JP4349025B2 - Image forming apparatus and developing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic apparatus that includes a photosensitive drum, a transfer member, a developing machine, and the like to form an image , and a developing apparatus .

  2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses that record in color on a recording medium, such as printers, facsimiles, and copiers, are widely used. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive drums, a transfer member, a developing machine, and the like, and these are usually unitized.

  The rotating shaft unit is mounted in the image forming apparatus in a state where the rotating roll is directed in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the front and back surfaces of the image forming apparatus (for example, patents). Reference 1). Note that the unit longitudinal direction is often the same as the rotation axis direction of a rotating roll constituting a photosensitive drum, a transfer member, a developing machine, and the like.

  By the way, the guide for guiding the unit into the image forming apparatus is provided along the vertical direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the rotary roll, and the unit is inserted into the apparatus from above and attached. ing. The units guided by this guide are generally mounted side by side in the same direction.

  However, in recent years, there has been a configuration in which a scanner or the like is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus, and there is a strong demand for inserting and mounting the unit from the horizontal direction (lateral direction) in order to reduce the size of the apparatus. It was.

However, when mounting from the horizontal direction, the above guide cannot be used. On the other hand, when it is mounted without using a guide, it is not easy to mount and it takes time to mount.
Japanese Patent Application No. 5-19542

In view of the above-described facts, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and a developing device that achieve both the downsizing of the apparatus and the ease of mounting a plurality of units.

  The inventor has studied a structure in which a unit is inserted in the horizontal direction from the side of the image forming apparatus. However, the structure of the image forming apparatus is complicated, and it is necessary to provide a mounting member and a mounting jig for the unit, which increases the number of parts. Moreover, it was not easy to guide.

  Accordingly, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventor has a structure in which the unit is mounted from the direction along the rotary roll provided in the unit, thereby simplifying the structure of the image forming apparatus and reducing the size of the apparatus. And the present invention has been completed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus to which a plurality of units each having a rotating roll are mounted, the guide means for guiding the plurality of units from the direction along the axial direction of the rotating roll to the mounting position. The guide means is provided with a rail that is provided in a housing of the unit to form a guide groove, and a guide rib that protrudes from the housing and slides in the guide groove of the adjacent unit. A second rib that is provided in the middle of the rail, extends from an outer wall of the rail in a direction intersecting the rail, and prevents the rib from moving when the rib is positioned outside the rail. It is characterized by having .

  The units are, for example, a developing unit, a drum unit, and a transfer unit, and are not particularly limited as long as they are a plurality of units provided in the image forming apparatus.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the guide means is provided without providing the unit mounting member and the mounting jig. Therefore, when mounting a plurality of units, the unit can be easily mounted from the direction along the rotary roll provided in the unit, and both the downsizing of the image forming apparatus and the easy mounting of the unit can be achieved. Can be achieved.

In addition, since the guide means is provided in the unit, it is not necessary to provide a guide in the image forming apparatus main body, and it is easy to reduce the number of parts.

And the structure of a guide means can be simplified. Further, since the guide groove and the guide plate are provided in the casing of the unit, the distance between the units can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus can be further downsized.

Further, since the guide groove in which the rib slides is formed by the rail , the guide groove can be easily formed, and the image forming apparatus can be made compact and low in cost.

At least one second rib extending from the outer wall of the rail in a direction intersecting with the rail is provided in the middle of the rail. When the rib is positioned outside the rail, the second rib moves. Is blocked.
Accordingly, when the developing device is inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, if the rib is out of the guide groove, that is, if the rib is positioned outside the rail, the movement of the rib is blocked by the second rib , and the rib It is possible for the inserter to reliably recognize that is out of the guide groove.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that a plurality of the second ribs are provided at equal intervals.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the units are arranged in a vertical direction. Thereby, it is possible to make it difficult to remove the rib from the guide groove by utilizing the weight of the unit, and it is possible to further improve the ease of mounting the unit.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the guide groove is provided on the upper side of the housing, the rib is provided on the lower side of the housing, and the rib of the lowermost unit among the units is provided. A guide groove for guiding is formed in the main body of the image forming apparatus. Thereby, since it is easy to guide a rib with a guide groove, a unit can be attached easily. Further, the lowermost unit can be easily mounted with a simple mechanism.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the rib is detached from the guide groove when the unit is mounted at the mounting position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the units from interfering with each other after mounting.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an inclined groove portion whose groove height gradually increases toward the guide groove end is formed at the end portion in the mounting direction of the guide groove, and the rib is inclined. By riding on the groove, the back side of the unit in the mounting direction is lifted, and when the rib passes through the terminal part and comes off the guide groove, the back side of the unit in the mounting direction falls and the gear provided in the unit is imaged. It is characterized by meshing with a gear provided in the forming apparatus main body from above.

