JP4254443B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, an image scanner, a facsimile machine, and a multifunction machine.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called paper feed unit that positions a paper at a predetermined position and waits and automatically supplies the paper to an engine unit of an image forming apparatus such as a printer is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
However, when a paper feed unit is provided on the rear side of the housing, the paper feed unit cannot be visually checked depending on the location where the image forming apparatus is installed. It becomes difficult to load the unit at an appropriate standby position. In particular, when an image forming apparatus having a long depth from the front surface to the back surface provided with the operation unit is installed in a high place, it is often difficult to visually check the standby position where the paper is positioned by the paper supply unit. .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-279086

  The present invention has been created to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily stack sheets in a standby position for paper feeding.

In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a casing provided with an operation panel at a front portion and a paper feed port formed at a rear portion, and an engine portion housed in the casing and forming an image. A paper holding means provided at the rear part of the casing and positioned in the width direction to hold the paper in the standby position; and the engine part through which the paper held in the standby position by the paper holding means passes through the paper supply port. From a rearward tilting posture in which the upper part of the paper feeding port is covered with the first surface to a forward tilting posture leaning on the second surface toward the housing side with the upper side of the paper feeding port being opened. A cover supported by the housing above the paper feed port so as to be swingable, and protruding from the first surface of the cover, and the cover is slidably contacted with the sheet in the forward tilted position and the standby position And a guide portion for guiding the paper. By providing the image forming apparatus with a cover that covers the upper side of the paper feed port, foreign matter and dust can be prevented from entering the paper feed port. The upper part of the paper feed port is opened and the cover can be swung to a position leaning against the housing. Further, a guide part such as a rib is projected on the back side of the surface leaning against the housing of the cover, and the cover is made into the housing. With the cover leaning forward, that is, with the cover tilted forward on the front side where the operation panel is provided, the paper is guided to the standby position where the paper retaining means is positioned by sliding the paper against the guide portion. By doing so, it becomes easy to stack the sheets at the standby position for sheet feeding.
In this specification, the part of the casing on the side where the operation panel is provided is referred to as a front part, and the part opposite to the front part of the casing is referred to as a rear part.

In order to achieve the above object, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the cover supports the first surface of the sheet with the first surface of the cover when in the forward inclined posture, and from the forward inclined posture. When swinging to the rearward tilting posture, the paper holding means supports the second surface of the paper and the paper feeding means holds the paper bundle on the first surface of the cover in a standby posture that can be supplied to the engine unit. It is characterized by pushing down. The paper can be supported by a cover leaning against the housing, that is, a cover tilted forward to the front side where the operation panel is provided. By adopting a configuration that allows the paper to be pushed down in the posture, it is easy to move the paper to the standby posture for paper feeding after the paper is loaded in the standby position, and to tilt the paper feed port cover back to the tilted posture. Become.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an image input / output device 10 as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
The printer housing 36 as a casing described in the claims is formed in a box shape having an open top, and is located below the scanner housing 34 as a casing described in the claims. The print head 58 can be exposed from the opening of the printer housing 36 by swinging the scanner housing 34 upward.
The paper feed port 82 is formed in the rear part of the printer housing 36.

The engine unit described in the claims includes a print head 58, a platen 64, a paper feed roller 68, a paper discharge roller 60, and the like.
The print head 58 includes, for example, a nozzle that ejects ink, a piezo element, an ink passage, and the like, and fixes ink droplets on a sheet by an inkjet method. The ink cartridge 74 is detachably fixed to the print head 58. The ink cartridge 74 is a container in which ink of each color is stored. The ink stored in the ink cartridge 74 is supplied to the nozzles of the print head 58 through the ink passage. The print head 58 is slidably fitted to the guide rod 76. The print head 58 is locked to the belt 70. The print head 58 reciprocates in the axial direction of the guide rod 76 as the belt 70 driven by a motor (not shown) rotates.
The platen 64 is provided below the print head 58. The longitudinal axis of the platen 64 and the central axis of the guide rod 76 are parallel. The upper surface of the platen 64 is in sliding contact with the printing paper, and the printing paper is positioned at a position slightly away from the printing head 58.

