JP2014186346A - Electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and low cost image forming apparatus having usability capable of easily being accessed by a general user.SOLUTION: In a side oriented configuration, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprises a guide means 51 between a first casing part 7 and a second casing part 9 of a process cartridge P for improving usability of process cartridge loading. The guide means comprises a region 58 capable of abutting on the process cartridge.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium in a state in which a process cartridge is detachably attached to an apparatus main body.

  An electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser printer, an LED printer), a facsimile apparatus, and a word processor. The image forming apparatus includes both monochrome and color. The recording medium is an image on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus, and includes, for example, paper, an OHP sheet, and the like. An intermediate transfer member is also included.

  The process cartridge is an image forming process in which a photosensitive drum and process means acting on the drum are integrally formed into a cartridge and detachably mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus to form an image on a recording medium. It contributes to. Accordingly, the cartridge includes a cartridge in which the developing means as the process means and the drum are integrated into a cartridge and detachably attached to the apparatus main body. Further, the cartridge includes a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit or a cleaning unit as a process unit and a drum are integrated into a cartridge and detachably mounted on the apparatus main body. A process cartridge having a drum and a developing unit integrally is referred to as a so-called integrated type. A process cartridge integrally including a drum and process means other than the developing means is referred to as a so-called separation type. The process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body by the user himself. Therefore, maintenance of the apparatus main body can be easily performed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a structure in which a guide for attaching and detaching a process cartridge to and from an apparatus main body is divided into a two-part structure for guiding an upper part and a lower part of the cartridge, and the outer periphery of the cartridge is guided. Is disclosed.

JP 2008-216331 A (6th page, FIG. 2)

  In the conventional image forming apparatus, in order to reduce the size of the apparatus main body, the guide member is divided and reduced in size, and a plurality of positions are installed. However, when the guide member is divided and downsized, it is necessary to have a component strength that can withstand the process cartridge operating force of the user even though it is small. It is necessary to use expensive materials. For this reason, the cost has been increased. In addition, if the material of the guide member is metal, problems such as electrical adverse effects such as leakage phenomenon and reduction of electromagnetic radiation noise occur. Therefore, it is necessary to install these countermeasure parts, which is costly and space compression. There was a problem.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a small and low-cost electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a photosensitive drum, a first casing provided with the photosensitive drum interposed therebetween, and a second casing. And a process cartridge including the first and second housings in a state in which the process cartridge is detachably attached to the apparatus main body in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by exposing from between the casings, the process cartridge is attached to the apparatus main body and removed from the apparatus main body. Guide means for abutting and guiding the process cartridge, wherein the guide means is disposed between the first casing portion and the second casing portion on the process cartridge. Characterized in that it has a contact potential sites.

  According to the present invention, a small and low-cost electrophotographic image forming apparatus can be provided.

(A) is an external perspective view of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus of Example 1, and (b) is a state in which a front door is opened and one of the process cartridges is being pulled out from a mounting portion in the apparatus main body or inserted. External perspective view of the device in the middle (A) is a longitudinal front view of the apparatus, (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a). It is the external appearance perspective view of a process cartridge, (a) is the figure seen from the non-driving side, (b) is the figure seen from the driving side (A) is the perspective view of a guide part, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the guide part from the lower surface side. Illustration of the guide action of the guide part Explanatory drawing of the principal part of Example 2. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of Example 3 The perspective view of the guide part of Example 3. (A) is an external perspective view of a state in which the front door of Example 4 is opened and one of the process cartridges is being pulled out from the mounting portion in the apparatus main body or is being inserted; Partially enlarged longitudinal front view (A) is the perspective view of the guide part of Example 4, (b) is the perspective view which looked at the guide part of Example 4 from the lower surface side. Partially enlarged view of a longitudinal sectional side view of a state where one of the guide part and the process cartridge is being pulled out from the mounting part in the apparatus main body or is being inserted.

[Example 1]
<< Schematic Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus Example >>
FIG. 1A is an external perspective view of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a view in which the front door 101 is opened and one of the process cartridges is being pulled out from the mounting portion in the apparatus main body 100A. It is an external appearance perspective view of the apparatus 100 of a state or the state in the middle of insertion. 2A is a longitudinal front view of the apparatus 100, and FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3A and 3B are external perspective views of the process cartridge P. FIG. 3A is a diagram viewed from the non-driving side, and FIG. The apparatus 100 is a color electrophotographic image of an in-line type or an intermediate transfer type that forms a color image on a recording medium in a state where four process cartridges having photosensitive drums are detachably mounted on a mounting part in the apparatus main body 100A. Forming device. A laser scanner unit is used as an exposure apparatus for exposing the drum. More specifically, the apparatus 100 is a four-color full-color laser beam printer using an electrophotographic process. The printer forms a color image on a sheet-like recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a recording material) S based on an electrical image signal input to a control circuit unit 102 from a host device 200 such as a personal computer / image reader.

  In the following description, with respect to the apparatus 100, the front side (front side) is the side where the apparatus opening / closing door (front door) 101 is provided. The rear side (back side) is the opposite side. The front-rear direction is a direction from the rear side to the front side (front direction) and the opposite direction (rear direction). Left and right are left or right when the device is viewed from the front. The left-right direction is a direction from left to right (left direction) and the opposite direction (right direction). Up and down are up or down in the direction of gravity. The apparatus main body 100A is a component of the apparatus 100 excluding the cartridge.

