JP2914168B2 - Electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a composite function such as a printer, a facsimile, and a copier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having such a complex function generally has independent feeding and feeding paths for paper for printing or recording, and feeding and feeding paths for originals for reading. Each is provided in a state where it has been done. Therefore, it is desired that both of these paths be shared as much as possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus.
Examples of the prior art of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having such a composite function are described below.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-102357 discloses an electronic facsimile apparatus in which a facsimile function is added to a page printer. A common sensor is used to prevent an increase in the cost and size of the device. Although a common apparatus is used as a whole, the supply paths of the transmission original (first paper supply unit E) and the transfer paper (second paper supply unit F) are different.

Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 63-30825 discloses that one paper feed roller is also used as a reading section and for recording, and that a recording head also has a function as a member for pressing a transmission original against the paper feed roller during transmission. The present invention is intended to simplify the mechanism for forming the transport path of the transmission original and the recording paper. Although one paper feed roller is used for both reading and recording, the recording paper is a thermal roll paper, and a feeding drive roller and a feeding driven roller for supplying the roll paper are provided.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-257755 discloses an apparatus in which a document supply means and a recording medium feeding means can be used in common, so that the size of the apparatus can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. A recording paper tray for setting recording paper and a document tray for setting a document are provided, and a pickup mechanism is provided above the document tray. This pickup mechanism includes a pickup motor, a gear, a shaft, and many other components.

[0006]

As described above, if the mechanism is shared and shared, even if the apparatus is reduced in size and cost to some extent, on the other hand, the structure of the apparatus, in particular, the mechanism constituting the transport path. Tends to be complicated. For this reason, the reliability of sheet feeding and conveyance is likely to be reduced. In addition, if priority is given to the reliability of sheet feeding and conveyance, a contradiction arises in that the apparatus is complicated and miniaturization is impaired. In addition, new parts that require two or more, such as paper feed rollers, occur, and the number of parts increases.
There is a problem that a factor of cost increase also occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a highly efficient multifunction by sharing a paper supply path and a paper supply mechanism for different purposes and purposes.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises a first paper feeder in which a recording paper is placed on a plane at a predetermined angle. A tray (4) and a second paper feeder which is formed substantially in parallel with and integral with the first paper feed tray, has a lower end pivotally supported, and has a variable tilt angle, and a document for reading an image content is placed thereon. The first paper feed tray (10) is moved away from the first paper feed tray (4) in conjunction with the change in the inclination angle of the second paper feed tray (10), A paper feed roller (5) for carrying in either the recording paper set in (4) or the document set in the second feed tray (10); and a second feed tray (10). ) And the detected signal is used as a signal for switching the feed of recording paper or original. And a Yonsensa (20), and characterized in that to allow the feed process Te switching by the paper feed roller identical to the recording sheet and the document (5).

When the second paper feed tray (10) is moved away from the first paper feed tray (4) in conjunction with the change of the inclination angle of the second paper feed tray (10), the outer circumference of the paper feed roller (5) is changed. A sheet transport guide (12) arranged adjacent to the surface, and a document placed on a sheet feed tray (4) is fed by rotation of a sheet feed roller (5), and the sheet transport guide (12). 1
The paper transport guide (12) is guided by 2) and can be ejected in a direction substantially parallel to the second paper feed tray (10), and the paper transport guide (12) is composed of at least two pieces, and the pieces guide the document sequentially. It is preferable that the image sensor (13) further includes an image sensor (13) disposed adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller (5) so that data on the document is read by the image sensor (13).

[0010]

According to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus has the first paper feed tray on which the recording paper is placed and the second paper feed tray on which the document is placed. Either the recording paper or the original is carried in by the paper supply roller (5) according to the inclination angle of the paper tray. The sensed signal is used as a recording paper or document feed switching signal. Therefore, the recording paper and the original are fed by the same feed roller, and the reading process of the data on the original becomes possible.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention.

The electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is
It is configured as a multifunction device. This composite function is, for example, a printer / facsimile / copy function. FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an example of the arrangement of each functional unit when the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is used as a printer. FIG. 2 is a conceptual vertical cross-sectional view showing an example of the arrangement of each functional unit when it is also used as a facsimile or a copier. FIG. 3 shows these functional units and their driving mechanisms in terms of electrical connection. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the X axis is on the left and right, and the Y is
The following description will be made with the axis and the upper and lower being the respective directions of the Z axis.

