JP4474199B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a duplex unit (reversing conveyance unit).

  In general, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on both sides of a sheet receives a sheet having an image formed on one side, inverts the sheet, and conveys the sheet again toward a transfer unit (reversing unit). Transport unit).

  Here, in the configuration provided with such a reversing conveyance unit, the entire apparatus becomes very compact, so that space saving can be realized, but the configuration of the paper conveyance path becomes complicated, so that a jam occurs. In addition to a high rate, there is a problem that it is difficult to remove the paper when a jam occurs.

Therefore, an image forming apparatus for improving the operation of removing the generated jammed paper is disclosed. In this image forming apparatus, when removing jammed paper generated in the paper conveyance path disposed in the paper conveyance unit, the reversing conveyance unit is swung, and then the opening / closing cover of the apparatus main body is opened, The sheet conveying path of the sheet conveying unit is opened. Further, when removing jammed paper generated in a paper conveyance path (hereinafter referred to as “reverse conveyance path”) disposed in the reverse conveyance unit, first, the reverse conveyance unit is swung from the image forming apparatus main body, Next, the inner frame member provided in the reverse conveyance unit is swung to open the reverse conveyance path (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-8-202095 (pages 4-5 and 4-5)

  However, in the conventional image forming apparatus, when the jam paper is removed, it is necessary to operate the reverse conveyance unit and the opening / closing cover (or the inner frame member) separately. There was a problem of increasing troublesomeness. In particular, when a jam occurs in the reversing conveyance path, the opening angle of the reversing conveyance path should be increased unless the inner frame is largely swung counterclockwise from the reversing conveyance unit swung clockwise. Therefore, there is a problem that a processing operation for securing a space for jam processing becomes very complicated.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an image that can easily remove jammed paper generated in each conveyance path in an image forming apparatus including a paper conveyance path and a reverse conveyance path. An object is to provide a forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an apparatus main body, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, and a paper feeding unit that is disposed upstream of the image forming unit and conveys the sheet toward the image forming unit. A paper unit disposed on the downstream side of the paper unit and the image forming unit. The paper is provided between the paper feeding unit and the paper discharging unit. A reversing conveyance path for conveying a sheet to an image forming unit by reversing a path, a sheet extending along a side surface of the apparatus main body, and having an image formed on one surface, and the apparatus main body An image comprising an opening / closing member pivotally supported, a paper conveyance path and a reverse conveyance path, and a paper conveyance guide member pivotally supported in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member. In the forming apparatus, in conjunction with the operation of opening the opening / closing member, the paper transport guide By wood is rotated, an open sheet conveying path and the inverting conveyance path at the same time, the closing member, during the rotation of the sheet conveyance guide member, the supporting member for supporting the sheet conveying guide member provided, The paper transport guide member is provided with a protruding portion that slides in contact with the support member when the paper transport guide member rotates .

The present invention also provides an apparatus main body, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a paper feeding unit that is disposed upstream of the image forming unit and conveys the sheet toward the image forming unit, and an image forming unit. A discharge portion that stores the discharged paper that is formed by the image forming portion and is formed by the image forming portion, a paper conveyance path provided between the paper supply portion and the discharge portion, and the apparatus main body And a reversing conveyance path for reversing the sheet on which the image is formed on one side and conveying the sheet to the image forming unit, and a shaft that is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body. In an image forming apparatus comprising: a supported opening / closing member; a sheet conveying path; and a reverse conveying path; and a sheet conveying guide member pivotally supported so as to be pivotable in conjunction with an opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member. The paper transport guide member rotates in conjunction with the opening / closing member opening operation. Accordingly, the sheet conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path are simultaneously opened, and the first lock member for locking the opening / closing member with respect to the apparatus main body and the second lock member for locking the sheet conveyance guide member with respect to the apparatus main body. And an unlocking member for releasing the locking state of the opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member, and the first and second locking members move in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member. Thus, the locked state of the opening / closing member and the sheet conveyance guide member is simultaneously released.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the first and second lock members are pivotally supported so as to be movable between the first lock member and the second lock member. In conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member, the first locking member rotates in the unlocking direction to release the locking state of the opening / closing member and the moving member is pressed by the first locking member. Thus, the locked state of the sheet transport guide member can be released by the second locking member rotating in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the movement of the moving member.

