JP2014224915A - Opening and closing device, sheet conveying device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an opening and closing device that can accurately determine the distance and parallelism between conveyance belts and easily perform jam processing.SOLUTION: An opening and closing device includes an opening and closing mechanism that allows an upper unit 60 to open and close and oscillate between an opposite position where the upper unit 60 supporting a first conveying mechanism 31 is arranged opposite to a lower unit 80 supporting a second conveying mechanism 32 and a separated position where the upper unit 60 is separated from the opposite position, where the opening and closing mechanism has the oscillation fulcrum switched over in the course of the opening and closing of the upper unit 60, and includes regulating means (pins 61a and 62a, and engagement surfaces 81a and 82a) arranged on both sides of the opening and closing mechanism in a direction intersecting a sheet conveyance direction in the upper unit 60 or the lower unit 80 to regulate the distance between the upper unit 60 and lower unit 80 in the opposite position, and pressing means (springs 70 and 73) arranged on both sides of the opening and closing mechanism to apply pressure to the upper unit 60 in a direction to approach the lower unit 80.

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device, a sheet conveying device, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an opening / closing device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, a plotter, or a multifunction machine having a plurality of functions. The present invention relates to a provided sheet conveying apparatus.

  A toner image formed by adhering toner to a latent image due to a difference in electrostatic potential formed on the surface of the photoreceptor is transferred onto a sheet-like recording medium such as paper (hereinafter also simply referred to as “sheet”); Image forming apparatuses that are fixed by heating are widely used. In such an image forming apparatus, it is known that a sheet (sheet) conveying apparatus is used in which an endless conveying belt is pressed against each other (meaning that the belt is pressed and contacted) and nipped and conveyed. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a belt-type cooling device that conveys an endless conveying belt while pressing the sheets while sandwiching the sheet. In such a belt-type cooling device, it is possible to cool the sheet efficiently by cooling the conveying belts on both sides. Further, a high cooling effect can be obtained by increasing the contact distance in the transport direction between the paper and the transport belt.

  In a sheet conveying apparatus that performs sheet cooling using a conveying belt as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the apparatus tends to increase in size due to the necessity of increasing the length of the conveying belts on both sides. is there. In the mechanism that clamps and conveys the paper while the conveyance belts are pressed against each other, if the balance of the conveyance force between the one end side and the other end side that intersects the sheet conveyance direction in the apparatus becomes poor, paper skew may occur or jamming may occur. Will occur. In order to prevent such a problem, it is necessary to keep the conveying force within a certain range in a balanced manner by keeping the distance between the conveying belts on both sides constant. In general, a sheet conveying apparatus is required to secure a jam processing (jam clear) space and facilitate the jam processing.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention can accurately determine the distance and parallelism between the conveying belts in an opening / closing device used for a sheet conveying device that sandwiches and conveys the sheets between the conveying belts, and performs jam processing. An object of the present invention is to provide a switchgear that can be easily performed.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the present invention provides an opening / closing used in a sheet conveying apparatus that sandwiches and conveys a sheet-like recording medium between the first belt conveying means and the second belt conveying means. In the apparatus, the first belt conveying unit is opposed to the second belt conveying unit and the sheet-like recording medium is nipped and conveyed, and the first belt conveying unit is separated from the opposed position. An opening / closing mechanism for allowing the first belt conveying means to open / close and swing at a separated position, the opening / closing mechanism having a swing fulcrum at a first position when at least the first belt conveying means occupies the separated position. A moving portion that is movable from the first position to the second position when the first belt conveying means moves from the separation position to the facing position, and at the facing position, Belt transport Defining means for defining an interval between the step and the second belt conveying means, arranged on both sides of the first belt conveying means or the second belt conveying means in the direction intersecting the sheet-like recording medium conveying direction, and at least And pressurizing means arranged on both sides for pressurizing the first belt conveying means in a direction approaching the second belt conveying means at the facing position, and the first belt conveying means by the pressure means When the pressure is applied, the facing position is determined through the defining means.

  According to the present invention, since the distance and parallelism between the first and second belt conveying means can be accurately determined, the occurrence of skews and jams can be prevented in advance. Jam can be easily handled when this occurs.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a simplified front view of a cooling device and a sheet conveying device arranged in FIG. 1. It is the perspective view which looked at the cooling device of FIG. 2, and the sheet conveying apparatus from the back side. (A) is a front view showing the state which fully opened the upper unit, (b) is an enlarged front view of the principal part of (a). It is a disassembled perspective view of the rear side of an up-and-down unit. It is an assembly drawing of the rear side of the upper and lower units. It is a disassembled perspective view of the front side of an up-and-down unit. It is an assembly drawing of the front side of an up-and-down unit. It is a rear view showing the state which fully opened the upper unit from the lower unit. It is a rear view showing the state which fully closed the upper unit with respect to the lower unit. (A) is a front view showing a state in which the upper unit is fully opened, and (b) is a diagram that supplements the conditions for the rear shaft to move up in the rear shaft guide hole with the upper unit closed. (A) is a front view showing transition of the closing operation of the upper unit (rear side pin contact start), and (b) is an enlarged front view of the main part of (a). (A) is a front view showing transition of the closing operation of the upper unit (the swing fulcrum starts switching from the rear shaft to the rear pin), and (b) is an enlarged front view of the main part of (a). . (A) is a front view showing the fully closed state of the upper unit, (b) is an enlarged front view of the front side of (a), and (c) is an enlarged front view of the rear side of (a). FIG. 9 is a simplified front view of a sheet conveying apparatus including a cooling unit (cooling apparatus) showing a first modification. It is the perspective view which looked at the cooling means (cooling device) of the sheet conveying apparatus of the modification 1 from the back side. FIG. 10 is a simplified front view of a sheet conveying apparatus including a cooling unit (cooling apparatus) showing a second modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention including examples will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the embodiments and modifications, components (members and components) having the same function and shape are described once by giving the same reference numerals after being described once unless there is a possibility of confusion. Omitted. 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.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.
The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a tandem type in which four process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk as image forming units are arranged side by side (meaning that they are arranged and provided or determined in position). The image forming unit is provided. The process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk are configured to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 200. Each process unit 1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk contains toner of different colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (Bk) corresponding to the color separation components of the color image. Other than that, the configuration is the same.

  Specifically, each of the process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 2 as a latent image carrier, a charging roller 3 as a charging unit that charges the surface of the photosensitive member 2, and a photosensitive member. 2 is provided with a developing device 4 as a developing means for forming a toner image on the surface of 2 and a cleaning blade 5 as a cleaning means for cleaning the surface of the photoreceptor 2. In FIG. 1, only the photoconductor 2, the charging roller 3, the developing device 4, and the cleaning blade 5 included in the yellow process unit 1 </ b> Y are denoted by reference numerals. Omitted.

  In FIG. 1, an exposure device 6 as an exposure means for exposing the surface of the photoreceptor 2 is disposed above each process unit 1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk. The exposure device 6 includes a light source, a polygon mirror, an f-θ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like, and irradiates the surface of each photoconductor 2 with laser light based on image data corresponding to color separation components. .

