JP2018097197A - Sheet conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To configure a cover to be difficult to separate from a device main body in use, while configuring the cover to be easily removed when the cover needs to be removed from the device main body when such as maintenance.SOLUTION: A rear cover 102 is attached to/detached from a device main body 101. Between the rear cover 102 and the device main body 101, a cover 102 is supported by the device main body 101 so as to open/close with regard to the device main body 101, and has a support member 151 deformable by a force acting when the cover 102 is removed from the device main body 101. The support member 151 has a regulation member 200 configured to engage with the support member 151 so as to regulate the deformation of the support member 151.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus including a cover that opens and closes with respect to an apparatus main body.

  A sheet conveying apparatus such as an image forming apparatus having a cover that opens and closes with respect to the apparatus main body is generally known. In this type of sheet conveying apparatus, the cover may get in the way when maintenance is required in the apparatus main body. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a cover can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. This Patent Document 1 describes that the cover is assembled and removed by bending the cover.

JP 2003-103870 A

  It is desired that the cover used for the sheet conveying apparatus has high rigidity so that the cover does not fall off or deform from the apparatus main body due to insufficient rigidity in a use state such as opening and closing. However, when the cover is given high rigidity, a large force is required to bend the cover, and it is not easy to remove the cover from the apparatus main body.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to make it easy to remove the cover when it is desired to remove the cover from the apparatus main body for maintenance or the like.

  A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus main body for conveying a sheet, a cover attached to and detached from the apparatus main body, and supported by the apparatus main body so that the cover opens and closes with respect to the apparatus main body. A support member that can be deformed by a force acting when removing the cover; and a regulating member that can be engaged with and disengaged from the support member and that regulates deformation of the support member by engaging with the support member. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, when removing the cover from the apparatus main body, the support member is easily deformed by releasing the engagement of the restriction member, and the cover is easily detached from the apparatus main body. Further, in the state of use, since the deformation of the support member is restricted by engaging the restriction member with the support member, it is possible to prevent the cover from being detached from the apparatus main body.

(A) And (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the image forming apparatus which is an example of the sheet conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus illustrating a state in which a duplex unit is pulled out from an apparatus main body in an embodiment. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a partial perspective view of a main part of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. (A) is a perspective view of the entire duplex unit of the embodiment. (B) is a fragmentary perspective view of the principal part of a double-sided unit. 1 is a partial perspective view of a main part of an image forming apparatus showing a state in which a duplex unit is pulled out from an apparatus main body in an embodiment. (A) And (b) is a perspective view which shows the engagement state of the support member and regulation member in the state which has closed the rear cover in embodiment. (A) And (b) is a perspective view which shows the engagement state of the support member and regulation member in the state which opened the rear cover in embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are explanatory diagrams illustrating an image forming apparatus which is an example of a sheet conveying apparatus according to the embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is a printer that forms an image on a sheet by an electrophotographic method. The image forming apparatus 100 includes an apparatus main body 101 that conveys a sheet and forms an image on the sheet, and a rear cover 102 that is provided on the rear side of the apparatus main body 101 and is a cover that opens and closes the apparatus main body 101. Further, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a duplex unit 103 that is disposed on the rear side of the apparatus main body 101 and below the rear cover 102 and is a unit that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 101. FIG. 1A shows both the case where the rear cover 102 is open and the state where it is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 101 for convenience. In FIG. 1A, the duplex unit 103 is attached to the apparatus main body 101. FIG. 1B illustrates a state in which the duplex unit 103 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 101. In FIG. 1B, the rear cover 102 is in a closed state. Here, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the Z direction is a vertical direction, and the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions orthogonal to the Z direction and two directions orthogonal to each other. The X direction is the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 100, that is, the apparatus main body 101, and the Y direction is the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 100, that is, the apparatus main body 101. The Z direction is the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus 100, that is, the apparatus main body 101. The rear cover 102 swings with respect to the apparatus main body 101 about an axis extending in the Y direction, and can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 101. The duplex unit 103 is slidable in the X direction and is detachable from the apparatus main body 101.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the rear cover 102 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 101, and the duplex unit 103 is attached to the apparatus main body 101. The apparatus main body 101 is detachably attached to the casing 110, the feeding cassette 111 that stores sheets, and a separation (not shown) above the feeding cassette 111 in the casing 110. A feed roller 112 disposed opposite the pad. The feeding roller 112 feeds the sheets stored in the feeding cassette 111 one by one to the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction.