  A sheet feeding plate 16 as a sheet feeding unit is provided behind the sheet feeding port 82. The sheet feeding plate 16 is a plate-like member in which a swing shaft 160 provided at the upper end is supported by the printer housing 36. A positioning portion 24 for positioning one end portion of the sheet in the width direction protrudes from one end portion in the width direction of the front surface of the sheet feeding plate 16. As shown in FIG. 1, a slider 12 for positioning the other end of the sheet in the width direction is provided at the other end in the width direction of the sheet feeding plate 16 so as to be slidable in the width direction of the sheet. By sliding the slider 12 in the paper width direction, the distance between the end surface 14 of the slider 12 and the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 can be set. The sheet bundle 46 is positioned at the standby position in the width direction by the end surface 14 of the slider 12 and the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24.

The support portion 88 as the paper holding means described in the claims is formed integrally with the printer housing 36 below the paper feed plate 16. When the lower end of the sheet bundle 46 is supported by the support unit 88, the sheet bundle 46 is positioned at the standby position in the length direction.
The paper support plate 18 as the paper holding means described in the claims is provided above the back side of the paper feed plate 16. The paper support plate 18 maintains the sheet bundle 46 in a standby posture by supporting the back surface of the sheet bundle 46 whose lower end is supported by the support portion 88. Note that the back surface of the sheet or sheet bundle 46 is a surface on the back side when viewed from the front of the printer housing 36. The sheet feeding plate 16 swings with the rotation of a motor (not shown), and pushes the lower end of the sheet bundle 46 supported by the support unit 88 toward the sheet feeding port, thereby inserting the sheet into the sheet feeding port 82. At this time, if the sheet bundle 46 is not maintained in the standby posture, a paper jam or the like is likely to occur.

  A paper feed roller 80 as a paper feed unit is provided in the vicinity of the paper feed port 82 and is rotated at the same peripheral speed as the paper feed roller 68 and the paper discharge roller 60 by a roller driving unit. The paper that has entered the printer housing 36 from the paper feed port 82 is conveyed between the paper feed roller 68 and the first driven roller 66 by the paper feed roller 80, and the platen 64 by the paper feed roller 68 and the first driven roller 66. And the print head 58. The paper discharge roller 60 and the second driven roller 62 draw the paper from between the platen 64 and the print head 58 and discharge the paper to the paper discharge port 56. The paper discharged from the paper discharge port 56 is stacked on the upper surface of the stacker 54 that is swingably supported by the printer housing 36.

  The sheet feeding port cover 28 as a cover described in the claims is a plate-like member provided with a swing shaft 284 at one end. The swing shaft 284 of the paper feed port cover 28 is supported by the printer housing 36 above the paper feed port 82. The paper feed port cover 28 is provided so as to be swingable from the backward tilt position shown in FIG. 2 to the forward tilt position shown in FIG. 3. The sheet feeding port cover 28 maintains a rearward inclined posture by leaning against the printer housing 36 with a back surface 280 as a first surface described in the claims. The sheet feeding port cover 28 maintains a forward inclined posture by leaning against the scanner housing 34 with a front surface 282 as a second surface described in the claims. When the paper feed port cover 28 is in the backward inclined posture, a predetermined gap for placing the paper bundle 46 is formed between the back surface 280 of the paper feed port cover 28 and the paper support plate 18.

  4 and 5 are plan views of the image input / output device 10 as viewed from directly above. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet feeding port cover 28 in the rearward tilted position covers the sheet feeding port cover 28 and the sheet feeding plate 16 with the back surface 280 to prevent foreign matters and dust from entering the sheet feeding port 82. When the paper feed port cover 28 is tilted forward, the upper portions of the paper feed port cover 28 and the paper feed plate 16 are opened, as shown in FIG. A mark 286 that points to the inner end surface of the rib 26 is formed on the back surface 280 of the paper feed port cover 28. The mark 286 guides the user that the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26 can be used for alignment in the width direction of the sheet bundle.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image input / output device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front and obliquely above.
The ribs 26 as the guide portions described in the claims are formed on the back surface 280 of the paper feed port cover 28. The ribs 26 are thin plate-like portions that project at right angles to the back surface 280 of the paper feed port cover 28. The inner end surface 260 of the rib 26 is a flat surface on the extension of the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 of the sheet feeding plate 16. The position and protrusion height of the ribs 26 are set so that the ribs 26 can be seen from the diagonally upper front of the image input / output device 10 with the paper feed port cover 28 tilted forward. As the rib 26 is on the upper end side of the paper feed port cover 28 and the height at which the rib 26 protrudes from the back surface of the paper feed port cover 28 is higher, the rib 26 is moved from a lower position in front of the image input / output device 10. It becomes possible to visually check. Further, the ribs 26 are spaced inward from the end in the width direction of the paper feed port cover 28 so that the paper feed port cover 28 can be easily grasped even when the sheet bundle 46 is placed on the paper feed port cover 28. Is formed.

