JP4711225B2 - Image forming apparatus, process cartridge mounting method, and process cartridge removal method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge mounting method, and a process cartridge removal method.

An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, etc., and an image forming apparatus main body, and a sheet conveying belt, an intermediate transfer belt, or a photoconductor disposed in the image forming apparatus and obliquely arranged in a horizontal direction There are known technologies having a belt such as an image carrier belt made up of the above (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3). In addition, a technology that includes a manual sheet placement unit on which a manually fed sheet is placed is known (Patent Document 2). Further, in these image forming apparatuses, a technique of detachably attaching a process cartridge to and from the image forming apparatus main body through a space formed by the movement of the belt by attaching the belt to the image forming apparatus main body. Is known (Patent Document 3).

JP2004-157448 JP 2002-91123 A JP 2003-295562 A

  However, in the conventional technique described in Patent Document 2, when a sheet is manually fed, the manual sheet placing portion needs to be developed to the outside and protrudes to the outside. In the prior art described in Patent Document 3, when the process cartridge is attached or detached, the belt is moved greatly from the position arranged in the vertical direction to the position arranged in the horizontal direction, and the entire belt is imaged. It will be in the state which protruded largely from the forming apparatus main body. In any of the conventional techniques, there is a problem that a large space is required when the work space is included, and the size cannot be reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus that can be miniaturized.

The invention according to claim 1, the image forming apparatus main body, the image forming apparatus main body near is, a belt for conveying the sheet or image, a plurality of arranged along the belt, the image on the sheet or the belt Forming a process cartridge, and a manual sheet placement portion on which a manually fed sheet is placed , and the belt has an end portion on the side where the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion, It is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so as to be located above the other end in the direction of gravity, and the manual sheet placing portion is arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps below the belt in the direction of gravity. together are, disposed in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body and the belt, retracted position where the sheet supply position where the supply of the sheet is performed not interfere with the attachment and detachment of the process cartridge Being movable between, through a space formed by movement relative to the image forming apparatus main body of the belt, an image forming apparatus characterized by mounting the process cartridge.

The present invention according to claim 2 further includes a document reading device that reads a document, and a direction in which the document reading device is operated and a direction in which the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion are substantially the same direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

The present invention according to claim 3, further comprising an operation input means, the direction in which the operation input means is operated, that the direction in which the sheet on the manual feed sheet placement portion is manually fed is substantially the same direction The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect , wherein the belt is supported by a support unit rotatably provided on the main body of the image forming apparatus.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect, the belt is supported by a supporting unit that can be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

The present invention according to claim 6, wherein the manual feed sheet placement unit, wherein the supply of sheets manually fed is movable between a retracted position in which the sheet supply position and does not interfere with the movement of the belt to be made An image forming apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.

The invention according to claim 7, wherein the document reading and the direction the device is operated, claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the direction in which said process cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body is pulled out is substantially the same direction Any one of the image forming apparatuses.

The present invention according to claim 8, the direction in which the operation input unit is operated, claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the direction in which said process cartridge from the image forming apparatus main body is pulled out is substantially the same direction Any one of the image forming apparatuses.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus main body, a belt that is in the image forming apparatus main body and that conveys a sheet or an image, and a plurality of belts are disposed along the belt, and an image is formed on the sheet or the belt. A process cartridge to be formed, and a manual sheet placement portion on which a manually fed sheet is placed, and the belt has an end on the side where the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion, and the other side. Is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so as to be located above the end of the gravitational direction, and the manual sheet placing portion is arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps the lower part of the belt in the gravitational direction. And a sheet supply position where the sheet is supplied and a retreat position which does not prevent the process cartridge from being attached or detached. Wherein the image forming apparatus main body, through a space formed by movement relative to the image forming apparatus main body of the belt of the image forming apparatus characterized by being movable between, mounting the process cartridge This is a process cartridge mounting method characterized by the above.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus main body, a belt for conveying a sheet or an image in the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a plurality of belts arranged along the belt, and an image is formed on the sheet or the belt. A process cartridge to be formed, and a manual sheet placement portion on which a manually fed sheet is placed, and the belt has an end on the side where the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion, and the other side. Is arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so as to be located above the end of the gravitational direction, and the manual sheet placing portion is arranged so that at least a part thereof overlaps the lower part of the belt in the gravitational direction. And a retreat position that is disposed in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body and the belt, and that does not interfere with attachment / detachment of the process cartridge. That it is movable from the image forming apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to claim with the via a space formed by movement relative to the image forming apparatus main body of the belt, take out the process cartridge This is a method for taking out a process cartridge .

