JP2016126044A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which: in a conventional image forming apparatus, since an operation part rotates in association with rotation of a rotary unit, visibility or operability of the operation part is reduced.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises a rotatable image reading unit 40, and an operation part 42 that is provided rotatably on a first rotation shaft 55 with respect to the image reading unit 40. The operation part 42 includes at least one of a display part 42b that displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1 and an input part 42c that performs input related to the image forming apparatus 1. The operation part 42 rotates on the first rotation shaft 55 in association with the rotation of the rotary unit 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

  An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system is widely used as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or the like. An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method includes an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum, a charging unit that uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image formed by exposing the surface of the image carrier. An exposure unit to be formed, a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image, a transfer unit that transfers the developer image to a medium such as printing paper, and a fixing unit that fixes the developer image to the medium are provided. Some image forming apparatuses are provided with an image reading unit for reading an image on a document (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such an image forming apparatus, the top cover or the image reading unit is provided so that the inside of the image forming apparatus can be easily accessed when removing a jammed medium or attaching / detaching a replacement part. The rotating unit is configured to be rotatable with respect to the main body. The rotation unit is provided with an operation unit for displaying the state of the image forming apparatus and performing various settings.

JP 2013-251603 A (see FIG. 1)

  However, in the image forming apparatus configured as described above, the operation unit also rotates with the rotation of the rotation unit, so that the visibility or operability of the operation unit deteriorates.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of improving the visibility or operability of an operation unit.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided with a rotatable rotation unit, and is rotatable with respect to the rotation unit about a first rotation axis, and displays the state of the image forming apparatus. And an operation unit having at least one of an input unit that performs input related to the display unit and the image forming apparatus. The operation unit rotates about the first rotation axis as the rotation unit rotates.

  According to the present invention, since the operation unit rotates as the rotation unit rotates, the visibility or operability of the operation unit can be improved.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an image reading unit of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at the support structure of the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment, and an operation part from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the support structure of the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment, and an operation part from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the support structure of the image reading unit and operation part of 1st Embodiment from the downward direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the support structure of the operation part of 1st Embodiment from the downward direction. It is a perspective view which removes and shows an operation part and a cover member from FIG. It is a perspective view which removes and shows an operation part and a cover member from FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the operation part support part of 1st Embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the operation part support part of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the slide member of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the cover part of the cover member of 1st Embodiment, and the cover part of an operation part support part. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating control of the rotation position centering on the 1st rotation axis of the operation part support part of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating control of the rotation position centering on the 1st rotation axis of the operation part support part of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating control of the rotation position centering on the 2nd rotation axis of the operation part of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating control of the rotation position centering on the 2nd rotation axis of the operation part of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment exists in a closed position. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment is rotated in the open direction from the closed position. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment is rotated further in the opening direction. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment is rotated further in the opening direction. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment exists in an open position. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation position adjustment of an operation part when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment exists in an open position. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation position adjustment of an operation part when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment exists in an open position. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment is rotated in the closing direction from an open position. It is a figure which shows an image reading unit, an operation part, and these support structures when the image reading unit of 1st Embodiment is rotated further in the closing direction.

First embodiment.
<Overall configuration of image forming apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus 1, four image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C are arranged in a casing 100 along a medium conveyance path (from the right side to the left side in FIG. 1). The image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C (process units) form black, yellow, magenta, and cyan developer images (toner images).

  Below the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C, a paper feed cassette 24 (medium accommodating portion) is disposed as a medium supplying portion that accommodates a medium such as printing paper. On one side (here, the right side) of the paper feed cassette 24, a paper feed roller 11 (medium supply unit) for feeding the media one by one is disposed.

  Along the conveyance path of the medium from the paper feed cassette 24 to the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C, the first inlet sensor 12L, the first conveyance rollers 14R and 14P, the second inlet sensor 12U, and the second Conveying rollers 15R and 15P and a writing sensor 13 are arranged.

  The first transport roller 14R and the second transport roller 15R are rotated by a paper feed motor 811 (FIG. 4) described later. The first transport roller 14P and the second transport roller 15P are pressed against the first transport roller 14R and the second transport roller 15R, respectively. By the rotation of the first transport roller 14R and the second transport roller 15R, the medium sent out from the paper feed cassette 24 is transported toward the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, 2C. The first inlet sensor 12L, the second inlet sensor 12U, and the writing sensor 13 detect the position of the medium in the conveyance path.

  A transfer unit 27 is provided so as to face the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C. The transfer unit 27 includes a conveyor belt 18 that is an endless belt, and a belt driving roller 17 and a belt driven roller 16 around which the conveyor belt 18 is stretched. The belt driven roller 16 is biased in a direction away from the belt driving roller 17 by a biasing member such as a spring, and applies a certain tension to the transport belt 18. The belt driving roller 17 is rotated by a conveyor belt motor 801 (FIG. 4) and causes the conveyor belt 18 to travel. The transport belt 18 transports the medium by electrostatically attracting the medium to the surface (outer peripheral surface).

  Further, a transfer member is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the conveyance belt 18 so as to face the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C (described later) of the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C with the conveyance belt 18 interposed therebetween. Transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C are arranged. A transfer voltage is applied to the transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C by a transfer voltage controller 770 (FIG. 4).

  The medium adsorbed on the surface of the conveyor belt 18 by the traveling of the conveyor belt 18 is the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, 4C of the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, 2C and the transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, 10C. (Transfer nip part) between the two.

  A fixing unit 28 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, 2C and the transfer unit 27 in the medium transport direction. The fixing unit 28 includes a fixing roller 19 having a heating element 791 (FIG. 4) such as a halogen lamp inside, and a backup roller 20 pressed against the fixing roller 19.

  The fixing roller 19 is rotated by a fixing motor 793 (FIG. 4). The surface temperature of the fixing roller 19 is detected by a thermistor 792 (FIG. 4). The heating element 791 inside the fixing roller 19 is heat-controlled by the fixing control unit 790 (FIG. 4) based on the output temperature of the thermistor 792. In the fixing nip portion formed by the fixing roller 19 and the backup roller 20, the medium is heated and pressurized.

