JP2018026412A - Cover unit attachment/detachment device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an arrangement that can removably attach a cover unit in a direction different from engagement of a rear side plate 60.SOLUTION: A cover unit attachment/detachment device 200 comprises a rear side plate 60, a cover unit, a hook 201, and a locking plate part 202. The cover unit is removably attached to the rear side plate 60 and covers the rear side plate 60. The hook 201 is provided on the cover unit. The locking plate part 202 is provided on the rear side plate 60 and engaged with the hook 201. The engagement of the hook 201 with the locking plate part 202 is released by a movement in a first direction of the cover unit and a movement in a second direction different from the first direction of the cover unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a cover unit attaching / detaching device in which a cover unit can be attached to and detached from a covering portion.

  An electrical product such as an image forming apparatus generally has a configuration in which an internal device is covered with a cover in consideration of aesthetics. Here, for example, a configuration in which a processing apparatus such as a punch unit that punches holes in a sheet can be mounted later is known as an image forming apparatus. In addition, a configuration in which a part of the cover of the image forming apparatus main body is removed when the processing apparatus is mounted later is also known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-63832 A

  In the configuration in which the cover is detachable as described above, the cover may be assembled, for example, by dropping it from the upper side with respect to the covering portion of the apparatus main body when the image forming apparatus is assembled. Here, when assembling the image forming apparatus, a unit such as an image reading apparatus may be mounted above the cover after the cover (cover unit) is assembled. In this case, even if an attempt is made to pull the cover upward to remove the processing apparatus from the image forming apparatus, it will interfere with this unit. For this reason, in this case, the unit is removed and then the cover is removed, resulting in poor workability.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a configuration in which the cover unit can be removed in different directions with respect to the engagement of the covering portion.

  The present invention provides a covering portion, a cover unit that is detachably attached to the covering portion, covers the covering portion, an engaging means provided in the cover unit, and provided in the covering portion, Engaging means, and the engagement between the engaging means and the engaged means is different from the movement of the cover unit in the first direction and the first direction. The cover unit attaching / detaching device is characterized in that the engagement is released by the movement of the cover unit in the second direction.

  According to the present invention, the cover unit can be removed in different directions with respect to the engagement of the covering portion.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a state in which the stacking unit is attached to the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. 1 is a front view illustrating a state in which a processing device is attached to an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the in-body space of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the front according to the embodiment. AA sectional drawing of FIG. BB sectional drawing of FIG. CC sectional drawing of FIG. DD sectional drawing of FIG.

  The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[Image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus 100 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes an apparatus main body 110 and a document reading unit (image reading apparatus) 120 mounted on the upper portion of the apparatus main body 110. Such an image forming apparatus 100 has an image on a sheet such as a sheet based on image information sent from an external terminal such as an external computer or image information captured by an original reading unit (image reading apparatus) 120. Form.

  For this purpose, an image forming unit 10 that forms an image on a sheet, a sheet feeding unit 20, a fixing unit 30, and a sheet discharge unit 40 are provided in the housing of the apparatus main body 110 (inside the apparatus main body). . The image forming unit 10 includes a rotationally driven photosensitive drum 11, a charging roller 12, an exposure device 13, a developing device 14, a transfer roller 15, and a cleaning device 16. The surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 12, and the charged surface is exposed by the exposure device 13 based on the image information described above to form an electrostatic latent image.

  Specifically, the image information is converted into light modulation information by an exposure device (laser emission writing unit) 13 and emitted. The light modulation information emitted from the exposure device 13 is imaged in a spot shape on the photosensitive drum 11 while being scanned in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 11. The light spot irradiated on the photosensitive drum 11 that is moved in the sub-scanning direction by being rotated is reciprocated in the main scanning direction, whereby the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information described above is formed on the photosensitive drum 11. An image is formed.

  Then, the developer (toner) is supplied from the developing device 14 to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image. Note that developer is supplied to the developing device 14 from the toner bottle unit 17.

