JP2017158928A - Drawer device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent protrusion of a drawer unit due to rebound at the time of setting the drawer unit even though a play is not provided in a closing mechanism or the like.SOLUTION: A stopper unit includes: a housing which is formed with a groove along the longitudinal direction and is formed with a protrusion part protruding from an end in the longitudinal direction on a surface opposite to the surface formed with the groove; a rotation shaft which is provided on the center in the longitudinal direction of the housing and rotates both ends in the longitudinal direction of the housing; an attachment part which attaches the housing to a second face bar rotatably via the rotation shaft so that the longitudinal direction of the housing becomes parallel with the direction of drawing the drawer unit, the groove formation surface becomes the upper surface of the housing, the first end side of the housing formed with the protrusion part becomes the depth side of a storage part and the second end side opposite to the first end side becomes the front side of the storage part; and a movable body which moves in the groove in the longitudinal direction. When the movable body moves in the groove to the first end side, the protrusion part is engaged with the lower surface of the storage part. When the movable body moves in the groove to the second end side, the protrusion part is disengaged from the lower surface of the storage part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to a drawing device and an image forming apparatus including the drawing device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in an image forming apparatus or the like, a drawer unit configured to store a fixing unit or the like and be configured to be freely drawn out from the apparatus main body is known. Further, for example, in a conventional technique such as Patent Document 1, when a drawer unit is set in the apparatus main body, a technique is known in which the drawer unit is automatically locked to the apparatus main body.

  On the other hand, when the drawer unit is set on the main body of the drawer unit due to its own weight, it is necessary to force the drawer unit to the front rather than rebounding, making it difficult to store the drawer unit. is there. Therefore, when the drawer unit is set in the apparatus main body, it has already been provided to provide a closing mechanism for preventing the drawer unit from popping out due to rebound.

  However, when the closing mechanism as described above is provided, for example, when a trouble such as a paper jam occurs and the drawer unit needs to be opened, the drawer unit cannot be pushed forward unless the closure mechanism is released. Therefore, a play is provided in the closing mechanism, and even when a paper jam or the like occurs, the drawer unit is easily pushed forward.

  On the other hand, when play is provided in the above-described closing mechanism or the like, the drawer unit pops out due to rebound when the drawer unit is set.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the drawer unit from jumping out due to rebounding when the drawer unit is set without providing play in the closing mechanism or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the drawer device of the present invention is a drawer device that stores a drawer unit in a storage unit provided in the apparatus body, and the drawer unit is stored in the storage unit in a state of being stored in the storage unit. A first face material facing the back surface; a second face material facing the front surface of the storage portion in a state of being stored in the storage portion; and facing the first face material with a predetermined space therebetween; A connecting member that is passed between the first face member and the second face member and connects the first face member and the second face member, and is attached below the second face member. And a stopper unit that engages with the lower surface of the storage portion facing the bottom of the second face material, the stopper unit forming a groove along the longitudinal direction, and a surface opposite to the surface on which the groove is formed A casing formed with a protruding portion protruding from the end in the longitudinal direction, and the casing provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the casing. A rotation axis for rotating both ends in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction of the casing is parallel to the direction in which the drawer unit is pulled out, the surface on which the groove is formed is the upper surface of the casing, and the first of the casing on which the protrusion is formed The end side of the housing is the back surface side of the storage portion in a state where the drawer unit is stored in the storage portion, and the second end portion side of the housing facing the first end portion side is in the state where the drawer unit is stored in the storage portion A mounting portion for rotatably mounting the housing to the second face member via a rotation shaft so as to be on the front side of the storage portion; and a moving body that moves the groove in the longitudinal direction. When the moving body moves to the first end side, the protruding portion engages with the lower surface of the storage portion, and when the moving body moves to the second end side of the groove, the lower surface of the protruding portion to the storage portion The engagement is released.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the drawer unit from popping out due to rebounding when the drawer unit is set without providing play in the closing mechanism or the like.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a drawer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a drawer unit in an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on an image forming apparatus. It is a schematic perspective view of the drawer unit in the embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the rotation lock mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention. It is an enlarged view of the drive part in embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the set detection sensor in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of the lock | rock receiving member in the apparatus main body in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic enlarged view of the lock receiving member in embodiment of this invention. It is a section perspective view of a lock receiving member in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a section perspective view of a lock receiving member in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the locking operation in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the stopper unit in embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic block diagram of the inclined surface in embodiment of this invention, and the operation | movement figure of a spherical member. It is an operation | movement figure of the stopper unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the buffer member provided in the stopper unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional stopper unit. It is the schematic block diagram which provided the play in the conventional stopper unit.

