JP2013068835A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of successfully conveying recording materials.SOLUTION: A first pressing part 73 presses a lever 71 so that the lever 71 is guided to an opening direction of a middle door 65. A second pressing part 74 presses a conveyance guide 33 so that the conveyance guide 33 is rotated in a closing direction. The first pressing part 73 and the second pressing part 74 are adjusted: (1) when the middle door 65 is closed, in such a manner that the lever 71 is guided in an arrow AR12 direction of the middle door 65 by a pressing force from the middle door 65 and the conveyance guide 33 is closed by a pressure force of the second pressing part 74; (2) when the middle door 65 is open, in such a manner that by the pressure force by the first pressing part 73 dominating the pressure force by the second pressing part 74, the lever 71 is guided in an arrow AR11 direction, and the conveyance guide 33 is rotated in an arrow AR21 direction by the pressure force by the first pressing part 73.

Description

  The present invention relates to a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, and an image forming apparatus having a combination of these functions.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for opening and closing a transfer unit and an opening / closing door by rotating each of a transfer unit and an opening / closing door provided on a side surface of the apparatus around a rotation shaft extending in a vertical direction is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a technique for forming a conveyance path between a conveyance unit that can be freely opened and closed and an opening / closing door is also known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-013305 A

  However, when the transport path is formed by a transport unit and an opening / closing door that can be opened and closed as in the technique of Patent Document 1, depending on the positioning accuracy of the transport unit and the opening / closing door at the time of opening / closing, the transport path is highly reproducible. Cannot be formed. As a result, there arises a problem that the recording material conveyance performance deteriorates.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can transport a recording material satisfactorily.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is an image forming apparatus, which is provided in the main body, guides the recording material along the transport direction, and the transport guide when closed. Adjacent middle doors, provided on the opposite side of the conveyance guide across the middle doors, the outer door adjacent to the middle door when closed, and the conveyance guide in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the middle door An opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes, and the conveyance guide can be opened and closed by rotating about a rotation axis, and the middle door is provided with a pressing portion that applies a pressing force to the opening / closing mechanism when closed. And the opening / closing mechanism biases the lever so that the lever is guided along the opening / closing direction of the middle door and the lever is guided in the first opening direction of the middle door. The first urging portion that rotates and the conveyance guide is rotated in the closing direction A second urging portion for urging the conveyance guide, and the lever includes a passive portion that receives a pressing force from the application portion, and a second portion of the first urging portion on the conveyance guide. The first and second urging portions include a first closing direction of the middle door by the pressing force when the middle door is closed. When the inner door is opened so that the conveyance guide is closed by the second urging force of the second urging portion, the first urging force is dominant over the second urging force. Thus, the lever is guided in the first opening direction, and the conveyance guide is adjusted so as to be rotated in the second opening direction by the first biasing force.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, a mylar is provided at a position opposite to the inner door at the tip of the conveyance guide.

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the outer door and the inner door are closed and the printing process is executed, the conveyance guide is not the pressing force applied from the inner door but the opening / closing mechanism. It is closed by the second urging force of the included second urging unit. That is, when the printing process is executed, the position of the transport guide is determined regardless of the position of the inner door. Therefore, even when the outer door and the inner door are openable and closable, it is possible to prevent a problem that the recording material conveyance performance deteriorates.

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, when the outer door and the inner door are opened, the first urging force is set to be superior to the second urging force. Is released by overcoming the urging force of the second urging unit. Therefore, the maintenance of the apparatus can be easily performed.

  As described above, according to the first and second aspects of the invention, it is possible to improve the transportability of the recording material and the maintainability of the apparatus.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the invention, when the conveyance guide rotates in the second opening direction, the inner door moves in a direction away from the conveyance guide. On the other hand, when the inner door is closed, the conveyance guide is rotated in the closing direction and separated from the inner door. Therefore, even when the mylar is provided at the tip of the conveyance guide, the middle door and the mylar can be prevented from interfering when the middle door is opened and closed, and the deformation of the mylar can be prevented.

