JP2020142392A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation device which enables a user to view a position where an external device which conducts short-range radio communication is placed.SOLUTION: An image formation device 1 includes: a first housing 2 in which a discharge tray 6 for supporting sheets discharged by a discharge roller 28 is provided on an upper surface and which houses an image formation part which forms images on the sheets; a discharge stopper 62 which is provided at the discharge tray 6 so as to protrude upward and may contact with the discharged sheet; and an NFC mark 71 which is provided at the downstream side of the discharge stopper 62 at the first housing 2 in a sheet discharge direction and within a width of the discharge tray 6 in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction and indicates a position where an external device which conducts short-range radio communication is placed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus capable of communicating with an external device such as an IC card or a smartphone by short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an NFC substrate is arranged on the downstream side of the discharge tray in the discharge direction in order to secure a place for mounting an external device without increasing the size of the image forming apparatus.

JP-A-2014-4678

When the NFC is mounted on the image forming apparatus as described above, it is desirable that the NFC substrate is arranged on the front side of the image forming apparatus so that the user can easily operate the NFC substrate. However, an operation panel, a discharge tray, and the like are arranged on the front side of the image forming apparatus, and the place where the NFC substrate can be arranged is limited.

Also in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the NFC substrate is provided in the discharge tray, the discharged sheet obscures the place where the external device is placed, and it is difficult for the user to visually recognize the place where the external device should be placed. Prone.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that makes it easy to visually recognize the position where an external device that performs short-range wireless communication is placed.

The image forming apparatus (1) of the present invention is provided with a discharge tray (6) on the upper surface for supporting the sheet discharged by the discharge roller (28), and houses a housing (image forming portion) for forming an image on the sheet. 2), a discharge stopper (62) provided so as to project upward in the discharge tray (6) and capable of contacting the discharged sheet, and the discharge stopper (62) in the housing (2). Is also on the downstream side of the sheet discharge direction, and is provided within the width of the discharge tray (6) in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction, and indicates a position for mounting an external device for short-range wireless communication. 71) and.

According to the present invention, the sheet discharged to the discharge tray is regulated by the discharge stopper. Therefore, the short-range wireless communication mark located downstream of the discharge stopper in the sheet discharge direction is not covered by the sheet, and the user can always easily see the mark.

It is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment. It is a front view of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment. It is a top view of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment. It is a right side view of the image forming apparatus of one Embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the discharge stopper is in the used position in FIG. It is a top view of the image forming apparatus of a modification. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

In the following description, based on the state in which the image forming apparatus 1 is usably installed as shown in FIG. 1, the side from which the sheet tray 27 is pulled out is the front, the opposite side is the rear, and the image forming apparatus 1 is the front side. The left-right direction is defined from the viewpoint, and each direction is defined with the second housing 3 side of the image forming apparatus 1 as the upper side and the first housing 2 side as the lower side. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction is an example of the width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction of the discharge roller 28.

[Overall configuration of image forming apparatus]
1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a right side view thereof. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the discharge stopper 62 is in the used position in FIG. The image forming apparatus 1 has a so-called in-body discharge type. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a first housing 2, a second housing 3, a leg portion 4, and an operation panel 5 as an example of the housing.

The first housing 2 has a cover 20 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that constitutes the appearance. The cover 20 has a front surface 21, a back surface 22, a left surface 23, a right surface 24, an upper surface 25, and a bottom surface 26. An opening 211 for inserting and removing the seat tray 27 is formed in the lower part of the front surface 21.

The first housing 2 includes a sheet tray 27 that supports the sheet before image formation, a transfer mechanism that conveys the sheet from the sheet tray 27, and an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet conveyed by the transfer mechanism. A discharge mechanism for transporting a sheet from the image forming unit to the outside of the first housing 2, an NFC substrate 70, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) substrate 80 are housed. A discharge roller 28 for discharging the sheet is provided at the most downstream portion of the discharge mechanism in the transport direction.

The seat tray 27 has a storage position (position shown in FIG. 1) accommodated in the first housing 2 via the opening 211 and a pull-out position pulled forward from the first housing 2 through the opening 211. It is possible to slide between. The configuration of the image forming unit is not particularly limited, and configurations such as an electrophotographic method, an inkjet method, and a thermal head method can be used.

Further, a discharge tray 6 for supporting the sheet discharged by the discharge mechanism is provided on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2. The discharge tray 6 is formed on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2 in an inclined shape so as to climb while being convexly curved from the rear side to the front side. As a result, the sheet on which the image is formed is discharged to the discharge tray 6 from the rear side to the front side by the discharge mechanism.