  The drawing device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment unless it exceeds the gist of the present invention. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably. The embodiment described below is the best mode of the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the claims according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, an electrophotographic apparatus is exemplified and described as an apparatus in which the drawer unit is accommodated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a drawer unit housed in an image forming apparatus such as an inkjet printer, a thermal printer, a thermal printer, or the like, and a multifunction peripheral that integrates a copying function, a printer function, a facsimile function, and a scanner function. Further, it may be a drawer unit that is housed in a large-scale production printer or the like that employs an electrophotographic system or an inkjet system. Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to using the general name of “image forming apparatus”.

<About Schematic Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus in Present Embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes an automatic document feeder 2, a paper feeding unit 3, an image reading unit 4, an image forming unit 5, and an operation unit 6.

  A front door portion for opening and closing the toner replenishing portion 7 and a front cover 8 a for pulling out the drawer unit 8 are provided on the front side indicated by the arrow F of the image forming portion 5. The operation unit 6 disposed on the upper side of the image forming unit 5 includes a human body detection sensor unit provided on the upper surface of the base plate and an upper cover on which an operation panel is mounted. In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the arrow F of the image forming apparatus 1 means the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the direction indicated by the arrow R means the back side of the image forming apparatus 1.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the drawer unit 8 is loaded with heavy items such as a fixing unit constituting the image forming unit 5, a recording medium transport unit such as paper, and an intermediate transfer unit. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the drawer unit 8 provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 is stored in the storage unit or opened and closed, a considerable amount of force corresponding to the weight of the drawer unit 8 is required. Shall.

  Further, in this embodiment, in addition to the drawer unit 8, the drawer unit 8 is configured to include an operation mechanism related to storage or the like in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1.

<About Arrangement of Drawer Unit 8 in Image Forming Apparatus 1 in the Present Embodiment>
The arrangement of the drawer unit 8 in the present embodiment in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1. By pulling the handle 8 b provided on the front cover 8 a of the drawer unit 8, the drawer unit 8 can be pulled out in the front direction of the drawing and opened. Further, the drawer unit 8 can be housed or closed in the housing portion by pushing the front cover 8a in the depth direction in the figure.

  FIG. 2B is a view in which the front cover 8 a of the drawer unit 8 is removed, and shows a state in which the drawer unit 8 is stored in the image forming apparatus 1. The front cover 8a is fixed to the front side plate 11 constituting the drawer unit 8 by, for example, screw fastening. The drawer unit 8 is passed between the front plate 11, the rear plate 12 facing the front plate 11 and corresponding to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1, and the front plate 11 and the rear plate 12. It is comprised by connection members, such as a baseplate and a side plate which connect these. In the present invention, the front plate 11 in the present embodiment is the second face material, and the rear plate 12 is the first face material, but it is formal and superior to the first and second words. It does not include meanings such as or ordering relationships.

  In the present embodiment, in the state where the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit, the surface of the storage unit that faces the rear plate 12 is the back surface, and the surface of the storage unit that faces the front plate 11 is the front surface. . The “front surface” and “rear surface” define a virtual surface when the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit in the present embodiment, and may or may not be a physical surface. .

<About the schematic structure of the drawer unit 8 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the drawer unit 8 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Also here, a schematic perspective view of the state in which the front cover 8a is removed from the drawer unit 8 is used. A lock shaft 13 is rotatably supported on the front side plate 11 and the rear side plate 12 of the drawer unit 8. A rotation lock mechanism 10 constituting a lock means is provided at a rear end portion through which the rear plate 12 of the lock shaft 13 is interposed. In addition, a drive unit 20 that applies a rotational force to the lock shaft 13 is provided at the front end of the lock shaft 13 with the front plate 11 interposed therebetween.

  For example, when the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is in operation or transported, the drawer unit 8 is locked to the image forming apparatus 1 main body side by the rotation lock mechanism 10 when the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit. To do. Thus, even if the drawer unit 8 is to be pulled out, the drawer unit 8 cannot be pulled out unless the lock is released.

  However, when jamming or the like for removing a paper jam occurs in the image forming apparatus 1, it may be necessary to open the drawer unit 8. Therefore, the drawer unit 8 is provided with an automatic push-out function, and the lock of the drawer unit 8 to the apparatus main body is released by the unlocking operation of the rotation lock mechanism 10. At the same time, the operation force for pulling out the drawer unit 8 can be reduced by pushing the drawer unit 8 forward of the apparatus main body.

<About the schematic structure of the rotation lock mechanism 10 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the rotation lock mechanism 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the rear end portion of the lock shaft 13 protrudes from the rear plate 12 of the drawer unit 8, and the rotation lock mechanism 10 is attached to the end portion. The rotation lock mechanism 10 has a prismatic fitting member 14 fixed to a lock shaft 13. Further, the rotation lock mechanism 10 has a roller shaft 16 fixed to the fitting member 14 so as to penetrate in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the lock shaft 13. Further, in the vicinity of the end portion of the roller shaft 16, there is a rotating roller 17 that is rotatably attached to the roller shaft 16.

