JP2013228554A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To selectively attach a plurality of operation units having different sizes from each other to an image forming apparatus common to the operation units according to an installation space for the apparatus.SOLUTION: A color copier 1 includes an image reading unit 2, an image forming unit 3, a support 11, and an operation unit. Either one of operation units 17A and 17B having different sizes from each other can be selected to be attached to the support 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a plotter, etc., or a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, a plotter, or a multi-function machine having a plurality of functions, an image reading unit that reads image information of a document, and a recording medium such as paper based on the read image information An image forming apparatus including an image forming unit that records and forms an image thereon, and an operation unit that includes an instruction device and a display device that are necessary for an image forming operation or an operation of reading an original with an image reading unit. In recent years, there has been a strong demand for downsizing the installation space.

  Further, as the amount of information handled by the image forming apparatus increases, the display device portion of the operation unit has become larger, and the operation unit can swing about the axis (vertical direction with respect to the apparatus body). Swaying motion (hereinafter also referred to as “tilt swaying”) and horizontal (left and right) swivel swaying operation (azimuth: oscillating motion that changes the azimuth angle, the same applies hereinafter) It is already known that the operation unit can be moved to a position where it can be easily seen (see, for example, FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, for the purpose of strengthening the attachment of a display device (operation unit) that can swing around an axis, in addition to a tilt swing operation, a fixing method for a swivel swing operation in the left-right direction [engagement member and penetration It is disclosed that the rotation member is constrained to be separated from the non-rotating portion by engagement of holes (meaning that they are engaged, the same applies hereinafter).

  However, the operation unit provided in the image forming apparatuses up to now including Patent Document 1 has a problem that selection of a different size according to the installation space cannot be realized. For example, since it is necessary to secure an installation space in response to a request to attach an operation unit having a size (large size) as much as possible, it is not always necessary to attach an operation unit having a large size. As described above, within the scope of the knowledge of the present inventor, in conventional image forming apparatuses, it is possible to select and install any one of a plurality of operation units having different sizes according to the user's request. No proposal has been made.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is mainly capable of being selectively attached to a common image forming apparatus in accordance with the installation space among a plurality of operation units having different sizes. With a purpose.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the present invention adopts the following characteristic means / invention specific items (hereinafter referred to as “configuration”).
The invention according to claim 1 is an image reading unit that reads an image of a document, an image forming unit that is disposed below the image reading unit and records an image read by the image reading unit on a sheet, and the image reading unit. A discharge space for discharging a sheet on which an image is recorded is formed between the image forming unit and the image forming unit, and the image reading unit is disposed above the image forming unit so as to surround at least two side surfaces of the discharge space. And an operation unit that includes an instruction unit and a display unit that are necessary for an image forming operation or an operation of reading an original with the image reading unit and capable of at least a vertical swinging operation. Further, any one of the plurality of operation units having different sizes can be selected and attached to the support.

  According to the present invention, the above configuration can solve the above-described problems and provide a novel image forming apparatus. That is, according to the present invention, according to the above configuration, one of a plurality of operation units having different sizes can be selected according to a user's request, and can be attached to a common image forming apparatus according to the installation space. .

1 is a schematic front view of a color copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention, as seen through. FIG. FIG. 2 is a simplified external perspective view showing a structure of the color copying machine of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where a small-sized operation unit is attached to a support of a color copying machine, and an appearance showing a state where the front door is opened and the operation unit is tilted and erected at the maximum swing inclination angle It is a perspective view. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a small-size operation unit is attached to a support of a color copying machine, and is an external perspective view showing a state in which the front door is closed and the operation unit stands at a maximum swinging inclination angle. . FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a small-sized operation unit is attached to a support of a color copying machine, and is an external perspective view showing a state in which the front door is closed and the operation unit is swayed to a minimum swinging inclination angle It is. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a large-sized operation unit is attached to a support of a color copying machine, and is an external perspective view showing a state in which the front door is closed and the operation unit swings and tilts to a maximum swing tilt angle. It is. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a large-sized operation unit is attached to a support of a color copying machine, and is an external perspective view showing a state in which the front door is closed and the operation unit swings and falls to a minimum swing inclination angle. It is. It is a top view which shows the attachment structure with respect to the hinge mechanism and support body of the small size operation part shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the attachment structure with respect to the support body of the large sized operation part shown in FIG. It is the exploded perspective view of the principal part which shows the attachment structure with respect to a support body while showing the state which removed the nut, flat washer, and disc spring which comprise a position holding means from the hinge mechanism used for each operation part. It is the figure which looked at the structure of the position holding means in a hinge mechanism from the arrow V10 direction of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the attachment or detachment state of each cover member used for a small size operation part. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the attachment or detachment state of each cover member used for a large size operation part. (A) is a side view for explaining the relationship between the maximum swing inclination angle of the small-size operation unit and the open / close state of the front cover, and (b) is the maximum swing inclination angle of the large-size operation unit and the front cover. It is a side view explaining the relationship with the open / closed state of (especially when opened).