1 is a front view illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side perspective view illustrating an example of a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side perspective view showing an example of composition near an opening-and-closing mechanism. It is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the opening-and-closing mechanism vicinity. It is front sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of the opening-and-closing mechanism vicinity. It is front sectional drawing which shows an example of a structure of the opening-and-closing mechanism vicinity.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<1. Overall printer configuration>
1 and 2 are front views showing an example of the configuration of the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 3 and 4 are side perspective views showing an example of the configuration of the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Here, the printer 1 is an image forming apparatus for printing a monochrome image or a color image by an electrophotographic method. The printer 1 can be incorporated in a multi-function machine having a copy function, a print function, a facsimile function, and the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the printer 1 mainly includes a color image forming unit 10, a paper feeding unit 30, a fixing device 40, a paper discharging unit 50, an outer door 60, an inner door 65, And a control unit 90.

  In addition, in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system in which the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction and the XY plane is a horizontal plane is appropriately attached as necessary to clarify the directional relationship. Yes. Further, the arrows attached to the paper feed path R1, the paper discharge path R2, the circulation transport path R3, and the transport path Ra in FIG. 1 are “the transport direction of the recording material P” (hereinafter simply referred to as “transport direction”). Designated).

  The color image forming unit 10 prints a monochrome image or a color image on the recording material P supplied via the paper feed path R1 and the transport path Ra. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the color image forming unit 10 mainly includes an image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K), a print head unit 15, and an intermediate transfer belt 21. Yes.

  A plurality (four in the present embodiment) of image forming units 11 correspond to the respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) mainly includes a photosensitive drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K), a charger (not shown), and the like. , A developing device (not shown), a primary transfer roller 18 (18Y, 18M, 18C, 18K), and a cleaner 19 (19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K).

  Here, a so-called tandem system is adopted as the color image forming unit 10 of the present embodiment, and each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) is, for example, yellow, Magenta, cyan, and black are arranged along the intermediate transfer belt 21 in this order. Each image forming unit 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming units 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K have the same type of hardware configuration. Therefore, in the following, the image forming unit 11Y, and the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 18Y that are components of the image forming unit 11Y will be described in detail.

  For convenience of illustration, the reference numerals of the photosensitive drums 13M, 13C, and 13K and the primary transfer rollers 18M, 18C, and 18K are omitted in FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings.

  The photosensitive drum 13Y has a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape, and is disposed on the opposite side of the primary transfer roller 18 with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. A photoconductive film is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. The print head unit 15 is a so-called exposure unit, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 13 (13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K) with laser light.

  Therefore, light is emitted from the print head unit 15 to the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y, and the charge on the irradiated portion is removed, whereby an electrostatic latent image corresponding to yellow is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. It is formed. Similarly, electrostatic latent images corresponding to magenta, cyan, and black are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums 13M, 13C, and 13K, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the primary transfer roller 18Y is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive drum 13Y with the intermediate transfer belt 21 interposed therebetween. The primary transfer roller 18Y is given a charge having a polarity opposite to that of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 13Y. Thus, when the intermediate transfer belt 21 is sandwiched between the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 18Y while the photosensitive drum 13Y and the primary transfer roller 18Y are rotating, a yellow toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21. The

  The intermediate transfer belt 21 transfers the four color toner images primarily transferred by the image forming units 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) to the recording material P. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the intermediate transfer belt 21 is wound around a driving roller 22 and a driven roller 23, and the driving roller 22 and the driven roller 23 rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. 1 and 2. To do. Further, the secondary transfer roller 25 is disposed on the opposite side of the driving roller 22 across the transport path Ra, and contacts the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

  Accordingly, the four-color toner images formed on the outer periphery of the intermediate transfer belt 21 are recorded by adjusting the feed timing of the intermediate transfer belt 21 and the conveyance timing of the recording material P conveyed on the conveyance path Ra. Secondary transfer is performed on the material P.

  The developer used in each image forming unit 11 is preferably a one-component developer that does not use a carrier, but may be a two-component developer that includes a toner and a carrier.

  The paper feed unit 30 is used as a supply unit that supplies the recording material P to the color image forming unit 10 one by one. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feeding unit 30 is provided below the color image forming unit 10. The detailed configuration of the paper feeding unit 30 will be described later.

  The fixing device 40 fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording material P. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing device 40 is disposed on the downstream side of the secondary transfer roller 25 in the path along the transport path Ra. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing device 40 mainly includes a fixing roller 41, a pressure roller 42, and an induction heating unit 43.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixing roller 41 and the pressure roller 42 are disposed on both sides of the transport path Ra. When the recording material P is sandwiched between the rollers 41 and 42, the rollers 41 and 42 rotate, whereby the recording material P is conveyed to the paper discharge unit 50 side.