<About the schematic structure of the drive part 20 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the drive unit 20 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to an enlarged perspective view of FIG. The front plate 11 of the drawer unit 8 is provided with a drive unit 20 that rotationally drives the rotation lock mechanism 10 via a lock shaft 13. A stopper unit 50 described later is provided near the lower left of the drive unit 20 of the front side plate 11.

  The drive unit 20 includes a drive motor 21. The drive motor 21 is fixed to the front plate 11 so that its motor shaft is parallel to the front plate 11. A screw gear 22 a of the worm gear 22 is fixed to the motor shaft of the drive motor 21. The driving force of the drive motor 21 is transmitted from the helical gear 22b of the worm gear 22 meshing with the screw gear 22a to the driven gear 24 fixed to the lock shaft 13 via the gear train 23 composed of a plurality of idler gears. Rotating drive.

<About a schematic structure of the set detection part 30 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the set detection unit 30 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6A is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration in the vicinity of the set detection unit 30, and FIG. 6B is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the set detection unit 30 as viewed from above. The set detection unit 30 includes a set detection sensor 31 and a set detection filler 32.

  The set detection sensor 31 is provided on the rear plate 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 in order to detect that the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1. The set detection filler 32 functions as a set detection unit detected by the set detection sensor 31 and is provided on the rear side plate 12 of the drawer unit 8. That is, in the present embodiment, the set detection sensor 31 and the set detection filler 32 function as detection means for detecting that the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1 of the drawer unit 8 is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, a transmission type optical sensor such as a photo interrupter is used as the set detection sensor 31, for example. When the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1, the set detection filler 32 provided on the rear plate 12 enters between the light receiving unit 31 b and the light emitting unit 31 a of the set detection sensor 31, The light from the light emitting unit 31a is blocked. Thereby, it is possible to detect that the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit of the image forming apparatus 1 because the light receiving unit 31b does not detect the light from the light emitting unit 31a. The rear plate 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a lock receiving member 40 described later.

<Arrangement Configuration of Lock Receiving Member 40 in Image Forming Apparatus 1 in the Present Embodiment>
The arrangement of the lock receiving member 40 in the present embodiment on the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In this figure, for the sake of explanation, the rear side plate 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 is shown as being transmitted. The rear plate 300 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a lock receiving member 40 against which the rotary roller 17 of the rotation lock mechanism 10 is pressed when the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage portion of the image forming apparatus 1. Yes.

<About the schematic structure of the lock receiving member 40 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the lock receiving member 40 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the lock receiving member 40 as viewed from the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged configuration diagram in the vicinity of the lock receiving member 40.

  The lock receiving member 40 is provided with a lock through hole 41 into which the rotation lock mechanism 10 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 8B, the rotation roller 17 of the rotation lock mechanism 10 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the lock through hole 41 to lock the drawer unit 8 to the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus 1. A lock receiving surface 42 is formed as a locked portion. A guide surface 43 for guiding the rotary roller 17 of the rotation lock mechanism 10 to the lock receiving surface 42 is formed at the end of the lock receiving surface 42 in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing.

<About the cross-sectional structure of the lock receiving member 40 in this embodiment>
A cross-sectional structure of the lock receiving member 40 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9A shows a state where the lock receiving member 40 is viewed from the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 9B is a perspective view showing an AA cross section in FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9C is a view of the AA cross section in FIG. As shown in the figure, the guide surface 43 is a tapered surface that is inclined toward the drawing unit 8 side, that is, the front side in which the drawing unit 8 is drawn out from the image forming apparatus 1 as the distance from the lock receiving surface 42 increases. In other words, the lock receiving surface 42 is formed in a spiral shape that is inclined toward the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 as the distance from the guide surface 43 increases.

  FIG. 10A shows a state in which the lock receiving member 40 is viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, that is, from the inside of the apparatus. FIG. 10B is a perspective view showing an AA cross section in FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10C is a view of the AA cross section in FIG. As shown in this figure, when the lock is released, the rotating roller 17 receives the inclined surface 44 inclined forward.

<Outline of Locking Operation in this Embodiment>
An outline of the locking operation for locking the drawer unit 8 in the present embodiment to the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 11A, when the rotary roller 17 of the rotation lock mechanism 10 is located at a position corresponding to the lock through hole 41 of the lock receiving member 40, the drawer unit 8 is unlocked and pulled out. It becomes possible.

  For example, once the drawer unit 8 is pulled out from this state and the drawer unit 8 is set again in the storage portion of the apparatus, the rotation lock mechanism 10 is inserted into the lock through hole 41 of the lock receiving member 40. When the rotary roller 17 moves to the rear side of the guide surface 43 from the side end portion of the drawer unit 8, the set detection filler 32 enters between the light receiving portion 31b and the light emitting portion 31a of the set detection sensor 31, The light from the light emitting unit 31a is blocked. Thereby, the set detection unit 30 detects the storage of the drawer unit 8 in the storage unit.