  Next, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to a sheet conveyed to a transfer nip portion between the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer roller 15. Specifically, a transfer roller 15 is disposed on the downstream side of the developing device 14 with respect to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 11 so as to be in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 11, and transfer is performed between the photosensitive drum 11 and the transfer roller 15. A nip is formed. A transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 15, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 11 is electrostatically transferred onto the sheet at the transfer nip portion by the transfer bias. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 after the transfer is removed by the cleaning device 16.

  On the other hand, the sheet feeding unit 20 conveys the sheet to the transfer nip portion. The sheet feeding unit 20 includes a cassette 21, a feeding roller 22, a conveyance guide 23, a registration roller pair 24, and the like. The cassette 21 is disposed in the lower part of the apparatus main body 110 and is formed in a box shape so that sheets such as sheets cut to a predetermined size can be stacked and accommodated. The cassette 21 is attached to the apparatus main body 110 so as to be detachable in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The cassette 21 is provided with a support plate 21a, and the support plate 21a is urged upward by a pressure spring 21b. Accordingly, the lowermost surface of the sheet bundle stacked in the cassette 21 is supported by the support plate 21a and is held in a state where it is lifted upward by the urging force of the pressure spring 21b.

  The uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle thus lifted is fed by the feeding roller 22 and guided by the conveyance guide 23 to reach the nip portion of the registration roller pair 24. Then, the sheet is conveyed from the registration roller pair 24 to the transfer nip portion at the timing when the toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 reaches the transfer nip portion.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred at the transfer nip portion is conveyed toward the fixing portion 30 disposed above the transfer nip. The fixing unit 30 has a fixing film 31 as a heating unit arranged in an annular shape, and a pressure roller 32 as an opposing unit facing the fixing film 31. The toner on the sheet is melted and the toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing action based on the pressure and heating action in the fixing nip portion of the fixing film 31 and the pressure roller 32.

  The sheet on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed from the exit of the fixing unit 30 to the sheet discharge unit 40 disposed on the upper side of the apparatus. The sheet conveyed to the sheet discharge unit 40 is discharged to a discharge tray 42 by a discharge roller 41. When performing duplex printing, the sheet is switched back by the discharge roller 41 and conveyed to the duplex conveyance path 43, and an image is formed on the back surface of the sheet in the same manner as the front surface. Further, an upper sheet discharge unit 44 is disposed above the sheet discharge unit 40, and a sheet can be discharged from the upper sheet discharge unit 44 when a stacking unit 70 (FIG. 3) described later is mounted.

  The image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a so-called in-body discharge configuration in which a discharge tray 42 is provided between the upper surface of the apparatus main body 110 and the document reading unit 120. That is, the apparatus main body 110 and the document reading unit 120 are configured such that the one-side casing 46 disposed on one side (the right side in FIG. 1) of the apparatus main body 110 and the back-side casing provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 110. 50 is connected. Inside the one-side housing portion 46, a sheet discharge portion 40, an upper sheet discharge portion 44, and the like are provided. A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus 100, various power supplies, and the like are provided inside the back-side housing unit 50.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 100 includes the in-body space 45 surrounded by the document reading unit 120, the one-side housing unit 46, the back-side housing unit 50, and the discharge tray 42. In other words, the discharge tray 42 is provided below the document reading unit 120 via the in-body space 45. The sheet discharged into the in-body space 45 can be taken out from the front and left sides of the image forming apparatus 100. Note that the front side of the image forming apparatus 100 is a side on which an operation unit for operating the image forming apparatus 100 is provided.

  Here, the exterior of the image forming apparatus 100 is configured by a plurality of covers that are appropriately divided in accordance with the functions of the respective parts, while covering various internal devices. For example, the exterior is configured in accordance with functions such as a part that performs an opening / closing operation, a part that is divided at the time of assembly, and a part to which an accessory kit or the like that is mounted after the apparatus is installed as described later.

  As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, since the cassette 21 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 110, the front surface is covered with an independent cover 101. A front door 102 is attached to the front surface of the apparatus main body 110 as an openable / closable cover. By opening and closing the front door 102, the inside of the apparatus main body 110 can be accessed, and the photosensitive drum and the developing device can be exchanged. The cover 103 covering the image reading unit 120 is divided from the cover on the apparatus main body 110 side so that the image reading unit itself can be attached and detached.