  On the downstream side of the fixing unit 28 in the medium transport direction, a discharge sensor 21 for detecting the medium, discharge rollers 22 and 23 for discharging the medium, and a discharge tray on which the medium discharged by the discharge rollers 22 and 23 is placed. 31 are arranged. The discharge roller 23 is pressed against the discharge roller 22. The discharge roller 22 is rotated by the fixing motor 793 (FIG. 4), conveys the medium, and discharges it from the discharge port.

  The image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C described above are respectively photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C as image carriers, charging rollers 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C as charging members, and an exposure unit. LED heads 3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C, developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, 6C as developer carriers, sponge rollers 9K, 9Y, 9M, 9C as developer supply members, and developer layers Developing blades 8K, 8Y, 8M, and 8C as forming members, toner tanks 7K, 7Y, 7M, and 7C as developer accommodating portions, and cleaning members 26K, 26Y, 26M, and 26C are provided.

  The photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C are substantially cylindrical members having photosensitive layers (a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer) on the surface. The photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C are rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing by drive motors 781, 782, 783, and 784 (FIG. 4). The charging rollers 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C are given a charging voltage by the charging voltage control unit 740 (FIG. 4), and uniformly charge the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C, respectively.

  The LED heads 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C are driven and controlled by a head controller 750 (FIG. 4), and the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C are exposed according to image information of each color, and electrostatic latent Form an image.

  The developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C are given a developing voltage by the developing voltage controller 760 (FIG. 4), and the electrostatic latent images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C are converted into toners (developing). Develop with an agent. The sponge rollers 9K, 9Y, 9M, and 9C supply toner to the developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C. The toner tanks 7K, 7Y, 7M, and 7C supply toner to the sponge rollers 9K, 9Y, 9M, and 9C. The developing blades 8K, 8Y, 8M, and 8C regulate the thickness of the toner thin layer formed on the surface of the developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C.

  The transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C described above transfer the toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C to the medium on the conveyance belt 18. The cleaning members 26K, 26Y, 26M, and 26C remove transfer residual toner remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C.

  In FIG. 1, a direction parallel to the medium transport direction when passing through the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C is defined as an X direction. In particular, the conveyance direction of the medium when passing through the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C is the + X direction (rear), and the opposite direction is the −X direction (front). Further, the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C is defined as the Y direction. The Y direction is a direction orthogonal to the X direction. A direction perpendicular to the XY plane (a plane parallel to the X direction and the Y direction) is taken as a Z direction. Here, the XY plane is a horizontal plane, and the Z direction is a vertical direction.

  Note that the image forming apparatus 1 discharges a medium transport path and a duplex transport unit 25 for re-transporting a medium on which single-sided printing has been completed to the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C during duplex printing. And a solenoid for switching between the side and the duplex printing unit 25 side. Further, rollers (not shown) are arranged in the medium conveyance path at intervals smaller than the minimum interval of the media. Detailed description of these will be omitted.

  The above components are accommodated in the housing 100 of the image forming apparatus 1. The paper feed cassette 24 and the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C are detachably attached to the housing 100, respectively.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a top cover 43 on the upper side of the housing 100. The top cover 43 is supported by the housing 100 so as to be rotatable about a support shaft 43a in the Y direction. By rotating the top cover 43 upward, the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C inside the housing 100 can be attached and detached.

<Configuration of image reading unit>
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, an image reading unit 40 as a rotation unit is attached to the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1. The image reading unit 40 is supported by an upper support 101 provided on the housing 100.

  The image reading unit 40 includes a document tray 401 on which a document is placed, a transport unit 402 that transports a document, a medium stacking unit 403 that loads a document after scanning, and a flat bed 408 that supports them. Yes. The document tray 401, the conveyance unit 402, and the medium stacking unit 403 constitute an automatic document feeder (ADF) 405.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a basic configuration of the image reading unit 40. The flat bed 408 includes a placement unit 407 made of a glass plate on which a document is placed, and a reading unit 410 that optically reads an image of the document on the placement unit 407. The reading unit 410 reads an image of a document that is conveyed by the ADF 405 and passes a predetermined reading position.

  The transport unit 402 includes a feed roller 411 and a tongue piece 412, a paper feed roller 413, a transport path 414, a paper feed roller 415, and a discharge roller 416. The feed roller 411 and the tongue piece 412 separate the originals (indicated by the symbol D) placed on the original tray 401 one by one and send them out to the conveyance path 414. The paper feed rollers 413 and 415 convey the document D along the conveyance path 414 and convey it to the reading position of the reading unit 410. The discharge roller 416 discharges the document D that has passed the reading position onto the medium stacking unit 403.

  The ADF 405 is supported by the flat bed 408 so as to be rotatable around a support shaft in the Y direction. When the ADF 405 is rotated upward, the operator can place the document D on the placement unit 407 and read the image of the document D by moving the reading unit 410 straight in the Y direction. The detailed description of is omitted.

<Control system for image forming apparatus>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The image forming control unit 700 of the image forming apparatus 1 receives control commands and print data from the host device and performs overall sequence control of the image forming apparatus 1. The image formation control unit 700 includes a microprocessor, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output port, a timer, and the like.

  The I / F control unit 710 is an interface control unit that analyzes a control command received from a host device such as a personal computer and processes print data received from the host device. The reception memory 720 temporarily stores print data received from the host device for each color based on the control of the I / F control unit 710. The image data editing memory 730 receives the print data of each color temporarily stored in the reception memory 720, and edits and stores the print data as image data for output to the head control unit 750.

  The operation unit 42 includes a display unit 42b for displaying the state of the image forming apparatus 1 and an input unit 42c for inputting an operator's instruction. The display unit 42b is a display such as a liquid crystal display unit. The input unit 42c (also referred to as an input unit) is a button or a touch panel.

  The various sensors 702 include a plurality of sensors (a first inlet sensor 12L, a second inlet sensor 12U, a writing sensor 13, and a discharge sensor 21) for detecting the transport position of the medium. Information from each sensor is output to the image formation control unit 700.

  The charging voltage control unit 740 controls the voltage applied to the charging rollers 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700. The head control unit 750 controls the light emission of the LED heads 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C based on the image data output from the image data editing memory 730 based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700.

