JP5002256B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, and a multifunction machine (multifunctional copying machine) using an electrophotographic system or an ink jet recording system.

  Image forming devices such as copiers, especially in central offices, are designed to save installation space to reduce management and maintenance costs, and to increase the speed of print jobs to increase production processing capacity. It is desirable to arrange it in the vicinity of the user for convenience.

  In order to save space in particular, a paper discharge unit that discharges printed recording paper (hereinafter referred to as “sheet”) is provided between the uppermost document reading unit (scanner) and the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus main body. A so-called in-body discharge type that is provided and miniaturized is put into practical use. However, this in-body discharge type has a problem that the original reading unit is affected by the heat generated from the fixing device, particularly in the high-speed model. The fixing device heats and presses the toner image on the sheet for permanent fixing, but the heat generated at the time of fixing escapes to the paper discharge unit, and the original reading unit is heated by the heat, which increases the speed. Becomes prominent. When the temperature of the document reading unit rises due to heat, there is a problem that the optical system lens and image are distorted and electronic devices such as a CCD malfunction. Furthermore, when the sheets that have undergone fixing processing by the fixing device are stacked on the discharge tray from the paper discharge unit, heat is also accumulated in the stack of the stacked sheets, and the sheets adhere to each other due to toner welding and are discharged. There is also a problem that causes defects.

  In order to solve the problem related to the generated heat, a structure has been proposed in which the document reading unit is cooled by sending air from below with a blower fan (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the door 40 for opening and closing the paper discharge unit is locked with a key 47a to prevent leakage of secrets due to taking out by an outsider, and at the same time, the door 40 is provided to close the door when discharging the sheet. A technique for preventing mechanical noise from leaking out of the apparatus has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

US Pat. No. 6,611,667 JP-A-8-339102

  However, in the case of the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that air blown from the cooling fan or hot air is blown to a nearby user, and fan noise makes the user uncomfortable. Further, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, if a print job is executed carelessly with the paper discharge unit door 40 opened, a mechanical sound leaks out and the users around the machine body are also leaked. Gives you discomfort. In addition, in the case of Patent Document 2, it is necessary and necessary to check and confirm whether or not the paper discharge unit door 40 is open or closed before the user starts a print job. In recent years, especially in the case of a copying machine, it has been often made to function on a company LAN as a multifunction copying machine, that is, as a multi-function machine. Opening and closing inspection is cumbersome and inefficient. Even if the paper discharge unit door 40 is closed, if the door 40 is opened carelessly during execution of a print job, unexpected and sudden noise may be emitted into the office environment.

As described above, the object of the present invention is to prevent the mechanical noise of the image forming unit coming from the discharge port of the image forming unit from leaking out of the apparatus, or the abnormal noise that the sheets rub against each other from the discharge unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing leakage .

In order to achieve the above object, a typical image forming apparatus of the present invention has a door cover and is partitioned outside a discharge port for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit. A sheet discharged after image formation and fixing processing is post-processed and stored by a post-processing device disposed on a sheet passing path from the discharge port , and the inside is closed by closing the door cover, and the discharge portion for opening the interior by opening the door cover, a door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing movement of the door cover, when it is determined to contain a job to perform post-processing on sheets after the fixing process, the When the door opening / closing mechanism closes the door cover to close the inside of the paper discharge unit and determines that the job for post-processing the fixed sheet is not included, the door opening / closing mechanism Open the cover. Characterized in that it comprises a control unit for controlling to the state, the.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the mechanical noise of the image forming unit coming from the discharge port of the image forming unit from leaking out of the apparatus, or the abnormal noise that the sheets rub against each other from the sheet discharging unit. It can prevent leaking outside.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image forming apparatus according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Image forming device)
FIG. 1 has an image reading unit 25a at the top of the apparatus main body 25, and a main paper discharge unit to be described later with reference to FIG. 2 and below between the image forming unit 26 disposed below the image reading unit 25a. An in-body discharge type copier 24 provided with 300 is shown.

  The image reading unit 25a has a laser exposure device 202 that moves in the direction of the arrow by irradiating a document (not shown) set on the document glass 201, and has a mirror unit 203 that moves integrally with the laser exposure device 202. . In addition, a mirror unit 203 that receives light reflected from the document is input, and light reflected by the mirror unit 203 is input through an imaging lens, and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 204, which is a photoelectric conversion storage medium, or the like. It is equipped.

