JP2019214462A - Sheet conveying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sheet conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in a function of removing a deposit by deposit removing means, by separating the deposit removing means from a conveyance roller, every time stacking means is pulled out of an apparatus main body.SOLUTION: A sheet conveying apparatus includes: an apparatus main body; a cassette 2 that can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body, and stacks and stores sheets; a driving roller 4b that conveys the sheets; a driven roller 4a that forms a separation nip for separating the sheets one by one together with the driving roller 4b; and a sponge member 110 that is movable to a contact position for removing a deposit adhering to a surface of the driven roller 4a and a separating position separated from the surface of the driven roller 4a. The sponge member 110 is configured to be switchable to a contact state in which the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body and is located at the contact position, or a separated state in which the cassette 2 is pulled out of the apparatus main body and is located at the separating position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device and an image forming apparatus including the same.

  In an image forming apparatus, paper powder, which is a powder generated from a sheet being conveyed, may adhere to a roller such as a conveyance roller or a separation roller or a photoreceptor, thereby deteriorating sheet conveyance performance or causing image defects. There is. From the viewpoint of preventing such a decrease in sheet conveyance performance, a technique has been proposed for removing paper dust attached to the registration roller by bringing a cleaning member into contact with the surface of the registration roller in a separable manner. (See Patent Document 1). In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, in a normal use state, the duplex conveying unit is closed with respect to the lower housing, and a cleaning member is provided on the surface of a registration roller (hereinafter, referred to as a “registration roller”). Is in contact. By opening the double-sided conveyance unit to the lower housing, the cleaning member that has been in contact with the surface of the registration roller is separated from the surface of the registration roller.

JP 2015-006950 A

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, by opening the double-sided conveyance unit to the lower housing, the cleaning member is separated from the registration roller to be cleaned, and the paper dust can be removed. If the cleaning member is not separated from the registration roller for a long period of time, paper dust enters the gap between the cleaning members such as sponge, and the ability to remove paper dust is reduced.

  However, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the cleaning member does not separate from the registration roller unless the double-sided conveyance unit is opened to the lower housing. For this reason, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the ability of the cleaning member to remove paper dust may not be maintained within an appropriate range, and may be used while being reduced below the appropriate range.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a sheet capable of suppressing the deterioration of the function of removing the adhering material by the adhering material removing device by separating the adhering material removing device from the transport roller each time the loading device is pulled out from the apparatus main body. An object is to provide a transport device and an image forming apparatus.

  The present invention provides, in a sheet conveying apparatus, an apparatus main body, loading means capable of being inserted into and withdrawn from the apparatus main body, for stacking and storing sheets, a conveying roller for conveying the sheet, and a surface of the conveying roller. An abutment position for removing the attached matter, and an attached matter removing means movable to a separated position separated from the surface of the transport roller; and the attached matter removing means is provided on the apparatus main body. The apparatus is characterized in that it is located at the contact position when the loading means is mounted, and is located at the separated position when the loading means is pulled out of the apparatus main body.

  According to the present invention, each time the stacking unit is pulled out of the apparatus main body, the attached matter removing unit can be separated from the transport roller, so that a decrease in the attached matter removing function of the attached matter removing unit can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a sheet conveying device according to a first embodiment. The enlarged view which expanded and showed the arm. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the arm and the hook when the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body and the arm is located at the first position. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between an arm and a hook at a position where the cassette is slightly pulled out and at which the plate comes into contact with the transport roller. The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of an arm and a hook in the case where an arm is located in the neutral position in which the rotational moment by a coil spring does not act. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the arm and the hook when the cassette is pulled out of the apparatus main body and the arm is located at the second position. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a hook according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state where a hook is retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with an arm. The schematic diagram showing the state where the hook was returned to the position which can be engaged with the arm. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram schematically illustrating a sheet conveying apparatus according to a third embodiment. The enlarged view which expanded and showed the arm. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the arm and the rack when the cassette is mounted on the apparatus main body and the arm is located at the first position. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between an arm and a rack at a position where a cassette is slightly pulled out and a position at which a plate comes into contact with a transport roller. The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of an arm and a rack in the case where an arm is located in the neutral position in which the rotational moment by a coil spring does not act. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the arm and the rack when the cassette is pulled out of the apparatus main body and the arm is located at the second position. The schematic diagram which shows the modification of a rack. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the rack is retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with the arm. The schematic diagram showing the state where the rack was returned to the position which can be engaged with the arm.