  A transfer device 7 is disposed below each process unit 1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk. The transfer device 7 has an intermediate transfer belt 10 constituted by an endless belt as an intermediate transfer member. The intermediate transfer belt 10 is stretched around a plurality of rollers 21 to 24 as support members (meaning that the intermediate transfer belt 10 is stretched in a tensioned state). The intermediate transfer belt 10 is configured to rotate (rotate) in the direction indicated by the arrow in the drawing when one of the rollers 21 to 24 rotates as a driving roller.

  Four primary transfer rollers 11 as primary transfer means are disposed at positions facing the four photoconductors 2. Each primary transfer roller 11 presses (means to press and press) the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10 at each position, and the pressed portion of the intermediate transfer belt 10 and each photoreceptor 2 A primary transfer nip is formed at a location where the contacts. Each primary transfer roller 11 is connected to a power source (not shown), and a predetermined direct current voltage (DC) and / or alternating current voltage (AC) is applied to the primary transfer roller 11 (meaning that a voltage is applied). It has become so.

  A secondary transfer roller 12 as a secondary transfer unit is disposed at a position facing one roller 24 that stretches the intermediate transfer belt 10. The secondary transfer roller 12 presses the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 10, and a secondary transfer nip is formed at a location where the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 10 come into contact with each other. Similarly to the primary transfer roller 11, the secondary transfer roller 12 is connected to a power source (not shown), and a predetermined direct current voltage (DC) and / or alternating current voltage (AC) is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12. It is like that.

  A plurality of paper feed cassettes 13 that contain sheet-like recording material P such as paper or OHP are disposed below the image forming apparatus main body 200. Each paper feed cassette 13 is provided with a paper feed roller 14 for feeding out the stored recording material P. A paper discharge tray 20 for stocking the recording material P discharged outside the apparatus is provided on the left outer surface of the image forming apparatus main body 200 in the drawing. The recording material P that can be used in the image forming apparatus includes thin paper, plain paper, thick paper / envelope, and OHP having a thickness that can be nipped and conveyed by a belt conveying unit 30 shown in FIG.

  In the image forming apparatus main body 200, a transport path R for transporting the recording material P from each paper feed cassette 13 to the paper discharge tray 20 through the secondary transfer nip is disposed. In the conveyance path R, a registration roller 15 is disposed upstream of the position of the secondary transfer roller 12 in the sheet conveyance direction. Further, a fixing device 8, a sheet transport device 9 having a cooling unit, and a pair of discharge rollers 16 are sequentially disposed downstream of the position of the secondary transfer roller 12 in the sheet transport direction. The fixing device 8 includes, for example, a fixing roller 17 as a fixing member having a heater (not shown) therein, and a pressure roller 18 as a pressure member that presses the fixing roller 17. A fixing nip is formed at a position where the fixing roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 are in contact with each other.

  Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. When the image forming operation is started, the photoreceptors 2 of the process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk are rotated counterclockwise in the drawing, and the surface of each photoreceptor 2 is made to have a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 3. It is charged like this. Next, based on the image information of the original read by a reading device (not shown), the surface of each photoconductor 2 charged from the exposure device 6 is irradiated with laser light, and the surface of each photoconductor 2 is electrostatic latent image. Is formed. At this time, the image information to be exposed on each photoconductor 2 is monochromatic image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. As the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive member 2 is supplied with toner by each developing device 4, the electrostatic latent image is visualized (visualized) as a toner image.

  One of the plurality of rollers 21 to 24 that stretch the intermediate transfer belt 10 is rotationally driven to cause the intermediate transfer belt 10 to run in the direction of the arrow in the figure. In addition, a constant voltage having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner or a voltage controlled by a constant current is applied to each primary transfer roller 11, whereby 1 between the primary transfer roller 11 and each photoconductor 2. A transfer electric field is formed at the next transfer nip. Then, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the respective photoconductors 2 are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10 by the transfer electric field formed in the primary transfer nip. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 10 carries a full-color toner image on its surface. Further, the toner on each photoreceptor 2 that could not be transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10 is removed by the cleaning blade 5.

  As the paper feed roller 14 rotates, the recording material P is carried out of the paper feed cassette 13. The conveyed recording material P is fed to the secondary transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 10 at a predetermined timing by the registration roller 15. At this time, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is applied to the secondary transfer roller 12, thereby forming a transfer electric field in the secondary transfer nip. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 10 is collectively transferred onto the recording material P by the transfer electric field formed in the secondary transfer nip. Thereafter, the recording material P is fed into the fixing device 8, and the recording material P is pressurized and heated by the fixing roller 17 and the pressure roller 18 to fix the toner image on the recording material P. The recording material P is cooled by the cooling means of the sheet conveying device 9 and then discharged to the paper discharge tray 20 by the pair of discharge rollers 16.

  The above description is an image forming operation when a full-color image is formed on a recording medium. A single color image is formed using any one of the four process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk, and 2 Two or three process units can be used to form a two or three color image.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling means (cooling device) of the sheet conveying device 9 includes a cooling member 33 that cools the recording material P conveyed by the belt traveling of the belt conveying means 30. It also functions as a device. The belt conveyance unit 30 includes a first conveyance mechanism 31 as a first belt conveyance unit disposed on one surface (front surface or upper surface) side of the recording material P and the other surface (back surface or lower surface) of the recording material P. ) Side and a second transport mechanism 32 as second belt transport means. A pair of cooling members 33 is also provided, a cooling member 33a as a first cooling unit is arranged on one surface (front surface or upper surface) side of the recording material P, and a cooling member 33b as a second cooling unit is recorded. It arrange | positions at the other surface (back surface or lower surface) side of the material P. FIG.

  The cooling member 33a and the cooling member 33b are arranged so as to be shifted along the sheet conveying direction C. Further, one cooling member 33a is a flat arc-shaped endothermic surface 34a whose lower surface is slightly expanded, and the other cooling member 33b is a flat arc-shaped endothermic surface 34b whose upper surface is slightly expanded. Has been. And the cooling fluid flow path through which a cooling fluid flows is formed in each cooling member 33a, 33b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling unit of the sheet device 9 includes a heat receiving part 45 that receives heat from the recording material P as a heat generating part, a heat radiating part 46 that radiates heat from the heat receiving part 45, and a heat receiving part 45 and heat radiating. A coolant circulation circuit 44 having a circulation path 47 through which the coolant circulates through the portion 46 is provided. In this circulation path 47, a pump 48 for circulating the coolant and a liquid storage tank 49 for storing the coolant are arranged. Then, the cooling members 33a and 33b shown in FIG. Further, the heat dissipating part 46 is a radiator. As the cooling liquid, for example, water, hydrocarbon-based oil and fluorine-based oil are used as a medium, and ferromagnetic ultrafine particles such as high-concentration magnetite are stably dispersed in this medium, and the surface of the magnetic ultrafine particles is firmly fixed. Examples thereof include a magnetic fluid formed from a chemically adsorbed surfactant.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the circulation path 47 includes a pipe 50 that connects one opening 40a of one cooling member 33a and the heat radiating portion 46, the other opening 40b of one cooling member 33a, and the other. A pipe 51 that connects one opening 41a of the cooling member 33b, a pipe 52 that connects the other opening 41b of the other cooling member 33b and the liquid tank 49, a liquid tank 49, and a pump 48. A pipe 53 to be connected and a pipe 54 to connect the pump 48 and a radiator as the heat radiating section 46 are provided.