  Furthermore, the cover is detachably attached to a part to which the accessory kit is attached, for example, a part to which a facsimile function or the like is optionally added. Examples of the accessory kit include a sheet storage device (not shown), a stacking unit 70 (FIG. 3), a processing device 71 (FIG. 4), and the like. The sheet storage device is a device that can store a large-capacity sheet separately from the cassette of the apparatus main body 110. The stacking unit 70 has an additional discharge tray. The processing device 71 is a device having one or more functions among a punching function for making holes in a sheet, a function for bundling and folding sheets, and a function for stapling a bundle of sheets.

  The sheet storage device is externally attached to the right side of the apparatus main body 110 in FIG. For this reason, the cover on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 110 can be divided and removed when the sheet storage apparatus is mounted. On the other hand, the stacking unit 70 and the processing device 71 are mounted in the in-body space 45 of the image forming apparatus 100.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a cover unit 51 is detachably attached to the back side housing unit 50 on the back side of the in-body space 45. The cover unit 51 is composed of a plurality of cover members, and each cover member can be divided and attached to the back-side casing unit 50. In the present embodiment, the cover unit 51 includes a first cover member 52 and a second cover member 53. When an accessory kit such as the stacking unit 70 or the processing device 71 is separately attached to the in-body space 45, either one or both of the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 are removed, and the accessory kit is attached to the apparatus main body 110. Etc. can be installed.

  Although described later in detail, the cover unit 51 can be attached to a rear plate 60 (see, for example, FIG. 6) that constitutes the back-side housing unit 50. When the accessory kit is not attached, the rear plate 60 is covered with the cover unit 51. The rear side plate 60 is a wall member provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 110. For example, a control board or a power source that constitutes a control unit is disposed on the back side of the rear side plate 60.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the stacking unit 70 is attached to the in-body space 45, the cover unit 51 is removed and the stacking unit 70 is mounted on the rear plate 60. The stacking unit 70 is mounted above the discharge tray 42 and stacks sheets discharged from the upper sheet discharge unit 44. As a result, the sheet can be discharged to two places, the discharge tray 42 and the stacking unit 70. When attaching such a stacking unit 70, only one of the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 may be removed. For example, only the upper cover member 52 is removed, and the stacking unit 70 is mounted on the exposed rear plate 60.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the processing device 71 is attached to the in-body space 45, the cover unit 51 and the discharge tray 42 are removed, and the processing device 71 is placed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 110 from which the discharge tray 42 is removed. And the processing device 71 is mounted on the rear plate 60. Thereby, the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge unit 40 is conveyed to the processing device 71, and the processing device 71 performs a predetermined process such as punching. In addition, when attaching the processing apparatus 71, both the 1st cover member 52 and the 2nd cover member 53 are removed.

  As described above, the cover unit 51 is removed when the stacking unit 70 and the processing device 71 are attached to the in-cylinder space 45. The cover unit 51 is dropped from above when the image forming apparatus 100 is assembled. Attach to 60. Therefore, the cover unit 51 can be normally removed from the apparatus main body 110 by pulling upward. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 100 is assembled, the cover unit 51 is attached to the apparatus main body 110 and then the image reading unit 120 is attached to the upper part thereof. For this reason, when the cover unit 51 is pulled upward to attach the stacking unit 70 or the like later, it interferes with the image reading unit 120 existing above.

  Here, it is conceivable to attach and detach the cover unit 51 other than the upper and lower slides, for example, by fixing the cover unit 51 with a screw or the like from the front and removing the screw when removing the cover unit 51. However, from the viewpoint of ease of attaching the cover unit 51 and ease of removing the cover unit 51 later, a configuration in which the cover unit 51 is detached by sliding is preferable. In particular, when assembling the image forming apparatus 100, it is preferable that the cover is slid and mounted so as to drop the cover from above for ease of work.

  On the other hand, it is conceivable that a gap is provided between the upper part of the cover and the unit so that the restriction unit such as the image reading unit 120 is attached upward after the cover is attached, so that the cover is pulled out and removed. In this case, since the part which cannot be covered with a cover arises, a beauty | look will be impaired. Moreover, in order to remove the cover, it may be possible to remove the image reading unit 120 located above, but in this case, work is required. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the following cover unit attaching / detaching device 200 is employed.