  The drive motor 21 shown in FIG. 5 starts driving to rotate the lock shaft 13. When the lock shaft 13 rotates, as shown in FIG. 11B, the rotary roller 17 comes into contact with the guide surface 43 and moves to the rear lock receiving surface 42 while being guided by the guide surface 43. Then, as shown in FIG. 11C, the rotary roller 17 moves to the rear lock receiving surface 42 while being guided by the guide surface 43, so that the lock shaft 13 is moved to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. Drawn into.

  Since the rotating roller 17 is rotatably attached to the roller shaft 16, the rotating roller 17 moves on the guide surface 43 while rotating. Accordingly, an increase in frictional resistance with the guide surface 43 can be suppressed, and the drawer unit 8 can be smoothly pulled to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. When a paper jam or the like occurs and it becomes necessary to pull out the drawer unit 8 from the storage unit, the drive motor 21 is rotated, and the rotation lock mechanism 10 is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing. Then, the rotating roller 17 moves from the lock receiving surface 42 to the inclined surface 44 as shown in FIG. 11D, and the rotating roller 17 reaches the position shown in FIG.

  A paper jam or the like can be detected by providing an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality of a mounting unit such as a fixing unit mounted on the drawer unit 8. Upon receiving the detection signal from the abnormality detection means, the drive motor 21 rotates the rotation lock mechanism 10 counterclockwise, and thereby the lock of the rotary roller 17 on the lock receiving surface 42 is released.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the rotation lock mechanism 10 of the drawer unit 8 can be automatically locked to the image forming apparatus 1 and unlocked from the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the jam handling operation for removing a paper jam or the like as compared with a case where a lever or the like is provided in the drawer unit 8 and the drawer unit 8 is manually locked and unlocked. As a result, the efficiency of the jam handling work can be improved.

  Further, since the unlocking of the drawer unit 8 from the image forming apparatus 1 is automatically performed by driving the drive motor 21, the work of manually unlocking is not required. Thereby, compared with the structure which cancels | releases a lock manually, the drawer operation | work of the drawer unit 8 can be performed easily.

  When the drawer unit 8 is in a closed state in which the drawer unit 8 is completely stored in the storage unit, locking and unlocking by the rotation lock mechanism 10 are effective for locking the image forming apparatus 1 main body. On the other hand, when the drawer unit 8 is closed, the rotation lock mechanism 10 is not functioning until the set detection unit 30 operates by closing the drawer unit 8, so the drawer unit 8 is not connected to the apparatus main body. It is not locked. In this case, when the drawer unit 8 is strongly closed, the drawer unit 8 is not completely closed due to the reaction, and the drawer unit 8 rebounds and jumps out of the storage unit. In order to prevent this pop-out, a stopper unit 50 described later is provided in this embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the drawer unit 8 is locked to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1 by the rotation lock mechanism 10 described above. However, as long as the drawer unit 8 can be locked to the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, It is not limited to this.

<About the schematic structure of the conventional stopper unit 100>
As a premise for describing the stopper unit 50 in the present embodiment, a schematic configuration of a conventional stopper unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. As shown in FIG. 16A, the conventional stopper unit 100 includes a fixing member 101 and a locking member 102. The fixing member 101 is fixed to the front panel of the drawer unit 8 through the vertical surface 101 a, and an inverted L-shaped support portion 103 bent approximately 90 ° downward from the vertical surface 101 a is a locking member through the shaft portion 104. 102 is held.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 16B, the locking portion 102 c of the locking member 102 is locked to the locking receiving portion 110 provided in the image forming apparatus 1, so that it can be removed from the main body of the drawer unit 8. Is restricted from popping out. Conventionally, the locking portion 102c is unlocked from the locking receiving portion 110 by applying a pressing force in the arrow A direction.

  Conventionally, when the drawer unit 8 is stored in the apparatus main body, the drawer unit 8 is always locked to the main body via the stopper unit 100. As described above, when pulling out the drawer unit 8, the vertical surface 101a of the fixing member 101 is pressed against the drawer unit 8 and fixed, and the pressing force A is applied to the front upper surface 102a of the locking member 102 together. Therefore, it is necessary to manually release the locking state by inclining the locking member 102 forward.

  The conventional stopper unit 100 must always apply an external force to the portion 102a in order to maintain the unlocked state, and a pressing member for that purpose is also required. The drawer unit 8 that is in the locked state has a further F when the claw-shaped locking portion 102c of the stopper unit 100 is restricted by the locking receiving portion 110 against the force in the direction of arrow F. It cannot be moved in the direction.