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment and the like, components (members and components) having the same function and shape are described once unless they are confused, and the description thereof is omitted by giving the same reference numerals. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even if the components are to be represented in the drawings, the components that do not need to be specifically described in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate. When quoting and explaining constituent elements such as published patent gazettes, the reference numerals are shown in parentheses to distinguish them from those of the embodiments.

[First Embodiment]
(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing the structure of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a mounting state of an operation unit and a front cover provided in the image forming apparatus.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an in-body discharge type color copying machine using an electrophotographic system exemplified as an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The color copying machine 1 includes a substantially box-shaped device main body 10 having a top surface (uppermost surface) that is a casing of the entire image forming apparatus, and an image that is disposed above the device main body 10 and reads an image of a document. An image is recorded on a sheet as an example of a sheet based on image information that is arranged below the reading unit 2 and is read by the image reading unit 2 or transmitted from a personal computer or the like as an external device. A paper discharge space 12 is formed between the image forming unit 3 to be formed and the image reading unit 2 and the image forming unit 3 as a discharge space for discharging a sheet on which an image is recorded. A support 11 for supporting and fixing the image reading unit 2 on the upper part of the image forming unit 3 so as to surround the side surfaces in two directions, and an instruction unit and a display unit necessary for an image forming operation or an operation for reading an original with the image reading unit 2 The A small-sized operation unit 7A (which can be replaced with a large-sized operation unit 7B as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 to be described later) and an apparatus main body. 10 is a sheet conveying path as a sheet conveying path, which means a sheet-like recording medium including a copy sheet, an OHP resin sheet, a cardboard, a postcard, etc. A paper supply unit 4 for supplying the paper, a paper discharge unit 5 provided above the image forming unit 3 for discharging the paper on which an image is recorded in the paper discharge space 12, and a paper supply unit 4 and paper discharge And a sheet conveyance path 6 provided between the sections 5.

  The apparatus main body 10 and the support 11 constitute a structure that forms the framework of the color copying machine 1. The support 11 is substantially L-shaped in a plan view, and includes a portion formed of, for example, a sheet metal that is a thin metal plate in order to detachably attach an operation unit having a different size, which will be described later. The image forming unit 3 is disposed inside the apparatus main body 10.

The image reading unit 2 is attached to the top surface portion of the support 11 and has a contact glass 20 as a document table on which the document is placed, and a light source that is disposed immediately below the contact glass 20 and applies light to the document while moving. 21, an imaging lens 22 that forms an image of reflected light from the original, an image sensor 23 such as a CCD that is disposed at the image forming position and reads the original image, and while reflecting the reflected light from the original It is composed of a plurality of mirrors leading to the imaging lens 22.
In addition, a pressure plate 24 (not shown) for pressing the document placed on the contact glass 20 is provided on the upper part of the image reading unit 2. Instead of the pressure plate 24, an automatic document feeder (ADF) for automatically feeding a document to the contact glass 20 may be installed. The image reading unit is also called an image reading unit.

  The image forming unit 3 includes four process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K corresponding to toners of a total of four colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta that are three primary colors, and black that is an achromatic color, and these four process cartridges. A writing unit 30 provided below 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K for writing a latent image on each photosensitive drum, which will be described later, and a new toner of a color corresponding to each process cartridge 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are accommodated. After the toner images formed by the four toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K and the process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are once transferred, the transfer unit 32 that transfers the toner images to the paper, and the toner images on the paper A fixing unit 33 for fixing. The image forming unit is also called an image forming unit.

  The process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are arranged in the order of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black from the upstream side along the movement direction (arrow Xa in the drawing) of the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 32a described later. Each of the process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, 3K is centered on the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, K, which are latent image carriers that are driven to rotate clockwise in a front view, and the photosensitive drums Y, C, M , K corresponding to the charging means for uniformly charging the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums with the electrostatic latent images formed by the writing unit 30 described later on the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, K. The developing means 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30K that visualize each toner with a single color toner image and the transfer residual toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K after cleaning are cleaned. An image forming apparatus (or also called an image forming unit) that is integrally formed from a cleaning means that collects the image and is detachable from the apparatus main body 10.

  The writing unit 30 includes a polygon mirror, an fθ lens, and the like, and scans while uniformly irradiating laser light from a laser light emitting device based on image information input from the image reading unit 2, a personal computer, an external scanner, and the like. An exposure apparatus that selectively exposes the outer peripheral surfaces of charged photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K to lower the surface potential of the irradiated portion and forms an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. .

  The toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K are individually filled with the four new color toners, and the developing means 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30K of the process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are conveyed through a conveyance path (not shown). It is a mechanism for supplying toner of each color to 30K.

