JP2820725B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a laser printer and an electrophotographic apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus applicable to a cover opening / closing unit.

(Prior Art) In recent small laser printers and small copiers, users tend to replace main members of an imaging process as consumables by themselves.

The main members to be replaced include a drum-shaped photosensitive member, a charger, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and the like. These replacement members are incorporated in a cartridge called a process cartridge, and the entire process cartridge is configured to be detachable from the main body (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-43166).

However, among the members incorporated in the process cartridge, the cleaning unit and the developing unit are replaced relatively early, while the photosensitive member is relatively slow, so that the photosensitive member that can be sufficiently used can still be used. Until the process cartridge is replaced and discarded. Due to such inconvenience, a technique has been proposed in which only the photoreceptor can be separated from the process cartridge instead of the above-mentioned conventional technique (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-170978). In this proposed technique, a process cartridge including a photoreceptor is housed in a housing composed of an upper cover and a lower cover, and the upper cover can be freely opened and closed like a crocodile. Is lifted, and thereafter, only the photoreceptor is attached or detached in the direction of its rotation.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the prior art, regardless of whether the photoconductor or the process cartridge is replaced, the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover, the process cartridge is removed therefrom, and the photoconductor is detached. Since a process is required, the photoconductor must be replaced even when only the process cartridge is replaced, which is problematic in that it is complicated.

To cope with this, it is considered that only the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover, and the photoconductor is left on the lower cover side.

However, in this case, it is difficult to remove a paper jam that occurs on the lower side of the photoconductor, that is, a so-called jam paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which a member can be easily replaced at the time of replacement and jam paper can be easily removed.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, in an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, an image forming unit is housed in a housing including an upper cover and a lower cover, and the upper cover In an image forming apparatus that can be freely opened and closed like a crocodile, a plurality of operation levers that are operated when opening the upper cover in response to the occurrence of an error in the image forming means are provided according to the type of error,
There is a display on each of these operation levers or in the vicinity thereof for notifying the occurrence of an error, and the display of the corresponding operation lever functions according to the type of the error when the error occurs. 1).

Further, in an image forming apparatus in which at least a photoconductor and a process cartridge are housed in a housing composed of an upper cover and a lower cover, and the upper cover can be opened and closed like a crocodile, when the upper cover is opened, Replacement mode in which the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover while remaining on the lower cover, or when the upper cover is opened,
It is possible to select a jam processing mode in which the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover together with the photoconductor, and a mode switching unit for switching to any of these modes, and a timing for replacing the photoconductor and the process member in the process cartridge are detected. It has a detecting means, and when opening the upper cover, if the detecting means does not detect that it is time to replace the member, the mode is switched to the jam processing mode by the mode switching means. (Claim 2).

(Operation) Switching to the jam clearing mode or the exchange mode is performed by operating the operation lever prepared corresponding to each of these modes.

Further, a display urging the operation of the operation lever at the timing to be operated is displayed.

Further, the mode selection is performed automatically without the intervention of the operator.

(Embodiment) In FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of a laser printer, reference numeral 1 denotes a drum-shaped photoconductor, and a developing unit 2 having a developing roller 3 and a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade 5 around the drum. 4, a charging charger 6, an optical writing unit 7, a transfer charger 8, and the like are arranged.

Of these, the developing unit 2, the cleaning unit 4, and the charging charger 6 are integrally incorporated to form the process cartridge 100. The process cartridge 100 is detachably supported by a bracket 101 attached to the upper cover 15. The photoreceptor 1 is supported by the lower cover 14 and is lifted up with the upper cover 15 depending on the mode. The photoconductor 1 and the process cartridge 100 are housed in a housing composed of an upper cover 15 and a lower cover 14.

At the time of image formation, the paper accommodated in the paper feed cassette 9 is fed out by the paper feed roller 10, follows the conveyance path 34 through the registration roller pair 11, and the image is transferred at the transfer charger 8 portion, and then the fixing roller After being fixed by pair 12,
It reaches the output tray 13.

