JP4702031B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that transfers a visible image formed by developing an electrostatic latent image to a recording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium by forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier and developing the electrostatic latent image with a developer is widely known.
In such an image forming apparatus, an image carrier, a cartridge provided with a developing device, or a belt unit for conveying paper is configured to be detachable from the main body, and the device Maintenance and jam processing can be performed.

  By the way, as a method of taking out the cartridge or belt unit as described above from the main body, a method of lifting the cartridge or belt unit in the vertical direction and pulling it out from the main body has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

This image forming apparatus is configured such that the belt unit can be taken out from the upper part of the apparatus and the cartridge can be taken out from the front of the apparatus.
In addition, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which cartridges and belt units are arranged horizontally and are drawn out from the main body in the horizontal direction (for example, see Patent Document 2).

In the latter image forming apparatus, the cartridge is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction.
JP 2004-206071 JP 2003-015378 A

  In the former image forming apparatus described above, since the belt unit and the cartridge can be attached and detached separately, it can be said that the maintainability is good. However, since the belt unit is configured to be attached and detached from the upper part of the apparatus, there is a problem that an extra force is required for that purpose.

On the other hand, the latter image forming apparatus is configured to move the cartridge in the horizontal direction and to detach it from the main body, so that it can be operated with a lighter force.
However, in the latter image forming apparatus, the belt unit and the cartridge cannot be individually accessed, and when replacing the belt or the like, it is necessary to perform the replacement work after the cartridge is pulled out. For this reason, there is a problem that the replacement work is difficult to perform and the maintainability is not good.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus with good maintainability.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve such an object, is provided with a plurality of photoreceptors on which an electrostatic latent image is formed and corresponding to each of the photoreceptors. A developing unit having a developer carrying member that visualizes the electrostatic latent image by supplying a developer; a transfer unit that transfers the visible image formed on the photosensitive member to a recording medium; The plurality of photoconductors and the plurality of developing means are arranged and held side by side in a substantially horizontal direction and perpendicular to a support shaft that supports the photoconductor, and are accommodated in a first accommodation position of the main body of the apparatus. The first holder member and the first holder member for moving the first holder member between the first storage position and a first extraction position located in the extraction direction with respect to the first storage position. And holding one end and the other end of the plurality of photoconductors. A first guide means, provided in said first guide means, tension and locking means for positioning locking the plurality of photosensitive members, at least, the belt member contacts the plurality of photosensitive members, and said belt member A second holder member that is held in a second accommodation position of the main body of the apparatus, and the second holder member is pulled out with respect to the second accommodation position and the second accommodation position. And a second guiding means for moving between second drawing positions parallel to the direction and located in the same direction.

  In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the plurality of developing units are held by the first holder member, and the first holder member is detachably moved from the main body by the first guide unit. Can be made.

Therefore, the developing means can be easily attached and detached, and the maintainability is improved.
Similarly, since the second holder member holding the belt member can be detachably moved from the main body by the second guide means, the belt member can be easily attached and detached, and the above-described effects can be obtained. Can do.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the first holder member and the second holder member are pulled out in a direction perpendicular to the support shaft that supports the photosensitive member. Since there is no need to secure a space for pulling out in the direction of pulling out (since it is not necessary to form a large hole in the frame or the like holding the support shaft), the support shaft can be stably held, The rigidity of the image forming apparatus can also be increased.

  Next, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the first holder member and the second holder member are independently movable by the respective guide means. It is characterized by that.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect, since the developing unit and the belt member can be individually pulled out and exchanged, there is no trouble of pulling out the belt member after pulling out the developing unit. , Maintenance can be improved.

  Next, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, each of the guide units is configured so that the photoconductor is in a state where the holder members are in the storage positions. And the belt member are brought into contact with each other, and the photosensitive member and the belt are separated from each other as the holder members move to the respective pull-out positions.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, the photosensitive member and the belt member are brought into contact with or separated from each other by moving the first holder member and the second holder member along the guide means with respect to the main body. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a special mechanism for contact or separation, and the configuration can be simplified.

