JP2019133185A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the usability of a cartridge door.SOLUTION: Provided is an image forming device comprising: a housing having an opening; a first door that can take a closed position and an open position relative to the opening; and a second door that is rotatable so as to separate from the first door when the first door is positioned at the closed position and which can take a paper feed position at which a recording material is suppliable from an opening of the first door to a device body and an accommodation position for closing up. The second door includes a recess on a top end face that is recessed downward in the vertical direction when positioned at the accommodation position, and the first door includes a stopper including a contact part that can take a first position when positioned at the open position and a second position when positioned at the closed position and a locking part that engages with the inner wall surface of the recess in linkage with the movement of the contact part when the contact part is at the first position and locking the second door to the first door. The contact part engages with the inner wall surface of the recess when the first door moves from the open position to the closed position, and the engagement of the contact part with the inner wall surface of the recess when is released upon movement from the closed position to the open position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine having a lock mechanism used when opening and closing a door that opens and closes in the same direction.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some image forming apparatuses such as printers and copiers using an electrophotographic system have a plurality of doors on one side of the main body of the image forming apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, one door is a cartridge door of the apparatus main body, and the other door is a feeding tray door. The feeding tray door can be opened and closed when the cartridge door is opened.

JP-A-6-230621

  However, if the feeding tray door can be opened and closed when the cartridge door is opened, the feeding tray door may be opened in the process of opening the cartridge door, and the user may be confused. Further, if only the cartridge door is intended to be opened, but the feeding tray door outside the cartridge door is also opened, in addition to closing the cartridge door when closing, it takes time to close the feeding tray door again.

  An object of the present invention is to improve usability by providing a lock mechanism that automatically restricts the opening of the feeding tray door when the cartridge door is opened.

  In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having an opening and a first hinge disposed vertically below, provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. As a center, the apparatus can be rotated with respect to the apparatus main body so that a vertically upper part is separated from the casing, and takes a closed position that closes the opening of the casing and an open position that opens the opening of the casing. A first door that is movable, and when the first door is located at the closed position, the first door is vertically separated from the first door with a second hinge disposed vertically below the center. A second door capable of taking a paper feed position capable of being rotated and capable of supplying a recording material from the opening of the first door to the apparatus main body; and a housing position for closing the opening of the first door; In the image forming apparatus comprising: the second door, A concave portion recessed vertically downward on an upper end surface facing vertically upward when positioned at the storage position, and the first door includes a first position when the first door is positioned at the open position, and the housing. A contact portion that can be moved from the first position in contact with the body and can take a second position when the first door is positioned in the closed position; and the contact portion is in the first position A stopper having a locking portion that moves in conjunction with the movement of the contact portion and engages the inner wall surface of the recess to lock the second door with respect to the first door. The locking portion is configured to move the contact portion from the first position to the second position when the first door moves from the open position to the closed position. When the first door moves from the closed position to the open position. The contact portion by being moved to the first position from the second position, wherein the engagement between the inner wall surface of the concave portion is released.

  With the above configuration, the usability of the cartridge door can be improved.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure at the time of opening the cartridge door of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view seen from the lower part which shows the whole structure of the locking mechanism of 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows operation | movement of the locking mechanism of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state of the lock mechanism in which the cartridge door of 1st Embodiment is a closed state. The perspective view which shows operation | movement of the locking mechanism of 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows operation | movement of the locking mechanism of 2nd Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
A lock mechanism according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 includes four process cartridges 11 (image forming units). In the process cartridges 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) shown in FIG. 1, toners of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) are respectively placed in the developing unit. The toner image is stored and a corresponding color toner image is formed. Since the internal configuration of each process cartridge 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K) is the same, the subscripts Y, M, C, and K are omitted in the following description unless necessary.

(Image forming device)
The image forming apparatus 10 includes the four process cartridges 11 as described above. The process cartridge 11 includes a photosensitive drum 1 (image carrier) and process means that acts on the photosensitive drum 1. Examples of the process means include a charging roller 2, a developing roller 4, a primary transfer member 6, and a cleaning member 7. On the upper part of the four process cartridges 11, an exposure unit 3 for irradiating laser light is arranged.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member. The charging roller 2 uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and potential. The exposure unit 3 irradiates a laser beam on the photosensitive drum 1 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1. The developing roller 4 is disposed in a developing unit in which toner is stored, and forms a toner image on the photosensitive drum 1 by supplying toner to the electrostatic latent image. The primary transfer member 6 is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 1 with the intermediate transfer belt 5 interposed therebetween, and transfers (primary transfer) the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 5 described later. The cleaning member 7 removes the residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 1 without being transferred in the primary transfer from the photosensitive drum 1.

