ° at the installation angle 90 ° of the movable part K is that the movable part K does not rotate from 90 ° in consideration of the visibility of the operation panel. That is, the engagement pin 12 is held on a surface that is perpendicular to the direction in which the engagement pin 12 moves, not on a slope, and by further increasing the amount of penetration of the engagement pin 12 into the engagement groove portion 11b, the engagement pin 12 is removed from the engagement groove portion 11b. It does not get on, that is, it does not rotate any further.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted from a predetermined posture by making the angles α and β of the regulating surfaces S1 and S2 that regulate the movement of the engaging groove portion 11b of the engaging pin 12 different. When the posture is changed by moving in the (A direction), the resistance force applied to the movable portion K by the holding portion H moves in the direction in which the movable portion K is raised from a predetermined posture (B direction) and the posture is changed. In this case, the holding portion H is made larger than the resistance force applied to the movable portion K. In other words, in the present embodiment, the holding force for holding the movable part K is made different depending on the direction in which the movable part K is moved by changing the angles of the regulating surfaces S1 and S2. Both stable holding and smooth installation angle (posture) change can be achieved, and the usability of the movable part K can be improved and usability can be improved.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, since it is the same as that of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, description of parts will be omitted and only different parts will be described.

  A holding mechanism for the movable part K according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the movable portion K in a state where the movable portion K is held. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the movable portion K in a state where the movable portion K is rotated in the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted (A direction), and FIG. A cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the movable part K in a state of being in the state is shown. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing the force applied to the engagement pin 12 in a state where the posture of the movable portion K is held, and FIG. 9B is rotated in the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted (A direction). It is sectional drawing which shows the force concerning the engagement pin 12 in the case. The engagement groove portion 11b in the present embodiment has a semicircular shape symmetrical to the intrusion direction of the engagement pin 12, and restricting surfaces S1 and S2 for restricting the fitted engagement pin 12 from moving. Is formed.

  In addition, the engagement pin 12 is provided with two contact surfaces S3 and S4 that contact the regulation surfaces S1 and S2 of the engagement groove portion 11b, and the engagement pin 12 is engaged with the engagement groove portion 11b. The contact surface S3 is in contact with the restriction surface S1, and the contact surface S4 is in contact with the restriction surface S2.

  The contact surface S3 has an angle γ (°) (γ ≦ 90 °) with respect to a direction A ′ in which the engagement pin 12 moves relative to the engagement groove 11b when moving in the direction in which the movable portion K is tilted (A direction). ) Inclined. The contact surface S4 is at an angle δ (°) (δ ≦ 90 °) with respect to the direction B ′ in which the engaging pin 12 moves relative to the engaging groove 11b when moving in the direction in which the movable portion K is raised (direction B). ) Inclined. That is, γ and δ are angles based on the rotation direction of the arm 11, respectively. Further, the engagement pin 12 is configured such that the phase is fixed so as not to rotate around the rotation axis with respect to the direction in which the engagement pin 12 enters. That is, the two contact surfaces S3 and S4 engaged with the engagement groove 11b are always the same, and are not changed when the movable part K is operated.

  FIG. 9A shows the force Fs applied from the engagement pin 12 to the engagement groove 11b of the arm by the urging force of the compression spring 13, and Fs1 = Fssinγ and Fs2 = Fscosδ are respectively the tangential direction and vertical direction of Fs. It is power. Fp1 = Fssinγ and Fp2 = Fscosδ are reaction forces applied to the engagement pin 12 from the engagement groove portion 11b of the arm, respectively.

  FIG. 9B shows the force FA applied to the engagement pin 12 when the user rotates in the direction of tilting the movable portion K (direction A), and F1 = FA cos γ and F2 = FA sin δ are the values of the FA. The tangential and vertical component forces. The engagement pin 12 is fitted in contact with the engagement groove portion 11b at two locations of the contact surface S3 in the direction of tilting the movable portion K (A direction) and the contact surface S4 in the direction of raising (B direction). When the reaction forces transmitted to the contact surfaces S3 and S4 are balanced, the position of the engagement pin 12 is maintained. That is, the posture of the movable part K and the arm 11 is maintained in this state. Further, when the movable part K is rotated in the direction of tilting the position (A direction), the movable part K and / or the arm 11 is pressed, and the force of the engaging pin 12 applied to the engaging pin 12 from the engaging groove part 11b. A larger force F1 = FA cos γ is applied as compared with the tangential component force Fp1 = Fssin γ. By doing so, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the engagement pin 12 can climb over the engagement groove 11b, and the engagement pin 12 can be fitted into another engagement groove 11b. As described above, the following conditions are required to change the engagement groove portion 11b into which the engagement pin 12 is inserted, that is, to change the posture of the movable portion K.