  The development voltage control unit 760 controls the development voltage applied to the development rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700. The transfer voltage control unit 770 controls the transfer voltage applied to the transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700.

  The image formation drive control unit 780 controls the rotation of the drive motors 781, 782, 783, 784 based on instructions from the image formation control unit 700. The photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C and the developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C are rotated by the rotation of the drive motors 781, 782, 783, and 784. The charging rollers 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C and the transfer rollers 10K, 10Y, 10M, and 10C rotate following the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C.

  The fixing control unit 790 controls the fixing temperature based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700. In other words, the fixing control unit 790 controls the voltage applied to the heating element 791 of the fixing roller 19 based on the surface temperature of the fixing roller 19 detected by the thermistor 792. The fixing control unit 790 also controls the rotation of the fixing motor 793. The fixing roller 19 and the discharge roller 22 are rotated by the rotation of the fixing motor 793.

  The conveyance belt control unit 800 controls the rotation of the conveyance belt motor 801 based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700. Due to the rotation of the conveyor belt motor 801, the belt driving roller 17 rotates and the conveyor belt 18 travels.

  The paper feed / conveyance drive control unit 810 controls the rotation of the paper feed motor 811 and the conveyance motor 812 based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700. By the rotation of the paper feed motor 811 and the transport motor 812, the paper feed roller 11, the first transport roller 14R, and the second transport roller 15R rotate to feed and transport the medium to the transport belt 18.

  The image forming control unit 700 also receives image data of a document read by the reading unit 410 from the image reading control unit 900 of the image reading unit 40. In this case, when the operator presses, for example, a copy button of the input unit 42c of the operation unit 42, the image reading control unit 900 controls the ADF 405 and the reading unit 410 to read the document, and the read image data is read. The print data is output to the image formation control unit 700 together with the control command (print instruction).

  Here, individual drive motors 781, 782, 783, and 784 are used to drive the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C of the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C. It is not limited, For example, the structure driven with a single drive motor may be sufficient.

<Basic operation of image forming apparatus>
Next, the basic operation of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described. The image formation control unit 700 receives a print instruction and print data transmitted from the host device via the I / F control unit 710. The image formation control unit 700 may also receive a print instruction and print data from the image reading control unit 900. Upon receiving the print instruction, the image formation control unit 700 instructs the paper feed / conveyance drive control unit 810 to set a predetermined transport speed, rotates the paper feed roller 11, and feeds the media one by one from the paper feed cassette 24.

  The image formation control unit 700 determines whether or not the sheet feeding roller 11 has normally fed based on the timing when the entrance sensor 12L detects the medium. The paper feeding operation by the paper feeding roller 11 is performed again. In addition, after the entrance sensor 12L detects the leading edge of the medium, the image forming control unit 700 starts the rotation of the first conveying roller 14R after a lapse of a predetermined time, so that the leading edge of the medium is moved to the first conveying rollers 14R and 14P. The skew of the medium is corrected by abutting against the nip portion.

  The medium conveyed by the first conveying rollers 14R and 14P is further conveyed to the image forming unit 2K by the second conveying rollers 15R and 15P. In the image forming units 2K, 2Y, 2M, and 2C, the image forming drive control unit 780 starts rotating the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C almost simultaneously with the start of the rotation of the paper feed roller 11.

  The charging voltage control unit 740 applies a charging voltage (about −1000 V) to the charging rollers 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C based on an instruction from the image formation control unit 700, and thereby the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C. Are uniformly charged. The toner (developer) supplied from the toner tanks 7K, 7Y, 7M, and 7C is supplied to the developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C via the sponge rollers 9K, 9Y, 9M, and 9C. The toner adhering to the surfaces of the developing rollers 6K, 6Y, 6M, and 6C is frictionally charged by the developing blades 8K, 8Y, 8M, and 8C to form a thin toner layer having a constant thickness. Further, simultaneously with the start of rotation of the photosensitive drums 4K, 4Y, 4M, and 4C, the paper feed / conveyance drive control unit 810 starts rotation of the belt driving roller 17, and the conveyance belt 18 travels at a predetermined speed.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed since the writing sensor 13 detected the leading edge of the medium, the head controller 750 starts light emission control of the LED head 3K based on an instruction from the image formation controller 700. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4K. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 4K is developed by the toner attached to the developing roller 6K to become a toner image (in this case, a black toner image).

  When the medium reaches the transfer nip portion between the photoconductive drum 4K and the transfer roller 10K, the transfer voltage control unit 770 applies a transfer voltage (about +3000 V) to the transfer roller 10K, and the surface of the photoconductive drum 4K. Transfer the toner image to the medium. As a result, the black toner image is transferred to the medium.

  Similarly to the black toner image, the yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images are transferred to the medium through exposure, development, and transfer processes. That is, black, yellow, magenta and cyan toner images are sequentially transferred onto the surface of the medium.

  The medium on which the toner image of each color is transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 28. In the fixing unit 28, the fixing roller 19 is maintained at a predetermined surface temperature by the fixing controller 790 and is rotated at a predetermined speed. The medium is heated and pressed between the fixing roller 19 and the backup roller 20 (fixing nip portion), and the toner image is fixed on the medium.

  The medium that has passed through the fixing unit 28 is detected by the discharge sensor 21, discharged by the discharge rollers 22 and 23, and placed on the discharge tray 31. The output signal of the discharge sensor 21 is used by the image formation control unit 700 to detect a paper jam (jam) in the fixing unit 28 and to detect the length of the medium after fixing.

<Support structure for image reading unit and operation unit>
In the present embodiment, when the image reading unit 40 (turning unit) is turned around the unit turning shaft 41 in the Y direction, the operation unit 42 is turned in conjunction with the turning. Has been. Below, the structure for it is demonstrated in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an upper support 101 that supports the image reading unit 40 is provided on the upper portion of the housing 100 of the image forming apparatus 1. The image reading unit 40 is configured to be rotatable about a unit rotation shaft 41 in the Y direction provided on the upper support 101. Note that the housing 100 and the upper support 101 of the image forming apparatus 1 constitute a main body of the image forming apparatus 1.