  The induction heating unit 43 is a heater that heats the fixing roller 41 and has a coil (not shown). Therefore, a high-frequency alternating current is passed through the coil and an eddy current is generated on the surface of the fixing roller 41, thereby generating Joule heat and heating the fixing roller 41.

  The paper discharge unit 50 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing device 40 in the transport direction, and discharges the recording material P on which the toner image is fixed to the outside of the apparatus. That is, the recording material P supplied to the paper discharge unit 50 via the transport path Ra is guided to the paper discharge path R2. As shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge unit 50 mainly includes a paper discharge roller pair 51 provided on the paper discharge path R <b> 2 and a paper discharge tray 52.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the outer door 60 and the inner door 65 are provided on one side surface of the main body 1 a and rotate around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when closed, the outer door 60 is adjacent to the middle door 65, and a circulation conveyance path R <b> 3 is formed between the outer door 60 and the middle door 65.

  The control unit 90 is provided below the paper discharge tray 52 as shown in FIGS. The control unit 90 realizes operation control of each element of the printer 1 and data calculation. For example, the control unit 90 receives an image signal from an external terminal (not shown) or the like and converts it into digitized image data for YK colors, as well as the color image forming unit 10 and the paper feeding unit 30. By controlling operations such as these, printing processing on the recording material P can be executed.

<2. Configuration near the opening / closing mechanism>
5 to 8 are a perspective view, a plan view, a front sectional view, and a front sectional view showing an example of the configuration in the vicinity of the opening / closing mechanism 70. FIG. Here, the hardware configuration of the sheet feeding unit 30 and the opening / closing mechanism 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5 to 8.

  The paper feed unit 30 is used as a supply unit that supplies the recording material P to the color image forming unit 10. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5 to 7, the paper feed unit 30 mainly includes a paper feed cassette 31, a paper feed roller 32, a transport guide 33, and a mylar 35. Yes.

  The paper feed cassette 31 is a storage unit that can store a plurality of recording materials P. The paper feed roller 32 feeds a plurality of recording materials P accommodated in the paper feed cassette 31 in order from the uppermost layer and supplies the fed recording materials P to the paper feed path R1.

  The conveyance guide 33 is provided in the main body 1a (see FIGS. 1 to 4), and guides the recording material P along the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance guide 33 can be opened and closed by rotating about a rotation shaft 33a. As shown in FIG. 7, the conveyance guide 33 is adjacent to the middle door 65 when closed, and is provided on the opposite side of the outer door 60 with the middle door 65 interposed therebetween.

  The mylar 35 is provided at the tip 33 b of the transport guide 33 and at a position facing the inner door 65. The mylar 35 is bonded to the conveyance guide 33, and the tip of the mylar 35 is bent so as to follow the conveyance path Ra.

  The opening / closing mechanism 70 opens and closes the transport guide 33 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the middle door 65. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the opening / closing mechanism 70 mainly includes a lever 71, a first urging portion 73, and a second urging portion 74.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lever 71 is guided along the opening / closing direction of the inner door 65 (directions of arrows AR11 and AR12). As shown in FIG. 6, the lever 71 has a passive part 71a and a transmission part 71b.

  The passive portion 71a is formed at one end of the lever 71 in the extending direction. The passive portion 71a receives the pressing force applied from the applying portion 65a of the middle door 65 when the middle door 65 is closed. Then, the lever 71 that has received this pressing force is guided in the direction of the arrow AR12 (the closing direction of the inner door 65: the first closing direction).

  The transmission portion 71b is a protrusion formed on one side of the lever 71 as shown in FIG. Here, when the lever 71 is guided in the opening direction of the inner door 65 (arrow AR11 direction: first opening direction), the tip 33b of the conveyance guide 33 is pressed by the transmission portion 71b of the lever 71, and the conveyance guide 33 is , And the direction of the arrow AR21 (the opening direction of the transport guide 33: the second opening direction).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first urging unit 73 is provided below the lever 71 and above the paper feed roller 32. As shown in FIG. 7, one end of the first urging portion 73 is fixed to the lever 71 and the other end is fixed to the attachment portion 75. The first urging unit 73 urges the lever 71 such that the lever 71 is guided in the opening direction of the inner door 65. For example, when the providing portion 65a of the inner door 65 is separated from the passive portion 71a, the lever 71 is guided in the direction of the arrow AR11.