  A conveyance roller 113 and a conveyance roller 114 facing the conveyance roller 113 are disposed on the downstream side in the sheet conveyance direction of the conveyance roller 112 and above the conveyance roller 112 in the housing 110. A registration roller 115 and a registration roller 116 facing the registration roller 115 are disposed downstream of the conveyance roller 113 and the conveyance roller 114 in the sheet conveyance direction and behind the conveyance roller 113 and the conveyance roller 114. Yes. The conveyance roller 114 and the registration roller 116 are rotationally driven by a driving mechanism (not shown). The conveyance roller 113 is driven to rotate by the rotation of the conveyance roller 114. The conveyance roller 113 and the conveyance roller 114 convey the sheet fed from the feeding roller 112 to the registration roller 115 and the registration roller 116. The registration roller 115 rotates following the rotation of the registration roller 116. The registration roller 115 is provided with a shutter (not shown) and corrects the skew of the conveyed sheet.

  On the downstream side of the registration roller 115 and the registration roller 116 in the sheet conveying direction, an image forming unit 117 and a fixing unit 118 as a fixing unit are sequentially arranged. The image forming unit 117 forms a developer image on the conveyed sheet, and the fixing device 118 fixes the developer image formed by the image forming unit 117 on the sheet. The image forming unit 117 includes a process cartridge 120, a scanner unit 121 that is an exposure unit, and a transfer roller 122 that is a transfer unit. The process cartridge 120 includes a photosensitive drum 123 that is an image carrier, a charging roller (not shown) that is a charging unit, and a developing roller (not shown) that is a developing unit. The photosensitive drum 123 and the transfer roller 122 are disposed behind the registration roller 116. The photosensitive drum 123 carries a developer image. A charging roller (not shown) applies a charging voltage to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 123 to a potential having a predetermined polarity. The scanner unit 121 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 123 by irradiating the surface of the photosensitive drum 123 with laser light modulated in accordance with a time-series digital pixel signal indicating image data. A developing roller (not shown) attaches a developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 123 and visualizes it as a developer image. A transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the photosensitive drum 123 is applied to the transfer roller 122. The skew-corrected sheet is conveyed to the nip portion between the photosensitive drum 123 and the transfer roller 122, and the sheet is nipped and conveyed by the photosensitive drum 123 and the transfer roller 122 at the nip portion, and developed to the sheet by the transfer roller 122. Transfer the agent image. The sheet on which the developer image is formed is conveyed to the fixing device 118.

  The fixing device 118 is disposed behind the photosensitive drum 123 and the transfer roller 122. The fixing device 118 includes a heating unit 131 and a pressure roller 132 that is in pressure contact with the heating unit 131, and applies heat and pressure to the sheet conveyed to the nip portion between the heating unit 131 and the pressure roller 132. As a result, the developer image is fixed on the sheet. On the downstream side of the fixing device 118 in the sheet conveyance direction, a pair of FU discharge rollers 141 and 142 serving as a first discharge unit is disposed. Intermediate discharge roller pairs 143 and 144 are arranged downstream of the FU discharge roller pairs 141 and 142 in the sheet conveying direction. On the downstream side of the intermediate discharge roller pair 143 and 144 in the sheet conveying direction, an FD discharge roller pair 145 and 146 as a second discharge unit is disposed. The FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142 is disposed behind the fixing device 118. The intermediate discharge roller pair 143, 144 is disposed above the FU discharge roller pair 141, 142. The FD discharge roller pair 145, 146 is disposed above the intermediate discharge roller pair 143, 144. The rear cover 102 is disposed so as to cover the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142, the intermediate discharge roller pair 143 and 144, and the FD discharge roller pair 145 and 146 from the rear. The duplex unit 103 has a conveyance path 148 that extends toward the front side from a position below the pair of FU discharge rollers 141 and 142 to a position near the feeding roller 112.