F1 = FA cosγ> Fp1 = Fssinγ
By organizing this equation, the force required to change the posture of the movable part K can be expressed as follows.

FA> Fstanγ (3)
That is, if the biasing force Fs of the compression spring 13 is the same, the holding force of the movable part K is stronger as the angle γ of the contact surface S3 of the engagement pin 12 is larger, and the force necessary for changing the posture of the movable part K is greater. It shows that it will grow.

  Similarly, when the force applied to the engagement pin 12 when rotating in the direction in which the movable part K is raised (B direction) is FB, the above-described direction is used to change the direction in which the movable part K is raised (B direction). The following force is required in the opposite direction.

FB> Fstanδ (4)
At this time, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the engagement pin 12 rides up from the engagement groove portion 11b, and the engagement pin 12 can be fitted into another engagement groove portion 11b.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the angle γ of the contact surface S3 of the engagement pin 12 that gets over the restriction surface S1 of the engagement groove portion 11b when moving in the direction (A direction) to tilt the movable portion K is set to the movable portion K. Is set to an angle different from the angle δ of the abutment surface S4 of the engagement pin 12 that gets over the restriction surface S2 of the engagement groove 11b when moving in the direction (B direction) that causes the rotation of the movable portion K. It is possible to change the operating force.

That is, by setting the angle γ of the contact surface S3 to be larger than the angle δ of the contact surface S4, the operating force FA required to rotate the movable portion K and the arm 11 in the direction of tilting is rotated in the direction in which it is raised. The operating force FB required when moving is set larger. When these relationships are described using the above-described equations, since γ> δ, the following relationship is established.
Fstanγ> Fstanδ
That is, FA> FB from Expression (3) and Expression (4), and the operating force can be changed depending on the rotation direction of the movable part K. Thereby, by appropriately setting the two slope angles of the engagement pin 12, it is possible to hold the operation panel firmly when operating it and smoothly change the angle when raising it.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the angles γ and δ of the contact surfaces S3 and S4 are made different, the movable portion K is moved in a direction (A direction) to be tilted from a predetermined posture to change the posture. The resistance force that the holding portion H applies to the movable portion K is the resistance force that the holding portion H applies to the movable portion K when the posture is changed by moving the movable portion K from a predetermined posture (B direction). To be bigger. That is, by changing the angles γ and δ of the contact surfaces S3 and S4, the holding force for holding the movable part K differs according to the direction in which the movable part K is moved. For this reason, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to achieve both stable holding of the movable portion K and smooth change of the installation angle (posture), improving the usability of the movable portion K and improving usability. .

  In the above two embodiments, the movable unit K includes the touch panel 10 that is a display unit and an operation unit. However, the display unit that is a display unit, a button that is an operation unit for a user to operate the apparatus, These switches may be provided alone or in combination. Moreover, you may provide the mounting part which mounts external memories, such as a memory card.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the movable unit K includes the touch panel 10. However, the movable unit K can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 100 and performs cartridge replacement and jam processing for image formation. Therefore, an opening / closing member that opens the inside of the image forming apparatus 100 may be used.

  In the above two embodiments, a plurality of engagement grooves (recesses) 11b are arranged side by side in the circumferential direction of the fan-shaped disk portion 11a formed integrally with the arm 11, and the engagement on the apparatus main body 100 side is arranged. In this configuration, the mating pins (convex portions) 12 are selectively fitted. However, a fan-shaped disk portion 11a is provided on the apparatus main body 100 side, a plurality of engagement groove portions 11b are arranged in the circumferential direction, and an engagement pin 12, a compression spring 13 and a spring holder 14 are provided on the arm 11, The present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the engagement groove portion 11b is selectively fitted.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the movable portion K is configured to rotate around the rotation shaft 11c via the arm 11 and change its posture. However, the movement of the movable portion K is such rotation. Not limited. That is, the present invention can be applied to any configuration in which the movable portion K moves in the first direction and the second direction opposite to the first direction so that the posture of the movable portion K with respect to the apparatus main body is changed. Is possible.

