JP5125802B2 - Image forming apparatus and double-sided conveying structure used therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a double-sided conveyance structure used for the image forming apparatus.

As conventional image forming apparatuses, for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 has an opening / closing member and a transfer unit having different rotation fulcrums, and is a system in which the transfer unit is moved following the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member, and transports a recording material between the opening / closing member and the transfer unit. In this aspect, it is possible to provide means.
Patent Document 2 is a mode in which the paper conveyance guide is opened in conjunction with the opening / closing cover opening operation, and the paper conveyance path and the reverse conveyance path are simultaneously opened.
Patent Document 3 is a mode in which a conveyance member facing a plurality of image forming units is provided, and the conveyance member moves in conjunction with an opening / closing operation of the opening / closing unit.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-045771 (Claims, Example 1, FIG. 3) JP 2005-330067 A (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, FIG. 6) JP 2005-275374 A (Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention, FIG. 2)

  The technical problem of the present invention is to move and guide the transfer structure along with the opening / closing operation of the open / close door regardless of whether the double-sided transfer structure is mounted or not, without unnecessarily increasing the size of the transfer structure. Is to make it possible.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming means including an image holding member that is detachably provided in an apparatus housing having a door opening on a side, and holds at least a transferable image, and a door of the apparatus housing An opening / closing door which is provided at an opening edge so as to be openable / closable around a rotation fulcrum, and is provided for transferring an image on an image holding member by the image forming means onto a recording material, and the apparatus housing A transfer structure that is rotatably provided around a rotation fulcrum that is different from the rotation fulcrum of the opening and closing door and that moves relative to the opening and closing door following the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door, and the opening and closing door. A guide member that moves and guides the transfer structure when the door is opened and closed, a guide mechanism that is provided on the transfer structure and contacts the guide member when the door is opened and closed, and is detachably held by the door Between the door and the transfer structure In order to enable image formation on the other side of the recording material on which single-sided imaging has been performed, the double-sided conveyance in which the recording material on which single-sided imaging has been performed is returned to the front of the image forming means via the double-sided conveyance path. And a double-sided conveyance structure having an opening through which the guide member of the open / close door is disposed in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path region of the recording material and the conveyance member drive transmission unit. Forming device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the guide member of the open / close door extends along the moving direction of the guided member of the transfer structure when the open / close door is opened and closed, and the moving direction of the guided member An image forming apparatus having a position restricting portion that restricts a position in a direction intersecting with.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, a positioning mechanism is provided between the double-sided conveyance component held by the open / close door and the transfer component, and the positioning mechanism is Positioning member for positioning double-sided transport structure and transfer structure when door is closed, positioning member for positioning transfer structure provided on double-sided transport structure and positioning member for double-sided transport structure The image forming apparatus includes a positioned member that is positioned in relation to
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the guide mechanism includes a guide member and a guided member disposed in a portion excluding the positioning mechanism. is there.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the guide mechanism has a plurality of guide members and a plurality of guided members separated from each other with the conveying member drive transmission portion as a boundary. There is provided an image forming apparatus.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the transfer structure is biased toward the image forming means when the door is closed. The image forming apparatus.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the double-sided conveyance structure has a pair of conveyance path members facing each other across the double-sided conveyance path, and one conveyance path member Is fixedly held by the opening / closing door, and the other conveyance path member is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to this conveyance path member. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a free conveying path member is disposed at a position not facing the conveying member drive transmission unit and the opening.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming means including an image holding body that is detachably provided in an apparatus housing having a door opening on a side, and holds at least a transferable image, and a door of the apparatus housing An opening / closing door which is provided at an opening edge so as to be openable / closable around a rotation fulcrum, and is provided for transferring an image on an image holding member by the image forming means onto a recording material, and the apparatus housing A transfer structure that is rotatably provided around a rotation fulcrum that is different from the rotation fulcrum of the opening and closing door and that moves relative to the opening and closing door following the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing door, and the opening and closing door. The image forming apparatus includes a guide member that moves and guides the transfer structure when the door is opened and closed, and a guide mechanism that is provided on the transfer structure and has a guided member that contacts the guide member when the door is opened and closed. A double-sided conveying structure, wherein the opening and closing It is detachably held on the door and is provided between the open / close door and the transfer structure, and is recorded on one side up to the front of the image forming means so as to be able to form an image on the other side of the recording material that has been imaged on one side. The recording material is returned by the conveying member via the double-sided conveyance path, and has an opening through which the guide member of the open / close door is disposed in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path area of the recording material and the conveyance member drive transmission unit. It is the double-sided conveyance structure characterized by the above.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the transfer structure is guided to move along with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door, regardless of whether the double-sided conveyance structure is mounted or not, without unnecessarily increasing the size of the transfer structure. can do.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the guided member of the transfer structure from dropping from the guide member even if the door is twisted during opening and closing, for example.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the transfer structure and the double-sided conveyance structure can be positioned when the open / close door is closed, and the conveyance of the recording material can be kept good.
According to the invention according to claim 4, it is possible to effectively prevent the positioning mechanism and the guide mechanism from interfering with each other, and the positioning operation between the transfer structure and the double-sided conveyance structure, the transfer structure, and the door Guide operation can be realized stably.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to arrange the conveying member drive transmission unit and the guide mechanism without interfering with each other while preventing an increase in the size of the transfer structure.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the positioning accuracy between the transfer structure and the image forming means when the door is closed can be kept good.
According to the invention which concerns on Claim 7, a double-sided conveyance structure body can be easily integrated between an opening-and-closing door and a transfer structure body, without enlarging unnecessarily.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the transfer structure is guided to move along with the opening / closing operation of the open / close door regardless of whether the double-sided conveyance structure is mounted or not mounted without unnecessarily increasing the size of the transfer structure. An image forming apparatus that can do this can be easily constructed.