  The first transport mechanism 31 includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) driven rollers 55 (rollers 55 a, 55 b, 55 c, and 55 d shown in parentheses in the figure) and the rollers 55. And a conveyor belt 56 that is an endless belt that is wound around. The second transport mechanism 32 includes a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) driven rollers 57c, 57d, and 58, a driving roller 57a, and an endless shape wound around these rollers 57 and the driving roller 58. A conveyor belt 59, which is a belt of the same type.

  When transporting the recording material P, as shown in FIG. 2, the recording material P is nipped and transported by the transport belt 56 of the first transport mechanism 31 and the transport belt 59 of the second transport mechanism 32. Become. When the driving roller 57a is driven, the conveyance belt 59 travels in the direction of arrow A, and the conveyance belt 59 of the second conveyance mechanism 32 travels through the recording material P sandwiched between the conveyance belts 56 and 59. Along with this, the transport belt 56 of the first transport mechanism 31 follows the direction of arrow B. As a result, the recording material P is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side along the sheet conveyance direction C.

  Next, the operation of the cooling device configured as described above will be described. When the recording material P is nipped and conveyed, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the first conveyance mechanism 31 and the second conveyance mechanism 32 are brought close to each other. In the state shown in FIG. 2, if the driving roller 57a of the second transport mechanism 32 is driven to rotate, the transport belts 56 and 59 travel in the direction of the arrow as described above, and the recording material P transports the sheet. Travel in direction C. In this state, the coolant is circulated in the coolant circulation circuit 44. That is, by driving the pump 48, the cooling liquid flows in the cooling liquid flow paths of the cooling members 33a and 33b.

  At this time, the inner surface of the conveying belt 56 of the first conveying mechanism 31 slides (means that the heat absorbing surface 34 a of the cooling member 33 a slides in contact), and the conveying belt 59 of the second conveying mechanism 32. The inner surface slides on the heat absorbing surface 34b of the cooling member 33b. For this reason, the cooling member 33 b absorbs the heat of the recording material P from the back surface (lower surface) side of the recording material P via the conveyance belt 59. Further, the cooling member 33 a absorbs the heat of the recording material P from the front surface (upper surface) side of the recording material P via the conveyance belt 56. In this case, the cooling members 33a and 33b are kept at a low temperature by transporting the amount of heat absorbed by the cooling members 33a and 33b to the outside.

  That is, by driving the pump 48, the coolant circulates in the coolant circulation circuit 44, flows through the coolant flow paths of the cooling members 33 a and 33 b, absorbs heat, and becomes a high temperature. By passing through the radiator functioning as 46, heat is radiated to the outside air, and the temperature is lowered. Then, the coolant having a low temperature flows through the coolant channel again, and the cooling members 33 a and 33 b function as the heat receiving portion 45. Thus, the recording material P is cooled from both sides by repeating the above-described cycle.

  In FIG. 1, 60 indicated by a broken line schematically represents an upper unit, and 80 denoted by a broken line schematically represents a lower unit. The lower unit 80 is fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 200 (meaning that it is provided in a fixed state). The upper unit 60 rotatably supports both ends of each of the rollers 55a, 55b, 55c, and 55d constituting the first transport mechanism 31 shown in FIG. 2, and both ends of the cooling member 33a are fixed. Yes. The lower unit 80 rotatably supports both ends of each of the rollers 57a, 57c, 57d, 58 constituting the second transport mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2, and both ends of the cooling member 33b are fixed. Yes. In addition, the components other than the above that constitute the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 will be described in detail later.

  The upper unit 60 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the lower unit 80. Specifically, the upper unit 60 is configured to be substantially swingable and openable / closable with the back side intersecting and orthogonal to the paper surface of the lower unit 80 as a swing fulcrum portion. In FIG. 1, the front side or the front side intersecting or orthogonal to the paper surface is also referred to as “front side”, and the back side is also referred to as “rear side”. 1 is the “one side” in the present invention, and the front of FIG. 1 is the “other side”. Both of these are referred to as “both sides”.

  A user is positioned on the front side of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1, opens a front door (not shown), releases / operates a lock mechanism (to be described later) disposed on the upper unit 60, and moves the upper unit 60 in the direction of the arrow U The upper unit 60 can be opened with respect to the lower unit 80. The arrow U direction is also the vertically upward direction. When the upper unit 60 is opened, a space necessary for jam processing or the like is formed on the front side, and the user can easily perform cleaning / maintenance inspection and the like including jam processing. Further, the user can operate an operation display unit (not shown) or supply a recording material to the paper feed cassette 13 shown in FIG. 1 by being positioned on the front side of the image forming apparatus in FIG. ing.

  The characteristic part of the present invention is exemplarily shown in an opening / closing device of the upper unit 60 with respect to the lower unit 80, and the opening / closing device will be described in detail below. The upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 are arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the sheet conveyance direction set in a substantially horizontal direction as described above, but various arrangement states are possible depending on the layout arrangement of the image forming apparatus. Is assumed. Therefore, it goes without saying that the upper unit 60 may be referred to as one unit or the first unit, and the lower unit 80 may be referred to as the other unit or the second unit.

With reference to FIGS. 4-10, the structure of the upper unit and lower unit provided with the opening / closing apparatus is explained in full detail. FIG. 4A is a front view showing a state in which the upper unit is fully opened, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged front view of the main part of FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the rear side of the upper and lower unit, FIG. 6 is an assembled view of the rear side of the upper and lower unit, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the front side of the upper and lower unit, FIG. Is a rear view showing a state in which the upper unit is fully opened, and FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a state in which the upper unit is fully closed.
In FIG. 4 and subsequent figures, the front or front side represents the front / front side of FIG. 1 and refers to the “other side” of the present invention. Moreover, the rear thru | or rear side represents the back | inner side which cross | intersects and orthogonally crosses the paper surface of FIG. 1 opposite to this side and a front side, and points out the "one side" of this invention. 4 and the subsequent drawings illustrating the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80, all the components related to the piping and cooling means shown in FIG. 3 are shown in a removed state.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 100 denotes an opening / closing device. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 14 to be described later, the upper unit 60 has a facing position (fully closed) where the upper unit 60 faces the lower unit 80, and the facing position as shown in FIGS. It is configured to be swingable / openable / closable between a fully spaced apart position (fully opened). Here, the facing position means that the first transport mechanism 31 on the upper unit 60 side faces the second transport mechanism 32 shown in FIG. This means that the recording material can be nipped and conveyed. The separation position is a position at which jamming, cleaning, inspection and maintenance can be performed as described above.

