JP2016065943A - Drive unit and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive unit which can be configured by optionally selecting a number of motors of a drive source, from 1 to 3 motors.SOLUTION: A drive unit comprises: a plate-like support medium; four or more input gears for inputting directly or indirectly motive force of rotation to four or more rotary drive bodies which are rotatably disposed on the support medium; one motor in one-motor configuration time, two motors in two-motor configuration time, or three motors in three-motor configuration time, supported to the support medium; one passage hole for passing an output shaft of the motor in one-motor configuration time, two passage holes for passing output shafts of the respective motors in two-motor configuration time, or three-passage holes for passing output shafts of the respective motors in three-motor configuration time, disposed on the support medium; and a rotary transmission mechanism disposed on the support medium, for distributing and transmitting motive force of rotation obtained from the output shaft of the motor in one-motor configuration time to at least three input gears of the four or more input gears. Part of the rotary transmission mechanism is removed in two-motor configuration time or three-motor configuration time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive unit and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, the following is known as an image forming apparatus including a plurality of rotating bodies and a drive unit that transmits rotational power from a motor to these rotating bodies.

A motor unit having a plurality of (for example, two) motors mounted on one motor board, and using a small variation motor as one motor in the motor unit, an image carrier (photoconductor), a charging roll, It is configured to transmit rotational power via a gear train to a transfer roll, a developing roll, etc., and a high torque motor is used as the other motor in the motor unit, and a fixing roll, a sheet transport roll, a paper discharge roll, etc. An image forming apparatus configured to transmit rotational power via a gear train (Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, according to the motor unit or the image forming apparatus, the total amount of output torque is increased without increasing the magnetic force of the motor as compared with the case where the motor unit is configured by using one motor. It has been shown that it can.

In a drive transmission device of a full color image forming apparatus that transmits the rotation of one motor to a black image forming unit and a plurality of magenta, cyan and yellow color image forming units via a plurality of drive trains, and rotationally drives each unit. Divide multiple drive trains into two
The first drive train that drives only the black image forming unit is provided with a rotational movement gear that selectively meshes with one of the two gears by forward and reverse rotation of the motor.
The second drive train that drives the color image forming unit includes a one-way clutch that selectively drives the color image forming unit by selectively transmitting the rotation of the motor by turning the motor on and off by forward / reverse rotation of the motor. Provided,
A drive transmission device capable of switching between a color mode for driving all of the black image forming unit and the color image forming unit by a forward / reverse rotation of the motor and a monochrome mode for driving only the black image forming unit, and a full color image forming device using the same (Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 2 shows that according to this drive transmission device and the like, a plurality of units can be driven using a single motor, and the units can be switched with a simple configuration.

In a drive device having at least two speed modes, one drive source (motor), at least two drive mechanisms connected to the drive source, a rotated drive body operating in conjunction with the two drive mechanisms, A speed change means for switching the speed of at least one drive mechanism of the drive mechanism in two or more stages corresponding to a speed mode, a drive apparatus having a speed change means for switching the speed change means, and an image forming apparatus using the drive apparatus (Patent Document 3).
According to Patent Document 3, according to this driving device or the like, a plurality of rotated driving bodies change the speed corresponding to the speed mode by providing speed change means in one drive source, or the speed mode is changed to the speed mode. Regardless, it is shown that a single drive source can cope with various configurations such as keeping the speed constant or changing the speed corresponding to the speed mode with different speed ratios.

JP 2001-231294 A Japanese Patent No. 5175618 JP 2008-33215 A

  The present invention provides a drive unit that can be configured by arbitrarily selecting the number of drive source motors from one to three, and an image forming apparatus using the drive unit.

The drive unit of the present invention (A1)
A plate-like support;
Four or more input gears that are rotatably provided to the support body and that directly or indirectly input rotational power to the four or more rotational driving bodies;
One motor in one motor configuration attached to the support, two motors in two motor configuration, or three motors in three motor configuration;
One through hole for passing the output shaft of the motor in the configuration of the one motor, two through holes for passing the output shaft of the motor in the configuration of the two motor, and each motor in the configuration of the three motor provided in the support body Three through-holes through which the output shaft of
A rotation transmission mechanism that is provided on the support and distributes and transmits rotational power obtained from the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration to at least three input gears of the four or more input gears;
With
A part of the rotation transmission mechanism is configured to be removed when the two-motor configuration or the three-motor configuration is configured.

The drive unit of the invention (A2) is the drive unit of the invention A1, wherein the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the configuration of the one motor is the four or more rotational drives among the four or more input gears. One of the bodies directly meshes with an input gear that directly inputs rotational power.
The drive unit of the invention (A3) is the drive unit of the invention A1 or A2,
The output gear fixed to the output shaft of the first motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly applied to one of the four or more rotary drive members among the four or more input gears. It meshes directly with the input gear to be input,
In addition, the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the second motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is used to transmit the rotational power to another one of the four or more rotational driving bodies among the four or more input gears. It is directly meshed with another input gear that inputs directly.
The drive unit according to the present invention (A4) is the drive unit according to any one of the aforementioned inventions A1 to A3, wherein the rotation transmission mechanism is constituted by a gear train in which a plurality of gears are arranged in combination. Among the four or more input gears, the remaining input gears arranged on the opposite side of the input gear with which the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration directly meshes are sandwiched. It is a part of a gear train that distributes and transmits rotational power.

The drive unit of the present invention (A5) is a drive unit used in the image forming apparatus in the drive unit of the above-described invention A1, and the four or more rotary drive members are a photosensitive member, a developing roll, and a sheet in the image forming apparatus. It includes at least a conveyance roll and a fixing rotator after the temporary stop.
The drive unit of the present invention (A6) is the drive unit of the above-described invention A5, wherein the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration is input directly to the photosensitive member for rotational power. It is directly meshed with the gear.
The drive unit of the invention (A7) is the drive unit of the invention A5 or A6.
An output gear fixed to the output shaft of the first motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly meshed with an input gear that directly inputs rotational power to the photoconductor;
In addition, the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the second motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly meshed with the input gear that directly inputs the rotational power to the developing roll.
The drive unit of this invention (A8) is the drive unit of any of the above inventions A5 to A7,
The rotation transmission mechanism is composed of a gear train arranged by combining a plurality of gears,
Part of the rotation transmission mechanism to be removed is on the opposite side of the input gear of the photoconductor with which the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration directly meshes among the four or more input gears. This is a part of a gear train that transmits the rotational power between the remaining input gears arranged at the position.

The drive unit of this invention (A9) is the drive unit of any of the above inventions A1 to A8,
A part of a gear train that is rotatably provided on the support body and that is detached from the rotation transmission mechanism meshes with a gear that is disposed at the end relatively away from the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration. With relay gear,
The relay gear includes an output gear fixed to a first gear stage in which a part of a gear of a gear train to be removed from the rotation transmission mechanism is engaged and an output shaft of one motor in the second or third motor configuration. It is comprised by the two-stage structure gear which has the 2nd gear stage which meshes | engages.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention (B1)
Comprising four or more rotary drive bodies, and a drive unit that transmits the rotational power of the motor to the four or more rotary drive bodies,
The drive unit is any one of the inventions A4 to A8.

In the image forming apparatus according to the invention (B2), in the image forming apparatus according to the invention B1, the four or more rotational driving members include at least a photosensitive member, a developing roller, a paper roll after pausing, and a fixing rotating member. It is what.
The image forming apparatus according to the invention (B3) is the image forming apparatus according to the invention B1 or B2, wherein the drive unit has the one-motor configuration.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention (B4) is the image forming apparatus according to the aforementioned invention B1 or B2, wherein the drive unit has the two-motor configuration.
The image forming apparatus according to the invention (B5) is the image forming apparatus according to the invention B1 or B2, wherein the drive unit has the three-motor configuration.

  According to the drive unit of the invention A1, the number of drive source motors can be arbitrarily selected from one to three.