Outline of Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an outline of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, an image forming apparatus is detachably provided in an apparatus housing 1 having a door opening 1a on a side, and includes an image forming means 2 including an image holding body 2a for holding at least a transferable image; An opening / closing door 3 provided at the edge of the door opening 1a of the apparatus housing 1 so as to be openable / closable around a rotation fulcrum 3a, and an image on the image holding member 2a by the image forming means 2 are recorded. 5 is arranged to be transferred to the apparatus housing 1, and is provided to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum 4 a different from the rotation fulcrum 3 a of the opening / closing door 3 and to follow the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door 3. The transfer structure 4 that moves relative to the opening / closing door 3, the guide member 7 a that is provided on the opening / closing door 3 and guides the transfer structure 4 when the opening / closing door 3 is opened and closed, and the transfer structure 4 are opened / closed. A guided member 7 that contacts the guide member 7a when the door 3 is opened and closed. And a guide mechanism 7 that is detachably held on the opening / closing door 3 and is provided between the opening / closing door 3 and the transfer component 4, and forms an image on the other side of the recording material 5 that has been imaged on one side. In order to make it possible, the recording material 5 on which single-sided imaging has been performed up to the front of the image forming means 2 is provided with a double-sided conveying structure 10 that is returned by the conveying member 12 via the double-sided conveying path 13, and the double-sided conveying structure 10 The guide member 7a of the open / close door 3 is provided in an opening 15 in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path 13 region of the recording material 5 and the conveyance member drive transmission unit 14.

In such technical means, the device housing 1 may be any device as long as it has a door opening 1a on a part of the side, and the term "side" as used herein broadly means other than above and below the installation location. In addition to the lateral side of the operator of the installed device casing 1, the lateral side and the back side are also included.
Further, the transfer structure 4 may be any one that can transfer the image of the image carrier 2a of the image forming means 2 to the recording material 5. However, the opening / closing door 3 and the transfer structure 4 have different rotation fulcrums 3a and 4a. Both of them need to be supported by rotation with respect to the apparatus housing 1. In this case, the positions of the rotation fulcrums 3a and 4a are normally fixedly set, but include a mode in which the rotation fulcrums 3a and 4a are set so as to move along a predetermined locus.
In this aspect, the transfer structure 4 moves relative to the opening / closing door 3 following the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door 3, but compared to an aspect in which the transfer structure 4 is incorporated on the opening / closing door 3 side. The opening / closing operation force of the opening / closing door 3 is lightened, and accordingly, the opening / closing operation property of the opening / closing door 3 is favorably maintained.
Further, the guide mechanism 7 may be provided between the opening / closing door 3 and the transfer structure 4 so long as the guide member 7a is provided on the opening / closing door 3 side and the guided member 7b is provided on the transfer structure 4 side. The guide member 7a and the guided member 7b may be configured integrally with the open / close door 3 and the transfer structure 4, or may be provided with separate members.

