JP2022091334A - Image formation method including exposure head - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve such a problem that a recovery toner container inhibits the movement of an exposure head in conjunction with opening/closing of a front cover in such a constitution that the recovery toner container is arranged between a drum unit and the front cover, and restrictions may be applied to the shape of the recovery toner container and reduction in a capacity of the recovery toner container may be needed when preventing the inhibition.SOLUTION: There is provided a movement mechanism which moves each of a plurality of exposure heads to the second position being the position where a photoreceptor drum is exposed from the first position lower than the photoreceptor drum in conjunction with the attachment of a recovery toner container, and moves the plurality of exposure heads to the first position from the second position in conjunction with the detachment of the recovery toner container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an exposure head that can move an exposure position for exposing the photoconductor and a position farther away from the photoconductor than the exposure position.

In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a method is known in which an exposure head is used to expose a photosensitive drum to form a latent image. Here, for the exposure head, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence), or the like is used. The exposure head is composed of a row of light emitting elements arranged in the longitudinal direction of the photosensitive drum and a lens array for forming an image of light from the row of light emitting elements on the photosensitive drum. A printer using such an exposure head uses fewer parts than a laser scanning printer that scans a photosensitive drum with a laser beam deflected by a rotating polymorphic mirror, so the size of the device is reduced. And cost reduction can be expected.

The configuration using the exposure head described above is characterized in that the distance between the photosensitive drum and the lens array is very close due to the characteristics of the lens array. Therefore, for example, the photosensitive drum and the lens array may come into contact with each other when the photosensitive drum, which is a consumable item, is replaced. Therefore, there is known a configuration in which an elevating mechanism for moving the exposure head to an exposure position and a position farther away from the photosensitive drum than the exposure position is provided (see Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus provided with an exposure head and an exposure unit having an elevating mechanism for moving the exposure head to an exposure position and a separation position. Further, this image forming apparatus includes a drum unit having a photosensitive drum. An operator such as a user or a serviceman can move the drum unit along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum and attach / detach it to / from the image forming apparatus. A front cover that opens and closes is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus, and the operator attaches / detaches the drum unit with the front cover open.

Further, the exposure head moves between the separated position and the exposed position in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover. When the front cover is open, the exposure head is located at the separated position, and when the front cover is closed, the exposure head is located at the exposure position.

By the way, some image forming devices include a cleaning member for cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum. The residual toner cleaned by the cleaning member is collected and accumulated in the collection toner container. The recovered toner container is replaced by an operator every time a certain amount of recovered residual toner is accumulated. The recovered toner container may be arranged between the drum unit and the front cover for the purpose of reducing the width of the image forming apparatus main body.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-134370

However, in the configuration in which the recovery toner container is arranged between the drum unit and the front cover, the recovery toner container hinders the movement of the exposure head in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front cover. Further, in order to prevent this, the shape of the recovered toner container is restricted, and it may be necessary to reduce the capacity of the recovered toner container.

The image forming apparatus is a plurality of drum units including a photosensitive drum that is rotationally driven to form a toner image and a cleaning member that cleans the toner image on the photosensitive drum, and is of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. The image forming apparatus includes a drum unit for forming a toner image, and the rotation axes of the photosensitive drums are arranged in parallel in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and move along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drums. A plurality of removable drum units, a front cover arranged on an extension of the rotation axis of the plurality of photosensitive drums and opened / closed for attaching / detaching the plurality of drum units to / from the image forming apparatus, and a plurality of the photosensitive drums. A first exposure head that is provided corresponding to each of the drums and exposes the corresponding photosensitive drum in order to form an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum, and is below the corresponding photosensitive drum. And a second position above and above the first position and between the corresponding photosensitive drum and the first position, which is the position where the photosensitive drum is exposed. A recovery toner container that collects the toner cleaned by the plurality of exposure heads and the cleaning member, and is removable from the image forming apparatus by opening the front cover, and at least of each of the plurality of drum units. The recovery toner container mounted so as to partially cover the recovery toner container and the plurality of exposure heads are moved from the first position to the second position in conjunction with the mounting of the recovery toner container on the image forming apparatus. It is characterized by comprising a moving mechanism for moving the plurality of exposure heads from the second position to the first position in conjunction with the removal of the recovered toner container.

In the configuration in which the recovery toner container is arranged between the drum unit and the front cover, the exposure head moves between the exposure position and the separated position in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container regardless of the opening / closing operation of the front cover.

Schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus. The figure for demonstrating the attachment / detachment configuration of a process cartridge. The figure for demonstrating the attachment / detachment structure of a recovery toner container. The figure for demonstrating the positional relationship between a recovery toner container and a process cartridge. The figure for demonstrating the connection structure of a recovery toner container and a cleaning device. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the recovery toner container. Schematic diagram of the exposure unit. The figure for demonstrating the structure of a substrate and a lens array. Schematic cross-sectional view of an optical print head. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the link mechanism which is an example of an elevating mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the relationship between a link mechanism and a slider. The figure for demonstrating the mechanism of a link mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the cam mechanism which is an example of an elevating mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the eccentric cam mechanism which is an example of an elevating mechanism. The figure for demonstrating another example of an elevating mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the relationship between the attachment / detachment of a recovery toner container, and the movement of an optical print head. The figure for demonstrating the relationship between the attachment / detachment of a recovery toner container, and the drive of an elevating mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the structure which the recovery toner container moves a slider directly. The figure for demonstrating the mechanism that the slider moves in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of a recovery toner container. The figure for demonstrating the eccentric cam and the umbrella tooth gear.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the components described in this description are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in this description.

Further, in the following description, some symbols such as Y, M, C, and K are added after the reference numerals. This is to make it easy to understand that the unit corresponds to each color in explaining the configuration of the color image forming apparatus in the present embodiment. For example, the term photosensitive drum 103K means that it is a photosensitive drum corresponding to black (K). The symbol may be omitted and simply referred to as the photosensitive drum 103. This is because the composition is basically the same for all colors, so the explanation is omitted. In the following description, one color may be used as an example, but unless otherwise specified, units corresponding to other colors have the same configuration.

<Image forming device>
First, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 1. "Up", "Bottom", "Right", and "Left" are defined as indicated by the arrows in the figure. That is, when a worker such as a user or a serviceman stands facing the image forming apparatus 1 in front of the image forming apparatus 1, the right hand side for the operator means the "right" of the image forming apparatus 1, and for the operator. The left hand side means the "left" of the image forming apparatus 1. In FIG. 1, the recovered toner container 114, which will be described later, is not shown. The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a color printer (SFP: Single Function Printer) not provided with a reading device, but the embodiment may be a copying machine provided with a reading device. Further, the embodiment is not limited to the so-called tandem color image forming apparatus provided with the four photosensitive drums 103 as shown in FIG. 1, and may be a color image forming apparatus provided with four or more photosensitive drums 103.

The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has four image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102K that form toner images of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). To be equipped with. Here, these four image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, and 102K are collectively referred to as an image forming unit 102. Y, M, C, and K attached to the reference numerals indicate the color of the toner. Further, the image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102K include photosensitive drums 103Y, 103M, 103C, 103K (hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as “photosensitive drum 103”) as examples of the photoconductor. Each photosensitive drum 103 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, these photosensitive drums are arranged in a direction that intersects in the left-right direction, that is, in the vertical direction, and are separated from each other. The "intersecting direction" here does not mean a direction exactly perpendicular to the vertical direction and the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, but means a direction intersecting these directions. That is, in FIG. 1, the rotation axes of the photosensitive drums are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction (horizontal), but they may be arranged so as to be positioned upward from left to right, for example.

Further, the image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102K are also collectively referred to as chargers 104Y, 104M, 104C, 104K (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "charger 104") for charging the photosensitive drums 103Y, 103M, 103C, 103K, respectively. ). Further, the image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102K are also referred to as optical printheads 105Y, 105M, 105C, 105K (hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as "optical printhead 105") that expose the photosensitive drums 103Y, 103M, 103C, 103K. It is provided with an exposure unit 520Y, 520M, 520C, 520K (hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as "exposure unit 520") having an exposure unit (referred to as "exposure unit 520"). Although the details will be described later, the exposure unit 520 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode, hereinafter referred to as an LED) as an exposure light source that emits light. The image forming apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 is a so-called “bottom exposure method” image forming apparatus that exposes the photosensitive drum 103 from below in the vertical direction. Further, the image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, 102K include developers 106Y, 106M, 106C, 106K (hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as "developer 106"). The developer 106 develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 103 with toner, and develops a toner image of each color on the photosensitive drum 103.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes an intermediate transfer belt 107 on which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103 is transferred, and a primary transfer roller 108 (Y,) which sequentially transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103 to the intermediate transfer belt 107. M, C, K) (an example of a transfer unit) is provided. The intermediate transfer belt 107 is an endless belt in which a plurality of transfer portions from which a toner image is transferred from a plurality of photosensitive drums 103 are stretched so as to face downward. Further, the image forming apparatus 1 is a secondary transfer roller (transfer apparatus) that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 107 to the recording material S (recording medium, paper) conveyed from the paper feeding unit (paper cassette) 101. Example) 109 and a fixing device 100 for fixing the secondary transferred image to the recording material S are provided. In the present embodiment, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 103 is once transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 107, and then transferred again from the intermediate transfer belt 107 to the recording material S. However, the embodiment is not limited to this embodiment, and a so-called direct transfer method in which the toner formed on the photosensitive drum 103 is transferred from the photosensitive drum 103 to the recording material S may be used.