  The transfer unit 32 means an intermediate transfer belt 32a which is an endless belt made of a multilayer structure of an elastic resin as an intermediate transfer member, and supports and stretches the intermediate transfer belt 32a in a tensioned state. Four supporting rollers 32b, 32c, 32d, and 32e, and four primary transfer rollers 32f that face the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K with the intermediate transfer belt 32a interposed therebetween, respectively. A secondary transfer roller 32g disposed to face the roller 32b is provided. As described above, the transfer unit 32 is an intermediate transfer type transfer device.

  The support roller 32b is a drive roller connected to a drive means (not shown), and has a function of rotating the intermediate transfer belt 32a in the direction of the arrow Xa in the figure. A secondary transfer roller 32g is disposed (arranged or provided) at a position facing the support roller 32b (hereinafter referred to as “drive roller 32b”) with the intermediate transfer belt 32a interposed therebetween. Means the same). In the vicinity of the support roller 32c, a cleaning device 32h for scraping and cleaning the residual toner adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 32a is provided.

  Each primary transfer roller 32f takes into account image deterioration due to gap discharge, and the intermediate transfer belt 32a is sandwiched between the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K and the intermediate transfer belt 32a is in contact with the intermediate distance from the directly facing position. It functions as a contact application type transfer bias (transfer voltage) applying means disposed at a position slightly shifted to the downstream side in the transport direction of the transfer belt 32a. Each primary transfer roller 32f is connected to a bias power source (not shown) and configured to be able to apply a primary transfer bias from the back surface (inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 32a (meaning that voltage is applied, the same applies hereinafter). ing.

  The secondary transfer roller 32g is urged by an urging means (not shown) (meaning that the momentum is increased, the same applies hereinafter), and is pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 32a on the outer periphery of the drive roller 32b. Are configured to form a secondary transfer nip. The driving roller 32b serves as a contact-type transfer bias applying means connected to a bias power source (not shown). Further, the secondary transfer roller 32g may be a transfer bias applying unit, and in this case, a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to be transferred is applied.

  The fixing unit 33 includes a fixing belt 33c, which is an endless belt stretched between the fixing roller 33a and the heating roller 33b, and a pressure member that presses against the fixing belt 33c (meaning that it is in pressure contact, the same applies hereinafter). A fixing nip is formed between the pressure roller 33d and the sheet, and heat and pressure are applied to the sheet conveyed through a sheet conveying path 6 (to be described later) in this fixing nip. The toner image transferred at the transfer nip is fused and fixed on the sheet.

  The sheet feeding unit 4 stores and stocks predetermined sheets of different sizes and sizes as sheets, and feeds cassettes 40 and 41 that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 and the stocked sheets from above with a predetermined pressure. Paper feed rollers 42 and 43 and the like that are in pressure contact are provided. Based on a control signal from a control means (not shown), the sheets stored in the sheet feeding cassettes 40 and 41 are sent out to sheet conveying paths 6 described later by sheet feeding rollers 42 and 43, respectively.

  Further, the paper feed unit 4 is provided with a manual feed tray 44 for placing an arbitrary paper within a predetermined size and size range that can be transported, and a paper feed roller 45 for feeding the paper. In the paper feed unit 4, the paper placed on the manual feed tray 44 can be sent out to a paper transport path 6 described later by rotating the paper feed roller 45.

  The paper discharge unit 5 includes a paper discharge tray 5a formed on the apparatus body 10 below the paper discharge space 12 between the toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K and the image reading unit 2, and a discharge tray 5a. The paper tray 5a includes a paper discharge roller pair 5b that discharges (discharges) the paper that has passed through the fixing unit 33 from a paper conveyance path 6 described later. As described above, the color copying machine 1 according to this embodiment is an in-body discharge type discharge unit having a function of stacking sheets discharged by the discharge roller pair 5b on the discharge tray 5a.

  The paper transport path 6 is a vertical transport system (vertical path system) that transports paper from the paper feed unit 4 provided at the bottom of the apparatus body 10 to the paper discharge unit 5 provided at the top of the apparatus body 10 from bottom to top. The normal conveyance path 6a and the reversal conveyance path 6b for reversing the sheet for duplex printing. These conveyance paths can be switched by a switching claw 6c, and the sheet conveyed to the reverse conveyance path 6b by the switching claw 6c and conveyed to the upper part 6e of the reverse conveyance path 6b by the reverse conveyance roller pair 6d is reversed. When the conveyance roller pair 6d is reversed, it is reversed in a switchback manner and is conveyed to a normal conveyance path 6a before the registration roller pair 6f described later.

  In the normal conveyance path 6a and the reverse conveyance path 6b, a plurality of conveyance roller pairs are provided at intervals corresponding to the minimum sheet size, and the conveyance is performed by rotating while sandwiching the sheet by these conveyance roller pairs. Yes. The normal conveyance path 6a is provided with a registration roller pair 6f below the secondary transfer nip, and the registration roller pair 6f conveys the sheet to the secondary transfer nip based on a command from a control unit (not shown). Timing is adjusted.