  Thus, at the same time as the mounting of the developing device is completed, the gear provided in the developing device and the gear provided in the image forming apparatus main body can be automatically engaged with each other.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the positions of the rail and the rib are different for each unit. Thereby, when it is necessary to set the mounting positions of a plurality of units to the respective setting positions, it is possible to reliably prevent the units from being mounted other than the setting positions.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the unit is a developing device. Thus, the developing device can be unitized and easily mounted in a short time.

In the first to eighth aspects, the guide means is provided with a guide groove and a rib. However, the guide means is not particularly limited to this. For example, one guide is provided so as not to form the guide groove. A rail may be provided, and the rib shape may be a shape guided by the guide rail.

The invention according to claim 9 is a unit-shaped developing device that has a rotating roll and is engaged with each other to be mounted on the image forming apparatus, and the adjacent developing devices are arranged along the axial direction of the rotating roll. Guide means for guiding from the direction to the mounting position is provided, and the guide means is provided on the developing device casing to form a guide groove, and the developing device casing protrudes from the adjacent developing device. At least one guide rib that slides in the guide groove and provided in the middle of the rail, extends from the outer wall of the rail in a direction intersecting the rail, and the rib is positioned outside the rail. And a second rib for preventing movement of the rib.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, when the rib is removed from the guide groove when mounted by being inserted into the image forming apparatus along the rail, the second rib comes into contact with the second rib. Stops the insertion operation.

Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, it is possible to realize an image forming apparatus and a developing device in which both downsizing of the apparatus and easy mounting of a plurality of units are achieved.

  Hereinafter, a printer will be described as an embodiment, and an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[First Embodiment]
First, the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 1 according to the first embodiment is a tandem type full-color printer. The printer main body 1M of the printer 1 is roughly divided into a print head device (Print Head Device) 2 that performs full-color image formation, four photosensitive drums (image carriers) 11 of the print head device 2, Four toner boxes 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K that supply toner corresponding to ROS3 that performs image exposure on 12, 13, and 14, and developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 of each color of the printhead device 2 A paper feed cassette 5 for supplying transfer paper P as a transfer material to the print head device 2, a fixing device 6 for performing a fixing process on the transfer paper P on which the toner image is transferred from the print head device 2, and The transfer paper P on which the image is fixed on one side by the fixing device 6 is conveyed again to the transfer portion of the print head device 2 with the front and back sides reversed. Double-sided conveyance path 7, manual feed unit 8 for feeding desired transfer paper P from the outside of printer main body 1M, control circuit for controlling the operation of the printer, and image processing for performing image processing on image signals A controller 9 composed of a circuit and the like, and an electric circuit 10 composed of a high-voltage power supply circuit and the like are provided. In FIG. 1, T denotes a discharge tray for discharging the transfer paper P on which an image is formed, and this discharge tray T is integrally disposed on the upper portion of the printer main body 1M.