The upper cover 15 can be freely opened and closed about the fulcrum 16. When closed, a latch 18 rotatably supported by the upper cover 15 about a shaft 20 has a lock pin 17 fixed to the lower cover 14.
And the closed state of the upper cover 15 is maintained.

A photoreceptor receiver 21 is fixed to the lower cover 14, and receives and supports both ends of the shaft of the photoreceptor 1.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a hook for lifting the photoreceptor 1 together with the upper cover 15. The hook 22 is rotatable about a fulcrum shaft 23 fixed to the upper cover 15, and is connected to a lever 25 via a pin engaged with a long hole 24. It is connected to.

The other end of the lever 25 is connected to an exchange operation lever 19A operated when exchanging the process cartridge.

The appearance of the laser printer is as shown in FIG. 2, and a jam handling operation lever 19B operated at the time of jam handling is arranged adjacent to the replacement operation lever 19A.

Each of these operation levers 19A and 19B is provided with appropriate display means, for example, indicators 27A and 27B using LEDs or the like. An operation panel 26 is located in front of the laser printer.
Is provided, and an error state such as occurrence of a jam or a shortage of toner and other information are displayed.

Next, referring to FIG. 3 to FIG.
A description will be given of the mechanism for transmitting the movement from the operation lever to the hook 22 and the hook 22.

In FIG. 3, the shaft 20 penetrates the operation levers 19A and 19B, and both ends of the shaft are supported by the upper cover 15. Also,
A latch 18 is provided on the shaft 20 on both sides of each of the operation levers 19A and 19B. The latch 18 and the jam clearing operation lever 19 are fixed to a shaft 20, and the replacement operation lever 19A is pivotally mounted on the shaft 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 32 of the replacement operation lever 19A is engaged with the concave portion 33 of the jam operation lever 19B so as to cover from above. With this configuration, the replacement operation lever 19A
The operation lever 19B for jam clearance is always automatically operated whenever the rotation operation is performed.However, the rotation operation of only the operation lever 19B for jam clearance does not affect the replacement operation lever 19A. Become.

Next, the central portion of the shaft 28 fixedly supporting the base end of the hook 22 is provided with a third portion to avoid interference with the process cartridge.
As shown in the figure, it is bent upward in a crank shape, and both ends thereof are supported by the upper cover 15.

One end of a lever 25 is pivotally connected to a free end side of the replacement operation lever 19A by a shaft J. At the other end of the lever, the pin 30 implanted in the lever is fitted into the elongated hole 24 formed on the upper portion of the hook 22, whereby the replacement operating lever 19A and the hook 22 are in a connected state.

A tension spring between the upper part of the hook 22 and the upper cover 15
A hook 29 urges the hook 22 in a clockwise direction. The rotation of the hook 22 by the spring 29 is prevented by the stopper (not shown) in the state shown in FIG. 3, that is, in a state in which the axis of the photosensitive member 1 is hooked by the hook 22. , Each operation lever 19A,
The upper surface of 19B is substantially flush with the upper surface of upper cover 15, as shown in FIG. In order to maintain this state, the convex portion D of each operation lever is brought into contact with the upper cover 15 by the contraction force of the springs 31A and 31B as shown in FIG.

The elongated hole 24 provided in the hook 22 and the inclined portion below the hook are escape means for automatically bringing the photosensitive member 1 into the latched state when the upper cover 15 is closed. Similarly, the inclined portion formed at the lower portion of the latch 18 is a relief means for automatically bringing the lock pin 17 into the latched state when the upper cover 15 is closed.

According to the above configuration, when the jam operation lever 19B is rotated in the lifting direction, the jam processing mode is realized, and only the latch 18 is rotated and the lock pin 17 is rotated.
Is released, and the upper cover 15 is opened about the fulcrum 16. Then, the photosensitive member 1 is also hook 22
Lifted while hanging on.