  The intermediate transfer belt 5 is an endless belt. The intermediate transfer belt 5 is suspended by a plurality of stretching members and is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 1 and the primary transfer member 6 (primary transfer unit) in the four process cartridges 11.

  With the above structure, when the image is formed in the process cartridge 11, first, the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 2. Next, when the photosensitive drum 1 is subjected to image exposure by the exposure unit 3, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the color component image of the target color image is formed.

  The electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 is supplied with toner by the developing roller 4 at a developing position between the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 4. Thereby, the electrostatic latent image is developed and visualized as a toner image.

  The toner image formed on each photoreceptor drum 1 is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 5 in the process of passing through the contact portion between each photoreceptor drum 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 5. When the four color toner images are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 5, a composite color image corresponding to the target color image is obtained on the intermediate transfer belt 5.

  Next, the structure and operation from the secondary transfer and the transfer material S feeding to discharging will be described.

  A secondary transfer roller 12 is disposed at a portion facing a part of the intermediate transfer belt 5. A nip portion where the intermediate transfer belt 5 and the secondary transfer roller 12 face each other is called a secondary transfer portion.

  Next, the configuration of the feeding unit for the transfer material S will be described.

  Below the intermediate transfer belt 5, a feeding cassette 8 that houses the transfer material S is disposed. The transfer materials S loaded on the feeding cassette 8 are separated one by one by a feeding roller 13a (feeding member) and fed toward the secondary transfer unit.

  A manual feed tray 9 is disposed on the side of the image forming apparatus 10 and can accommodate the transfer material S. The feed tray 9 can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body by a feed tray door 30 that rotates about the hinge 21 as a rotation center. For this reason, when using the feeding tray 9, the user opens the feeding tray door 30 so that the transfer material S can be stacked (the state shown in FIG. 1). The transfer materials S stacked on the feeding tray 9 are separated one by one by a feeding roller 13b (feeding member) and fed toward the secondary transfer unit.

  With the above configuration, the transfer material S accommodated in the feeding cassette 8 or the feeding tray 9 is fed. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 5 is secondarily transferred to the transfer material S at the timing when the transfer material S reaches the secondary transfer portion.

  Thereafter, the transfer material S carrying the four color toner images is introduced into the fixing device 14. In the fixing device 14, the four color toners are melted and mixed and fixed to the transfer material S by being heated and pressurized. With the above operation, a full-color print image is formed on the transfer material S. Finally, the transfer material S is discharged out of the image forming apparatus 10.

(Schematic structure of the door)
Next, the structure of the door that opens and closes when the inside of the image forming apparatus 10 is maintained will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration when the cartridge door of the first embodiment is opened.

  When performing maintenance on the process cartridge 11 such as when the process cartridge 11 is taken out of the apparatus and replaced, first, the cartridge door 20 (first door) on the side of the apparatus is rotated around the hinge 21 as a rotation center. Let it open.

  The cartridge door 20 rotates about the hinge 21 with respect to the image forming apparatus 10 and is attached to the exterior 16 so as to be openable and closable. The cartridge door 20 is closed with respect to the exterior 16 of the apparatus main body during image formation (see FIG. 1). In this state, an engaged portion (not shown) provided on the cartridge door 20 is engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the image forming apparatus 10.

  A release button (not shown) for releasing the engagement is provided on the surface of the image forming apparatus 10. When opening the cartridge door 20, the user presses a release button (not shown). As a result, the engagement between the engaged portion of the cartridge door 20 (not shown) and the engaging portion of the image forming apparatus 10 is released, and the cartridge door 20 is slightly opened.

  Next, the user rotates the cartridge door 20 around the hinge 21. Accordingly, the user can open the cartridge door 20 with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 by rotating around the hinge 21 as shown in FIG.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the four process cartridges 11 are integrally assembled to the cartridge tray 15. For this reason, when the user pulls out the cartridge tray 15 to the outside of the main body with the cartridge door 20 opened, the process cartridge 11 can be attached and detached.

  When the cartridge door 20 is closed with respect to the image forming apparatus 10, an engaged portion (not shown) of the cartridge door 20 is engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 10. Thereby, the cartridge door 20 is maintained in the closed state.