  Of the various members arranged inside the printer main body 1M, the ROS 3 as an exposure device converts image data corresponding to each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C). It is composed of four semiconductor lasers that are driven to turn on based on this, an fθ lens for deflecting and scanning four laser beams emitted from these four semiconductor lasers, a polygon mirror, or a plurality of reflection mirrors. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the print head device 2 includes image forming units 15, 16, 17, and 18 each having the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14, and the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14. 14 is a laser beam based on image data corresponding to each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C). ROS3 that irradiates 31, 32, 33, and 34, respectively, and electrostatic latent images formed on the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14, are converted into yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), Developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44 for developing with cyan (C) toner, and a first primary intermediate transfer drum (image carrier) as an intermediate transfer member in contact with the two photosensitive drums 11, 12 ) 51 and a second primary intermediate transfer drum 52 in contact with the other two photosensitive drums 13 and 14, and an intermediate transfer member in contact with the first and second primary intermediate transfer drums 51 and 52. A secondary intermediate transfer drum (image carrier) 53 and a final transfer roll (transfer electric field applying rotator) 60 in contact with the secondary intermediate transfer drum 53 constitute the main part.

  The photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 are arranged at a predetermined interval so as to have a common tangential plane M. Further, the first primary intermediate transfer drum 51 and the second primary intermediate transfer drum 52 are surfaces whose rotational axes are parallel to the axes of the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 and have predetermined symmetry planes as boundaries. They are arranged in a symmetrical relationship. Further, the secondary intermediate transfer drum 53 is arranged so that the rotation axis thereof is parallel to the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14.

  A signal corresponding to the image information for each color is rasterized by an image processing circuit disposed in the electric circuit 10 (see FIG. 1) and input to the ROS 3. In this ROS3, the laser beams 31, 32, 33, and 34 corresponding to the image data of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C) are modulated, and the corresponding color photoconductors. The drum is irradiated.

  An image forming process of each color is performed around the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 by a known electrophotographic method.

  After that, the surface of the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 corresponds to image data of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C) by ROS3 as an exposure device. Laser beams 31, 32, 33, and 34 are respectively irradiated to form electrostatic latent images corresponding to input image information for each color. When the electrostatic latent image is written by the ROS 3, the surface potential of the image exposure portion of the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 is neutralized to about −100V or less.

  In addition, the electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image data of yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C) formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14 are Are developed by the developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44, and yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C) are respectively formed on the photosensitive drums 11, 12, 13, and 14. ) Are visualized as toner images of respective colors.

  In the present embodiment, the magnetic brush contact type two-component development method is adopted as the developing devices 41 to 44, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this development method, and a non-contact type development method. The present invention can be applied to the above.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the developing devices 41 to 44 includes yellow (Y), magenta (M), black (K), and cyan (C) toners having different colors, and a developer composed of a carrier. Is filled. In the developing devices 41 to 44, when the developer containing toner is supplied from the corresponding color toner boxes 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K (see FIG. 1), the supplied developer is supplied to the augers 401 and 402. The developer in the apparatus is sufficiently agitated and frictionally charged. Inside the developing roll 403 as a developer carrying member, a plurality of magnetic poles and a magnet roll (not shown) arranged at a predetermined angle are fixed. The amount of developer conveyed to the vicinity of the surface of the developing roll 403 is regulated by the developer amount regulating member 404 by the auger 402 that conveys the developer to the developing roll 403.

  The toner supplied onto the developing roll 403 is in the form of a magnetic brush composed of a carrier and toner by the magnetic force of the magnet roll, and this magnetic brush is in contact with the photosensitive drums 11 to 14. A developing bias voltage of AC + DC is applied to the developing roll 403 to develop the toner on the developing roll 403 into an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drums 11 to 14, thereby forming a toner image. In this embodiment, for example, the AC component of the development bias voltage is set to 4 kHz, 1.6 kVpp, and the DC component is set to about −300 V.

[Developer]
The developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 include a plurality of rotating rolls such as the augers 401 and 402 and the developing roll 403 in the same direction, and are unitized as parts elongated in the axial direction of the rotating roll. . The developing devices 41 to 44 are inserted and mounted from the front side of the printer main body 1M in the rotation axis direction of the rotary roll, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the developing device (FIGS. 6 and 9). reference).