According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus that can be miniaturized can be provided.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 10 includes an image forming apparatus main body 12, and an image forming unit 14, a sheet supply device 60, a power supply unit 96, and a controller 98 are disposed in the image forming apparatus main body 12.

  The image forming apparatus main body 12 is provided with a sheet discharge portion 13 for discharging a sheet on which an image has been formed, and an open portion 12a is provided on the right side in FIGS. The sheet discharge unit 13 is provided so that a part of the sheet discharge unit 13 overlaps a conveyance belt 44 described later in the direction of gravity. That is, a part of the sheet discharge unit 13 is located in a region between a vertical surface A that passes through one end of the transport belt 44 and a vertical surface B that passes through the other end of the transport belt 44. ing. The opening part 12a consists of a door that can be opened and closed, and can be opened and closed between the closed state shown in FIG. 1 and the opened state shown in FIG.

  The image forming unit 14 is an electrophotographic type that forms a color image, and is provided with four photosensitive members 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B that are detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 12 and used as image carriers. Process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B, optical writing devices 34Y, 34M, 34C, and 34B used as latent image forming means for writing electrostatic latent images to the respective photosensitive members 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B by light, and photosensitive A transfer unit 40 used as a transfer device for transferring the developer images formed on the bodies 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B to a sheet used as a transfer target, and the developer image transferred to the sheet by the transfer unit 40; And a fixing device 36 that fixes the sheet.

The process cartridge 20Y is for forming a yellow developer image, the process cartridge 20M is for forming a magenta developer image, the process cartridge 20C is for forming a cyan developer image, and the process cartridge 20B is a black developer image. It is for formation of.
In the image forming apparatus main body 12, these process cartridges are arranged in the order of the process cartridge 20Y, the process cartridge 20M, the process cartridge 20C, and the process cartridge 20B from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. It is arranged diagonally in the direction.

The process cartridge 20Y develops a drum-shaped photosensitive member 24Y used as an image carrier, a charging device 26Y having a charging roll for uniformly charging the photosensitive member 24, and a latent image written on the photosensitive member 24. The developing device 28Y for developing with the developer, the erase lamp 30Y used as a discharging means for discharging the photosensitive member 24, and the developer remaining on the photosensitive member 24 after the transfer of the developer image by the transfer unit 40 described later is removed. And a cleaning device 32Y used as a developer removing device that develops the latent image written on the photoconductor 24Y by the optical writing device 34Y to form a yellow developer image on the surface of the photoconductor 24Y. Similarly to the process cartridge 20Y, the process cartridge 20M has a magenta toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 24M, the process cartridge 20C has a cyan toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 24C, and the process cartridge 20B has a surface of the photoreceptor 24B. A black toner image is formed on the surface.

  The process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 12 through a space formed by movement of a belt 44 described later. That is, the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, and 20C are passed through the space formed by the movement of the belt 44 from the position used for image formation shown in FIG. 1 to the open position that opens the image forming apparatus main body 12 shown in FIG. , 20B is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  Each of the optical writing devices 34Y, 34M, 34C, and 34B includes a laser exposure device. The optical writing device 34Y corresponds to a laser beam corresponding to a yellow image on the photosensitive member 24Y, and the optical writing device 34M corresponds to a magenta image on the photosensitive member 24M. The optical writing device 34C emits a laser beam corresponding to a cyan image to the photoconductor 24C, and the optical writing device 34B emits a laser beam corresponding to a black image to the photoconductor 24B, so that the photoconductors 24Y, 24M, 24C, An electrostatic latent image is written to each 24B.

  The transfer unit 40 is integrated as a unit, and has a transfer device frame 42 used as a support means for supporting the belt 44. The transfer device frame 42 has two support rolls 48a and 48b, a sheet or an image. The photosensitive belts 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B are provided on a conveyance belt 44 that is used as a conveyance belt, an adsorption roll 46 that is used as an adsorption unit that adsorbs the sheet to the conveyance belt 44, and a sheet that is being conveyed by the conveyance belt 44. The transfer rolls 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50B for transferring the developer images formed on are respectively mounted.