  The feeding tray door 30 (second door) is attached so as to be rotatable about the hinge 21. As a result, the feeding tray door 30 rotates in the same direction as the image forming apparatus 10 and the cartridge door 20. When the transfer material S is fed from the feeding tray door 30, a feeding operation is performed by the feeding roller 13b.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lock mechanism 40 is provided at the upper end (the end opposite to the hinge 21) of the cartridge door 20. When the cartridge door 20 is closed, the lock mechanism 40 holds the cartridge door 20 so that the feeding tray door 30 can be freely opened and closed (see FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the cartridge door 20 is opened, the lock mechanism 40 fixes the feeding tray door 30 and the cartridge door 20 so as to move integrally (see FIG. 2). As described above, the lock mechanism 40 performs the unlocking operation in conjunction with the opening and closing of the cartridge door 20.

(Description of locking mechanism)
Next, the lock mechanism 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the entire configuration of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment as seen from below. FIG. 4 is a top view showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of the lock mechanism with the cartridge door of the first embodiment closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lock mechanism 40 includes a rotating cam 41 (rotating member), a stopper 42, and an urging member 43.

  The rotary cam 41 is formed with a shaft hole 41a fitted into a protrusion 20a (see FIG. 5) formed at the upper end of the cartridge door 20 at the lower end portion thereof. The shaft hole 41a functions as a rotating shaft for rotating the rotating cam 41. A guide groove 41b for guiding the stopper 42 is formed on the opposite side surface of the shaft hole 41a.

  The stopper 42 is positioned on the side of the rotating cam 41 on the side facing the shaft hole 41 a by the guide shaft 42 b and the guide shaft 42 b guided by the guide groove 41 b of the rotating cam 41, and the tip thereof is below the rotating cam 41. And a projecting tip portion 42a. When the guide shaft 42 b of the stopper 42 enters the guide groove 41 b of the rotating cam 41, the stopper 42 is assembled to the rotating cam 41.

  The urging member 43 is a spring member that applies an urging force to the rotating cam 41, and urges the rotating cam 41 to rotate in a certain direction about the shaft hole 41a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide groove 41 b formed on the side surface of the rotating cam 41 is in a state of being cut out obliquely. On the other hand, the guide shaft 42 b of the stopper 42 protrudes in a predetermined direction (a direction from the cartridge door 20 toward the feeding tray door 30) regardless of the rotational state of the rotary cam 41. For this reason, when the rotating cam 41 rotates, the guide shaft 42 b of the stopper 42 moves up and down along the guide groove 41 b of the rotating cam 41. Thereby, the stopper 42 moves between the unlocking position shown in FIG. 4A and the locking position shown in FIG.

  The relationship between the lock mechanism 40 and each part of the main body of the image forming apparatus 10 is as follows.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge door 20 is formed with a protrusion 20a protruding from its top surface. In the state where the cartridge door 20 is closed, the stopper 42 of the lock mechanism 40 has a tip end portion 42 a protruding downwardly engaged with an opening 22 formed on the top surface of the cartridge door 20.

  Here, the operation of the lock mechanism 40 and the engagement relationship between the exterior 16 of the image forming apparatus 10, the cartridge door 20, and the feeding tray door 30 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment. 6A shows a state in which the cartridge door 20 is closed. That is, the top surface of the cartridge door 20 is in contact with the exterior 16. On the other hand, (b) shows a state in which the cartridge door 20 is opened. That is, the top surface of the cartridge door 20 is separated from the exterior 16.

  When the cartridge door 20 is closed, as shown in FIG. 6A, the side surface closer to the shaft hole 41 a of the rotating cam 41 is in contact with the exterior 16. For this reason, the posture of the lock mechanism 40 is determined.

  When the cartridge door 20 is opened, as shown in FIG. 6B, the rotating cam 41 is separated from the exterior 16, so that it can be rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The rotating cam 41 rotates around the shaft hole 41a serving as the center of rotation by the urging force of the urging member 43.

  Then, first, as shown in FIG. 6B, the tip end portion 42 a of the stopper 42 is detached from the opening 22 of the cartridge door 20. Next, the guide shaft 42 b of the stopper 42 is guided in the guide groove 41 b of the rotating cam 41. As a result, the stopper 42 is lowered (see FIG. 4).