The paper feed unit 101 is arranged vertically below the image forming unit 102. The paper feed unit 101 is housed in the image forming apparatus 1 main body. The paper feed unit 101 can be pulled out from the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103. That is, the operator can insert and remove the paper feed unit 101 from the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 main body into the image forming apparatus 1 main body.

Toner that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 107 remains on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 103Y, 103M, 103C, and 103K after the primary transfer. These residual toners are removed by a drum cleaning device 80Y, 80M, 80C, 80K (hereinafter, also collectively referred to simply as “cleaning device 80”) as an example of a cleaning member, and are accumulated in a recovery toner container 114.

Further, the toner that has not been transferred to the recording material S remains on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 107 after the secondary transfer. These residual toners are removed by a cleaning device (belt cleaner) 7 as an example of the cleaning member, and are accumulated in the recovered toner container 114. That is, in the present embodiment, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 103 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 107 and the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 107 without being transferred to the recording material S in the recovery toner container 114. And are accumulated. The drum cleaning device 80 may be referred to as a "cleaning member", or the drum cleaning device 80 and the cleaning device 7 as a belt cleaner may be collectively referred to as a "cleaning member".

Further, the image forming apparatus adopting the above-mentioned "direct transfer method" does not have a configuration corresponding to the intermediate transfer belt 107. In this case, only the toner that has not been transferred from the photosensitive drum to the recording material is accumulated in the container corresponding to the recovered toner container.

<Image formation process>
The exposure unit 520Y exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 103Y charged by the charger 104Y. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 103Y. Next, the developer 106Y develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 103Y with the yellow toner. The yellow toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 107 by the primary transfer roller 108Y. Magenta, cyan, and black toner images are also transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 107 in a similar image forming process.

The toner images of each color transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 107 are conveyed to the secondary transfer unit T2 by the intermediate transfer belt 107. A transfer bias for transferring the toner image to the recording material S is applied to the secondary transfer roller 109 arranged in the secondary transfer unit T2. The toner image conveyed to the secondary transfer unit T2 is transferred to the recording material S transferred from the paper feed unit 101 by the transfer bias of the secondary transfer roller 109.

The recording material S is stored in a form of being loaded in the paper feeding unit 101, and is fed to the transport path 20 at the image formation timing. In the paper feeding method, the tip of the recording material S is first flipped up by the friction of the paper feeding roller 8, and the recording material S is set to 1 by the paper separating transport rollers 9a and 9b for preventing double feeding of the recording material S. Only the sheets are transported to the transport path 20. After that, the recording material S pulled out by the transport roller pairs 10a and 10b is transported to the resist roller pairs 11a and 11b through the transport path 20 and temporarily stopped. In the resist roller pairs 11a and 11b, after skew correction and timing correction are performed, the resist rollers are conveyed to the secondary transfer unit T2.

The recording material S on which the toner image is transferred by the secondary transfer unit T2 is conveyed to the fuser 100. The fuser 100 fixes the toner image on the recording material S by heat and pressure. The recording material S that has been fixed by the fixing device 100 is discharged to the paper ejection unit 111.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes toner bottles 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K (hereinafter, collectively referred to simply as "toner bottle 4"). By forming the image, the amount of toner in the developer 106 is reduced. At that time, toner is supplied to the developing unit 106 from the toner bottles 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K provided corresponding to the image forming units 102Y, 102M, 102C, and 102K via a pipe (not shown). .. That is, while new toner is replenished from the toner bottle 4 to the developer 106 included in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a part of the excess toner is conveyed to the recovery toner container 114 as residual toner. ing.

<Process cartridge>
FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a process cartridge 518 (an example of a drum unit) is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 with the recovered toner container 114 described later removed. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the process cartridge 518 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which the process cartridge 518 is being removed (or being attached) from the image forming apparatus 1. show.

As shown in FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 103, the charger (not shown in FIG. 2), the developing device 106, and the cleaning device (not shown in FIG. 2) are integrated to form the process cartridge 518. The process cartridge 518 is a unit that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 by opening the front cover 113 (described later), which is an example of the opening / closing cover, and removing the recovery toner container 114 (described later). The process cartridge 518 can slide and move with respect to the image forming apparatus 1 along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. The operator can attach / detach the process cartridge 518 to / from the image forming apparatus 1 by sliding the process cartridge 518 with respect to the image forming apparatus 1. As described above, the process cartridge 518 may be a unit in which the photosensitive drum, the charger, the developer, and the cleaning device (described later) are all integrated, and for example, only the unit such as the developer is from other units. It may be a structure that can be separated and attached and detached. Specifically, a configuration in which the photosensitive drum 103, the cleaning device 80, and the charger 104 can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 as one unit (considered as a drum unit) can be considered. That is, when the term "drum unit" is used, it is assumed that the unit includes at least the photosensitive drum 103 and the cleaning device 80.

In the present embodiment, since the process cartridge 518 is not fastened to the image forming apparatus 1 with screws, screws, or the like, the operator can easily attach / detach the process cartridge 518. Here, even if the process cartridge 518 is fastened to the image forming apparatus 1 with screws, screws, or the like, if the process cartridge 518 is a unit assumed to be a replacement, the process cartridge is used. It is assumed that 518 is a unit that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1.

<Recovery of residual toner>
● Front cover and recovered toner container FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance of the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a front cover 113, which is a maintenance door, on the front side thereof. When the front cover 113 is opened, the recovered toner container 114 is exposed. That is, the operator can access the recovered toner container 114 by opening the front cover 113. The recovery toner container 114 stores the toner collected from the photosensitive drums by the cleaning devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, and 80K, and the toner collected from the intermediate transfer belt 107 by the cleaning device 112. The recovery toner container 114 is a replaceable unit that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The operator periodically removes and replaces the recovered toner container 114 from the image forming apparatus 1. A display unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 indicates that when the amount of residual toner accumulated in the recovered toner container 114 exceeds a predetermined amount, the replacement of the recovered toner container 114 is urged. This allows the operator to know when to replace the recovered toner container 114.

FIG. 3B is a diagram for explaining a state when the recovered toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 3B, the operator moves the recovered toner container 114 attached to the image forming apparatus 1 in the −X direction (direction from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1). , The recovered toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1 (state of FIG. 3C). On the other hand, when the operator moves the recovery toner container 114 from the state of FIG. 3 (c) in the + X direction (direction from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1), the recovery toner container 114 is collected as shown in FIG. 3 (b). The toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The X direction referred to here is a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. In the state where the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the operator cannot remove the process cartridge 518. In other words, when removing the process cartridge 518, the operator first opens the front cover 113. Then, by removing the recovered toner container 114, the operator can access the process cartridge 518. The process cartridge 518 is inserted and removed from the image forming apparatus 1 along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. The operator can remove the process cartridge 518 from the image forming apparatus 1 by moving the process cartridge 518 from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. .. On the other hand, when the process cartridge 518 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the process cartridge 518 is moved from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1 along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103.

● Positional relationship between the recovered toner container and the process cartridge FIG. 4 shows the positions of the recovered toner container 114 and each process cartridge 518 (518Y, 518M, 518C, 518K) when the recovered toner container 114 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship.

FIG. 4A is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the recovered toner container 114 and each process cartridge 518 in the present embodiment. This figure is a view of the recovered toner container 114 as viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. Here, since the rotation axis directions of the photosensitive drums 103 are substantially parallel, the rotation axis direction may be defined with which of the four photosensitive drums 103 as a representative.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the recovery toner container 114 is viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the recovery toner container 114 covers each process cartridge 518. In other words, when the recovered toner container 114 is viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the recovered toner container 114 overlaps with each process cartridge 518. As described above, the recovery toner container 114 is mounted on the extension line of the rotation axis of each photosensitive drum 103. In the example of FIG. 4A, the recovery toner container 114 is arranged at a position that covers each photosensitive drum 103 and each cleaning device 80. Therefore, the operator must remove the recovery toner container 114 in order to attach / detach each process cartridge 518 to / from the image forming apparatus 1. When determining whether or not the recovered toner container 114 and each process cartridge 518 overlap each other, the recovered toner container 114 may be viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103 as described above, so that the recovery toner container 114 may be viewed along the rotation axis. There is no need to look at the recovered toner container 114.