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member may be supported on different rotating shafts.
Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention can be a tandem color image forming apparatus.

  According to the present invention, the paper conveyance guide member is rotated in conjunction with the opening / closing member opening operation so that the paper conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path are simultaneously opened, so that jammed paper is processed. In this case, it is possible to simultaneously open the sheet conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path only by opening the opening / closing member. Accordingly, there is no need to separately operate the opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member, and as a result, operability when removing jammed paper is improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, the opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member are supported on different rotation shafts, so that the opening angle of the paper transport path and the reverse transport path can be increased, and as a result, jammed paper Can be easily removed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the opening / closing member is provided with a support member for supporting the paper transport guide member when the paper transport guide member is rotated. Therefore, even if the paper conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path are opened simultaneously, the reverse conveyance path is not closed by the weight of the paper conveyance guide member, and as a result, the open state of the reverse conveyance path can be secured. The jammed paper can be easily removed.

  Further, according to the present invention, the paper transport guide member is provided with the protruding portion that slides while being in contact with the support member when the paper transport guide member is rotated. Accordingly, the paper conveyance guide member can be further rotated around the rotation axis while being supported by the opening / closing member, and as a result, the paper conveyance guide member can be smoothly rotated. become.

  Further, according to the present invention, the first and second locking members move in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member, so that the locked state of the opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member is simultaneously released. It is configured. Accordingly, the first and second lock members can be simultaneously opened only by operating the lock release member, so that the lock release operation at the time of jam processing is facilitated.

  Further, according to the present invention, the first and second lock members are pivotally supported and include a moving member provided movably between the first lock member and the second lock member. When the first locking member rotates in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the releasing member, the locked state of the opening / closing member is released, and the moving member is pressed and moved by the first locking member. The paper transport guide member is unlocked by rotating the second lock member in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the movement of the member. Accordingly, the first and second lock members can be simultaneously opened with a simple configuration.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called vertical conveyance type image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus 1 is disposed below the box-shaped apparatus main body 2 and the apparatus main body 2. The sheet feeding unit 3, the image forming unit 4 disposed above the sheet feeding unit 3, the fixing unit 5 disposed on the upper left side of the image forming unit 4, and the apparatus main body 2 are disposed above. And a discharge unit 6.

  The paper feed unit 3 includes a paper feed cassette 7 in which the paper P is accommodated, and a pair of rolling rollers 11 a and 11 b for preventing double feeding of the paper P fed by rotation of the paper feed roller 8. Then, the paper P is sent from the paper feed cassette 7 to the paper transport unit 9 side. The sheet P is conveyed toward the image forming unit 4 by a sheet conveying path 10 provided between the sheet feeding unit 3 and the discharge unit 6 via the registration roller pairs 12a and 12b. It has become. The paper feed cassette 7 is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body 2.

  The image forming unit 4 forms a predetermined toner image on the paper P by an electrophotographic process. The image transfer unit 131 and a transfer belt onto which the toner image is transferred by the image transfer unit 131. 136 and a secondary transfer roller 137 for further transferring the toner image on the transfer belt 136 to the paper P conveyed from the paper feed cassette 7. The secondary transfer roller 137 is provided at a position immediately to the left of the image transfer unit 131.

  The image forming apparatus 1 in the present embodiment is a so-called tandem type color image forming apparatus, and the image transfer units 131 are sequentially arranged from the upstream side (the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 1) to the downstream side. A yellow unit 131Y, a magenta unit 131M, a cyan unit 131C, and a black unit 131K are provided. Each of these units 131Y, 131M, 131C, and 131K is positioned and attached to each device inside the apparatus main body 2 with a predetermined relative positional relationship.