On the other hand, when the replacement operation lever 19A is rotated in the lifting direction, the replacement mode is realized and the jam processing operation lever 19B is simultaneously lifted by the configuration shown in FIG. At the same time, the hook 22 is also rotated via the lever 25 to be disengaged from the axis of the photoreceptor 1. As a result, the state in which the photoconductor 1 is received by the photoconductor receiver 21 is held, and the upper cover 15 is opened while remaining in the lower cover 14.

 6 and 7 show a state in which the upper cover 15 is opened.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the replacement operation lever 19A is opened by operating the replacement operation lever 19A, and the photosensitive member 1 remains in the lower cover 14 as described above. In this state, the process cartridge 100 is detachable in the direction of arrow C, and the photoreceptor 1 is detachable in the direction of arrow E, and any of these members can be easily replaced.

FIG. 7 shows a state in which the jam-removing operation lever 19B is opened by operating the jam-removing operation lever. Since the photosensitive member 1 is lifted together with the upper cover 15 while being hooked on the hook 22, the paper on which the lower cover 14 remains is shown. The jam paper in the transport path 34 can be easily removed in the direction of arrow F.

Regarding the indicators 27A and 27B provided on the respective operation levers 19A and 19B, when the laser printer main body is stopped due to the occurrence of a jam, the indicator 27B on the jam processing operation lever 19B side is turned on or blinks, and When the process cartridge 100 or the photosensitive member 1 is stopped due to its end of life, the indicator 27A on the replacement operation lever 19A side is lit or blinks to clearly indicate the operation target.

In the illustrated example, the display is provided on the operation lever. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the display may be provided in the vicinity of the operation lever as long as the operation lever can be selectively displayed. Further, it is more convenient to display the status of the error that has occurred on the operation panel 26 simultaneously with the display on the display on the operation lever.

As is apparent from the above embodiment, in the prior art, a secondary disassembly operation of further removing the photosensitive member from the process cartridge was necessary for replacement. However, in this embodiment, the necessity for the mode selection is eliminated, and the operation is complicated. Has been eliminated. Also, the jam processing can be easily performed by selecting the mode.

Further, conventionally, the error mode is always performed on the operation panel. However, when there are a large number of operation levers, it may not be possible to know which lever should be operated.

In this regard, in this example, by providing a display in association with the lever to be operated, the operation can be performed with reference to the display of the display, and there is an advantage that there is no risk of damaging the device due to an erroneous operation.

 Next, another embodiment will be described.

 In this example, the mode selection is automated.

FIG. 8 shows a case where the present invention is applied to a laser printer. The same components as in FIG. 1 in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and the description is omitted.

In FIG. 8, a hook 220 for receiving the photoreceptor 1 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 230 integral with the upper cover 15.

As shown in FIG. 9, the upper portion of the hook 220 is divided into a branch to form an armature 250. on the other hand,
The electromagnet 240 faces the armature 250 and the upper cover 15
It is provided in. Armature 2 when electromagnet 240 is excited
The hook 220 is rotated in the clockwise direction by suction of 50, and retracts from the photoconductor 1. When the excitation of the electromagnet 240 is released, the hook 220 is pulled by the spring 140 and returns to the state in which the photosensitive member 1 shown in FIG. 8 can be lifted. Although a stopper for restricting the movement of the hook 220 is provided in each of the above positions, it is not illustrated in order to avoid complication. The hook 220, the armature 250, and the electromagnet 240 are examples of a mode switching unit.

8 and 10, reference numeral 190 denotes an operation lever, which has a function of holding the closed state of the upper cover 15 or releasing the held state. The operation lever 190 is provided integrally with a shaft 290 pivotally attached to the upper cover 15, and further,
A latch 180A is provided integrally with the lever, and a latch 180B is provided integrally with the shaft 290. These latches are detachable from the lock pin 17, and are released from the lock pin when the operator lifts up to release the upper cover 15, and when released, are pulled by the spring 150 to engage with the lock pin, The upper cover 15 is kept closed. A micro switch 260 is provided below the latch 180A so as to be attached to the upper cover 15, so that the operating state of the latch 180 is detected.