  The opening / closing device 100 according to the present embodiment has a unique opening / closing mechanism that allows the upper unit 60 to be opened / closed and swingable so that the upper unit 60 occupies a facing position and a separated position. The opening / closing mechanism has first to third configurations described below. In the first configuration, the swing fulcrum is switched during opening and closing from the separated position to the facing position. The swing fulcrum is switched when the swing fulcrum is at the first position at the separated position and is movable from the first position to the second position when moving from the separated position to the opposite position. This is done by having a swingable swinging portion that switches the swing support when the portion moves from the first position to the second position.

In the second configuration, the sheet conveyance direction in the lower unit 80 or the upper unit 60 that defines the distance between the second conveyance mechanism 32 of the lower unit 80 and the first conveyance mechanism 31 of the upper unit 60 at the facing position. It is a defining means arranged on the front and back and both sides of the intersecting / perpendicular direction.
The third configuration is pressurizing means arranged on the front and rear and both sides that pressurizes the upper unit 60 toward the lower unit 80 at least at the facing position. Then, by pressing the upper unit 60 with the pressurizing means, the facing position is determined via the defining means.

  Hereinafter, the opening / closing mechanism having the first to third configurations will be described. The upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 are formed of a sheet metal that is a metal thin plate or a steel material in order to ensure necessary rigidity. In order to secure the necessary rigidity in this manner, in the state where the upper unit 60 is closed, the positions of the cooling member 33a and the cooling member 33b are particularly secured as shown in FIG. This is to enable reliable conveyance.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the upper unit 60 has a pair of front and rear front plates 61 and 62. Both ends of the shafts of the rollers 55 a, 55 b, 55 c, and 55 d constituting the first transport mechanism 31 shown in FIG. 2 are rotatably supported by the front side plate 61 and the rear side plate 62. Further, between the front side plate 61 and the rear side plate 62, a cooling member 33a (hidden and invisible in FIG. 4) is fixed at a portion corresponding to the position shown in FIG.

  The lower unit 80 includes a pair of front and rear front plates 81 and a rear plate 82. Both ends of the shafts of the rollers 57a, 57c, 57d, 58 constituting the second transport mechanism 32 shown in FIG. 2 are rotatably supported by the front side plate 81 and the rear side plate 82. Further, between the front side plate 81 and the rear side plate 82, a cooling member 33b (hidden and invisible in FIG. 4) is fixed at a portion corresponding to the position shown in FIG. The front plate 61 and the rear plate 62 of the upper unit 60 are formed of sheet metal.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a sheet metal upper bracket 64 as a mounting portion for attaching the rear shaft 63 is fixed to the rear side plate 62 constituting the upper unit 60. The rear shaft 63 has a long round bar shape, and functions as a moving shaft that constitutes the moving portion. In the upper bracket 64, shaft fixing holes 64a for inserting and attaching the rear shaft 63 are formed in two places. 5 and 6, the diagonally upper right side of the shaft fixing hole 64a in the upper bracket 64 is hidden and cannot be seen.

  The upper bracket 64 has three spring locking pins 64b for locking (meaning that the springs 70 are engaged and stopped) at one end of the three springs 70, which are tension springs. It is fixed so as to protrude to the side. The three springs 70 disposed on the rear side pressurize the first transport mechanism 31 so as to approach the second transport mechanism 32 of the lower unit 80 via the upper unit 60 at least in the facing position. It functions as a means (or biasing means). Further, the three springs 70 function as second pressure members that pressurize the first transport mechanism 31 in a direction that occupies the separated position via the upper unit 60. Each of the three springs 70 is composed of spring specifications (spring constant, tensile length, etc.) having the same specifications.

  On the rear plate 82 constituting the lower unit 80, a lower bracket 84 made of sheet metal is fixedly attached to the rear shaft 63 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The lower bracket 84 is formed with a rear shaft guide hole 84a as a guide portion for guiding the rear shaft 63 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The rear shaft guide hole 84 a is a long hole formed larger in the vertical direction Z than the outer diameter of the rear shaft 63. Thus, the rear shaft 63 can move up and down in the rear shaft guide hole 84a. The lower bracket 84 is fixedly provided with three spring locking pins 84b for locking the other ends of the three springs 70 so as to protrude to the rear side of the lower bracket 84.

  Pins 62a serving as convex portions constituting the defining means are directed downward at two locations, the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion in the sheet conveying direction C, of the lower flat plate portion formed by bending the rear side plate 62 at 90 °. It is fixed so that it may protrude. These two pins 62a also function as a swinging portion when the swinging fulcrum is switched as will be described later. On the other hand, in the upper flat plate portion formed by bending the rear side plate 82 at 90 °, the contacted surface constituting the defining means can be brought into contact with the respective pins 62a at locations corresponding to the two pins 62a of the rear side plate 62. The engaging surfaces 82a are respectively formed.

  Each pin 62 a is formed with a male screw (not shown), and each pin 62 a is tightened into a female screw hole (not shown) formed in the upper flat plate portion of the rear side plate 62. At this time, the tip of each pin 62a is formed between the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 by abutting (meaning contacting the abutted state) with the engaging surface 82a of the rear plate 82. The projecting dimension of the tip of each pin 61a is adjustable so that the gap is constant. This is the same including the contact of each pin 61a provided on the front plate 61 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 described later and the engagement surface 81a of the front plate 81. That is, the recording material can be nipped and conveyed between the conveyance belts 56 and 59 between the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 when the first conveyance mechanism 31 is at a position facing the second conveyance mechanism 32. It is made adjustable so that it can be positioned.

  5 and 6, the shaft fixing hole 64a formed in the upper bracket 64 on the rear plate 62 side and the rear shaft guide hole 84a formed on the lower bracket 84 on the rear plate 82 side are combined with each other in the rear. The rear shaft 63 is inserted from the shaft guide hole 84a toward the shaft fixing hole 64a. Then, retaining rings 71 are attached to both ends of the rear shaft 63 to prevent the rear shaft 63 from coming off. Further, the end portions of the springs 70 are locked and attached to the three spring locking pins 64 b of the upper bracket 64 and the three spring locking pins 84 b of the lower bracket 84. Thus, the rear plate 62 of the upper unit 60 is connected to the rear plate 82 of the lower unit 80 via the rear shaft 63 and assembled.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, on the front side of the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80, the first transport unit 32 disposed in the upper unit 60 with respect to the second transport mechanism 32 disposed in the lower unit 80. A lock mechanism 65 is provided as a fixing portion that fixes the position of the transport mechanism 31 in the facing direction. The lock mechanism 65 also has a function of allowing the first transport mechanism 31 of the upper unit 60 to be held in a state of being held at the opposing position, and includes a lock lever 67, a lever shaft 68, a gripping portion 69, and the like. Has been.

  A grip portion 69 that is gripped when the user releases the lock is fixed to the center upper portion of the lever shaft 68. Lock levers 67 each having a substantially U-shaped engaging recess 67a are fixed to both ends of the lever shaft 68 on both the upstream side and the downstream side along the sheet conveyance direction C. Yes. The engaging recess 67 a engages (means to be engaged with) both the upstream side and the downstream side along the sheet conveyance direction C in the front shaft 83 disposed on the front plate 81 side, and is engaged with the upper unit 60. It functions as a restraining portion that fixes the position of the arranged first transport mechanism 31 in the facing direction.