[Cover unit attachment / detachment device]
The configuration of the cover unit attaching / detaching apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the attachment / detachment structure with respect to the cover unit 51 and the rear side plate 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. The cover unit attaching / detaching device 200 includes a rear plate 60 as a covering portion, a cover unit 51, a hook 201 as an engaging means, an engaging plate portion 202 (an engaging portion) as an engaged means, Side walls 203a and 203b as guide portions and side walls 204a and 204b as second guide portions are provided. The rear plate 60 is provided on the back side of the apparatus main body 110 as described above. As described above, the cover unit 51 is also detachable from the rear plate 60 and covers the rear plate 60 in the mounted state. The cover unit 51 includes a first cover member 52 and a second cover member 53 that are two cover members.

  The hook 201 is provided on one of the rear side plate 60 and the cover unit 51, and in the present embodiment, the hook 201 is formed to protrude from the side surface on the back side of the cover unit 51. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the hook 201 extends downward from a protrusion 201a that protrudes from the side of the cover unit 51 on the back side (left side of FIG. 6) and from the lower surface of the tip of the protrusion 201a. Extending part 201b. A gap is formed between the extension portion 201b and the cover unit 51.

  The locking plate portion 202 is provided on the other of the rear side plate 60 and the cover unit 51, but is formed on the rear side plate 60 in the present embodiment. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a hole 205 through which the hook 201 can pass is formed at a predetermined position of the rear side plate 60, and the locking plate 202 enters the hole 205. The hook 201 is formed so that it can be locked. That is, the hook 201 is locked to the locking plate 202 by the locking plate 202 being positioned in the gap between the extension 201 b of the hook 201 and the cover unit 51.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the hole portion 205 is formed in a substantially crank shape, and the corner portion of the crank shape becomes the locking plate portion 202. Specifically, the hole portion 205 includes a first hole portion 205a formed in a vertical direction (vertical direction) as a first direction, and a second direction bent 90 degrees from the lower end portion of the first hole portion 205a. And the second hole portion 205b formed in the horizontal direction. Then, the locking plate 202 is projected so as to protrude toward the first hole portion 205a and the second hole portion 205b at the first position α where the first hole portion 205a and the second hole portion 205b meet. Is formed.

  In addition, the hook 201 can enter the first hole portion 205a at the second position β, which is a position deviated upward in the vertical direction from the first position α of the first hole portion 205a. For this purpose, the horizontal width X2 of the first hole portion 205a is made larger than the horizontal width X1 of the hook 201 (X1 <X2). Further, the width Y2 from the upper end edge of the first hole portion 205a to the upper end edge of the locking plate 202 is made larger than the vertical width Y1 of the hook 201 (Y1 <Y2).

  In addition, the hook 201 can enter the second hole portion 205b even at the third position γ, which is a position deviated from the first position α of the second hole portion 205b to one side in the horizontal direction (left side in FIG. 7). Therefore, the vertical width Y3 of the second hole portion 205b is made larger than the vertical width Y1 of the hook 201 (Y1 <Y3). Further, the horizontal end of the second hole portion 205b (the left end edge in FIG. 7) to the horizontal end of the locking plate 202 (the left end edge in FIG. 7) than the horizontal width X1 of the hook 201. The width X3 is increased (X1 <X2).

  As a result, the hook 201 can enter the hole 205 at the second position β and the third position γ, and the engagement between the hook 201 and the locking plate 202 is released. The cover unit 51 can be detached from the rear side plate 60 by releasing the engagement between the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202. On the other hand, the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202 are engaged at the first position α, and the cover unit 51 is mounted on the rear plate 60. That is, the engagement between the hook 201 as the engaging means and the locking plate portion 202 as the engaged means is caused by the movement of the cover unit 51 in the first direction and the cover unit 51 different from the first direction. The engagement is released by the movement in the second direction. Further, the locking plate portion 202 allows the hook 201 to be locked, and allows the hook 201 to move in the first direction and the second direction.