  The transfer unit 40 is rotatably supported by the image forming apparatus main body 12 by a support shaft 11, and forms a transfer position at which transfer to the sheet shown in FIG. 1 is performed, and 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B. It can be moved between an attachment / detachment position indicated by a solid line in FIG. The support shaft 11 is disposed on the side of the sheet supply cassette 66 opposite to the direction in which the process cartridge is pulled out. In this way, the transfer unit 40 can be opened and closed without interfering with the fixing device 36, and a work space for attaching and detaching the lowermost process cartridge 20Y can be secured. Further, since it overlaps with the paper feed cassette 66 in the direction of gravity, the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized in the direction of gravity.

  The support roll 48a and the support roll 48b are provided at different positions in the gravity direction and the horizontal direction, and the support roll 48a is provided above the support roll 48b in the gravity direction and on the right side in FIG. The support roll 48 a is connected to a motor (not shown) that is a drive source, and is used as a drive roll that rotates by itself to drive the conveyance belt 44, and the support roll 48 b rotates as the conveyance belt 44 rotates. Used as a follower roll. In this embodiment, the transport belt 44 is supported by two rolls of the support roll 48a and the support roll 48b. However, the transport belt 44 may be rotatably supported by at least two support means. For example, the belt 44 may be supported by three or more support rolls.

  The conveyance belt 44 is a belt that conveys a sheet supplied from a registration roll 72 described later to the fixing device 36, and is disposed obliquely in the horizontal direction. As described above, since the conveyance belt 44 is disposed obliquely, it is possible to avoid the image forming apparatus 10 from being enlarged in the gravity direction as in the case where the conveyance belt 44 is disposed in the gravity direction. In addition, it is possible to avoid the image forming apparatus 10 from being enlarged in the horizontal direction as in the case where the belt is disposed in the horizontal direction.

  The suction roll 46 is provided in pressure contact with the support roll 48 b via the transport belt 44, and a voltage is applied from a power supply (not shown) to electrostatically attract the sheet to the transport belt 44.

  A transfer bias is applied to each of the transfer rolls 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50B, and the developer images formed on the photoreceptors 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B are transferred to the sheet being conveyed by the conveyance belt 44. Transfer is sequentially performed to form a color developer image in which developer images of four colors of yellow, magenta, black, and cyan are superimposed on the sheet.

  The fixing device 36 includes a heating roll 36a and a pressure roll 36b, and fixes the developer image on the sheet by overheating and pressing the sheet passing between the heating roll 36a and the pressure roll 36b.

  The sheet supply device 60 includes a manual feed tray 62 that is used as a manual sheet placement unit on which manually fed sheets are placed, and a manual pickup roll 64 that is used as a manual sheet feeding unit that feeds the sheets from the manual feed tray 62. From a sheet supply cassette 66 used as a sheet storage unit for storing sheets, a cassette pickup roll 68 used as a storage sheet delivery means for delivering a sheet from the sheet supply cassette 66, and a manual feed tray 62 or a sheet supply cassette 66 It has a main conveyance path 70 that is a conveyance path through which the supplied sheet is conveyed, and a reverse conveyance path 76 that reverses the sheet on which the image is formed on one side while conveying the sheet.

  The manual feed tray 62 is used when, for example, a sheet of a different type from the sheets stored in the sheet supply cassette 66 is used, and a sheet on which an operator desires image formation is placed. A part of the manual feed tray 62 is disposed in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body 12 and the above-described conveyance belt 44. For this reason, the portion of the manual feed tray 62 protruding from the image forming apparatus main body 12 can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized. It is sufficient that at least a part of the manual feed tray 62 is disposed in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body 12 and the conveyance belt 44, and the entire manual feed tray 62 is arranged between the image forming apparatus main body 12 and the conveyance belt 44. You may make it arrange | position in the space enclosed by. In this case, the manual feed tray 62 does not protrude from the image forming apparatus main body 12, and the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized. Further, a part of the manual feed tray 62 is disposed below the conveyor belt 44 in the direction of gravity. That is, it is a region between a vertical surface A that passes through one end of the transport belt 44 and a vertical surface B that passes through the other end of the transport belt 44, and is more gravitational than the transport belt 44. A manual feed tray 62 is disposed below.

  The manual feed tray 62 is rotatably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 12 by a support shaft (not shown), and a sheet supply position where a sheet is supplied by a solid line in FIG. It can be moved between a retraction position which is indicated by a one-dot chain line and which is indicated by a solid line in FIG. As described above, since the manual feed tray 62 can be moved to the retracted position that does not hinder the movement of the transfer unit 40, even if the manual feed tray 62 is disposed in the vicinity of the transport belt 44, the transport belt 44 can be moved well. The process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B can be attached and detached through a space formed by the movement of the transport belt 44.

  The manual feed roll 64 is a roller that feeds a sheet placed on the manual feed tray 62 and conveys the sheet toward a registration roll 72 described later, and is located at the end of the end 62a of the manual feed tray 62 or in the vicinity of the end 62a. Provided. The manual feed pickup roll 64 may be attached to the manual feed tray 62 or the image forming apparatus main body 12 as long as it is provided in the end portion 62a or in the vicinity of the end portion 62a.

  The sheet supply cassette 66 is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body 12, and stores sheets used as a transfer medium such as plain paper and OHP sheet.

The cassette pick-up roll 68 is a roller that sends out the sheets stored in the sheet supply cassette 66 and conveys the sheets toward a registration roll 72 described later. The cassette pick-up roll 68 is disposed in the vicinity of the end 66a of the sheet supply cassette 66 located in the same side as the end 62a of the manual feed tray 62 on the side where the manual pick-up roll 64 is provided or in the vicinity of the end 66a. Has been. The cassette pickup roll 68 may be attached to the sheet supply cassette 66 or the image forming apparatus main body 12 as long as it is provided in the end portion 66a or in the vicinity of the end portion 66a. Since the cassette pick-up roll 68 and the manual feed pick-up roll 64 are arranged in this way, the sheet supply cassette 66 and the manual feed tray 62 can be arranged at positions overlapping with each other in the gravitational direction. It becomes possible to reduce the size in the horizontal direction.

  The main conveyance path 70 is a conveyance path that conveys the sheet supplied from the sheet supply cassette 66 or the sheet supplied from the manual feed tray 62 to the sheet discharge unit 13. From the upstream in the sheet conveyance direction along the main conveyance path 70. A registration roll 72 that supplies a sheet to the transfer unit 40 described above in accordance with the timing of image formation, a transfer unit 40 described above, the fixing device 36 described above, and a discharge roll 74 that discharges the sheet to the sheet discharge unit 13. Has been placed.

  The reverse conveying path 76 is used as a double-sided image forming unit, and is a conveying path that reverses the sheet on which the image is formed on the surface by the image forming unit 14 and conveys the sheet to the image forming unit 14 again. The paper is conveyed from the discharge roll 74 to the registration roll 72. A discharge roll 74, reverse conveyance rolls 78 and 78, the aforementioned manual feed pickup roll 64, and a registration roll 72 are arranged in this order from the upstream in the sheet conveyance direction along the reverse conveyance path 76. Here, the manual pick-up roll 64 is used not only for feeding out the sheet from the manual feed tray 62 but also for transporting the sheet in the reverse transport path 76, and the sheet conveyed from the reverse transport roll 78. Is conveyed to the resist roll 72. The sheet that has been reversed by the reversal conveyance path 76 and reaches the registration roll 72 is guided to the transfer unit 40 by the registration roll 72 in accordance with the timing of image formation in the image forming unit 14, and developed on the back surface by the transfer unit 40. The agent image is transferred.

Next, the operation of the embodiment described above will be described.
When the image forming operation starts, the surfaces of the photoconductors 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B are uniformly charged by the charging devices 26Y, 26M, 26C, and 26B, and the optical writing devices 34Y, 34M, 34C, and 34B are charged on these surfaces. A latent image is formed by the irradiated light, and these latent images are developed by the developing devices 28Y, 28M, 28C, and 28B, and developer images are formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B, respectively. The

  On the other hand, a sheet stored in the sheet supply cassette 66 of the sheet supply apparatus 60 or a sheet placed on the manual feed tray 62 is picked up by the cassette pickup roll 68 or the manual pickup roll 64 and conveyed toward the registration roll 72. Then, it is temporarily stopped by the registration roll, and is guided to the conveyance belt 44 of the transfer unit 40 at a timing. The developer images formed on the photoreceptors 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24B are transferred to the sheet by transfer rolls 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50B, respectively, and the yellow developer image, the magenta developer image, A developer image in which the cyan developer image and the black developer image are superimposed is formed. Then, the sheet on which the developer image is formed is sent to the fixing device 36, and after the developer image is fixed by the fixing device 36, the sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge portion 13 by the discharge roll 74.

  When manual sheet feeding is performed during the above image forming operation, the manual tray 62 is set at a sheet feeding position indicated by a solid line in FIG. At this time, since the manual feed tray 62 is disposed in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body 12 and the belt 44, the length protruding from the image forming apparatus 10 can be shortened. Therefore, the space including the work space can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized.