<First embodiment>
〔overall structure〕
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printer 1 as an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is an ETB (Electrostatic Transport Belt) type full-color laser beam printer using an electrophotographic process. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes an image forming unit 16 that forms an image on a sheet P, a conveying unit 30 that conveys the sheet P toward the image forming unit 16, and a fixing device. 8 is provided. Further, the printer 1 includes an auxiliary roller pair 5 that transports the sheet P from the transport unit 30 to the image forming unit 16 and an electrostatic roller that transports the sheet P transported to the image forming unit 16 from the image forming unit 16 to the fixing device 8. And a suction belt 6. The electrostatic attraction belt 6 is stretched around a driving roller 18 and a tension roller 19, and is rotated in the direction of arrow D1, that is, in the counterclockwise direction when the driving roller 18 is driven to rotate.

  The image forming unit 16 is a so-called four-drum full-color image forming unit. The image forming unit 16 includes a process cartridge 21 to 24, an exposure unit 31 to 34, and a transfer roller for forming toner images of respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk). 41 to 44. The process cartridges 21 to 24 include photoconductor drums 11 to 14 as photoconductors, chargers 61 to 64, and developing devices 71 to 74, respectively. The components having the reference numerals 1, 2, 3, and 4 constitute image forming stations for forming yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) toner images, respectively. .

  More specifically, the photosensitive drum 11, the charger 61, the exposure unit 31, and the developing device 71, which constitute the process cartridge 21, and the transfer roller 41 are used for image formation for forming a yellow (Y) toner image. Configure the station. Similarly, the photosensitive drum 12, the charger 62, the exposure unit 32, and the developing device 72, which constitute the process cartridge 22, and the transfer roller 42 constitute an image forming station for forming a magenta (M) toner image. The photoconductor drum 13, the charger 63, the exposure unit 33, and the developing device 73, which form the process cartridge 23, and the transfer roller 43 form an image forming station that forms a cyan (C) toner image. The photosensitive drum 14, the charger 64, the exposure unit 34, and the developing device 74, which form the process cartridge 24, and the transfer roller 44 form an image forming station that forms a black (Bk) toner image. The transfer rollers 41 to 44 are arranged on the inner peripheral surface side of the electrostatic attraction belt 6 corresponding to the respective photosensitive drums 11 to 14, and are respectively connected to the photosensitive drums 11 to 14 via the electrostatic attraction belt 6. 14. As a result, a transfer portion where each of the photosensitive drums 11 to 14 and the electrostatic attraction belt 6 are in contact is formed.

  The transport section 30 as a sheet transport apparatus includes, for example, the apparatus main body 15, the cassette 2, the feed roller 3, the transport roller pair 4, and the paper dust removing section 10. The cassette 2 as a stacking unit is configured to be insertable into and removable from the apparatus main body 15, that is, movable in an insertion direction indicated by an arrow D <b> 2 and a pullout direction indicated by an arrow D <b> 3. The cassette 2 is disposed, for example, at the lower part of the printer 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and stores sheets P fed to the image forming unit 16 by the transport unit 30 in a stacked state. I have. The feed roller 3 is configured so that the uppermost sheet P stacked in the cassette 2 can be sent from the cassette 2. The transport roller pair 4 includes a driving roller 4b to which a driving force is input, and a driven roller 4a that rotates with the driving roller 4b. The driven roller 4a is urged toward the drive roller 4b by a spring (not shown).

  When the printer 1 configured as described above receives an instruction to start an image forming operation, the photoconductor drums 11 to 14 rotate, and the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 11 to 14 are charged by the chargers 61 to 64, respectively. Charge. Then, the exposure units 31 to 34 respectively modulate and output the laser beams based on the image data input from the input interface or the external computer. Each of the exposure units 31 to 34 outputs a laser beam and scans the surface of each of the photosensitive drums 11 to 14, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image based on image data on each of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11 to 14. Form. That is, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the respective photoconductor drums 11 to 14. The formed electrostatic latent images of yellow, magenta, cyan and black are visualized by toner supply from the developing units 71 to 74, respectively, to become yellow, magenta, cyan and black toner images, respectively.

  On the other hand, in parallel with such an image forming operation, the transport unit 30 feeds the sheet P toward the image forming unit 16. In the transport unit 30, first, the sheets P stacked on the cassette 2 are sent out by the feed rollers 3. The sheet P sent out by the feeding roller 3 is conveyed toward the auxiliary roller pair 5 by a nip formed by a driving roller 4b and a driven roller 4a constituting the conveying roller pair 4. The sheet P is transported to the electrostatic attraction belt 6 via the auxiliary roller pair 5.

  The sheet P transported to the electrostatic attraction belt 6 is carried by the electrostatic attraction belt 6 and transported to the above-described transfer unit. In the transfer unit, the toner images of each color carried on each of the photoconductor drums 11 to 14 are sequentially transferred onto the conveyed sheet P by the transfer rollers 41 to 44 so as to overlap each other. The sheet P to which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 8 while being carried by the electrostatic attraction belt 6, and is heated and pressed by the fixing device 8. The toner image transferred to the sheet P is fixed to the sheet P by the heating and the pressing. The sheet P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the discharge tray 9 by the discharge roller pair 25.

[Sheet conveying device]
Subsequently, the transport unit 30 as a sheet transport device will be described. The transport section 30 is located on the front side of the cassette 2 in the direction of the arrow D3 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 30 includes a hook 130 as a support unit and a boss 150 a as an engagement unit, in addition to the components such as the paper dust removing unit 10 described above. Of the components of the transport unit 30 described above, the hook 130 as a support unit and the boss 150a as an engagement unit are configured such that the hook 130 is connected to the boss 150a when the cassette 2 is inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 15. It is arranged so as to be relatively movable with respect to. For example, among the components of the transport unit 30, the feed roller 3 (see FIG. 1), the drive roller 4b, and the boss 150a are disposed on the apparatus main body 15 as one of the apparatus main body 15 and the cassette 2 as a stacking unit. ing. The remaining driven roller 4a, the paper dust removing unit 10, and the hook 130 among the components of the transport unit 30 are disposed in the cassette 2 as the other of the apparatus main body 15 and the cassette 2 as a stacking unit.

  The paper dust removing unit 10 supports a sponge member 110 as an attached matter removing unit that removes attached matter such as paper dust, which is an example of the powder of the sheet P attached to the driven roller 4a, and swingably supports the sponge member 110. And a rotating shaft 140. Note that, for example, the rotating shaft 140 is supported at one end or both ends by a holder or a frame (not shown) extending from the cassette 2, and the hooks 130 may be provided on both sides of the cassette 2 instead of one side. In a state where the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) (hereinafter, referred to as a “cassette mounted state”), the driven roller 4a is in contact with the driving roller 4b while pressing the driving roller 4b, as shown in FIG. . The sponge member 110 is attached to one end of the rotation shaft 140 via a holder 110a. When the rotation shaft 140 rotates, the sponge member 110 swings integrally with the rotation shaft 140. The sponge member 110 is in contact with the driven roller 4a while pressing it in the cassette mounted state. A hook 130 is supported at the other end of the rotation shaft 140 in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the hook 130 pulls the first position in the cassette mounted state shown in FIG. 4 and the cassette 2 shown in FIG. It is configured to be rotatable in a range between the second position in the pulled-out state. At the first position (see FIG. 4), the hook 130 holds the sponge member 110 at a position (hereinafter, referred to as “contact position”) P1 in contact with the driven roller 4a. On the other hand, in the second position (see FIG. 7), the sponge member 110 is moved to a position where it does not come into contact with the driven roller 4a, that is, a position (hereinafter referred to as a "separated position") P2 that is separated from the driven roller 4a. Hold. When the hook 130 rotates between the first position and the second position about the rotation shaft 140, the sponge member 110 is moved to the contact state where the sponge member 110 is located at the contact position P1 and the sponge member 110 is located at the separated position P2. And the separated state can be switched.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the hook 130 has two hook plates 130a and 130b and a joint 130c for connecting the two hook plates 130a and 130b. Each of the hook plates 130a and 130b has a groove 130d that can be engaged with the boss 150a. As shown in FIG. 6, the boss 150a is formed at one end of a lever 150 fixed to the apparatus main body 15, and each of the hooks 130 is inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 15 by inserting and removing the cassette 2. It is arranged to be able to engage with the groove 130d.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the hook 130 has a configuration in which the rotating shaft 140 does not penetrate the two hook plates 130a and 130b. That is, the two hook plates 130a and 130b are connected by a joint 130c provided radially apart from the rotation shaft 140. The hook plates 130a and 130b connected to each other by the joint 130c are rotatably supported by the rotation shaft 140 on surfaces not facing each other. A coil spring 120 is provided between the hook 130 and the cassette 2 as urging means for urging the hook 130 toward the first position P1 shown in FIG. More specifically, the coil spring 120 is disposed between the hook plate 130a and the hook plate 130b, and at one end and the other end of the coil spring 120 with the rotation shaft 140 interposed therebetween. One end of the coil spring 120 is connected to a spring seat (not shown) formed on the cassette 2, and the other end of the coil spring 120 is located on the opposite side to the one end of the coil spring 120 with the rotation shaft 140 interposed therebetween. Connected to the joint 130c. The coil spring 120 can bias the hook 130 without interfering with the rotation shaft 140 due to the configuration of the hook 130 described above.