In the drive unit of the invention A2, the output gear of one motor is directly meshed as compared with other rotary drive bodies that receive rotational power from an input gear that is not directly meshed with the output gear of one motor in the configuration of one motor. It is possible to stabilize the rotation of one rotary driving body that receives rotational power from the input gear.
In the drive unit of the invention A3, compared to other rotary drive bodies that receive rotational power from input gears that do not mesh directly with the output gears of the first and second motors in the configuration of the two or three motors, It is possible to stabilize the rotation of the two rotary driving bodies that receive the rotational power from the input gear that directly meshes with the output gears of the first and second motors.
In the drive unit of the invention A4, even if a part of the rotation transmission mechanism is removed when the two- or three-motor configuration is adopted, the input destination of the input gear that directly meshes with the output gear of one motor in the one-motor configuration is used. The rotational drive body can be made less susceptible to the change of the rotation transmission mechanism.

In the drive unit according to the invention A5, the number of motors for driving the rotary drive body including at least the photoconductor, the developing roll, the paper transport timing adjustment roll, and the fixing rotary body in the image forming apparatus is arbitrarily set between 1 and 3. You can select and configure.
In the drive unit of the invention A6, the output gear of one motor is directly meshed as compared with other target rotating bodies that receive rotational power from an input gear that does not mesh directly with the output gear of one motor in the configuration of one motor. It is possible to stabilize the rotation of the photosensitive member that receives the rotational power from the input gear.
In the drive unit of the invention A7, compared to other target rotating bodies that receive rotational power from input gears that do not mesh directly with the output gears of the first and second motors in the configuration of the two or three motors, It is possible to stabilize the rotation of the photosensitive member and the developing roll that receive the rotational power from the input gear that directly meshes with the output gears of the first and second motors.
In the drive unit according to the invention A8, even when a part of the rotation transmission mechanism is removed when the two- or three-motor configuration is adopted, the input destination of the input gear that directly meshes with the output gear of one motor when the one-motor configuration is adopted. It is possible to make the photosensitive member less susceptible to the change of the rotation transmission mechanism.

  In the drive unit of the invention A9, a two-stage gear can be used in common when changing from a one-motor configuration to a two- or three-motor configuration.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the invention B1, the number of motors of the drive source in the drive units of four or more rotary drive bodies can be arbitrarily selected from 1 to 3.

In the image forming apparatus according to the invention B2, the number of motors for driving the rotational driving body including at least the photosensitive member, the developing roll, the paper transport timing adjustment roll, and the fixing rotating body is arbitrarily selected from 1 to 3. Can be configured.
In the image forming apparatuses according to the above-described inventions B3 to B5, an image forming apparatus provided with a drive unit having a one-motor configuration, a two-motor configuration, or a three-motor configuration as a drive unit for rotating four or more rotary drive bodies is easily selected. Can be provided.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a part of the inside of an image forming apparatus using the drive unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a part of the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 when viewed from the back side (a state in which an exterior material is removed). FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an extracted drive unit and a target rotating body in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit which concerns on Embodiment 1 is seen from the single side | surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit of FIG. 4 is seen from the back side. It is explanatory drawing which shows the characteristic structure of the drive unit of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the through-hole and motor in the drive unit of FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a part of an image forming apparatus using a drive unit according to Embodiment 2 when viewed from the back side (a state in which an exterior material is removed). FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an extracted drive unit and a target rotating body in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 8. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit which concerns on Embodiment 2 is seen from the single side | surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit of FIG. 10 is seen from the back side. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a part of an image forming apparatus using a drive unit according to Embodiment 3 when viewed from the back side (a state in which an exterior material is removed). FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an extracted drive unit and a target rotating body in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 12. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit which concerns on Embodiment 3 is seen from the single side | surface side. It is explanatory drawing which shows a state when the drive unit of FIG. 14 is seen from the back side.

[Embodiment 1]
1 to 3 show an image forming apparatus 1A using the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a part of the inside of the image forming apparatus 1A, FIG. 2 shows a part of the image forming apparatus 1A when viewed from the back side (with the exterior material removed), and FIG. The target rotating body is extracted and shown.

<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
The image forming apparatus 1A forms an image on a recording sheet 9 which is an example of a recording material. In the first embodiment, an image is formed by receiving image information input from an external device such as an information terminal. The printer is configured to perform the above.

  The image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A includes a housing 10 made of a support structure material, an exterior material, and the like. The casing 10 has a box-like appearance as a whole, and a space having a required shape is formed inside thereof. Further, the housing 10 is formed with a discharge accommodating portion 12 that ejects and accommodates the recording paper 9 on which the image is formed on the upper surface portion 10a.

  The image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A forms an image formed with toner as a developer in the internal space of the housing 10 and transfers the toner image to the recording paper 9, and the recording supplied to the image forming apparatus 2. A sheet feeding device 3 that accommodates and sends out the sheet 9 and a fixing device 4 that fixes the toner image formed by the image forming device 2 to the recording sheet 9 are provided. Incidentally, in the image forming apparatus 1, the paper feeding device 3, the image forming device 2, and the fixing device 4 are arranged from the lower side position in the gravity direction in the internal space of the housing 10 to the paper feeding device 3, the image forming device 2, and the fixing device. They are arranged in a vertical relationship that gradually shifts to an upper position in the order of the device 4.

  The image forming apparatus 2 is configured by adopting, for example, a known electrophotographic image recording method. This image forming apparatus 2 requires a photosensitive drum 21 that is a drum-shaped photosensitive member that is rotationally driven in a direction indicated by an arrow (a clockwise direction in FIG. 1), and an outer peripheral surface that is an image forming area of the photosensitive drum 21. A charging device 22 that charges the photosensitive drum 21 at a charged potential, and an exposure device 23 that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating light (dotted line with arrows) based on required image information (signal) to the outer peripheral surface of the charged photosensitive drum 21. A developing device 24 that develops the electrostatic latent image with toner into a toner image, a transfer device 25 that transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 to the recording paper 9 supplied from the paper feeding device 3 and the like, It comprises a cleaning device 26 that removes unnecessary materials such as toner remaining on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 21 after the transfer and cleans it.

  Among them, the charging device 22 and the transfer device 25 are, for example, those in the form of a contact rotation type roll, and both of them are in contact with the rotating photosensitive drum 21 and are driven to rotate. Further, the developing device 24 includes a housing 240 that has an accommodating portion that accommodates a two-component developer including, for example, a non-magnetic toner and a magnetic carrier, and an opening facing the developing area of the photosensitive drum 21. The developing device 24 includes a developing roll 24 a that holds the developer in the housing portion while being rotationally driven inside the housing 240, and transports the developer so as to pass through the developing region of the photosensitive drum 21. Two agitating and conveying members 24b that convey a developer while being rotated and agitated, and a layer thickness regulating member 24c that regulates the amount (layer thickness) of the developer held on the developing roll 24a are installed. .

The sheet feeding device 3 accommodates a plurality of recording sheets 9 having a required size and type used for image formation in a stacked state, and a sheet accommodating body 31 such as a tray type or a cassette type, and the sheet accommodating The recording paper 9 accommodated in the body 31 is composed of a feeding device 32 that feeds the recording paper 9 one by one toward the conveyance path. For example, the paper container 31 is attached so that it can be slid with respect to the housing 10 (the basic frame) and pulled out of the housing 10, and the recording paper 9 is replenished in the state of being pulled out. Is configured to be able to. The sending device 32 sends, for example, a paper take-out roll 32a that is pulled out in contact with the uppermost paper of the recording paper 9 (bundle) housed in the paper container 31, and a paper taken out by the paper take-out roll 32a. The sheet feeding roll 32b is configured to include a sheet feeding roll 32c that prevents the excess or sheet from being delivered when there are a plurality of sheets taken out by the sheet feeding roll 32a.
The paper feeding device 3 feeds the recording paper 9 in the paper container 31 one by one by the operation of the feeding device 32 when the paper feeding time comes.