  Further, when the above image forming operation is performed, the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are attached to the image forming apparatus main body 12 with the opening portion 12a opened as shown in FIG. Is moved from the position where the transfer shown in FIG. 1 is made to the open position shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 to move the belt 44, and this is done via the space formed by this movement. The process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are taken out from the image forming apparatus main body 12 through the space. Here, since the conveyor belt 44 is disposed obliquely in the horizontal direction, the conveyor belt 44 protrudes from the image forming apparatus main body 12 when moved to the open position as compared with the case where the conveyor belt 44 is stretched in the direction of gravity. The length to be shortened. Therefore, the space including the work space for attaching and detaching the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized.

The direction in which the operator places the sheet on the manual feed tray 62 and the direction in which the transfer unit 40 moves and the direction in which the operator attaches / detaches the process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20B are substantially the same. The direction of the image forming apparatus 10 is the right side surface in FIGS. 1 and 2. Therefore, when installing the image forming apparatus 10, it is not necessary to secure a space for the operator to operate at a position other than the right side surface, and the space including the work space for replacing the process cartridge can be reduced. Thus, the image forming apparatus 10 can be downsized.

  In FIG. 3, a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10 is shown. Compared to the first embodiment described above, the second embodiment is provided with a scanner 80 used as a reading device for reading a document that was not provided in the first embodiment. The scanner 80 includes a scanner main body 82, a document pressing plate 84 that can be opened and closed with respect to the scanner main body 82, and support legs 86 that are used as support means for supporting the scanner main body 82.

  When the scanner 80 reads a document, the operator sets the document by lifting the end portion 84b opposite to the end portion 84a attached to the scanner body 82 of the document pressing plate 84. This operation is substantially the same as the direction in which the operation of placing the sheet on the manual feed tray 62 described above is performed, and is the direction in which the transfer unit 40 moves, and the operator can set each process cartridge 20Y, 20M, It is performed from the direction on the right side in FIG. 3, which is the same direction as the direction in which 20C and 20B are attached and detached. Therefore, when installing the image forming apparatus 10, it is not necessary to secure a space for the operator to operate at a position other than the right side surface. Therefore, the space including the work space can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized. In the second embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment is omitted.

  In FIG. 4, a third embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10 is shown. Compared to the second embodiment described above, the third embodiment includes an operation panel 88 that is used as an operation input means for operating the image forming apparatus 10. The operation panel 88 is a device that allows an input operation such as the number of sheets on which image formation is performed and a desired density to be directly performed from the image forming apparatus 10.

  When the operation panel 88 is operated, the operation is substantially the same as the direction in which the operation of placing the sheet on the manual feed tray 62 described above is performed, and is the direction in which the transfer unit 40 moves. The process cartridges 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20B are performed from the direction on the right side in FIG. For this reason, when installing the image forming apparatus 10, it is not necessary to secure a space for the operator to operate at positions other than the right side surface, and the space including the work space can be reduced. The apparatus 10 can be downsized. Note that in the third embodiment, description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

  5 and 6 show a fourth embodiment of the image forming apparatus 10. Compared to the first embodiment described above, in the first embodiment, the transfer device frame 42 that supports the conveyor belt 44 is rotated with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 12, whereas the fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment. In the embodiment, the transfer device frame 42 can be pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body 12, and each process cartridge 20 </ b> Y, 20 </ b> M is passed through a space formed by the transfer device frame 42 being pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body 12. , 20C and 20B are attached and detached.

  In the first embodiment, the manual feed tray 62 and the manual pickup roll 64 mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 12 are mounted on the transfer device frame 42 in the fourth embodiment. In addition, about the same part as 1st Embodiment, the same number is attached | subjected to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the sheet is conveyed on the upper surface of the conveying belt 44. Alternatively, the sheet may be conveyed on the lower surface of the conveying belt 44. In this case, it is desirable to electrostatically attract the sheet to the lower surface of the conveyance belt 44. Further, although the transport belt 44 transports the sheet obliquely upward from the support roll 48b side to the support roll 48a side, the sheet may be transported obliquely downward instead.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the conveyance belt 44 is used as a belt, but an intermediate transfer belt may be used as a belt instead. In this case, the image forming apparatus 10 is provided with a secondary transfer roll or the like used as secondary transfer means for transferring the developer image transferred to the intermediate transfer belt to the sheet. Further, instead of the conveying belt 44, for example, an image carrier belt made of a photosensitive member may be used as the belt.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the photosensitive member 24, the charging device 26, the developing device 28, and the cleaning device 32 are integrated as the process cartridge 20. A part may be integrated as a process cartridge, and a member that is not integrated as a process cartridge may be attached to the image forming apparatus main body 12. For example, the photosensitive member 24 may be mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 12, and the charging device 26, the developing device 28, and the cleaning device 32 may be integrated as the process cartridge 20.

