JP2017203819A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation device with which it is possible to reduce the number of members needed for protecting the photosensitive drum of a drum unit.SOLUTION: An image formation device 1 comprises a conveyance cover 10 rotatably provided so as to leave open or form a conveyance path 9 and a drum unit 20 removably provided so that a photosensitive drum 12 faces the conveyance path 9. The drum unit 20 includes a protective cover 40 that openably covers the outer circumference of the photosensitive drum 12. The conveyance cover 10 includes a connection member 31 which is connected with the protective cover 40 as the drum unit 20 is mounted in place and interlocked with the rotational movement of the conveyance cover 10. When the conveyance cover 10 moves rotationally so as to leave the conveyance path 9 open, the protective cover 40 is closed by the connection member 31 and the outer circumference of the photosensitive drum 12 is protected, and when the conveyance cover 10 moves rotationally so as to form the conveyance path 9, the protective cover 40 is opened by the connection member 31 and the photosensitive drum 12 faces the conveyance path 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

    The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a drum unit having a protective cover that covers an outer peripheral surface of a photosensitive drum.

  In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a drum unit including a photosensitive drum, a cleaning device, a charging device, and the like may be detachably provided on the apparatus main body. Such a drum unit is provided with a protective cover for protecting the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum during transportation or storage. This protective cover is generally discarded after being removed when the drum unit is attached to the apparatus main body.

  The drum unit is mounted on the apparatus main body so that a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum faces the paper conveyance path, and the paper on which the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum is conveyed along the conveyance path It is supposed to be transferred to. Further, the image forming apparatus may be provided with a transport cover that is rotatably provided to open or form a paper transport path. By rotating the transport cover to open the transport path, it is possible to handle a paper jam occurring in the transport path.

  If a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum faces the transport path, the user can touch the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductive drum when rotating the transport cover to open the transport path to handle a paper jam. There is a risk of touching and scratching the hand or the paper to be processed.

  Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a drum cover that moves between a protection position that advances to the facing surface between the photosensitive drum and the transport path and a storage position that retreats from the facing surface in conjunction with the rotation of the transport cover. An image forming apparatus provided with is described.

JP 2008-268902 A

  As described above, the photosensitive drum is protected by the protective cover provided in the drum unit at the time of transportation and storage, and is protected by the drum cover provided in the apparatus main body after being attached to the apparatus main body. . Thus, two types of members are necessary to protect the photosensitive drum. Moreover, the protective cover is discarded after the drum unit is mounted.

  In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the number of members for protecting a photosensitive drum of a drum unit.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an apparatus main body in which a paper conveyance path is formed, and a conveyance cover that is rotatably provided on the apparatus main body so as to open or form the conveyance path. A drum unit that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum, and is detachably provided on the apparatus main body so that a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum faces the conveyance path, and the drum unit includes the drum unit, A protective cover that covers the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum exposed from the drum unit so as to be openable and closable; the transport cover is connected to the protective cover when the drum unit is attached to the apparatus main body; A connecting member that interlocks with the pivoting movement of the cover, and when the transport cover is pivoted to open the transport path, the protective cover is The outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum facing the transport path is protected, and when the transport cover is rotated so as to form the transport path, the protective cover is opened by the connection member, A part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum faces the transport path.

  By adopting such a configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum can be protected with one protective cover not only when the drum unit is transported or stored, but also after the drum unit is mounted. Can be suppressed. Furthermore, since no waste is generated, post-processing after the drum unit is attached is facilitated.

  In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the drum unit may be attached to the apparatus main body with the protective cover closed.

  By adopting such a configuration, the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum can be protected when the drum unit is mounted.

  In the image forming apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, the drum unit is slid along the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum in a state where the conveyance cover is rotated and the conveyance path is opened, so that the drum unit is attached to the apparatus main body. The protective cover may be connected to the connecting member while being mounted.

  By adopting such a configuration, the connecting operation between the protective cover and the connecting member can be simplified.

  According to the present invention, the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum can be protected by the single protective cover not only when the drum unit is transported or stored, but also after the drum unit is mounted, so that the photosensitive drum is protected. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced.

1 is a front view schematically showing an internal structure of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a perspective view which shows a drum unit and a conveyance cover typically. FIG. 3A is a perspective view schematically showing an opening / closing operation of a protective cover of a drum unit in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3A is a protective cover slid to a storage position, and FIG. 3B is a protective position. Shows the sliding protective cover. In the printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a front view which shows typically the drum unit and conveyance cover at the time of conveyance path | route opening | release. In the printer which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, it is a front view which shows typically the drum unit and conveyance cover at the time of conveyance path | route formation.

  Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an overall configuration of a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the front side of the paper in FIG. 1 is the front side (front side) of the printer 1, and the direction when the left and right orientation printers are viewed from the front is used as a reference.

  A paper discharge tray 4 and a paper discharge device 5 that discharges paper to the paper discharge tray 4 are provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2 of the printer 1. A paper feed cassette 6 for storing paper is detachably attached to the lower part of the apparatus main body 2. A paper feeding device 7 that feeds paper from the paper feeding cassette 6 is provided at the upper right of the paper feeding cassette 6. In the apparatus main body 2, a sheet conveyance path 9 extending in the vertical direction from the sheet feeding device 7 toward the sheet discharge device 5 is formed. A transport cover 10 is provided on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 2 so as to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum 10a at the lower end. A transport surface of the transport path 9 is formed on the left surface of the transport cover 10. The conveyance path 9 is opened or formed by rotating the conveyance cover 10.

  A photosensitive drum 12 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet feeding device 7 so as to face the conveyance path 9 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft 12a. On the other hand, a transfer roller 13 is rotatably provided on the transport cover 10 so as to face the photosensitive drum 12 with the transport path 9 interposed therebetween. A transfer nip 14 is formed between the transfer roller 13 and the photosensitive drum 12. A fixing device 15 is provided downstream of the transfer nip 14 in the conveyance direction.

  Around the photosensitive drum 12, a charging device 17, a developing device 18, and a cleaning device 19 are arranged along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 12 (see arrow X in FIG. 1). The photosensitive drum 12, the charging device 17, and the cleaning device 19 are integrally provided as a drum unit 20. The drum unit 20 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2 along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 12 a of the photosensitive drum 12. The developing device 18 is connected to a toner container 21 that contains toner. On the left side of the photosensitive drum 12, an exposure device 22 composed of a laser scanning unit (LSU) is provided.

  Next, an image forming operation of the printer 1 having such a configuration will be described. After the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is charged by the charging device 17, exposure corresponding to the image data is performed on the photosensitive drum 12 by laser light from the exposure device 22 (see the dashed line P in FIG. 1). An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the toner supplied from the toner container 21 in the developing device 18.

  On the other hand, the sheet taken out from the sheet feeding cassette 6 by the sheet feeding device 7 is conveyed to the transfer nip 14 along the conveyance path 9 in synchronism with the above-described image forming operation, and is transferred onto the photosensitive drum 12 by the transfer nip 14. The toner image is transferred onto the paper. The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed downstream in the conveyance path 9 and enters the fixing device 15 where the toner image is fixed on the sheet. The paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 4 by the paper discharge device 5. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 12 is collected by the cleaning device 19.

  Next, the transport cover 10 and the drum unit 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the drum unit and the transport cover, FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the opening / closing operation of the protective cover of the drum unit, and FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the drum unit and the transport cover when the transport path is opened. FIG. 5 is a front view schematically showing the drum unit and the transport cover when the transport path is formed.

  As described above, the transport surface of the transport path 9 is formed on the inner (left side) surface of the transport cover 10. As shown in FIG. 2, connection members 31 are provided on both sides of the sheet in the width direction at the lower end of the transport surface. The connection member 31 includes a first arm 32 that is rotatably supported above and inside the rotation fulcrum 10 a of the transport cover 10, and a second arm 33 that is rotatably connected to the tip of the first arm 32. ,have. A pin 34 protruding forward is provided at the tip of the second arm 33. The pins 34 provided on the front connection member 31 and the pins 34 provided on the rear connection member 31 are formed at positions shifted along the rotation direction of the transport cover 10. .

  As described above, the photosensitive drum 12, the charging device 17, and the cleaning device 19 are integrally supported on the drum unit 20. 2 to 5, the charging device and the cleaning device are not shown. The photosensitive drum 12 is supported such that an outer peripheral surface facing the transfer roller 13 and an outer peripheral surface facing the developing device 18 are exposed from the drum unit 20 (see FIG. 1). A pair of rails 37 are provided along the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 exposed on both sides of the drum unit 20 in the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 12.

  The drum unit 20 further includes a protective cover 40 that covers the photosensitive drum 12. The protective cover 40 includes a sheet member 41 having a dimension capable of covering the exposed outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12, and a movable bar 42 fixed to one end edge of the sheet member 41. Yes. The sheet member 41 is made of an elastic material. Both ends of the movable bar 42 and both edges in the width direction of the sheet member 41 are supported by a pair of rails 37, respectively.