The fixing device 4 has a roll form and a belt form in which the surface temperature is heated and held at a required temperature by a heating unit (not shown) inside the casing 40 in which the introduction port and the discharge port through which the recording paper 9 passes are formed. And the like, and a pressure rotator 42 in the form of a roll or belt that contacts and rotates at a required pressure so as to be substantially along the axial direction of the heating rotator 41. ing.
The fixing device 4 introduces and passes the recording paper 9 after the toner image has been transferred to a contact portion (fixing processing portion) formed by contact between the heating rotator 41 and the pressure rotator 42. By doing so, a fixing process (heating and pressing) is performed.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A, the following paper conveyance path is provided inside the housing 10.

First, the recording paper 9 sent out from the paper feeding device 3 or the like is placed in a space portion connecting the paper feeding device 3 of the housing 10 and the transfer position of the image forming device 2 (between the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer device 25). Is fed to the transfer position.
In the paper feed conveyance path 33, a conveyance path (space) is formed by a sheet conveyance guide material, and a plurality of sheet conveyance roll pairs 34 and 35 are arranged at required positions with a gap between the conveyance paths. Among them, the paper transport roll pair 35 collides the leading portion of the paper 9 being fed with the contact portion of the roll pair in order to adjust the timing of feeding the recording paper 9 to the transfer position of the image forming unit 2 and the transport posture thereof. Then, after the paper is temporarily stopped, it is configured as a post-pause transport roll (registration roll) that transports (restarts) again at a predetermined time.

Further, in a space portion connecting between the fixing device 4 of the housing 10 and the transfer position of the image forming unit 2, an intermediate for transporting the recording sheet 9 after transfer sent from the image forming unit 2 toward the fixing device 4. A conveyance path 36 is provided. The intermediate conveyance path 36 is formed by a sheet conveyance guide material, a sheet introduction member on the inlet side of the fixing device 4, and the like.
Further, the recording sheet 9 after being fed from the fixing device 4 is transported toward the discharge accommodating portion port 12 in a space portion connecting the fixing device 4 of the casing 10 and the discharge accommodating portion 12 of the casing 10. A discharge conveyance path 37 is provided. In the discharge conveyance path 37, a conveyance path (space) is formed by a sheet conveyance guide material, and a pair of sheet discharge rollers 38, 39 and the like are arranged at a required position with a gap between the conveyance paths. Among these, the paper discharge roll pair 39 is configured as a discharge roll that discharges the recording paper 9 toward the discharge storage portion 12.

Further, in a space portion connecting the middle of the discharge conveyance path 37 and the middle of the paper feed conveyance path 33 of the housing 10, the recording paper 9 on which one side is formed and an image is formed and discharged through the discharge conveyance path 37 is displayed. A setback-type reverse retransmission path 45 is provided for retransmitting to the paper feed conveyance path 33 with the reverse side reversed.
The reverse retransmission path 45 has a conveyance path (space) formed by a sheet conveyance guide material, and a conveyance destination switching claw 46, a plurality of sheet conveyance roll pairs 47 to 49, and the like are arranged at a required position in the conveyance path. ing. The transport destination switching claw 46 swings about the support shaft 46a and opens the space of the discharge transport path 37 after the recording paper 9 on the way to be discharged by the discharge roll 39 passes through the discharge transport path 37. While being closed, the space of the reverse retransmission path 45 is displaced from a closed state to a position to be opened, and then the discharge roll 39 is stopped and reversely rotated in the direction opposite to the discharge direction. The rear part of the recording paper 9 to be conveyed (reversely sent) is guided to be sent to the reverse retransmission path 45.
In the reverse retransmission path 45, when the double-sided image forming operation is performed, the recording paper 9 on which the image is formed on one side is temporarily stopped by the stop operation of the discharge roll 39 in the middle of the conveyance of the discharge conveyance path 37, and then the conveyance destination is switched. By moving the claw 46 to a predetermined position and rotating the discharge roll 39 in the reverse direction, the recording paper 9 is drawn from the rear part to the reverse retransmission path 45 and conveyed to a merging position in the middle of the paper feed conveyance path 33. Retransmission to the paper feed path 33 is performed.

In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A includes a manual paper feeding device 15 that can feed paper from the outside of the housing 10.
The manual sheet feeder 15 swings around a fulcrum 16a at the bottom of the housing 10 and receives the recording sheet 9 supplied from the manual tray 16 and receives the recording sheet 9 for manual feeding. Thus, a manual paper feed path 17 that joins the middle position of the paper feed conveyance path 33, a feed roll 18 that feeds the recording paper 9 from the manual feed tray 16, and an extra recording paper 9 that is sent in contact with the feed roll 18 It is composed of a paper stop pad member 19 and the like for stopping the object. Of these, the manual feed tray 16 is displaced and stored so as to fit in the storage space of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. 1 when not in use, and is tilted outside the housing 10 during use. It is displaced to the paper feeding position that protrudes and becomes ready for use.
In the manual sheet feeding device 15, when manual feeding is performed, the recording paper 9 accommodated in the manual tray 16 passes between the feeding roll 18 and the sheet stop pad member 19 and is fed into the manual feeding path 17. After that, the sheet is fed to join the sheet feeding path 33.

<Configuration of drive unit>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the like, the image forming apparatus 1A includes a part of a plurality of rotation driving members (at least the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roll 24a, the paper transporting roll pair 34, the transporting after the paper is temporarily stopped). A drive unit 5A is provided that transmits the rotational power of the motor to the roll pair 35, the heating rotary body 41 of the fixing device 4, and the six rotary drive bodies of the discharge roll pair 39, and rotates the rotary drive bodies. Yes. The drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment is configured to rotationally drive the two sheet conveying roll pairs 48 and 49 of the reverse retransmission path 45 in addition to a part of the six rotational driving bodies.

  Here, each of the roll pairs 34, 35, 39, 48, 49 is in contact with the drive rolls 34 a, 35 a, 39 a, 48 a, 49 a that are rotated by receiving rotational power, and the respective drive rolls. Thus, it is combined with driven rolls 34b, 35b, 39b, 48b, 49b that are driven to rotate (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 and the like, the drive unit 5A is provided on a plate-like support 50 and the support 50 so as to be rotatable, and the six rotation drive bodies 34a, 35a, 39a, 48a, 49a. Six input gears 61 to 66 for inputting rotational power directly or indirectly to each other, one motor 7A attached to the support 50, and one motor provided to the support 50 One through hole 52 for passing the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A at the time of configuration, two through holes 53 and 54 for passing the output shaft 73 of each motor (7A, 7B) at the time of the motor configuration, and each motor at the time of the three motor configuration (7A, 7B, 7C) three through holes 55 to 57 through which the output shaft 73 is passed, and the rotational power obtained from the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the one-motor configuration provided in the support 50 are the above six inputs. Gear 61-6 And a rotation transmitting mechanism 8 for transmitting and allocating to at least three input gears 62-66 of the.
The drive unit 5A shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 is configured by applying one motor 7A as the motor 7 of the drive source. In the case of adopting the two-motor configuration and the three-motor configuration, the drive unit 5A has two motors (7A, 7B) in the two-motor configuration or three in the three-motor configuration. Motors (7A, 7B, 7C) will be attached.

Among these, the plate-like support 50 has a shape determined according to various conditions such as the configuration contents of the drive unit 5 and the arrangement location of the image forming apparatus 1. The support body 50 in Embodiment 1 has a plate-like shape similar to a parallelogram that is long in the vertical direction along the direction of gravity. The support 50 is made of, for example, a metal plate.
Further, when the drive unit 5A is used, the support 50 is driven to rotate on the back support plate 13 installed on the back side of the housing 10 of the image forming apparatus 1A as shown in FIG. It is attached by fixing with screws or the like to an attachment location (not shown) provided in an open state corresponding to the place where the body is arranged. Reference numeral 11 in FIG. 2 indicates a part of the support structure material of the housing 10. Further, reference numeral 14 in FIG. 2 indicates a casing (exterior material) of the double-sided unit in which the reverse conveyance path 45 is built, and reference numeral 30 indicates a motor that is a drive source of the feed roll 32 of the paper feeding device 3.