The slopes provided below the hook 220 and the latches 180A and 180B serve as a relief when the upper cover 15 is closed.

As shown in FIG. 11, the operation lever 19 is
The upper cover is opened when the upper cover is unlocked by lifting one end of the lever.

The operation panel 270 is for displaying an error state in FIG.

Next, the electromagnet 240 is operated by the control means shown in FIG. In the figure, a unit life detecting circuit 252 is a circuit as a detecting means for detecting a replacement time of the photoconductor and the process cartridge 100, and a cleaning unit, a charging charger, and a developing unit which has the fastest life, such as a developing unit, The CPU outputs a signal to the CPU when the toner holding amount has run out or when the photoconductor 1 is about to be replaced. Upon receiving this signal, the CPU displays on the operation panel 270 that the process cartridge or the photoconductor is about to be replaced. The operator who sees this display operates the operation lever 190. Then, at the same time as the lock of the upper cover 15 is released, the micro switch 260 is turned on, and the ON signal from the micro switch turns on the magnet energizing circuit 25.
3 excites the electromagnet 240, thereby releasing the hook 220, opening the upper cover while leaving the photoconductor 1 on the lower cover 14 side, and enters the exchange mode. This state is as shown in FIG. 13, and the process cartridge 100 is moved in the direction of arrow C in accordance with the exchange mode of FIG.
The photoreceptor 1 can be detached and replaced in the direction of arrow E. On the other hand, in FIG. 12, if a jam occurs while no signal is output from the unit life detecting circuit 252,
The occurrence of the jam is displayed on the operation panel 270.

When the operator sees this, he operates the jam handling operation lever 190.
Is operated, the photoreceptor 1 is lifted together with the upper cover 15 while being held by the hook 220, and a jam clearing mode is set. This state is as shown in FIG. 14, and the jammed paper is removed in the direction of arrow F according to the jam processing mode of FIG. 7 in the above example.

In the past, whether an error was caused by a jam or an error due to the unit life being detected was only displayed on the operation panel, and it was unclear to the operator what operation to perform. The mode is automatically selected when opening the door, avoiding the risk of operation errors and mechanical damage.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, it is easy to replace members in accordance with the replacement time, and it is also easy to remove jammed paper.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 and 8 are cross-sectional views of a laser printer illustrating one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 2 and 11 are external perspective views of the laser printer corresponding to FIGS. FIG. 9, FIG. 9 and FIG.
6 and 13 are views for explaining the state of the exchange mode, and FIG.
FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a state of the jam clearing mode.
FIG. 12 is a block circuit diagram for switching the exchange mode. 14… Lower cover, 15… Upper cover, 19A… Replacement operation lever, 19B… Jam clearance operation lever 27A, 27B indicator, 190… Operation lever, 220… Hook, 250… Armature.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ identification code FI G03G 21/00 354 (58) Investigated field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G03G 15/00 550 G03G 21/00 350- 540 B41J 29/20 G03G 21/16-21/18

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus in which an image forming means is housed in a housing composed of an upper cover and a lower cover, and wherein the upper cover can be freely opened and closed like a crocodile. In response to the above, a plurality of operation levers operated when opening the upper cover are provided according to the type of error, and there is a display at each of these operation levers or in the vicinity thereof to notify the occurrence of an error, and an error is generated. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a display of a corresponding operation lever functions according to the type of the error at the time. 2. An image forming apparatus in which at least a photosensitive member and a process cartridge are housed in a housing constituted by an upper cover and a lower cover, and wherein the upper cover can be freely opened and closed like a crocodile. The replacement mode in which the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover while the photoconductor remains on the lower cover side, or the jam processing mode in which the process cartridge is lifted together with the upper cover together with the photoconductor when the upper cover is opened It has a mode switching means for switching to any one of these modes, and a detecting means for detecting a replacement time of the photosensitive member and the process member in the process cartridge. If the detecting means does not detect that it is time to replace the member, the mode is set to the jam clearing mode. An image forming apparatus characterized in that it is the mode selected by the switching means.