Further, FIG. 4B shows a form different from the present embodiment as an arrangement example of the recovered toner container 114. This figure is also a view of the recovered toner container 114 as viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. In the example of FIG. 4B, when the recovery toner container 114 is viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the recovery toner container 114 covers a part of each process cartridge 518. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the recovered toner container 114 is viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the recovered toner container 114 does not overlap with each photosensitive drum 103 and each cleaning device 80. Overlaps a portion of the process cartridge 518 with the photosensitive drum 103 and the cleaning device 80.

As described above, as an example of the arrangement of the recovered toner container 114, either FIG. 4A or FIG. 4B may be used. That is, when the recovered toner container 114 is viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the recovered toner container 114 may be configured to overlap "at least a part" of each process cartridge 518.

● Configuration of the recovered toner container FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a connection state between the recovered toner container 114 and the cleaning device 112. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the recovered toner container 114.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the recovery toner container 114 is integrally formed with a toner transfer path 114a connected to the cleaning device 112. The toner transport path 114a is provided with a toner receiving port 114d into which the toner transported from the cleaning device 112 flows. In a state where the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the toner receiving port 114d is connected to the toner transport path 112a of the cleaning apparatus 112. The toner cleaned by the cleaning device 112 at the time of image formation is moved by a transfer screw (not shown), passes through the toner transfer path 112a on the cleaning device 112 side and the toner transfer path 114a on the recovery toner container 114 side, and enters the recovery toner container 114. It will be collected.

Further, the recovery toner container 114 is formed with receiving ports 114e, 114f, 114g, 114h for receiving the toner conveyed from the cleaning devices 80Y, 80M, 80C, 80K. The receiving port 114e is connected to the cleaning device 80Y, the receiving port 114f is connected to the cleaning device 80M, the receiving port 114g is connected to the cleaning device 80C, and the receiving port 114h is connected to the cleaning device 80K.

Further, the recovery toner container 114 includes a toner storage unit 114i for accumulating the toner flowing in from each cleaning device, and a protrusion 114b. As shown in FIG. 5B, the protrusion 114b includes a first flat surface 114b1 (and a second flat surface 114b2. The first flat surface 114b1 is a recovery toner container when the recovery toner container 114 is attached / detached. It is a plane inclined with respect to a virtual plane (XZ plane) parallel to the moving direction (X-axis direction) of 114b. On the other hand, the second plane 114b2 is continuous with the first plane 114b1 and with respect to the virtual plane. It is an inclined plane. The inclination angle of the second plane 114b2 with respect to the virtual plane is smaller than the inclination angle of the first plane 114b1 with respect to the virtual plane. In this embodiment, the angle between the virtual plane and the second plane 114b2 is set. The protrusion 114b will be described later. The first plane 114b1 and the second plane 114b2 may have a linear shape such as a V-shaped top.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a toner container holding mechanism 115 that holds the recovered toner container 114 to such an extent that the operator can easily attach and detach it. The toner container holding mechanism 115 includes a moving member 401 that comes into contact with the protrusion 114c provided on the recovery toner container 114, and a spring 402 that is attached to the moving member 401.

6 (b) to 6 (d) are enlarged views of the periphery of the toner container holding mechanism 115, and an operation example of the toner container holding mechanism 115 when the recovered toner container 114 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. It is a figure. FIG. 6B shows a state before the recovery toner container 114 is attached to a position (predetermined position) for receiving toner from each cleaning device. FIG. 6D shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is attached to a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 6 (c) shows the state between FIG. 6 (a) and FIG. 6 (d).

As shown in FIG. 6B, the moving member 401 is formed with an inclined surface 401b and an inclined surface 401c with the apex 401a and the apex 401a as boundaries. The spring 402 is attached to the other end side of the moving member 401 when the top portion 401a is one end.

When the operator moves the recovery toner container 114 in the + X direction of FIG. 6B in order to attach the recovery toner container 114 to the image forming apparatus 1, the operator moves the recovery toner container 114 to the recovery toner container 114 as shown in FIG. 6C. The provided positioning protrusion 114c comes into contact with the inclined surface 401b. When the operator further moves the recovery toner container 114 in the + X direction, the inclined surface 401b is pressed against the positioning protrusion 114c. Then, the spring 402 contracts, and the moving member 401 pressed by the positioning protrusion 114c moves in the −Z direction. When the operator further moves the recovery toner container 114 in the + X direction, the lower end of the positioning protrusion 114c and the top portion 401a are in contact with each other.

When the operator further moves the recovery toner container 114 in the + X direction from the state where the lower end of the positioning protrusion 114c is in contact with the top portion 401a, the positioning protrusion 114c is in contact with the inclined surface 401c, and the moving member 401 is shown in the drawing. It moves in the + Z direction shown in 6 (d). When the recovery toner container 114 moves to a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus 1, the positioning protrusion 114c is engaged with the moving member 401 as shown in FIG. 6D, and the recovery toner container 114 is in the −X direction. The movement of the toner container 114 is restricted, and the recovery toner container 114 is attached to a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition to the positions shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of toner container holding mechanisms 115 for positioning the recovered toner container 114 with respect to the image forming apparatus 1 are provided in the image forming apparatus. The recovery toner container 114 is securely held in a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus 1 by a plurality of toner container holding mechanisms.

<Exposure unit>
● Outline of the exposure unit Next, the exposure unit 520 having the optical print head 105 will be described. The optical print head 105 has a longitudinal shape extending in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. Further, the optical print head 105 includes a holding member 505, a lens array 506, and a substrate (not shown). The lens array 506 and the substrate (not shown) are held by the holding member 505. The holding member 505 in the present embodiment is a metal member formed by bending a galvanized steel plate or a cold-rolled steel plate that has been plated. However, the holding member 505 is not limited to the metal member, but may be a resin member. Here, as an example of the exposure method adopted in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, laser beam scanning in which the irradiation beam of a semiconductor laser is scanned by a rotating polygon mirror or the like and the photosensitive drum is exposed via an f−θ lens or the like. There is an exposure method. The "optical printhead 105" described in this embodiment is used in an LED exposure method for exposing a photosensitive drum 103 using light emitting elements such as LEDs arranged along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. Therefore, it is not used in the laser beam scanning exposure method described above.

The exposure unit 520 described in this embodiment is provided on the lower side in the vertical direction with respect to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103. An LED as a light emitting element is provided on a substrate (not shown) included in the holding member 505, and these light emitting elements expose the photosensitive drum 103 from below. Here, the exposure unit 520 does not need to be arranged at a position overlapping the photosensitive drum 103 when the photosensitive drum 103 is viewed from above the photosensitive drum 103 along the vertical direction. That is, when the photosensitive drum 103 and the exposure unit 520 are viewed along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, the exposure unit 520 may be arranged diagonally below the photosensitive drum 103. For example, the exposure unit 520 may be arranged on a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction and below the plane passing through the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103, and does not need to be arranged directly below the photosensitive drum 103. ..

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the exposure unit 520 included in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. From FIG. 7, the exposure unit 520 includes an optical print head 105, a support member 526 (an example of a support frame), a first link mechanism 530, and a second link mechanism 540.

As shown in FIG. 7, the holding member 505 of the optical print head 105 is provided with a contact pin 514 and a contact pin 515. The abutment pin 514 and the abutment pin 515 are both examples of metal pins. For example, the contact pin 515 is provided on the holding member 505 on one side (back side) of the lens array 506 in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, and protrudes from both sides of the holding member 505 in the optical axis direction of the lens array 506. ing. The same applies to the contact pin 514. When the abutting pin 514 and the abutting pin 515 abut against the process cartridge 518, a gap is formed between the light emitting surface of the lens array 506 and the photosensitive drum 103. In this way, the position of the optical print head 105 with respect to the photosensitive drum 103 is determined.

Here, the process cartridge 518 is mentioned as an example of the abutting destination of the abutting pins 514 and 515, but the process cartridge 518 may be abutted against a frame that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 103. For example, it is known that flanges are fitted to one end side and the other end side of the photosensitive drum 103 in the direction of the rotation axis. The photosensitive drum 103 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and flanges are fitted at both ends. A bearing is provided on the outside of the flange. For example, the flange rotates with the photosensitive drum 103 while rubbing against the bearing. For example, this bearing may be used as the abutting destination of the abutting pins 514 and 515.