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 8, a rail 55 is formed on the upper side of each developing device to form a guide groove 54 that guides the developing device disposed immediately above to the mounting position. . Further, a rib 56 projects from the lower side of each developing device, and the leading end of the rib 56 is inserted into the guide groove 54 so that the rib 56 is guided. The shape and position of the rail 55, the guide groove 54, and the rib 56 are all the same in the four developing devices 41 to 44.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the end portion 54I in the mounting direction of the guide groove 54 is formed with an inclined groove portion 58 that guides the rib 56 while smoothly inclining so that the height position of the rail bottom increases. The rib 56 rides on the inclined groove 58 and the developing device is lifted. The rib 56 is plate-shaped and has a corner 56E on the front end side cut so that the rib 56 is easy to ride on the inclined groove 58.

  The height position of the rear side portion 57I of the guide groove 54 with respect to the end portion 54I is determined by the housing 57 of each developing device, and is lower than the end portion 54I in any developing device. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, for example, when the developing device 43 is completely attached, the rib 56 is detached from the terminal end portion 54I, and the developing device 43 is attached to the rear end portion 43I in the mounting direction. The gear 43G that is dropped by its own weight and provided at the rear end 43I in the mounting direction meshes with the gear 1G provided in the printer main body 1M from above. The developing devices 41, 42 and 44 are similarly mounted so that the gears mesh with each other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inlet side end portion 54 </ b> E of the guide groove 54 is wide so that the rib 56 can be easily inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the printer body 1M is provided with a rail 55M for forming a guide groove 54M that guides the developing device 44 arranged at the lowest level to the mounting position. The guide groove 54M and the rail 55M have the same shape and relative position to the developing device 44 as the rail 55 provided in the developing devices 41 to 44. An inclined groove portion 58M having the same shape as the inclined groove portion 58 is formed in the end portion 54MI in the mounting direction of the rail 55M, and the height position of the back side portion 1MI is similarly lowered from the end portion 54MI.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the housing 57 of each developing device includes a plurality of rib members 59 extending from the outer wall of the rail 55 in the direction orthogonal to the rail 55 in the middle of the rail 55 at substantially equal intervals. ing. The rib member extends in the same manner for the rail 55M. Accordingly, the strength of the rails 55 and 55M is improved, and when the developing device is mounted, if the rib 56 is detached from the guide grooves 54 and 54M, the rib 56 is a rib member when the developing device is inserted into the printer main body 1M. 59, the insertion operation is stopped. Accordingly, when assembling the printer 1 or replacing the developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44 for maintenance, an assembler, a serviceman, a user, or the like confirms that the rib 56 is not positioned on the rail 55. It can be easily recognized.

  In order to attach the developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44 to the printer main body 1M, first, positioning members 61, 62, 63, 64 for positioning the developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44, respectively (see FIGS. 6 and 7). ) Is previously attached to the printer main body 1M.

  Next, the mounting direction rear end 44I of the developing device 44 arranged at the lowermost stage is brought close to the insertion port on the front side of the printer main body 1M. Then, a rib 56 is placed on the inlet side end of the guide groove 54M formed in the printer main body 1M, and the developing device 44 is mounted on the printer main body 1M while guiding the rib 56 to the rail 55.

  Further, the mounting direction rear end 43I of the developing device 43 disposed immediately above the developing device 44 is brought close to the insertion port on the front side of the printer main body 1M. Then, the rib 56 of the developing device 43 is placed on the inlet side end portion 54E of the guide groove 54 formed in the developing device 44, and the developing device 43 is mounted on the printer main body 1M while guiding the rib 56 to the guide groove 54.

  Similarly, the developing devices 42 and 41 are sequentially mounted (see FIG. 9).

  As described above, according to this embodiment, the developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44 mounted on the printer 1 all have the guide grooves 54 for guiding the developing device disposed immediately above the auger 54. Ribs 56 provided on the upper side of the casing 57 along the axial direction of rotating rolls such as 401 and 402 and the developing roll 403 are provided on the lower side of the casing 57 and inserted into the guide grooves 54 and the guide grooves 54M. ing. The developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction (vertical direction) in the same direction.

  Thus, when the developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 are mounted on the printer main body 1M, the rear end portion (longitudinal front end portion) of the developing device is inserted and mounted from the front side of the printer main body 1M. Can do. Further, the rib 56 can be inserted in a state in which it is difficult to be removed from the guide grooves 54 and 54M by utilizing the weight of the developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44.