Further, the double-sided conveying structure 10 is detachably provided on the opening / closing door 3 and may be added to the opening / closing door 3 with respect to the mode of conveying the recording material 5 on both sides, and it is necessary to convey the recording material 5 on both sides. There is no particular need to provide it in a non-embodiment.
The opening 15 of the double-sided conveyance structure 10 is provided in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path 13 region and the conveyance member drive transmission unit 14. In this case, the conveyance operation of the recording material 5 and the driving of the conveyance member 12 are affected. Never do.
The “opening 15” here includes not only a through-hole but also a notch. Further, the conveyance member drive transmission unit 14 may include at least a mechanism for transmitting a driving force to the conveyance member 12, for example, a drive transmission gear train, and may have a drive source directly or may be provided with a separate drive. The driving force from the source may be transmitted indirectly.
In the embodiment in which the double-sided conveyance structure 10 is not added, as shown in FIG. 2, the guide mechanism 7 has a cover on the transfer structure 4 side with respect to the guide member 7 a on the door 3 side when the door 3 is opened and closed. The guide member 7b is guided while contacting, and the transfer structure 4 moves following the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door 3.

Further, in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of effectively preventing the guided member 7b from dropping off the guide member 7a as a preferred mode of the guide mechanism 7, the guide member 7a of the open / close door 3 is Examples include a position restricting portion that extends along the moving direction of the guided member 7b of the transfer structure 4 and restricts the position in the direction intersecting the moving direction of the guided member 7b. As a position control part here, only one of the crossing direction may be sufficient, for example, and both may be sufficient as it.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of maintaining good positioning between the transfer structure 4 and the double-sided conveyance structure 10, the double-sided conveyance structure 10 and the transfer structure 4 held by the open / close door 3 A positioning mechanism (not shown) is provided in between, and this positioning mechanism positions the double-sided conveyance structure 10 and the transfer structure 4 when the open / close door 3 is closed. Examples thereof include a positioning member that positions the body 4 and a member to be positioned that is provided on the transfer structure 4 and is positioned in association with the positioning member of the double-sided transport structure 10.
As a preferable aspect of the image forming apparatus provided with such a positioning mechanism, the guide mechanism 7 includes a guide member 7a and a guided member 7b arranged at a portion excluding the positioning mechanism.

Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the guide mechanism 7 and the transport member drive transmission unit 14 from interfering with each other, the guide mechanism 7 includes a plurality of guide members 7a and a plurality of guided members 7b separated by the transport member drive transmission unit 14 as a boundary. The aspect which has is preferable.
Further, as a preferable support mode of the transfer structure 4, from the viewpoint of maintaining good positioning accuracy between the transfer structure 4 and the image holding body 2a of the image forming means 2, the transfer structure 4 is provided when the door 3 is closed. Examples include those provided with biasing means biased toward the image forming means 2.
Furthermore, as a preferable aspect of the double-sided conveyance structure 10, the double-sided conveyance structure 10 has a pair of conveyance path members 11 (11 a, 11 b) facing each other with the double-sided conveyance path 13 therebetween, and one conveyance path member 11 a is fixed to the open / close door 3. The other conveyance path member 11b is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the conveyance path member 11a, and the conveyance member drive transmission portion 14 and the opening 15 are provided on one conveyance path member 11a and the other opening and closing is provided. The flexible conveyance path member 11b may be arranged at a position not facing the conveyance member drive transmission unit 14 and the opening 15.
Further, in order to easily construct such an image forming apparatus, the double-sided conveyance structure 10 having the above-described specific configuration may be employed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
-Overall configuration of image forming apparatus-
FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of the first embodiment of the image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the figure, the image forming apparatus has a door opening 22 (see FIG. 4) on the side of the operator side of the apparatus housing 21 (right side in the figure), and the door opening 22 is opened and closed by an opening / closing door 23. Is.
A recording material discharge receptacle 27 for discharging and storing the recorded recording material S is provided in the upper part of the apparatus housing 21, and a recording material storage container for storing the unrecorded recording material S in the lower part of the apparatus housing 21. 25, and a recording material conveyance path 26 for conveying the recording material S along the substantially vertical direction from the recording material container 25 to the recording material discharge receptacle 27 is provided in the apparatus housing 21. An image forming unit 30 (specifically, 30Y, 30M, 30C, etc.) for forming a plurality of (for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, black) color component images along the recording material conveyance path 26 in the apparatus casing 21. 30K) are arranged side by side in the vertical direction.