  Therefore, in this case, when the drawer unit 8 is opened by jamming or the like, the locking portion 102c of the stopper unit 100 is locked to the locking receiving portion 110. Even if provided, the automatic extrusion mechanism will not function.

  Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 17, play is provided between the locking portion 200 a of the stopper unit 200 and the locking receiving portion 210. If the play is provided by extending the locking portion 200a of the stopper unit 200 in the arrow R direction, the drawer unit 8 can be pulled out in the F direction by the play amount. This is because the drawer unit 8 is slightly pulled out in the F direction by the automatic push-out function of the rotation lock mechanism 10 when the drawer unit 8 is closed with respect to the main body device, such as when a paper jam occurs in the image forming apparatus. Effective when you want.

  However, when the drawer unit 8 is strongly closed from the opened state, such as after jamming, there is play between the latch receiving part 210 and the latch part 200a, so that the drawer unit 8 does not fully close and reacts. There is a concern that an event may occur that the robot bounces out and cannot be completely closed. Here, the closed state means that the drawer unit 8 is moved in the R direction and the position of the drawer unit 8 is determined when the drawer unit 8 is completely closed, and the drawer unit 8 is in a stationary state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following characteristic configuration is adopted in order to prevent the drawer unit 8 from popping out from the apparatus main body without providing the play as provided by the prior art.

<About a schematic structure of the stopper unit 50 in this embodiment>
A schematic configuration of the stopper unit 50 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The stopper unit 50 in this embodiment is attached below the front plate 11 and engages with the lower surface of the storage unit facing the bottom of the front plate 11 to restrict movement in the direction in which the drawer unit 8 is pushed out of the storage unit. To do.

  More specifically, the stopper unit 50 includes a housing 51, a rotation shaft 52, a ball housing portion 54, a ball member 55, a cover member 56, and an attachment member 57. The casing 51 has a mounting hole for attaching the rotating shaft 52 in the vicinity of the center in the lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction indicated by the arrow FR, and the rotating shaft 52 is provided with a retaining ring 53 via both ends thereof. Is attached to the casing 51. That is, the casing 51 rotates at the end in the longitudinal direction via the rotation shaft 52. In the present embodiment, Pom material having excellent mechanical strength and wear resistance is used for the casing 51 and the ball housing portion 54, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other members may be used. Good.

  A ball member 55 that is a moving body is held so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction along the longitudinal direction that is the pulling-out direction or the pushing-out direction of the drawing unit 8 indicated by the arrow FR of the housing 51, and In the state in which the drawer unit 8 is stored, a box-shaped ball storage portion 54 having an inclined surface 54a that is inclined toward the front surface of the storage portion is disposed. The ball member 55 that is a moving body is moved in the direction of the inner surface of the storage portion by moving the inside of the ball storage portion 54 that stores the ball member 55 by the inertial force acting on the ball member 55 as the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage portion. Moving.

  The ball member 55 rolls the inclined surface 54a formed in the ball housing portion 54 in the direction of the inner surface of the storage portion as the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage portion, and is inclined when the drawer unit 8 is fixed to the storage portion. It functions as a rolling member that rolls the surface 54a toward the front surface of the storage unit. That is, if it is a rolling member, it is not limited to the spherical member 55 in this embodiment, For example, a cylindrical shape etc. may be sufficient.

  In the present embodiment, the ball housing portion 54 is provided separately from the housing 51. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a groove for housing the ball member 55 in the housing 51 so as to be directly movable is provided. The structure formed along a longitudinal direction may be sufficient. Needless to say, the ball housing portion 54 is also included in the concept of a groove. Further, the groove does not need to have a depth that can completely accommodate the ball member 55, and may have a depth that prevents the ball member 55 from jumping out of the groove. That is, when the groove is the ball housing portion 54, the height of the side surface in the width direction constituting the ball housing portion 54 may be a height that prevents the ball member 55 from jumping out from the side surface or the like.

  In the present embodiment, a groove for arranging the ball accommodating portion 54 is formed at the approximate center in the width direction along the longitudinal direction of the casing 51, and a plurality of grooves are formed on both sides in addition to the groove. However, this is formed to reduce the weight of the casing 51 and the like. On the other hand, the housing in the present invention is not limited to the structure of the housing 51. For example, even if it has a structure in which only a groove for disposing the ball housing portion 54 is formed in the casing 51, the entire casing may be substantially rectangular along the longitudinal direction.

  The housing 51 includes a claw-shaped portion 51a that is provided in the rear surface direction of the storage portion of the image forming apparatus 1 and that engages with a claw receiving member 60 provided on the lower surface of the storage portion. The claw-shaped portion 51a is a surface that is opposite to the surface on which the ball housing portion 54 of the housing 51 is disposed, and is a protruding portion that protrudes from the end in the longitudinal direction. As a protrusion part, it is not limited to the nail | claw shape in this embodiment, L-shape etc. may be sufficient.