  On the other hand, the image forming unit 26 includes the following devices and members. The image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive drum 101 that is an image bearing member, and a developing device 102 that develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 101 with toner to form a toner image on the drum surface. Further, the image forming apparatus includes a transfer roller 103 that forms a transfer portion that presses against the photosensitive drum 101 and transfers a toner image onto a sheet, and includes a laser scanner 100 for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. . Further, a sheet feeding device 25b and a sheet conveying device 50 for feeding a sheet such as plain paper are provided. The sheet feeding device 25b has a sheet feeding cassette 1 for storing sheets, a sheet feeding roller 2 for feeding out the sheets stored in the sheet feeding cassette 1, a feed roller 3 and a retard roller 4 for separating the sheets one by one. It has the separation part constituted by. When the sheet feeding cassette 1 is inserted into the apparatus main body 25 and set, a lift mechanism (not shown) that senses it operates to raise the sheet to a level position where the sheet can be fed in the sheet feeding cassette 1. Further, in the double-sided printing mode, for example, the sheet conveying device 50 conveys the sheet to the image forming unit 26 to form an image on the first surface of the sheet, and forms the sheet again to form an image on the second surface. It is conveyed to the part 26. The reversing path 16 is provided in the sheet conveying apparatus 50 for the re-conveyance.

  With the above configuration, the copying machine 24 operates as follows.

  When a document for reading is set on the platen glass 201 and the copy button is pressed, the laser exposure device 202 moves in the direction of the arrow while irradiating the document, and scans the entire surface of the document. The light irradiated on the original by the laser exposure device 202 is folded back by the mirror unit 203 and then imaged on the CCD 204 by the lens. The document read by the CCD 204 is converted into an electrical signal by the image forming unit 26 and transmitted to the laser scanner 100.

  Subsequently, laser light corresponding to the image information is emitted from the laser scanner 100 to the photosensitive drum 101, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 101 with this laser light. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 102 and visualized as a toner image.

  The paper feed roller 2 rotates in synchronization with the toner image forming operation and is stored in the paper feed cassette 1, and the sheet in the paper feed cassette 1 lifts the paper surface to a height level at which paper can be fed by the operation of the lift mechanism. It is done. Sheets are separated one by one at a separation unit in which the feed roller 3 and the retard roller 4 cooperate, and the sheets are conveyed to the registration roller pairs 7 and 8 by the conveyance roller pairs 5 and 6 to correct the posture of the sheet and register. Make corrections. Thereafter, the sheet is conveyed to a transfer portion between the photosensitive drum 101 and the transfer roller 103, and a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image is applied to the transfer roller 103 to transfer the toner image. When the sheet moves toward the registrar pair 7 and 8, the passage detecting device 34 detects that the sheet has passed, and based on the detection signal, the control unit 25c sends the sheet in a timely manner according to the position of the toner image. The resist roller pair 7 and 8 are driven as described above.

  The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is sent to the fixing device 11 by the conveyance unit 10, and the sheet is heated and pressed by the fixing device 11 to permanently fix the toner image on the sheet. In the case of single-sided copying in which an image is formed only on the first surface of the sheet after the toner image is fixed, the sheet is discharged by a reversing roller pair 14 and 15 and a discharge roller pair 12 that rotate forward (see FIG. 2). To discharge. This completes the single-sided copying operation of the sheet. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided copying in which an image is also formed on the second side of the sheet, the sheet with the image transferred on one side passes through the fixing device 11 and is then switched back and conveyed by the pair of reversing rollers 14 and 15. Pass through. The registration is again corrected by the registration roller pair 7 and 8 and conveyed to the transfer section. Then, an image is formed on the opposite surface by the transfer unit, and then the sheet is conveyed and discharged to the paper discharge unit 300 as in the single-sided copying operation. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge unit 300 is provided with a paper discharge cover (paper discharge door cover) 301 that is closed to keep the inside substantially airtight. Including the control of the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 301, the controller (control unit) shown in FIG.

  In the functional block diagram of FIG. 3, the control unit 25c is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and executes a control program stored in a memory such as a ROM. The control unit 25c receives an instruction / selection signal from the operation unit by a user input operation or an instruction signal output from another OA device on the network, and outputs it as an operation signal or a control signal to output the image forming unit 26 and the paper feeding device 25b. The image is sent to each device such as the fixing device 11 and the image reading unit 25a.