Here, the image forming unit 30 includes a photoconductor 31 that rotates in a predetermined direction. Around the photoconductor 31, a charger 32 that includes, for example, a charging roll on which the photoconductor 31 is preliminarily charged, and the charging unit 32. Each color component electrostatic latent image is written on the photoreceptor 31 charged by the device 32, for example, an optical writing device 33 including a laser exposure device, and each color component electrostatic latent image written by the optical writing device 33. Are provided with a developing device 34 that visualizes with a corresponding color developer, and a cleaning device 35 that cleans waste developer remaining on the photoreceptor 31.
Further, a transfer unit 40 is provided in a portion of the apparatus housing 21 that faces the photoreceptor 31 of the image forming unit 30.
The transfer unit 40 stretches a transport belt 41 on which the recording material S is transported by a plurality of stretching rolls 42 and 43, and is placed on the back surface of the transport belt 41 facing the photoreceptor 31 of each image forming unit 30. For example, a transfer device 44 composed of a transfer roll is provided, and each color component image on the photosensitive member 31 is transferred to the recording material S conveyed on the conveyance belt 41 by the transfer device 44. Reference numeral 49 denotes an electrostatic attracting member (for example, an electrostatic attracting roll) for attracting and holding the recording material S on the transport belt 41 by static electricity.

Further, the recording material container 25 is provided with a feeding mechanism 51 for feeding the recording materials S stored one by one, and the recording material S is placed in the recording material conveyance path 26 between the feeding mechanism 51 and the transfer unit 40. An alignment roll (registration roll) 52 that is sent out after alignment is provided.
A fixing device 53 for fixing an image on the recording material S is provided in the recording material conveyance path 26 located between the transfer unit 40 and the recording material discharge receptacle 27, and the fixing device 53 is provided downstream of the fixing device 53. Are provided with a transport roll 54 for transporting the recording material S and a discharge roll 55 for discharging the recording material S to the recording material discharge receptacle 27, respectively.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a duplex conveyance unit 100 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) capable of performing duplex recording on the recording material S.
In the present embodiment, the double-sided conveyance unit 100 includes a double-sided conveyance path 110 through which the single-side recorded recording material S is returned so that an image can be formed on the other side of the single-sided recording material S. ing. The double-sided conveyance path 110 is a conveyance path that bypasses the recording material conveyance path 26 between the nip portion of the discharge roll 55 and the nip portion of the alignment roll 52, and has an appropriate number of conveyance rollers 111 and 112. In addition, the discharge roller 55 is provided so as to be able to rotate in the forward and reverse directions. At the time of double-sided recording, the recording material S that has already been recorded on one side is once nipped and conveyed forward, and then the recording material S is nipped toward the double-sided conveyance path 110. It is designed to be conveyed in reverse.
In the present embodiment, the double-sided conveyance path 110 is provided in the apparatus housing 21 in advance so as to continue to the part of the double-sided conveyance unit 100 in addition to the part secured in the double-sided conveyance unit 100. An appropriate number of transport rolls 113 are disposed on the double-sided transport path 110 provided in advance in the housing 21.

−Open / close door−
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the open / close door 23 rotatably supports the lower portion of the door frame 60 on the edge of the door opening 22 of the apparatus housing 21 by a rotation fulcrum 61, and the door opening 22 is closed. The door frame body 60 is opened and closed with the rotation fulcrum 61 as the center from the position to the position opened approximately 90 degrees.
Here, a hook piece 62 that is hooked in a hook hole (not shown) on the apparatus housing 21 side when the open / close door 23 is closed is provided near the free rotation end that is separated from the rotation fulcrum 61 of the door frame 60, An installation space 63 for a double-sided conveyance unit 100, which will be described later, is secured in the door frame 60, and the double-sided conveyance unit 100 is detachably disposed via a stopper such as a screw.