  The six input gears 61 to 66 are an input gear 61 that directly inputs rotational power to the photosensitive member 21, an input gear 62 that directly inputs rotational power to the developing roll 24a, and a drive of the pair of paper transporting rolls 34. An input gear 63 that directly inputs rotational power to the roll 34 a, an input gear 64 that indirectly inputs rotational power to the drive roll 35 a of the transport roll pair 35 after the paper is temporarily stopped, and a heating rotator 41 of the fixing device 4. The input gear 65 is configured to indirectly input rotational power, and the input gear 66 is configured to indirectly input rotational power to the drive roll 39 a of the discharge roll pair 39. Here, the direct input is an input gear that is provided coaxially with the rotary drive body and receives power. Indirect input is an input gear that is input via another transmission gear. Among these, the indirect input gear 64 for the transport roll pair 35 after the paper is temporarily stopped is configured as a two-stage gear having a first gear stage 64a and a second gear stage 64b having a smaller diameter. The indirect input gear 65 for the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device 4 is also configured as a two-stage gear having a first gear stage 65a and a second gear stage 65b having a smaller diameter.

In addition, the six input gears 61 to 66 are arranged on the one surface of the support body 50 in the arrangement in which the rotational drive bodies (21, 24a, 34a, 35a, 41, 39a) to be driven are actually arranged. They are arranged at matching positions (positions on the same axis) and positions corresponding to each other.
Further, the six input gears 61 to 66 are rotatably attached to respective rotation shafts (not shown) fixed to the support body 50, and are constituted by, for example, helical gears.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7, etc., one motor 7 </ b> A in the configuration of one motor protrudes from a columnar main body 71 in which the main body of the motor is built and one end of the main body 71. A cylindrical output part 72, an output shaft 73 protruding from one end of the output shaft 72, and a rectangular plate-like support part 75 that also serves as a control part and an attachment part are configured. The support part 75 is arrange | positioned so that it may be located in the boundary of the main-body part 71 and the output part 72, for example. An output gear 76 is fixed to the output shaft 73. The support portion 75 is provided with a plurality of screw holes that also serve as positioning, a cord terminal 78 for power and control signals, and the like.
Incidentally, the motor 7B in the two-motor configuration and the motor 7C in the three-motor configuration have the same configuration as the motor 7A. All of these motors 7A to 7C are configured to be attached to the surface (the other surface) opposite to the surface on which the input gear or the like is disposed in the support body 50, and at the time of attachment, the drive shaft 73 is in a state of projecting to one surface on which the input gear and the like of the support 50 are disposed.

Through hole 52 for motor 7A in the case of 1 motor configuration, 2 through holes 53 and 54 for each motor (7A, 7B) in the configuration of 2 motors, and each motor (7A, 7B, 7C) in the configuration of 3 motors As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the three through holes 55 to 57 are located at positions where the output gear 76 fixed to the output shaft 73 of each motor in the support 50 can mesh with the target input gear or the like. Provided. In particular, the through hole 52 is provided at a position where the output gear 76 of the motor 7A can mesh with the input gear 61 of the photosensitive drum 21 and a part of the transmission gear (81) of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 at the same time.
In the first embodiment, each of the through holes 52 to 57 is formed as a through hole having a size capable of fitting the output portion 72 of each motor, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, for example. Further, the through hole 53 used for one motor in the case of the two-motor configuration and the through hole 55 used for one motor in the case of the three-motor configuration are common through holes formed in the same position and with the same size.

  The rotation transmission mechanism 8 distributes and transmits the rotational power obtained from the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the configuration of one motor to the five input gears 62 to 66 of the six input gears 61 to 66. Here, in the rotation transmission mechanism 8, the number of input gears for transmitting the rotational power of the motor 7 </ b> A is not one but five, which is one less than five. The output gear 76 of the motor 7 </ b> A has one input gear 61 (photosensitive drum 21. This is because a configuration is adopted in which the rotational power is directly input to the photosensitive drum 21 from the output gear 76 by being directly meshed with the direct input gear).

  The rotation transmission mechanism 8 in the first embodiment is configured by a gear train in which a plurality of gears are arranged in combination.

  First, in the rotation transmission mechanism 8 composed of this gear train, the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the case of one motor is directly meshed, and the direct input gear 62 for the developing roll 24a and the indirect input for the conveying roll after the paper is temporarily stopped. The first transmission gear 81 is engaged with the gear 64 at the same time. The first transmission gear 81 is configured to mesh with a second transmission gear 82 described later.

The rotation transmission mechanism 8 includes four transmission gears 82 to 85 (second transmission) for connecting the first transmission gear 81 and the indirect input gear 65 for the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device in a row. A gear 82, a third transmission gear 83, a fourth transmission gear 84, and a fifth transmission gear 85).
Of these, the final fifth transmission gear 85 meshes with the indirect input gear 66 for the drive roller 39 a of the discharge roll 39. The second transmission gear 82 is configured as a two-stage structure gear having a first gear step 82a and a second gear step 82b having a smaller diameter than the first gear step 82a, and the first transmission gear 81 is connected to the first gear step 82a. The third transmission gear 83 is meshed with the second gear stage 82b. Further, the fifth transmission gear 85 is also configured as a two-stage structure gear having a first gear stage 85a and a second gear stage 85b having a smaller diameter than the first gear stage 85a, and this is a fourth transmission to the second gear stage 85b. All of the gear 84 and the indirect input gears 65 and 66 are meshed, and the first gear stage 82a is not meshed with other gears in the case of one motor configuration.

  Further, the rotation transmission mechanism 8 has three transmissions for connecting the indirect input gear 64 for the transport roll after the paper is temporarily stopped and the indirect input gear 63 for the drive roll 34a of the paper transport roll 34 in a row. Gears 86 to 88 (sixth transmission gear 86, seventh transmission gear 87, and eighth transmission gear 88) are provided.

  In addition, in this rotation transmission mechanism 8, a ninth transmission gear 802 that meshes with the indirect input gear 63 for the drive roll 34 a of the paper transport roll 34 and a second input gear 65 that meshes with the indirect input gear 65 for the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device. 10 transmission gear 803 is also provided. Among these, the ninth transmission gear 802 is configured as a two-stage structure gear having a first gear stage 802a and a second gear stage 802b having a smaller diameter. The ninth transmission gear 802 directly meshes with the input gear 301 to transmit the rotational power to the drive roll 34 a of the sheet transport roll pair 34. The tenth transmission gear 803 meshes with the first gear stage 65a of the indirect input gear 65 to rotate the heating power (via the first gear stage 65a of the indirect input gear 65 and the direct input gear 401). 41 is transmitted.

  The plurality of gears constituting the rotation transmission mechanism 8 are rotatably attached to respective rotation shafts (not shown) fixed to the support body 50, and are constituted by, for example, helical gears. Further, the number of gears, the number of teeth, and the like are selected on the basis of the rotational speed required for the rotational drive body to be driven.

  Further, among the input gears in the drive unit 5A, indirect input gears 63, 64, 65, 66 (input gears) for indirectly inputting rotational power to the rotational drive body to be driven are shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 is configured to mesh with various gears that are rotatably provided on the housing 10 side.