  Each of the units 131Y, 131M, 131C, and 131K includes a photosensitive drum 132 as an example of an image end member that is pivotally supported in a predetermined direction (counterclockwise) at the center position, and each photosensitive member. A developing device 133 is provided on the right side of the drum 132 in FIG. Then, the toner is supplied from the developing device 133 to the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132 that rotates about the axis in the counterclockwise direction, whereby a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132. ing.

  Further, a cleaning device 20 is provided at the upper left position of each photosensitive drum 132 in FIG. 1 to remove the residual toner on the circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum 132 and clean it. A charging device is positioned below the cleaning device 20. 134 is provided. The peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132 cleaned by the cleaning device 20 is directed to the charger 134 for a new charging process.

  An exposure device 135 is provided immediately below the photosensitive drum 132. The exposure device 135 irradiates the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132 uniformly charged by the charger 134 with laser light based on image data input from an image reading device (not shown). An electrostatic latent image is formed on the peripheral surface of each photosensitive drum 132. By supplying toner from the toner container of the developing device 133 to the electrostatic latent image, a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132, and this toner image is transferred onto the paper P being conveyed by the transfer belt 136. It is transcribed.

  The transfer belt 136 is stretched between the driving roller 136a and the driven roller 136b so that the surface side is in contact with the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 132 at a position immediately above the units 131Y, 131M, 131C, and 131K. A primary transfer roller 136c is provided directly above each photosensitive drum 132 via a transfer belt 136. The transfer belt 136 is lifted from the photosensitive drum 132 by being pressed by the primary transfer roller 136c. Is to be prevented.

  The toner image formed on each photosensitive drum 132 at a predetermined time lag with the rotation of the transfer belt 136 driven by the driving roller 136a is rotated clockwise in the overcoating state by the primary transfer roller 136c. Is transferred to the surface of the transfer belt 136 that circulates around the surface. Next, the secondary transfer roller 137 and the driving roller are formed on the surface of the transfer belt 136 by the paper feeding unit 3 arranged on the upstream side of the image forming unit 4 (the lower side of the paper surface in FIG. 1). The sheet P is transferred to the sheet P conveyed between the sheet 136a and a color transfer image is formed on the sheet P.

  Further, a transfer belt cleaning device 138 is provided on the right side of the driven roller 136b, and the toner remaining on the surface of the transfer belt 136 after the transfer of the toner image onto the paper P is transferred by the transfer belt cleaning device 138. Removed. As a result, the cleaned transfer belt 136 is supplied to the photosensitive drum 132.

  The fixing unit 5 performs a fixing process on the transfer image transferred to the paper P by the image forming unit 4. The fixing unit 5 is disposed opposite to the heat roller 141 heated by the energization heating element and the heat roller 141. Is provided with a pressure roller 142 that is pressed against and contacted with the peripheral surface of the heat roller 141. The transferred image transferred to the paper P by the secondary transfer roller 137 in the image forming unit 4 is fixed by a fixing process by heating when the paper P passes between the heat roller 141 and the pressure roller 142. The Thereafter, the paper is discharged to the discharge unit 6 disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 4 (upper side of the paper surface in FIG. 1) via the discharge roller pair 13, and the paper P is accommodated in the discharge unit 6. It is the composition which becomes.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a reverse conveyance unit 14 is provided, and the reverse conveyance unit 14 is disposed on the side surface 1a of the apparatus main body 2 as shown in FIG. . Further, a reverse conveyance path 15 extends along the side surface 1 a in the reverse conveyance unit 14, and the reverse conveyance path 15 is disposed on the side surface 1 a side with respect to the paper conveyance path 10. The reverse conveyance path 15 is for inverting the paper P on which image formation has been performed on one side and conveying the paper P to the image forming unit 4. Each is formed so as to be connected to the upstream side and the downstream side of the sheet conveyance path 10.