  5 and 6 are perspective views of the support structure for the image reading unit 40 and the operation unit 42 as viewed from above. 5 and 6, the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction indicate the state in which the image reading unit 40 is in the reference position (closed position). The same applies to FIGS. 7 to 27 described later. In the state where the image reading unit 40 is at the reference position, the unit rotation shaft 41 (FIG. 1) is located at the + X direction end (rear end) of the image reading unit 40, and the operation unit 42 is the image reading unit 40. -X direction end (front end).

  The operation unit 42 includes, for example, a display unit 42b and an input unit 42c on a substantially rectangular surface. The display unit 42 b is a display such as a liquid crystal display unit and displays the state of the image forming apparatus 1. The input unit 42 c is, for example, a button or a touch panel, and is used by an operator to input setting of operating conditions of the image forming apparatus 1.

  A base plate 70 is fixed to the image reading unit 40 (FIG. 1). The base plate 70 is obtained by processing a flat sheet metal, for example, and has a pair of side plate portions 70a at both ends in the Y direction. The lower side of the base plate 70 is covered with a cover member 63.

  Further, the image reading unit 40 is provided with an image reading unit support portion 44 (rotating unit support portion) for supporting the image reading unit 40. The image reading unit support 44 includes a fixed support member 46 and an insertion support member 48 (FIG. 6). The fixed support member 46 is provided on the frame 40 a (FIG. 19) of the image reading unit 40 so as to be rotatable about the support shaft 45. The support shaft 45 has the Y direction as the axial direction.

  The fixed support member 46 includes a pair of side plate portions 46a that face each other in the Y direction, and a top plate portion 46b that connects the upper ends of the side plate portions 46a. Each side plate portion 46 a is formed with a hole 45 a that engages with the support shaft 45.

  A shaft support portion 80 having a circular hole is formed on the top plate portion 46 b of the fixed support member 46. The shaft support 80 is attached with a link shaft 79 whose axial direction is the Y direction. The link shaft 79 is attached via a first shaft 77 to a link lever 73 connected to a slide member 69 described later.

  The insertion support member 48 (FIG. 6) is attached to a sheet metal member (not shown) fixed to the upper support 101 so as to be rotatable about the support shaft 47. The support shaft 47 has the Y direction as the axial direction. The insertion support member 48 has a pair of side plate portions facing each other in the Y direction, and a hole portion 47 a that engages with the support shaft 47 is formed in each side plate portion.

  The insertion support member 48 is fitted inside the fixed support member 46 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the fixed support member 46 (also the longitudinal direction of the insertion support member 48). The direction in which the insertion support member 48 can move coincides with the direction in which the hole 45a and the hole 47a are arranged. As the insertion support member 48 slides, the amount of protrusion of the insertion support member 48 from the fixed support member 46 changes, and accordingly, the amount of overlap between the fixed support member 46 and the insertion support member 48 changes.

  A biasing member 49 (FIG. 5) such as a coil spring is disposed further inside the insertion support member 48. The biasing member 49 generates a biasing force for holding the image reading unit 40 at an arbitrary rotation position with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the support structure for the image reading unit 40 and the operation unit 42 as viewed from below. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the support structure of the operation unit 42 as viewed from below. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a bottom plate portion 42a is provided on the bottom surface (back surface) of the operation unit 42, that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which the display unit 24b and the input unit 42c (FIG. 5) are formed. ing. The bottom plate portion 42a is rotatably supported by the operation portion support portion 52. Below, the structure of the operation part support part 52 is demonstrated.

  9 and 10 are perspective views showing the operation unit 42 and the cover member 63 removed from FIGS. 5 and 6. 9 and 10, the operation portion support portion 52 is supported so as to be rotatable around a first rotation shaft 55 whose axial direction is the Y direction. The first rotation shaft 55 is rotatably attached to a hole formed in the side plate portion 70 a of the base plate 70.

  The operation unit support unit 52 includes a support plate 53 that supports the operation unit 42. A pair of bracket portions 54 are attached to the upper surface of the support plate 53 so as to face each other in the Y direction. A second rotating shaft 50 whose axial direction is the Y direction is attached to the bracket portion 54. The above-described bottom plate portion 42a of the operation unit 42 is rotatably attached to the second rotation shaft 50. That is, the operation unit 42 is held so as to be rotatable about the second rotation shaft 50.

  A pair of springs 51 are attached to the second rotation shaft 50 so as to sandwich the bottom plate portion 42a from both sides in the Y direction. The pair of springs 51 are pressed against both end surfaces of the bottom plate portion 42a in the Y direction, and use the frictional force to regulate the rotation position of the bottom plate portion 42a around the second rotation shaft 50. Yes. Accordingly, when the operator applies an external force, for example, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25 described later, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 around the second rotation shaft 50 can be arbitrarily changed.

  11 and 12 are exploded perspective views illustrating the configuration of the operation unit support unit 52. FIG. The support plate 53 is made of a substantially rectangular sheet metal that is long in the Y direction, and has a pair of side plate portions 53a at both ends in the longitudinal direction (both ends in the Y direction). In each side plate portion 53a, a groove portion 61 through which the first rotation shaft 55 passes is formed. The groove portion 61 extends in the X direction, that is, the direction connecting the unit rotation shaft 41 and the operation portion 42.

  In addition, the groove part 61 is formed so that the groove width at the center in the longitudinal direction is thick, and the first rotation shaft 55 is rotatably held in a portion where the groove width is large. That is, the first rotation shaft 55 does not slide in the longitudinal direction of the groove 61.

  Further, a torque limiter 56 and a drive gear 57 are disposed at one axial end portion (here, the end portion in the −Y direction) of the first rotation shaft 55 that rotatably supports the operation portion support portion 52. . The torque limiter 56 includes a first transmission unit 58 (FIG. 12) and a second transmission unit 59 (FIG. 11) for transmitting power. The torque limiter 56 is attached with the second transmission portion 59 facing the support plate 53 side and the first transmission portion 58 facing the drive gear 57 side.