−Double-sided conveyance unit−
The double-sided conveyance unit 100 is incorporated in the open / close door 23 when changing from the mode in which image recording is performed on one side of the recording material S to the mode in which image recording is performed on both sides of the recording material S, so as to secure the double-sided conveyance path 110 described above. It has become.
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the double-sided conveyance unit 100 includes a pair of plate-shaped conveyance path members 101 and 102 that are opposed to each other with the double-sided conveyance path 110 interposed therebetween. Is fixedly held by the opening / closing door 23, and the other transport path member 102 is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the transport path member 101.
Here, a plurality of transport rolls 111 and 112 are rotatably provided via a rotating shaft 115 along the transport direction of the recording material S at a portion of one transport path member 101 facing the double-side transport path 110. A drive transmission mechanism 116 such as a drive transmission gear train that can drive and transmit to the rotating shaft 115 of each of the transport rolls 111 and 112 is provided on one side portion of the one transport path member 101 that is out of the double-sided transport path 110. A driving force from the drive motor 117 is transmitted to the drive transmission mechanism 116.
Further, in the present embodiment, one conveyance path member 101 extends along the conveyance direction of the recording material S between the double-side conveyance path 110 and the drive transmission mechanism 116 on the side where the drive transmission mechanism 116 is provided. A slit opening 118 is provided. In this example, the slit opening 118 is divided into a plurality of pieces with the rotation shaft 115 of the transport roll 111 interposed therebetween, and one split slit opening 118A is disposed between the rotation shafts 115 of the transport rolls 111 and 112. The other divided slit opening 118 </ b> B is disposed above the one divided slit opening 118 </ b> A with the rotation shaft 115 of the transport roll 111 as a boundary.
Further, the other transport path member 102 is driven by the driven transport rolls 111 ′ and 112 ′ that rotate in contact with the transport rolls 111 and 112 at portions corresponding to the transport rolls 111 and 112 of the one transport path member 101. Is provided.
The other conveyance path member 102 only needs to have a dimension that allows at least the double-side conveyance path 110 to be partitioned, and is disposed at a position not facing the drive transmission mechanism 116 and the drive motor 117 of the one conveyance path member 101. ing.

-Transcription unit-
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the transfer unit 40 includes a transfer frame body 45 provided with a gripping portion 46 that can be gripped at the time of replacement. The transfer frame body 45 is provided with stretching rolls 42 and 43. The conveyor belt 41 is stretched over the stretch rolls 42 and 43, and a drive transmission gear 47 is provided on one of the stretch rolls 42.
Further, the transfer unit 40 has a rotation fulcrum 48 at the lower portion of the transfer frame 45 opposite to the grip 46 and is rotatably supported on the edge of the door opening 22 of the apparatus housing 21 via the rotation fulcrum 48. ing.
The rotation fulcrum 48 of the transfer unit 40 is provided at a site different from the rotation fulcrum 61 of the open / close door 23.

-Guiding mechanism-
<Overall configuration>
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 8, the transfer unit 40 moves between the open / close door 23 and the transfer unit 40 following the opening / closing operation of the open / close door 23 when the open / close door 23 is opened / closed. A guiding mechanism 120 is provided.
The guide mechanism 120 is provided with guide members 121 and 122 extending along the vertical direction when the open / close door 23 is closed on both sides in the width direction of the open / close door 23, and contacts the guide members 121 and 122 on the transfer unit 40 side. The guided members 131 and 132 are provided, but the configuration is different between the drive transmission side and the drive transmission opposite side of the duplex conveyance unit 100.

<Drive transmission side guide mechanism of duplex transport unit>
Here, one guide member 121 of the guide mechanism 120 is provided in a part of the door frame 60 of the open / close door 23 facing the position where the duplex conveyance unit 100 is disposed, and the conveyance roll 111 of the duplex conveyance unit 100 is provided. The one split guide member 121A passes through one split slit opening 118A of the double-sided conveyance unit 100 and is opposed to the transfer unit 40, and the other split guide member. 121B passes through the other divided slit opening 118B of the duplex conveying unit 100 and is disposed opposite to the transfer unit 40.