  The FU discharge roller pair 141, 142 conveys the image-formed sheet to the intermediate discharge roller pair 143, 144. The sheet conveyed by the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142 is guided to the intermediate discharge roller pair 143 and 144 by contacting the rear cover 102. The intermediate discharge roller pair 143, 144 conveys the sheet conveyed by the FU discharge roller pair 141, 142 to the FD discharge roller pair 145, 146. The sheet conveyed by the intermediate discharge roller pair 143 and 144 is guided to the FD discharge roller pair 145 and 146 by contacting the rear cover 102. The pair of FD discharge rollers 145 and 146 discharges the sheet to a discharge tray 147 outside the apparatus main body. At this time, the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 147 with the image-formed surface down, that is, in a face-down state.

  When images are formed on both sides of a sheet, the sheet on which an image is formed on one side is reversed by a pair of FD discharge rollers 145 and 146 and conveyed to the duplex unit 103. The duplex unit 103 re-feeds the sheet reversely conveyed by the FD discharge roller pair 145 and 146 to the conveyance roller 113 and the conveyance roller 114 through the conveyance path 148.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the duplex unit 103 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 101. Support members 151 and 152 are disposed on both sides of the rear cover 102 in the Y direction. That is, the support members 151 and 152 are disposed between the apparatus main body 101 and the rear cover 102. The support members 151 and 152 are supported by the apparatus main body 101 and support the rear cover 102. That is, the rear cover 102 is supported by the apparatus main body 101 via the support members 151 and 152. The support members 151 and 152 are integrally provided on the apparatus main body 101 or the rear cover 102. In the present embodiment, the support members 151 and 152 are provided integrally with the rear cover 102. The support members 151 and 152 are disposed at the lower end of the rear cover 102, and the rear cover 102 rotates about the rotation fulcrum A1 (FIG. 2) of the support members 151 and 152, so that the rear cover 102 is attached to the apparatus main body 101. Open and close with respect to the housing 110.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 4, the rear cover 102 is in an open state, and the duplex unit 103 is in a state of being attached to the apparatus main body 101. When the rear cover 102 is opened, the opening limit is reached when the rear cover 102 is in contact with the duplex unit 103 and tilted. When the rear cover 102 is opened, the FU discharge roller pairs 141 and 142, the intermediate discharge roller pairs 143 and 144, and the FD discharge roller pairs 145 and 146 are exposed to the outside. The sheet discharged from the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142 after passing through the fixing device 118 is not conveyed to the intermediate discharge roller pair 143 and 144 because the rear cover 102 is opened. Then, the sheets are stacked on the rear cover 102 with the image-formed surface facing up, that is, in a face-up state. That is, the rear cover 102 functions as a tray when discharging sheets in a face-up state, that is, a stacking unit. As described above, the rear cover 102 covers the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142 in the closed state and causes the FD discharge roller pair 145 and 146 to discharge the sheet that has passed through the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142. Further, the rear cover 102 is opened to expose the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142 to discharge the sheet to the FU discharge roller pair 141 and 142. The rotation fulcrum A1 of the support members 151 and 152 is located below the nip portion of the fixing device 118 and the FU discharge roller pairs 141 and 142. Thus, the support members 151 and 152 do not interfere with the sheets discharged from the fixing device 118 and the FU discharge roller pairs 141 and 142 when the rear cover 102 is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear cover 102 includes a cover member 161 that is a first cover member, and a second cover that slides in the Z direction with respect to the cover member 161 by the user's operation, that is, along the cover member 161. And a cover member 162 which is a member. Therefore, when the rear cover 102 is open, the cover member 161 is inclined, so that the cover member 162 slides along the cover member 161 in the inclined direction. The cover member 161 is disposed inside the apparatus main body with respect to the cover member 162, and the cover member 162 is disposed outside the cover member 161. The user can slide the cover member 162 according to the size of the sheet discharged face up, and can prevent the sheet discharged to the rear cover 102 from falling from the rear cover 102. In the present embodiment, since the rear cover 102 includes a plurality of cover members 161 and 162, the support members 151 and 152 are integrally fixed to the cover member 161.

  By the way, the fixing device 118 has a lifetime, and an alert is displayed on a display unit (not shown) to replace the fixing device 118 when the number of printed sheets, the rotation time, etc. reach a threshold value. Replacement of the fixing device 118 is performed by an operator who performs maintenance. During maintenance, the rear cover 102 may need to be attached and detached. In this embodiment, the rear cover 102 needs to be attached and detached when the fixing device 118 is replaced. In other words, since the fixing device 118 is disposed in the vicinity of the rear cover 102, the replacement of the fixing device 118 requires the rear cover 102 to be attached and detached. Since the rear cover 102 includes a plurality of cover members 161 and 162, it is difficult to deform the rear cover 102 itself. Further, since the rear cover 102 also has a function as a sheet stacking portion, high rigidity is desired so as not to be easily deformed.