  The second transmission portion 59 of the torque limiter 56 has a convex portion 59a that protrudes toward the support plate 53 side. The convex portion 59 a is fitted into the groove portion 61 of the support plate 53. The first transmission portion 58 of the torque limiter 56 has a cylindrical protrusion, and a groove 58a (FIG. 12) that fits into a pin 60 described later is formed on the cylindrical protrusion. The drive gear 57 is formed with a groove portion 57a (FIG. 11) that fits the pin 60 on the radially outer side of the groove portion 58a of the first transmission portion 58. The first rotation shaft 55 is formed with a hole 55a into which the pin 60 is fitted.

  By fitting the pin 60 into the hole 55a of the first rotation shaft 55 and further fitting the pin 60 also into the groove portion 58a of the first transmission portion 58 and the groove portion 57a of the drive gear 57, the first rotation shaft is obtained. 55, the drive gear 57, and the 1st transmission part 58 are mutually fixed. Further, by fitting the convex portion 59a of the second transmission portion 59 into the groove portion 61 of the support plate 53, the second transmission portion 59 and the support plate 53 are fixed to each other.

  The torque limiter 56 transmits power between the first transmission unit 58 and the second transmission unit 59 when a torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is generated in the rotation direction about the first rotation shaft 55. It is configured to idle and shut off.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the drive gear 57 meshes with the idle gear 66, and the idle gear 66 meshes with the pinion gear 67. The pinion gear 67 meshes with the rack gear 68, and the rack gear 68 is fixed to the slide member 69. The slide member 69 is located inside the −Y side side plate portion 70 a of the base plate 70 and is slidable on the base plate 70 in the X direction (that is, the direction connecting the unit rotation shaft 41 and the operation portion 42). It has been.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the slide member 69. The slide member 69 has a pair of side plate portions 69a that face each other in the Y direction, and a bottom plate portion 69b that connects the lower ends of the side plate portions 69a. The rack gear 68 is formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 69 b of the slide member 69.

  Two attachment holes 69 c are formed in each side plate portion 69 a of the slide member 69. Two slide shafts 76 (FIG. 9) having the Y direction as the axial direction are mounted side by side in these mounting holes 69c.

  The base plate 70 is formed with a slide groove 71 (FIG. 5) extending in the X direction (that is, the direction connecting the unit rotation shaft 41 and the operation unit 42). The slide groove 71 is formed in a side plate portion 70a (FIG. 9) on the −Y side of the base plate 70 and a regulation plate 70c (FIG. 5) facing the side plate portion 70a.

  The two slide shafts 76 attached to the slide member 69 engage with the slide groove 71, so that the slide member 69 can slide in the longitudinal direction of the slide groove 71. When the slide member 69 slides, the pinion gear 67 that meshes with the rack gear 68 provided on the slide member 69 rotates, and the idle gear 66 that meshes with the pinion gear 67 and the drive gear 57 that meshes with the idle gear 66 rotate.

  The slide member 69 also has a long hole 72 extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the slide groove 71 of the base plate 70. A second shaft 78 (FIG. 9) whose axial direction is the Y direction is slidably engaged with the long hole 72. The second shaft 78 is provided at one end of a link lever 73 (link member) connected to the image reading unit support 44 described above. The second shaft 78 is also slidably engaged with a slide groove 71 (FIG. 5) of the base plate 70.

  The second shaft 78 provided at the end of the link lever 73 moves along the slide structure 71 a and the long hole 72, and the front end 74 (that is, the end on the operation unit 42 side) and the rear end of the long hole 72. The slide member 69 slides in the longitudinal direction of the slide groove 71 by pressing 75 (that is, the end on the unit rotation shaft 41 side).

  A first shaft 77 having the Y direction as an axial direction is rotatably provided at the end of the link lever 73 opposite to the second shaft 78 side. The first shaft 77 is inserted inside the above-described link shaft 79 of the fixed support member 46. That is, the link lever 73 is rotatable about the first shaft 77.

  Note that the slide member 69, the rack gear 68, the pinion gear 67, the idle gear 66, the drive gear 57, and the torque limiter 56 are configured so that the torque around the first rotation shaft 55 is controlled by the operation unit according to the rotation of the image reading unit 40. The torque transmission part which transmits to the support part 52 is comprised. Of these, the torque limiter 56 constitutes a torque control unit.

  FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the cover part 63 and the cover part of the operation part support part 52. The operation portion support portion 52 includes an upper cover portion 52a that covers the operation portion 42 side (upper side in FIG. 7), and a semi-cylindrical wall portion 52b that covers the side opposite to the operation portion 42 (lower side in FIG. 7). ing. The above-described bracket portion 54 (FIG. 9) protrudes from an opening provided between the upper cover portion 52a and the semi-cylindrical wall portion 52b.

  The operation unit support unit 52 also includes a first contact unit 62 and a second contact unit 64 as a rotation position regulating unit that regulates the rotation range of the operation unit support unit 52. The first abutting portion 62 is a portion that abuts against the front end surface of the cover member 63 according to the rotational position of the operation portion support portion 52. The second abutment portion 64 is a portion that abuts against the stopper portion 65 of the cover member 63 according to the rotation position of the operation portion support portion 52.

  FIGS. 15 and 16 are schematic diagrams for explaining the restriction of the rotation position around the first rotation shaft 55 of the operation unit support unit 52. Although the image reading unit 40 is omitted in FIGS. 15 and 16, the rotation angle of the image reading unit 40 is the same as the rotation angle of the cover member 63.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted in the clockwise rotation position when the first contact portion 62 contacts the front end portion of the cover member 63. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted from rotating in the counterclockwise direction when the second contact portion 64 contacts the stopper portion 65 of the cover member 63.

  FIGS. 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams for explaining the restriction of the rotation position around the second rotation shaft 50 of the operation unit 42. Although the image reading unit 40 is omitted in FIGS. 17 and 18, the rotation angle of the image reading unit 40 is the same as the rotation angle of the cover member 63. In FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the image reading unit 40 is in the closed position, and the rotation position of the operation portion support portion 52 is the same.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the operation portion 42 is restricted from rotating in the counterclockwise direction when the bottom plate portion 42 a comes into contact with the upper cover portion 52 a of the operation portion support portion 52. In this state, the surface of the operation unit 42 is a substantially horizontal plane, and the front side (−X side) is slightly inclined downward. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted in the clockwise rotation position by the bottom plate portion 42 a coming into contact with the end surface of the first contact portion 62. In this state, the surface of the operation unit 42 is a substantially vertical surface.