  The operation unit is provided with input keys for setting and selecting various conditions for use of the copying machine 24 and instructing the determination and execution. The operation state of the copying machine 24 and selection menus for various conditions are input. A display unit for displaying information and the like is also arranged. As the display unit, a general liquid crystal display screen (LCD) or a lamp can be used. Usually, in addition to displaying information, a touch-panel type liquid crystal display screen that can also input and select information is used. . The instruction information input through the operation unit is transmitted to the control unit. In addition, a predetermined display is performed on the display unit according to a control operation in the control unit, an output state from another OA device, or the like.

  In addition, in the control unit, in accordance with an instruction from the operation unit or other OA devices, “normal output mode” in which an image-formed sheet is discharged without performing post-processing such as stapling processing is set and registered in advance. The “post-processing output mode” for executing the processing can be selectively controlled and executed. Selection or instruction is performed directly by displaying an input screen or the like from an operation unit such as a touch panel type liquid crystal display screen, or in combination with a selection input operation from another OA device.

  When the number of sheets S to be processed and the output mode are set as described above, the discharge cover 301 is opened / closed based on the information to mainly perform exhaust and exhaust heat in the discharge unit 300. The paper discharge unit is controlled.

(Configuration and Control of Paper Discharge Unit: First Embodiment)
With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration, operation, and control of opening and closing the inside of the paper discharge unit 300 by opening and closing the paper discharge cover 301 will be described.

  The sheets S on which images have been formed by the image forming unit 26 are sent to the paper discharge unit 300 from the paper discharge port provided at the back in FIG. Rotational power from the drive motor 303 is transmitted as an opening / closing movement of the discharge cover 301 via a door opening / closing mechanism such as a reduction gear transmission mechanism. When the paper discharge cover 301 is closed, the paper discharge unit 300 can be closed with sufficient airtightness so that heat and mechanical noise do not leak outside. An electrically driven exhaust fan (suction / exhaust means) 304 for exhausting the air in the paper discharge unit 300 is provided on the back side of the back of the paper discharge unit 300. A shielding cover (intake / exhaust means) 305 for blocking is provided. The shielding cover 305 opens and closes when the rotational power from the drive motor 307 is transmitted by the reduction gear mechanism 306. When the shielding cover 305 is closed, rotation noise of the exhaust fan 304 and other mechanical noises are prevented from leaking outside the apparatus. When the shielding cover 305 is opened, heat generated in the paper discharge unit 300 due to suction by rotation of the exhaust fan 304 can be prevented. Air can be discharged. An exhaust duct (intake / exhaust means) 308 for guiding exhaust from the paper discharge unit 300 is provided on the downstream side of the exhaust fan 304. The operations of the exhaust fan 304, the drive motor 307, and the drive motor 303 are controlled by the control unit 25c.

  In addition, a touch panel type input / output device 400 that displays information related to the current operation status of the copying machine 24 and that is operated by a user to input an instruction or a selection signal is provided above the paper discharge cover 301. .

  As is apparent from FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the discharge cover 301, the reduction gear mechanism 302, and the drive motor 303 are united into one unit, and the unit is attached to the apparatus main body 25. It can be removed.

  Next, a control example of the paper discharge unit 300 will be described with reference to an operation flowchart of FIG.

  First, in steps S1 and S2, the copying machine 24 starts an image forming operation by a user operating an input key of the operation unit or a start instruction operation from a network-connected information device. The sheet S on which the image has been formed and fixed by the image forming unit 26 is sent to the paper discharge unit 300 from the paper discharge port. In synchronization with the operation so far, the control unit 25c turns on the drive motor 303 and closes the door cover by the rotation (step: S3), while the drive motor 307 is turned on and the reduction gear mechanism 306 is turned on. Then, the shield cover 305 in the closed state is operated to open (step: S4). When the shielding cover 305 is completely opened, the control unit 25c starts the rotation of the exhaust fan 304 in synchronization with the motor drive being turned off (step: S5). As the exhaust fan 304 rotates, outside air is sucked and taken in from an intake louver (not shown), and the air in the paper discharge unit 300 is discharged from the exhaust duct 308 to the outside of the apparatus.

  The air flow is generated in the paper discharge unit 300 so that the heat and air trapped inside are discharged outside the apparatus. As a result, the sheets S fed into and stacked in the paper discharge unit 300 are prevented from being fused and stuck due to melting of the image toner. In addition, since the sheet S retains heat and is brought into the paper discharge unit 300, it is effective to prevent the image reading unit 25a from being warmed by the paper discharge unit 300 heated by the sheet S. At the same time, the rotation noise of the exhaust fan 304, the rubbing sound of the discharged sheets S, or the mechanical noise from the entire copier leaking from the paper discharge port is prevented from leaking outside the machine, and the surrounding work environment is prevented. Keep you comfortable.