  Further, as described above, since the stopper 42 protrudes in a predetermined direction, the stopper 42 is pushed out by the rotating cam 41 as the rotating cam 41 rotates. At this time, the stopper 42 comes out of the top surface area of the cartridge door 20 and jumps out toward the feeding tray door 30 as shown in FIG. 6B. At the same time, the tip end portion 42 a of the lowered stopper 42 engages with a tray door opening 33 formed on the upper end surface of the feeding tray door 30.

  On the other hand, in the process of closing the cartridge door 20, the rotating cam 41 rotates about the shaft hole 41a and returns to the original state. Along with this, the guide shaft 42 b of the stopper 42 moves upward along the guide groove 41 b of the rotating cam 41. As a result, the stopper 42 rises, and the tip end portion 42 a of the stopper 42 is detached from the tray door opening 33 of the feeding tray door 30 in the process.

  When the cartridge door 20 is completely closed, the side surface of the rotating cam 41 comes into contact with the end of the exterior 16. In this state, the tip 42 a of the stopper 42 is locked to the opening 22.

  Thus, when the cartridge door 20 is closed, the tip end portion 42 a of the stopper 42 is locked to the opening 22 inside the cartridge door 20. For this reason, the feeding tray door 30 is not fixed to the cartridge door 20. Then, the feeding tray door 30 can be freely opened and closed.

  On the other hand, when the cartridge door 20 is opened while the feeding tray door 30 is closed, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 enters the tray door opening 33 of the feeding tray door 30 in the process. Then, the feeding tray door 30 is fixed to the cartridge door 20. For this reason, the cartridge door 20 is opened and closed integrally with the feeding tray door 30. Thus, the feeding tray door 30 is not opened in the process of opening the cartridge door 20.

  When the cartridge door 20 is closed with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus 10, the feeding tray door 30 is also moved integrally with the cartridge door 20 and is closed with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus 10. In this manner, the lock mechanism 40 operates in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the cartridge door 20. Thereby, opening and closing of the feeding tray door 30 can be controlled.

  In the case where the cartridge door 20 is opened with the feeding tray door 30 closed, it is preferable to configure a button for opening the cartridge door 20 in the apparatus housing of the image forming apparatus 10 in order to improve operability.

  Further, the front end portion 42a of the stopper 42 has a slope shape in which a portion on the feeding tray door 30 side is partially cut away. This is due to the following reason.

  That is, when the feeding tray door 30 has already been opened and the cartridge door 20 is subsequently opened, the stopper 42 of the locking mechanism 40 has already protruded toward the feeding tray door 30 side. In this state, when the cartridge door 20 comes into contact with the feed tray door 30, first, the tip end portion 42 a of the stopper 42 of the lock mechanism 40 comes into contact with the feed tray door 30. Here, when the front end portion 42 a is formed in a slope shape, the end portion of the feeding tray door 30 pushes up the slope-like surface, and the front end portion 42 a of the stopper 42 can be smoothly guided to the tray door opening 33.

  The position of the lock mechanism 40 on the end of the cartridge door 20 is not clearly shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and is not limited. However, in order to more effectively lock the cartridge door 20 and the feeding tray door 30, it is preferable to install the lock mechanism 40 at the center in the width direction of the cartridge door 20.

  The above configuration shows an example of the present embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[Second Embodiment]
A lock mechanism according to the second embodiment will be described. The same components as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. FIG. 7 is a top view showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the second embodiment.

  The lock mechanism 40 of the first embodiment is configured by two members, a rotating cam 41 that rotates and a stopper 42 that moves up and down. However, it is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lock mechanism 50 of the present embodiment is composed of two members, a rotating member 51 that rotates and a stopper 52 that moves up and down, and a cam portion (guide groove 52b) on the side of the stopper 52 that moves up and down. It is a certain configuration.

  The rotation member 51 is a member that rotates around the shaft hole 51a, and a guide shaft 51b is formed on the side surface facing the shaft hole 51a. On the other hand, a guide groove 52b that is obliquely cut out to guide the guide shaft 51b is formed on the side surface of the stopper 52. For this reason, when the rotating member 51 rotates, the guide shaft 51 b of the rotating member 51 moves up and down along the guide groove 52 b of the stopper 52. As a result of the vertical movement of the stopper 52 as described above, the tip 52a formed to protrude downward at the lower end of the stopper 52 also moves up and down.

  Since the lock mechanism 50 is assembled to the cartridge door 20 with the above-described configuration, when the cartridge door 20 is in a closed state with respect to the image forming apparatus 10, the tip end portion 52a of the stopper 52 is in a raised state (FIG. 7A ) State).