<Rotating operation of image reading unit and operation unit>
Next, the opening / closing operation of the image reading unit 40 according to the present embodiment and the accompanying rotation operation of the operation unit 42 will be described. First, operations of the image reading unit 40 and the operation unit 42 when the image reading unit 40 is rotated from the closed position (FIG. 19) to the open position (FIG. 23) will be described.

  The rotation direction of the image reading unit 40 from the closed position to the open position is referred to as “open direction”, and the rotation direction of the image reading unit 40 from the open position to the closed position is referred to as “closed direction”. The rotation direction about the Y axis will be described as “clockwise direction” and “counterclockwise direction” with reference to a side view (FIG. 19 and the like described below) viewed from the + Y side.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the image reading unit 40 and the operation unit 42 in a state where the image reading unit 40 is in the closed position, and a support structure thereof. The image reading unit 40 rotates around the unit rotation shaft 41 described above between a closed position where the whole is horizontal and an open position (FIG. 23) rotated upward by a predetermined angle from the closed position. .

  When the image reading unit 40 is in the closed position, the fixed support member 46 and the insertion support member 48 of the image reading unit support portion 44 are substantially overlapped (that is, the insertion support member 48 is almost protruded from the fixed support member 46). No state). The biasing member 49 is in the most compressed state.

  At this time, the second shaft 78 of the link lever 73 operates the front end portion 74 of the long hole 72 of the slide member 69 by the engagement between the shaft support portion 80 of the fixed support member 46 and the first shaft 77 of the link lever 73. The slide member 69 is held at a fixed position. When the image reading unit 40 is in the closed position, the gears rotate when the rack gear 68 and the pinion gear 67 provided on the slide member 69 are engaged, and the pinion gear 67, the idle gear 66, and the drive gear 57 are engaged. It has stopped. That is, the operation unit 42 is held against the torque in the clockwise direction around the first rotation shaft 55 due to its own weight.

  When the image reading unit 40 is rotated in the opening direction from the closed position about the unit rotation shaft 41, the fixed support member 46 rotates about the support shaft 45 as the image reading unit 40 rotates, Further, the insertion support member 48 rotates about the support shaft 47, and the protrusion amount of the insertion support member 48 from the fixed support member 46 increases (the overlap amount decreases). Further, the amount of compression of the urging member 49 decreases.

  As shown in FIG. 20, as the rotation angle of the image reading unit 40 from the opening direction increases, the link lever is engaged by the engagement of the shaft support 80 of the fixed support member 46 and the first shaft 77 of the link lever 73. The second shaft 78 of 73 moves along the long hole 72 toward the unit rotation shaft 41. At this time, since the torque in the clockwise direction around the first rotation shaft 55 is generated by the weight of the operation unit 42, the first rotation shaft 55 is centered with the movement of the second shaft 78. The drive gear 57 rotates clockwise, the idle gear 66 rotates counterclockwise, and the pinion gear 67 rotates clockwise.

  As the pinion gear 67 rotates in the clockwise direction, the slide member 69 provided with the rack gear 68 moves in the direction toward the unit rotation shaft 41 (that is, rearward), and the front end portion 74 of the slide member 69 and the second shaft 78 Is kept in contact. Accordingly, the rotation of the operation unit support unit 52 is regulated by the rotation angle of the image reading unit 40. That is, the operation unit 42 is held at an angle corresponding to the rotation angle of the image reading unit 40. The above operation is referred to as operation 1.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the opening direction, the operation (operation 1) described with reference to FIG. 20 proceeds. That is, the second shaft 78 of the link lever 73 moves along the long hole 72 toward the unit rotation shaft 41, and the drive gear 57, the idle gear 66, and the pinion gear 67 rotate by torque due to the weight of the operation unit 42, respectively. The slide member 69 moves in the direction toward the unit rotation shaft 41, and the state where the front end portion 74 of the slide member 69 and the second shaft 78 are in contact with each other is maintained.

  Further, when the image reading unit 40 reaches the rotation position shown in FIG. 21, the first contact portion 62 of the operation portion support portion 52 comes into contact with the front end portion of the cover member 63 (FIG. 15), thereby supporting the operation portion. The rotation of the part 52 is restricted. That is, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 with respect to the image reading unit 40 stops at the rotation position shown in FIG.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the opening direction, the image reading unit 40 is rotated while the rotation position of the operation unit 42 with respect to the image reading unit 40 is kept constant. Further, as the link lever 73 moves, the second shaft 78 moves toward the unit rotation shaft 41 along the long hole 72 and comes into contact with the rear end portion 75 of the long hole 72 as shown in FIG. .

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the opening direction, the second shaft 78 presses the rear end portion 75 of the long hole 72 as the link lever 73 moves, and the slide member 69 faces the unit rotation shaft 41. To move. When the slide member 69 moves toward the unit rotation shaft 41, the rack gear 68 provided on the slide member 69 also moves in the same manner. Accordingly, the pinion gear 67 that meshes with the rack gear 68 rotates clockwise, the idle gear 66 rotates counterclockwise, and the drive gear 57 rotates clockwise.

  Here, since the drive gear 57 and the first transmission portion 58 of the torque limiter 56 (FIG. 12) and the first rotation shaft 55 are fixed to each other by the pin 60, the first transmission portion 58 is rotated together with the rotation of the drive gear 57. And the 1st rotating shaft 55 rotates. However, the second transmission portion 59 of the torque limiter 56 and the groove portion 61 of the operation portion support portion 52 are fitted, and the first contact portion 62 of the operation portion support portion 52 is the front end surface of the cover member 63 (FIG. 15). ) To restrict the rotation of the operation portion support portion 52. Therefore, the torque applied to the torque limiter 56 exceeds a predetermined value, and the transmission of power between the first transmission unit 58 and the second transmission unit 59 is interrupted and the engine rotates idly. Therefore, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 with respect to the image reading unit 40 does not change.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the opening direction, as shown in FIG. 23, the second shaft 78 moves toward the unit rotation shaft 41 in accordance with the movement of the link lever 73, and the slide groove of the base plate 70 is moved. 71 abuts on an end portion (rear end portion) on the unit rotation shaft 41 side. Thereby, the rotation of the image reading unit 40 in the opening direction is restricted, and the image reading unit 40 stops rotating at the position (open position) shown in FIG.