  The attachment member 57 is an attachment portion for attaching the stopper unit 50 to the front plate 11 via the rotation shaft 52 so as to be rotatable, and is attached to the front plate 11 via the vertical surface 57g. The attachment member 57 attaches the casing 51 to the front side plate 11 so that the longitudinal direction of the casing 51 is parallel to the direction in which the drawer unit 8 is pulled out. Further, the attachment member 57 attaches the housing 51 to the front plate 11 so that the surface on which the ball housing portion 54 is disposed is the upper surface. The attachment member 57 attaches the housing 51 to the front plate 11 so that the end portion side where the claw-like portion 51a is formed is the back surface side of the storage portion in the state where the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage portion. Further, the attachment member 57 has the housing 51 in the front plate 11 so that the end side opposite to the end side where the claw-shaped portion 51a is formed is the front side of the storage unit in the state where the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage unit. Attach to. In the present invention, the end portion side where the claw-shaped portion 51a in the present embodiment is formed is referred to as “first end portion side”, and the end portion side opposite to the first end portion side is referred to as “second end”. Although it is defined as “part side”, it is a formal one, and the words “first” and “second” do not include the meaning of the order relationship or superiority.

  More specifically, the mounting member 57 has a hole 57a at the end of an inverted L-shaped support portion 57e bent downward by approximately 90 ° from both side ends of the vertical surface 57g toward the front as in the conventional configuration described above. , 57b. The attachment member 57 has an inverted L-shaped projection 57f bent downward by approximately 90 ° from the upper part of the vertical surface 57g to the back side. The protrusion 57f acts as an auxiliary tool when the attachment member 57 is attached to the front side plate 11.

  The rotation shaft 52 is passed through the mounting holes of the stopper unit 50 through the holes 57 a and 57 b of the mounting member 57, and is fixed to both outer sides of the mounting member 57 by the retaining rings 53. Thereby, the center of the rotation shaft 52 becomes the rotation center, and the stopper unit 50 rotates the end portion in the longitudinal direction in the vertical direction. The stopper unit 50 is attached by the attachment member 57 so as to be suspended from the front plate 11. As a result, the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the inclined surface 54a of the ball housing portion 54 disposed in the casing 51 of the stopper unit 50 also rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the stopper member.

  Further, the horizontal protrusion 57d formed by bending approximately 90 ° from the vertical surface 57g of the mounting member 57 with respect to the inner direction and the small protrusion 57c provided at the front end of the support portion 57e are provided in the longitudinal direction of the housing 51. It functions as a rotation restricting member that restricts the upward rotation of both ends. The lower surfaces or pieces of the horizontal protrusions 57d and the small protrusions 57c abut on the upper surface of the casing 51 connected by broken lines, thereby restricting the rotation of the casing 51.

  The cover member 56 is provided so as to cover the upper portion of the ball housing portion 54 in order to restrict the upward protrusion of the ball member 55. Further, the cover member 56 has a function of pressing the ball housing portion 54 and fixing it to the stopper member 36. Further, the upper surface of the cover member 56 may be in contact with the lower surface of the horizontal protrusion 57d described above to restrict the rotation of the housing 51.

  In the present embodiment, the cover member 56 is provided with a slit 56a narrower than the diameter of the spherical member 55 on the back side of the upper surface. The slit 56a prevents the ball member 55 from jumping out, and contributes to reducing the size and weight of the cover member 56 itself. The cover member 56 is not limited to the shape in the present embodiment, and may be any structure as long as the ball member 55 does not protrude upward and does not hinder movement in the ball housing portion 54.

<About the schematic structure of the inclined surface 54a in this embodiment, and operation | movement of the spherical member 55 via this>
A schematic configuration of the inclined surface 54a and an operation of the ball member 55 via the inclined surface 54a in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 13A, the ball member 55 includes side portions 54 b that rise vertically from the inclined surface on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the ball housing portion 54, and the two side portions 54 b extend in the longitudinal direction of the ball member 55. It functions like a guide rail that guides movement. The inclined surface 54 a is formed at the bottom of the ball housing portion 54.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, when the drawer unit 8 is stored in the storage portion, the ball member 55 is moved by the inertial force to move the inclined surface 54a toward the back side of the storage portion. The claw-like portion 51a side is rotated downward as indicated by an arrow D by the rotation of the rotation shaft 52 by its own weight. As a result, the claw-shaped portion 51 a is engaged with the claw receiving member 60. In the present embodiment, the inclined surface 54a is a sphere on the end side facing from the end side of the housing 51 in which the claw-shaped portion 51a is formed in a state where the claw-shaped portion 51a is engaged with the claw receiving member 60. The member 55 is inclined so as to move.