In the present embodiment, the abutting pin 514 and the abutting pin 515 are both metal straight pins. Further, the contact pin 514 and the contact pin 515 are fixed to the metal holding member 505 by welding. As described above, in the present embodiment, the contact pin 514 and the contact pin 515 are integrated with the holding member 505. The fixing of the contact pin 514 and the contact pin 515 to the holding member 505 is not limited to welding, and may be fixed by an adhesive. Further, the contact pin 514 and the contact pin 515 may be threaded and fastened by screwing to the holding member 505.

The first link mechanism 530 includes a link member 535 and a link member 536. The second link mechanism 540 includes a link member 537 and a link member 538. As will be described in detail later, the link member 535 is attached to the back side of the center of the holding member 505 in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, and the link member 537 is located behind the center of the holding member 505 in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. It is attached to the front side.

Although the details will be described later, the slide member 525 (an example of the slider) slides in the front-rear direction (back / front direction) as the recovery toner container 114 is attached / detached to / from the image forming apparatus 1. The link members 535 to 538 rotate in conjunction with the slide movement of the slide member 525, and the optical print head 105 moves up and down.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the exposure unit 520 includes a support member 526. The support member 526 supports the optical print head 105 via the first link mechanism 530 and the second link mechanism 540. Specifically, the link member 535 of the first link mechanism 530 supports the holding member 505, and the link member 537 of the second link mechanism 540 supports the holding member 505. The portion of the link member 535 that supports the holding member 505 is the first support portion. Further, the portion of the link member 537 that supports the holding member 505 is the second support portion. The first support portion and the second support portion directly or indirectly support the holding member 505.

The support member 526 is formed by bending a sheet metal into a U shape. The support member 526 is a member having a longitudinal shape extending in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. One end side (front side) of the support member 526 in the longitudinal direction of the support member 526 is fixed to the front side plate of the image forming apparatus 1. The front side plate is a sheet metal, and is a frame provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 among various metal frames constituting the skeleton of the image forming apparatus 1. An opening is formed in the front plate, and the process cartridge 518 described above is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 1 through this opening. That is, by closing the front cover 113, the front side plate is covered. On the other hand, the other end side (back side) of the support member 526 in the longitudinal direction of the support member 526 is fixed to the rear side plate of the image forming apparatus 1. The rear side plate is also a sheet metal, and is a frame provided on the back side of the image forming apparatus 1 among various metal frames constituting the skeleton of the image forming apparatus 1. In the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1, the rear side plate is arranged so as to face the front side plate. These form a pair to form the skeletons on the front side and the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. Since the process cartridge 518 and the support member 526 are fixed to the front side plate and the rear side plate, the positional relationship between the photosensitive drum 103 and the optical print head 105 is determined.

The support member 526 includes a slide member 525 that can slide and move in the longitudinal direction of the support member 526. The slide member 525 can be slidably moved in the mounting direction and the removing direction of the process cartridge 518 to the image forming apparatus 1. The "mounting direction" means the direction from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1 in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103, and the "removing direction" means the back of the image forming apparatus 1 in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. It means the direction from the side to the front side. As the slide member 525 moves with respect to the support member 526, the link members 535 to 538 rotate and the optical print head 105 moves with respect to the support member 526.

● Regarding the configuration of the substrate Next, the substrate 502 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a schematic perspective view of the substrate 502. 8 (b1) shows an array of a plurality of LEDs 503 provided on the substrate 502, and FIG. 8 (b2) shows an enlarged view of FIG. 8 (b1).

The LED chip 639 is mounted on the substrate 502. As shown in FIG. 8A, an LED chip 639 is provided on one surface of the substrate 502, and a connector 504 is provided on the back surface side. The board 502 is provided with wiring for supplying a signal to each LED chip 639. One end of a flexible flat cable (FFC) (not shown) is connected to the connector 504. A substrate is provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. The board 502 includes a control unit and a connector. The other end of the FFC is connected to the connector. A control signal is input to the substrate 502 from the control unit of the image forming apparatus 1 main body via the FFC and the connector 504. The LED chip 639 is driven by a control signal input to the substrate 502.

The LED chip 639 mounted on the substrate 502 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIGS. 8 (b1) and 8 (b2), a plurality of LED chips 639-1 to 639-29 (29 pieces) in which a plurality of LEDs 503 are arranged are arranged on one surface of the substrate 502. There is. Each of the LED chips 639-1 to 639-29 has 516 LEDs (light emitting elements) arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction thereof. The distance k2 between the centers of adjacent LEDs in the longitudinal direction of the LED chip 639 corresponds to the resolution of the image forming apparatus 1. Since the resolution of the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is 1200 dpi, the LEDs are arranged in a row so that the distance between the centers of the adjacent LEDs is 21.16 μm in the longitudinal direction of the LED chips 639-1 to 639-29 LED chips 639. Are arranged in. Therefore, the exposure range of the optical print head 105 of this embodiment is about 316 mm. The photosensitive layer of the photosensitive drum 103 is formed with a width of 316 mm or more. Since the length of the long side of the A4 size recording paper and the length of the short side of the A3 size recording paper are 297 mm, the optical printhead 105 of this embodiment is the A4 size recording paper and the A3 size recording paper. It has an exposure range in which an image can be formed.

The LED chips 639-1 to 639-29 are alternately arranged in two rows along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. That is, as shown in FIG. 8 (b1), the odd-numbered LED chips 639-1, 639-3, ... 639-29 counted from the left side are mounted in a row in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 502, and are even-numbered. LED chips 639-2, 639-4, ... 639-28 are mounted in a row in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 502. By arranging the LED chips 639 in this way, as shown in FIG. 8 (b2), one end of one LED chip 639 and the other LED chip 639 in the adjacent different LED chips 639 in the longitudinal direction of the LED chip 639. The center-to-center distance k1 of the LEDs arranged at the other end of the LED can be equal to the center-to-center distance k2 of the adjacent LEDs on one LED chip 639.

In the present embodiment, the light emitting element is a semiconductor LED which is a light emitting diode, but for example, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) may be used. This OLED is also called an organic EL (Organic Electro-Luminescence) and is a current-driven light emitting element. The OLED is arranged on a line along the main scanning direction (direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103) on a TFT (Thin Film Transister) substrate, and is electrically parallelized by a power supply wiring also provided along the main scanning direction. Connected to.

● Regarding the configuration of the lens array Next, the lens array 506 will be described. FIG. 8C1 is a schematic view of the lens array 506 when viewed from the photosensitive drum 103 side. 8 (c2) is a schematic perspective view of the lens array 506. As shown in FIG. 8 (c1), these plurality of lenses are arranged in two rows along the arrangement direction of the plurality of LEDs 503. Each lens is alternately arranged so that one of the lenses in the other row is arranged so as to touch both adjacent lenses in the arrangement direction of the lenses in one row. Each lens is a cylindrical glass rod lens, and has an incident surface on which light emitted from LED 503 is incident and an emitting surface on which light incident from the incident surface is emitted. The material of the lens is not limited to glass, but may be plastic. The shape of the lens is not limited to a cylindrical column, and may be a polygonal column such as a hexagonal column.

The dotted line Z shown in FIG. 8 (c2) indicates the optical axis of the lens. The optical print head 105 is moved substantially along the direction of the optical axis of the lens indicated by the dotted line Z by the elevating mechanism 640 described above. The optical axis of the lens referred to here means a line connecting the center of the light emitting surface of the lens and the focal point of the lens. Since the lens array 506 has a plurality of lenses, there are also a plurality of "optical axes of the lens", but all of these optical axes are substantially parallel to each other. Therefore, when defining the "optical axis of the lens" in the lens array 506, one arbitrary lens may be selected from the plurality of lenses of the lens array 506 and defined by the optical axis of the lens. The lens array 506 has a role of condensing the light emitted from the LED 503 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103.

● Positional relationship between the substrate and the lens array FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view when the optical print head 105 is cut perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the optical print head 105. As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate 502 and the lens array 506 are held by the holding member 505 so as to face each other.

The lens array 506 forms an image of the luminous flux emitted from the LED 503 on the photosensitive drum 103 as a 1x upright image. At this time, the distance from the LED 503 to the light incident surface 506b of the lens array 506 and the distance from the light emitting surface 506a of the lens array 506 to the surface of the photosensitive drum 103 are substantially equal.

The holding member 505 is, for example, a plate material obtained by plating a galvanized steel sheet or a cold-rolled steel sheet. In the present embodiment, the holding member 505 is configured by bending the plate material into a U shape. By using a metal plate material, it is possible to reduce the cost, and by bending it, it is possible to increase the strength.

However, the structure of the holding member 505 is not limited to the structure in which the metal plate material is bent, and may be, for example, so-called die casting. Die casting refers to a product manufactured by cooling and solidifying molten metal injected into a mold (cavity) or a manufacturing method thereof. When die casting is used as the manufacturing method, it is possible to handle complicated shapes depending on the original mold. On the other hand, since the cost of manufacturing the mold is high, there is a demerit that there is no cost merit when it is not necessary to mass-produce the same product. In the present embodiment, the holding member 505 may be manufactured by bending the sheet metal or may be manufactured by adopting die casting.