First, the indirect input gear 63 for the drive roll 34a of the paper transport roll 34 is meshed with a direct input gear 804 fixed coaxially with the drive roll 34a. The indirect input gear 64 for the transport roll after the paper is temporarily stopped meshes with the direct input gear 351 that is coaxially fixed to the drive roll 35a of the transport roll after the paper is temporarily stopped. After the paper is temporarily stopped, the driving roll 35a of the transport roll is provided with an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) for transmitting the rotational power input directly from the input gear 351 and shutting off when the paper is temporarily stopped. .
The indirect input gear 65 for the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device meshes with the direct input gear 401 fixed coaxially with the heating rotator 41. The indirect input gear 66 for the drive roller 39a of the discharge roll 39 meshes with the relay transmission gear 391, and the relay transmission gear 391 meshes with the direct input gear 392 fixed coaxially with the drive roller 39a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 5 </ b> A provides rotational power from the seventh transmission gear 87 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 to each of the drive rolls 48 a and 49 a of the paper transport roll pair 48 and 49 in the reverse retransmission path 45. Is transmitted via various gears provided on the housing 10 side of the image forming apparatus 1.
In this case, after the seventh transmission gear 87 meshes with the relay transmission gear 491, the relay transmission gear 491 meshes with the direct input gear 492 provided coaxially with the drive roll 49a of the sheet transport roll pair 49. ing. The seventh transmission gear 87 is connected by meshing with the direct input gear 483 provided coaxially with the drive roll 48 a of the pair of paper transport rolls 48 from the relay transmission gear 491 via the two relay transmission gears 481 and 482. Has been.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive unit 5 </ b> A applies rotational power from the indirect input gear 63 for the pair of paper transport rolls 34 to the output roll 18 of the manual transport device 15, on the case 10 side of the image forming apparatus 1. The structure which transmits via the various gears provided in is also employ | adopted.
In this case, the indirect input gear 63 is connected by meshing with a direct input gear 183 provided coaxially with the delivery roll 18 via two relay transmission gears 181 and 182.

  The drive unit 5A adopting this one-motor configuration transmits rotational power as follows.

  First, when an image forming operation is performed, in principle, the motor 7A (the output shaft 73) of one motor configuration rotates at a predetermined speed in a direction opposite to the clockwise direction in FIG.

  As a result, the motor 7A directly transmits the rotational power to the direct input gear 61 with which the output gear 67 directly meshes. As a result, the photosensitive drum 21 receives rotational power directly from the input gear 61 and rotates (in the clockwise direction). Particularly in this case, the photosensitive drum 21 is directly transmitted with the rotational power from the motor 7A. An image forming operation can be performed by rotating the photosensitive drum 21.

  At the same time, the motor 7A transmits rotational power to the first transmission gear 81 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 with which the output gear 67 directly meshes. Thereby, the transmission of the rotational power by the rotation transmission mechanism 8 developed from the first transmission gear 81 as a starting point is performed as follows.

That is, the first transmission gear 81 transmits rotational power to the direct input gear 62 that directly meshes. As a result, the developing roll 24a of the developing device 24 receives rotational power directly from the input gear 62 and rotates (in the direction opposite to the clockwise direction). The developing operation can be performed by rotating the developing roll 24a.
Further, the first transmission gear 81 transmits rotational power to the indirect input gear 64 that directly meshes. As a result, the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 35 after the paper is temporarily stopped in the paper feed transport path 33 receives rotational power from the indirect input gear 64 via the direct input gear 351 and rotates (clockwise). The drive roll 35a temporarily stops when power transmission is temporarily interrupted by the electromagnetic clutch. After the paper is temporarily stopped, the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 35 is driven to rotate so that the recording paper 9 can be sent to the transfer position.
The indirect input gear 64 transmits rotational power to the indirect input gear 63 via the sixth transmission gear 86, the seventh transmission gear 87, and the eighth transmission gear 88. As a result, the drive roll 34 a of the paper transport roll 34 in the paper feed transport path 33 receives rotational power directly via the input gear 301 and rotates (clockwise). When the drive roll 34a of the paper transport roll 34 is driven to rotate, the recording paper 9 can be transported.

On the other hand, the first transmission gear 81 transmits rotational power to the fifth transmission gear 85 via the third transmission gear 83 and the fourth transmission gear 84 with the second transmission gear 82 in the directly meshing rotation transmission mechanism 8 at the head. To do.
Thereafter, the fifth transmission gear 85 transmits the rotational power to the indirect input gear 65 that directly meshes. As a result, the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device 4 receives rotational power from the direct input gear 401 via the indirect input gear 65 and rotates (in the clockwise direction). The rotation operation of the heating rotator 41 enables a fixing operation.
The fifth transmission gear 85 also transmits rotational power to the indirect input gear 66 that directly meshes. As a result, the drive roll 39a of the discharge roll pair 39 receives the rotational power directly from the input gear 392 via the relay transmission gear 391 and rotates (clockwise). When the drive roll 39a of the discharge roll pair 39 is driven to rotate, it is possible to discharge the recording paper 9 after image formation.

  In the drive unit 5A, when performing image forming operation on both sides, an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) directly attached to the input gear 492 is provided at the stage of carrying the recording paper 6 to the reverse retransmission path 45. By being connected and transmitting power, the drive roll 48a of the pair of paper transport rolls 48 rotates.

Thus, the motor 7A transmits the rotational power to the first transmission gear 81 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 with which the output gear 67 is directly meshed. Thereby, the transmission of the rotational power by the rotation transmission mechanism 8 developed from the first transmission gear 81 as a starting point is performed as follows.
Rotational power is mainly transmitted from the first transmission gear 81 to the indirect input gear 66 via the second transmission gear 82 to the fifth transmission gear 85. As a result, the drive roll 39a of the discharge roll pair 39 receives rotational power directly from the input gear 392 via the relay transmission gear 391 and rotates (in the direction opposite to the clockwise direction). By rotating the discharge roll pair 39 in the reverse direction of the drive roll 39a, the recording paper 9 can be pulled into the reverse retransmission path 45.
Further, the rotational power is transmitted from the first transmission gear 81 to the relay transmission gear 491 via the indirect input gear 64 and the sixth transmission gear 86 to the seventh transmission gear 87. As a result, the drive rolls 48a and 49 of the paper transport rolls 48 and 49 in the reverse retransmission path 45 receive rotational power from the direct input gear 483 via the direct input gear 492 and the relay transmission gears 481 to 483 (clockwise). Drive in rotation (in the opposite direction). The rotation of each of the paper transport rollers 48 and 49 enables the paper transport operation in the reverse retransmission path 45.

In the drive unit 5A employing this one-motor configuration, the output gear 76 of the one motor 7A is directly meshed with a direct input gear 61 provided coaxially with the photosensitive drum 21. As a result, the photosensitive drum 21 is held directly via the input gear 61 by the output gear 76 of the motor 7A that is firmly fixed to the drive unit 5A. The rotation is more stable than that of a rotational drive body in which the output gear 76 of the motor 7A and the input gear are not directly meshed with each other. Thereby, it is possible to suppress image quality defects (such as image shift) that occur when the photosensitive drum 21 rotates stably and the rotation becomes unstable.
Further, since the drive unit 5A has a single motor 7A as a drive source, it is possible to reduce power consumption as compared with the case where a plurality of motors are used.

  The drive unit 5A is not limited to the one-motor configuration, and can be changed to either a two-motor configuration or a three-motor configuration. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, the drive unit 5A is configured such that a part (80) of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is detached from the support 50 when the two-motor configuration or the three-motor configuration is configured.

  The part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 includes the direct input gear 61 for the photosensitive drum 21 that directly meshes with the output gear 76 of the motor 7A in the configuration of one motor among the six input gears 61 to 66. The remaining input gears 62 to 66 arranged at the position (the input gears 62, 63, 64 arranged on the lower side which is one of the opposite positions, and the upper side which is the other position. The input gears 65, 66) employ a “gear train from the first transmission gear 81 to the fourth transmission gear 84”, which is a part of a gear train that transmits rotational power between the input gears 65, 66).

A part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is simultaneously supported and integrated with a support plate (not shown) that is different from the support 50. A part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is attached to or detached from the support 50 by a fixing means such as a screw or by releasing the fixing. Furthermore, when the part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed, the first transmission gear 81 is released from meshing with the output gear 76 and the input gears 62 and 63 of the motor 7A, and the fourth transmission gear 84 is changed to the fourth transmission gear 84. 5 is performed by releasing from meshing with the transmission gear 85. This removal work can be easily performed because only a part of the gear train needs to be removed and no special work or process is required.
Incidentally, when the part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed from the support 50, the motor 7A in the configuration of one motor is also removed in a state where the output shaft 73 is removed from the through hole 52. . Further, the support body 50 to which the motors 7 (A to C) are not attached is present in a state where the through holes 52 to 57 for passing the output shafts 73 of the respective motors described above are opened (FIG. 6). ).