  In this state, the leading end 52 a does not enter the feeding tray door 30, so that the feeding tray door 30 can freely contact or separate from the cartridge door 20. Therefore, the feeding tray door 30 can be freely opened and closed with respect to the cartridge door 20.

  On the other hand, when the rotary member 51 is rotated and the tip 52a of the stopper 52 is lowered (state shown in FIG. 7B), the tip 52a enters the tray door opening 33 formed in the feeding tray door 30. Then, the feeding tray door 30 is integrally fixed to the cartridge door 20.

  In this way, the stopper 52 moves between the unlocking position shown in FIG. 7A and the locking position shown in FIG.

  By configuring the feeding tray door 30 to be lockable with respect to the cartridge door 20 when the cartridge door 20 is opened, there is no problem even if the feeding tray door 30 is held when the cartridge door 20 is opened. The door 20 can be opened.

  Further, the front end 52a of the stopper 52 has a sloped shape in which a portion on the feeding tray door 30 side is partially cut away. For this reason, the front end 52a of the stopper 52 can be smoothly guided to the tray door opening 33 for the same reason as in the above-described embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Image forming apparatus 16 ... Exterior 20 ... Cartridge door 21 ... Hinge 30 ... Feed tray door 40 ... Lock mechanism 41a ... Shaft hole

In order to achieve the above object, a typical configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing having an opening and a first hinge disposed vertically below, provided in the apparatus main body of the image forming apparatus. As a center, the apparatus can be rotated with respect to the apparatus main body so that a vertically upper part is separated from the casing, and takes a closed position that closes the opening of the casing and an open position that opens the opening of the casing. A first door that is movable, and when the first door is located at the closed position, the first door is vertically separated from the first door with a second hinge disposed vertically below the center. A second door capable of taking a paper feed position capable of being rotated and capable of supplying a recording material from the opening of the first door to the apparatus main body; and a housing position for closing the opening of the first door; In the image forming apparatus comprising: the second door, A concave portion recessed vertically downward on an upper end surface facing vertically upward when positioned at the storage position, and the first door includes a first position when the first door is positioned at the open position, and the housing. has been moved from the first position against the body and those of the second position when the first door is positioned in said closed position, a contact portion that can take the movement in conjunction with the contact portion And a locking portion that locks the second door with respect to the first door by engaging with the inner wall surface of the recess, and the locking portion is formed by the first door. When moving from the open position to the closed position, the contact portion is moved from the first position to the second position, so that the inner wall surface of the second door positioned at the storage position is moved . engagement is released, the first door moves to the open position from said closed position To the contact portion by being moved to the first position from the second position, and wherein the inner wall surface and the engagement match Rukoto of the second door positioned in the stowed position.

Claims (5)

A housing having an opening provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus;
A closed position that is pivotable with respect to the apparatus main body so that a vertical upper part is separated from the casing around the first hinge arranged vertically downward, and closes the opening of the casing, and the casing An opening position for opening the opening of the first door,
When the first door is located at the closed position, the first door is pivotable with respect to the first door so that the vertical upper part is separated from the first door with the second hinge arranged vertically below the center. A second door capable of taking a sheet feeding position capable of supplying a recording material from the opening of the first door to the apparatus main body, and an accommodating position for closing the opening of the first door;
In an image forming apparatus comprising:
The second door has a recess that is recessed vertically downward on an upper end surface that faces vertically upward when the second door is located at the storage position.
The first door is moved from the first position when the first door is in the open position, and moved from the first position in contact with the housing. A contact portion that can take a second position when positioned, and when the contact portion is in the first position, the contact portion moves in conjunction with the movement of the contact portion and engages with the inner wall surface of the recess. And a stopper having a locking portion for locking the second door with respect to the first door,
When the first door moves from the open position to the closed position, the locking portion is moved from the first position to the second position, whereby the inner wall surface of the recess is moved. When the first door moves from the closed position to the open position, the contact portion is moved from the second position to the first position, thereby The image forming apparatus is disengaged. A cartridge tray for supporting the cartridge;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first door is located at the open position, the cartridge tray can be pulled out from the apparatus main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a button for opening the first door is provided on a housing of the image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a tip of the stopper has a slope.   5. The stopper according to claim 1, wherein the stopper includes a spring, and is biased by the spring so that the contact portion is positioned from the second position to the first position. The image forming apparatus described in the item.

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