<Elevating mechanism>
● Typical example of elevating mechanism (link mechanism)
The elevating mechanism is a mechanism for moving the optical print head 105 to an exposure position (second position) for exposing the photosensitive drum 103 and a position separated from the exposure position (first position) from the photosensitive drum 103. The elevating mechanism is a mechanism for moving the optical print head 105 up and down along the optical axis direction of the lens included in the lens array 506. This "elevating mechanism" and the "transmission mechanism" described later are collectively referred to as a "moving mechanism". As will be described in detail below, the "transmission mechanism" transmits the force caused by the mounting operation of the recovery toner container 114 to the moving mechanism, and the "moving mechanism" moves the optical print head 105 based on this force.

In the following explanations of the "elevating mechanism," "transmission mechanism," and "moving mechanism," one station will be described as a representative because the configurations of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black stations are similar. , I will omit the explanation about all stations.

Next, with reference to FIG. 10, a mechanism in which the optical print head 105 moves in conjunction with the slide movement of the slide member 525 will be described. FIG. 10 is a view of the exposure unit 520 viewed from the left side. The support member 526 is not shown for the sake of simplicity. Note that FIG. 10A shows a state in which the optical print head 105 is located at the exposure position (example of the second position), which is the position when the photosensitive drum 103 is exposed. On the other hand, FIG. 10B shows a state in which the optical print head 105 is located at a separated position (example of the first position) separated from the photosensitive drum 103 from the exposed position. In other words, the optical print head 105 moves up and down between the separation position located below the cheering drum 103 and the exposure position above the separation position and the position where the photosensitive drum 103 is exposed. Here, in the present embodiment, the distance between the photosensitive drum 103 and the light emitting surface of the lens array 506 when the optical print head 105 is located at the exposure position is about 3 mm.

As shown in FIG. 10, a link member 535 is rotatably connected to one end side of the slide member 525 in the longitudinal direction of the slide member 525, and is connected to the other end side of the slide member 525 in the longitudinal direction of the slide member 525. Is rotatably connected to the link member 537. The slide member 525 slides from the front side to the back side in response to the rotation of the cover 558 (not shown) from the closed state to the open state. When the slide member 525 slides from the front side to the back side, the link member 535 and the link member 537 rotate counterclockwise as referred to in FIG. Further, the link member 535 and the link member 536 are rotatably connected to each other. The link member 537 and the link member 538 are also rotatably connected to each other.

Since one end of the link member 536 is rotatably connected to a support member 526 (not shown), the link member 536 also rotates with respect to the support member 526 in conjunction with the rotation of the link member 535. Further, since one end side of the link member 538 is rotatably connected to a support member 526 (not shown), the link member 538 also rotates with respect to the support member 526 in conjunction with the rotation of the link member 537. .. When the slide member 525 moves from the front side to the back side, both the link member 536 and the link member 538 rotate clockwise with respect to the support member 526. Here, the other end side of the link member 535 is rotatably connected to the holding member 505, and the other end side of the link member 537 is rotatably connected to the holding member 505. Therefore, in conjunction with the sliding movement of the slide member 525 from the front side to the back side, the link member 535 and the link member 537 rotate counterclockwise, so that the other end side of the link member 535 and the other end side of the link member 535 and the link member 537 are rotated. The other end side of the link member 537 moves in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 103, respectively. In this way, the optical print head 105 moves from the exposure position to the retracted position.

Next, in conjunction with the slide movement of the slide member 525, the optical print head 105 moves from the state shown in FIG. 10 (b) to the state shown in FIG. 10 (a), that is, from the retracted position to the exposed position. explain.

The slide member 525 moves from the back side to the front side in conjunction with the rotation of the cover 558 (not shown) from the open state to the closed state. When the slide member slides from the back side to the front side, the link member 535 and the link member 537 rotate clockwise as referred to in FIG. At the same time, the link member 536 and the link member 538 rotate counterclockwise. As the slide member 525 slides from the back side to the front side, the link member 535 and the link member 537 rotate clockwise, so that the other end side of the link member 535 and the link member 537 are rotated. The other end side of each moves in the direction of approaching the photosensitive drum 103. In this way, the optical print head 105 moves from the retracted position to the exposed position. In the present embodiment, the moving direction of the optical print head 105 that moves between the retracted position and the exposed position is a direction that substantially coincides with the optical axis direction of the lens array 506.

When the holding member 505 of the optical print head 105 moves from the retracted position to the exposed position in conjunction with the slide movement of the slide member 525, it is provided on one end side of the holding member 505 in the longitudinal direction of the holding member 505. The abutting pin 514 and the abutting pin 515 provided on the other end side of the holding member 505 abut against the process cartridge 518. In this way, the position of the holding member 505 with respect to the process cartridge 518, that is, the position of the optical print head 105 is determined.

When the position of the holding member 505 with respect to the process cartridge 518 is determined as described above, the distance between the photosensitive drum 103 and the light emitting surface of the lens array 506 is also determined, and the movement of the optical print head 105 to the exposure position is completed.

The mechanism of the link mechanism 530 and the link mechanism 540 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11A is a schematic perspective view of the front side of the support member 526 as viewed from the left side. Further, FIG. 11B is a schematic perspective view of the front side of the support member 526 as viewed from the right side. Hereinafter, the link mechanism 530 provided on the front side of the support member 526 will be described. Since the configuration of the link mechanism 540 is substantially the same as the configuration of the link mechanism 530, the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the support member 526 includes a support shaft 531 and an E-shaped retaining ring 533. Holes through which the support shaft 531 is inserted are formed in the right side wall surface and the left side wall surface of the support member 526 processed into a U shape. With the support shaft 531 inserted through these holes, the support shaft 531 is fixed to the support member 526 by an E-shaped retaining ring 533.

The slide member 525 is a metal plate-shaped member. As shown in FIG. 11A, the slide member 525 is formed with an elongated hole 691 extending in the front-rear direction. A support shaft 531 is inserted through the elongated hole 691. In the present embodiment, the support shaft 531 is loosely fitted to the elongated hole 691 with a gap of about 0.1 to 0.5 mm in the vertical direction. The diameter of the elongated hole 691 in the longitudinal direction is about 350 mm. As a result, the slide member 525 can slide and move about 350 mm in the front-rear direction with respect to the support member 526.

Further, an auxiliary member 539 is attached to one end side (front side of the slide member 525) of the slide member in the longitudinal direction of the slide member 525. A storage space 562 is formed in the auxiliary member 539. The storage space 562 accommodates the protrusions provided on the cover 558. When the cover 558 rotates, a protrusion that moves together with the rotating cover 558 abuts on the front side wall or the back side wall of the accommodation space 562. The slide member 525 moves to the front side by the protrusion pushing the side wall on the front side of the accommodation space 562. On the other hand, the slide member 525 moves to the back side by pushing the side wall on the back side of the accommodation space 562 by the protrusion. In this way, the slide member 525 also moves in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the rotation of the cover 558.

The link mechanism 530 includes a link member 535 and a link member 536. Both the link member 535 and the link member 536 are long-shaped resin plates. A protrusion 655 (an example of a resin support portion and a resin first support portion) is formed on one end side (upper side in FIG. 11A) of the link member 535 in the longitudinal direction of the link member 535. There is. On the other hand, in the longitudinal direction of the link member 535, a tubular portion 610 is formed on the other end side (lower side in FIG. 11A) of the link member 535. The protrusion 655 fits into the opening formed on the front side of the holding member 505. As a result, the link member 536 can rotate with respect to the holding member 505 with the protrusion 655 as the center of rotation. The tubular portion 610 is a hollow cylinder. In FIG. 11, a protrusion protruding from the slide member 525 is fitted to the tubular portion 610. As a result, the link member 536 can also rotate with respect to the slide member 525.

Further, one end side (upper side in FIG. 11B) in the longitudinal direction of the link member 536 is rotatably attached to the link member 535. That is, the link member 535 and the link member 536 can rotate with each other. On the other hand, the other end side (lower side in FIG. 11B) of the link member 536 in the longitudinal direction of the link member 536 is rotatably attached to the support member 526. Specifically, holes are formed in the lower side of the link member 536 and the side wall surface on the left side of the support member 526, respectively, and the insertion pin 532 is inserted into the holes. In this way, the link member 536 is rotatably fixed to the support member 526.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the rotation of each of the link member 535 and the link member 536 of the link mechanism 530. As described above, the tubular portion 610 formed on the link member 535 is fitted to the protrusion 534 formed on the support member 526. Therefore, when the slide member 525 slides and moves from the front side to the back side, the link member 535 rotates clockwise as referred to in FIG. 12 with the protrusion 534 as the center of rotation. Since the link member 535 and the link member 536 are rotatably connected to each other, the link member 536 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the slide member 525 in conjunction with the clockwise rotation of the link member 535. Move. At this time, the link member 536 rotates with respect to the support member 526 with the insertion pin 532 as the center of rotation. The link member 535 rotates while being rotatably supported by the link member 536, so that the protrusion 655 of the link member 535 moves downward.