  Accordingly, in the drive unit 5A and the image forming apparatus 1A using the drive unit 5A, when it is necessary to make the drive unit 5A a drive unit (5B) adopting a two-motor configuration including two motors, a rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed from the support 50, and the motor 7A in the case of 1 motor configuration is once removed from the support 50, and then the motors 7A and 7B in the case of 2 motor configuration (each output unit 72 and output shaft 73). Can be easily realized by fitting them into predetermined through-holes 53 and 54 so as to mesh with predetermined gears. This drive unit (5B) will be described later.

  When the drive unit 5A needs to be a drive unit (5C) that employs a three-motor configuration that includes three motors, a part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed from the support 50 and a one-motor configuration. After the motor 7A is removed, the motors 7A, 7B and 7C (each output portion 72 and the output shaft 73) of the three-motor configuration are fitted into the predetermined through holes 55 to 57 and meshed with the predetermined gear. It can be easily realized by attaching to. The drive unit (5C) will be described later.

[Embodiment 2]
8 to 9 show an image forming apparatus 1B using the drive unit 5B according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a part of the image forming apparatus 1B as viewed from the back side (with the exterior material removed), and FIG. 9 shows the drive unit 5B and its target rotating body.

  The image forming apparatus 1B has the same configuration as the image forming apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment except for a part of the configuration of the drive unit 5B (FIG. 1). The drive unit 5B has the same configuration as that of the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment except that the drive unit 5B is different in that a two-motor configuration is adopted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 and the like, the drive unit 5B is provided on a plate-like support 50 and the support 50 so as to be rotatable, and the six rotary drive bodies 34a, 35a, 39a, 48a, 49a, six input gears 61 to 66 that directly or indirectly input rotational power, two motors 7A and 7B that are attached to the support 50, and two-motor configuration, and the support 50. 1 through hole 52 for passing the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the 1 motor configuration, 2 through holes 53 and 54 for passing the output shaft 73 of each motor (7A, 7B) in the 3 motor configuration, and 3 motor configuration Of the motors (7A, 7B, 7C) of three through holes 55 to 57 through which the output shaft 73 passes, and the rotation obtained from the output shafts 73 of the motors 7A, 7B provided in the support 50. Power above 6 Allocated to at least four of the input gear 63 to 66 of the input gear 61 to 66 and and a rotation transmitting mechanism 8 for transmitting the.

  Here, the support body 50, the input gears 61 to 66, the motors 7A and 7B, and the through holes 52 to 57 are the support body 50, the input gears 61 to 66, the motor 7A, the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment. And it consists of the same structure as the through-holes 52-57. The rotation transmission mechanism 8 is the same as the rotation in the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment except that a part of the rotation transmission mechanism 80 (see FIG. 6 and the like) in the first embodiment is removed. The transmission mechanism 8 has the same configuration. Further, this drive unit 5B has two motors (7A) at the time of the one motor configuration or three at the time of the three motor configuration when the one motor configuration or the three motor configuration is adopted as will be described later. Motors (7A, 7B, 7C) will be attached.

  In this drive unit 5B, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the output gear 76 of the first motor 7A in the case of the two-motor configuration is connected to the direct input gear 61 of the photosensitive drum 21 and the rotation transmission mechanism 8. The fifth transmission gear 85 is configured to mesh with the fifth transmission gear 85 at the same time. Further, in this drive unit 5B, the output gear 76 of the second motor 7B in the case of the two-motor configuration is used as the direct input gear 62 of the developing roll 24a and the indirect input gear 64 of the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 34 after the paper is temporarily stopped. And are configured to mesh with each other at the same time.

The first motor 7A has its output shaft 73 attached through a through hole 54 provided at a position different from the through hole 52 used in the configuration of one motor. The through hole 54 is located at a position where the output gear 67 of the motor 7A can be simultaneously meshed with the direct input gear 61 of the photosensitive drum 21 and the fifth transmission gear 85 (the first gear stage 85a) of the rotation transmission mechanism 8. Is provided.
The second motor 7 </ b> B has its output shaft 73 attached via a through hole 53. The through hole 53 simultaneously meshes the output gear 67 of the motor 7B with the direct input gear 62 of the developing roll 24a and the indirect input gear 64 (the first gear stage 64a) of the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 34 after the paper is temporarily stopped. It is provided at a position where it can be matched.

  The drive unit 5B employing this two-motor configuration transmits rotational power as follows.

  The rotational power of the first motor 7A is directly transmitted to the photosensitive drum 21 via the direct input gear 61. The rotational power of the first motor 7A is transmitted to the first gear stage 85a of the fifth transmission gear 85 in the rotation transmission mechanism 8, and then the fixing device via the indirect input gear 65 and the direct input gear 401. 4, and is transmitted to the drive roll 39 a of the discharge roll pair 39 via the indirect input gear 66, the relay transmission gear 391, and the direct input gear 392.

  On the other hand, the rotational power of the second motor 7B is directly transmitted to the developing roll 24a via the direct input gear 62. The rotational power of the second motor 7B is transmitted to the indirect input gear 64, then directly transmitted to the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 35 after the paper is temporarily stopped via the input gear 401, and the rotation is transmitted. The mechanism 8 is transmitted to the drive roll 34 a of the pair of paper transport rolls 34 via the sixth transmission gear 86 to the eighth transmission gear 88, the indirect input gear 63, and the direct input gear 301. Note that the rotational power of the second motor 7B starts from the seventh transmission gear 87 in the rotation transmission mechanism 8 in the same manner as in the drive unit 7A according to the first embodiment, and the pair of paper transport rolls 48 in the reverse retransmission path 45, It is also transmitted to 49 drive rolls 48a and 49a, respectively.

Further, in the drive unit 5B employing this two-motor configuration, the output gear 76 of the first motor 7A is directly meshed with the direct input gear 61 provided coaxially with the photosensitive drum 21. As a result, the photosensitive drum 21 is less susceptible to external vibrations and impacts, as in the case of the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment that employs a one-motor configuration, and the rotation thereof directly with the output gear 76 of the motor 7A. It becomes more stable than a rotary drive body in which the input gear is not directly meshed. Further, since the photosensitive drum 21 rotates stably in this way, it is possible to suppress image quality defects (such as image shift) that occur when the rotation becomes unstable.
In the drive unit 5B, the output gear 76 of the second motor 7B is directly meshed with a direct input gear 62 provided coaxially with the developing roll 24a. As a result, as in the case of the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roll 24 a is less susceptible to external vibrations and shocks, and the rotation of the developing roll 24 a is higher than that of a rotary drive body in which the output gear 76 of the motor 7B and the input gear are not directly meshed with each other. And stable. In addition, since the developing roll 24a rotates stably as described above, it is possible to suppress the development failure that occurs when the rotation becomes unstable.

  Further, this drive unit 5B uses two motors 7A and 7B as drive source motors, and rotational drive of the photosensitive drum 21, the heating rotator 41 of the fixing device 4 and the discharge roll pair 39 by one of the motors 7A. The body group A is driven, and the other motor 7B is driven by two hands (2) so as to drive the rotation driving body group B such as the paper conveyance roll pair 34 and the paper conveyance roll pair 65 after the paper is temporarily stopped. It is configured so as to transmit rotational power divided into two groups A and B). For this reason, for example, it becomes possible to adjust a rotational speed between the rotational drive body group A and the rotational drive body group B by making the rotational speeds of the two motors 7A and 7B different.

  Further, in the drive unit 5B, the fourth transmission disposed at the end relatively away from the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the configuration of one motor among the part 80 of the gear train from which the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed. A fifth transmission gear 85 is provided as a relay gear meshing with the gear 84, and the fifth transmission gear 85 is constituted by a two-stage structure gear having the first gear stage 85a and the second gear stage 85b as described above. In addition, the output shaft 76 of the first motor 7 </ b> A is configured to mesh with the first gear stage 85 a of the fifth transmission gear 85. Thereby, when changing from 1 motor configuration to 2 motor configuration (or 3 motor configuration), the first gear stage 85a and the second gear stage 85b in the fifth transmission gear 85 of the two-stage gear are connected to the end of the rotation transmission mechanism 8. By properly using the transmission gear 84 and the output gear 76 of the motor 7A, it is possible to eliminate the need to change the rotational speed of the motor 7A.