  Within the main body 100A, first to fourth process cartridge mounting portions 50 (50Y, 50M, 50C, 50K) are arranged substantially horizontally from left to right. The first to fourth process cartridges P (PY, PM, PC, PK) are detachably mounted on the mounting portions 50, respectively. Each mounting portion 50 has a guide portion (guide means) 51 that guides the process cartridge P when the process cartridge P is inserted into and removed from the main body 100A. The guide part 51 will be described later.

  Each cartridge P has the same electrophotographic process mechanism as each other except that the color of the developer contained therein is different. The cartridge P of the present embodiment includes a drum unit 8 and a developing unit (developing device) 3, and both units 8 and 3 are integrated with a rear cover member 14 and a front cover member 15 in a predetermined arrangement relationship. Is combined into a cartridge.

  In the unit 8, a photosensitive drum 1, a charging device 2 as a process means acting on the drum 1, and a cleaning device 4 are assembled with a predetermined arrangement relationship with respect to a cleaning frame body 7 as a first casing. Yes. The drum 1 is rotatably supported at one end side and the other end side with respect to the frame body 7 via bearing members (not shown). The charging device 2 is a device that uniformly charges the peripheral surface of the drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and potential. In this embodiment, a charging roller is used. The charging roller 2 is arranged substantially in parallel with the drum 1, and one end side and the other end side of the frame body 7 are rotatably supported via bearing members (not shown). Further, the charging roller 2 is in contact with the drum 1 with a predetermined pressing force, and rotates following the rotation of the drum 1. The cleaning device 4 is a device that removes the transfer residual developer from the drum surface after the primary transfer of the developer image to the intermediate transfer belt 21 that is an intermediate recording medium to be described later. In this embodiment, an elastic cleaning blade is used. ing. The blade 4 is arranged such that a metal plate 5 supporting a base portion is fixed to a frame body 7, and a blade tip is brought into contact with a counter in the drum rotation direction with respect to the drum 1. The inside of the frame 7 is a waste developer accommodating portion 6.

  In the unit 3, a developing roller 10 and a developer supply roller 11 are assembled with a predetermined arrangement relationship with respect to a developing frame 9 as a second casing. The roller 10 is a developing member that supplies a developer to the drum 1 and develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 1 as a developer image. The rollers 10 are arranged substantially parallel to the drum 1 and in contact with the drum 1 or in a non-contact manner with a predetermined slight gap, and one end side and the other end side of the frame body 9 are respectively arranged. It is rotatably supported via a bearing member (not shown). The roller 10 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the forward direction with respect to the rolling direction of the drum 1. The roller 11 is a developer supply member that supplies the developer to the roller 10. The roller 11 is arranged substantially parallel to the roller 10 and in contact with the roller 10, and supports one end side and the other end side of the frame body 9 so as to be rotatable via bearing members (not shown). Has been. The roller 11 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the same direction as the roller 10 (the reverse direction at the contact portion with the roller 10). The inside of the frame body 9 is a developer accommodating portion 12. A predetermined amount of developer (toner: not shown) is stored in the storage unit 12. A developer agitating blade 13 that is driven to rotate about a shaft 13 a is disposed in the storage portion 12. As the blade 13 rotates, the developer in the container 12 is agitated and the developer is supplied to the roller 11.

  The cartridge P is an assembly whose longitudinal direction is the axial direction (rotational axis direction) of the drum 1, and one end side (cover member 14 side) in the axial direction of the drum 1 is the driving side and the other end side (cover member 15 side) is. Non-driving side. The upper surface side of the drum 1 is exposed to the outside from the upper surface of the cartridge. A cleaning frame body 7 as a first housing portion and a developing frame body 9 as a second housing portion are provided with the drum 1 interposed therebetween. Between the frame body 7 and the frame body 9, there is an elongated gap space (slit space) 16 extending from the bottom of the cartridge to the lower surface of the drum. The rear cover member 14 has a concave portion (slit opening portion) 17 into which a process cartridge guide portion 51 as guide means described later can enter at a position corresponding to the space portion 16. The front cover member 15 also has a concave portion (slit opening) 18 at a position corresponding to the space portion 16. However, the concave portion 18 does not have to be inserted into the guide portion 51, and therefore may not be provided to increase the housing strength of the cartridge P. In this embodiment, the concave portion 18 is left in such a manner that the user can easily see the guide portion 51 so that the housing strength of the cartridge P is increased and the operability of the user is not impaired. ing. Each cartridge P is mounted on the corresponding mounting portion 50 in the main body 100A with the driving side at the back. A drive input unit 19 is disposed on the rear cover member 14 of the cartridge P concentrically with the axis of the drum 1.

  In the first cartridge PY, a yellow (Y) developer is accommodated in the accommodating portion 12 and forms a Y developer image on the surface of the drum 1. The second cartridge PM contains a magenta (M) developer in the storage portion 12 and forms an M developer image on the surface of the drum 1. In the third cartridge PC, a cyan (C) color developer is accommodated in the accommodating portion 12, and a C color developer image is formed on the surface of the drum 1. The fourth cartridge PK contains a black (K) developer in the containing portion 12 and forms a K developer image on the surface of the drum 1.

  In a state where each cartridge P is mounted in the corresponding mounting section 50 and is positioned at the image forming position H (latent image forming position), a drive output section (not shown) on the main body 100A side with respect to the drive input section 19 is shown. ) Are combined. The image forming position H of the cartridge P is a position that contributes to forming an image on a belt 21 that is an intermediate recording medium described later.