  A bent plate-shaped lever bracket 66 for fixing the lock mechanism 65 is fixed to the front plate 61 constituting the upper unit 60. On the vertical wall of the lever bracket 66, lever shaft support holes 66a for swingably mounting the lever shaft 68 of the lock mechanism 65 are formed at two locations. 7 and 8, the upper left oblique side of the lever shaft support hole 66a is hidden behind the lever bracket 66 and cannot be seen.

On the lower flat plate portion formed by bending the front side plate 61 at 90 °, pins 61a as convex portions constituting the defining means are downwardly directed to two locations of the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion in the sheet conveying direction C. It is fixed so that it may protrude. On the other hand, in the upper flat plate portion formed by bending the front side plate 81 at 90 °, the surface to be contacted constituting the defining means so as to be able to contact each pin 61a at a position corresponding to the two pins 61a of the front side plate 61. The engaging surface 81a is formed.
Further, the lower flat plate portion of the front side plate 61 is notched and formed with a recess 61b that constitutes a restricting portion. On the upper flat plate portion of the front side plate 81, a convex portion 86 that fits into the concave portion 61b protrudes upward and is fixed.

  The front shaft 83 has a long round bar shape. Spring locking grooves 83a for locking one end of each spring 73, which is a tension spring, are formed at two locations on the front shaft 83 in the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion in the sheet conveyance direction C, respectively.

The front plate 81 is fixed with a bent metal plate front bracket 87 to which the front shaft 83 is attached so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The front wall of the front bracket 87 is formed with two front shaft guide holes 87a as guide portions for guiding the front shaft 83 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The front shaft guide hole 87 a is a long hole formed larger in the vertical direction Z than the outer diameter of the front shaft 83. Thereby, the front shaft 83 can move up and down in the front shaft guide hole 87a. Further, a spring locking piece 87b for locking the other end portion of each spring 73 is formed on the bent portion at the lower portion of the front bracket 87 so as to protrude outward.
The two springs 73 described above are pressurizing means (or urging force) that pressurizes the first transport mechanism 31 toward the second transport mechanism 32 of the lower unit 80 via the upper unit 60 at least in the facing position. Function). Further, the two springs 73 function as a first pressure member that pressurizes the first transport mechanism 31 in a direction that occupies the opposing position via the lock mechanism 65 and the upper unit 60. Each of the two springs 73 is composed of spring specifications (spring constant, tensile length, etc.) having the same specifications.

  7 and 8, the front shaft 83 is inserted into two front shaft guide holes 87a formed in the front bracket 87 of the front plate 81 on the lower unit 80 side, and thereafter, snap rings are attached to both ends of the front shaft 83. 71 is attached to prevent the front shaft 83 from coming off. Further, one end of each spring 73 is locked in the spring locking groove 83a at both ends of the front shaft 83, and the other end of each spring 73 is connected to two spring locking pieces 87b formed in the front bracket 87. Lock. At this time, the front shaft 83 is in a position where it is pressed against the lower end of the front shaft guide hole 87 a of the front bracket 87 by the pressure (biasing force) of each spring 73.

In this embodiment, the resultant force of the two springs 73 (biasing force) is set to be smaller than the resultant force of the three springs 70 on the rear side (biasing force). This is to keep the opened state when the upper unit 60 is opened as will be described later.
7 and 8, the lever shaft 68 of the lock mechanism 65 is inserted into the lever shaft support hole 66a of the lever bracket 66 fixed to the front plate 61 on the upper unit 60 side, and thereafter both end portions of the lever shaft 68 are inserted. A retaining ring 71 is attached to the lever shaft 68 to prevent the lever shaft 68 from coming off.

  In the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 assembled as described above, the upper unit 60 can be opened / closed / swung with respect to the lower unit 80. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper unit 60 is separated from the lower unit 80 and fully opened, and the upper unit 60 is opposed to the lower unit 80 and fully closed as shown in FIG. The position can be swung.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the mechanism which can hold | maintain the upper unit 60 in the fully open state of the upper unit 60 is supplemented. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 are connected via the rear shaft 63 on the rear side of each unit as described above. Further, the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 are mounted with the three springs 70 at the position further rearward than the rear shaft 63 as described above, and the vertical unit of the pressure force applied to the upper unit 60 is downward. The energizing force (hereinafter referred to as “the energizing force”) is working. The moment due to the urging force of the three springs 70 applied to the upper unit 60 around the rear shaft 63 is set to be larger than the moment due to the total weight of the upper unit 60.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the supplementary explanation will be made on the condition that the rear two pins 62 a come into contact with the engaging surface 82 a on the lower unit 80 side and the rear shaft 63 moves up in the rear shaft guide hole 84 a. To do. The first condition is that the rear shaft 63 is disposed further rearward than the two rear pins 62a. As a second condition, the rear shaft guide hole 84a on the lower unit 80 side is a long hole that is long in the vertical direction as described above. As a third condition, the long hole of the second condition is that the upper unit 60 is fully closed, and the clearance t> 0 between the lower end portion and the bottom surface of the rear shaft guide hole 84a with respect to the rear shaft 63. It is done. In other words, the third condition can be expressed as follows. That is, until the rear shaft 63 rises in the rear shaft guide hole 84a toward the second position from the first position where the rear shaft 63 is loosely fitted to the lower end / bottom surface of the rear shaft guide hole 84a, the rear shaft 63 It rotates and swings around the rear shaft 63 while being in contact with the shaft guide hole 84a. And the contact position of the rear shaft 63 and the rear shaft guide hole 84a at that time is a direction away from the lower unit 80 rather than the engaging surface 82a on the lower unit 80 side.

  The operation from the fully open state of the upper unit 60 to the fully closed state will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12A is a front view showing the transition of the closing operation of the upper unit (rear pin contact start), and FIG. 12B is an enlarged front view of the main part of FIG. FIG. 13A is a front view showing the transition of the closing operation of the upper unit (the swing fulcrum starts switching from the rear shaft to the rear pin), and FIG. 13B is the main part of FIG. 13A. FIG. 14 (a) is a front view showing the fully closed state of the upper unit, FIG. 14 (b) is an enlarged front view of the front side of FIG. 14 (a), and FIG. 14 (c) is a rear side of FIG. 14 (a). It is an enlarged front view.