  The coil spring 120 illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 7 moves the biasing direction of the hook 130 together with the hook 130 in a direction toward the first position (see FIG. 4) and a direction toward the second position (see FIG. 7). It constitutes a toggle mechanism that can be switched. FIG. 6 shows a neutral position where the hook 130 is located between the first position and the second position in the rotation direction of the hook 130, and in which just the rotational moment due to the elastic force of the coil spring 120 does not act. I have. In this neutral position, as shown in FIG. 6, the coil spring 120 is located on the rotation shaft 140.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the hook 130 is located on the side of the first position beyond the rotation axis 140 with respect to the neutral position, the hook 130 is biased toward the first position. . When the hook 130 is urged toward the first position by the coil spring 120, the sponge member 110 is held at the contact position P1 where the sponge member 110 has pressed the driven roller 4a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the hook 130 is located on the side of the second position beyond the rotation axis 140 with respect to the neutral position, the hook 130 is biased toward the second position. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, an abutting portion 190 that limits a rotation range when the hook 130 rotates toward the second position is provided on an upper side surface of the cassette 2. The butting portion 190 limits the rotation range of the hook 130 biased toward the second position, and stops the hook 130 at the second position.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 30 includes a plate 170 as a roller reverse rotation unit. The plate 170 is disposed on the apparatus main body 15 and is configured to be relatively movable with respect to the driven roller 4 a supported by the cassette 2 when the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15. The plate 170 is arranged so as to be able to contact the upper part of the driven roller 4a when the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15 in the direction of arrow D3 shown in FIG. With this arrangement, the plate 170 can rotate the driven roller 4a in the direction of the arrow D4 shown in FIG. 5, that is, in the direction opposite to the direction in which the driven roller 4a rotates when the sheet P is conveyed.

  Further, the transport unit 30 includes a storage box 180 as a deposit storage unit. The storage box 180 is detachably provided in the cassette 2, and is disposed below the transport roller pair 4 and the sponge member 110 when the cassette is mounted. The storage box 180 has an open upper surface, and is supported so as to be able to store attached matter discharged from the sponge member 110 located above mainly in a cassette mounted state.

  In the transport unit 30 configured as described above, in the cassette mounted state, as shown in FIG. 4, the driven roller 4a abuts while pressing the drive roller 4b. Further, at the contact position P1, the sponge member 110 comes into contact with the driven roller 4a while pressing it, and frictionally charges the surface of the driven roller 4a and scrapes off the adhering matter such as paper powder adhered to the surface of the driven roller 4a. take. When the sponge member 110 scrapes off the attached matter attached to the surface of the driven roller 4a, the attached matter is removed from the surface of the driven roller 4a. Since a large number of recesses are formed in the sponge material constituting the sponge member 110, the deposits removed from the driven roller 4a are collected in the recesses.

  When the cassette 2 needs to be pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) due to circumstances such as the necessity of filling the sheets P, the user moves the cassette 2 in the direction of arrow D3, and Pull out. When the cassette 2 is pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 from the cassette mounted state shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper portion of the driven roller 4a comes into contact with the plate 170, and the driven roller 4a rotates in the direction of arrow D4. As shown in FIG. 5, the driven roller 4a rotates in reverse with respect to the rotation when the sheet P is conveyed, so that the paper dust S sandwiched between the sponge member 110 and the driven roller 4a and the sponge member It promotes the discharge from between 110 and. The paper dust S sandwiched between the sponge member 110 and the sponge member 110 is collected in the storage box 180. The storage box 180 stores the paper dust discharged from the sponge member 110 and the paper dust S sandwiched between the sponge member 110 and the driven roller 4a, so that the paper dust S is scattered in the printer 1. To prevent

  When the cassette 2 is further pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 5, the hook 130 engages the groove 130d with the boss 150a, and the arrow D5 moves from the first position (see FIG. 4) to the second position (see FIG. 7). In the direction of. In response to the pulling-out operation of the cassette 2, the hook 130 rotates from the first position toward the neutral position against the urging force of the coil spring 120, and reaches the neutral position where the rotational moment by the coil spring 120 does not act. . When the hook 130 moves from the first position to the neutral position, the sponge member 110 is separated from the driven roller 4a, and the sponge member 110 is released from the pressure received from the driven roller 4a. By moving the sponge member 110 in a state where the pressure is released, the attached matter such as the paper powder collected by the sponge member 110 is discharged from the sponge member 110. The attached matter discharged from the sponge member 110 is collected in the storage box 180.

  When the cassette 2 is further pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) from the state shown in FIG. 6, the coil spring 120 moves toward the second position beyond the rotation shaft 140 as shown in FIG. Therefore, a biasing force toward the second position acts on the hook 130. As a result, the hook 130 rotates toward the second position, and stops at the second position where the hook 130 abuts against the abutting portion 190. The sponge member 110 swings due to an impact received from the abutting portion 190 when the hook 130 stops. As the sponge member 110 swings, attached matter such as paper powder collected by the sponge member 110 is discharged from the sponge member 110. The operation when the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 is opposite to the operation when the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15 described above.