  An intermediate transfer belt unit 20 as a transfer member is disposed above the mounting portion 50. The unit 20 includes an endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) 21 having flexibility as an intermediate transfer member, a driving roller 22 that suspends and stretches the belt 21, and a secondary transfer counter roller 23 and a tension roller 24. Four primary transfer rollers 25 are provided. The rollers 22 and 23 are arranged on the right side in the main body 100A. The roller 24 is disposed on the left side in the main body 100A. The four primary transfer rollers 25 correspond to the first to fourth cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK, respectively. Each roller 25 is in contact with the upper surface of the drum 1 of each cartridge P located at the image forming position H via a descending belt portion between the roller 24 and the roller 22. . A contact portion between the drum 1 and the belt 21 of each cartridge P is a primary transfer portion T1. Further, the secondary transfer roller 27 of the secondary transfer unit 26 is in contact with the roller 23 via the belt 21. A contact portion between the roller 27 and the belt 21 is a secondary transfer portion T2. A belt cleaning device 28 is disposed on the belt winding portion of the roller 24.

A laser scanner unit 29 is disposed at a position below the mounting portion 50 with its position fixed relative to the main body 100A. The unit 29 scans and exposes the drum 1 of each cartridge P mounted on each mounting portion 50 to the drum 1 by irradiating the laser beam L modulated in accordance with the image information. It is the exposure apparatus which forms. Although not shown in the drawing, the unit 29 includes laser light emitting means, a polygon mirror, a reflecting mirror, an F-θ lens, and the like that emit light corresponding to time-series electric digital pixel signals of given image information. Each mounting portion 50 is provided with a guide portion 51 that serves as a guide when the cartridge P is inserted and removed. The guide portion 51 is a thin plate-like member that is long in the front-rear direction and protrudes upward, and the base portion 52 is fixedly disposed with respect to the upper surface frame 30 of the unit 29. In a state where each cartridge P is mounted on the mounting portion 50 in a predetermined manner, the gap space portion 16 between the frame body 7 serving as the first housing portion and the frame body 9 serving as the second housing portion. On the other hand, the guide part 51 enters. The guide part 51 has a hollow part 53 inside, and slit openings 54 and 55 are formed at the bottom and top of the hollow part 53 along the longitudinal direction. The opening 54 corresponds to the laser beam emission opening 31 provided in the upper frame 30 of the unit 29. The opening 55 faces the lower surface of the drum 1.

  A feeding unit 32 is disposed below the unit 29. The unit 32 includes a feed tray 33, a feed roller 34, and the like. Sheet-shaped recording materials S are stacked on the tray 33. The tray 33 can be taken in and out from the front side of the apparatus 100 (front loading). A handle 33 a is provided on the front plate of the tray 33. A recording material conveyance path Z extending from the roller 34 to the upper right side in the main body 100A is disposed on the right side in the main body 100A. The conveyance path Z is composed of a conveyance guide plate and the like. A paper discharge unit 38 having a recording material separating and conveying roller pair 35, a registration roller unit 36, a secondary transfer roller 27, a fixing unit (fixing device) 37, and a paper discharge roller pair 39 along the conveyance path Z from the bottom to the top. It is arranged. The unit 37 has a fixing film unit and a pressure roller. On the upper surface of the main body 100A, a discharge tray 40 for receiving an image-formed recording material is disposed.

  The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows. Based on the image formation start signal, drive is input from the drive output unit on the main body 100A side to the drive input unit 19 on the cartridge P side. As a result, the drum 1 is rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the clockwise direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The charging roller 2 rotates following the rotation of the drum 1. Further, the developing roller 10 and the supply roller 11 are rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow. The wing 13 is also rotationally driven at a predetermined speed in the clockwise direction of the arrow. The belt 21 is also rotationally driven at a speed corresponding to the speed of the drum 1 in the counterclockwise direction of the arrow (forward direction with respect to the drum rotation). In synchronism with this drive, a predetermined charging bias is applied to the charging roller 2 in each cartridge P at a predetermined control timing, so that the surface of the drum 1 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential. From the opening 31 of the upper frame 30 of the unit 29, the laser beam L modulated according to the image information is emitted upward. The laser light L enters the hollow portion 53 from the opening 54 on the bottom surface of the guide portion 51, exits from the opening 54 on the top surface, and forms an image on the lower surface of the drum 1. That is, the hollow portion 53 of the guide portion 51 is an exposure optical path from the unit 29 to the drum 1. As a result, the surface of the drum 1 charged by the charging roller 2 is subjected to main scanning exposure by the laser light L emitted from the unit 29, and the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal of the corresponding color is applied to the surface of each drum 1, respectively. An image is formed at a predetermined control timing. The formed electrostatic latent image is developed as a developer image by the developing roller 10. A predetermined developing bias is applied to the developing roller 10 at a predetermined control timing.