  In the present embodiment, of the pair of support members 151 and 152, the support member 151 can be deformed by a force acting when the rear cover 102 is removed from the apparatus main body 101. That is, the support member 151 has lower rigidity than the support member 152. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a handle portion 163 is provided at the lower end portion of the rear cover 102, more specifically at the lower end portion of the cover member 161. The handle portion 163 of the cover member 161 is exposed by sliding the cover member 162 upward with respect to the cover member 161. When the operator inserts a finger into the handle portion 163 and applies a force in the direction of the arrow B1 that is the removal direction, the force acts on the support member 151 and the support member 151 is deformed. Due to the deformation of the support member 151, the support member 151 is detached from the apparatus main body 101, and then the support member 152 is detached from the apparatus main body 101 and the rear cover 102 can be removed from the apparatus main body 101. When the rear cover 102 is attached to the apparatus main body 101, an operation reverse to that when the rear cover 102 is removed, for example, the support member 152 may be attached to the apparatus main body 101 after the support member 152 is attached to the apparatus main body 101. Thus, by making the support member 151 deformable, the rear cover 102 can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 101. In addition, since the rear cover 102 is provided with the handle 163, the rear cover 102 can be easily detached.

  FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a main part of the image forming apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. The support member 151 must be prevented from being deformed due to insufficient rigidity in a normal use state such as an opening / closing operation of the rear cover 102. In this embodiment, the restriction member 200 that can be engaged with and disengaged from the support member 151 is used as the support member 151. The deformation of the support member 151 is regulated by engaging. In other words, the regulating member 200 is a reinforcing member that reinforces the support member 151. That is, in a use state in which an opening / closing operation or the like is performed, the regulating member 200 is engaged with the support member 151 to regulate the deformation of the support member 151. When the rear cover 102 is removed from the apparatus main body 101, the regulating member 200 is separated from the support member 151, that is, the engagement is released to allow the support member 151 to be deformed.

  As described above, when the rear cover 102 is removed from the apparatus main body 101, the support member 151 is easily deformed by releasing the engagement of the restriction member 200, and the rear cover 102 is easily detached from the apparatus main body 101. Further, by engaging the restricting member 200 with the support member 151, the deformation of the support member 151 is restricted and the rigidity can be increased, so that the rear cover 102 is not easily detached from the apparatus main body 101. That is, it is possible to prevent the rear cover 102 from being detached from the apparatus main body 101 when the rear cover 102 is opened and closed.

  Although the operator may directly engage and disengage the regulating member 200 with the support member 151, the support member 151 is located at a place where the operator's hand is difficult to reach or the operator is difficult to see. Specifically, when viewed from the rear side of the apparatus main body 101, the apparatus main body 101 is located on the back side of the lower part. FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the entire duplex unit 103. FIG. 6B is a partial perspective view of a main part of the double-sided unit 103 illustrated in FIG. In the present embodiment, the regulating member 200 is disposed on the duplex unit 103. When the operator attaches / detaches the duplex unit 103 to / from the apparatus main body 101, the restricting member 200 is engaged with and disengaged from the support member 151. That is, the regulating member 200 engages with the support member 151 when the duplex unit 103 is attached to the apparatus main body 101, and is separated from the support member 151 when the duplex unit 103 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 101, that is, is engaged. To release. By attaching and detaching the duplex unit 103 to and from the apparatus main body 101, the operation of engaging and disengaging the regulating member 200 with respect to the support member 151 is facilitated.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the support member 151 and the restriction member 200 will be specifically described. FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a main part of the image forming apparatus 100 showing a state in which the duplex unit 103 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 101 in the embodiment. The support member 151 includes a rib 171 that is a first facing portion and a rib 172 that is a second facing portion that are disposed to face each other. In addition, the support member 151 includes a deformable portion 173 that is disposed between the rib 171 and the rib 172 and connects the rib 171 and the rib 172 and can be flexibly deformed. In other words, the support member 151 is cut out by the ribs 171 and 172 and the deforming portion 173, and is easily bent and deformed.