Here, the distance between the rotation center axis of the link member 535 with respect to the slide member 525 and the connection center axis between the link member 535 and the link member 536 is L1, and the rotation center axis of the link member 536 with respect to the support member 526 and the link member 535. If the distance between the and the link member 536 and the connection center axis is L2, and the distance between the rotation center axis of the link member 535 with respect to the holding member 505 and the connection center axis between the link member 535 and the link member 536 is L3, then L1. ~ L3 are equal to each other. Generally, such a link mechanism is also referred to as a Scott Russell mechanism. By making the distances L1 to L3 equal, the movement direction of the protrusion 655 linked to the slide movement of the slide member 525 becomes the vertical direction. Specifically, the protrusion 655 moves on the dotted line A as referred to in FIG. 12 (b). As a result, the holding member 505 can be moved in the vertical direction in conjunction with the slide movement of the slide member 525.

● Other configuration examples of the elevating mechanism (cam mechanism)
Further, the configuration for moving the optical print head 105 to the exposure position and the retracted position is not limited to the configuration using the first link mechanism 530 and the second link mechanism 540, but is the configuration using the elevating mechanism 940 shown in FIG. It doesn't matter. Hereinafter, the elevating mechanism 940 will be described with reference to FIG. Members having substantially the same function as the members constituting the elevating mechanism 940 may be described with the same reference numerals, and overlapping description may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 13, a first cam portion 112 and a second cam portion 113 are provided on the front side and the rear side of the slide member 525. Further, a moving support portion 114 and a moving support portion 115 are provided on the front side and the back side of the holding member 505 of the optical print head 105. The first cam portion 112 and the second cam portion 113 are provided with an inclined surface inclined downward from the rear side to the front side on the holding member 505 side.

FIG. 13A is a schematic view of the holding member 505 and the elevating mechanism 940 located at the exposed position as viewed from the right side. When the holding member 505 of the optical print head 105 slides from the front side to the rear side with respect to the support member 526 when the holding member 505 is located at the exposure position, the slide member 525 is provided on the slide member 525 together with the slide member 525. The 1 cam portion 112 and the 2nd cam portion 113 move from the front side to the rear side with respect to the support member 526. As a result, the lower ends of the moving support portion 114 and the moving support portion 115 provided on the holding member 505 abut on the first cam portion 112 and the second cam portion 113, and the moving support portion 114 and the moving support portion 115 come into contact with the first cam. It moves in the direction from the exposure position to the retracted position along the unit 112 and the second cam unit 113.

FIG. 13B is a schematic view of the holding member 505 and the elevating mechanism 940 located at the retracted position as viewed from the right side. When the holding member 505 of the optical print head 105 is positioned at the retracted position, when the slide member 525 slides from the rear side to the front side with respect to the support member 526, the slide member 525 is provided on the slide member 525 together with the slide member 525. The 1 cam portion 112 and the 2nd cam portion 113 slide from the rear side to the front side with respect to the support member 526. As a result, the lower ends of the moving support portion 114 and the moving support portion 115 provided on the holding member 505 are pushed up and moved along the first cam portion 112 and the second cam portion 113 in the direction from the retracted position to the exposed position. do.

● Other configuration examples of the elevating mechanism (eccentric cam mechanism)
Further, the configuration for moving the optical print head 105 to the exposure position and the retracted position is not limited to the configuration example described above, and may be a configuration using the elevating mechanism 740 shown in FIG. This elevating mechanism does not use a member corresponding to the slide member 525 in the above-mentioned configuration example. Hereinafter, the elevating mechanism 740 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 14A is a view of the elevating mechanism 740 as viewed from the side, that is, along the direction in which the photosensitive drums 103 are lined up. As shown in FIG. 14A, eccentric cams 70 and 71 are provided on the front side and the back side of the elevating mechanism 740. These eccentric cams 70 and 71 can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 72 as the center of rotation. That is, the eccentric cam 70 and the eccentric cam 71 are located on the same rotation axis.

As shown in FIG. 14, the eccentric cams 70 and 71 refer to cams in which the distance from the center of rotation to the outer edge of the cam is not uniform. The distance from the center of rotation to, for example, the portion corresponding to the upper end of the cam differs depending on the posture of the cam.

FIG. 14B is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the postures of the eccentric cams 70 and 71 and the position of the optical print head 105. The figure on the left side of FIG. 14 shows the state in which the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the first posture, and the figure on the right side shows the state in which the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the second posture. When the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the first posture, the optical print head 105 is located at the exposure position, and when the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the second posture, the optical print head 105 is located at the separated position. The eccentric cam 70 (71) supports the optical printhead 105 at its upper end. Further, as shown in FIG. 14B, the eccentric cam 70 (71) has an elliptical cross section. Therefore, the eccentric cam 70 (71) rotates and its posture changes, so that the optical print head 105 can be moved closer to or further from the photosensitive drum 102. As a result, the eccentric cam 70 (71) can move the optical print head 105 to the exposure position and the separated position.

Further, the optical print head 105 is restricted from moving along the width direction (left-right direction on the paper surface) by a guide member (not shown). Therefore, even when the eccentric cam 70 (71) moves the optical print head 105 along the vertical direction, it is possible to prevent the optical print head 105 from tilting.

● Other configuration examples of the elevating mechanism (elevating mechanism using gears)
Further, the configuration for moving the optical print head 105 to the exposure position and the retracted position is not limited to the configuration example described above, and may be a configuration using the elevating mechanism 440 shown in FIG. This elevating mechanism does not use a member corresponding to the slide member 525 in the above-mentioned configuration example. Hereinafter, the elevating mechanism 440 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the elevating mechanism 440K will be described as a representative.

As shown in FIG. 15, gears 441 and 442 are provided on the front side and the back side of the elevating mechanism 440. These gears 441 and 442 can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 443 as the center of rotation. That is, the gear 441 and the gear 442 are located on the same rotation axis. Further, elevating gears 444 and 445 are provided before and after the elevating mechanism 440. The surface of the elevating gear 444 is toothed and meshes with the gear 441. Further, teeth are also cut on the surface of the elevating gear 445, which meshes with the gear 442. That is, the elevating gears 444 and 445 rise in conjunction with the rotation of the gears 441 and 442 in the direction of the arrow A. On the other hand, the elevating gears 444 and 445 descend in conjunction with the rotation of the gears 441 and 442 in the direction of arrow B. Since the elevating gear 444 and 445 and the optical print head 105 are integrated, the optical print head 105 also elevates and retracts as the elevating gears 444 and 445 move up and down. When the elevating gears 444 and 445 are fully lowered, the optical printhead 105 is located in the exposed position, and when the elevating gears 444 and 445 are fully lowered, the optical printhead 105 is located in the separated position.

Further, the gear 441 also meshes with the slider 446. The slider 446 is a long member having teeth cut on its surface, and can slide and move in the left-right direction. The left-right direction referred to here is the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 1, and means a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 103 and the vertical direction. However, it does not mean that it is strictly vertical in the mathematical sense.

In this way, the optical print head 105 moves between the exposure position and the separated position in response to the slide movement of the slider 446 in the left-right direction.

<Transmission mechanism>
● Example using a rotating link FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a state of movement of the optical print head 105 with attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114 to / from the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 16A shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, and FIG. 16B shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 16A, the optical print head 105 is located at the exposure position when the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The slide member 525 is in a state of being pulled toward the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, and each link mechanism is in a state of pushing each optical print head 105 to an exposure position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16A, trays 850Y, 850M, 850C, and 850K below each exposure unit 520Y, 520M, 520C, and 520K (hereinafter, these are collectively simply referred to as "tray 850"). Is provided. Each exposure unit 520 may be replaced for maintenance when an abnormality is found in the substrate 502 or the like. When replacing, the operator pulls out the exposure unit 520 from the image forming apparatus 1 toward the front side. That is, each exposure unit 520 has a configuration that can be inserted and removed from the image forming apparatus 1 along the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum 103. The tray 850 is fixed to the front side plate and the rear side plate with screws or the like. When the exposure unit 520 is inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus 1, it is performed by sliding it on the tray 850. That is, the tray 850 functions as a guide when the exposure unit 520 is inserted into and removed from the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, it also has a function of supporting the exposure unit 520 in the process of being inserted and removed from below with respect to the image forming apparatus 1.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16B, when the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1, the optical print head 105 is located at a separated position. The slide member 525K is in a state of being pushed toward the back side of the image forming apparatus 1, and each link mechanism is in a state of pulling down each optical print head 105 to a separated position.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the slide movement of the slide member 525K accompanying the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114 to the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 17A is a view of each exposure unit 520 as viewed from below.