Therefore, the image forming apparatus can be configured at low cost, and the operator can quickly and easily attach and detach each holder member, thereby providing an image forming apparatus with good operability.
Next, an invention according to a fourth aspect is the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a first opening for pulling out the first holder member from the inside of the main body to the outside, and An opening comprising a second opening for pulling out the second holder member from the inside of the main body, a first cover member for closing the first opening, a second cover member for closing the second opening, The one cover member is provided rotatably on the main body, and the other cover member is provided rotatably with respect to the one cover member.

According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect, when each holder member is pulled out, the area in which the one holder member is pulled out can be kept closed by the cover.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the apparatus falls over when both holder members are pulled out at once. Further, since mixing of dust and the like can be suppressed as compared with the case where all of the openings are opened, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from being deteriorated and the image quality from being deteriorated.

  Next, the invention according to claim 5 is the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is detachably provided on the main body portion and accommodates a recording medium before image formation. A cassette unit and third guide means for guiding the cassette unit so as to be movable in the same direction and in parallel with the drawing direction of each holder in the main body unit are provided.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fifth aspect, the cassette unit that can store the recording medium is provided, and the cassette unit can be pulled out or mounted in the same direction as each holder member. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is easy to use and easy to maintain.

In addition, since only a space for attaching and detaching each holder member and the cassette unit has to be ensured only on the same direction side of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to reduce the installation space.
Next, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, an image formed on a recording medium is read and image data is arranged above the main body. And an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms electrostatic latent images on the plurality of photoconductors based on image data generated by the image reading unit.

Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus of the sixth aspect, the image on the recording medium can be read to form the image, so that it is possible to provide a more convenient image forming apparatus.
Further, when the image reading unit is disposed above, the rigidity of the image forming apparatus is required. However, the rigidity of the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is improved. Therefore, the rigidity of the entire apparatus can be maintained even if the image reading means is disposed above.

  Next, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, a recording medium for storing a recording medium after image formation is provided between the main body portion and the image reading means. A housing part is provided.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the seventh aspect, the accommodating portion for accommodating the recording medium to which the image is transferred is provided between the image reading unit such as the image reading apparatus and the image forming apparatus. Therefore, as compared with the case where the accommodating portion is provided at one of the front and rear ends or the left and right ends of the image forming apparatus main body, the accommodating portion does not protrude from the apparatus, and space can be saved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side view of a printer 10 as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. In the following description, the left side in FIG. 1 is the front side of the printer 10 and the right side is the rear side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 is a so-called tandem color laser printer, and includes a visible image forming unit 11, a belt unit 50, a fixing unit 60, a paper feeding unit 70, and a paper discharge tray 80. And an exposure means 35.

Hereinafter, each of these components will be described in detail.
First, the visible image forming unit 11 develops the developing devices 31M and 31C for each visible image process using toner as a developer of magenta (M), cyan (C), yellow (Y) and black (Bk). , 31Y, 31Bk, photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, 32Bk as photosensitive members, cleaning rollers 33M, 33C, 33Y, 33Bk, and chargers 34M, 34C, 34Y, 34Bk.

  The developing devices 31M, 31C, 31Y, and 31Bk are provided with developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk. The developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk are formed in a cylindrical shape using conductive silicone rubber as a base material, and further, a coating layer of a resin or rubber material containing fluorine is formed on the surface. The developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk do not necessarily have to be made of a conductive silicone rubber, and may be made of a conductive urethane rubber, for example. Further, the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the surface is set to 3 to 5 μm, and is configured to be smaller than 9 μm which is the average particle diameter of the toner.

  Each developing device 31M, 31C, 31Y, 31Bk is provided with supply rollers 37M, 37C, 37Y, 37Bk. The supply rollers 37M, 37C, 37Y, and 37Bk are conductive sponge rollers, and are disposed so as to be in pressure contact with the developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk by the elastic force of the sponge. As the supply rollers 37M, 37C, 37Y, and 37Bk, foams of appropriate members such as conductive silicone rubber, EPDM, and urethane rubber can be used.

  Furthermore, each developing device 31M, 31C, 31Y, 31Bk is provided with a layer thickness regulating blade 38M, 38C, 38Y, 38Bk. The layer thickness regulating blades 38M, 38C, 38Y, and 38Bk are formed in a plate shape with stainless steel or the like at the base end, and are fixed to the developer unit cases 39M, 39C, 39Y, and 39Bk as the developer containing portions. It is made of insulating silicone rubber, insulating fluorine-containing rubber or resin. The tips of the layer thickness regulating blades 38M, 38C, 38Y, 38Bk are pressed against the developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, 36Bk from above the developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, 36Bk.

  As an example, the photosensitive drums (OPCs) 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are formed by forming a positively chargeable photosensitive layer on an aluminum substrate. The thickness of the photosensitive layer is 20 μm or more, and the aluminum substrate is used as an earth layer.

  The cleaning rollers 33M, 33C, 33Y, and 33Bk are rollers made of an elastic material such as a conductive sponge. The photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are obliquely below the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk. It is comprised so that it may rub against.

  The chargers 34M, 34C, 34Y, and 34Bk are scorotron type chargers, and are located downstream of the cleaning rollers 33M, 33C, 33Y, and 33Bk in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk. The photoconductive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are arranged to face each other in a non-contact manner.

  Next, the exposure means 35 is composed of a known laser scanner unit, and is disposed above the visible image forming unit 11. The exposure unit 35 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk uniformly charged by the chargers 34M, 34C, 34Y, and 34Bk with laser light according to the image data, thereby exposing the photosensitive drums. An electrostatic latent image of each color is formed on the surface of the body drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, 32Bk.

  The toner is positively charged and is supplied from the supply rollers 37M, 37C, 37Y, and 37Bk to the developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk, and is uniformly thin by the layer thickness regulating blades 38M, 38C, 38Y, and 38Bk. With layers. The positive polarity formed by the exposure means 35 on the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk at the contact portions between the developing rollers 36M, 36C, 36Y, and 36Bk and the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk. With respect to the (positively charged) electrostatic latent image, the positively charged toner can be satisfactorily developed by the reversal development method, and an extremely high quality image can be formed.

  Next, the belt unit 50 includes a conveyor belt 58, a driving roller 51 and a driven roller 52 for bridging the conveyor belt 58, and the driving roller 51 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). Is driven and rotated, so that the conveyor belt 58 is rotated. The conveyor belt 58 is an endless belt, and is formed of a resin such as conductive polycarbonate or polyimide in which conductive particles such as carbon are dispersed. Further, a transfer roller 53 as a transfer unit is provided in the vicinity of the position where the conveying belt 58 faces the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk.

  Then, the paper P supplied from the paper supply unit 70 via the pickup roller 72 is sequentially passed between the conveyance belt 58 and the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk by the conveyance belt 58 provided in the belt unit 50. To be conveyed. During the conveyance, the toner images carried on the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are sequentially transferred onto the paper P, whereby a color image is formed on the paper P.

  A cleaning device 55 is provided on the opposite side of the conveying belt 58 from the side facing the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, 32Bk. The cleaning device 55 includes a scraping member 56 and a case 57, and the toner, dust, and the like adhering to the conveyance belt 58 are scraped off by the scraping member 56 and stored in the case 57.