In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, a hopper 4 for setting a sheet 3 is set at a predetermined angle on an upper surface of the apparatus. In this hopper 4,
The document supply tray 10 is formed in a substantially parallel state and integrally. The lower end of the document supply tray 10 is pivotally supported (not shown in detail), and its inclination angle can be changed with respect to the X axis and the Z axis.

The hopper 4 places the recording or printing paper 3, and the document supply tray 10 is a mechanism for placing a document for reading the contents of images such as characters formed on the paper. The sheets placed on the respective trays of the hopper 4 and the document supply tray 10 are supplied to the inside of the apparatus. The use of the supply trays having different uses and purposes is selectively set by changing the inclination angle of the document supply tray 10, that is, the elevation angle. FIG. 1 shows a paper feed setting state of the recording paper 3. FIG. 2 shows a document feed setting state.

The hopper 4 is arranged in a predetermined positional relationship with the paper feed roller 5. The paper feed roller 5 in the state of FIG. 1 is rotated by the paper feed motor 31 shown in FIG. 3, and sequentially picks up a plurality of papers 3 mounted on the hopper 4 from the upper surface, and places one paper in the apparatus 1. Carry in every time. In this operation, the paper feed roller 5 is adjacent to the leading end of the paper 3 on the hopper 4 below (in the Z-axis direction), and the frictional rotating force of the paper feed roller 5 is transmitted to the leading end of the paper 3. This is done by inviting the paper 3 on 4 to the inside of the apparatus 1.
The sheet 3 attracted / conveyed by the sheet feed roller 5 is transported inside the apparatus 1 along a path indicated by an arrow A by a conveying roller 16 provided in each section, and is discharged onto the stacker 9. During the period from the loading to the discharging, an electrophotographic image is formed on the paper 3 inside the apparatus 1.

The electrophotographic image formation is performed by the toner cartridge 6, the photosensitive drum 7, and the fixing unit 8. The procedure of electrophotographic image formation is as follows. A latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7 by electrostatic voltage, the toner in the toner cartridge 6 is attracted by the electrostatic force, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 7, and the toner image is The fixing unit 8 fixes the transferred toner image on the sheet 3. The procedure of electrophotographic image formation is a well-known procedure, and a detailed description of each part will be omitted.

FIG. 2 shows a setting state when the apparatus 1 is used as a facsimile or a copier, and is a diagram for explaining a document transfer path B in particular.

An original for facsimile transmission or copying is supplied from an original supply tray 10. The document supply tray 10 has a movable elevation angle as described above. The change in the angle of the document supply tray 10 is detected by the tray position sensor 20 shown in FIG. Although details such as the structure and mounting position of the tray position sensor 20 are not shown, a mechanical switch or an optical switch is advantageously used. The detection signal of the tray position sensor 20 is used as a feed switching signal for recording paper and a document.

Changing the angle of the document supply tray 10 further includes:
The position of the paper feed roller 5 is changed. From the state of FIG. 1 to FIG.
In accordance with the change of the angle of the document supply tray 10 to the state described above, the positions of the document discharge tray 11 and the paper feed roller 5 are moved. The document discharge tray 11 in the state of FIG. 2 is substantially parallel to the document feed tray 10. The paper feed roller 5 is
Move in the axis and -X axis directions. By the movement of the position of the paper feed roller 5, the paper transport guides a, b, and c12 formed of three pieces are maintained in a positional relationship adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 5. Also, the paper 3 mounted on the hopper 4 is isolated. In this state, the supply roller 5
Is located at an intermediate portion between the document feed tray 10 and the document discharge tray 11 in a substantially parallel state.

An image sensor 13 is located at the base end of the document discharge tray 11 and adjacent to the supply roller 5.
Is arranged. The image sensor 13 is for reading an image of a document as an electric signal.

In the above state, the document supply tray 10
When the sheet feed roller 5 is rotated, the document is conveyed along the path indicated by arrow B in FIG.
Discharged up. The image of the document is detected as an electric signal by the image sensor 13 along with the conveyance of the document.