  In order to perform such an attaching / detaching operation of the cover unit 51, the present embodiment includes a pair of side walls 203a and 203b as a first guide part and a pair of side walls 204a and 204b as a second guide part. . The pair of side walls 203a and 203b guide the hook 201 in the vertical direction between the first position α and the second position β. That is, the pair of side walls 203a and 203b are end surfaces on both sides in the horizontal direction of the first hole portion 205a, and are formed along the vertical direction. The distance between the pair of side walls 203a and 203b is the width X2 as described above. The width X2 is slightly larger than the width X1 of the hook 201. As a result, since there is a slight clearance between the pair of side walls 203a and 203b and the hook 201, the hook 201 is smoothly guided to the pair of side walls 203a and 203b, and the first position α and the first position It can move between two positions β.

  The pair of side walls 204a and 204b guides the hook 201 along the horizontal direction between the first position α and the third position γ. That is, the pair of side walls 204a and 204b are end surfaces on both sides in the vertical direction of the second hole portion 205b, and are formed along the horizontal direction. The distance between the pair of side walls 204a and 204b is the width Y3 as described above. The width Y3 is slightly larger than the width Y1 of the hook 201. As a result, since there is a slight clearance between the pair of side walls 204a and 204b and the hook 201, the hook 201 is smoothly guided by the pair of side walls 204a and 204b, and the first position α and the first position It can move between 3 positions γ.

  In the present embodiment, the guide portion 206 is provided in the lower portion of the second hole portion 205b. The guide part 206 is formed so that the upper surface is substantially parallel to the horizontal direction by bending the lower part of the second hole part 205b of the rear plate 60 to the back side. The notches 207 on both sides of the guide part 206 shown in FIG. 7 are for forming the guide part 206 by bending a part of the rear side plate 60 in this way. As a result, when the hook 201 is moved in the horizontal direction, the tip of the extending part 201b of the hook 201 is guided by being brought into contact with the upper surface of the guide part 206, so that the hook 201 further falls when moving in the horizontal direction. Is prevented. As a result, the hook 201 can be moved along the horizontal direction while holding the hook 201 at a position where it can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking plate portion 202, and the attachment / detachment work can be easily performed.

  In addition, a tapered surface 201c that is inclined toward the back side toward the distal end (lower end) is formed at the lower distal end portion of the hook 201. Accordingly, when the hook 201 is moved from the second position β to the first position α and engaged with the locking plate portion 202, the taper surface 201c is engaged with the upper end of the locking plate portion 202, so that the hook The extending part 201 b of 201 makes it easy to enter the back side of the locking plate part 202. As a result, the hook 201 can be easily engaged from above. In addition, a tapered surface that guides the tip of the extending portion 201b to the back side of the locking plate portion 202 may be formed at the upper end of the locking plate portion 202.

  Similarly, a tapered surface 201d that is inclined toward the back side toward the right end is formed at the end portion on the right side in the horizontal direction of the extending portion 201b of the hook 201. Thus, when the hook 201 is moved from the third position γ to the first position α and engaged with the locking plate portion 202, the taper surface 201d is engaged with the left end of the locking plate portion 202. The extending part 201 b of 201 makes it easy to enter the back side of the locking plate part 202. As a result, the hook 201 can be easily engaged from the left. In addition, the taper surface that guides the right end of the extending portion 201b to the back side of the locking plate portion 202 in this way may be formed at the left end of the locking plate portion 202.

  In the present embodiment, such a hook 201, a locking plate portion 202, and a hole portion 205 constitute an attaching / detaching portion 210 that allows the cover unit 51 to be attached to and detached from the rear plate 60. As shown in FIG. 5, the cover unit attaching / detaching device 200 includes a plurality of such attaching / detaching portions 210. Specifically, the cover unit attaching / detaching device 200 is provided at four locations, and the cover unit 51 is attachable to and detachable from the rear plate 60 at these four locations.

  In the present embodiment, the detachable portion 210 is configured as described above, so that the hook 201 can be moved to either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction to be freely engaged with and disengaged from the locking plate portion 202. First, the hook 201 enters the second position β of the hole 205, and the hook 201 is moved to the first position α below along the pair of side walls 203a and 203b. To be engaged. On the other hand, by moving the hook 201 from the first position α to the upper second position β along the pair of side walls 203a and 203b, the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202 are disengaged, and the hook 201 is removed. It can be removed from the hole 205.