  In the above-described two embodiments, the image forming apparatus 100 that performs monochromatic image formation has been described. However, an image forming apparatus that performs multicolor image formation may be used. Further, the image forming apparatus is not limited to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus as long as it can form an image on an ink jet system or other sheets.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Touch panel 11 Arm 11a Disk part 11b Arm engagement groove part 11c Arm rotation center 12 Engagement pin 13 Compression spring 14 Spring holder 21 Loading surface / stacking tray 100 Main body A When the movable part is tilted, the operation part and the arm move. Direction B Direction in which the operating portion and arm move when the movable portion is raised C Spring biasing direction S1 Engaging groove regulating surface S2 Engaging groove regulating surface S3 Engaging pin contact surface S4 Engaging pin contact Surface α Angle of the regulating surface S1 of the engaging groove portion β Angle of the regulating surface S2 of the engaging groove portion Angle γ of the abutting surface S3 of the engaging pin Angle Fs of the abutting surface S4 of the engaging pin By the biasing force of the compression spring Force FA applied to the engaging groove of the arm from the engaging pin Force FB applied to the engaging pin when rotating in the direction of tilting the movable part (A direction) When rotating in the direction of raising the movable part (B direction) On the engagement pin Force K movable portion H holder

Claims (7)

A movable part capable of changing the posture with respect to the apparatus main body,
A holding unit that holds the movable unit in a changeable posture with respect to the apparatus main body;
And the movable portion moves in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, whereby the posture of the movable portion with respect to the apparatus main body is changed,
When the movable portion is moved from the predetermined posture in the first direction to change the posture, the resistance force applied to the movable portion by the holding portion is changed from the predetermined posture to the second direction. An image forming apparatus, wherein the holding portion holds the movable portion so that the holding portion has a resistance force greater than that applied to the movable portion when the posture is changed. The movable unit includes an operation unit that outputs a signal when pressed.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a direction in which the operation unit is pressed so as to output a signal is a direction in which the movable unit is moved in the first direction.   One of the movable portion and the holding portion includes a plurality of concave portions arranged side by side, the other includes a convex portion that can be fitted into the concave portion, and the convex portion is fitted in the concave portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable portion is held in a predetermined posture. The concave portion includes a regulation surface that holds the convex portion by regulating that the fitting between the convex portion and the concave portion is released.
From the state in which the convex portion is fitted in the concave portion, the movable portion moves and the convex portion moves with respect to the concave portion, so that the convex portion gets over the regulating surface and fits into the concave portion. Is released and can be mated with the other recesses,
Of the restricting surfaces, the restricting surfaces that the protrusions get over when the movable part moves in the first direction and the second direction are defined as a first restricting surface and a second restricting surface, respectively, and the protruding portions with respect to the recesses When the angles of the first restricting surface and the second restricting surface with respect to the moving direction are α and β (α, β ≦ 90 °), respectively, the convex portion makes the first restricting surface more than the second restricting surface. To make it harder to get over, α and β are
α> β
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The concave portion includes a regulating surface that holds the convex portion by restricting the fitting between the convex portion and the concave portion, and the convex portion includes a contact surface that abuts the regulating surface,
When the movable portion moves and the convex portion moves relative to the concave portion from the state where the convex portion is fitted in the concave portion, the contact surface gets over the regulating surface and fits with the concave portion. Is released, and can be mated with the other recesses,
Of the contact surfaces, when the movable portion moves in the first direction and the second direction, the contact surfaces that contact the restriction surface and overcome the restriction surface are respectively the first contact surface and the first contact surface. When the angle of the first contact surface and the second contact surface with respect to the moving direction of the convex portion with respect to the concave portion is γ and δ (γ, δ ≦ 90 °), respectively, the convex portion Γ and δ are such that it is more difficult to get over the first restriction surface than the second restriction surface.
γ> δ
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:   The more the movable part is moved in the first direction within the movable range of the movable part, the more the movable part is affected by its own weight, and the movable part is moved in the first direction. The said holding | maintenance part hold | maintains the said movable part so that the force required when moving the said movable part to the said 1st direction and changing an attitude | position may become large. Image forming apparatus. As the movable part is moved in the second direction within the movable range of the movable part, the movable part is not affected by its own weight, and the movable part is moved in the second direction. 7. The holding portion holds the movable portion so that a force required when the posture is changed by moving the movable portion in the second direction is increased. The image forming apparatus described in 1.

Images