  The operation panel 44 is provided at the front portion of the printer housing 36. The operation panel 44 is provided with a liquid crystal panel 42, a plurality of push button switches 40, and the like. A setting menu, an operation menu, and the like are displayed on the liquid crystal panel 42. By operating the menu with the push button switch 40, the user requests the image input / output device 10 for various processes such as copying and printing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the scanner housing 34 as a housing described in the claims is formed in a box shape having an upper opening, and is connected to the printer housing 36 so as to be swingable by a hinge (not shown). The document table 50 is a transparent glass plate that closes an opening formed in the upper portion of the scanner housing 34, and is fixed to the scanner housing 34. A document is placed on the surface of the document table 50.

The document cover 32 is swingably connected to the scanner housing 34. A document mat 52 for pressing the document against the document table 50 is fixed to the document cover 32.
The carriage 48 is formed in a box shape and is accommodated in the scanner housing 34. The carriage 48 is slidably supported by a rod-shaped carriage guide 90 fixed to the scanner housing 34. The carriage 48 is locked to a belt 92 that is driven by a motor (not shown). The carriage 48 reciprocates in the axial direction of the carriage guide 90 as the belt 92 rotates.

  Inside the carriage 48, a scanning circuit board (not shown) on which a linear image sensor is mounted, a lens, a mirror, and a light source are mounted. The light source irradiates the vicinity of the scanning line of the original, and the mirror and the lens form a reflected light image on the irradiated scanning line of the original on the light receiving surface of the linear image sensor. The linear image sensor is mounted on the scanning circuit board in a posture in which light receiving elements of RGB colors are arranged in a straight line. The linear image sensor outputs an electrical signal that correlates with the density of the optical image formed on the light receiving surface.

The configuration of the image input / output device 10 has been described above. Next, an operation of stacking the sheet bundle 46 at the standby position from the operation panel 44 side of the image input / output device 10 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed port cover 28 is tilted forward and leaned against the scanner housing 34, so that the paper feed port cover 28 is tilted forward. When the paper feed port cover 28 is in the forward tilted posture, an operator who is viewing the image input / output device 10 from an obliquely upper side on the operation panel 44 side can visually observe the ribs 26.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the operator places the sheet bundle 46 on the back surface 280 of the sheet feeding port cover 28 and brings the side surface of the sheet bundle into contact with the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26. As shown in FIG. 1, the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26 and the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 of the sheet feeding plate 16 are on the same plane, so that the sheet bundle 46 is fed while being in sliding contact with the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26. When lowered along the back surface 280 of the mouth cover 28, the side surface of the sheet bundle 46 is guided to a position where it contacts the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24. Therefore, by lowering the sheet bundle while sliding the sheet bundle 46 against the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26, the interval between the end surface 14 of the slider 12 and the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 is substantially equal to the width of the sheet bundle when the sheet is replenished. Even if it is set, it is easy to stack the sheet bundle at the standby position between the slider 12 and the positioning unit 24.

  When the sheet bundle 46 is placed on the back surface 280 of the sheet feeding port cover 28 in the forward tilted position, the sheet bundle is fed even if the image input / output device 10 is installed at a position where the operator cannot see the rib 26. The side surface of the sheet bundle can be brought into contact with the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26 by being placed on the back surface 280 of the mouth cover 28 and moving in the width direction. Therefore, even if the image input / output device is installed at a position where the operator cannot see the rib 26, it is easy to load sheets at the standby position between the slider 12 and the positioning unit 24.

When the operator lowers the sheet bundle while making sliding contact with the inner end surface 260 of the rib 26, the lower end of the sheet bundle 46 comes into contact with the support portion 88 as shown in FIG. When the lower end of the sheet bundle 46 comes into contact with the support portion 88, the sheet bundle 46 is positioned in the length direction.
Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the operator swings the sheet feeding port cover 28 from the forward leaning posture to the backward leaning posture. Then, the sheet bundle 46 is pushed by the back surface 280 of the sheet feeding port cover 28 and falls to a standby posture leaning on the sheet support plate 18. As described above, since the rib 26 is formed slightly inside the outer edge of the paper feed port cover 28, the outer edge portion of the paper feed port cover 28 is outside the side surface of the sheet bundle 46. For this reason, it is easy to hold down the sheet bundle 46 to the standby position with the paper supply port cover 28.