As shown in FIG. 17A, a rotating link 800K is rotatably attached to the back side of the tray 850K. The rotation link 800K rotates with the rotation center 801K as the rotation axis. One end side of the rotating link 800K is located inside the accommodation space 562K provided on the front side of the slide member 525K. On the other hand, the other end side of the rotating link 800K is a portion that can be pressed by the recovery toner container 114 (not shown). That is, when the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the other end side of the rotating link 800K is pushed from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the rotation link 800K rotates clockwise as shown in FIG. 17A with the rotation center 801K as the rotation axis. As a result, one end side of the rotating link 800K pulls in the inside of the inner wall constituting the accommodation space 562K. Since the slide member 525K slides from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, the link mechanism pushes up the optical print head 105K. As described above, the slide member 525K moves with the mounting of the recovery toner container 114, and the optical print head 105K moves from the separated position to the exposed position.

Further, a protrusion 803K is formed between the rotation center 801K of the rotation link 800K and one end side of the rotation link 800K. Further, a protrusion 814K is also formed on the back side of the tray 850K. The protrusion 814K is located behind the protrusion 803K, and these two protrusions are connected by a spring 802K. The spring 802K always applies a force to each protrusion so as to attract the protrusion 803K and the protrusion 814K. Since the spring 802K is provided, a force for rotating the rotating link 800K in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 17A is always applied to the rotating link 800K. As a result, when the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1, the rotating link 800K automatically rotates counterclockwise, so that the optical print head 105 moves from the exposed position to the separated position.

FIG. 17B is a diagram for explaining a state of the rotary link 800K and a state of the slide member 525K in a state where the recovery toner container 114 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 17B, a protrusion 814K is formed on the back side of the recovered toner container 114. The protrusion 814K may be integrally molded with the recovery toner container 114, or may be another part fixed by a screw or the like.

In this way, when the recovery toner container 114 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the protrusion 814K is in a state where the other end side of the rotating link 800K is pushed from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. be. Since the rotation link 800K rotates about the rotation center 801K, the protrusion 803K formed on the rotation link 800K moves in a direction away from the protrusion 814K formed on the tray 850K. That is, in the state where the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1, the spring 802K is in a state of being extended beyond its natural length. The protrusion 814K of the recovery toner 114 rotates the rotating link 800K clockwise against the force that the rotating link 800K tends to rotate counterclockwise.

At this time, one end side of the rotating link 800K pulls the slide member 525K from the back side of the image forming apparatus 1 toward the front side.

Here, in FIG. 17B, the portion of the rotating link 800K indicated by the black circle A is pressed by the protrusion 814K, and the portion indicated by the black circle B is a part of the slide member 525K (inner wall of the accommodation space 562K). This is the place to press. That is, the portion of the rotating link 800K indicated by the black circle A refers to the portion where the rotating link 800K and the protrusion 814K can come into contact with each other, and the portion of the rotating link 800K indicated by the black circle B is the rotating link 800K and the accommodation space 562K. Refers to the place where the inner wall of the wall can come into contact.

In the longitudinal direction of the rotating link 800K, the distance from the portion indicated by the black circle A to the center of the rotating link 800K is shorter than the distance from the portion indicated by the black circle B to the center of the rotating link 800K. By doing so, it is possible to increase the amount of the rotating link 800K to pull in the slide member 525K as compared with the amount of the protrusion 814K pushing the rotating link 800K. That is, at least the amount of movement of the recovered toner container 114 can earn the amount of movement of the slide member 525K. Since the length of the protrusion 800K formed on the recovery toner container 114 can be shortened, there is a possibility that a part of the recovery toner container 114 may be hit somewhere when the operator carries the recovery toner container 114 or the like. Can be reduced. In addition, restrictions on the shape can be reduced at the design stage of the recovered toner container 114, and the degree of freedom in design is improved.

On the other hand, although different from the present embodiment, the distance from the location indicated by the black circle A to the center of the rotating link 800K is longer than the distance from the location indicated by the black circle B to the center of the rotating link 800K. It doesn't matter. In this case, although it is necessary to increase the movement amount of the recovered toner container 114 in order to increase the movement amount of the slide member 525K, the rotation link 800K can be rotated with a smaller force than the above example. That is, there is an advantage that the force required for the operator to attach the recovered toner container 114 to the image forming apparatus 1 is small.

FIG. 17C is a diagram for explaining a state of the rotary link 800K and a state of the slide member 525K in a state where the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 17C, the protrusion 814K formed on the recovery toner container 114 is separated from the other end side of the rotating link 800K. That is, the rotating link 800K does not receive any force from the protrusion 814K of the recovery toner container 114. Therefore, the rotating link 800K automatically rotates counterclockwise due to the restoring force of the spring 802K to return to its natural length, pushing the slide member 525K. At this time, the direction in which the slide member 525K slides is opposite to the direction in which the optical print head 105 moves from the separated position toward the exposed position.

As for the elevating mechanism corresponding to yellow, magenta, and cyan, the operation when the recovery toner container 114 is attached and detached is the same, so the description thereof is omitted.

As described above, the rotation link 800 rotates with the attachment of the recovery toner container 114 to the image forming apparatus 1. In conjunction with this rotation of the rotation link 800, the slide member 525 slides and moves from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, in conjunction with this slide movement of the slide member 525, the elevating mechanism moves the optical print head 105 from the separated position to the exposed position.

Further, the spring 802 rotates the rotation link 800 with the operation of removing the recovery toner container 114 from the image forming apparatus 1. In conjunction with this rotation of the rotation link 800, the slide member 525 slides and moves from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, in conjunction with this slide movement of the slide member 525, the elevating mechanism moves the optical print head 105 from the exposure position to the separated position.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the optical print head 105 can be moved to the exposure position and the separated position in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114. Therefore, even when the recovery toner container 114 is located between the optical print head 105 and the front cover 113, it can be moved to the exposure position and the separated position of the optical print head 105.

● Example of directly pushing the slide member with the recovery toner container In the above example, the optical print head 105 is moved in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114 by using the rotary link 800. The example described below is an example in which the slide member 525 is directly pushed by the recovery toner container 114 without using the rotating link 800. The same components as in the previous example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 18 (a) shows an exposure unit when the optical print head 105 is located at the exposure position, and FIG. 18 (b) shows an exposure unit when the optical print head 105 is located at the separated position.

The configuration of the exposure unit shown in FIG. 18 is different from the configuration shown in the previous example (see FIG. 6) in the configurations of the link mechanisms 830 and 840. Specifically, in the previous example (see FIG. 6), the connection portion between the link members 835 and 837 supporting the optical print head 105 and the slide member 525 is the other link member 836 and 838 and the support member 526, respectively. In this example (see FIG. 18), it is located on the front side, whereas it was on the back side of the connection portion with.

By adopting such a configuration, the relationship between the slide moving direction of the slide member 525 and the moving direction of the optical print head 105 can be reversed from the previous example. That is, in this example, the optical print head 105 moves from the separated position to the exposed position in conjunction with the movement of the slide member 525 from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. Further, the optical print head 105 moves from the exposure position to the separated position in conjunction with the movement of the slide member 525 from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1.

Further, the accommodation space 562 was formed on the tip end side of the slide member 525 in the previous example, but there is no such space in this example. Since it is not necessary to accommodate a member such as the rotating link 800K, a contact member 826 that comes into contact with the recovery toner container 114 is provided instead. The contacted member 826 is, for example, an elastic member made of rubber, and has a property of being able to absorb an impact when the recovered toner container 114 comes into contact with the contacted member 826.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining a mechanism in which the slide member 525 moves with the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114 to / from the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 19A shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 and a part of the recovery toner container 114 is pushing the contacted member 826 provided on the slide member 525. On the other hand, FIG. 19B shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1 and the slide member 525 is moved from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 19A, as the recovery toner container 114 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the collecting toner container 114 pushes the slide member 525 from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. .. As a result, the slide member 525 slides and moves from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus 1. In conjunction with this slide movement of the slide member 525, the link mechanisms 830 and 840 move the optical print head 105 from the separated position to the exposed position.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19B, as the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1, the link mechanisms 830 and 840 are automatically driven by the weight of the optical print head 105, and the slide member 525. Slides and moves from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. In conjunction with this slide movement of the slide member 525, the optical print head 105 moves from the exposed position to the separated position.