  On the other hand, the hook 201 enters the third position γ of the hole 205 and moves the hook 201 to the right first position α along the pair of side walls 204a and 204b. It is engaged with the stop plate portion 202. On the other hand, by moving the hook 201 from the first position α to the left third position γ along the pair of side walls 204a and 204b, the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202 are disengaged. Can be removed from the hole 205.

  As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, the cover unit 51 includes the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53. For this reason, two attachment / detachment portions 210 are provided on the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53, respectively. That is, the hooks 201 are provided near the both ends in the horizontal direction of the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53, respectively. In addition, a locking plate portion 202 and a hole portion 205 are formed at four locations corresponding to the four hooks 201 of the rear side plate 60, respectively. Therefore, the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 are detachable from the rear side plate 60 at two locations.

  Specifically, when the first cover member 52 or the second cover member 53 is moved in the vertical direction, the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202 of each attachment / detachment portion 210 are engaged / disengaged as described above, The first cover member 52 or the second cover member 53 can be attached to and detached from the rear plate 60. Similarly, if the first cover member 52 or the second cover member 53 is moved in the horizontal direction, the hook 201 and the locking plate portion 202 of each attachment / detachment portion 210 are engaged and disengaged as described above, and the first cover The member 52 or the second cover member 53 can be attached to and detached from the rear side plate 60.

  In the present embodiment, a one-side housing portion 46 in which the sheet discharge portion 40 and the like are arranged on the right side of the apparatus main body 110 in FIGS. Therefore, when removing the cover unit 51 by moving it in the horizontal direction, the cover unit 51 is moved to the left of the in-body space 45 that is an open space without the one-side casing 46, and the cover unit 51 is moved in the horizontal direction. When attaching, the inner space 45 is moved from the left side to the right side. With this configuration, the cover unit 51 can be attached and detached in the horizontal direction without providing a gap between the cover unit 51 and the one-side casing 46 in the mounted state or without increasing the gap. .

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, the third position γ of the second hole portion 205b into which the hook 201 enters or leaves when the cover unit 51 is attached / detached by moving in the horizontal direction is to the left of the first position α. Is formed. Thus, the position of the third position γ is a position where the cover unit 51 does not interfere with a part of the apparatus main body 110 when the cover unit 51 is attached and detached by moving in the horizontal direction. In other words, it is preferable to provide the third position γ at a position away from the first position α in the same direction as the direction in which the cover unit 51 is moved in the horizontal direction (second direction) and removed.

[Cover attach / detach section]
The attachment / detachment of the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 to the rear plate 60 as described above may be performed integrally with the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 or may be performed separately. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second cover member 53 is detachable with respect to the first cover member 52. A cover attaching / detaching portion 300 that is an attaching / detaching configuration of the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

  The first cover member 52 is formed with a protruding portion 301 as a cover side engaging portion. The second cover member 53 has a pair of wall portions 302a and 302b as cover-side engaged portions in which the protrusions 301 can be engaged and disengaged in the vertical direction and the protrusions 301 cannot be engaged and disengaged in the horizontal direction. Is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the cover unit 51, the first cover member 52 is disposed on the upper side and the second cover member 53 is disposed on the lower side, and a part of each cover member is overlapped with each other. Specifically, a lower end side portion 52a of the upper first cover member 52 and a bent portion 53a bent to the opposite side of the first cover member 52 at the upper portion of the lower second cover member 53 are mutually connected. opposite. In the mounted state of the apparatus main body 110, the lower end side part 52a of the first cover member 52 is located on the front side of the apparatus, and the bent part 53a of the second cover member 53 is located on the back side of the apparatus. The side surface on the front side of the first cover member 52 and the side surface on the front side other than the bent portion 53a of the second cover member 53 are substantially on the same plane.

  A substantially columnar protruding portion 301 is formed on the lower end side portion 52 a of the first cover member 52 so as to protrude rearward. On the other hand, the bent portion 53a of the second cover member 53 is provided with a pair of wall portions 302a and 302b so as to protrude to the front side. The pair of wall portions 302a and 302b are formed substantially parallel to the vertical direction, and the protruding portion 301 can enter therebetween. That is, the distance between the pair of wall portions 302a and 302b is set to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the protruding portion 301.