Referring to FIG. 3 showing the electrical connection relationship of the device 1, each functional unit will be described below. Signals are exchanged with the outside via the I / F 50, and the overall operation of the apparatus 1 is controlled by the controller 30 including a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The controller 30 includes a paper edge sensor 35, a thermostat 36, an image sensor 37,
Various sensors such as the tray position sensor 20 and the operation panel 39 and operation switches are connected.

The paper edge sensor 35 is a sensor for detecting the edges of the paper and the original. The image sensor 37 and the tray position sensor 20 have been described above.
The operation panel 39 is provided on a surface portion of the device housing, for example, an upper flat portion, and includes a switch operation portion for setting and inputting an operation of the device 1 and a status display portion (not shown).

A mechanical controller 40 connected to the controller 30 is a circuit unit composed of a CPU and various drivers, and controls the operation of the mechanical unit in the apparatus. The connection parts of the mechanical controller 40 are shown in FIG. 3 as being classified into a power supply part and other parts.

The power supply unit constitutes a power supply voltage particularly for forming an electrophotographic image, and is constituted by a low-voltage power supply 41 for a fixing heat source 43, a high-voltage power supply 42 for a developing unit 44 and a photosensitive drum 45. Be composed.

The other parts are composed of various motors and sensors. The various motors are a paper feed motor 31 for driving the paper feed roller 5 to rotate, a transport / cartridge drive motor 32 for driving the paper transport roller in the apparatus, and a polygon motor 33 for driving the rotation of the polygon mirror. Further, it is composed of a laser diode 34 which is a light emitter of laser light, the above-described sensor and the like.

As described above, the hopper 4 constituting the paper feed tray for printing or recording and the document feed tray 10 for reading are unitized in parallel. Switching to be able to convey any one of the two types of paper is performed by moving the document feed tray 10. With this configuration, the paper feed roller for printing or recording can be shared with the document feed roller.

By sharing the paper feeding mechanism of the printer and the loading mechanism of the facsimile or copier, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, and the reliability can be improved. Further, since the carrying-in path is shared, the size of the apparatus can be reduced, and the space can be saved.

Although the above embodiment is one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0030]

As is apparent from the above description, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided with two types of paper feed trays, and by switching the recording paper or original on these trays by the switching means. 1 can be fed by one feed roller. For this reason, the sheet feed roller and the loading mechanism are shared, and the number of parts and cost can be reduced, reliability can be improved, and the apparatus can be downsized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the configuration of an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating a path of recording paper when used as a printer.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a document path when used as a facsimile or a copier.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an embodiment of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 tray position sensor 2 controller 3 paper 4 hopper 5 paper feed roller 6 toner cartridge 7 photosensitive drum 8 fixing unit 9 stacker 10 document feed tray 11 document discharge tray 12 paper transport guides a, b, c 13 image sensor

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first paper feed tray (4) which is set at a predetermined angle on a plane and on which recording paper is placed, and is formed substantially in parallel with and integrally with the first paper feed tray. The lower end is pivotally supported, the inclination angle is variable, and the second paper feed tray (1
0) and moves away from the first paper feed tray (4) in conjunction with the change in the inclination angle of the second paper feed tray (10).
And a paper feed roller (5) for carrying in one of the recording paper set in the first paper feed tray (4) and the document set in the second paper feed tray (10). Detecting the inclination angle of the second paper feed tray (10),
The detected signal is supplied to the recording paper or the original sheet feed switching signal.
To and a tray position sensor (20), said recording paper and said original and the same of the feed roller (5) by the feed processable and to electrophotographic imaging apparatus characterized by a Te switching . 2. The inclination angle of the second paper feed tray (10).
In response to the change of the degree, the first paper tray (4)
When the paper feed roller (5) is moved away from the paper feed roller (5),
The paper transport guide (12) arranged adjacent to the outer peripheral surface
And a document arranged on the paper feed tray (4).
Is fed by the rotation of the feed roller (5), and
Guided by a paper transport guide (12),
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper can be discharged in a direction substantially parallel to the paper feed tray (10) . 3. The paper transport guide (12) is reduced in number.
Are composed of two pieces, and the pieces sequentially check the original.
3. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the paper is discharged by guiding the sheet . 4. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising:
Image arranged adjacent to the outer peripheral surface of paper roller (5)
The image sensor further includes a sensor (13).
(13) reading the data on the document.
The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein: