JP4462921B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a shutter member that protects a photosensitive drum.

 In the conventional image forming apparatus, when the photosensitive drum housing space is opened due to maintenance, paper jam, etc., the photosensitive drum is exposed, so that the surface may be damaged or soiled to deteriorate the printing performance. . For this reason, various studies have been made on an image forming apparatus including a shutter member that protects the photosensitive drum when the accommodation space of the photosensitive drum is opened.

  As this type of technology, in conjunction with the opening / closing cover of the device, the device is stored in a position that does not hinder the operation during use of the device, and the photosensitive drum is exposed by opening the opening / closing cover for maintenance etc. An image forming apparatus having a shutter member that moves so as to protect the photosensitive drum (for example, see Patent Document 1), and when the opening / closing cover is opened for maintenance or the like, not only the photosensitive drum is protected but also the opening / closing cover is closed. In this case, an image forming apparatus that can simplify the structure of the paper conveyance path near the photosensitive drum and reduce the number of parts of the apparatus by configuring a guide member for the paper conveyance path (see, for example, Patent Document 2) It has been known.

JP-A-2-272464 (page 1-3, FIG. 1-2)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-230197 (page 1-4, FIG. 1-4)

  However, in the image forming apparatus having the conventional shutter member, the shutter member can be closed so that the photosensitive drum is not exposed from the outside when the open / close cover is fully opened. In the middle of the process, the photosensitive drum is exposed from the gap between the image forming apparatus main body and the opening / closing cover. For this reason, there is a problem that the surface of the photosensitive drum is damaged when the paper is jammed and an attempt is made to remove the paper without completely opening the opening / closing cover, or when foreign matter is mixed in while the opening / closing cover is being opened. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an image forming apparatus having a shutter member that can protect the photosensitive drum from being exposed even during the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover. It is for the purpose.

A first characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is a photosensitive drum, an opening of a storage space for storing the photosensitive drum, and a swing that covers the opening and is parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum. a closing cover that opens and closes so as to draw a circular arc about the rotary shaft, when open the cover, wherein as the photosensitive drum along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum are closed not to expose the opening and closing A shutter member that closes in the same direction as the rotational direction in which the cover is opened; and a push-in member that closes the shutter member when in the first position and opens the shutter member when in the second position ; an image forming apparatus having the pushing member is reciprocally movable, the first is biased in a linear direction of extension so that posture, opposite to the pivot shaft of the cover An abutting portion is provided at the end of the opening, and the abutting portion abuts on the pushing member over a predetermined angle range from the closed position of the opening / closing cover to the opening direction, and exceeds the predetermined angle range. The pressing member is moved to the second posture in the linear compression direction by closing the opening / closing cover while the contact portion and the pressing member are in contact with each other. The shutter member is in an open state .

In other words, according to this configuration, the shutter member closes in the same direction as the opening / closing cover opens, so that a gap is generated between the image forming apparatus main body and the opening / closing cover when the opening / closing cover starts to open. Even so, the shutter member can be moved between the gap and the photosensitive drum. Therefore, the surface of the photosensitive drum may be damaged even when paper is jammed and an attempt is made to remove the paper without completely opening the open / close cover, or when foreign matter or the like is mixed while opening the open / close cover. Absent.
In addition, since the opening can be widened when the opening / closing cover is opened, maintenance work and the like are facilitated. Further, since the opening / closing cover and the operating mechanism of the shutter member are separated, the opening / closing cover can be easily replaced.

The second characteristic configuration of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is that the shutter member is opened before the pushing member reaches the second posture.

  That is, according to this configuration, in addition to the effects of the first and second characteristic configurations, since the position of the push-in member where the shutter member is in the open state is wide, the shutter member is used when manufacturing the image forming apparatus or during maintenance. Can be easily adjusted. Further, when using the image forming apparatus, the shutter member can be opened even when the opening / closing cover is completely closed when the paper is jammed and the paper is removed. Does not affect.

A copying machine as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the copying machine 1 according to this embodiment includes a photosensitive drum unit 2, an accommodation space 3, an opening 4, and an opening / closing cover 5. Other configurations of the copying machine 1 are the same as those of the conventional one.

  The housing space 3 is a space for housing the photosensitive drum unit 2, and is provided inside the side surface of the copying machine 1 in this embodiment. The opening 4 communicates with the storage space 3 from the outside of the copying machine 1 and is provided for removing the paper when the paper is jammed or for maintenance.