  When the image reading unit 40 is in the open position, the urging member 49 (FIG. 9) provided inside the insertion support member 48 is in the state where the amount of compression is the smallest, but the operator holds the hand from the image reading unit 40. Even when released, the image reading unit 40 is supported by generating an urging force that does not rotate downward.

  Therefore, with the image reading unit 40 rotated to the open position, for example, the top cover 43 (FIG. 2) of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened, and replacement parts (consumables) inside the image forming apparatus 1 are replaced. Alternatively, the medium causing the paper jam can be removed.

  The operation unit 42 rotates clockwise about the first rotation shaft 55 with respect to the rotation position (FIG. 19) when the image reading unit 40 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. As described above, the surface of the operation unit 42 faces almost the front (−X side) of the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, the operator who is almost in front of the image forming apparatus 1 has good visibility of the display unit 42b (FIG. 2) of the operation unit 42, and can easily perform various settings in the input unit 42c (FIG. 2). it can.

  Thus, the operator can perform work such as replacement of a replacement part or removal of a medium while looking at the display unit 42b of the operation unit 42. For example, guidance at the time of maintenance can be displayed on the display unit 42b of the operation unit 42, and the self-maintenance by the operator can be simplified and the reliability can be improved.

  Moreover, since the operation part 42 can rotate centering on the 2nd rotation axis | shaft 50 with respect to the operation part support part 52, it can hold | maintain the operation part 42 in the rotation position which an operator desires. For example, the operator can manually rotate the operation unit 42 from the rotation position shown in FIG. 24 to the rotation position shown in FIG. Therefore, the direction of the surface of the operation unit 42 can be adjusted to an easy-to-see direction for the operator, and the visibility is further improved.

  Next, an operation for rotating the image reading unit 40 from the open position to the closed position will be described. When the image reading unit 40 is rotated in the closing direction from the open position (FIG. 23), the fixed support member 46 is rotated about the support shaft 45 as the image reading unit 40 is rotated, and the insertion support member 48 is moved. The insertion support member 48 enters the inside of the fixed support member 46 by rotating around the support shaft 47. That is, the amount of overlap between the fixed support member 46 and the insertion support member 48 increases, and the amount of compression of the biasing member 49 increases.

  Because of the engagement between the shaft support portion 80 of the fixed support member 46 and the first shaft 77 of the link lever 73, the link lever 73 moves as shown in FIG. 26, and the second shaft 78 of the link lever 73 moves to the slide member. It moves along the elongated hole 72 of 69 in a direction away from the unit rotation shaft 41 (a direction toward the operation unit 42). At this time, the torque in the clockwise direction around the first rotation shaft 55 is generated by the weight of the operation portion 42, and the first contact portion 62 of the operation portion support portion 52 is connected to the front end surface of the cover member 63 ( 15), the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted from rotating in the clockwise direction. Therefore, even if the second shaft 78 moves, the operation portion 42 and the operation portion support portion 52 do not rotate.

  As a result, the second shaft 78 of the link lever 73 moves along the long hole 72 in the direction toward the operation unit 42, and image reading is performed until the second shaft 78 contacts the front end 74 of the long hole 72 of the slide member 69. The unit 40 rotates. The operation so far is referred to as operation 2.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the closing direction, the second shaft 78 operates the slide member 69 against the torque in the clockwise direction around the first rotation shaft 55 due to the weight of the operation unit 42. It is moved in the direction toward the unit 42. As a result, the rack gear 68 provided on the slide member 69 moves in the direction toward the operation unit 42, the pinion gear 67 rotates counterclockwise, the idle gear 66 rotates clockwise, and the drive gear 57 rotates counterclockwise. Rotate to.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 27, the operation portion support portion 52 rotates counterclockwise together with the drive gear 57, and the operation portion 42 also rotates together with the operation portion support portion 52. Thereafter, the second abutment portion 64 of the operation portion support portion 52 abuts against the stopper portion 65 (FIG. 16) of the cover member 63, so that the rotation of the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted. That is, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 with respect to the image reading unit 40 is restricted. At this time, the operation unit 42 has a substantially horizontal surface.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the closing direction, the second shaft 78 presses the front end portion 74 of the long hole 72 of the slide member 69 with the movement of the link lever 73, and the slide member 69 is moved to the operation portion 42. Move in the direction toward.

  As the slide member 69 moves in the direction toward the operation unit 42, the rack gear 68 provided on the slide member 69 also moves. As the rack gear 68 moves, the pinion gear 67 rotates counterclockwise, and the idle gear 66 moves. Rotating clockwise, the drive gear 57 rotates counterclockwise.

  As described above, since the drive gear 57 and the first transmission portion 58 of the torque limiter 56 (FIG. 12) and the first rotation shaft 55 are fixed to each other by the pin 60, the first transmission portion is rotated together with the rotation of the drive gear 57. 58 and the first rotation shaft 55 rotate. However, the second transmission portion 59 of the torque limiter 56 and the groove portion 61 of the operation portion support portion 52 are fitted, and the first contact portion 62 of the operation portion support portion 52 is the stopper portion 65 (see FIG. 16) and the rotation of the operation portion support portion 52 is restricted. Therefore, the torque applied to the torque limiter 56 exceeds a predetermined value, and the transmission of power between the first transmission unit 58 and the second transmission unit 59 is interrupted and the engine rotates idly. Therefore, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 with respect to the image reading unit 40 does not change.

  When the image reading unit 40 is further rotated in the closing direction, as shown in FIG. 19, the second shaft 78 moves toward the operation unit 42 with the movement of the link lever 73, and the slide groove 71 of the base plate 70 is moved. Abuts the front end. As a result, the image reading unit 40 stops rotating in the closed state shown in FIG.

  At this time, the rotation position of the operation unit 42 is returned to the rotation position before the image reading unit 40 is opened and closed. Here, the surface of the operation unit 42 is substantially horizontal and the front side (−X direction side) is slightly inclined downward. Therefore, for the operator looking down on the operation unit 42 from the front, the visibility of the display unit 42b of the operation unit 42 is good, and various settings and the like in the input unit 42c can be easily performed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the operation unit 42 rotates with the rotation of the image reading unit 40, good visibility of the operation unit 42 is maintained, and various settings in the operation unit 42 are easy. Can be done.