  Above the pair of wall portions 302a and 302b, a pair of guide wall portions 303a and 303b, which are inclined so that the interval becomes wider toward the upper side, are formed to be continuous. The angle of the pair of guide wall portions 303a and 303b with respect to the vertical direction is approximately 45 degrees.

  In the case of this embodiment, the protruding portion 301 is paired with the pair of wall portions 302a and 302b while the lower end side portion 52a of the first cover member 52 and the bent portion 53a of the second cover member 53 are overlapped in the vertical direction. Enter inside. As a result, the first cover member 52 is attached to the second cover member 53.

  Specifically, the first cover member 52 is relatively moved from the upper side to the lower side of the second cover member 53. At this time, the protrusion 301 is guided by the pair of guide walls 303a and 303b and enters the pair of walls 302a and 302b. Accordingly, the first cover member 52 is attached to the second cover member 53 in a state where the lower end side portion 52 a of the first cover member 52 and the bent portion 53 a of the second cover member 53 are overlapped.

  On the other hand, in the case where the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 are separated, the first cover member 52 is moved upward with respect to the second cover member 53 so that the protruding portion 301 is a pair of walls. It is made to detach | leave from the parts 302a and 302b. As described above, the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 are detachable from each other by relatively moving in the vertical direction.

  On the other hand, even if the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 are relatively moved in the horizontal direction, the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 cannot be separated due to the engagement between the protruding portion 301 and the pair of wall portions 302a and 302b. Therefore, if one cover member is moved in the horizontal direction, the other cover member is also moved in the same direction. As a result, when removing both the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 from the apparatus main body 110, it is possible to remove both cover members at the same time by simply moving one cover member in the horizontal direction. Workability is improved.

  In the case of this embodiment configured as described above, the cover unit 51 can be attached to and detached from the rear plate 60 in two directions. In particular, in this embodiment, the image reading unit 120 is mounted at a position adjacent to the upper side of the cover unit 51 in the vertical direction. In other words, the image reading unit 120 as the restriction unit restricts the movement of the cover unit 51 in the first direction. Therefore, for example, when the cover unit 51 is to be removed upward so that the stacking unit 70 and the processing device 71 can be assembled in the cylinder space 45 later, the cover unit 51 interferes with the image reading unit 120. Therefore, in this case, the cover unit 51 can be removed from the rear plate 60 by moving in the horizontal direction.

  Similarly, when removing the stacking unit 70 and the processing device 71 assembled in the image forming apparatus 100 and attaching the cover unit 51 to the rear plate 60 again, the cover unit 51 is moved in the horizontal direction. Accordingly, the cover unit 51 can be attached to the rear plate 60 without causing interference with the image reading unit 120.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the cover unit 51 can be attached and detached by moving in the horizontal direction, which is a direction that does not interfere with the image reading unit 120, so that the cover unit 51 and the image reading unit 120 can be attached and detached. It is not necessary to provide a gap between them. For this reason, the rear side plate 60 of the in-body space 45 can be covered with the cover unit 51 with almost no gap.

  On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 100 is assembled at a factory or the like, the image reading unit 120 is mounted after the cover unit 51 is assembled. For this reason, since there is no image reading unit 120 when the cover unit 51 is assembled, the cover unit 51 can be assembled to the rear plate 60 from the upper side to the lower side against gravity, and the assembly operation of the cover unit 51 can be performed easily.

  In the present embodiment, the cover unit 51 includes the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 and can be divided from each other. Specifically, the two cover members can be separated by moving the first cover member 52 relative to the second cover member 53 upward. For this reason, only one of the cover members can be attached to the rear plate 60 according to the accessory kit attached to the in-body space 45, and the other cover member can be removed. On the other hand, since the first cover member 52 and the second cover member 53 cannot be separated in the horizontal direction, both cover members can be mounted integrally by moving any one of the cover members in the horizontal direction. And workability is good.