  According to the present embodiment, the sponge member 110 can be separated from the driven roller 4a every time the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15. Therefore, at the timing when the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15, the pressure applied to the sponge member 110 when the cassette 2 is in contact with the driven roller 4a can be released, and the sponge member 110 is prevented from being creep-deformed. can do. By preventing creep deformation of the sponge member 110, the sponge member 110 suppresses a decrease in a function of removing adhering matter such as paper dust adhered to the driven roller 4a (hereinafter, referred to as an "adhered matter removing function"). Can be. Further, in order to obtain the above effects, a sensor for detecting whether or not the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 and an actuator for contacting or separating the sponge member 110 are not required. Therefore, the size of the apparatus can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced.

  According to the present embodiment, the user pulls out the cassette 2 from the apparatus main body 15 mainly when the sheet P is loaded into the cassette 2, so that the paper dust is discharged from the sponge member 110 with some regularity. Can be. As a result, it is possible to prevent an excessive amount of paper dust from being deposited on the sponge member 110, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the attached matter removing function of the sponge member 110. In addition, by preventing foreign matter such as excessive paper dust from accumulating on the sponge member 110, it is possible to suppress the foreign matter from passing through the sponge member 110 and adhering to the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11 to 14 and the transfer unit. . Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image defects due to foreign matter such as paper dust.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the attached matter removing function of the sponge member 110, so that complicated foreign matter removal for removing the attached foreign matter on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11 to 14 is performed. There is no need to provide a mechanism. Therefore, the process cartridges 21 to 24 having a small size and a low cost can be configured. Further, since the process cartridges 21 to 24 of the respective colors can have the same configuration, manufacturing equipment for the process cartridges 21 to 24 can be shared, and the cost of the manufacturing equipment can be reduced.

<Second Embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the lever supporting the boss 150a in the first embodiment is configured to be rotatable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are not shown in the drawings, or are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the lever 152 is supported rotatably with respect to the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) about the rotation shaft 160, and has a boss 150a at the tip. A torsion coil spring 200 is wound around the rotating shaft 160, and the torsion coil spring 200 urges the lever 152 upward.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the lever 152 can move the position adjuster 210 in the downward direction indicated by the arrow D7 by, for example, hooking the position adjuster 210 on the boss 150a. When the lever 152 is pivoted downward by the position adjusting tool 210, the boss 150a can be retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with the groove 130d of the hook 130. In a state where the boss 150a is retracted to a position where the boss 150a cannot be engaged with the hook 130, the sponge member 110 abuts on the surface of the driven roller 4a even if the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1). Without this, the separated state is maintained.

  Further, since the lever 152 is urged upward, as shown in FIG. 10, by removing the position adjustment tool 210 from the boss 150a, the direction of the arrow D8 around the rotation shaft 160, that is, Rotate upward. The upward rotation of the lever 152 is limited by abutting against the abutting portion 220 provided on the apparatus main body 15. In this case, in the transport unit 30A to which the lever 152 is applied, since the lever 152 has returned to a position where it can be engaged with the hook 130, the lever 152 engages with the hook 130 when inserting or removing the cassette 2, and the first The operation is similar to that of the first embodiment.

  According to the present embodiment, the boss 150a as the engaging portion can be retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with the hook 130 as the supporting portion. Therefore, even if the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1), the sponge member 110 can maintain the separated state without contacting the surface of the driven roller 4a. Therefore, even if an unused state for transporting or storing the printer 1 continues for a long period of time, the sponge member 110 can be kept in the separated state, thereby preventing the sponge member 110 from being creep-deformed. Can be.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, an arm 131 and a rack 151a are applied instead of the hook 130 and the boss 150a in the first embodiment. It is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are not shown in the drawings, or are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and redundant description is omitted.

  As illustrated in FIG. 11, the transport unit 30B as the sheet transport device according to the present embodiment is different from the transport unit 30 as the sheet transport device according to the first embodiment, in place of the hook 130 and the boss 150a, An arm 131 and a rack 151a are provided. In addition, a paper dust removing unit 20 is provided instead of the paper dust removing unit 10. The paper dust removing section 20 has a sponge member 110 as an attached matter removing means for removing attached matter such as paper dust attached to the driven roller 4a, and a rotating shaft 141 for swingably supporting the sponge member 110. ing. The sponge member 110 is attached to one end of the rotating shaft 141 via a holder 110a. When the rotating shaft 141 rotates, the sponge member 110 swings integrally with the rotating shaft 141. The sponge member 110 is in contact with the driven roller 4a while pressing it in the cassette mounted state. At the other end of the rotating shaft 141 in the axial direction, an arm 131 as a support is supported.