  The support member 151 connects the shaft portion 174 (FIG. 5) that fits into the hole 101A of the frame 101F of the apparatus main body 101, the connection portion 175 that connects the shaft portion 174 and the rib 171, and the rib 172 and the rear cover 102. Connecting portion 176. The deformable portion 173 has a plate shape with a thickness equal to or less than the thickness of the ribs 171 and 172, and the rigidity is reduced. When the user pulls the handle portion 163 shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the deformable portion 173 is bent and deformed, the shaft portion 174 is removed from the hole 101A, and the rear cover 102 can be easily removed.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the restricting member 200 is supported by the duplex unit 103 so as to be swingable about the swing shaft 201. As shown in FIG. 5, the restriction member 200 has an insertion portion 210 that is inserted between the rib 171 and the rib 172 and engages with the rib 171 and the rib 172. The restricting member 200 includes a first engagement portion 211 that engages with the rib 171 from the opposite side to the insertion portion 210, and a second engagement portion that engages with the rib 172 from the opposite side to the insertion portion 210. 212. The engaging portions 211 and 212 are L-shaped. Then, both surfaces of the rib 171 are sandwiched between the engaging portion 211 and the inserting portion 210, and both surfaces of the rib 172 are sandwiched between the engaging portion 212 and the inserting portion 210.

  When the deforming portion 173 attempts to deform in the direction in which the rib 171 and the rib 172 are narrowed, the deformation of the deforming portion 173 is restricted by the insertion portion 210 coming into contact with the rib 171 and the rib 172. Further, when the deforming portion 173 tries to deform in the direction in which the rib 171 and the rib 172 expand, the engaging portion 211 comes into contact with the rib 171 and the engaging portion 212 comes into contact with the rib 172 so that the deforming portion 173 Deformation is regulated. Thereby, the regulating member 200 can regulate the deformation in any direction, and can compensate for the lack of rigidity of the support member 151.

  The regulating member 200 swings between the first posture and the second posture following the opening and closing of the rear cover 102 in a state where the duplex unit 103 is mounted on the apparatus main body 101. That is, the posture of the regulating member 200 when the rear cover 102 is closed is the first posture, and the posture of the regulating member 200 when the rear cover 102 is opened is the second posture. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are perspective views showing an engaged state between the support member 151 and the restricting member 200 in a state where the rear cover 102 is closed in the embodiment. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the support member 151 and the regulating member 200 viewed from a direction different from that in FIG. FIGS. 9A and 9B are perspective views showing an engaged state between the support member 151 and the regulating member 200 when the rear cover 102 is opened in the embodiment. In FIG. 9A, the housing 110 in the apparatus main body 101 is not shown. In FIG. 9B, only a part of the rear cover 102, the support member 151, and the restriction member 200 are illustrated. That is, FIGS. 8A and 8B show a state where the rear cover 102 is closed and the regulating member 200 is in the first posture P1, and FIGS. 9A and 9B are shown. The figure shows a state in which the rear cover 102 is opened and the regulating member 200 is in the second posture P2.

  In the present embodiment, the regulating member 200 is supported by the duplex unit 103 so as to swing while engaging with the support member 151 following the opening and closing of the rear cover 102, that is, the swing of the support member 151. That is, as the rear cover 102 is opened and closed, the regulating member 200 swings between the posture P1 and the posture P2. Therefore, regardless of whether the rear cover 102 is in the open state or the closed state, the restricting member 200 is engaged with the support member 151, and deformation of the support member 151 can be restricted. The ribs 171 and 172 are formed in an arc shape so as to guide the regulating member 200 by the opening / closing operation of the rear cover 102. Therefore, even if the rear cover 102 is opened and closed, the ribs 171 and 172 are in sliding contact with the engaging portions 211 and 212 to keep the engagement good, and prevent the rear cover 102 from opening and closing. . In the present embodiment, the regulating member 200 is urged against the support member 151 by a spring 220 that is an urging member shown in FIG. Therefore, the regulating member 200 can be engaged with the support member 151 more reliably.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and many modifications are possible within the technical idea of the present invention. In addition, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the image forming apparatus is an example of the sheet conveying apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus. The sheet conveying apparatus may be a sheet processing apparatus such as a finisher, or an image reading apparatus such as a scanner or ADF. Further, although the case where the image forming apparatus of the above embodiment is an electrophotographic system has been described, the invention is not limited to this, and an ink jet system may be used. Further, although the case where the image forming apparatus of the above embodiment is a printer has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a facsimile, a copier, a multifunction machine, or the like.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the rear cover arrange | positioned at the back of an apparatus main body, it is not limited to this arrangement | positioning. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a cover disposed on the front, side, or upper side of the apparatus main body.