  Next, the fixing unit (fixing device) 60 is provided inside the heating roller 61 and the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 62 that rotate while being in contact with each other. A heater (for example, a halogen lamp) 63 that raises the temperature and a temperature sensor (for example, a thermistor) 64 that detects the surface temperature of the heating roller 61 while being in contact with the surface of the heating roller 61 are provided. In the fixing unit 60, the sheet P on which the toner image is transferred is pressed against the heating roller 61 that is temperature-controlled at a thermal fixing temperature (for example, 180 ° C.) that is a control temperature during the printing operation, and the heating roller 61. The toner image is heat-fixed on the paper P by heating and pressurizing while nipping and conveying between the pressure rollers 62.

  Next, the paper feed unit 70 is provided at the lowermost part of the apparatus, and includes a storage tray 71 as a cassette unit for storing the paper P, and a pickup roller 72 that feeds the paper P. The paper feeding unit 70 is configured to supply the paper P in a predetermined timing with the image forming process by the exposure unit 35, the developing devices 31M, 31C, 31Y, and 31Bk, and the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk. ing. The paper P supplied from the paper supply unit 70 is conveyed to a pressure contact portion between the conveyance belt 58 and the primary conveyance roller 54.

  Next, the paper discharge tray 80 is provided on the paper discharge side of the fixing unit 60 so as to accommodate the paper P discharged from the fixing unit 60 and transported by the transport roller pairs 91, 92, 93. It is configured.

Next, the operation of the printer 10 will be described.
First, in a state where the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are rotationally driven, the photosensitive layer on the surface thereof is uniformly charged by the chargers 34M, 34C, 34Y, and 34Bk, and these photosensitive layers are exposed. By means of means 35, exposure is performed corresponding to each image of magenta, cyan, yellow and black. Then, magenta toner is formed on the electrostatic latent images formed on the photosensitive layers of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk by the magenta developing unit 31M, the cyan developing unit 31C, the yellow developing unit 31Y, and the black developing unit 31Bk, respectively. Then, cyan toner, yellow toner and black toner are attached, and magenta, cyan, yellow and black colors are developed. The toner images as magenta, cyan, yellow, and black developer images formed on the photosensitive layers of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk in this way are conveyed by the conveying belt 58. Transferred onto the paper P. The toner images of the respective colors are formed with a slight time difference in accordance with the moving speed of the paper P conveyed by the conveying belt 58 and the positions of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, 32Bk. The toner images of the respective colors are transferred so as to be superimposed on the paper P. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk after the transfer is temporarily held by the cleaning rollers 33M, 33C, 33Y, and 33Bk.

  As described above, the four-color toner images transferred onto the paper P conveyed by the conveyance belt 58 are thermally fixed on the paper P in the fixing unit 60. Then, the paper P is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 80. Thus, a color image is formed on the paper P.

  Incidentally, as described above, the visible image forming unit 11 includes the developing devices 31M, 31C, 31Y, and 31Bk, the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk, and the cleaning roller for each visible image process using each toner. 33M, 33C, 33Y, and 33Bk and chargers 34M, 34C, 34Y, and 34Bk are provided. However, if these are individually attached to and detached from the printer 10, the attachment and detachment takes time. There is a problem of poor maintainability.

  Therefore, in this embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the visible image forming unit 11 is held in the cartridge 30 as the first holder member, and the belt unit 50 is held in the belt holder 59 as the second holder member. Further, the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59 are configured to be detachable from the printer 10 main body so that the visible image forming unit 11 and the belt unit 50 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer 10 main body.

Further, the operability is further improved by configuring the storage tray 71 provided in the paper feeding unit 70 to be detachable in the same direction as the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59.
Hereinafter, this will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  The cartridge 30 is provided with an engaging portion (not shown) for holding the developing device cases 39M, 39C, 39Y, 39Bk. The cartridge 30 is engaged with the engaged portions (not shown) provided in the developing device cases 39M, 39C, 39Y, and 39Bk so that the developing device cases 39M, 39C, and 39Y are engaged. , 39Bk are detachable.

  Further, the cartridge 30 is provided with a pair of projecting members 100 at both left and right ends in the figure, and four supporting members 100a that rotatably support the support shafts of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk. ing.

The belt holder 59 is provided with a pair of support members 104 that rotatably support the support shafts of the driving roller 51 and the driven roller 52.
Further, the storage tray 71 is provided with a pair of protruding members 108.

  On the other hand, a guide mechanism 115 as first guide means, a guide mechanism 116 as second guide means, and a guide mechanism 117 as third guide means are provided in the printer 10 main body. The guide mechanism 115 guides the projecting member 100 and the support member 100a projecting from the cartridge 30 from the front end (left end in the drawing) of the guide mechanism 115 to the inside of the printer 10 in a substantially horizontal direction. A groove 101 is provided.

  Similarly, the guide mechanism 116 includes guide grooves 105 for guiding the support member 104 protruding from the belt holder 59 from the front end (left end in the drawing) of the guide mechanism 116 to the inside of the printer 10 in a substantially horizontal direction. The guide mechanism 117 guides the protruding members 108 provided on the storage tray 71 from the front end (left end in the drawing) of the guide mechanism 117 to the inside of the printer 10 in a substantially horizontal direction. A groove 109 is provided.

  A locking member 103 for elastically locking and positioning the protruding members 100 and 108 and the supporting members 100a and 104 is provided in the back of each guide groove 101, 105, and 109.

  With this configuration, the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 are inserted through the guide mechanisms 115, 116, and 117 along the guide grooves 101, 105, and 109 when mounted on the main body of the printer 10. The protruding members 100 and 108 and the supporting members 100a and 104 are positioned at the housing positions where the engaging members 103 are fixed. Further, when the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 are pulled out (removed) from the main body of the printer 10, the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 are resistant to the elastic force of the locking member 103. Is added, and the projecting members 100, 104, and 108 and the support member 100a are pulled away from the storage position, and then are pulled out along the guide grooves 101, 105, and 109.

Then, the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59 can be completely removed from the main body of the printer 10 by sliding them as they are along the guide grooves 101 and 105. (The position immediately before the cartridge 30 is pulled out corresponds to the first pulling position in the present invention, and the position just before the belt holder 59 is pulled out corresponds to the second pulling position.)
When the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59 are attached and detached, each of the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk is not damaged by the contact between the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk and the conveying belt 58. The guide grooves 101 and 105 are inclined in the vicinity of the storage position. That is, the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are set so as to come into contact with the conveying belt 58 for the first time when the protruding member 100 and the supporting members 100a and 104 reach the storage position.

  Conversely, the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk are set to be separated from the transport belt 58 when the protruding member 100 and the supporting members 100a and 104 are pulled out from the storage position.

  The guide mechanisms 115, 116, and 117 are individually provided in the printer 10 main body so that the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 can be individually attached to and detached from the printer 10 main body.

  Further, in order to make the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59 detachable from the printer 10 main body, a front lower cover 82 as a second cover member is attached to the printer 10 main body via a support shaft 84 in front of the printer 10. Further, a front cover 81 as a first cover member is provided on the front lower cover 82 via a support shaft 83 so as to be openable and closable.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge 30 can be pulled out from the main body of the printer 10 by opening the front cover 81, and further, the belt holder 59 can be opened by opening the front lower cover 82 as shown in FIG. Can be pulled out from the main body of the printer 10.

Further, when the grip 85 is pulled forward of the printer 10 main body, the storage tray 71 can be pulled out from the printer 10 main body.
As described above, in the printer 10 of this embodiment, all the components of the visible image forming unit 11 are integrally held in the cartridge 30, and the cartridge 30 is provided with the guide mechanism 115 provided in the printer 10. The cartridge 30 is configured to be detachable by being slid along. Similarly, the belt holder 59 and the receiving tray 71 are configured to be detachable by sliding along the guide mechanisms 116 and 117. Therefore, since the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 can be easily attached to and detached from the printer 10 main body, the maintainability can be improved.

  Further, since the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 are pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction, the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 can be operated with lighter force. Further, since the cartridge 30 and the belt holder 59 are positioned at predetermined positions by the guide mechanisms 115 and 116, it is possible to prevent a positional deviation (transfer deviation) when transferring an image.

Similarly, since the storage tray 71 is positioned at a predetermined position by the guide mechanism 117, the paper P can be reliably supplied.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, since the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 are configured to be pulled out in the same direction, the operation is easy and the maintainability is good. Further, since only a space for attaching and detaching the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 has to be secured only on the same direction side of the printer 10, the restriction on the installation space can be reduced.

  In addition, for example, when various rollers (for example, the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk) constituting the printer 10 are drawn out in the axial direction of these rollers, the shafts of these rollers are held. Since it is necessary to form a large hole in the frame, the rigidity of the printer 10 becomes weak. However, according to the printer 10 of the above embodiment, the printer 10 can be pulled out in a substantially horizontal direction (drawing direction) perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a large hole in the frame, and the rigidity of the printer 10 can be easily increased.

  Also, if the various rollers are configured to be pulled out in the axial direction of the rollers, it is necessary to retract the bearings for receiving these rollers, which may cause inconvenience that it is difficult to obtain the positional accuracy of the bearings and the configuration becomes complicated. According to the printer 10 of the above embodiment, such a situation can be prevented.

Next, the multifunction machine 13 of the second embodiment provided with a scanner as an image reading device above the main body will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the multifunction machine 13 of the present embodiment, a scanner device 120 is provided above the main body of the printer device configured in the same manner as the first embodiment so as to be parallel to the bottom of the printer device. It has been. The scanner device 120 includes an operation panel 122 including an operation unit 124 and the like for operating the scanner device 120 and the printer device.

  A paper discharge tray 80 (a paper discharge unit 80 in FIG. 1) for storing the paper P discharged from the printer device is provided between the scanner device 120 main body and the printer device main body.

The other configuration of the printer device in the multifunction machine 13 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the printer 10 in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.
Since the multi-function device 13 configured as described above has the scanner device 120 above the device, it is possible to easily read and print an image and provide a user-friendly printer device.

  In addition, since the scanner device 120 is provided in parallel to the bottom of the printer device, that is, substantially horizontally, when the cartridge 30 is pulled out from the main body, it can be pulled out smoothly without interfering with the scanner device 120.

  Further, since the paper discharge tray 80 is provided between the main body of the printer device and the scanner device 120, the paper discharge tray 80 does not protrude from the device, and the space occupied by this device can be reduced. it can.

  In addition, an operation panel 122 having an operation unit 124 that can be operated by a user is provided in the vicinity of the scanner device 120. According to such a multifunction machine 13, the operability can be improved as compared with the case where the operation panel 122 is disposed on the outer wall portion of the printer 10.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can take various forms as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, a direct transfer type printer that directly transfers an image onto the paper P from the photosensitive drums 32M, 32C, 32Y, and 32Bk has been described. The same effect can be obtained even when applied to an intermediate transfer type printer for transferring.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the conveyor belt 58 is stretched around the driving roller 51 and the driven roller 52, and the stretching direction is one direction. For example, the conveyor belt 58 is stretched by three or more rollers. The present invention can be applied even in a configuration in which the span is extended in two or more directions, and similar effects can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the belt holder 59 is arranged below the cartridge 30. However, the belt holder 59 may be arranged above the cartridge 30. With this configuration, the opening of the developing device case 39 can be directed upward, so that the toner can be prevented from leaking.

  In each of the above embodiments, the cartridge 30 or the belt holder 59 is configured to be removed from the main body of the printer 10 as it is when pulled out to a predetermined position. A stop member that temporarily stops the drawing at the position may be provided so that the drawing can be stopped at the predetermined position.

1 is a schematic side sectional view illustrating a printer 10 according to a first embodiment. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the cartridge 30, the belt holder 59, and the storage tray 71 in the printer 10. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an attaching / detaching operation of the cartridge 30 in the printer 10. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the attaching / detaching operation of the belt holder 59 in the printer 10. FIG. It is a schematic sectional side view showing the multifunction machine 13 of 2nd Embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Printer, 11 ... Visible image forming unit, 13 ... Multifunction machine, 30 ... Cartridge, 31 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... Developing device, 32 (M, C , Y, Bk) ... photosensitive drum, 33 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... cleaning roller, 34 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... charger, 36 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... developing roller, 37 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... supply roller, 38 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... layer thickness regulating blade, 39 (M, C, Y, Bk) ... developer case, 50 ... belt unit, 51 ... driving roller, 52 ... driven roller, 53 ... transfer roller, 54 ... primary transport roller, 55 .. Cleaning device 56 ... Scraping member 57 ... Case 58 ... Conveying belt 59 ... Belt holder 60 ... Fixing part 61 ... Heating roller 62 ... Pressure roller, 63 ... heater, 64 ... temperature sensor 70 ... paper feed unit, 71 ... storage tray, 72 ... pickup roller, 80 ... paper discharge tray (paper output part), 81 ... front cover, 82 ... front lower cover, 83, 84 ... support shaft, 85 ... gripping part, 91, 92, 93 ... conveying roller pair, 100 ... projection member, 100a support member, 101 ... guide groove, 103 ... Locking member, 104 ... support member, 105 ... guide groove, 108 ... projection member, 109 ... guide groove, 115, 116, 117 ... guide mechanism, 120 ... scanner device, 122 ... Operation panel, 124 ... Operation unit, P ... Paper

Claims (8)

A plurality of photoreceptors on which an electrostatic latent image is formed;
A developing unit provided corresponding to each of the photoconductors, and having a developer carrying body that visualizes the electrostatic latent image by supplying a developer to the photoconductor;
Transfer means for transferring the visible image formed on the photoreceptor to a recording medium;
The plurality of photoconductors and the plurality of developing means are arranged and held side by side in a substantially horizontal direction and perpendicular to a support shaft that supports the photoconductor, and are accommodated in a first accommodation position of the main body of the apparatus. A first holder member;
The first holder member and the plurality of photoconductors for moving the first holder member between the first storage position and a first extraction position positioned in the extraction direction with respect to the first storage position. First guide means for holding one end and the other end of
Locking means provided on the first guiding means for positioning and locking the plurality of photosensitive members;
A second holder member that holds at least a belt member that contacts the plurality of photosensitive members, and a roller that stretches the belt member, and is accommodated in a second accommodation position of the main body of the apparatus;
Second guide means for moving the second holder member between the second storage position and a second extraction position that is parallel to and in the same direction as the extraction direction with respect to the second storage position;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first holder member and the second holder member are independently movable by the guide units.   Each of the guide means brings the photoconductor and the belt member into contact with each other when the holder member is in the storage position, and moves the holder member to the pull-out position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive member and the belt are separated from each other. A first opening for pulling out the first holder member from the inside of the main body and the second opening for pulling out the second holder member from the main body to the outside; and
A first cover member that closes the first opening;
A second cover member for closing the second opening;
The one cover member is provided rotatably on the main body, and the other cover member is provided rotatably with respect to the one cover member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3. A cassette unit detachably provided in the main body unit and containing a recording medium before image formation;
A third guide means for guiding the cassette portion in the main body portion so as to be movable in the same direction and parallel to the drawing direction of the holders;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: An image reading unit disposed above the main body and reading an image formed on a recording medium to generate image data;
An electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the plurality of photoconductors based on image data generated by the image reading unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a recording medium storage unit configured to store a recording medium after image formation between the main body unit and the image reading unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion includes second holder locking means for positioning and locking the second holder member.

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