  When all of the instructed print jobs are completed and all of the image-formed sheets S are taken into the paper discharge unit 300 and discharged (step: S6), the control unit 25c immediately thereafter or after a predetermined time has elapsed. Restarts the drive motor 307 and operates it in the direction to close the shielding cover 305. When the shielding cover 305 is completely closed, the state is maintained (step: S7). In synchronization with this, the control unit 25c restarts the drive motor 303 of the door cover unit in the reverse rotation direction, operates the door cover 301 in the opening direction (step: S8), and the sheets stored in the paper discharge unit 300 S can be taken out. Further, when the paper discharge cover 301 is opened at this time and the inside of the paper discharge unit 300 is opened, the heat in the paper discharge unit 300 that has accumulated after the end of the print job can be naturally dissipated outside and cooled. At this stage, the image forming operation is finished in the copying machine 24, and the rotational noise of the exhaust fan 304 is not leaked outside the machine because the shielding cover 305 is closed. When the rotational driving of the exhaust fan 304 is stopped, all the print jobs are ended (step: S9).

  By the way, in this 1st Embodiment, the form which opens and closes the door cover 301 with the drive motor 303 was shown. However, the door cover 301 may be opened and closed by the user. In the case of this form, a lock mechanism for locking the closed door cover 301 so as not to be opened is provided. Then, the lock mechanism is locked so that the paper discharge cover 301 is not opened by the start of image formation, and is unlocked so that the paper discharge cover 301 can be opened and closed after the image forming operation is completed. As the lock mechanism, for example, a solenoid is used as an actuator so that the lock pin is moved in the pushing and pulling direction and engaged with the paper discharge cover 301 to be locked. However, the door cover lock mechanism may be added to the unit using the drive motor 303 or the reduction gear mechanism 302 described above. In other words, it is possible to have both functions of the cover opening / closing operation and the locking operation.

(Configuration and control of paper discharge unit: second embodiment)
FIG. 5 shows a configuration of the paper discharge unit 300 as the second embodiment. In this case, the structure is not provided with the shielding cover 305 for blocking the rotational noise of the exhaust fan 304 shown in FIG. 2 from leaking out of the apparatus.

  Therefore, steps S4 and S7 in the operation flowchart of FIG. 4 are not necessary in the operation flowchart of FIG. The control unit 25c controls the drive motor 303 so as to close the paper discharge cover 301 when image formation is started, and the rotation of the exhaust fan 304 is started. The rotational noise of the exhaust fan 304 is prevented from leaking out of the apparatus by closing the paper discharge cover 301. That is, the discharge cover 301 is substituted for the shielding cover 305. Then, after the image formation is completed, the drive motor 303 is controlled to open the paper discharge cover 301, and the control unit 25c controls the rotation of the exhaust fan 304 to be stopped.

  Further, in the second embodiment, switching between cooling and non-cooling, which cools the heat accumulated in the paper discharge unit 300, is controlled by turning on or off the exhaust fan 304 by rotating or stopping rotation. In this case, in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2), the inside of the paper discharge unit 300 is sucked and exhausted by the rotation of the exhaust fan 304, whereas in the second embodiment, the air blowing direction by the exhaust fan 304 is changed. On the contrary, the heat in the paper discharge unit 300 is cooled by being directed into the paper discharge unit 300.

  By the way, blowing air from the exhaust fan 304 into the paper discharge unit 300 prevents the paper discharge cover 301 from being pushed outward due to wind pressure or the like, and prevents the airtightness from being lost, and the paper discharge cover 301 is securely fixed. In order to do this, a door cover lock mechanism can be provided. The door cover cover locking mechanism can be locked by, for example, using a solenoid as an actuator, moving the lock pin in the pushing and pulling direction, and engaging with the paper discharge cover 301. However, the door cover lock mechanism may be added to the unit using the existing drive motor 303 or the reduction gear mechanism 302, or the cover lock mechanism performs the function instead of the unit, that is, the cover opening / closing operation and the lock operation. It is also possible to configure by combining both functions. In this case, the paper discharge cover 301 is locked so as not to be opened by the start of image formation, and is unlocked so that the paper discharge cover 301 can be opened and closed after the end of the image forming operation.

(Configuration and Control of Paper Discharge Unit: Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, a paper discharge port 310 is provided on the side surface of the paper discharge unit 300, and the sheet S on which an image has been formed can be taken from the paper discharge port 310 and accumulated in the paper discharge unit 300. In that case, a side plate cover 301a that closes the side face almost airtightly and a front cover 301b that closes the front face almost airtightly are provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge unit 300, respectively.