  The second urging unit 74 applies an urging force to the transport guide 33. As shown in FIG. 7, one end of the second urging portion 74 is fixed to the transport guide 33 and the other end is fixed to the attachment portion 75. And the conveyance guide 33 is urged | biased so that the conveyance guide 33 may rotate in the direction (arrow AR22 direction: 2nd closing direction).

Here, the first urging unit 73 and the second urging unit 74 of the present embodiment are adjusted as follows. That is,
(1) When the middle door 65 is closed, the lever 71 is guided in the direction of the arrow AR12 of the middle door 65 by the pressing force from the middle door 65, and the conveyance guide 33 is attached to the second urging portion 74. To be closed by power (second biasing force)
(2) When the middle door 65 is opened, the urging force (first urging force) of the first urging portion 73 is more dominant than the urging force of the second urging portion 74, so that the lever 71 is Guided in the direction of the arrow AR11, the conveyance guide 33 is adjusted so as to be rotated in the direction of the arrow AR21 by the biasing force of the first biasing portion 73.

<3. Advantages of Printer of this Embodiment>
As described above, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, when the outer door 60 and the inner door 65 are closed and the printing process is executed, the conveyance guide 33 is not a pressing force applied from the inner door 65, It is closed by the urging force (second urging force) of the second urging unit 74 included in the opening / closing mechanism 70. That is, when the printing process is executed, the position of the conveyance guide 33 is determined regardless of the position of the inner door 65. For this reason, even when the outer door 60 and the inner door 65 are openable and closable, it is possible to prevent the problem that the conveyance performance of the recording material P deteriorates.

  When the outer door 60 and the inner door 65 are opened, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment is set so that the urging force of the first urging unit 73 is more dominant than the urging force of the second urging unit 74. Thus, the transport guide 33 overcomes the urging force of the second urging unit 74 and is released. Therefore, maintenance of the printer 1 can be easily performed.

  As described above, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment can improve the transportability and maintenance performance of the recording material P.

  Further, in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, when the transport guide 33 rotates in the direction of the arrow AR21 (second opening direction), the inner door 65 moves in a direction away from the transport guide 33. On the other hand, when the inner door 65 is closed, the conveyance guide 33 rotates in the closing direction and is separated from the inner door 65. Therefore, even when the mylar 35 is provided at the tip of the conveyance guide 33, the middle door 65 and the mylar 35 can be prevented from interfering when the middle door 65 is opened and closed, and the deformation of the mylar 35 can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 1a Main body 10 Color image formation part 30 Paper feed part 32 Paper feed roller
33 Conveying Guide 33a Rotating Shaft 33b Tip 35 Mylar 40 Fixing Device 50 Paper Discharge Unit 60 Outer Door 65 Middle Door 65a Applicator 70 Opening / Closing Mechanism 71 Lever 71a Passive Part 71b Transmitter 73 First Energizing Part 74 Second Energizing Part 75 Mounting part P Recording material

Claims (2)

An image forming apparatus,
(a) a conveyance guide that is provided in the main body and guides the recording material along the conveyance direction;
(b) an inner door adjacent to the conveyance guide when closed;
(c) provided on the opposite side of the transport guide across the middle door, and an outer door adjacent to the middle door when closed;
(d) an opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing the conveyance guide in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the middle door;
With
The conveyance guide can be opened and closed by rotating about a rotation axis.
The inner door
(b-1) an applying portion that applies a pressing force to the opening / closing mechanism when closed;
Have
The opening and closing mechanism is
(d-1) a lever guided along the opening / closing direction of the inner door;
(d-2) a first urging portion that urges the lever so that the lever is guided in a first opening direction of the inner door;
(d-3) a second urging portion that urges the conveyance guide such that the conveyance guide rotates in a closing direction;
Have
The lever is
A passive part that receives a pressing force from the application part;
A transmission unit for transmitting a first urging force of the first urging unit to the conveyance guide;
Including
The first and second biasing portions are
(i) When the inner door is closed, the lever is guided in the first closing direction of the inner door by the pressing force, and the transport guide is moved by the second urging force of the second urging portion. To be closed
(ii) When the inner door is opened, the lever is guided in the first opening direction by the first urging force prevailing over the second urging force, and the transport guide is So as to be rotated in the second opening direction by the first biasing force,
An image forming apparatus that is adjusted. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
An image forming apparatus, wherein a mylar is provided at a front end of the conveyance guide and at a position facing the inner door.

Images