  By the electrophotographic image forming process operation as described above, a Y developer image corresponding to the Y color component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1 of the first cartridge PY. The developer image is transferred (intermediate transfer) to the belt 21 at the transfer portion T1. An M color developer image corresponding to the M color component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1 of the second cartridge PM. The developer image is superimposed on the Y-color developer image already transferred onto the belt 21 and transferred at the transfer portion T1. A C developer image corresponding to the C color component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1 of the third cartridge PC. The developer image is superimposed on the Y color + M color developer image already transferred onto the belt 21 and transferred at the transfer portion T1. A K color developer image corresponding to the K color component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1 of the fourth cartridge PK. The developer image is superimposed on the Y color + M color + C color developer image already transferred onto the belt 21 and transferred by the transfer portion T1. In this manner, a four-color full-color unfixed developer image of Y color + M color + C color + K color is formed on the belt 21. A primary transfer bias having a predetermined potential and a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the developer is applied to each primary transfer roller 25 at a predetermined control timing from a power source (not shown). In each cartridge P, the developer remaining on the surface of the drum 1 after the primary transfer of the developer image to the belt 21 is removed by the blade 4 and stored in the storage unit 6.

  On the other hand, when the roller 16 is driven at a predetermined control timing and the upper surface on the left side of the recording material S lifted by the lifter plate 33b comes into contact with the roller 34, the uppermost recording material in the tray 33 is moved to the left. The sheet is separated by the roller pair 35 and sent out. The sent recording material S is synchronized with the image formation on the belt 21 by the unit 36 and introduced into the secondary transfer portion T2 at a predetermined control timing. A secondary transfer bias having a predetermined potential is applied to the roller 27 from a power source (not shown) with a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the developer. Thus, the four color superimposed developer images on the belt 21 are sequentially and collectively transferred onto the surface of the recording material S as the recording material S is conveyed through the transfer portion T2. The recording material S leaves the transfer portion T2, is separated from the surface of the belt 21, is introduced into the unit 37, and is heated and pressurized at the fixing nip portion. As a result, the developer image is fixed to the recording material S. The recording material S leaves the unit 37 and is discharged onto the tray 40 by the roller pair 39 of the unit 38 as a full-color image formed product. The secondary transfer residual developer on the surface of the belt 21 after separation of the recording material is removed by the device 28.

  When the double-sided image forming mode is selected, the recording material S that has undergone single-sided image formation that has exited the unit 37 is switched to the reverse roller pair 42 side by the operation of the double-sided flapper 41 of the unit 38, and It is discharged and conveyed to the tray 40 side. When the trailing edge of the recording material S reaches the flapper 41, the flapper 41 returns and the roller pair 42 is driven in reverse. As a result, the recording material S is introduced into the double-sided conveyance path 43, is relayed and conveyed by the conveyance roller pairs 44 and 45, and is sent again to the registration roller pair unit 36 in a state where the front and back sides are reversed. Thereafter, as in the case of single-sided image formation, the recording material S is transported along the path of the roller pair 39 of the secondary transfer portion T2, the unit 37, and the unit 38 and is discharged to the tray 40 as a double-sided image formed product.

  A manual paper feed tray 46 is disposed on the right side surface of the apparatus 100. The tray 46 can be folded and stored on the right side surface of the apparatus 100 when not in use. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the tray 46 is stored. During manual feeding, the tray 46 is used in an open state as shown by a two-dot chain line as shown in FIG.

[Cartridge replacement method]
As each cartridge P is used for image formation, the developer stored in the storage unit 12 is consumed. Therefore, for example, the cartridge P is provided with detection means (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of developer in each cartridge. Then, in the control circuit unit 102 of the main body 100A, the remaining amount value detected by the detecting means is compared with a preset threshold value for cartridge life warning or life warning. For a cartridge in which the developer has decreased to a remaining amount value that is smaller than the threshold value, a life warning or a life warning about the cartridge is displayed on the display unit of the printer operation unit 105 or the display unit of the host device 200. Display. As a result, the user is urged to prepare a replacement cartridge or to replace the cartridge, thereby maintaining the quality of the output image.

  In the apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the cartridge P is replaced as follows. A door 101 is provided on the front side of the main body 100A. By opening the door 101, the opening 104 on the front side of the main body 100A is opened, and the non-driving side of each cartridge P mounted in each mounting portion 50 is exposed. Further, the intermediate transfer belt unit 20 is moved from the mounting portion 50 to the upper retracted position by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) that interlocks with the opening operation of the door 101, and the drum of each cartridge P mounted on each mounting portion 50. The belt 21 of the unit 20 is separated from 1. As a result, the user can access the individual cartridges P attached to the respective mounting portions 50 of the apparatus main body 100A and extract the cartridges P by front access. Each cartridge P can be inserted into the corresponding mounting portion 50 of the apparatus main body 100A by front access. The cartridge P is attached to and detached from the mounting portion 50 of the main body 100A in a side-oriented configuration that is detachable on the front side of the apparatus main body in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the drum 1 of the cartridge P. FIG. 1B shows a state in which the first cartridge PY is being pulled out from or inserted into the mounting portion 50Y in the main body 100A. X is an insertion direction of the cartridge P with respect to the main body 100A, and Y is a drawing direction. When the door 101 is opened and the cartridge P is replaced with a new one as described above, the door 101 is closed. A position where the unit 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the drum 1 of each cartridge P mounted on each mounting portion 50 from the retracted position by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) interlocked with the closing operation of the door 101. Move downward. As a result, the apparatus 100 returns to a state in which an image forming operation is possible.