  The arm 131 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 141 in a range between a first position shown in FIG. 13 and a second position shown in FIG. 16, as shown in FIGS. Have been. The arm 131 holds the sponge member 110 at the contact position P1 at the first position (see FIG. 13). On the other hand, in the second position (see FIG. 16), the arm 131 holds the sponge member 110 at the separated position P2. As shown in FIG. 12, the arm 131 has a sector gear 131a, an arm plate 131b, and a joint 131c connecting the sector gear 131a and the arm plate 131b. A gear 131d as a first gear that can be engaged with the rack 151a is formed on the sector gear 131a.

  As shown in FIG. 16, a rack 151 a as an engagement portion and a second gear portion is formed at one end of a lever 151 fixed to the apparatus main body 15. The rack 151a is arranged so as to be able to engage with, ie, engage with, the gear portion 131d of the arm 131 by an insertion / removal operation of inserting / removing the cassette 2 from / to the apparatus body 15.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the arm 131 has a configuration in which the rotating shaft 141 does not pass through the sector gear 131a and the arm plate 131b. That is, the sector gear 131a and the arm plate 131b are connected to each other by the joint 131c provided to be radially separated from the rotation shaft 141. The sector gear 131a and the arm plate 131b are rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 141 on surfaces not facing each other. A coil spring 120 for urging the arm 131 at least toward the contact position P1 shown in FIG. 13 is provided between the arm 131 and the cassette 2. More specifically, the coil spring 120 is provided between the sector gear 131a and the arm plate 131b, and one end and the other end of the coil spring 120 sandwich the rotation shaft 141. One end of the coil spring 120 is connected to a spring seat (not shown) formed on the cassette 2, and the other end of the coil spring 120 is located on the opposite side of the one end of the coil spring 120 with the rotation shaft 141 interposed therebetween. Connected to the joint 131c. The coil spring 120 can bias the arm 131 without interfering with the rotation shaft 141 due to the configuration of the arm 131 described above.

  The coil spring 120 illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 16 switches the biasing direction of the arm 131 together with the arm 131 between a direction toward the first position (see FIG. 13) and a direction toward the second position (see FIG. 16). It constitutes a possible toggle mechanism. FIG. 15 shows a neutral position in which the arm 131 is between the first position and the second position in the rotation direction of the arm 131, and in which just the rotational moment due to the elastic force of the coil spring 120 does not act. I have. In the neutral position shown in FIG. 15, the coil spring 120 is located on the rotation shaft 141.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, when the arm 131 is located on the first position side beyond the rotation axis 141 with respect to the neutral position (see FIG. 15), the arm 131 is moved toward the first position. Be energized. When the arm 131 is urged toward the first position by the coil spring 120, the sponge member 110 is held at the contact position P1 where the sponge member 110 has pressed the driven roller 4a. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, when the arm 131 is located on the side of the second position beyond the rotation axis 141 with respect to the neutral position, the arm 131 is biased toward the second position. As shown in FIG. 16, an abutting portion 190 that restricts a rotation range when the arm 131 rotates toward the second position is provided on an upper side surface of the cassette 2. The butting portion 190 limits the rotation range of the arm 131 urged toward the second position, and stops the arm 131 at the second position. The transport unit 30B includes a plate 170 and a storage box 180, similarly to the transport unit 30 (see FIG. 2).

  In the transport unit 30B configured as described above, when the cassette is mounted, the transport unit 30B operates similarly to the transport unit 30 described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the driven roller 4a is in contact with the driving roller 4b while pressing it. Further, the sponge member 110 comes into contact with the driven roller 4a while being pressed, and scrapes off the adhered matter such as paper powder adhered to the surface of the driven roller 4a. The deposit removed from the driven roller 4a is collected in a concave portion of the sponge material constituting the sponge member 110.

  When the cassette 2 needs to be pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) due to circumstances such as the necessity of filling the sheets P, the user moves the cassette 2 in the direction of arrow D3, and Pull out. When the cassette 2 is pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 from the cassette mounted state shown in FIG. 13, the upper portion of the driven roller 4a comes into contact with the plate 170 as shown in FIG. 14, and the driven roller 4a rotates in the direction of arrow D4. The discharge of the paper dust S sandwiched between the driven roller 4a and the sponge member 110 is promoted. The paper dust S is collected in the storage box 180. By storing the paper dust S in the storage box 180, the paper dust S is prevented from scattering in the printer 1. When the cassette 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 15, the gear portion 131d of the arm 131 meshes with the rack 151a. When the gear portion 131d and the rack 151a mesh with each other, the arm 131 rotates in the direction of arrow D5 in accordance with the pull-out operation of the cassette 2 while meshing with the rack 151a.