Further, the guide surface of the one divided guide member 121A facing the transfer unit 40 is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, in the relative movement direction of the transfer unit 40 in the process of closing the open / close door 23 from the fully open position. A gently inclined guide surface 123 that inclines so as to protrude gradually toward the transfer unit 40, and the most protruding side of the inclined guide surface 123 is a non-inclined guide surface 124 that follows the opening posture of the open / close door 23. Is formed. Further, the guide surface of the other divided guide member 121B facing the transfer unit 40 has a non-inclined guide surface 125 that follows the opening posture of the open / close door 23, and one of the non-inclined guide surfaces 125 has one divided guide member. The end located on the 121A side is cut as an inclined guide surface 126.
Furthermore, one guided member 131 of the guide mechanism 120 is composed of a plurality of guided projections 131A and 131B that are divided and projected along the relative movement direction of the transfer unit 40. During the period from the open position to the closed position, the guided protrusion 131A that is positioned first in the relative movement direction of the transfer unit 40 moves along the inclined guide surface 123 and the non-inclined guide surface 124 of the one divided guide member 121A. When the guided projection 131A deviates from the non-inclined guide surface 124 of one of the divided guide members 121A, the guided projection 131B located later on the inclined guide surface 123 and the non-inclined guide surface 124 of the one divided guide member 121A. The guided projection 131B that is moved later is moved away from the non-inclined guide surface 124 of the one divided guide member 121A, and is positioned first. Guide projections 131A is adapted to move to be transferred to the inclined guide surface 126 of the other split guide member 121B non-inclined guide surface 125.
In this example, the guided projections 131A and 131B have a protruding end formed as a curved portion, and are configured to reduce contact resistance with the guide surface of the guide member 121.

<Position restriction rib>
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the position regulating rib 127 is continuously raised and formed on the outer edge in the width direction that intersects the relative movement direction of the transfer unit 40 in the guide surface of one divided guide member 121A. The position restricting rib 127 prevents the guided member 131 (guided protrusions 131A and 131B) on the transfer unit 40 side from falling off from the guide surface of the one divided guide member 121A. In this example, the position regulating rib 127 is continuously provided along the outer edge in the width direction of the guide surface of the divided guide member 121A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the guide of the divided guide member 121A is provided. It may be provided continuously at the inner edge in the width direction of the surface, or may be continuously provided in a pair configuration on both side edges in the width direction of the guide surface, or the width of the guide surface. You may make it provide discontinuously along the direction one side edge or both side edges.

<Driving mechanism on opposite side of double-sided conveyance unit>
The other guide member 122 of the guide mechanism 120 is provided in a side portion of the door frame 60 of the opening / closing door 23 that is out of the arrangement position of the duplex conveyance unit 100 and follows the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing door 23. The transfer unit 40 extends along the direction of relative movement. The guide surface of the guide member 122 facing the transfer unit 40 is directed toward the relative movement direction of the transfer unit 40 in the process of closing the open / close door 23 from the fully open position, for example, as shown in FIGS. A gently inclined guide surface 128 that gradually inclines so as to protrude toward the transfer unit 40 is formed, and the most protruding side of the inclined guide surface 128 is formed as a non-inclined guide surface 129 that follows the opening posture of the open / close door 23. Is.
Further, the other guided member 132 of the guide mechanism 120 is formed by a protrusion protruding toward the guide surface of the guide member 122 (see FIG. 6), and the transfer is performed while the open / close door 23 reaches the closed position from the fully open position. When the unit 40 moves along the inclined guide surface 128 and the non-inclined guide surface 129 of the guide member 122 toward the relative movement direction of the unit 40 and the open / close door 23 reaches the closed position, the non-inclined guide surface 129 of the guide member 122. It is designed to reach a position that is out of the range.
In this example, similarly to the one guided member 131, the guided member 132 has a protruding end formed as a curved portion, and is configured to reduce contact resistance with the guide surface of the guide member 122.
In the present embodiment, a position restricting portion corresponding to the position restricting rib 127 of one split guide member 121A is not provided on the guide surface of the guide member 122, but the presence of the position restricting rib 127 is not provided. The relative positional relationship between the guide member 122 and the guided member 132 facing the guide member 122 is also indirectly restricted.