  When the paper feed port cover 28 is in the backward tilted position, foreign matter and dust can be prevented from entering the paper feed port 82. For example, when the document cover 32 is opened upward with a stationery such as a clip placed on the upper surface of the document cover 32, the stationery such as a clip falls rearward along the upper surface of the document cover 32. Then, a stationery such as a clip falls on the front surface of the paper feed port cover 28 and falls forward along the front surface of the paper feed port cover 28. A stationery such as a clip that has dropped forward along the front surface of the paper feed port cover 28 falls into a recess 84 formed in the outer wall of the printer housing 36, and therefore does not enter the inside of the printer housing 36.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the ribs 26 for guiding the sheet bundle 46 to the standby position for feeding paper are formed on the back surface 280 of the sheet feed port cover 28. It becomes easy to load 46. Further, since the sheet stack 46 can be moved to the standby position at the same time as the sheet feeding port cover 28 is moved to a position capable of preventing foreign matters from being mixed, these operations are easy.

The inner end surface 260 of the rib 26 may be a flat surface that is not parallel to the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 of the sheet feeding plate 16 or a curved surface. Specifically, for example, the inner end surface of the rib may be inclined inward from the upper side to the lower side, and the lower end portion of the inner end surface of the rib may be on the extension of the end surface 20 of the positioning portion 24 of the sheet feeding plate 16.
Further, the shape of the means for guiding the sheet to the standby position is not limited to the rib. For example, the end of the sheet feeding port cover 28 is bent in the sub-scanning direction to provide a step surface, and the sheet is guided by the step surface. May be. Further, the means for guiding the paper to the standby position may be a component separate from the paper feed port cover, for example, a component fixed to the paper feed port cover with a screw, an adhesive, or the like. In the case where the apparatus is limited to one type of usable paper, means for guiding the paper to the standby position may be provided on both sides in the paper width direction.

  Further, although the embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an image input / output device having a printing function and an image reading function has been described, the present invention is also applied to other image forming apparatuses such as a single-function image scanner, printer, and facsimile. it can. Specifically, for example, a cover that covers the paper feed port may be provided in the automatic paper feed unit of the image scanner, and a portion for guiding the paper to the standby position may be formed on the cover.

(A) is a perspective view which concerns on one Example of this invention, (B) is the elements on larger scale. Sectional drawing which concerns on one Example of this invention. Sectional drawing which concerns on one Example of this invention. The top view which concerns on one Example of this invention. The top view which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image input / output device, 16 Paper feed plate (paper feed means), 18 Paper support plate (paper retention means), 26 Rib (guide part), 28 Paper feed port cover (cover), 34 Scanner housing (housing), 36 Printer housing (housing), 44 Operation panel 46 Paper bundle, 58 Print head (engine part), 82 Paper feed port, 88 Support part (paper holding means)

Claims (3)

A housing having an operation panel at the front and a paper feed opening at the rear;
An engine unit housed in the housing to form an image;
A paper retaining means provided at a rear portion of the housing and positioned in the width direction to hold the paper in a standby position;
A paper feeding means for feeding the paper held in the standby position by the paper retaining means to the engine unit through the paper feeding port;
The sheet feeding port is swingable from a backward tilting posture in which the upper side of the sheet feeding port is covered with a first surface to a forward tilting posture in which the upper side of the sheet feeding port is opened and leans on the second surface toward the housing side. A cover supported by the housing above
A guide portion that protrudes from the first surface of the cover, and that guides the paper to the standby position by sliding the cover in a forward tilted position on the paper;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The cover is
Supporting the first surface of the paper with the first surface of the cover when in the forward inclined posture;
When swinging from the forward tilting posture to the rearward tilting posture, the second surface of the sheet is supported by the paper retaining means, and the first position of the cover is set to a standby posture that can be supplied to the engine unit by the paper feeding means. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet bundle is pushed down by the surface.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is a rib formed integrally with the cover.

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