First, with reference to FIG. 4, the operation | movement which can hold | maintain the upper unit 60 in the upper unit 60 full open state is demonstrated. The user operates the grip portion 69 of the lock mechanism 65 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 to release / release the lock lever 67 of the engagement recess 67a fitted to the front shaft 83, and to move the upper unit 60. When opened in the direction of the arrow U, the rear shaft 63 moves in the rear shaft guide hole 84a as shown in FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation of the operation, detailed operation during the opening of the upper unit 60 (the contact state between the two pins 62a on the upper unit 60 side and the engaging surface 82a on the lower unit 80 side on the rear side, etc.) Is omitted.
Since the rear shaft guide hole 84a is a long hole as described above, the rear shaft 63 contacts and fits to the bottom surface, which is the lower end portion of the rear shaft guide hole 84a, and the rear shaft 63 occupies the first position. At this time, the upper unit 60 is held in the fully open state at the separated position by the moment generated by the urging forces of the three springs 70 with the rear shaft 63 as the swing fulcrum. In the fully opened state at this separated position, the two rear pins 62a are not in contact with the engaging surface 82a on the lower unit 80 side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the user holds the grip portion 69 of the lock mechanism 65, the front end portion of the upper unit 60, and the like, and attaches three springs 70 in the direction of arrow D, which is the direction to close the upper unit 60. Swings against the moment of force. Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the rear shaft 63 rotates while being in contact with and fitted to the lower end portion of the rear shaft guide hole 84a. When the upper unit 60 is at an angle that is the closing direction, the two pins 62a on the rear side of the upper unit 60 start to engage and abut on the engagement surface 82a on the lower unit 80 side.
As shown in FIG. 13 from the state of FIG. 12, when the upper unit 60 is further swung in the direction of arrow D, the two rear pins 62a come into contact with the engaging surface 82a on the lower unit 80 side. The contact portion E is swung in the direction of the arrow D ′ using the new swing fulcrum as a swing point. As a result, the swing fulcrum of the upper unit 60 is switched from the rear shaft 63 to the pin 62a on the rear side of the upper unit 60. Starting from this point, the rear shaft 63 is moved from the first position (contacted / fitted to the lower end portion of the rear shaft guide hole 84a) to the second position, away from the lower end portion of the rear shaft guide hole 84a. It begins to move up and move vertically up Z.

By further swinging the upper unit 60 in the arrow D direction from the state of FIG. 13, the upper unit 60 is fully closed with respect to the lower unit 80 as shown in FIG. 14. The user operates the grip portion 69 of the lock mechanism 65 shown in FIG. 14 so that the upper unit 60 is in the fully closed state, whereby the engagement recess 67a of the lock lever 67 (not shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 7). (See) is fitted to the front shaft 83. Then, the pin 61a of the upper unit 60 on the front side and the engaging surface 81a of the lower unit 80 are engaged and abutted. At this time, the front shaft 83 is pulled vertically downward by the urging force of the two springs 73, and the grip portion 69 is operated against the urging force.
When the engaging recess 67a of the lock lever 67 is fitted to the front shaft 83, the upper unit 60 occupies the opposing position. That is, the upper unit 60 is pulled vertically downward by the urging force of the two springs 73, and the position of the front side vertical direction Z in the vertical unit is determined by the contact between the front side pin 61a and the engagement surface 81a. . At this time, the front shaft 83 is brought into contact with the upper and lower ends of the front shaft guide hole 87a by the urging force of the two springs 73, and in the vicinity of a substantially intermediate position in the vertical direction of the front shaft guide hole 87a. It is in a floating state. At the same time, the convex portion 86 is fitted into the concave portion 61b on the upper unit 60 side, and positioning in the rotational direction of the upper unit 60 is performed.

At the same time, on the rear side, the upper unit 60 is pulled vertically downward by the urging force of the three springs 70, and the rear pin 62a and the engagement surface 82a come into contact with each other, so The position in the vertical direction Z is determined. Thereby, the position (height position) in the vertical direction Z on the front side and the rear side in the vertical unit is determined. At this time, the rear shaft 63 is brought into contact with the upper and lower end portions of the rear shaft guide hole 84a by the urging force of the three springs 70, and does not touch the upper and lower ends of the rear shaft guide hole 84a. It is in a floating state.
At the same time, a convex portion (not shown) on the lower unit 80 side is fitted into a concave portion (not shown) disposed on the upper unit 60 side, and positioning in the rotational direction of the upper unit 60 is also performed on the rear side.

In other words, when the upper unit 60 occupies the opposing position and is locked by the lock mechanism 65, the upper unit 60 is pressurized in the direction in which the upper unit 60 occupies the opposing position by the springs 73 and 70 as the first and second pressing members. As a result, the distance and parallelism between the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80 are such that the front pin 61a and the engagement surface 81a respectively contact the rear pin 62a and the engagement surface 82a. Determined by.
Since the opening operation from the time when the upper unit 60 occupies the opposing position and the upper unit 60 occupies the separated position from the time of locking by the lock mechanism 65 is performed in reverse to the above-described closing operation, the detailed operation content will be described. Omitted.

Based on the configuration and operation of the upper and lower units described above, the swing fulcrum of the upper unit 60 is switched at the first position (the rear shaft 63 is the lower end of the rear shaft guide hole 84a at the separated position of the upper unit 60). The position where the rear unit 63 rises in the rear shaft guide hole 84a from the first position when the upper unit 60 moves from the separated position to the facing position. ) Movable part (rear shaft 63, rear shaft guide hole 84a) and a swingable swinging part whose swinging fulcrum is switched when the moving part moves from the first position to the second position. (Rear pin 62a).
That is, it can be said that the switching of the swing fulcrum of the upper unit 60 has been performed by having the rear shaft 63 and the rear shaft guide hole 84a constituting the moving portion, and the rear pin 62a as the swing portion.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following basic effects are obtained. That is, the distance and parallelism between the first transport mechanism 31 and the second transport mechanism 32 can be accurately determined via the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of skew and jam, and to easily perform jam processing in the event of a jam.

(Modification 1)
With reference to FIG.15 and FIG.16, the modification 1 of the said embodiment is demonstrated.
FIG. 15 is a simplified front view of a sheet conveying apparatus including a cooling unit according to Modification 1. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cooling apparatus of the sheet conveying apparatus according to Modification 1 as viewed from the back side. The modification 1 is mainly different from the cooling means shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in that a cooling member 33c as a third cooling unit is added and the piping configuration is changed accordingly. . The configuration of Modification 1 will be described focusing on the differences.
In the first modification, the cooling member 33a as the first cooling unit is disposed on one surface (back surface or lower surface) side of the recording material P, and the cooling member 33b as the second cooling unit is the other side of the recording material P. A cooling member 33c serving as a third cooling unit is disposed on the other surface (front surface or upper surface) side of the recording material P.

  The cooling member 33a and the cooling member 33b are displaced along the sheet conveyance direction C. Also, one cooling member 33b is a flat arc-shaped heat absorbing surface 34b whose bottom surface is slightly expanded, and the other cooling members 33a and 33c are flat arc-shaped heat absorbing surfaces whose top surface is slightly expanded. 34a and 34c. In each of the cooling members 33a, 33b, and 33c, a coolant flow path through which the coolant flows is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the cooling means is different from the cooling means of the sheet conveying apparatus 9 of the above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 3 only in the piping configuration that communicates the cooling members 33a, 33b, and 33c. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, as the circulation path 47, the piping 50 that connects one opening of the cooling member 33c and the radiator as the heat radiating portion 46, the other opening of the cooling member 33a, and the cooling member 33b. A pipe 60 that connects one opening of the cooling member 33b, a pipe 51 that connects the other opening of the cooling member 33b and one opening of the cooling member 33a, and the other opening of the cooling member 33a and the liquid storage tank 49. , A pipe 53 for connecting the liquid reservoir tank 49 and the pump 48, and a pipe 54 for connecting the pump 48 and the radiator as the heat radiating section 46.