  The door 101 is provided on the front side of the main body 100 </ b> A as an opening / closing member that can move between a closed position (closed position) E that closes the opening 104 and an open position F that opens the opening 104. In the present embodiment, the door 101 is provided on the lower side of the door, and the front surface of the main body 100A is centered on a horizontal axis (hinge shaft) 101b in the left-right direction that is supported by a bearing member (not shown) on the main body 100A side. Can be opened and closed. The user can move the door 101 to the closed position E where the user closes the opening 104 by rotating in the direction of raising the shaft 101b. The closed state of the door 101 is held by a locking member (not shown). Further, the door 101 at the closed position E can be rotated by the user placing his / her finger on the handle portion 101a and releasing the locking so as to be tilted almost horizontally toward the front side of the main body 100A around the shaft 101b. . The closed state of the door 101 is held by a locking member (not shown). Thereby, the opening part 104 can be moved to the open position F which opened largely. The opening 104 is an opening for allowing each cartridge P to pass through the cartridge P for insertion into and removal from the corresponding mounting portion 50 in the main body 100A.

《Guide section》
A guide portion (guide means) 51 that guides the cartridge P when the cartridge P is inserted into and removed from the main body 100A in each mounting portion 50 will be described in detail. The guide portion 51 of each mounting portion 50 has the same configuration. As described above, the guide portion 51 is a thin plate-like member that is long in the front-rear direction and protrudes upward, and the base portion 52 is fixedly disposed on the upper surface frame 30 of the unit 29. In a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the mounting portion 50 in a predetermined manner, the cartridge P is disposed in the gap space portion 16 between the frame body 7 serving as the first housing portion and the frame body 9 serving as the second housing portion. On the other hand, the guide part 51 has entered. That is, the guide portion 51 is disposed between the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9 of the cartridge P. Moreover, the guide part 51 has the site | part 58 which can contact | abut to the cartridge P so that it may mention later.

  In the configuration in which the cartridge guide is moved and attached in the longitudinal direction of the drum, the cartridge guides are arranged on the left and right sides of the cartridge P when the cartridge P is attached in the front direction. In that case, if cartridge guides are provided corresponding to the four cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK, five cartridge guides are required. Further, the size of the apparatus main body in the width direction is increased by the area of the cartridge guide placed on the left side of the cartridge PY and the right side of the cartridge PK. Further, a space for the cartridge guide is required between the four cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK, and it is necessary to widen the interval between the cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK.

  As in this embodiment, by arranging the process guide portion 51 between the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9 of the cartridge P, the cartridges PY and PK disposed at both ends are arranged on the left and right sides. There is no need to place a guide. Further, the intervals between the cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the product and reduce the number of parts.

  4A is a perspective view of the guide portion 51, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the guide portion 51 viewed from the lower surface side. In order to form an exposure optical path from the unit 29 to the drum 1 in order to form an electrostatic latent image on the drum 1, the guide portion 51 of the present embodiment has a hollow portion 53. The bottom and top of 53 have slit openings 54 and 55 along the length. The widths W54 and W55 of the slit openings 54 and 55 are 2 mm to 6 mm, which is a width that does not obstruct the optical path. By arranging the front wall surface 56 and the rear wall surface 57 at the front and rear portions in the cartridge mounting direction of the guide portion 51 of this embodiment, the guide portion 51 can have sufficient strength even if it is a resin member.

  In addition, the guide portion 51 includes a width direction regulating wall (a portion that can contact the cartridge P) 58 that guides the left and right direction of the cartridge P, and a vertical direction regulating wall 59 that guides the vertical direction of the cartridge P. The longitudinal restriction walls 59 are provided along the length of the guide portion 51 on the left and right sides of the guide portion 51 at the base portion 52 of the guide portion 51. Further, the guide portion 51 includes a height direction receiving shape portion 59a and a width direction receiving shape portion 56a so that the cartridge P can be easily mounted. The height direction receiving shape portion 59a is formed such that the front side portion of the vertical direction regulating wall 59 is an upward slope portion in the cartridge insertion direction. The width direction receiving shape portion 56 a is formed as a chamfered portion at the left and right corners of the front side wall surface 56 of the guide portion 51.

  The cartridge P can be inserted into the mounting portion 50 in the following manner. The drive side of the cartridge P is first placed on the door 101 opened in a substantially horizontal posture so as to face the corresponding mounting portion 50. The cartridge P is slid on the door 101 and inserted and moved from the opening 104 into the apparatus main body 100A. By the movement, the concave portion 17 of the rear cover member 14 of the cartridge P is positioned corresponding to the front side wall surface 56 of the guide portion 51. Then, the front side wall surface 56 enters the concave portion 17. In this case, since the front side wall surface 56 is formed with the width direction receiving shape portion 56 a, the front side wall surface 56 easily enters the concave shape portion 17. In addition, the left and right portions with the concave shape portion 17 on the lower side portion of the rear cover member 14 in the middle are positioned corresponding to the ascending slope portion 59a as the height direction receiving shape portion of the left and right portions of the guide portion 51, respectively. . Then, as the cartridge P continues to be inserted and moved, the cartridge P is guided by the ascending slope portion 59a and enters the main body 100A while moving upward, and the lower surface of the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9 are moved. The lower surface of the vehicle rides on the vertical regulating wall 59 on each side. Further, the guide portion 51 enters the gap space portion 16 between the lower surface of the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9. Thereafter, the cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A along the guide portion 51 while being guided in the left-right direction by the width-direction regulating wall 58 of the guide portion 51 and guided in the vertical direction by the longitudinal-direction regulating wall 59. Is done. When the cartridge P is sufficiently inserted up to a predetermined insertion mounting position, further insertion movement is prevented by a stopper portion (not shown). Further, the cartridge P is held at the insertion and mounting position by, for example, an operation of a toggle mechanism (not shown). The guide part 51 is located between the lower surface of the first housing part 7 and the second housing part 9. The insertion mounting position of the cartridge P is the image forming position H of the cartridge P. When the cartridge P is inserted into the main body 10A, the unit 20 is moved to the retracted position and held by the door 101 being opened as described above, so that the drum 1 and the belt 21 do not rub against each other. . The extraction of the cartridge P from the main body 100A is the reverse of the above insertion movement.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the cartridge P has contact portions 71 and 91 that come into contact with the guide portion 51. The width W16 of the gap space portion 16 of the cartridge P into which the guide portion 51 enters is made larger than the width W51 of the guide portion 51 so that the guide portion 51 can be easily inserted, and a gap x is provided between the guide portion 51 and the guide portion 51. . However, during the insertion and installation of the cartridge P, the cartridge P rotates slightly in the A direction and B direction of the arrow because of the gap x. Here, if the gap x is large, it is good for the user to mount the cartridge P on the apparatus main body 100A, but the angle at which the cartridge P rotates increases, and conversely, usability decreases. Therefore, the gap x is set to about 0.5 mm so that usability does not deteriorate during or after the cartridge P is mounted. FIG. 5B shows the cartridge P rotated in the direction of arrow A. The width-direction regulating wall 58 (part that can contact the cartridge P) 58 also prevents the cartridge P from rotating.