  1 to 3, reference numeral Z denotes a vertical direction that is also a vertical direction, reference numeral Y denotes a front-rear direction (also the depth direction of the apparatus) orthogonal to the vertical direction Y, and reference numeral X denotes a vertical direction Z and a front-rear direction Y. Right and left directions (also the width direction of the apparatus) perpendicular to each other are shown. In FIG. 1, the front side in the front-rear direction Y is a front surface (front surface) where an operator and a user (hereinafter, represented by “user”) face each other. In FIG. 2, the right side in the front-rear direction Y is the front side (front side), and in FIG. 3, the left side in the front-rear direction Y is the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a front cover 13 as an example of a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10 is provided on the front (front) side of the color copying machine 1. In the same figure, the code | symbol 14 shows a hinge arm. The front cover 13 is swingable / openable / closable via a hinge portion (not shown) connected to one end portion of a hinge arm 14 that is hidden in the lower part of the apparatus body 10 and cannot be seen.

  In this embodiment, by opening the front cover 13, the user can perform front operation, that is, maintenance part replacement including replacement of the toner bottles 31 </ b> Y to 31 </ b> K, processing of jammed paper, various inspection maintenance / cleaning, and the like. It is the structure which can be performed with favorable workability | operativity from the front side of the apparatus main body 10 which faces.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a plurality of different sizes and sizes for performing various operations of the color copier 1 are provided on the front (front) side of the image reading unit 2 and the support 11 (this embodiment). As an example of two operation units in the example, a small and small-sized operation unit 7A (hereinafter also simply referred to as “operation unit 7A”) is detachably attached to the support 11. The operation unit is also commonly called an operation panel.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 to be described later, in a common image forming apparatus (color copying machine 1), instead of the small-size operation unit 7A, a large-sized / large-sized one is requested according to the user's request. The operation unit 7B (hereinafter, simply referred to as “operation unit 7B”) is provided to be replaceable. That is, in the color copying machine 1 according to the present embodiment, as will be described later, according to the user's request, a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) operation units 7A and 7B having different sizes are provided according to the user's request. Any one of them can be selected and attached to the color copying machine 1 which is a common image forming apparatus according to the installation space. Specific configurations and the like of the operation units 7A and 7B will be described in detail later.

(Image forming operation)
Next, an image forming operation of the color copying machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 7 as appropriate. When making a copy, first, the pressure plate 24 is opened and a document is set on the contact glass 20 of the image reading unit 2 (when an ADF is provided instead of the pressure plate 24, the document is set on the document table of the ADF. ). Subsequently, when the start switch of the small-sized operation unit 7A (see FIGS. 3 to 5) or the large-sized operation unit 7B (see FIGS. 6 and 7) is pressed, the image reading unit 2 is driven to travel and the light source travels. The light emitted from the light 21 is reflected by the original surface and reflected by the plurality of mirrors, forms an image on the image sensor 23 through the imaging lens 22, and is converted into an electric signal by the image sensor 23. The image (contents) of the original is read. When the ADF is attached, the operation is started after the document is automatically conveyed onto the contact glass 20 from the ADF mounting table. Then, the image forming operation is started in the full color mode or the black and white mode in accordance with the mode setting selected by the operation unit 7A (see FIGS. 3 to 5) or 7B (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  First, a case where a color image is formed by selecting the full color mode with the operation unit 7A (see FIGS. 3 to 5) or 7B (see FIGS. 6 and 7) will be described. When an image forming operation is started in the color copying machine 1, the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K are rotationally driven in a clockwise direction when viewed from the front (direction of FIG. 1) of the color copying machine 1, At this time, the outer peripheral surfaces of the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K are uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity (for example, minus) by the respective charging means. Next, each charging surface is irradiated with laser light from the writing unit 30 based on the image information that has been color-separated so as to correspond to the toner color, and on the outer peripheral surface of each of the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K. An electrostatic latent image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a single-color toner image by the developing means 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30K, and each color toner image is subjected to a primary transfer bias by a corresponding primary transfer roller 32f. The toner is applied and sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 32a to form a full-color toner image. When a single color image is formed, the above operation is performed with the black process cartridge 3K.

  On the other hand, the paper stocked in the paper feed cassettes 40 and 41 of the paper feed unit 4 is sent out one by one to the paper transport path 6 by the paper feed rollers 42 and 43. Then, the sheet ascends the sheet conveyance path 6, and the leading end of the sheet abuts against the nip portion of the registration roller pair 6f and temporarily stops. The leading edge of the sheet is adjusted by the contact, and the registration roller pair 6f is rotated in accordance with the timing at which the color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 32a reaches the secondary transfer nip toward the secondary transfer nip. The paper is sent out.