The operation of the cooling means configured as described above is different only in the point accompanying the addition of the cooling member 33c, and can be understood and carried out by those skilled in the art from the above embodiment example. Is omitted to avoid duplication.
Even in the sheet conveying apparatus including the cooling unit as in the first modification, the present invention can be applied by configuring an opening / closing apparatus that can be opened and closed by the upper unit and the lower unit as in the above-described embodiment.

(Modification 2)
With reference to FIG. 17, the modification 2 of the said embodiment is demonstrated.
FIG. 17 is a simplified front view of a sheet conveying apparatus including a cooling unit according to the second modification. In the second modification, in comparison with the cooling means using the coolant circulation circuit 44 shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 16, instead of this, an exhaust heat promoting shape portion 106 is provided as shown in FIG. 17. The point is different. The exhaust heat promoting shape portion 106 is an air-cooled heat sink having a large number of fins. The first modification can be applied to the relationship between the heat receiving surfaces 34a, 34b, 34c and the conveyor belts 56, 59 at this time.
Thus, by using the air-cooled heat sink structure, it is not necessary to use the coolant circulation circuit 44, and it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus.
Even in the sheet conveying apparatus having the cooling means as in the second modification, the present invention can be applied by configuring an opening / closing apparatus that can be opened and closed by the upper unit and the lower unit as in the above embodiment.

What has been described above is an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following aspects.
[Aspect 1]
To a sheet conveying apparatus for nipping and conveying a sheet-like recording medium such as a recording material P by a first belt conveying means such as a first conveying mechanism 31 and a second belt conveying means such as a second conveying mechanism 32 In the opening / closing device used, the first belt conveying means faces the second belt conveying means via the upper and lower units such as the upper unit 60 and the lower unit 80, and the sheet-like recording medium can be sandwiched and conveyed. And an opening / closing mechanism that allows the first belt conveying means to open / close and swing between a facing position where the first belt conveying means is spaced from the opposed position, and the opening / closing mechanism includes at least a first When the belt conveying means occupies the separated position, the swing fulcrum is at the first position, and when the first belt conveying means moves from the separated position to the facing position, the first conveying position moves from the first position to the second position. Possible after shuff 63, the first belt conveying means or the second belt conveying means which defines the distance between the first belt conveying means and the second belt conveying means at the position opposed to the moving portion such as 63 and the rear shaft guide hole 84a. At least in the opposite position, with defining means such as pins 61a and 62a and engagement surfaces 81a and 82a arranged on both sides such as the front side and the rear side in the direction intersecting the sheet-like recording medium conveyance direction such as the sheet conveyance direction C , And pressurizing means such as springs 70 and 73 arranged on both sides for pressurizing the first belt conveying means in a direction approaching the second belt conveying means, and the first belt conveying means by the pressure means Is pressed to determine the facing position via the defining means.

  According to the aspect 1, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the distance and the parallelism between the first belt conveying unit and the second belt conveying unit can be accurately determined. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of skews and jams, and to produce a basic effect that jam processing and the like can be easily performed in the event of a jam.

[Aspect 2]
In the first aspect, the opening / closing mechanism is configured such that the swing fulcrum is switched during the opening / closing of the first belt conveying means. The swing fulcrum is switched between the moving portion and the moving portion from the first position. When moving to the second position, it has a swinging portion such as a pin 62a and an engaging surface 82a that can swing so that the swinging fulcrum is switched.
According to aspect 2, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of aspect 1 is achieved with a simple configuration.

[Aspect 3]
In aspect 2, the moving part and the swinging part are arranged on one side on both sides.
According to the aspect 3, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is achieved with a simple configuration.

[Aspect 4]
In the aspect 3, the one-side defining means also serves as the swinging portion.
According to the aspect 4, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the number of parts can be reduced.

[Aspect 5]
In Aspect 4, the defining means includes a convex portion such as a pin 62a and a contacted surface such as an engaging surface 82a that can come into contact with the convex portion.
According to the aspect 5, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is achieved with a simple configuration.

[Aspect 6]
In the aspect 5, the moving part has a moving axis such as the rear shaft 63 and a guiding part such as the rear shaft guide hole 84a for guiding the moving axis, and the moving part, the swinging part, and the convex part are the first part. The contact surface is provided on the belt conveying means side, and the contacted surface is provided on the second belt conveying means side, and the moving shaft rotates around the moving shaft while being in contact with the guide portion until it reaches the second position. The contact position between the moving shaft and the guide portion at that time is a direction away from the second belt conveying means than the contacted surface.
According to the aspect 6, as described in the above-described embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is reliably achieved.

[Aspect 7]
In the aspect 2, it has a moving shaft such as the rear shaft 63 and a guide portion such as a rear shaft guide hole 84a for guiding the moving shaft, and the first belt conveying means side swings around the swinging portion as a fulcrum. At this time, the moving axis is moving in the guide portion.
According to aspect 7, as described in the above-described embodiment and the like, the effect of aspect 1 is reliably achieved.

[Aspect 8]
In the aspect 6 or 7, the guide part is formed along the pressurizing direction by the pressurizing means.
According to the aspect 8, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is surely produced.

[Aspect 9]
In any one of the first to eighth aspects, the first belt conveyance unit is provided on the opposite side of the attachment portion, such as the lower bracket 84 to which the moving portion is attached, and presses the first belt conveying unit in a direction occupying the opposite position. A first pressurizing member such as a spring 73 as a pressure means, and a lock mechanism such as a lock mechanism 65 that can be held in a state in which the first belt conveying means is held at an opposing position; A second pressure member such as a spring 70 as a pressure unit that pressurizes the first belt conveyance unit in a direction that occupies the separation position, and the first belt conveyance unit occupies the opposite position, and When the lock mechanism is locked, the first belt conveying means and the second belt conveying means are pressed by the first and second pressure members in the direction in which the first belt conveying means occupies the opposite position. With Distance and parallelism of is determined by regulating means.
According to the aspect 9, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is reliably achieved.

[Aspect 10]
A first belt conveyance unit such as the first conveyance mechanism 31 and a second conveyance mechanism 32 or the like that sandwiches and conveys a sheet-like recording medium such as the recording material P facing the first belt conveyance unit. A sheet conveying apparatus such as a sheet conveying apparatus including a belt conveying unit and an opening / closing apparatus such as the opening / closing apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects.
According to the aspect 10, as described in the above-described embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is exhibited by the sheet conveying apparatus.