The discharge tray 6 has a protrusion 61 provided at the center of the discharge tray 6 in the width direction, and a discharge stopper 62 provided at the protrusion 61. The protruding portion 61 is a trapezoidal member that protrudes upward from the other surface of the discharge tray 6 and is inclined downward toward the rear. The discharge stopper 62 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member whose rear end portion is rotatably supported by the protruding portion 61. The discharge stopper 62 swings between a storage position (position shown in FIG. 5) horizontally located along the upper end portion of the protrusion 61 and a use position (position shown in FIG. 6) in which the front end portion stands up. .. When the discharge stopper 62 is in the used position, the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 comes into contact with the discharge stopper 62 and is regulated on the discharge tray 6.

Even when both ends in the width direction of the discharged sheet are curled by such a protruding portion 61, the center portion in the width direction of the sheet is lifted and supported to reduce the curl. be able to. Further, in a state where the sheet is supported by the discharge tray 6, a space for gripping the sheet can be formed around the protruding portion 61 under the sheet. The protruding portion 61 is not an essential configuration and may be omitted.

Further, a power switch 29 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2. The power switch 29 is preferably arranged on the front side of the discharge stopper 62 on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2 and outside the width of the discharge tray 6 in the width direction so as to be easy to see and operate. In the present embodiment, the power switch 29 is provided on the right front portion of the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2.

The second housing 3 is provided above the first housing 2 and includes a document reading device 31. The document reading device 31 is provided with a document table 321 that supports the document on the upper surface, and has a housing 32 that houses an image reading unit that reads an image of the document supported by the document table 321. Further, the document reading device 31 is provided above the housing 32, and is in a closed position where the front end portion as the other end portion covers the document base 321 with the rotation axis arranged at the rear end portion as one end portion as the center. It has a document retainer 33 that can swing between the document base 321 and the open position that opens the document table 321. The document retainer 33 is provided with an automatic document feeder (hereinafter, referred to as an ADF (auto document fader)) 34 that automatically conveys documents to the document table 321 above the document retainer 33.

The leg portion 4 has a left leg portion 41, a right leg portion 42, and a rear leg portion 43. The left leg portion 41, the right leg portion 42, and the rear leg portion 43 are arranged at the left end portion, the right end portion, and the rear end portion on the upper surface of the first housing 2, respectively, and lift and support the second housing 3. As a result, the second housing 3 is installed above the discharge tray 6 via the discharge space 63 in which the sheet is discharged. Further, an opening 44 is formed on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 by the left leg 41, the right leg 42, the upper surface of the first housing 2, and the lower surface of the second housing 3, and the discharge space is formed through the opening 44. 63 is open forward. Therefore, the user can take out the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 through the opening 44.

In the present embodiment, the front end surface 42A of the right leg portion 42 is arranged on the rear side of the front end portion 3A of the second housing 3. As a result, the right side of the discharge space 63 is largely opened, and the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 can be easily taken out from the right side.

The operation panel 5 is a panel having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the length in the width direction is less than half the length in the width direction of the second housing 3. The operation panel 5 is provided so as to project forward from the front end portion of the second housing 3 so that the left end portion is flush with the left end portion of the second housing 3. The operation panel 5 is provided with a display tool such as a liquid crystal panel and an operation tool such as a touch panel and operation buttons for operating the image forming unit and the image reading unit on the upper surface 51.

[NFC]
As shown in FIG. 3, an NFC mark 71 indicating a position on which an external device such as an IC card or a smartphone having an NFC function is placed is printed on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2. The size and shape of the NFC mark 71 are not particularly limited. Further, the NFC mark 71 may be other than printing. For example, the NFC mark 71 may be composed of a translucent member, and a light source such as a light emitting diode may be arranged directly under the translucent member so that the mark shines. The user can wirelessly communicate between the external device and the image forming apparatus 1 by mounting the external device with the NFC mark 71 as a guide.

The NFC mark 71 can be arranged in the area B shown in FIG. The region B is downstream of the discharge stopper 62 on the upper surface 25 of the first housing 2 in the sheet discharge direction, and is within the width of the discharge tray 6 in the width direction. In the present embodiment, the NFC mark 71 is arranged in the right rear portion in the area B.

Since the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 is regulated by the discharge stopper 62, by arranging the NFC mark 71 on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction from the discharge stopper 62, the NFC mark 71 is not covered by the sheet. The user can always easily see the NFC mark 71. Further, since the NFC mark 71 is arranged on the front side when viewed from the user, the user can easily place an external device on the NFC mark 71.

Further, it is preferable that the NFC mark 71 is provided at a position deviated from the operation panel 5 in the width direction. As a result, the NFC mark 71 is not covered by the operation panel 5, so that the visibility of the NFC mark 71 can be ensured. In the present embodiment, since the operation panel 5 and the discharge tray 6 do not overlap in the width direction, the position deviated from the operation panel 5 in the width direction no matter where the NFC mark 71 is placed in the area B. Even when the operation panel 5 and the discharge tray 6 overlap in the width direction, such as when the operation panel 5 is long in the width direction, the NFC mark 71 may be arranged while avoiding the overlapping area.

The NFC board 70 is provided at a position facing the NFC mark 71 inside the first housing 2 in order to realize good wireless communication with an external device. In this embodiment, the NFC substrate 70 is arranged along the inside of the upper surface 25 of the cover 20 directly below the NFC mark 71. The NFC board 70 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped circuit board, and is equipped with a loop antenna 72, a communication circuit, a detection circuit, and the like.

The loop antenna 72 is arranged on the upper surface of the NFC substrate 70 so as to be located directly below the NFC mark 71. The loop antenna 72 has a function of transmitting and receiving radio waves for communicating with an external device. The communication circuit has a function of signal processing radio waves transmitted and received. The detection circuit has a function of detecting the intensity of radio waves transmitted and received by the loop antenna 72 by detecting the current flowing through the loop antenna 72.

[USB]
As shown in FIG. 2, a USB port 81 for connecting a terminal of a USB device such as a USB memory or a digital camera is provided on the front surface 61A of the protruding portion 61 of the discharge tray 6. The position of the USB port 81 on the front surface 61A is not particularly limited as long as the USB device can be connected from the front.

A USB mark 82 is printed in the vicinity of the USB port 81 on the front surface 61A of the protrusion 61. The USB mark 82 may be arranged in the vicinity of the USB port 81. For example, the upper surface 25 of the cover 20 located below the front of the USB port 81 and the upper surface of the discharge stopper 62 located above the USB port 81. It may be placed in. The user can recognize the position of the USB port 81 by visually recognizing the USB mark 82 or the USB port 81.

By providing the USB port 81 on the front surface 61A of the protrusion 61 of the discharge tray 6 in this way, the vacant space of the protrusion 61 can be effectively used, and the USB port 81 can be arranged at a position where it is easy to see.

Further, it is preferable that the USB port 81 and the NFC mark 71 are provided at positions displaced from each other in the width direction. As a result, the NFC mark 71 is prevented from being covered by the USB device inserted into the USB port 81, and the visibility of the NFC mark 71 can be ensured even when the USB device is connected to the USB port 81. In the present embodiment, since the NFC mark 71 is arranged on the right side of the protruding portion 61, the USB port 81 and the NFC mark 71 are displaced in the width direction.

The USB board 80 is provided inside the protrusion 61 below the discharge stopper 62. The USB board 80 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped circuit board, and is equipped with a USB port 81 and a conversion circuit. The USB port 81 is arranged so as to project forward on the upper surface of the USB board 80. The conversion circuit is a circuit that converts the signal line of the USB port 81 to a predetermined pitch.

[Modification example]
FIG. 7 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus 9 of the modified example, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. The image forming apparatus 9 of the modified example differs from the image forming apparatus 1 described above in the configuration of the discharge stopper 90 and the positions of the NFC mark 91 and the NFC substrate 92, and other configurations are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 1 described above. Is. In the following, the points that the image forming apparatus 9 of the modified example differs from the above-mentioned image forming apparatus 1 will be mainly described, the same reference numerals will be given to the same configurations as the above-mentioned image forming apparatus 1, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. To do.

The discharge stopper 90 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member in which a rotating shaft portion 90A provided at a base end portion is rotatably supported by a protruding portion 61. The discharge stopper 90 has a storage position (position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 8) in which the tip portion is located on the rear side with respect to the rotation shaft portion 90A and a position on the front side with respect to the rotation shaft portion 90A. It swings with the used position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8). When the discharge stopper 90 is in the used position, the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 comes into contact with the discharge stopper 90 and is regulated on the discharge tray 6. The protruding portion 61 is not an essential configuration and may be omitted.

The NFC mark 91 is provided on the front side of the discharge stopper 90 at the storage position and directly below the discharge stopper 90 at the use position. In this modification, the NFC mark 91 is printed on the upper surface of the protrusion 61. As a result, the NFC mark 91 can be arranged close to the front end portion of the discharge stopper 90, so that the length of the first housing 2 in the front-rear direction can be shortened while ensuring the visibility of the NFC mark 91.

The NFC board 92 has the same configuration as the above-mentioned NFC board 70, and is provided at a position facing the NFC mark 91 inside the first housing 2. In this modification, the NFC substrate 92 is provided inside the projecting portion 61 directly below the NFC mark 91.