  Next, a secondary transfer bias is applied at the secondary transfer nip of the transfer unit 32, and the full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 32 a is transferred onto the sheet by electrostatic force, and then sent to the fixing nip of the fixing unit 33. It is done. Therefore, heat and pressure are applied by the fixing belt 33c and the pressure roller 33d, and the unfixed toner image carried on the paper is fixed on the paper. As described above, after the toner image is fixed on the sheet, the sheet discharge roller pair 5b rotates and is discharged and stacked on the sheet discharge tray 5a.

  When the duplex mode is selected by the operation unit 7A or the operation unit 7B and duplex copying is performed, the conveyance path is switched by the switching claw 6c, and the sheet on which the image is fixed on one side is placed 6e above the reverse conveyance path 6b. After temporarily stacking, the direction of travel is reversed in a switchback manner by the pair of reverse conveying rollers 6d, conveyed in the reverse conveying path 6b by the conveying rollers, and re-supplied to the registration rollers 6f in time with the image forming operation. Paper is printed and image recording / formation (printing) on the back side is performed in the same manner as the image forming operation.

  The residual toner on the photosensitive drums Y, C, M, and K is cleaned by each cleaning unit, and thereafter, a bias in which an alternating current component is superimposed on a direct current is applied by the charging unit to be uniformly charged simultaneously with static elimination. The Further, the residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 32a is cleaned by the cleaning device 32h to prepare for the next image forming operation.

(Configuration of operation unit)
Although not shown in the drawings, the operation units 7A and 7B are examples of instruction means required for the image forming operation of the image forming unit 3 of the color copying machine 1 or the operation of reading an original by the image reading unit 2. An input device (start key, numeric keypad, various function setting keys, reset key, clear / stop key, and other keys) and a liquid crystal display serving as a display device for displaying various input information as an example of display means and various device states A touch panel is provided.

  Here, the size of the operation unit mainly means the dimensions of the outer shape (width in the left-right direction X, height in the up-down direction Z, and thickness in the front-rear direction Y) of the operation unit. In this embodiment, for simplification of explanation, two operation parts 7A and 7B having different sizes are illustrated and described, but three or more different size operation parts can be selectively attached to the support. Of course, it may be configured.

  Each operation unit 7A, 7B can swing up and down (tilt swing) by a hinge mechanism as support means described later, and can freely swing each operation unit 7A, 7B by position holding means described later. It can be held in position. The hinge mechanism including the support means and the position holding means will be described in detail later.

As described above in part, on the front side of the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, either one of the small-size operation unit 7A and the large-size operation unit 7B as the operation unit having a different size meets the user's request. Can be selectively attached (removable).
FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the small-size operation unit 7A is attached to the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, and the front door 13 is opened and the operation unit 7A stands up at the maximum swing inclination angle. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the small-size operation unit 7A is attached to the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, and the front door 13 is closed and the operation unit 7A is swung to the maximum. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the small-sized operation unit 7A is attached to the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, and the front door 13 is closed and the operation unit 7A FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a state where the rocker oscillates at a minimum rocking inclination angle substantially the same plane as the horizontal plane.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the large-sized operation unit 7B is attached to the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, and the front door 13 is closed and the operation unit 7B is tilted to the maximum swing inclination angle. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the large-sized operation unit 7B is attached to the support 11 of the color copying machine 1, in which the front door 13 is closed and the operation unit 7B is in a horizontal plane. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the rocking is tilted down to a minimum rocking inclination angle substantially in the same plane as that of FIG.

  With reference to FIGS. 8-11, the hinge mechanism 50 which supports each operation part 7A, 7B so that rocking | fluctuation is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a mounting configuration of the small-size operation unit 7A shown in FIG. 4 to the hinge mechanism 50 and the support 11, and FIG. 9 is a support 11 of the large-size operation unit 7B shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the mounting configuration for the operation unit 7A, 7B. FIG. 10 shows the mounting configuration for the support 11 while removing the nuts, plain washers, and disc springs that constitute the position holding means 55 from the hinge mechanism 50 used in the operation portions 7A and 7B. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the main part, and FIG. 11 is a view of the configuration of the position holding means 55 in the hinge mechanism 50 as viewed from the direction of the arrow V10 in FIG.

  The hinge mechanism 50 has the specifications of the maximum swing inclination angle during the tilt swing operation and the operation force (swing torque) when swinging the operation units 7A and 7B in the operation swing portions 7A and 7B. Because it is different according to the request of, it is not possible to achieve complete commonality. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation and simplification of the drawings, the hinge mechanism 50 of the large-size operation unit 7B will be described as a representative (see FIGS. 10 and 11). Details that the hinge mechanism 50 of the small-sized operation unit 7 is different from the hinge mechanism 50 of the large-sized operation unit 7B will be supplemented as needed.

  With respect to the tilt swing range (angle), as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and the like, the operation unit 7A is from 0 ° (minimum swing inclination angle: horizontal / falling state) to about 90 ° (maximum swing tilt angle). : Standing / upright state), as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, etc., the operation unit 7B is set to 0 ° (minimum rocking inclination angle: horizontal / falling state) to about 66 ° (maximum rocking inclination angle). , Each is set.