At this time, the slide member 525 may be connected to the support member 526 with a spring (not shown) to always urge the slide member 525 from the back side to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. By doing so, the slide member 525 can be automatically slid along with the removal operation of the recovered toner container 114. Then, the optical print head 105 can be reliably moved to the link mechanisms 830 and 840 from the exposure position to the distance position.

As described above, by adopting a configuration in which the slide member 525 is directly pushed into the recovery toner container 114, the member corresponding to the rotary link 800 can be eliminated. In addition to being able to reduce the number of parts, it is expected that the assembly man-hours will be reduced by simplifying the configuration, and cost merit can be obtained.

● Example of rotating the umbrella tooth gear with the recovery toner container In FIG. 20A, the umbrella tooth gears 150 and 151 rotate with the collection toner container 114 attached, and the elevating mechanism 740 is operated by the driving force generated by the rotation. It is a figure for demonstrating the mechanism.

Although the details will be described later, the umbrella tooth gear 150 rotates in the direction of the arrow A1 in response to the recovery toner container 114 being attached to the image forming apparatus 1 by the operator. Specifically, a part of the recovery toner container 114 pushes the protrusion 152 provided on the umbrella tooth gear 150, so that the umbrella tooth gear 150 rotates. Note that FIG. 20A shows a state in which the protrusion 152 is pushed by the recovery toner container 114.

As shown in FIG. 20A, the umbrella tooth gear 150 and the umbrella tooth gear 151 are in mesh with each other. Therefore, the bevel gear 151 rotates in the direction of the arrow B2 in conjunction with the rotation of the bevel gear 150 in the direction of the arrow A1. The umbrella tooth gear 151 and the eccentric cams 70 and 71 are fixed to the same rotating shaft 72. That is, the umbrella tooth gear 151, the eccentric cams 70 and 71 are located on the same rotation axis and rotate integrally.

On the other hand, when the recovered toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1, the umbrella tooth gear 150 is rotated in the direction of arrow B1 by a spring described later. Along with this, the umbrella tooth gear 151 rotates in the A2 direction. In this way, the optical print head 105 moves from the exposure position to the distance position.

20 (b) and 20 (c) are views of the umbrella tooth gear 150 as viewed from the back side. FIG. 20B shows a state in which the recovery toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 and the protrusion 152 is pushed in. At this time, the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the first posture. That is, the optical print head 105 is in a state of being located at the exposure position. FIG. 20C shows a state in which the recovered toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1. As shown in FIGS. 20 (b) and 20 (c), a protrusion 154 is formed on the back side of the umbrella tooth gear 150, and one end of the spring 155 is connected to the protrusion 154. The other end of the spring 155 is connected to a protrusion 156 fixed to the frame of the main body of the image forming apparatus 1. That is, in the state where the protrusion 152 is pushed by the recovery toner container 114 shown in FIG. 20 (b), the spring 155 is in a state of being further extended from its natural length. In other words, a force that always tries to rotate in the direction of arrow B1 acts on the bevel gear 150, and the recovery toner container 114 resists this force to rotate the bead gear 150 in the direction of arrow A2. The protrusion 152 is pushed in. When the recovery toner container 114 is removed from the image forming apparatus 1, the spring 155 tries to return to its natural length by the restoring force. Therefore, the umbrella tooth gear 150 rotates in the direction of arrow B1 and is in the state shown in FIG. 20 (c). At this time, the eccentric cam 70 (71) is in the second posture. That is, the optical print head 105 is in a state of being located at a separated position.

As described above, when the recovered toner container 114 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 by the operator, the force applied to the bevel tooth gear 150 by the collected toner container 114 is converted into a rotational force by the bevel tooth gear 150. Then, this rotational force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 72 via the umbrella tooth gear 151.

● Example of moving the slider in the left-right direction with the recovered toner container The relationship between the recovered toner container 114 and the slider 446 will be described again with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of protrusions 450 are formed on the slider 446. The protrusion 450 has a triangular shape, and an inclined surface 451 is formed.

On the other hand, a protrusion 452 is also formed on the recovery toner container 114, and an inclined surface 453 is also formed here. As the recovery toner container 114 is attached, the inclined surface 453 pushes the inclined surface 451, so that the slider 446 slides in the direction of the arrow.

Since the slider 446 is always urged in the arrow R direction by the spring 455, when the recovery toner container 114 is removed, the slider 446 automatically slides in the arrow R direction.

As described above, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which the recovery toner container 114 is arranged between the front cover 113 and the process cartridge 518, but it depends on the opening / closing operation of the front cover 113. At least, the optical print head 105 can be moved to the exposure position and the separated position in conjunction with the attachment / detachment of the recovery toner container 114. This eliminates the need to secure a path for transmitting the opening / closing operation of the front cover 113 to the elevating mechanism for moving the optical print head 105, so that the shape of the recovered toner container 114 is not significantly restricted. As a result, it is not necessary to make the recovered toner container 114 an unnecessarily complicated shape, and the manufacturing cost can be expected to be reduced. Further, since the degree of freedom in designing the recovered toner container 114 is improved, the capacity of the recovered toner container 114 can be increased. Further, by improving the degree of freedom in designing the recovered toner container 114, the shape of the recovered toner container 114 can be made into a shape that is easy for the operator to carry.

1 Image forming device 80 Cleaning device (cleaning member)
102 Image forming unit 103 Photosensitive drum 104 Charger 105 Optical print head (exposure head)
106 Developer 107 Intermediate transfer belt 112 Cleaning device 113 Front cover 114 Recovery toner container 518 Process cartridge 520 Exposure unit 530 Link mechanism 540 Link mechanism 740 Elevating mechanism 830 Link mechanism 840 Link mechanism 940 Elevating mechanism

Claims (10)

It is an image forming device
A plurality of drum units including a photosensitive drum that is rotationally driven to form a toner image and a cleaning member that cleans the toner image on the photosensitive drum, and forms yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images. A plurality of toner units that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus by arranging the rotation axes of each photosensitive drum in parallel in a direction intersecting the vertical direction and moving along the rotation axis direction of each photosensitive drum. With the drum unit,
A front cover arranged on an extension of the rotation axis of the plurality of photosensitive drums and opened / closed for attaching / detaching the plurality of drum units to / from the image forming apparatus.
A plurality of exposure heads provided corresponding to each of the plurality of photosensitive drums and exposed to the corresponding photosensitive drums in order to form an electrostatic latent image on each photosensitive drum, and below the corresponding photosensitive drums. Between the first position and the second position above and above the first position and between the corresponding photosensitive drum and the first position, which is the position where the photosensitive drum is exposed. With multiple exposure heads that can be moved,
A recovery toner container for recovering toner cleaned by the cleaning member, which is removable from the image forming apparatus by opening the front cover so as to cover at least a part of each of the plurality of drum units. The collected toner container to be installed and
The plurality of exposure heads are moved from the first position to the second position in conjunction with the attachment of the recovery toner container to the image forming apparatus, and the plurality of exposure heads are moved from the first position to the second position in conjunction with the removal of the recovery toner container. An image forming apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism for moving an exposure head from the second position to the first position. The moving mechanism is a plurality of sliders that are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of exposure heads and can be slidably moved in the mounting direction or the removing direction of the drum unit along the rotation axis direction of each photosensitive drum. It is equipped with a plurality of sliders that slide and move in conjunction with the attachment and detachment of the collected toner container to the forming device.
Each exposure head moves from the first position to the second position in conjunction with the sliding movement of the corresponding slider in the mounting direction or the removing direction, and the corresponding slider moves in the sliding moving direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus moves from the second position to the first position in conjunction with the movement in the opposite direction. The moving mechanism is a rotating rotating link, and includes a rotating link that rotates when one end side is pressed against the collected toner container.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotation link rotates and the other end side moves the slider in the direction of the slide movement. The distance from the rotation center of the rotation link to the portion pressed by the recovery toner container in the rotation link is larger than the distance from the rotation center of the rotation link to the portion in contact with the slider. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is long. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the toner container presses the slider in the direction of slide movement in conjunction with attachment of the collected toner container to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a spring for urging the slider in the opposite direction. The movement mechanism is
An eccentric cam that rotates to move the exposure head to the first position and the second position.
It is provided with an umbrella tooth gear that rotates about a direction intersecting the rotation axis of the eccentric cam as a rotation axis.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bevel tooth gear rotates in association with the attachment of the collected toner container to the image forming apparatus, and the eccentric cam rotates due to the rotation. Claims 1 to 7 are provided for each of the plurality of photosensitive drums, and have a plurality of developing devices for developing electrostatic latent images formed on the plurality of photosensitive drums with toner. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above items. The image according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the drum unit is a process cartridge including a developer that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum with toner. Forming device. The plurality of transfer portions from which the toner images are transferred from the plurality of photosensitive drums have an intermediate transfer belt stretched so as to face downward, and the toner image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to a recording medium. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an apparatus.

Images