  The protective cover 40 slides the movable bar 42 along the pair of rails 37 so that the sheet member 41 keeps the planar shape and covers the exposed outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 (FIG. 3 ( A) and a storage position (refer to FIG. 3B) retracted from the outer peripheral surface. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the right outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is schematically regarded as an exposed outer peripheral surface. At both ends of the movable bar 42, connecting portions 43 having through holes into which the pins 34 provided on the connection members 31 of the transport cover 10 can be inserted are formed.

  In the drum unit 10 having the above configuration, the protective cover 40 is moved to the protective position during transport and storage, and the exposed outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is covered and protected by the sheet member 41 (FIG. 3 (A)). The drum unit 20 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2 after the transport cover 10 is rotated so that the transport path 9 is opened.

  When the drum unit 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 12a of the photosensitive drum 12, as shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portion 43 provided in the movable bar 42 of the protective cover 40 penetrates. The pin 34 of the connection member 31 provided on the transport cover 10 is inserted into the hole, and the protective cover 40 and the connection member 31 are connected as shown in FIG.

  After the two are connected, as shown in FIG. 5, when the transport cover 10 is rotated so as to form the transport path 9, each connecting member 31 is moved to the movable bar in conjunction with the rotational operation of the transport cover 10. 42 is slid along one pair of rails 37 in one direction (left direction). Then, the protective cover 40 moves to the storage position, and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is exposed and faces the conveyance path 9. Thereafter, the above-described image forming operation is performed.

  If a paper jam occurs in the transport path 9 during the image forming operation, the transport cover 10 is rotated to open the transport path 9. Then, in conjunction with the rotation operation of the transport cover 10, each connecting member 31 slides the movable bar 42 in the opposite direction (right direction) along the pair of rails 37. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the protective cover 40 moves to the protective position, and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is covered. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user's hand or the taken out paper from coming into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 during the paper jam processing.

  As described above, according to the printer 1 of the present invention, the protective cover 40 that protects the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 during transportation and storage is protected, and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 after being attached to the apparatus main body 2 is protected. Can be used to That is, the protective cover conventionally provided in the drum unit 20 can also be used as the drum cover provided in the apparatus main body 2. Therefore, the number of parts of the cover that covers the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 can be reduced. Further, since no waste is generated, post-processing after the drum unit 20 is mounted is facilitated.

  In addition, by attaching the drum unit 20 to the apparatus main body 12, the connection member 31 of the transport cover 10 and the protective cover 40 of the drum unit 20 are coupled, and the protective cover 40 opens and closes in conjunction with the rotation operation of the transport cover 10. Therefore, the opening / closing operation of the protective cover 40 can be performed efficiently. Further, when the drum unit 20 is attached to the apparatus main body 2, the protective cover 40 moves to the protection position and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is covered with the sheet member 41. The outer peripheral surface of the drum 12 can be protected.

  In the present embodiment, the sheet member 41 of the protective cover 40 is configured to move along the pair of rails 37 while maintaining a planar shape between the protective position and the storage position. However, in the storage position, the sheet member 41 may be folded into a bellows shape or a roll shape.

  The description of the embodiment of the present invention described above describes a preferred embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and thus may have various technically preferable limitations. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless specifically described to limit the present invention. That is, the above-described components in the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately replaced with existing components and the like, and various variations including combinations with other existing components are possible. The description of the embodiment of the present invention described above does not limit the contents of the invention described in the claims.

1 Printer (image forming device)
2 Device body 9 Transport path 10 Transport cover 12 Photosensitive drum 20 Drum unit 31 Connection member 40 Protective cover

Claims (3)

An apparatus main body on which a paper conveyance path is formed;
A transport cover rotatably provided on the apparatus main body so as to open or form the transport path;
A drum unit that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum, and is detachably provided on the apparatus main body so that a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum faces the conveyance path;
With
The drum unit is
A protective cover covering the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum exposed from the drum unit so as to be openable and closable;
The transport cover is
The drum unit is connected to the protective cover by being attached to the apparatus main body, and has a connection member that interlocks with the rotation operation of the transport cover,
When the transport cover is rotated so as to open the transport path, the protective cover is closed by the connecting member, and the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum facing the transport path is protected,
When the transport cover is rotated so as to form the transport path, the protective cover is opened by the connection member, and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum faces the transport path. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drum unit is attached to the apparatus main body with the protective cover closed. The drum unit is attached to the apparatus main body by sliding along the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the photosensitive drum in a state in which the transport path is opened by rotating the transport cover, and the protective cover is mounted on the drum unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is connected to the connection member.

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