  When the paper P is reversely conveyed, when the paper P having an image fixed on one surface is discharged by the discharge roller pair 13 for a predetermined length, the discharge roller pair 13 is reversely driven to switch back. Then, by conveying the paper P toward the reverse conveyance path 15, the front and back of the paper P are reversed and re-conveyed to the image forming unit 4. A branching means is provided at the connecting position of the reverse conveying path 15 and the paper conveying path 10, and the operation of the branching means is controlled by turning on and off a driving mechanism such as a solenoid, whereby the paper P is transferred to the reverse conveying path 15. It is good also as a structure conveyed toward.

  The reversed paper P is guided to the reverse conveyance path 15 and is conveyed again to the upstream area of the paper conveyance path 10 via the conveyance roller pairs 17 to 19. Then, the sheet is conveyed toward the image forming unit 4 through the sheet conveying path 10, the image is formed on the other surface of the sheet P by the image forming unit 4, the transferred image is fixed by the fixing unit 5, and then the discharge roller pair The sheet is discharged to the discharge unit 6 via 13.

  The image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment constitutes one side surface (the left side surface in the present embodiment) of the apparatus main body 2 and an opening / closing cover 21 that is pivotally supported by the rotation shaft 16a. Is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the paper transport path 10 and the reverse transport path 15 described above are provided in an opening / closing cover 21 that is an opening / closing member and the apparatus body 2, and a plurality of paper guides for transporting the paper P are guided. The sheet conveyance guide members 22a to 22e are configured. Among these, the paper conveyance guide member 22a constitutes the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15, and the rotation shaft 16b provided at a position different from the rotation shaft 16a on which the opening and closing cover 21 is pivotally supported. Is pivotally supported by the shaft.

  Next, the opening / closing mechanism of the paper transport unit 9 and the reverse transport unit 14 during jam processing will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a principal part showing a state in which the opening / closing cover and the paper transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment are locked, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the lock of the opening / closing cover and the paper transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is released, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. is there.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening / closing cover 21 is provided with a lock lever 23 as a first lock member, and the lock lever 23 is provided on the apparatus main body 2 side during image formation. By being locked by a locking member (not shown), the opening / closing cover 21 is locked in a closed state (see FIGS. 1 to 3) with respect to the apparatus main body 2. The lock lever 23 is pivotally supported on the rotation shaft 23a. On the other hand, the paper transport guide member 22a is provided with a lock lever 24, which is a second lock member. When the image is formed, the lock lever 24 is connected to another locking member (on the apparatus body 2 side). By locking the sheet conveying guide member 22a to the apparatus main body 2, the sheet conveying guide member 22a is locked in a predetermined standing posture (see FIGS. 1 to 3). The lock lever 24 is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft 24a.

  Further, the paper transport guide member 22a is provided with a moving member 25 for rotating the lock lever 24. The moving member 25 is disposed between the lock levers 23 and 24, and each of the lock levers 23 and 24 is disposed at a position where the moving member 25 contacts the moving member 25. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the moving member 25 is configured such that the lower end portion 23 b of the lock lever 23 and the upper end portion 25 a of the moving member 25 come into contact with each other, and the rear upper end portion 24 b of the lock lever 24 and the moving member It arrange | positions in the position which the lower end part 25b of 25 contact | abuts. The moving member 25 is provided so as to be movable in a substantially vertical direction (in the direction of arrow X in the drawing) by a slide mechanism (not shown), and the lock lever 24 is interlocked with the moving operation of the moving member 25. It is configured to be rotatable at a predetermined angle.

  On the side surface 1a side of the opening / closing cover 21 (or the apparatus main body 2), an unlocking member 26 for releasing the locking state of the opening / closing cover 21 and the paper transport guide member 22a is provided at the time of jam processing. The lock release member 26 is formed integrally with the lock lever 23 described above, and is configured such that the lock lever 23 can be rotated in conjunction with the operation of the lock release member 26. As described above, in this embodiment, the lock levers 23 and 24, the moving member 25, and the lock release member 26 are used to lock the opening / closing cover 21 and the paper transport guide member 22 a with respect to the apparatus main body 2. Is configured.