  As shown in FIG. 13C, when the drawer unit 8 is completely stored in the storage portion, for example, when the rotation lock mechanism 10 is engaged with the lock receiving member 40, the ball member 55 also has its own weight. As a result, the inclined surface 54a rolls in the front direction on the left side in the drawing. Then, the force that has caused the claw-shaped portion 51a to rotate in the clockwise direction is released, and as indicated by the arrow U, the claw-shaped portion 51a side rotates in the counterclockwise direction. Thereby, this time, the weight of the ball member 55 rotates the end portion of the casing 51 where the claw-shaped portion 51a is formed downward. That is, when the rotation shaft 52 rotates to the left, the casing 51 rotates in the left rotation direction. As a result, the engagement of the claw-shaped portion 51a with the claw receiving member 60 is released.

  In addition, you may form the accommodating part 54c used as the rocking | fluctuation regulation part which regulates rocking | fluctuation of the spherical member 55 in the edge part by this side in the longitudinal direction of the inclined surface 54a. By accommodating the spherical member 55 in the accommodating portion 54c, it is possible to prevent such a swing that the spherical member 55 collides with the surface of the front side end portion of the spherical accommodating portion 54 and rebounds back in the back direction. .

  As shown in FIG. 13D, the ball member 55 reciprocates on the inclined surface 54a in the longitudinal direction.

<Operation of Stopper Unit 50 in the Present Embodiment>
The operation of the stopper unit 50 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 13, the claw-shaped portion 51 a provided in the housing 51 of the stopper unit 50 by accommodating the drawer unit 8 in the storage portion is provided on the apparatus main body side of the image forming apparatus 1. The member 60 is engaged with the hole 60a.

  The ball member 55 is pushed in the R direction by the action of inertial force, and the center of gravity of the stopper unit 50 is moved forward, whereby the rear end side of the stopper unit 50 is rotated in the vertical direction, and the stopper unit 50 is kept horizontal. As a result, the claw-shaped portion 51 a engages with the hole 60 a of the claw receiving member 60. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14A, the drawer unit 8 is in a closed state, so that the phenomenon in which the drawer unit 8 jumps out from the main body in the F direction does not occur.

  Immediately after the drawer unit 8 is closed, the drawer unit 8 maintains the posture shown in FIG. However, due to the inclination of the inclined surface 54a, the ball member 55 also starts its movement in the F direction due to its own weight. As shown in FIG. 14B, the stopper unit 50 that has moved in the center of gravity in the R direction due to the weight of the ball member 55 gradually rotates in the direction of the arrow with the center of the rotation shaft 52 as a fulcrum. Then, when the claw-like portion 51a exceeds the upper surface of the claw receiving member 60, the engaged state with the hole 60a is released, and the drawer unit 8 can be pulled out from the storage portion and opened. Thereby, when the lock | rock of the above rotation lock mechanisms 10 is cancelled | released, the operation | movement by which the drawer | drawing-out unit 8 is pushed out from a storage part is not prevented.

<About the buffer member provided in the stopper unit 50 in this embodiment>
The buffer member 58 provided in the stopper unit 50 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The ball housing portion 54 has a buffer member 58 for buffering a repelling force repelled by the ball member 55 coming into contact with the vertical surface on the vertical surface of the ball housing portion 54 on the back surface side of the housing portion of the drawer unit 8. Have. The buffer member 58 may be a member that buffers the collision force of the ball member 55 such as rubber or sponge. The buffer member 58 may be attached to the vertical surface on the back side of the ball housing portion 54 by, for example, adhesion or welding.

  When the buffer member 58 is not provided, even when the ball member 55 moves to the back side as the drawer unit 8 is housed, the ball member 55 may collide with the back end surface of the ball housing portion 54 and bounce off. If it becomes so, the rotational force to the downward direction of the back end part of the stopper unit 50 by the dead weight of the ball | bowl member 55 will weaken or will be lose | eliminated. In the present embodiment, the impact force of the ball member 55 is buffered by the buffer member 58 and the ball member 55 is fastened to the back end of the ball housing portion 54. The engagement state of the claw-shaped portion 51a with the claw receiving portion 60 can be maintained without weakening the force for rotating the side end portion downward.

<About the effect of the drawer apparatus in this embodiment>
According to the present embodiment described above, the ball member 55 is moved by the inertial force generated by storing or opening / closing the drawer unit 8 in the storage unit, and thereby the stopper unit 50 swings around the rotation shaft 52. To do. As a result, when the drawer unit 8 is closed, it can be locked so that the drawer unit 8 does not jump out of the apparatus body toward the front side of the apparatus body. At the same time, by changing the position of the center of gravity of the stopper unit 50 by moving the ball member 55 by its own weight, the engagement of the claw-shaped portion 51a with the claw receiving member 60 can be automatically released without requiring an external force. .

  Each of the above-described embodiments is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ball member 55 is used to rotate the stopper unit 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a fluid such as water may be used as the moving body. In addition, when using fluid as a moving body, it is preferable to seal the accommodating part reliably with the cover member without a clearance gap.