  In the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 8, first, in this case, in steps S1 and S2, a signal instructing the start of processing is output from the input key of the operation unit provided in the copying machine 24 or another information device on the network. In response to the instruction signal, the control unit 25c outputs an operation signal to start image formation of the copying machine 24. At this time, the control unit 25c determines whether the instructed print job is a continuous job that continuously processes a large number of sheets S or an intermittent job that performs only a few sheets (step: S10). . If the job is not an intermittent job but a continuous job (No), the copying machine 24 executes high-speed image forming processing in the high-speed processing mode (step S11). The control unit 25c controls to close the paper discharge cover 301 and close the paper discharge unit 300. Alternatively, the control unit 25c performs control so that the locked state that cannot be opened and closed is set so as not to be opened carelessly after the paper discharge unit 300 is closed by the user's selective setting (step S12). As a result, the machine noise of the copying machine 24 leaking from the paper discharge port 310 and the abnormal noise in which the discharged sheets S rub against each other are prevented from leaking out of the machine. When all the designated print jobs are completed (step: S13), the control unit 25c that recognizes the print job performs control to maintain the paper discharge cover 301 in an open state, or controls to an openable / closable state that can be opened and closed (step S13). Step: S14).

  On the other hand, in step S10, when an intermittent job that performs only a few processes is selected (Yes), the control unit 25c controls the copying machine 24 to enter the low noise mode and reduce the sheet processing speed ( Step: S15). At the same time, the paper discharge cover 301 can be opened and closed (step: S16). When the image formation is completed, the print job is completed (step: S17).

(Configuration and Control of Paper Discharge Unit: Fourth Embodiment)
FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment. In this case, as in the third embodiment, a sheet discharge port 310 of the sheet S is provided on the side surface of the sheet discharge unit 300, and the image formed sheet is stapled from the sheet discharge port 310 to the sheet discharge unit 300 on the sheet passing path. The post-processing device 309 is arranged. Further, a side cover 301a and a front cover 301b are provided in the vicinity of the paper discharge unit 300 so as to close the side and front surfaces almost airtightly.

  As shown in the operation flowchart of FIG. 10, in this case, first, in steps S1 and S2, a signal instructing the start of processing is output from the input key of the operation unit provided in the copying machine 24 or another information device on the network. Based on this, the control unit 25c outputs an operation signal for starting image formation. At that time, the control unit 25c determines whether or not the instructed print job includes a job for post-processing the image-formed sheet S (step: S20). If there is a post-processing job (Yes), the control unit 25c controls the paper discharge cover 301 to be closed entirely or selectively (can be set by the user) as the noise mode. Or the control part 25c controls so that it may be in the open / close locked state which cannot be opened and closed (step: S21). As a result, the machine noise of the copying machine 24 and the abnormal noise that the discharge sheets S rub against each other are prevented from leaking out of the machine. When the image-formed sheet S is discharged from the paper discharge port 310 by the image forming unit 26, the post-processing device 309 performs a stapling process and the like, and sends it to the paper discharge unit 300 to be stacked (step: S22). When all the print jobs are completed (step: S23), the control unit 25c sets the paper discharge cover 301 to an open state or an openable / closable state (step: S23).

  On the other hand, in step S20, when a command that does not perform post-processing is selected (No), or even if post-processing is performed, the operation frequency is low, so the control unit 25c determines that the mode is the low noise mode. Based on the determination, the control unit 25c controls to open and close the paper discharge cover 301 (step: S25). When the image formation is completed, the print job is completed (step: S26).

  In the above, several embodiments of the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and other embodiments, application examples, and modifications are within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Examples and combinations thereof are also possible.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the paper discharge cover 301 is shown as a pivoting open type, but instead, a structure of a horizontal slide drawer type or a vertical slide shutter type may be adopted.

  In the first embodiment, the rotation on / off control of the exhaust fan 304 and the opening / closing control of the shielding cover 305 are synchronized with the image forming operation of the copying machine 24, but a temperature detection sensor is provided inside the paper discharge unit 300. A structure in which control is performed based on the detection signal is also possible. That is, whether or not the temperature inside the paper discharge unit 300 exceeds the set temperature is detected by the temperature detection sensor. When the temperature exceeds the set temperature, cooling inside the paper discharge unit 300 is started based on the detection signal. If the temperature is equal to or lower than the set temperature, it is possible to perform control such that the cooling operation is not performed in order to reduce the mechanical noise generated from the paper discharge unit 300. In this case, as a matter of course, the open / close state of the discharge cover 301 is controlled in accordance with the operation state of the exhaust fan 304 and the shielding cover 305. In addition, in synchronization with the opening / closing operation of the paper discharge cover 301, it is more preferable that the operation of the paper discharge cover 301 can be notified by light, sound, vibration, and display on the input / output device 400.