Incidentally, the outer shape of the small-sized operation unit 7A shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and the like has a width dimension in the left-right direction X of 225 mm, a height dimension in the up-down direction Z of 92 mm, and a thickness dimension in the front-rear direction Y of 18 Each is set to 5 mm.
The outer shape of the large-sized operation unit 7B shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is such that the width dimension in the left-right direction X is 250 mm, the height dimension in the vertical direction Z is 195 mm, and the thickness dimension in the front-rear direction Y is 20 mm. Is set.

  Further, regarding the operating force (swinging torque) at the time of tilt swinging, it is assumed that the uppermost part of each operating unit 7A, 7B is operated by hand, about 15N for the operating unit 7A and about 22N for the operating unit 7B. Respectively.

The hinge mechanism 50 functions as a support means for supporting the operation units 7A and 7B so as to be tilted and swingable. In FIG. 8, the hinge mechanism 50 is simply shown for the sake of simplicity. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the operation unit 7B is tilted and swung to the maximum tilt angle, so that the hinge mechanism 50 is hidden behind the operation unit 7B and cannot be seen.
As shown in FIGS. 8, 10, and 11, the hinge mechanism 50 includes a mounting bracket 17, a hinge bracket 18, a hinge shaft 51, a position holding unit 55, a regulating unit 56, and the like.

The mounting bracket 17 is a fixed member that is attached and fixed to a predetermined portion of the back wall surface 7c, which is the back side of each operation portion 7A, 7B, with a screw as a fastening member (not shown). As shown in FIG. Used. The mounting bracket 17 is made of sheet metal, for example, and is bent at a right angle. The mounting bracket 17 is formed with a plurality of holes 17 b and opening grooves 17 c for inserting screws (not shown), through holes 17 d for inserting the hinge shaft 51, and notches 17 a constituting the restricting means 56. .
The notch 17a is formed on only one of the two mounting brackets 17 (on the right side in FIG. 8). The mounting bracket 17 is used as a part for the operation portions 7A and 7B, except for the range of the notch 17a and the through-hole 17d, and the parts are shared. That is, in the operation portion 7A, the range of the notch 17a is larger than that shown in FIG. 10, and the inner diameter of the through hole 17d is smaller than that shown in FIG.

The hinge shaft 51 is made of, for example, a steel material and has a large and small two-stage columnar shape. A male screw 51a is cut off at the free end of the hinge shaft 51 (pointing to the smaller outer diameter of the two large and small cylindrical portions). As will be described later, the hinge shaft 51 is integrally formed with a stopper portion 51b that selectively engages with a notch 17a formed on one of the mounting brackets 17 in one of the two hinge brackets 18 used. .
The hinge shaft 51 is used as a part for the operation portions 7A and 7B until the middle of its processing except for the position where the stopper portion 51b is formed and the outer diameter of the male screw 51a, and the parts are shared. That is, in the operation portion 7A, the formation position of the stopper portion 51b is different and the outer diameter of the male screw 51a portion is formed and set smaller than that shown in FIG.

  The notch 17a of the mounting bracket 17 and the stopper portion 51b of the hinge shaft 51 constitute a restricting means 56 that restricts the tilt swing position of each operation portion 7A, 7B. In other words, the restricting means 56 is also for restricting the maximum swing inclination angle when tilting the operating portions 7A and 7B.

  The hinge bracket 18 is a fixing member for fixing the operation portions 7A and 7B to the upper surface 11a of the support 11 via the mounting bracket 17 and the hinge shaft 51, and two hinge brackets 18 are used as shown in FIG. The hinge bracket 18 is made of, for example, a sheet metal and is bent at a right angle. As shown in FIG. 10, a hinge shaft 51 is fixed to the inner wall of the hinge bracket 18. In addition, the hinge bracket 18 is integrally formed with a screw hole 18a through which a screw 19 as a fastening member for fixing the hinge bracket 18 to the upper surface 11a of the support body 11 is inserted, and protruding from the upper surface 11a of the support body 11. Two positioning holes 18b for the hinge bracket 18 for inserting the provided bosses 57 are formed. As described above, the hinge bracket 18 is designed to be used in common for the operation units 7A and 7B except for the specification of the hinge shaft 51 and the fixing position thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the two attachment positions and pitches in the left-right direction X of the boss 57 provided on the upper surface 11 a of the support 11 are determined when attaching each operation portion 7A, 7B to the support 11. It is common. Similarly, two mounting positions and pitches in the left-right direction X of a female screw (not shown) provided on the upper surface 11a of the support 11 and fitting with the screw 19 are used to connect the operating portions 7A and 7B to the support 11. It is standardized when attaching to.