  When the cassette 2 is further pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 14, the arm 131 rotates in the direction of arrow D5 while meshing with the rack 151a, as shown in FIG. Reach the position. When the arm 131 moves from the first position (see FIG. 13) to the neutral position, the sponge member 110 separates from the driven roller 4a and is released from the pressure received from the driven roller 4a. By moving the sponge member 110 in a state where the pressure is released, the attached matter such as the paper powder collected by the sponge member 110 is discharged from the sponge member 110. The attached matter discharged from the sponge member 110 is collected in the storage box 180.

  When the cassette 2 is further pulled out of the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1) from the state shown in FIG. 15, the arm 131 moves beyond the rotation shaft 141 to the second position side as shown in FIG. Therefore, an urging force toward the second position acts on the arm 131. However, while the gear 131d of the arm 131 is engaged with the rack 151a, even if the arm 131 is urged toward the second position by the coil spring 120, the arm 131 depends on the drawing speed of the cassette 2. Rotate. When the gear 131d of the arm 131 and the rack 151a rotate to a position where they no longer mesh with each other, the arm 131 moves to the second position shown in FIG. 16 due to the urging force of the coil spring 120, stops against the abutting portion 190. The arm 131 is configured to engage with the rack 151a until just before the arm 131 hits the hitting portion 190, and hits the hitting portion 190 at a relatively low speed. Can be reduced.

  In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, instead of the lever 151 that can be engaged with the arm 131 as the support portion, a lever 153 that can be retracted so as not to be able to engage with the arm 131 is applied. Can be. The lever 153 shown in FIG. 17 has the same configuration as the lever 152 shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, the lever 153 is supported rotatably about the rotation shaft 160 with respect to the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1). A torsion coil spring 200 is wound around the rotating shaft 160, and the torsion coil spring 200 urges the lever 153 upward.

  The lever 153 differs from the lever 152 in that the rack 151a is formed at one end, so that a configuration in which the upper surface of one end abuts on the abutting portion 220 like the boss 150a cannot be adopted. For this reason, the lever 153 is further provided with a protrusion 151b that comes into contact with the abutment portion 221 (see FIG. 19) with respect to the lever 151.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 18, the lever 153 is configured so that the position adjusting tool 210 can be hooked on one end of the rack 151a or the like, for example, and the lever 153 is hooked on the rack 151a and the downward direction indicated by the arrow D7. Can be moved to When the lever 153 is rotated downward by the position adjustment tool 210, the rack 151a can be retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with the gear 131d of the arm 131. In a state where the rack 151a is retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged with the gear portion 131d, even if the cassette 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 15 (see FIG. 1), the sponge member 110 is kept in contact with the surface of the driven roller 4a. The separated state is maintained without contact. Further, since the lever 153 is urged upward, as shown in FIG. 19, by removing the position adjuster 210 from the rack 151a, the direction of the arrow D8 around the rotation shaft 160, that is, Rotate upward. The upward rotation of the lever 153 is limited by abutting the abutting portion 221 provided on the apparatus main body 15 and the protruding portion 151b. In this case, in the transport unit 30C to which the lever 153 is applied, since the lever 153 has returned to a position where it can be engaged with the arm 131, the boss 150a engages with the arm 131 when inserting and removing the cassette 2, and the first The operation is similar to that of the first embodiment.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, can be implemented in various forms other than the above-described examples, and various omissions and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Replacements and changes can be made. For example, the present invention can be applied by appropriately changing the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components according to the configuration of the apparatus and various conditions.

  In the above-described embodiment, the uppermost sheet P is fed from the sheets P stacked inside the cassette 2 (see FIG. 1) by the feed roller 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the feeding roller 3 is omitted, and the driving roller 4b is configured to be able to pick up the uppermost sheet P from the sheets P stacked inside the cassette 2 and feed the sheet P toward the image forming unit 16. Is also good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the sponge member 110 removes the deposit on the driven roller 4a as the deposit removing means has been described. However, the sponge member 110 may remove the deposit on another roller. For example, the deposits on the feeding roller 3 and the driving roller 4b may be removed. Further, a separation roller may be provided, and the sponge member 110 may remove the deposit on the separation roller. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the sponge member 110 is applied as the attached matter removing means has been described, but the attached matter removing means is not limited to this. For example, another material having the same properties as the sponge, such as felt and silicone rubber, can be applied as the deposit removing means. More preferably, the attached matter removing means is desirably a material having irregularities on its surface and elastically deforming. Further, a configuration in which the direction in which the sponge member 110 is urged switches from the direction toward the first position or the second position to the direction toward the second position or the first position when the rotation direction exceeds the rotation shaft 140 or 141 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The direction in which the sponge member 110 is urged only needs to be at least the direction in which the driven roller 4a is pressed. In this case, when the cassette 2 is pulled out, a configuration capable of holding a state in which the sponge member 110 is separated from the driven roller 4a may be added.