  Further, when replacing a replacement part inside the image forming apparatus 1 with the image reading unit 40 opened, or when removing a paper jammed from the inside of the image forming apparatus 1, while looking at the operation unit 42. Can work. Therefore, by displaying the state of the image forming apparatus 1 on the operation unit 42 and displaying guidance for prompting the operator to perform various work contents, self-maintenance by the operator can be simplified and reliability can be improved. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the operation unit 42 further moves the second rotation shaft 50 against the operation unit support unit 52 that rotates about the first rotation shaft 55 as the image reading unit 40 rotates. Since it can rotate as a center, the direction of the operation unit 42 can be adjusted to an angle that is easy for the operator to see.

  In the present embodiment, a torque transmission unit (a torque limiter 56 and a drive gear 57 that transmits torque about the first rotation shaft 55 to the operation unit support unit 52 according to the rotation of the image reading unit 40. Since the idle gear 66, the pinion gear 67, the rack gear 68, and the slide member 69 are provided, the rotation of the image reading unit 40 and the rotation of the operation portion support portion 52 (that is, the rotation of the operation portion 42) are linked. Can be realized.

  Further, since the torque limiter 56 cuts off a torque that is equal to or higher than a predetermined torque, the image within the normal use range is maintained with the rotation angle of the operation portion support portion 52 with respect to the image reading unit 40 kept constant. The reading unit 40 can be rotated. Further, when the operator rotates the operation unit 42 with a force more than necessary, a force greater than a predetermined torque acts on the torque limiter 56 and the wheel rotates idly, thereby preventing a failure such as tooth skipping of the gear train. be able to.

  Here, the configuration in which the operation unit 42 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the image reading unit 40 as a rotation unit has been described. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration. A configuration in which the moving unit is a top cover and the operation unit 42 is rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the top cover is possible.

  Further, although the operation unit 42 has been described as having the display unit 42b and the input unit 42c, it is only necessary to have at least one of the display unit 42b and the input unit 42c.

  Further, the first rotation shaft 55 and the second rotation shaft 50 are not limited to the shaft-like members shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and can define the rotation centers of the operation portion support portion 52 and the operation portion 42. I just need it.

  Further, although the configuration in which the image reading unit 40 is rotated upward has been described, the image reading unit 40 may be rotated in the horizontal direction, for example.

  In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus including four color image forming units has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an image forming apparatus. For example, a single color such as a black color may be used. It may be an image forming apparatus. In the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus using an LED head as an exposure unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to such an image forming apparatus. For example, a small laser, a polygon mirror, You may use the laser exposure unit provided with.

  In this embodiment, the direct transfer type image forming apparatus has been described. However, an intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member (for example, an intermediate transfer belt) may be used. In the above-described embodiment, the printer including the image reading unit has been described. However, other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine and a facsimile may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus, 2K, 2Y, 2M, 2C Image forming unit, 40 Image reading unit (rotation unit), 41 Unit rotation, 42 Operation part, 42a Bottom plate part, 42b Display part, 42c Input part, 44 Image formation Unit support section (rotating unit support section), 45, 47 support shaft, 46 fixed support member, 48 insertion support member, 49 biasing member, 50 second rotation shaft, 51 spring, 52 operation section support section, 53 support Plate, 54 bracket portion, 55 first rotation shaft, 56 torque limiter, 57 drive gear, 58 first transmission portion, 59 second transmission portion, 60 pins, 61 groove portion, 62 first contact portion (rotation position restriction) Part), 64 second contact part (rotation position restricting part), 65 stopper part, 66 idle gear, 67 pinion gear, 68 rack gear, 69 slide member, 70 , 71 slide groove, 72 long hole, 73 link lever (link member), 74 long hole front end, 75 long hole rear end, 77 first shaft, 78 second shaft, 79 link shaft, 80 Shaft support, 100 housing, 101 support.

Claims (14)

A rotatable unit, and
An operation provided at least one of a display unit that displays the state of the image forming apparatus and an input unit that performs input related to the image forming apparatus, which is provided to be rotatable about the first rotation axis with respect to the rotating unit. The department and
The image forming apparatus, wherein the operation unit rotates about the first rotation axis as the rotation unit rotates.   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an operation unit support unit that holds the operation unit and rotates about the first rotation axis as the rotation unit rotates. apparatus.   The image according to claim 2, wherein the operation unit support unit holds the operation unit so as to be rotatable about a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a rotation position restricting portion that restricts a rotation range of the operation portion supporting portion with respect to the rotation unit.   The torque transmission part which transmits the torque centering on the said 1st rotation axis to the said operation part according to rotation of the said rotation unit is further provided, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the torque transmission unit includes a torque control unit that interrupts transmission of torque when the torque transmitted to the operation unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined torque.   The rotation unit is rotated while the rotation angle of the operation unit with respect to the rotation unit is kept constant when the torque control unit interrupts transmission of torque. Item 7. The image forming apparatus according to Item 6. A rotation unit support for supporting the rotation unit with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a link member that connects the rotation unit support portion and the torque transmission portion. The torque transmission unit is
A slide member connected to the link member, movably provided in a direction approaching and separating from the rotation axis of the rotation unit, and having a rack gear;
A pinion gear meshing with the rack gear of the slide member;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: a drive gear that belongs to a gear train that meshes with the pinion gear and rotates together with the operation unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the rotation unit support portion includes an urging member that generates an urging force for supporting the rotation unit.   The rotation unit support portion includes a first member rotatably attached to the rotation unit and a second member rotatably attached to the main body portion of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.   12. The image formation according to claim 1, wherein the rotation unit is rotatable between a closed position and an open position with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus. apparatus. When the rotation unit is in the closed position, the operation unit is in a rotation position in which the surface of the operation unit is substantially horizontal.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when the rotation unit is in the open position, the operation unit is in a rotation position where a surface of the operation unit is a substantially vertical surface.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation unit is an image reading unit.

Images