[Effect of Embodiment]
The image forming apparatus 1 includes a first housing 2 in which a discharge tray 6 for supporting a sheet discharged by a discharge roller 28 is provided on the upper surface and an image forming portion for forming an image on the sheet is housed. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided so as to project upward in the discharge tray 6, and includes a discharge stopper 62 capable of contacting the discharged sheet. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided on the downstream side of the discharge stopper 62 in the first housing 2 in the sheet discharge direction and within the width of the discharge tray 6 in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction, and is provided for short-range wireless communication. It is provided with an NFC mark 71 indicating a position where an external device is placed.

According to this configuration, the sheet discharged to the discharge tray 6 is regulated by the discharge stopper 62. Therefore, the NFC mark 71 located downstream of the discharge stopper 62 in the sheet discharge direction is not covered by the sheet, and the user can always easily see the NFC mark 71.

According to the image forming apparatus 9 of the above-described modification, the discharge stopper 90 has a storage position in which the tip portion is located upstream of the rotation shaft portion 90A in the sheet discharge direction and a tip portion in the rotation shaft portion 90A. On the other hand, the base end portion is supported by the discharge tray 6 so as to be swingable from the use position located on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction. The NFC mark 91 is provided on the downstream side of the discharge stopper 90 at the storage position in the sheet transport direction and directly below the discharge stopper 90 at the use position.

According to this configuration, the NFC mark 91 can be arranged close to the downstream end of the discharge stopper 90 in the sheet transport direction, so that the length of the first housing 2 in the sheet discharge direction can be ensured while ensuring the visibility of the NFC mark 91. Can be shortened.

According to the image forming apparatus 1, the NFC substrate 70 is provided at a position facing the NFC mark 71 inside the first housing 2.

According to this configuration, good wireless communication can be realized by arranging the NFC board 70 directly under the NFC mark 71.

According to the image forming apparatus 1, the discharge tray 6 has a protruding portion 61 protruding upward in the central portion in the width direction, and the discharge stopper 62 is provided on the protruding portion 61.

According to this configuration, even when both ends in the width direction of the discharged sheet are curled so as to be lifted, the center portion in the width direction of the sheet is lifted and supported to reduce the curl. it can. Further, in a state where the sheet is supported by the discharge tray 6, a space for gripping the sheet can be formed around the protruding portion under the sheet.

According to the image forming apparatus 1, the USB port 81 is provided on the downstream end surface of the protruding portion 61 in the sheet discharging direction.

According to this configuration, the vacant space of the protruding portion 61 can be effectively used, and the USB port 81 can be arranged at a position where it is easy to see.

According to the image forming apparatus 1, the USB port 81 and the NFC mark 71 are provided at positions shifted from each other in the width direction.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the NFC mark 71 from being covered by the USB device inserted into the USB port 81, and to ensure the visibility of the NFC mark 71.

According to the image forming apparatus 1, the operation panel 5 for operating the image forming apparatus 1 is provided, and the operation panel 5 and the NFC mark 71 are provided at positions deviated from each other in the width direction.

According to this configuration, since the NFC mark 71 is not covered by the operation panel 5, the visibility of the NFC mark 71 can be ensured.

1, 9 Image forming device 2 First housing (housing)
5 Operation panel 6 Discharge tray 28 Discharge roller 61 Protruding part 62, 90 Discharge stopper 70 NFC board 71, 91 NFC mark (mark)
81 USB port

Claims (7)

A housing in which a discharge tray for supporting the sheet discharged by the discharge roller is provided on the upper surface and houses an image forming portion for forming an image on the sheet, and a housing.
A discharge stopper provided so as to project upward in the discharge tray and capable of contacting the discharged sheet,
An external device that is provided on the downstream side of the discharge stopper in the housing in the sheet discharge direction and is provided within the width of the discharge tray in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharge direction and that performs short-range wireless communication is placed. An image forming apparatus including a mark indicating a position. The discharge stopper is located between a storage position where the tip is located upstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet discharge direction and a use position where the tip is located downstream of the rotation shaft in the sheet discharge direction. The base end is supported by the discharge tray so that it can swing with
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mark is provided on the downstream side of the discharge stopper at the storage position in the sheet transport direction and directly below the discharge stopper at the use position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate for short-range wireless communication is provided at a position facing the mark inside the housing. The discharge tray has an upwardly projecting portion at the center in the width direction.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge stopper is provided on the protruding portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a USB port is provided on an end surface of the protruding portion on the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the USB port and the mark are provided at positions deviated from each other in the width direction. An operation panel for operating the image forming apparatus is provided.
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operation panel and the mark are provided at positions deviated from each other in the width direction.

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