  Moreover, although the case where the regulating member 200 is arranged on the double-sided unit 103 has been described in the above embodiment, the invention is not limited to this, and the regulating member may be arranged on another unit that is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where it had two discharge parts, ie, FU discharge roller pair 141,142, and FD discharge roller pair 145,146, it is not limited to this. That is, there is one discharge unit for discharging the sheet, and the cover may be opened and closed so as to cover the discharge unit in the closed state and expose the discharge unit in the open state. In this case, the sheet can be discharged from the discharge portion by opening the cover. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the rear cover 102 is opened / closed depending on whether the sheet is discharged face-up or the sheet is discharged face-down is described. However, the rear cover 102 is opened / closed by processing when the sheet is jammed. It may be the case.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the rear cover 102 includes the plurality of cover members 161 and 162 has been described. However, the rear cover 102 may include a single cover member.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment made one support member 151 deformable among a pair of support members 151 and 152 and engaged the regulating member 200 with the support member 151, it was not limited to this. . If the support member 152 can be deformed, a restricting member may be engaged with the support member 152. Moreover, what is necessary is just to engage a control member with each, when both a pair of support members can deform | transform.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the apparatus main body 101 has the hole 101A and the support member 151 has the axial part 174 fitted to this hole 101A, it is not limited to this. For example, the apparatus main body 101 may have a shaft portion, and the support member 151 may have a hole in which the shaft portion of the apparatus main body 101 fits.

  Moreover, although the case where the supporting member 151 was integrated with the cover 102 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is not limited to this, A supporting member is integrated with an apparatus main body, and the hole or axial part of a supporting member is a cover. The cover may be openable and closable so as to fit into the shaft portion or the hole. In this case, the support member fixed to the apparatus main body can be deformed to attach and detach the cover. Further, by engaging the regulating member with the support member, it is possible to prevent the cover from being detached from the apparatus main body, specifically, the support member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Image forming apparatus (sheet conveyance apparatus) 101 ... Apparatus main body, 102 ... Rear cover (cover), 103 ... Duplex unit (unit), 117 ... Image forming part, 118 ... Fixing device (fixing part), 151 ... Support member , 200 ... restricting member

Claims (10)

An apparatus main body for conveying a sheet;
A cover to be attached to and detached from the apparatus body;
A support member that is supported by the device main body so that the cover opens and closes with respect to the device main body, and is deformable by a force acting when the cover is removed from the device main body;
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: a regulating member that is detachable from the supporting member and engages with the supporting member to regulate deformation of the supporting member. A unit that is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body;
The restriction member is disposed in the unit, engages with the support member when the unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, and is separated from the support member when the unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1. The support member is provided integrally with the cover, and is supported by the apparatus main body so as to swing as the cover is opened and closed.
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the regulating member is supported by the unit so as to swing while engaging with the supporting member following the swinging of the supporting member.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a biasing member that biases the restricting member toward the support member.   The support member is disposed between a first facing portion and a second facing portion that are disposed to face each other, and between the first facing portion and the second facing portion, and is capable of bending deformation. 5. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus includes a unit.   The restricting member is inserted between the first facing portion and the second facing portion, and is inserted between the first facing portion and the second facing portion, and the inserting portion A first engaging portion that engages with the first opposing portion from the opposite side, and a second engaging portion that engages with the second opposing portion from the opposite side of the insertion portion, The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sheet conveying apparatus is provided. The apparatus main body has a discharge unit for discharging the sheet,
7. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover covers the discharge unit in a closed state and exposes the discharge unit in an open state. The apparatus main body has a first discharge portion and a second discharge portion for discharging a sheet,
The cover covers the first discharge portion in a closed state and causes the second discharge portion to discharge the sheet that has passed through the first discharge portion, and the first discharge portion in an open state. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is discharged to the first discharge unit by exposing the sheet. The apparatus main body is
An image forming unit for forming a developer image on the sheet;
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a fixing unit that fixes the developer image formed by the image forming unit to a sheet.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the fixing unit is disposed in the vicinity of the cover.

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