  The drive unit 5B is not limited to a two-motor configuration, and can be changed to a one-motor configuration or a three-motor configuration. For this reason, the drive unit 5B can be detached from the support body 50 when a part (80) of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is configured with two motors or configured with three motors as described in the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment. The configuration is adopted (see FIG. 6).

  Therefore, in the drive unit 5B and the image forming apparatus 1B using the drive unit 5B, when it is necessary to use a drive unit (5A) that adopts a single motor configuration for the drive unit 5B, a part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is used. The motor 7A and 7B in the two-motor configuration are temporarily detached from the support 50 after being attached to the support 50, and the motor 7A (the output unit 72 and the output shaft 73) in the one-motor configuration is inserted into a predetermined through hole 52. It can be easily realized by fitting and attaching so as to mesh with a predetermined gear. This drive unit (5A) is as described in the first embodiment.

  When the drive unit 5B needs to be a drive unit (5C) adopting a three-motor configuration, the part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed from the support 50 and the two-motor configuration is used. After the motors 7A and 7B are once removed from the support 50, the motors 7A, 7B, and 7C (each output portion 72 and the output shaft 73) of the three-motor configuration are fitted into predetermined through holes 55 to 57 and predetermined. It can be easily realized by mounting so as to mesh with the gear. The drive unit (5C) will be described later.

[Embodiment 3]
12 to 13 show an image forming apparatus 1C using the drive unit 5C according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a part of the image forming apparatus 1C when viewed from the back side (a state in which the exterior material is removed), and FIG. 13 shows the drive unit 5C and the target rotating body extracted.

  The image forming apparatus 1C has the same configuration as the image forming apparatus 1A according to the first embodiment except for a part of the configuration of the drive unit 5C (FIG. 1). The drive unit 5C has the same configuration as the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment except that the drive unit 5C is different in that a three-motor configuration is adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 15 and the like, the drive unit 5C is provided on a plate-like support 50 and the support 50 so as to be rotatable, and the six rotary drive bodies 34a, 35a, 39a, 48a, 49a, six input gears 61 to 66 that directly or indirectly input rotational power, three motors 7A, 7B, and 7C that are attached to the support body 50 in a three-motor configuration, and the support body 50 One through-hole 52 through which the output shaft 73 of the motor 7A in the case of one motor configuration is provided, two through-holes 53, 54 through which the output shaft 73 of each motor (7A, 7B) in the case of the motor configuration is passed, and three motors Three through holes 55 to 57 through which the output shaft 73 of each motor (7A, 7B, 7C) at the time of configuration is passed, and each output shaft 73 of the motor 7A, 7B, 7C at the time of the three-motor configuration provided in the support 50. Rotating from Power and a rotation transmitting mechanism 8 for transmitting and allocating to at least four of the input gear 63 to 66 of the six input gears 61-66.

  Here, the support body 50, the input gears 61 to 66, the motors 7A, 7B, and 7C, and the through holes 52 to 57 are the support body 50, the input gears 61 to 66, and the motor in the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment. 7A and the same structure as the through-holes 52-57. The rotation transmission mechanism 8 is the same as the rotation in the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment except that a part of the rotation transmission mechanism 80 (see FIG. 6 and the like) in the first embodiment is removed. The transmission mechanism 8 has the same configuration. Further, this drive unit 5C has two motors (7A) at the time of one motor configuration or three at the time of the two motor configuration when the one motor configuration or the two motor configuration is adopted as will be described later. Motors (7A, 7B) will be attached.

  In the drive unit 5C, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the output gear 76 of the first motor 7A in the case of the three-motor configuration is directly meshed with the direct input gear 61 of the photosensitive drum 21. It is composed. Further, in this drive unit 5C, the output gear 76 of the second motor 7B in the three-motor configuration is used as the direct input gear 62 of the developing roll 24a and the indirect input gear 64 of the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 34 after the paper is temporarily stopped. And are configured to mesh with each other at the same time. Further, the drive unit 5C is configured so that the output gear 76 of the third motor 7C in the three-motor configuration is meshed with the fifth transmission gear 85 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8.

The first motor 7A has its output shaft 73 attached through a through hole 56 provided at a position different from the through hole 52 used in the configuration of one motor. The through hole 56 is provided at a position where the output gear 67 of the motor 7A can be meshed only with the direct input gear 61 of the photosensitive drum 21.
The second motor 7 </ b> B has its output shaft 73 attached through a through hole 55. As described above, the through hole 55 has the same configuration as the through hole 53 in the drive unit 5B according to the second embodiment, and the output gear 67 of the motor 7B is connected to the direct input gear 62 of the developing roll 24a and the paper temporarily. It is provided at a position where it can mesh with the indirect input gear 64 (the first gear stage 64a) of the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 34 after stopping.
Further, the third motor 7 </ b> C has its output shaft 73 attached through a through hole 57. The through hole 57 is provided at a position where the output gear 67 of the motor 7 </ b> A can be meshed only with the first gear stage 85 a of the fifth transmission gear 85 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8.

  The drive unit 5C adopting this three-motor configuration transmits rotational power as follows.

The rotational power of the first motor 7A is directly transmitted to the photosensitive drum 21 via the direct input gear 61.
The rotational power of the second motor 7B is directly transmitted to the developing roll 24a via the direct input gear 62. The rotational power of the second motor 7B is transmitted to the indirect input gear 64, then directly transmitted to the drive roll 35a of the transport roll 35 after the paper is temporarily stopped via the input gear 401, and the rotation is transmitted. The mechanism 8 is transmitted to the drive roll 34 a of the pair of paper transport rolls 34 via the sixth transmission gear 86 to the eighth transmission gear 88, the indirect input gear 63, and the direct input gear 301. Note that the rotational power of the second motor 7B starts from the seventh transmission gear 87 in the rotation transmission mechanism 8 in the same manner as in the drive unit 7A according to the first embodiment, and the pair of paper transport rolls 48 in the reverse retransmission path 45, It is also transmitted to 49 drive rolls 48a and 49a, respectively.

  Further, the rotational power of the third motor 7C is transmitted to the first gear stage 85a of the fifth transmission gear 85 in the rotation transmission mechanism 8, and then the fixing device via the indirect input gear 65 and the direct input gear 401. 4, and is transmitted to the drive roll 39 a of the discharge roll pair 39 via the indirect input gear 66, the relay transmission gear 391, and the direct input gear 392.

Further, in the drive unit 5C adopting this three-motor configuration, the output gear 76 of the first motor 7A is directly meshed with the direct input gear 61 provided coaxially with the photosensitive drum 21. As a result, the photosensitive drum 21 is less susceptible to external vibrations and impacts, as in the case of the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment that employs a one-motor configuration, and the rotation thereof directly with the output gear 76 of the motor 7A. It becomes more stable than a rotary drive body in which the input gear is not directly meshed. Further, since the photosensitive drum 21 rotates stably in this way, it is possible to suppress image quality defects (such as image shift) that occur when the rotation becomes unstable.
In the drive unit 5C, the output gear 76 of the second motor 7B is directly meshed with the direct input gear 62 provided coaxially with the developing roll 24a. As a result, as in the case of the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roll 24 a is less susceptible to external vibrations and shocks, and the rotation of the developing roll 24 a is higher than that of a rotary drive body in which the output gear 76 of the motor 7B and the input gear are not directly meshed with each other. And stable. In addition, since the developing roll 24a rotates stably as described above, it is possible to suppress the development failure that occurs when the rotation becomes unstable.