<Other embodiments>
In the above description, the configuration in which the cover unit attaching / detaching apparatus according to the present invention is provided in the in-body space 45 of the image forming apparatus 100 has been described. For example, even in an image forming apparatus other than the in-body discharge configuration, if the cover unit slides in the first direction and interferes with other parts, the cover unit in the second direction intersecting the first direction Is configured to slide. Also, the present invention can be applied as appropriate to configurations other than the image forming apparatus.

  Further, the first direction may not be the vertical direction. For example, the cover unit is slid and assembled when assembling the apparatus, but the direction may interfere with other parts when the cover unit is detached after assembly. And the 2nd direction should just intersect with the 1st direction, and should be a direction which is not set as this other part when a cover unit is slid.

  Further, in the above description, the engagement between the cover unit and the rear side plate as the cover portion is performed by the hook and the locking plate portion. Other engagement configurations may be used. For example, a configuration in which a protrusion and a groove are fitted to each other may be used.

  In the above description, the hook as the engaging portion is formed on the cover unit side, and the locking plate portion as the engaged portion is formed on the rear plate side as the covering portion. However, these relations are reversed. Also good. That is, the engaging portion may be provided on one of the covering portion and the cover, and the engaged portion may be provided on the other of the covering portion and the cover unit.

  In the above description, the portion through which the hook 201 formed on the rear plate 60 can pass is the hole 205, but this portion may be a recess. Therefore, the first guide portion and the second guide portion that guide the hook 201 may be sidewalls of a recess or a hole formed in the rear side plate 60, respectively.

  Further, when the engaged portion formed on the rear side plate is a recess, when the structure such as the rear side plate is formed of a metal part, it may be formed in, for example, a drawn shape. Further, when the engaged portion is formed in a continuous shape such as a diaphragm shape, the bending shape of the guide portion 206 that guides the hook as the engaging portion in the horizontal direction is concentrated in a shape continuous with the concave portion. It is possible.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image formation part / 51 ... Cover unit / 52 ... 1st cover member / 53 ... 2nd cover member / 60 ... Rear side board (covering part) / 100 ... Image formation Device / 110 ... Device body / 120 ... Image reading unit (regulator unit) / 200 ... Cover unit attaching / detaching device / 201 ... Hook (engaging means) / 202 ... Locking plate ( Engagement means, locking part) / 203a, 203b ... sidewall (first guide part) / 204a, 204b ... sidewall (second guide part) / 205 ... hole / 301 ... projecting Part (cover side engaging part) / 302a, 302b... Wall part / α... First position / β... Second position / γ.

Claims (7)

A covering part;
A cover unit that is detachable from the covering portion and covers the covering portion;
Engagement means provided in the cover unit;
An engagement means provided on the covering portion and engaged with the engagement means;
The engagement between the engaging means and the engaged means is engaged by movement of the cover unit in the first direction and movement of the cover unit in the second direction different from the first direction. Will come off,
A cover unit attaching / detaching device characterized by the above. The cover unit is
A first cover member;
A second cover member detachably attached to the first cover member;
A cover side engaging portion provided on the first cover member;
A cover side cover provided on the second cover member, wherein the cover side engaging portion can be engaged and disengaged in the first direction, and the cover side engaging portion cannot be engaged and disengaged in the second direction. An engaging portion,
The cover unit attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein: The cover side engaging portion is a protruding portion formed to protrude from the first cover member,
The cover side engaged portion is formed substantially parallel to the first direction, and has a pair of wall portions into which the protruding portion can enter,
The cover unit attaching / detaching device according to claim 2, wherein the cover unit attaching / detaching device is provided. The engagement means is a hook formed to protrude from the cover unit,
The engaged means is a locking portion that allows the hook to be locked and allows the hook to move in the first direction and the second direction.
The cover unit attaching / detaching device according to claim 1, wherein the cover unit attaching / detaching device is provided. An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
The cover unit attaching / detaching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A regulation unit that regulates movement of the cover unit in the first direction,
An image forming apparatus. The cover unit is detachable with respect to the covering portion by moving in the first direction in a state where the restriction unit is not mounted.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The first direction is a vertical direction;
The restriction unit is mounted above the cover unit.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

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