  Note that the positions of the rail 55 and the rib 56 may be different from each other by the developing devices 41, 42, 43, 44. As a result, when it is necessary to set the vertical mounting positions of the developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 in advance, it is certain that the developing devices 41, 42, 43, and 44 are mounted in addition to this position. To be prevented.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the shape of ribs protruding below the developing devices. That is, the rib 66 projecting from the lower side of each developing device protrudes downward from a lower portion of the rib main body 66M and is inserted into the rail 55, and the rib main body 66M. A reinforcing portion 66F that reinforces the rib main body 66M continuously to the side portion and the bottom portion of the housing 57 is configured.

  Thereby, the rib 66 can be made difficult to break.

  In addition, you may provide the protrusion (not shown) which mounts the reinforcement part 66F in each terminal part 54I and 54MI of the guide grooves 54 and 54M. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide the inclined groove portions 58 and 58M described in the first embodiment.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, these embodiments) are merely examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

1 is a front sectional view illustrating a configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a portion that is developed by irradiating a photosensitive drum with laser light from a ROS in the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a developing device mounted on the printer according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a developing device mounted on the printer according to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, (A) is a state where a rib rides on an inclined groove portion of a guide groove, (B) is a state where the rib rides on the inclined groove portion, and (C) is a state where the rib passes through the inclined groove portion and comes off the rail. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing that the developing device is attached to the printer main body in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view for explaining that the developing device is configured to be easily attached to the printer main body in the first embodiment. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing that the developing device is attached to the printer main body in the first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the rib of the developing device with which the printer which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is mounted | worn.

1 Printer (image forming device)
1G Gear 1M Printer body (image forming device body)
41 developing device 42 developing device 43 developing device 43G gear 44 developing device 54 guide groove 54I end portion 54M guide groove 54MI end portion 55 rail 55M rail 56 rib 57 housing 58 inclined groove portion 59 rib member 66 rib 401 auger (rotating roll)
402 auger (rotary roll)
403 Development roll (rotating roll)

Claims (10)

In an image forming apparatus to which a plurality of units each having a rotating roll are mounted,
Guide means for guiding a plurality of the units from the direction along the axial direction of the rotary roll to the mounting position is provided ,
The guide means includes
A rail provided in the housing of the unit to form a guide groove;
A guide rib that protrudes from the housing and slides along the guide groove of the adjacent unit;
A second rib that is provided in the middle of the rail, extends from an outer wall of the rail in a direction intersecting the rail, and prevents the rib from moving when the rib is positioned outside the rail; ,
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second ribs are provided at equal intervals. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the units are arranged in a vertical direction. The guide groove is provided on the upper side of the casing, and the rib is provided on the lower side of the casing, respectively.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a guide groove for guiding the rib of the lowermost unit among the units is formed in the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the rib is detached from the guide groove when the unit is mounted at a mounting position. An inclined groove portion where the groove height gradually increases toward the end of the guide groove is formed at the end portion in the mounting direction of the guide groove, and
When the rib rides on the inclined groove, the back side in the mounting direction of the unit is lifted,
When the rib passes through the end portion and comes off the guide groove, the rear side in the mounting direction of the unit falls, and the gear provided in the unit meshes with the gear provided in the image forming apparatus main body from above. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the positions of the rail and the rib are different for each unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the unit is a developing device. A unit-type developing device having a rotating roll and engaging with each other and mounted on an image forming apparatus,
  Guide means for guiding an adjacent developing device from the direction along the axial direction of the rotary roll to the mounting position is provided,
  The guide means includes
  A rail provided in the developing device housing to form a guide groove;
  A guide rib protruding from the developing device casing and slidingly moving in the guide groove of the adjacent developing device;
  A second rib that is provided in the middle of the rail, extends from an outer wall of the rail in a direction intersecting the rail, and prevents the rib from moving when the rib is positioned outside the rail; ,
  A developing device comprising: The insertion operation is stopped when the rib is removed from the guide groove when the mounting is performed by inserting the image forming apparatus along the rail to the second rib. The developing device according to 9.

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