  Here, in order to prevent the rotation of the cartridge P due to the gap x, the height of the width direction regulating wall 58 that regulates the width direction of the cartridge P is set high. That is, the guide part 51 is configured to guide at least the center of gravity position height G of the cartridge P. In particular, in order to improve usability, the center of gravity position G of the cartridge P is set higher. That is, in the vertical direction, the guide portion 51 can contact the process cartridge below the center of gravity of the process cartridge P, and can contact the process cartridge above the center of gravity G of the process cartridge P. have. As shown in FIG. 5B, the cartridge P and the width direction regulating wall 58 come into contact at the contact point C if the guide can reach a position higher than the gravity center position G of the cartridge P. At that time, among the forces applied in the direction of the arrow A, the horizontal force obtains a clockwise rotational moment about the contact point C and a force in the direction of the arrow D. The direction of the arrow D is opposite to the direction of the arrow A, and the cartridge P is returned horizontally with the point J as the center. Therefore, usability is improved.

  Here, in order to reduce the size of the conventional apparatus main body, in the configuration in which the guide member is divided and reduced in size and installed at a plurality of locations, the guide member guides a position away from the center of gravity of the cartridge. For this reason, the cartridge cannot be supported sufficiently stably when the cartridge is attached or detached, and usability must be improved. Usability can be improved by arranging the guide portion 51 between the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9 and guiding a position higher than the gravity center position G as in the present invention. .

  In the present embodiment, the guide portion 51 can be enlarged to some extent by arranging the guide portion 51 between the first housing portion 7 and the second housing portion 9. For this reason, it becomes easy to ensure the material of the guide part 51 even if a relatively weak material such as a synthetic resin is used. That is, for this reason, even if the guide part 51 is formed of resin instead of metal, the guide part 51 having sufficient strength can be obtained. Therefore, the cost can be reduced. In addition, there are no electrical problems caused by making the guide member 51 made of metal, such as a leak phenomenon and a reduction in electromagnetic radiation noise, and there is no need to install countermeasure parts therefor. A miniaturized device can be provided.

[Example 2]
In this embodiment, in the apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, a light emitting member unit 29A is used in place of the laser scanner unit 29 as an exposure apparatus for exposing the drum 1 of each cartridge P. Since the other apparatus configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

  The light emitting member unit 29A includes a light emitting member having a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a row, and a lens for converging light emitted from the light emitting elements and exposing the drum 1 to light. The light emitting member is provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the drum 1 and has a plurality of light emitting elements that emit light according to image information in order to expose the drum 1 according to image information. As the light emitting element of the light emitting member 6, for example, an electroluminescent element such as a liquid crystal element, a semiconductor light emitting diode (LED), or an organic electroluminescence element (organic EL element) is used. A semiconductor light emitting diode is a semiconductor element that emits light when a voltage is applied. An organic EL element is an electronic material made of an organic compound that glows when a voltage is applied, and emits light by itself. In the organic EL element, for example, an organic molecular light emitting layer is sandwiched between two electrodes and a voltage is applied. As a result, electrons and holes injected from the electrodes are recombined to excite organic molecules, and light is emitted when the excited organic molecules return to the ground state. In this embodiment, an LED array unit (LED exposure means) is used as the light emitting member unit 29A.

  In FIG. 6A, the unit 29 </ b> A is disposed inside the upper end portion of the guide portion 51. That is, the unit 29 </ b> A is disposed at a position included in the guide portion 51. In a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the mounting portion 50 of the main body 100A in a predetermined manner, the unit 29A is connected to the lower surface of the drum 1 and a predetermined optical path via a slit opening 55 provided along the length of the upper end portion of the guide portion 51. The drum 1 is exposed to face each other at a distance. 6B, the unit 29A is disposed outside the upper end portion of the guide portion 51 (between the drum 1 and the guide portion 51). In a state where the cartridge P is mounted in the mounting portion 50 of the main body 100A, the unit 29A exposes the drum 1 facing the lower surface of the drum 1 with a predetermined optical path distance. Even in the case of the apparatus configuration as in the present embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

[Example 3]
The apparatus 100 of this embodiment is basically the same as the apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. In the apparatus of this embodiment, FIG.
As described above, the developing unit 3 of the cartridge P includes the cartridge side detection unit 95 for detecting the amount of developer stored in the storage unit 12. In addition, the guide unit 51 includes a main body side detection unit 62 that is paired with the unit 95. In the state where the cartridge P is mounted on the main body 100A, the unit 95 and the unit 62 correspond to the detection of the developer amount.

  In the present embodiment, the unit 95 and the unit 62 are optical detection units, and the unit 95 has two light guides 96 on the incident side and the emission side. The unit 62 has a light source and a light receiving element. The lower ends of the two light guides 96 of the unit 95 are exposed on the bottom surface of the developing unit. The unit 62 is disposed inside the vertical regulating wall 59 on the left side of the guide member 51. As shown in FIG. 8A, the unit 59 has an emission side (light source side) and an incident side (light receiving element) on the wall 59 surface. ) Two holes 63 are opened. In a state where the cartridge P is mounted in the mounting portion 50 in a predetermined manner, the lower ends of the two light guides 96 on the developing unit 3 side correspond to the two holes 63 on the guide member 51 side, and the unit 95 The unit 62 is a set. The light from the light source on the unit 62 side passes through the light guide 96 on the unit 95 side and returns to the light receiving element on the unit 62 side to be received. In this case, the ON time of the light receiving element based on the intermittent light returning from the unit 95 side to the light receiving element of the unit 62 according to the amount of developer accommodated in the accommodating portion 12 when the blade 13 is rotating. And the percentage of off time changes. The control circuit unit 102 calculates and detects the amount of developer in the storage unit 12 based on the above-described ratio signal of on time and off time output from the light receiving element. Since the optical developer amount detecting means by the unit 95 and the unit 62 is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  Further, the cartridge P is provided with an electronic information recording element (memory member, cartridge memory, semiconductor memory: storage means such as a readable / writable RAM) 93 for recording information such as the usage status of the cartridge. In the present embodiment, the recording element 93 is disposed in the contact portion 91 that contacts the guide portion 51 of the second housing portion 9. An information transfer unit 61 for writing and reading information on the recording element 93 is disposed on the width-direction regulating wall 58 on the left side of the guide portion 51. In a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the mounting unit 50 in a predetermined manner, the recording element 93 and the unit 61 can communicate with each other. The control circuit unit 102 writes and reads information to and from the recording element 93 by communication between the information transmission unit 94 of the recording element 93 and the unit 61. The communication method between the recording element 93 and the unit 61 may be either a contact type or a non-contact type.

  Further, the cartridge P is provided with a cartridge side electrical contact 92. In the present embodiment, the contact 92 is disposed on the rear end side of the contact portion 91 that contacts the guide portion 51 of the second housing portion 9. A main body side electrical contact 60 with respect to the contact 92 is disposed on the rear end side of the width direction regulating wall 58 on the left side of the guide portion 51. The contact 60 is made of a conductive elastic member. In a state where the cartridge P is mounted on the mounting portion 50 in a predetermined manner, the contact 60 is brought into elastic contact with the contact 92 and is electrically connected. As a result, a bias is applied from the main body 100A side to the cartridge P side via the contacts 60 and 92.

  An even number of contacts 60 may be arranged and arranged at positions facing each other. Thereby, the force applied to the cartridge P at the contact 60 can be canceled out. Further, by disposing the contact 60 on the guide member 51, no force acts in the direction Y in which the cartridge P comes out of the main body 100A. As a result, the positions of the drive output unit on the main body 100A side that transmits the drive to the cartridge P and the drive input unit 19 on the cartridge P side are less likely to change, and the drive transmission is stabilized and a good image can be obtained. Further, even if the cartridge P is slightly moved to the front side of the main body 100A, the contact pressure of the contact 60 does not decrease and stable conduction can be ensured.

  Even when the apparatus configuration of the present embodiment is adopted, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained. Further, in the conventional image forming apparatus, the remaining toner detecting means, the electronic information recording element, and the electrical contacts of the cartridge must be arranged outside the cartridge in a state where the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body. It was difficult to convert. The apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can be provided with a toner detection means, an electronic information recording element, an electrical contact, and the like remaining inside the cartridge with the cartridge mounted on the apparatus main body. Therefore, the space outside the cartridge can be used for other purposes, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized. In the case of an image forming apparatus having a plurality of cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK arranged side by side, the intervals between the plurality of cartridges can be reduced. As a result, the product can be miniaturized. The positions of the contact 60, the unit 61, and the unit 62 are not limited to the arrangement with respect to the guide member 51 of the present embodiment. Further, the developer remaining amount detecting means 62 and 95 are not limited to the optical sensors of the embodiments. The apparatus 100 according to the first to third embodiments is an inline type color printer, but may be an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a monocolor printer / copier.

[Example 4]
The apparatus 100 of this embodiment is basically the same as the apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. In the apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, the guide portion (guide means) 51 has a structure that pops out. As shown in FIG. 9B, the guide portion 51 has a rail groove 51c, and the top frame 30 has a rail 30a corresponding to the rail groove 51c. It is arranged to be movable. FIG. 10A is a view of the guide portion 51 as viewed from above, and FIG. 10B is a view of the guide portion 51 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 10, the front side of the guide unit 51 has a handle 64 that can be accessed by the user when the guide unit 51 is pulled out to the front side of the apparatus.