  The opening / closing cover 5 covers the opening 4 and blocks the photosensitive drum unit 2 from the outside. The lower end of the opening / closing cover 5 is attached to the copying machine 1 via a swinging shaft (not shown) parallel to the rotation shaft of the photosensitive drum 6 described later in FIG. It swings in a circular arc from the top to the bottom around the dynamic axis, and can be opened and closed. The opening / closing cover 5 attached to the copying machine 1 is not limited as long as its swing shaft is provided in parallel to the rotation shaft of the photosensitive drum 6. It can also be attached to the center so that it can be opened and closed from below to above.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the photosensitive drum unit 2 includes a photosensitive drum 6, a shutter member 7, and a pushing member 8. The photoconductive drum 6 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductive drum 6 by reflected light from the original, attaches reverse-charged toner to the surface of the photoconductive drum 6, and transfers the toner to a recording sheet. It is. The photosensitive drum 6 has a cylindrical shape, and is arranged so that the rotation axis is perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as the photoreceptor drum 6, A conventionally well-known thing is applicable.

  The shutter member 7 is for protecting the photosensitive drum 6 from being exposed when the opening / closing cover 5 is opened as shown in FIGS. When the photosensitive drum 6 is blocked from the outside by the opening / closing cover 5, the shutter member 7 is positioned above the photosensitive drum 6 and is in an open state as shown in FIG. At this time, the shutter member 7 may be a part of the guide member of the paper transport path. When the opening / closing cover 5 is opened, as shown in FIG. 5, the shutter member 7 moves in the same direction as the rotational direction in which the opening / closing cover 5 is opened from above the photosensitive drum 6 so that the photosensitive drum 6 is not exposed. Along the opening 4 and the photosensitive drum 6, and is configured to be in a closed state. In particular, with the above configuration, even when the opening / closing cover 5 is being opened / closed, the photosensitive drum 6 can be protected from being exposed from the gap between the opening / closing cover 5 and the opening.

The pushing member 8 controls the operation of the shutter member 7. When the pushing member 8 is in the position of the first posture as shown in FIG. 5, the shutter member 7 is closed, and the second member as shown in FIG. When in this position, the shutter member 7 is configured to be in an open state. The pushing member 8 is linearly reciprocable and is urged in the linear extension direction by a compression spring so as to be in the first posture, and the pushing member 8 is pushed in the linear compression direction to be in the second posture position. When the pressure is removed and the pressure is released, the position returns to the position of the first posture. In the present embodiment , a contact portion 9 is provided at an end of the opening / closing cover 5 opposite to the swinging shaft, and the contact portion 9 has a predetermined angular range from the closed position of the opening / closing cover 5 to the opening direction. It is configured to abut against the pushing member 8 over a predetermined distance and to be separated from the pushing member 8 when a predetermined angle range is exceeded. By abutting the abutting portion 9 and the tip of the pushing member 5, the pushing member 8 can be depressurized and pressed in accordance with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing cover 5. The urging means is not limited to a compression spring, and conventionally known urging means such as an elastic body such as a tension spring or rubber can be applied.

  The operation of the pushing member 8 is transmitted to the shutter member 7 through the guide member 10, the first link member 11, the second link member 12, the slider member 13, and the connecting member 14, as shown in FIGS. The guide member 10 operates integrally with the pushing member 8, has a groove portion 10 a in the upper portion, and is provided so as to be connected to the rear end of the pushing member 8. The first link member 11 is a plate-like member extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 6, and is engaged with and connected to the groove portion 10 a provided in the guide member 10, and the operation transmitted from the push-in member 8 is performed. Change the direction.

  The second link member 12 is for changing again the direction of the operation changed by the first link member 11. The second link member 12 has a substantially triangular shape, and is connected to the convex portion B of the drum unit so as to be rotatable about the convex portion B, and is disposed at both ends of the first link member 11. The second link member 12 is provided with three groove portions, which engage with the convex portions of the first link member 11, the slider 13, and the drum unit 6, respectively, and transmit the movement from the first link member 11 to the slider 13. It is. The slider 13 is a member that operates in the same direction as the pushing member 8, and the operation of the slider 13 is the opening / closing operation of the shutter member 7. The connecting member 14 is for connecting the slider 13 and the shutter member 7. In addition, the shape of the said member, a combination, etc. are an example, Comprising: It does not specifically limit, A conventionally well-known shape, a combination, etc. are applicable.