As shown in FIG. 11, the position holding means 55 for holding each operation portion 7A, 7B at an arbitrary tilt swing position includes a male screw 51a of the hinge shaft 51, a nut 52 fitted to the male screw 51a, and two pieces. The flat washer 53 and a plate spring (disc spring) 54 as an urging member disposed between two flat washers 53 and the like.
As the position holding means 55 used in the operation portion 7A, one having specifications smaller than those of the nut 52 (including the female screw), the flat washer 53 and the leaf spring (disc spring) 54 shown in FIG. 11 is used. .

  When the nut 52 is tightened into the male screw 51 a portion of the hinge shaft 51, the leaf spring (disc spring) 54 is elastically deformed into a flat shape and comes into close contact with the flat washer 53. As a result, the large-diameter cylindrical surface 51c of the hinge shaft 51 and the mounting bracket 17 are brought into close contact with each other to generate a predetermined frictional resistance (or torque load resistance). As a result, the mounting bracket 17 can be tilted and displaced with respect to the hinge bracket 18 only when the operating force exceeding the set value is applied via the operating portions 7A and 7B, and the normal state in which the operating force is not applied. Then, an arbitrary tilt swing position can be held by the frictional resistance.

With reference to FIG. 12, the cover members 15a and 15b that cover the hinge mechanism 50 (see FIGS. 8, 10, and 11) of the operation portion 7A will be described. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the cover members 15a and 15b used in the operation portion 7A are attached and detached.
In the figure, each of the cover members 15a and 15b has a substantially hollow box shape, and each is integrally formed of an appropriate resin. The cover member 15 a covers the vicinity of the upper surface 11 a of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50, and the cover member 15 b covers the vicinity of the front surface 11 b of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50.

  The cover members 15 a and 15 b are engaged with engaged portions (not shown) formed on the upper surface 11 a portion of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50 and the front surface 11 b portion of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50. Each nail is formed. Incidentally, the claw is formed at two places on the cover member 15a, and the claw is formed at one place on the cover member 15b. The cover members 15a and 15b are also formed with through holes (not shown) through which the screws 25 are inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 12, after the two claws of the cover member 15 a are hooked on the engaged portion formed on the upper surface 11 a portion of the support 11, the cover member 15 a is attached to the upper surface of the support 11 via the screw 25. The cover member 15a is fixed to the upper surface 11a by tightening into a female screw (not shown) formed in 11a. Similarly, after hooking one of the claws of the cover member 15b on the engaged portion formed on the front surface 11b portion of the support body 11, the cover member 15b is formed on the front surface 11b of the support body 11 via a screw 25. The cover member 15b is fixed to the front surface 11b by tightening on a female screw (not shown). When the cover members 15a and 15b are removed for exchanging the operation portion 7A, the operation is performed in the reverse order of the operation described above, and the cover members 15a and 15b are removed in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG.

With reference to FIG. 13, the cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c that cover the hinge mechanism 50 (see FIGS. 8, 10, and 11) of the operation portion 7B will be described. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where the cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c used in the operation unit 7B are attached and detached.
In the figure, each cover member 16a, 16b, 16c has a hollow, substantially box shape, and each is integrally formed of an appropriate resin. The cover members 16 a and 16 b cover the vicinity of the upper surface 11 a of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50, and the cover member 16 c covers the vicinity of the front surface 11 b of the support body 11 in the hinge mechanism 50.

  The cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c are engaged with engaged portions (not shown) formed on the upper surface 11a portion of the support 11 in the hinge mechanism 50 and the front surface 11b portion of the support 11 in the hinge mechanism 50, respectively. The nail | claw which is not shown in figure is formed. Incidentally, the cover members 16a and 16b are each formed with one claw, and the cover member 16c is formed with one claw. The cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c are also formed with through holes (not shown) through which the screws 25 are inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 13, after first hooking the claw of the cover member 16a on the engaged portion formed on the upper surface 11a portion of the support 11, the hook of the cover member 16b is hooked on the engaged portion, Next, the cover members 16a and 16b are fastened to a female screw (not shown) formed on the upper surface 11a of the support 11 via the screw 25, whereby the cover members 16a and 16b are fixed to the upper surface 11a. Similarly, after hooking one of the claws of the cover member 16c on the engaged portion formed on the front surface 11b portion of the support body 11, the cover member 16c is formed on the front surface 11b of the support body 11 via the screw 25. The cover member 16c is fixed to the front surface 11b by tightening it into a female screw (not shown). When the cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c are removed for the replacement of the operation unit 7B, the operation is performed in the reverse order of the operation described above, and the cover members 16a, 16b, and 16c are removed in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG.