  Next, operations for removing jammed paper will be described. First, the above-described lock mechanism is released. More specifically, from the state shown in FIG. 2, the lock release member 26 is moved to the near side (that is, in the direction of arrow Y shown in FIG. 4). Then, as described above, since the lock lever 23 is formed integrally with the lock release member 26, the lock lever 23 moves in the unlock direction shown in FIG. Rotating in the direction of arrow Z), the locking state of the lock lever 23 and the locking member described above is released. Therefore, the lock state of the opening / closing cover 21 with respect to the apparatus main body 2 is released.

  Further, as described above, since the lower end 23b of the lock lever 23 and the upper end 25a of the moving member 25 are in contact with each other, the lower end 23b of the lock lever 23 is in contact with the upper end 25a of the moving member 25. 23 rotates in the unlocking direction. Then, the upper end portion 25a of the moving member 25 is pressed by the lock lever 23, and the moving member 25 moves downward (that is, in the direction of the arrow Xa shown in FIG. 5) while being in contact with the lock lever 23. Become.

  At this time, as described above, since the rear upper end 24b of the lock lever 24 and the lower end 25b of the moving member 25 are in contact with each other, the moving member 25 moves downward while maintaining the contact state. Then, the rear upper end 24b of the lock lever 24 is pressed by the lower end 25b of the moving member 25, and the lock lever 24 is interlocked with the moving operation of the moving member 25 to release the lock shown in FIG. And the locking state between the lock lever 24 and the other locking member described above is released. That is, in conjunction with the operation of the lock release member 26, not only the lock lever 23 but also the lock lever 24 rotates in the above-described lock release direction, and the lock state of the lock lever 24 and other lock members is released. The Accordingly, the locked state of the opening / closing cover 21 and the sheet transport guide member 22a with respect to the apparatus main body 2 is simultaneously released.

  Next, the opening operation of the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15 during the jam processing will be described. FIG. 6 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the opening / closing cover and the sheet transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment are opened. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the opening / closing cover and the sheet from the state shown in FIG. It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the state which opened the conveyance guide member.

  When opening the paper transport path 10 and the reverse transport path 15, first, the open / close cover 21 and the paper transport guide member 22a shown in FIG. The opening / closing cover 21 is opened by rotating it at a predetermined angle around the center. Then, a support rib 31 that protrudes from the inner surface of the lower portion of the opening / closing cover 21 and serves as a support member for supporting the paper transport guide member 22a, and a projecting portion 30 provided at the lower portion of the paper transport guide member 22a. Therefore, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a rotates about the rotation shaft 16b, and the sheet conveyance guide member 22a opens at a predetermined angle (see FIG. 6). As described above, in the present embodiment, the paper conveyance guide member 22a that is pivotally supported is opened in conjunction with the operation of opening the opening / closing cover 21.

  At this time, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 30 of the paper transport guide member 22a is maintained in contact with the supporting rib 31, and the paper transport guide member 22a is 30 and the supporting rib 31 are supported by the opening / closing cover 21. Then, when the opening / closing cover 21 is further opened from the state shown in FIG. 6, the protruding portion 30 slides while being in contact with the supporting rib 31, and the paper transport guide member 22 a is supported by the opening / closing cover 21. Since the sheet is further rotated around the rotation shaft 16b in the state, the sheet conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15 are simultaneously opened (see FIG. 7). In this state, the jammed paper can be removed. That is, in the present embodiment, the paper conveyance guide member 22a rotates in conjunction with the opening / closing cover 21 opening operation, so that the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15 are simultaneously opened. The number of operations during removal is reduced, and the operability is improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the paper conveyance guide member 22a can be further opened while the paper conveyance guide member 22a is supported by the opening / closing cover 21, so that the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance are provided. The opening angle of the path 15 can be increased, and as a result, the jammed paper can be easily removed.