[Aspect 11]
An image forming unit such as process units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1Bk that forms an image on a sheet-shaped recording medium such as a recording material P, and a sheet conveying apparatus according to aspect 10 that conveys the sheet-shaped recording medium that has passed through the image forming unit 9 and the like.
According to the aspect 11, as described in the above embodiment and the like, the effect of the aspect 1 is achieved by the image forming apparatus including the sheet conveying device according to the aspect 10.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments and modifications, but the technical contents disclosed by the present invention are limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments, modifications, and examples. It is not something. That is, it may be configured by appropriately combining them, and 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 according to the necessity and application. It is.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2 and the modified example 1 of FIG. 15, the cooling member 33a, 33b or the cooling member 33a, 33b, 33c is described as an example of flowing the cooling liquid, but not limited thereto, the cooling member 33a, 33b, The cooling members 33a, 33b, and 33c may be used as simple guide members.

  In the above embodiment, male pins (not shown) are formed on the pins 61a and 62a so that the recording material can be finally nipped and conveyed between the conveying belts 56 and 59. Is not an essential component.

  Not only in the above embodiment example, but when the upper unit 60 is fully opened, the rear pin 62a is set to an arrangement / size and shape so as to contact the rear engagement surface 82a from the beginning, and the rear shaft 63 is The example in the 1st position fitted in the lower end part of the rear shaft guide hole 84a may be sufficient. That is, this embodiment is an example in which the swing fulcrum is not switched during the opening and closing of the first belt conveying means, and claim 1 of the present invention includes such an embodiment. .

  Not only the above embodiment but also a stopper mechanism may be provided. For example, a stopper mechanism (not shown) is provided to prevent the upper unit 60 from being opened any more when the upper unit 60 is fully opened. For example, the stopper mechanism will be described with reference to FIG. 4B of the above-described embodiment, and a stopper portion (not shown) provided at the rear end portion of the upper bracket 64 of the upper unit 60, and the covered portion. It comprises a stopper portion (not shown) provided at the rear end portion of the lower bracket 84 of the lower unit 80 that can be selectively engaged with the stopper portion. In the maximum open state of the upper unit 60, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conveyance belt 56 of the first conveyance mechanism 31 is in a position where the user can perform jam processing and the like, and is also in a state where the separation belt is occupied. .

  Each component of the above embodiment is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and is not limited to the springs 70 and 73 as the pressurizing means and the pressurizing member, for example, and is a member that performs an equivalent function. Also, the number and the like are not limited to the above example.

1Y, 1C, 1M, 1Bk process unit (an example of an image forming unit)
2 Photoconductor (an example of a latent image carrier, an image carrier)
3 Charging roller (an example of charging means)
4. Developing device (an example of developing means)
5 Cleaning blade (an example of cleaning means)
6 Exposure device (an example of exposure means)
7 Transfer Device 8 Fixing Device 9 Sheet Conveying Device 30 Belt Conveying Unit 31 First Conveying Mechanism (Example of First Belt Conveying Unit)
32 Second transport mechanism (an example of second belt transport means)
33a, 33b, 33c Cooling member 56 Conveying belt 59 Conveying belt 60 Upper unit 61 Front plate 61a Pin (an example of a defining means and a convex portion)
62 Rear side plate 62a Pin (an example of a defining means and a convex part)
63 Rear shaft (example of moving part, moving shaft)
64 Upper bracket (example of mounting part)
65 Locking mechanism 67a Engaging recess (restraint)
70 Spring (Pressure means, example of second pressure member)
73 Spring (Pressure means, example of first pressure member)
80 Lower unit 81 Front side plate 81a Engagement surface (regulation means, example of contacted surface)
82 Rear side plate 82a Engagement surface (regulation means, example of contacted surface)
83 Front shaft 84 Lower bracket (Example of mounting part)
84a Rear shaft guide hole (an example of a guide part)
87a Front shaft guide hole (example of guide part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Opening / closing apparatus 200 Image forming apparatus main body P Recording material (an example of a sheet-like recording medium)
Z Vertical direction

JP 2012-098677 A Japanese Patent No. 5045568

Claims (11)

In an opening / closing device used in a sheet conveying apparatus that sandwiches and conveys a sheet-like recording medium between a first belt conveying unit and a second belt conveying unit,
An opposing position at which the first belt conveying means faces the second belt conveying means so as to sandwich and convey the sheet-like recording medium; and a separation position at which the first belt conveying means is separated from the opposed position. And an opening / closing mechanism for allowing the first belt conveying means to be opened / closed swingably,
The opening / closing mechanism is at least
When the first belt conveying means occupies the separated position, the swing fulcrum is at the first position, and when the first belt conveying means moves from the separated position to the opposing position, the first position A moving part movable from to a second position;
In the facing position, the distance between the first belt conveying means and the second belt conveying means is defined, and the first belt conveying means or the second belt conveying means intersects the sheet recording medium conveying direction. Defining means arranged on both sides;
Pressurizing means arranged on both sides for pressurizing the first belt conveying means in a direction approaching the second belt conveying means at least at the facing position;
With
An opening and closing device characterized in that the opposing position is determined via the defining means by pressurizing the first belt conveying means with the pressurizing means. The opening / closing mechanism is configured such that the swing fulcrum is switched during the opening / closing of the first belt conveying means,
Switching of the swing fulcrum is as follows:
The moving part;
A swingable swinging part that switches the swinging fulcrum when the moving part moves from the first position to the second position;
The switchgear according to claim 1, wherein the switchgear is performed.   The switchgear according to claim 2, wherein the moving part and the swinging part are arranged on one side of the both sides.   4. The switchgear according to claim 3, wherein the defining means on the one side also serves as the swinging portion.   The switchgear according to claim 4, wherein the defining means includes a convex portion having a convex shape and a contacted surface that can contact the convex portion. The moving part has a moving axis and a guide part for guiding the moving axis,
The moving part, the swinging part and the convex part are provided on the first belt conveying means side,
The contacted surface is provided on the second belt conveying means side;
Until moving toward the second position, the moving shaft rotates around the moving shaft while contacting the guide portion, and the contact position between the moving shaft and the guide portion at that time is: 6. The opening / closing device according to claim 5, wherein the opening / closing device is in a direction away from the second belt conveying means than the contacted surface. The moving part has a moving axis and a guide part for guiding the moving axis,
3. The switchgear according to claim 2, wherein when the first belt conveying means side is oscillating with the oscillating portion as a fulcrum, the moving shaft moves in the guide portion.   The switchgear according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the guide portion is formed along a pressing direction by the pressing means. An attaching part for attaching the moving part;
Provided on the opposite side of the mounting portion and having a first pressure member as the pressurizing means for pressurizing the first belt transport means in a direction occupying the facing position, and the first belt transport means A lock mechanism that can be held in a state of being held at the opposite position;
A second pressure member as the pressure means, which is attached to the attachment portion and pressurizes the first belt conveying means in a direction occupying the separation position;
Have
The first belt conveying means occupies the facing position, and when locked by the lock mechanism, the first belt conveying means is pressurized in the direction in which the first belt conveying means occupies the facing position. Accordingly, the distance and the parallelism between the first belt conveying means and the second belt conveying means are determined by the defining means. Switchgear. The first belt conveying means;
The second belt conveying means opposed to the first belt conveying means for nipping and conveying the sheet-like recording medium;
A switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet-like recording medium;
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the sheet-shaped recording medium that has passed through the image forming unit is conveyed.
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images