  As described above, the present invention can be used for an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a printer that rotatably supports a belt such as a conveyance belt or an intermediate transfer belt. Further, the present invention can be used in a process cartridge mounting method for mounting a process cartridge in these image forming apparatuses and a process cartridge removing method for removing a process cartridge from these image forming apparatuses.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a process cartridge is removed from the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the image forming apparatus which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a process cartridge is removed from an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Image forming apparatus main body 13 Sheet discharge part 20Y, 20M, 20C, 20B Process cartridge 24Y, 24M, 24C, 24B Photoconductor 40 Transfer unit 42 Transfer device frame 44 Conveyor belts 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50B Transfer roll 60 Sheet supply device 62 Manual feed tray 64 Manual feed pick-up roll 66 Sheet supply cassette 68 Cassette pick-up roll 70 Main transport path 76 Reverse transport path 78 Reverse transport roll 80 Scanner 88 Operation panel 96 Power supply unit 98 Controller

Claims (10)

An image forming apparatus main body;
Ri The image forming apparatus main body near a belt for conveying the sheet or the image,
A plurality of process cartridges arranged along the belt and forming an image on the sheet or the belt;
A manual sheet placement unit on which a manually fed sheet is placed ;
Have
The belt is disposed obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so that an end portion on the side where the sheet is manually inserted into the manual sheet placement portion is positioned above the other end portion in the gravitational direction,
The manual feed sheet placement portion is at least partially, are arranged so as to overlap in the direction of gravity below the belt, is arranged in a space surrounded by the image forming apparatus main body and the belt, the supply of the sheet The process cartridge is movable between a sheet supply position to be made and a retracted position that does not hinder attachment / detachment of the process cartridge, and the process cartridge is disposed through a space formed by movement of the belt with respect to the image forming apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus that is mounted . Further comprising a document reading device for reading a document,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a direction in which the document reading apparatus is operated and a direction in which a sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placing portion are substantially the same direction. It further has an operation input means,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a direction in which the operation input unit is operated and a direction in which the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placing portion are substantially the same direction. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the belt is supported by a support unit rotatably provided in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the belt is supported by a support unit that can be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a direction in which the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placing portion and a direction in which the process cartridge is pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body are substantially the same direction. . The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein a direction in which the document reading apparatus is operated and a direction in which the process cartridge is pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body are substantially the same direction. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein a direction in which the operation input unit is operated and a direction in which the process cartridge is pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus are substantially the same direction. An image forming apparatus main body, a belt in the image forming apparatus main body for conveying a sheet or an image, a plurality of process cartridges arranged along the belt, and forming an image on the sheet or the belt, and manually fed A manual sheet placement portion on which a sheet to be placed is placed, and the belt has an end on the side where the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion that is above the other end in the direction of gravity. It is disposed obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so as to be positioned, and the manual sheet placing portion is disposed so that at least a part thereof overlaps below the belt in the gravitational direction, and the image forming apparatus main body and the It is disposed in a space surrounded by a belt, and is movable between a sheet supply position where sheets are supplied and a retreat position that does not prevent the process cartridge from being attached or detached. To the image forming apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to claim Rukoto,
Through the space formed by movement relative to the image forming apparatus main body of the belt, the mounting method of the process cartridge, characterized by mounting the process cartridge. An image forming apparatus main body, a belt in the image forming apparatus main body for conveying a sheet or an image, a plurality of process cartridges arranged along the belt, and forming an image on the sheet or the belt, and manually fed A manual sheet placement portion on which a sheet to be placed is placed, and the belt has an end on the side where the sheet is manually fed to the manual sheet placement portion that is above the other end in the direction of gravity. It is disposed obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction so as to be positioned, and the manual sheet placing portion is disposed so that at least a part thereof overlaps below the belt in the gravitational direction, and the image forming apparatus main body and the It is disposed in a space surrounded by a belt, and is movable between a sheet supply position where sheets are supplied and a retreat position that does not prevent the process cartridge from being attached or detached. From the image forming apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus according to claim Rukoto,
Through the space formed by movement relative to the image forming apparatus main body of the belt, take-out method of the process cartridge, characterized in that retrieving the process cartridge.

Images