  After the removal of the jammed paper, the opening / closing cover 21 is rotated from the open state shown in FIG. 7 to the closed state shown in FIG. At the same time, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a rotates around the rotation shaft 16b while being supported by the opening / closing cover 21. Then, the paper transport guide member 22a is pushed up and rotated by the opening / closing cover 21, and finally becomes in the state shown in FIG. That is, each of the opening / closing cover 21 and the sheet conveyance guide member 22a is closed and is locked again with respect to the apparatus main body 2. Thus, in the present embodiment, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a is closed in conjunction with the operation of closing the opening / closing cover 21.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the paper transport guide member 22a rotates in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening / closing cover 21, whereby the paper transport path 10 and the reverse transport path 15 are simultaneously opened. With this configuration, when the jammed paper is processed, it is possible to open the paper transport path 10 and the reverse transport path 15 at the same time only by opening the opening / closing cover 21. Therefore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to separately operate the reverse conveyance unit and the opening / closing cover (or the inner frame member), and as a result, the operability when removing jammed paper is improved. .

  Further, the opening / closing cover 21 and the paper transport guide member 22a are supported on different rotating shafts. Therefore, the opening angle of the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15 can be increased as compared with the configuration in which the opening / closing cover 21 and the paper conveyance guide member 22a are pivotally supported on the same rotation shaft. It can be easily removed.

  Further, the opening / closing cover 21 is provided with a support rib 31 for supporting the paper transport guide member 22a when the paper transport guide member 22a is rotated. Accordingly, even if the paper conveyance path 10 and the reverse conveyance path 15 are opened simultaneously, the reverse conveyance path 15 is not closed by the weight of the paper conveyance guide member 22a, and as a result, the reverse conveyance path 15 is opened. The jammed paper can be easily removed.

  Further, the paper conveyance guide member 22a is provided with a protrusion 30 that slides while being in contact with the support rib 31 when the paper conveyance guide member 22a is rotated. Accordingly, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a can be further rotated around the rotation shaft 16b while being supported by the opening / closing cover 21, and as a result, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a is smoothly rotated. It becomes possible.

  In the present embodiment, the lock levers 23 and 24 are moved in a predetermined unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member 26, so that the lock state of the open / close cover 21 and the paper transport guide member 22a is simultaneously set. It is set as the structure canceled. Accordingly, the lock levers 23 and 24 can be simultaneously opened only by operating the lock release member 26, so that the lock release operation at the time of jam processing is facilitated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the lock levers 23 and 24 are pivotally supported, and are provided with a moving member 25 provided movably between the lock lever 23 and the lock lever 24. Then, in conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member 26, the lock lever 23 rotates in the unlocking direction, so that the lock state of the opening / closing cover 21 is released and the moving member 25 is pressed by the lock lever 23. The locked state of the paper transport guide member 22a is released when the lock lever 24 rotates in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the movement of the moving member 25. Therefore, the lock levers 23 and 24 can be simultaneously opened with a simple configuration.

  In addition, the said embodiment is only an explanatory example, The scope of the present invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Based on the meaning of this invention, the shape, dimension, material, etc. of each structural article are changed. It is possible that they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 30 and the supporting rib 31 engage with each other, whereby the paper transport guide member 22a rotates about the rotation shaft 16b, and the paper transport guide member 22a has a predetermined angle. Although it is configured to be opened, the sheet conveyance guide member 22a is supported by the opening / closing cover 21 in an inclined state when the opening / closing cover 21 is closed, and the sheet conveyance guide member 22a is interlocked with the opening operation of the opening / closing cover 21. It is good also as a structure which rotates by dead weight.