  In addition, the drawer device in the present embodiment is not limited to the image forming apparatus, and may be a drawer device that accommodates the drawer unit so that the drawer unit can be pulled out in general office equipment used in an office or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 8 Pull-out unit 8a Front cover 8b Handle 10 Rotation lock mechanism 11 Front side plate 12 Rear side plate 13 Lock shaft 14 Fitting member 16 Roller shaft 17 Rotation roller 20 Drive part 21 Drive motor 22 Worm gear 22a Screw gear 22b Lotus gear 22b
23 gear train 24 driven gear 30 set detection unit 31 set detection sensor 31a light emitting unit 31b light receiving unit 32 set detection filler 40 lock receiving member 41 lock through hole 42 lock receiving surface 43 guide surface 50 stopper unit 51 housing 51a claw shape Part 52 Rotating shaft 53 Retaining ring 54 Ball housing part 54a Inclined surface 54b Side surface part 54c Housing part 55 Ball member 56 Cover member 56a Slit 57 Mounting member 57a, 57b Hole 57c Small protrusion 57d Horizontal protrusion 57e Support part 57f Projection 57g Vertical surface 58 cushioning member

JP 2014-134754 A

Claims (10)

A drawer device for storing the drawer unit in a storage section provided in the apparatus body,
The drawer unit is opposed to the first surface member facing the back surface of the storage portion when stored in the storage portion, and opposed to the front surface of the storage portion when stored in the storage portion. A second face material facing the first face material with a predetermined space between the first face material and the second face material, and the first face material and the first face material A connecting member that connects the second face material,
A stopper unit is provided below the second face material, and engages with the lower surface of the storage portion facing the bottom of the second face material,
The stopper unit is
A case in which a groove is formed along the longitudinal direction, and a projecting portion projecting from an end in the longitudinal direction is formed on a surface opposite to the surface on which the groove is formed;
A rotation shaft that is provided at the center in the longitudinal direction of the casing and rotates both ends in the longitudinal direction of the casing;
The longitudinal direction of the housing is parallel to the direction in which the drawer unit is pulled out, the surface on which the groove is formed is the top surface of the housing, and the first end side of the housing on which the protruding portion is formed is the drawer unit. In the state in which the drawer unit is stored in the storage portion on the back surface side of the storage portion in the state where the storage unit is stored in the storage portion, the second end portion side of the housing facing the first end portion side is stored in the storage portion An attachment portion that rotatably attaches the housing to the second face material via the rotation shaft so as to be on the front surface side of the storage portion;
A moving body that moves the groove in the longitudinal direction,
When the movable body moves to the first end portion side through the groove, the projecting portion engages with the lower surface of the storage portion, and the movable body moves to the second end portion side through the groove. Then, the drawing device is configured to release the engagement of the protruding portion with the lower surface of the storage portion.   In a state where the protrusion is engaged with the lower surface of the storage portion, an inclined surface that inclines so that the moving body moves from the first end side to the second end side is a bottom of the groove. The drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing device is formed as described above. In the state where the movable body rolls the inclined surface to the first end side as the drawer unit is stored in the storage unit, and the protrusion is engaged with the lower surface of the storage unit. A rolling member that rolls the inclined surface to the second end side;
The rotating shaft rotates clockwise as the rolling member rolls the inclined surface toward the first end, and the protruding portion engages with the lower surface of the storage portion. 2. The drawer device according to 2. As the rolling member rolls the inclined surface to the second end side, the pivot shaft rotates counterclockwise to release the engagement of the protruding portion with the lower surface of the storage portion. The drawer device according to claim 3. The groove formed in the housing is a box-shaped housing portion that movably houses the rolling member,
The said accommodating part has a buffer member which buffers the repulsive force which the said rolling member contacts and repels in the vertical surface of this accommodating part used as the said 1st edge part side, and repels. Item 5. The drawer device according to item 3 or 4.   The drawing device according to claim 5, wherein the stopper unit includes a cover member above the housing portion.   The drawing device according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a swing restricting portion that restricts swing of the rolling member on the second end side of the housing portion.   The drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the attachment portion includes a rotation restricting portion that restricts upward rotation of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the housing. A locking member that is attached to the first face material and is engaged with the inner surface of the storage unit to fix the drawer unit to the storage unit;
Detecting means for detecting that the drawer unit is stored in the storage unit;
An abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the mounting unit mounted on the drawer unit;
When the detecting means detects that the drawer unit has been stored, the lock member is driven to engage with the inner surface of the storage portion, and when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detecting means, The drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising driving means for releasing the engagement of the storage portion with the inner surface. An image forming apparatus comprising the drawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the drawer unit includes a main mechanism constituting the image forming apparatus.

Images