  In each of the embodiments, the in-cylinder sheet discharge type in which the sheet discharge unit 300 is disposed between the image reading unit 25a and the image forming unit 26 has been described. However, this is exemplified as a preferred embodiment. However, it is not limited to this. For example, even in the case of a copier in which the paper discharge unit protrudes from the side surface of the copier, the effects obtained in the above embodiments can be obtained by providing a door cover that seals the paper discharge unit.

  Further, for example, in the first embodiment, the structure in which the shielding cover 305 is provided to prevent leakage of the rotational noise of the exhaust fan 304 is shown, but an alternative structure without the shielding cover 305 is also possible. That is, although structurally similar to the second embodiment (see FIG. 5), in this case, the rotational drive of the exhaust fan 304 is turned on / off by the control circuit, thereby mechanical noise simultaneously with the rotational drive of the exhaust fan 304. The presence or absence of can be switched.

  Further, in the first embodiment, it has been disclosed that the drive motor 303 and the reduction gear mechanism 302 for opening and closing the paper discharge cover 301 can be integrated into a unit, but electromagnetic force is applied to the unitized drive mechanism. It is also possible to adopt a solenoid mechanism using

1 is a diagram showing a copying machine which is a preferred embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge unit according to the first embodiment. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the control part by 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the paper discharge part of 2nd Embodiment by this invention. The flowchart of operation | movement of 2nd Embodiment. The figure which shows the paper discharge part of 3rd Embodiment by this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of 3rd Embodiment. The figure which shows the paper discharge part of 4th Embodiment by this invention. The flowchart which shows operation | movement of 4th Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a conventional in-body discharge type image forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Sheet conveyance part 11 Fixing device 24 Copying machine 25 Apparatus main body 25a Image reading part 25b Paper feeding apparatus 25c Controller (control part)
26 Image forming unit 300 Paper discharge unit 301 Paper discharge cover (door cover)
302 Reduction gear mechanism (door opening / closing mechanism)
303 Drive motor (door opening / closing mechanism)
304 Exhaust fan (intake and exhaust means)
305 Shield cover (intake and exhaust means)
308 Exhaust duct (intake and exhaust means)
310 Paper exit

Claims (6)

A sheet having a door cover, which is partitioned outside a discharge port for discharging a sheet on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit . A paper discharge unit that performs post-processing and storage by a post-processing device disposed on the passage path , closes the inside by closing the door cover, and opens the inside by opening the door cover ;
A door opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing movement of the door cover,
If it is determined that a job for performing post-processing on the sheet after fixing processing is included, the door opening / closing mechanism closes the door cover and closes the inside of the paper discharge unit, so that the sheet after fixing processing is closed. When it is determined that a job for performing post-processing is not included, a control unit that controls the door opening and closing mechanism to open and close the discharge unit that opens the door cover;
An image forming apparatus comprising: a. Comprising intake and exhaust means for forced circulation of air in the sheet discharge portion,
The control unit, when operating the intake and exhaust means, the door opening and closing mechanism and open state the door cover, when not actuated the intake and exhaust means, said opening and closing mechanism closes the door cover The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is controlled to be in a state . Said control means, said image forming in the image forming section based on the instruction signal of the Ru Oh plenty continuous job, select the high-speed processing mode, pre Kitobira closing mechanism and closed the door cover, wherein A low noise mode is selected on the basis of an instruction signal indicating that image formation by the image forming unit is a low-volume intermittent job, and the door opening / closing mechanism is controlled to be in an openable / closable state. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. The door opening and closing mechanism, when the image forming apparatus main body is discharged sheet after the image formation on the sheet discharge unit to perform an image forming operation, the closing of the door cover state to close the sheet discharge section and then, after the image forming operation, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the door cover to the open state to open the discharge unit. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a notification means for notifying by detecting the open or closed state of the door cover. Of claims 1 to 5, wherein the discharge unit is in the internal discharge type provided between said image forming unit and the image reading unit provided in the top of the image forming apparatus main body The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.

Images