  In the above embodiment, the sheet conveying guide member 22a is provided with the moving member 25 for rotating the lock lever 24. However, the lock levers 23 and 24 are integrally formed, and the lock release member 26 is formed. In conjunction with this operation, the lock levers 23 and 24 may be moved in a predetermined unlocking direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the tandem type color image forming apparatus in which a plurality of image transfer units are arranged along the sheet conveyance direction has been described. However, the present invention is an image having only one image forming unit. A configuration applied to the forming apparatus may be employed.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a copying machine is shown as an example of the image forming apparatus, but it goes without saying that other image forming apparatuses such as a facsimile and a printer may be used.

  Examples of utilization of the present invention include image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, facsimile machines, and printers that are provided with a duplex unit (reverse conveyance unit).

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which an opening / closing cover and a paper transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention are locked. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a state in which the lock of the opening / closing cover and the sheet transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is released. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state in which an opening / closing cover and a paper transport guide member in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention are opened. FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing a state in which the opening / closing cover and the paper transport guide member are further opened from the state shown in FIG. 6.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Apparatus main body 3 Paper feed part 4 Image forming part 6 Discharge part 10 Paper conveyance path 15 Reverse conveyance path 16a Rotating shaft 16b Rotating shaft 21 Opening / closing cover 22a Paper conveying guide member 23 Lock lever 23a Rotating shaft 24 Lock lever 24a Rotating shaft 25 Moving member 26 Unlocking member 30 Protruding portion 31 Supporting rib P Paper

Claims (5)

An apparatus main body, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a paper feeding unit that is disposed upstream of the image forming unit and conveys the sheet toward the image forming unit, and an image forming unit A discharge section that is disposed on the downstream side and that is formed with an image by the image forming section and accommodates the discharged sheet; a sheet conveyance path provided between the sheet feeding section and the discharge section; A reversing conveyance path for reversing the sheet that is extended along a side surface of the apparatus main body and on which one side has an image formed, and conveys the sheet to the image forming unit, and for the apparatus main body And an opening / closing member that is pivotally supported, and a paper conveyance guide member that is pivotally supported in association with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member. In an image forming apparatus comprising:
In conjunction with the opening operation of the opening and closing member, the paper transport guide member is rotated to open the paper transport path and the reverse transport path at the same time ,
The opening / closing member is provided with a support member for supporting the paper transport guide member when the paper transport guide member rotates.
The paper transport guide member is provided with a protrusion that slides while abutting the support member when the paper transport guide member rotates.
An image forming apparatus.   An apparatus main body, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a paper feeding unit that is disposed upstream of the image forming unit and conveys the sheet toward the image forming unit, and an image forming unit A discharge section that is disposed on the downstream side and that is formed with an image by the image forming section and accommodates the discharged sheet; a sheet conveyance path provided between the sheet feeding section and the discharge section; A reversing conveyance path for reversing the sheet that is extended along a side surface of the apparatus main body and on which one side has an image formed, and conveys the sheet to the image forming unit, and for the apparatus main body And an opening / closing member that is pivotally supported, and a paper conveyance guide member that is pivotally supported in association with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member. In an image forming apparatus comprising:
  In conjunction with the opening operation of the opening and closing member, the paper transport guide member is rotated to open the paper transport path and the reverse transport path at the same time,
  A first lock member for locking the opening / closing member with respect to the apparatus main body, a second lock member for locking the paper conveyance guide member with respect to the apparatus main body, the opening / closing member, and the paper conveyance An unlocking member for releasing the locked state of the guide member, and the first and second locking members move in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the unlocking member. And the locked state of the paper transport guide member are simultaneously released.
  An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
  The first and second lock members are pivotally supported so as to be pivotable, and further include a moving member that is movably provided between the first lock member and the second lock member. When the first locking member rotates in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the operation of the member, the locked state of the opening / closing member is released, and the moving member is pressed by the first locking member. The paper transport guide member is unlocked by moving and rotating the second locking member in the unlocking direction in conjunction with the movement of the moving member.
  An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
  The opening / closing member and the paper transport guide member are pivotally supported on different rotating shafts.
  An image forming apparatus.   In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
  The image forming apparatus is a tandem color image forming apparatus
  An image forming apparatus.

Images