  Further, this drive unit 5C uses three motors 7A, 7B, and 7C as drive source motors, and the first motor 7A drives the rotational drive body group C of the photosensitive drum 21, and the two of them. The rotary motor group D such as the paper conveyance roll pair 34 and the conveyance roll pair 65 after the paper is temporarily stopped is driven by the eye motor 7B, and the heating rotary body 41 and the discharge roll pair of the fixing device 4 are driven by the third motor 7C. In order to drive 39 rotational drive body groups E, a plurality of rotational drive bodies are divided into three groups (C, D, E) to transmit rotational power. Therefore, for example, the rotational speeds of the three motors 7A, 7B, and 7C can be adjusted by adjusting the rotational speed among the rotational drive body group C, the rotational drive body group D, and the rotational drive body group E. Become.

  The drive unit 5C is not limited to a three-motor configuration, and can be changed to a one-motor configuration or a two-motor configuration. For this reason, the drive unit 5C employs a configuration in which a part (80) of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 can be detached from the support 50 when the two-motor configuration is used, as described in the drive unit 5A according to the first embodiment. (See FIG. 6).

  Therefore, in the drive unit 5C and the image forming apparatus 1C using the drive unit 5C, when it is necessary to use a drive unit (5A) that adopts a single motor configuration for the drive unit 5C, the part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is used. The motor 7A (the output portion 72 and the output shaft 73) in the one-motor configuration is attached to a predetermined through hole after the motors 7A, 7B, and 7C in the three-motor configuration are temporarily detached from the support 50 and attached to the support 50. It can be easily realized by fitting into 52 and fitting so as to mesh with a predetermined gear. This drive unit (5A) is as described in the first embodiment.

  When the drive unit 5C needs to be a drive unit (5B) adopting a two-motor configuration, the part 80 of the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is removed from the support body 50 and the three-motor configuration is used. After the motors 7A, 7B, and 7C are once removed from the support 50, the motors 7A and 7B (the respective output portions 72 and the output shaft 73) in the case of the two-motor configuration are fitted into the predetermined through-holes 53 and 54, It can be easily realized by mounting so as to mesh with the gear. This drive unit (5B) is as described in the second embodiment.

[Other embodiments]
In the first to third embodiments, six rotation driving bodies (photosensitive drum 21, developing roll 24a, paper conveyance roll pair 34, and paper conveyance roll pair 35 after paper suspension are used as the rotation driving bodies to be driven by the driving units 5A to 5C. , A heating rotary member 41 of the fixing device 4 and six rotary drive members of the discharge roll pair 39) and two rotary drive members (two paper transport roll pairs 48 and 49 of the reverse retransmission path 45) in total. The case where the rotational drive body was made into object was illustrated. However, with respect to the drive unit 5 (A to C), for example, at least from the viewpoint of maintaining the rotational stability of the rotary drive body to be driven and thus the image quality, at least the photosensitive drum 21, the developing roll 24a, and the transport roll after the paper is temporarily stopped. It is also possible to adopt a configuration for the four rotation driving bodies, that is, the pair 35 and the heating rotating body 41 of the fixing device 4.

  In addition, the rotation transmission mechanism 8 is not limited to the gear train exemplified in the first to third embodiments, but may be another type. As another type of rotation transmission mechanism 8, for example, a belt type or the like may be used alone or in combination with a gear train.

  Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the image forming apparatus 1 that forms a toner image is exemplified as the image forming apparatus 1, but another image recording system may be adopted.

  In addition, in Embodiments 1 to 3, the drive unit used in the image forming apparatus is exemplified as the drive unit 5. For example, four or more rotary drive bodies are driven by any number of the motors 7. It is also possible to configure as a drive unit of an object (an apparatus having four or more rotational drive bodies) that can be made to operate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus 1A ... Image forming apparatus 1B using the drive unit which employ | adopted 1 motor structure ... Image forming apparatus 1C using the drive unit which employ | adopted 2 motor structure ... The drive unit which employ | adopted 3 motor structure was used Image forming apparatus 5 ... Drive unit 5A ... Drive unit 5B adopting 1 motor configuration ... Drive unit 5C adopting 2 motor configuration ... Drive unit 7 adopting 3 motor configuration ... Motor 7A ... First motor 7B ... 2 First motor 8 ... Rotation transmission mechanism (gear train)
21 ... Photosensitive drum (rotary drive)
24a ... developing roll (rotary drive)
35 ... Pair of transport rolls after rotation of paper (rotation drive)
41... Rotating body for heating (rotating drive, fixing rotator)
52 ... one through hole 53, 54 ... two through holes 55, 56, 57 ... three through holes 61 ... direct input gear (input gear for photoconductor)
62 ... Direct input gear (development roll input gear)
64: Indirect input gear (input gear for transport roll after paper is temporarily stopped)
65. Indirect input gear (input gear for fixing rotor)
60 ... Foundation frame (example of second support)
73 ... Output shaft 76 ... Output gear 80 ... Part 85 removed from the rotation transmission mechanism ... Fifth transmission gear (two-stage gear)

Claims (14)

A plate-like support;
Four or more input gears that are rotatably provided to the support body and that directly or indirectly input rotational power to the four or more rotational driving bodies;
One motor in one motor configuration attached to the support, two motors in two motor configuration, or three motors in three motor configuration;
One through hole for passing the output shaft of the motor in the configuration of the one motor, two through holes for passing the output shaft of the motor in the configuration of the two motor, and each motor in the configuration of the three motor provided in the support body Three through-holes through which the output shaft of
A rotation transmission mechanism that is provided on the support and distributes and transmits rotational power obtained from the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration to at least three input gears of the four or more input gears;
With
A part of said rotation transmission mechanism is comprised so that it may be removed at the time of the said 2 motor structure or a 3 motor structure, The drive unit characterized by the above-mentioned.   The output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration is directly connected to the input gear that directly inputs the rotational power to one of the four or more rotational driving bodies among the four or more input gears. The drive unit according to claim 1, which is meshed. The output gear fixed to the output shaft of the first motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly applied to one of the four or more rotary drive members among the four or more input gears. It meshes directly with the input gear to be input,
In addition, the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the second motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is used to transmit the rotational power to another one of the four or more rotational driving bodies among the four or more input gears. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is directly meshed with another input gear that inputs directly. The rotation transmission mechanism is composed of a gear train arranged by combining a plurality of gears,
A part of the rotation transmission mechanism to be removed is arranged at a position on the opposite side across the input gear directly meshing with the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration among the four or more input gears. 4. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is a part of a gear train that distributes and transmits rotational power to the remaining input gear. A drive unit used in an image forming apparatus,
2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the four or more rotary drive members include at least a photosensitive member, a developing roll, a paper roll after temporary stop, and a fixing rotary member in the image forming apparatus.   6. The drive unit according to claim 5, wherein an output gear fixed to an output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration is directly meshed with an input gear that directly inputs rotational power to the photoconductor. An output gear fixed to the output shaft of the first motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly meshed with an input gear that directly inputs rotational power to the photoconductor;
The output gear fixed to the output shaft of the second motor in the configuration of the two or three motors is directly meshed with an input gear that directly inputs rotational power to the developing roll. The described drive unit. The rotation transmission mechanism is composed of a gear train arranged by combining a plurality of gears,
Part of the rotation transmission mechanism to be removed is on the opposite side of the input gear of the photoconductor with which the output gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration directly meshes among the four or more input gears. The drive unit according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the drive unit is a part of a gear train that transmits rotational power between the remaining input gears arranged at a position of. A part of a gear train that is rotatably provided on the support body and that is detached from the rotation transmission mechanism meshes with a gear that is disposed at the end relatively away from the output shaft of the motor in the one-motor configuration. With relay gear,
The relay gear includes an output gear fixed to a first gear stage in which a part of a gear of a gear train to be removed from the rotation transmission mechanism is engaged and an output shaft of one motor in the second or third motor configuration. The drive unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the drive unit is constituted by a two-stage structure gear having a meshing second gear stage. Comprising four or more rotary drive bodies, and a drive unit that transmits the rotational power of the motor to the four or more rotary drive bodies,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the drive unit is the drive unit according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the four or more rotational driving members include at least a photosensitive member, a developing roll, a paper roll after temporary stop, and a fixing rotating member.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the drive unit has the one-motor configuration.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the drive unit has the two-motor configuration.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the drive unit has the three-motor configuration.

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