  The copying machine 1 of the present embodiment is configured as described above. Hereinafter, an example of the operation will be described with reference to FIG. The following description is an explanation of the opening / closing operation of the shutter member 7 when the opening / closing cover 5 is opened / closed in the copying machine 1, and the other operations are the same as those in the prior art.

  When the open / close cover 5 is closed, as shown in FIG. 8A, the shutter member 7 is in an open state and is located above the photosensitive drum 6. In this state, the pushing member 8 is in the second posture and is in contact with the contact portion 9 of the opening / closing cover 5. When the opening / closing cover 5 starts to be opened from this state as shown in FIG. 8B, the pushing member 8 starts to move to the position of the first posture while being in contact with the contact portion 9 of the opening / closing cover 5. . Accordingly, the shutter member 7 starts to move between the opening 4 and the photosensitive drum 6.

  When the pushing member 8 moves to the position of the first posture, the guide member 10 connected to the pushing member 8 starts to move in the same direction as the pushing member 8. Accordingly, the first link member 11 engaged with the groove portion 10a of the guide member 10 moves along the groove portion 10a in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8B perpendicular to the operation direction of the pushing member 8. The operation of the first link member 11 is transmitted to the second link member 12 through a convex portion provided on the first link member 11 that engages with the groove portion of the second link member 12, and the second link member 12 transmits B to the second link member 12. Rotate to fulcrum. The operation of the second link member 12 is further transmitted to the slider 13 through the convex portion of the slider 13 that engages with the groove portion of the second link member 12, and the slider 13 operates in the same direction as the operation direction of the pushing member 8. The shutter member 7 is closed through the connecting member 14 by the operation of the slider 13. Further, when closing the open / close cover 5, the shutter member 7 is opened by following the above operation in the opposite direction.

  In the present embodiment, what should be particularly noted is the shape of the groove 10 a of the guide member 10. That is, a portion A having a shape parallel to the operation direction is provided in the groove portion 10 a of the pushing member 8. When the convex portion of the first link member 11 is located at this position, even if the pushing member 8 is operated, the operation is not transmitted to the shutter member 7. For this reason, the shutter member 7 can be opened before the pushing member 8 reaches the position of the second posture.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail, referring an accompanying drawing based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Furthermore, various other various, without deviating from the scope of the present invention. Can be modified or modified.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus having a photosensitive drum such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine.

1 is a diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a photosensitive drum unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a photosensitive drum unit of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The figure explaining the state where the opening / closing cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is closed The figure explaining the state in which the opening / closing cover of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is opened The figure explaining the structural member of the opening / closing operation | movement mechanism of the shutter member of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The figure explaining the structural member of the opening / closing operation | movement mechanism of the shutter member of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The figure explaining the opening / closing operation | movement mechanism of the shutter member of the image forming apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copy machine 2 Photosensitive drum unit 3 Accommodating space 4 Opening part 5 Opening / closing cover 6 Photosensitive drum 7 Shutter member 8 Pushing member

Claims (2)

A photosensitive drum;
An opening of a storage space for storing the photosensitive drum;
An open / close cover that covers the opening and opens and closes to draw an arc around a swing axis parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum;
When the opening / closing cover is opened, a shutter that is closed along the same direction as the rotation direction in which the opening / closing cover is opened so that the photosensitive drum is not exposed along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum. Members,
An image forming apparatus having a pushing member that closes the shutter member in a first posture and opens the shutter member in a second posture ;
The pushing member is linearly reciprocable and is biased in the linear extension direction so as to be in the first posture;
A contact portion is provided at an end of the opening / closing cover opposite to the swinging shaft, and the contact portion is pushed in over a predetermined angle range from a closing position of the opening / closing cover to an opening direction. Abutting on the member and configured to be separated from the pushing member when the predetermined angle range is exceeded;
An image forming apparatus that closes the opening / closing cover while abutting the abutting portion and the pushing member, thereby moving the pushing member to the second posture in the linear compression direction and opening the shutter member. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the shutter member is opened before the pushing member reaches the second posture.

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