  The reason why the cover members 15a, 15b used for the operation unit 7A and the cover members 16a, 16b, 16c used for the operation unit 7B cannot be made into common parts is that, as described above, the hinge mechanism 50 is different in each operation unit 7A, 7B. It depends on

According to the present embodiment, any one of a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of the operation units 7A and 7B having different sizes is selected according to the user's request, and is common to the installation space. The image forming apparatus can be attached to a color copying machine 1.
Further, by having the cover members 15a and 15b used for the operation portion 7A and the cover members 16a, 16b and 16c used for the operation portion 7B, the exposed portions in the vicinity including the hinge mechanisms 50 can be protected. In addition, it is possible to ensure safety without touching the operating portions 7A and 7B during tilt swinging and operation, and to prevent damage to the exposed portions.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14A is a side view for explaining the relationship between the maximum swing inclination angle of the small-size operation unit 7A and the open / closed state of the front cover 13, and FIG. 14B is the maximum of the large-size operation unit 7b. FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the relationship between the swing inclination angle and the open / closed state of the front cover 13. FIG. 14A shows a state in which the cover members 15a and 15b used for the operation unit 7A are removed.
Compared with the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, the second embodiment does not prevent the operation portions 7 </ b> A and 7 </ b> B from opening and closing the front cover 13 at the maximum swing inclination. The only difference is that it is attached to the support 11. Configurations and operations other than this difference are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

  In the first embodiment, it is not specified that the operation portions 7A and 7B are attached to the support 11 so as not to prevent the opening and closing of the front cover 13 at the maximum swing inclination. The user has to adjust the swing inclination angle of each operation unit 7A, 7B while checking the open / closed state of the front cover 13 one by one. There is a concern that at the time of opening, the upper end portion of the front cover 13 hits the lower end portions of the operation portions 7A and 7B to damage at least one of them.

In FIG. 14A, when the small-sized operation portion 7A occupies the maximum swing inclination angle (upright and upright state at about 90 °), it does not interfere with the front cover 13 when the front cover 13 is opened and closed. As shown, the attachment position of the operation portion 7A with respect to the support 11 is set.
Similarly, in FIG. 14B, when the large-size operation unit 7b occupies the maximum swing inclination angle (inclined to about 66 °), it interferes with the front cover 13 when the front cover 13 is opened and closed. In other words, the attachment position of the operation unit 7B with respect to the support 11 is set.

  According to the present embodiment, the operation units 7A and 7B are attached to the support 11 so as not to prevent the opening and closing of the front cover 13 at the maximum swing inclination, so that the user can make the front cover 13 open. It is troublesome to adjust the swing inclination angle of each operation portion 7A, 7B while checking the open / closed state of each, and when the front cover 13 is opened / closed (especially when opened) It is possible to prevent the problem / problem that at least one of the operation parts 7A and 7B hits and damages at least one of them.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments. However, the technical contents disclosed by the present invention are not limited to those illustrated in the examples included in the above-described embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, modifications, and examples can be configured within the scope of the present invention in accordance with the necessity and application. is there.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus (color copying machine 1) of each of the embodiments described above, a small-sized operation unit 7A (see FIGS. 3 to 5) or a large-sized operation unit is provided on the front (front) side of the apparatus main body 10 and the support 11. Although the operation unit 7B (see FIGS. 6 and 7) is provided, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the operation unit 7B may be provided in a portion set according to the specifications of the image forming apparatus.

  In the image forming apparatus (color copying machine 1) of each of the embodiments described above, the operation units 7A and 7B are set so as to be able to perform a tilt swing operation in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561, in addition to an elevation angle (tilt angle), an azimuth angle (azimuth) swing operation is also possible. Needless to say, the swivel swinging movement may be free.

1 Color copier (an example of image formation)
2 image reading unit 3 image forming unit 4 paper feeding unit 5 paper discharge unit 7A small size operation unit 7B large size operation unit 10 apparatus main body 11 support 12 paper discharge space (an example of discharge space)
13 Front cover (an example of a cover)
15a, 15b Cover member 16a, 16b, 16c Cover member 17 Mounting bracket 18 Hinge bracket 19 Screw 50 Hinge mechanism (an example of support means)
51 Hinge shaft 55 Swing and holding means 56 Restricting means X Left and right (device width) direction Y Front and rear (device depth) direction Z Up and down (vertical) direction

JP 2012-013767 A

Claims (5)

An image reading unit for reading an image of a document;
An image forming unit that is disposed below the image reading unit and records an image read by the image reading unit on a sheet;
A discharge space for discharging a sheet on which an image is recorded is formed between the image reading unit and the image forming unit, and at the top of the image forming unit so as to surround at least two sides of the discharge space. A support for supporting the image reading unit;
An operation unit configured to include an instruction unit and a display unit necessary for an image forming operation or an operation of reading an original with the image reading unit, and capable of at least a vertical swinging operation;
With
An image forming apparatus, wherein any one of the plurality of operation units having different sizes can be selected and attached to the support. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
It has a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the device body,
The image forming apparatus, wherein each operation unit is attached to the support so as not to prevent the opening and closing of the cover when the operation unit is at the maximum swing inclination. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A support means for swingably supporting each operation section;
Position holding means for holding each operation unit at an arbitrary swinging position;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supporting unit includes a regulating unit that regulates a swing position of each operation unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein:
An image forming apparatus comprising: a cover member that covers the support means of each operation unit.

Images