<Cartridge insertion procedure>
The cartridge P can be inserted into the mounting portion 50 in the following manner. When the gap portion 16 of the cartridge P is placed on the guide portion 51 so as to enter the guide portion 51 while the guide portion 51 corresponding to the cartridge P to be inserted is pulled out to the front side, the cartridge shown in FIG. It becomes a state like PY. The vertical regulating wall 59 and the bottom surface 67 of the cartridge P are in contact with each other. At this time, slope portions 58a are formed along the length on both the left and right sides of the upper portion of the guide portion 51 so that the cartridge P can be easily inserted. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, when the front cover member 15 is pushed rearward in the arrow direction X, the guide portion 51 is brought into contact with the contact surface 65 and the contact surface 66 or vertically with the bottom surface 67. Due to the friction of the direction regulating wall 59, it is inserted and moved into the apparatus body 100A. The cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A along the guide portion 51 while being guided in the left-right direction by the width-direction regulating wall 58 of the guide portion 51 and guided in the vertical direction by the longitudinal-direction regulating wall 59. Is done. When the cartridge P is sufficiently inserted to a predetermined insertion mounting position, the guide portion 51 is prevented from further insertion movement by a stopper portion (illustrated). Further, the cartridge P is held at the insertion and mounting position by, for example, an operation of a toggle mechanism (not shown). The insertion mounting position of the cartridge P is the image forming position H of the cartridge P. When the cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A, the unit 20 is moved to the retracted position and held by the door 101 being opened as described above, so that the drum 1 and the belt 21 are rubbed against each other. Absent.

  As in this embodiment, the following advantages can be obtained by arranging the guide portion 51 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. That is, when the cartridge P is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A, the cartridge P is placed on the guide portion 51, and the cartridge P or the guide portion 51 is pressed in the axial direction of the drum 1 while the guide portion 51 supports the weight of the cartridge P. It will be better. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the burden of the user supporting the weight of the cartridge P, and to easily insert the cartridge P into the apparatus main body 100A. For this reason, usability can be further improved.

<Cartridge drawer procedure>
The cartridge P can be pulled out from the mounting portion 50 in the following manner. As described above, when the door 101 is moved to the open position F and the opening 104 is opened, the non-driving side of the cartridge P and the handle 64 are exposed. The handle 64 of the guide 51 holding the cartridge P to be pulled out is pinched and pulled out to the front side. As a result, the abutment surface (guide 51 side) 65 and the abutment surface (cartridge P side) 66 of the guide portion 51 and the cartridge P in the front-rear direction abut, and the guide portion 51 and the cartridge P are pulled out to the front surface. Since the guide portion 51 supports the weight of the cartridge P until the cartridge P is pulled out to the front in this manner, the burden on the user can be reduced.

  In addition, the user can grasp the position of the center of gravity of the cartridge P by setting the center of gravity of the cartridge P in front of the front surface of the apparatus main body 100A in a state where the guide portion 51 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 100A. For this reason, it becomes possible to reduce a possibility that the user may receive a moment due to the weight of the cartridge P by grasping a position different from the position of the center of gravity of the cartridge P. For this reason, usability can be further improved.

  As described above, the apparatus configuration of the present embodiment has the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Further, in this embodiment, the guide portion can be pulled out, so that the burden on the user when the cartridge P is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body can be reduced and the usability can be improved.

  P ... Process cartridge, 1 ... Electrophotographic photosensitive drum, 7 ... First housing, 9 ... Second housing, 100 ... Electrophotographic image forming apparatus, 100A ... Main body, S..Recording medium, 51..Guide means, 58..Abuttable part

Claims (8)

A process cartridge comprising a photosensitive drum, a first casing provided between the photosensitive drum, and a second casing is mounted on the apparatus main body in a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by exposing the photosensitive drum from between the first casing and the second casing in a detachably mounted state. ,
When the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body and removed from the apparatus main body, the process cartridge has guide means for contacting the process cartridge and guiding the process cartridge. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising a portion capable of contacting the process cartridge between the housing portion and the second housing portion.   In the vertical direction, the guide means can contact the process cartridge at least below the center of gravity of the process cartridge, and can contact the process cartridge above the center of gravity of the process cartridge. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   Light emission having a plurality of light emitting elements, wherein exposure means for performing the exposure is provided side by side in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum and emits light according to image information in order to expose the photosensitive drum according to image information. 3. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is a light emitting member unit having a member and disposed at a position included in the guide unit.   4. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exposure unit is disposed between the guide unit and the photosensitive drum.   The process cartridge and the guide means are provided with a cartridge side detection unit and a main body side detection unit for detecting the amount of developer stored in the developer storage portion of the process cartridge, and the process cartridge is 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge-side detection unit and the main-body-side detection unit are capable of detecting a developer amount when mounted on the apparatus main body. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus described.   A cartridge side electrical contact and a body side electrical contact are arranged on the process cartridge and the guide means, and the cartridge side electrical contact and the body side electrical contact are in a state where the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus body. 6. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact is electrically connected correspondingly.   An electronic information recording element and an information exchange unit for writing and reading information to and from the electronic information recording element are disposed in the process cartridge and the guide means, and the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body. 7. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic information recording element and the information transmission / reception unit can communicate with each other in a corresponding state. The electrophotographic image according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the guide means is movable substantially parallel to the insertion and withdrawal directions of the process cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body. Forming equipment.