  In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which the torsion coil spring 200 is applied has been described as a configuration example in which the boss 150a and the rack 151a are rotatably biased in the direction of arrow D8 (see FIGS. 10 and 19). It is not limited to. In the above-described embodiment, the boss 150a and the rack 151a as the engaging portions are configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 15, for example, and the boss 150a and the rack 151a provided on the apparatus main body 15 are required. It may be attached or detached from the apparatus main body 15 in response. When the printer 1 (see FIG. 1) is transported or stored, if the boss 150a and the rack 151a are detached from the apparatus main body 15, the same as in the case where the hook 130 or the arm 131 as the support portion is retracted to a position where it cannot be engaged. The effect of can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the hook 130 and the arm 131 serving as the support unit are provided in the cassette 2, and the boss 150 a and the rack 151 a serving as the engaging unit are provided in the apparatus main body 15, but are not limited thereto. Contrary to the above-described example, the hook 130 and the arm 131 may be provided on the apparatus main body 15, and the boss 150a and the rack 151a may be provided on the cassette 2. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the plate 170 is applied as the reverse rotation means has been described, but the reverse rotation means is not limited to this. For example, a driving mechanism that does not contact the driven roller 4a and drives the rotation shaft of the driven roller 4a to rotate in the reverse direction when the cassette 2 is pulled out may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 which is an ETB type full-color laser beam printer using an electrophotographic process as an example of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment has been described with reference to FIG. 1. It is not limited to. For example, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer belt. In addition, the present invention can be applied to an ink jet type image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet by discharging ink liquid from a nozzle.

  1: image forming apparatus (printer) / 2: stacking means (cassette) / 4a: transport roller (driven roller) / 15: apparatus main body / 16: image forming means (image forming section) / 30, 30A, 30B, 30C: Sheet conveying device (sheet conveying portion) / 110: attached matter removing means (sponge member) / 120: biasing means (coil spring) / 130, 131: support portion (hook, arm) / 130d: groove / 131d: first Gear part (gear part) / 140, 141: rotating shaft / 150a: engagement part (boss) / 151a: engagement part, second gear part (rack) / 170: reverse rotation means (plate) / 180: attached Kimono storage means (storage box) / P1: Contact position / P2: Separation position

Claims (11)

The device body,
Loading means that can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body, and stacks and stores sheets;
A conveying roller for conveying the sheet,
An abutment position for removing the attached matter attached to the surface of the transport roller, and a separated position that is separated from the surface of the transport roller, and an attached matter removing unit that is movable,
The adhering substance removing unit is located at the contact position in a state where the loading unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, and is located at the separation position in a state where the loading unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body.
A sheet conveying device, characterized in that: A first position that is provided on one of the apparatus main body and the loading unit and holds the attached matter removing unit at the contact position, and a second position that holds the attached matter removing unit at the separated position. A support that is movable to
An engagement portion that is provided on any one of the device main body and the loading unit, and that can be engaged with the support unit by an insertion / removal operation of the loading unit with respect to the device main body,
The engaging section moves the support section from the first position to the second position by pulling out the loading means from the apparatus main body, while attaching the loading means to the apparatus main body. Moving the support from the second position to the first position;
The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: When the loading unit is mounted on the apparatus main body, the loading unit includes an urging unit that urges the support unit to the first position.
The sheet conveying device according to claim 2, wherein: The support portion is rotatable about a rotation axis,
One end of the biasing unit is connected to the one of the apparatus main body and the loading unit, and the other end is arranged on the opposite side to the one end with the rotating shaft interposed therebetween, and connected to the support unit. Coil spring,
The coil spring moves beyond the rotation axis when the support section rotates between the first position and the second position, and moves the first position relative to the rotation axis. On the side, the support portion is biased toward the first position, while on the side of the second position with respect to the rotation axis, the support portion is biased toward the second position.
The sheet conveying device according to claim 3, wherein: The support is a hook having a groove,
The engagement portion is a boss that can be engaged with the groove.
The sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The support section has a first gear section,
The engagement portion has a second gear portion that can mesh with the first gear portion.
The sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The support unit is provided on the loading unit,
The engagement portion is provided on the device main body,
The sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein: The engagement portion is configured to be retractable to a position where the engagement portion cannot be engaged with the support portion.
The sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein: When pulling out the stacking means from the apparatus main body, the transport roller includes a roller reverse rotation means for rotating in a direction opposite to a direction in which the sheet is transported,
The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein An adhering matter storage unit is provided on the loading unit and stores the adhering matter removed from the adhering matter removing unit.
The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein: A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Image forming means for forming an image on a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying device,
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images