-Positioning mechanism-
In the present embodiment, a positioning mechanism 150 is provided between the transfer unit 40 and the duplex conveyance unit 100 to position the doors when the door 23 is closed.
As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the positioning mechanism 150 has positioning pieces 151 protruding outward on both sides in the width direction intersecting the recording material conveyance direction of the conveyance path member 102 of the duplex conveyance unit 100. A positioning hole 152 is formed in the positioning piece 151, and a positioning projection 153 is provided at a portion corresponding to the positioning hole 152 of the transfer unit 40.
Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the positioning hole 152 formed in the positioning piece 151 has a shape constricted like a funnel, and the positioning projection 153 on the transfer unit 40 side is centered. It fits in the positioning hole 152.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the positioning piece 151 of the double-sided conveyance unit 100 is provided at a site corresponding to the arrangement position of the rotation shaft 115 of the conveyance roll 111, and the division provided on one conveyance path member 101. It is arranged facing the boundary between the slit openings 118A and 118B.
For this reason, the positioning operation by the positioning mechanism 150 does not interfere with the guide operation by the guide mechanism 120 performed through the divided slit openings 118A and 118B.

-Pressing mechanism-
In the present embodiment, a pressing mechanism 160 is provided between the transfer unit 40 and the opening / closing door 23 to press the transfer unit 40 toward the image forming unit 30 when the opening / closing door 23 is closed.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the pressing mechanism 160 is provided in a pair on both sides in the width direction of the transfer unit 40, and includes pressing pins 161 that are biased by a biasing spring 162. The door frame 60 of the open / close door 23 corresponding to 161 is provided with a stopper wall 163, and when the open / close door 23 is closed, the pressing pin 161 is brought into contact with the stopper wall 163 with the biasing spring 162 compressed. It is.
In particular, in this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 160 is uniquely provided on the side opposite to the drive transmission of the double-sided conveyance unit 100, but a part of the guide mechanism 120 is also used on the drive transmission side of the double-sided conveyance unit 100. It has a configuration.
That is, on the drive transmission side of the duplex conveying unit 100, the pressing pin 161 of the pressing mechanism 160 is also used as one guided protrusion 131A of the guide mechanism 120, and the stopper wall 163 is also used as one divided guide member 121B. (Refer to FIG. 6), the pressing mechanism 160 works at a position close to the positioning mechanism 150.
Further, in this embodiment, the pressing mechanism 160 located on the opposite side of the drive transmission of the duplex conveying unit 100 is provided near the positioning mechanism 150 (see FIG. 6), and the pressing mechanism 160 is also the positioning mechanism. It is designed to work at sites close to 150.
In the uniquely configured pressing mechanism 160, the stopper wall 163 has a non-inclined guide surface 164, and an inclined guide surface 165 is provided on the non-inclined guide surface 164 on the entry side of the pressing pin 161. .

-Opening / closing operation of open / close door with double-sided transport unit (Figs. 10-20)-
Next, the opening / closing operation process of the opening / closing door will be described for the image forming apparatus of the aspect to which the duplex conveying unit 100 is added.
When the door 23 is opened and closed, the door 23 opens and closes around the rotation fulcrum 61, and the transfer unit 40 moves relative to the rotation fulcrum 48 following this movement.
At this time, the transfer unit 40 is relatively moved along a predetermined guide locus by the guide mechanism 120. When the door 23 is closed, the transfer unit 40 and the duplex conveying unit 100 are positioned by the positioning mechanism 150. In order to maintain the positional relationship between the transfer unit 40 and the image forming unit 30, the transfer unit 40 is pressed toward the image forming unit 30 by the pressing mechanism 160.

<Drive transmission side guide mechanism of duplex conveying unit (FIGS. 10 to 16)>
First, the operation process of the drive transmission side guide mechanism of the duplex conveying unit 100 in the guide mechanism 120 will be described.
Assume that the open / close door 23 is closed from the fully open position toward the closed position.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the open / close door 23 is in the fully open position, the guided protrusion 131A located first in the guide mechanism 120 is disposed in contact with the vicinity of the entrance of the inclined guide surface 123 of the divided guide member 121A. ing.
In this state, when the opening / closing door 23 is closed, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the guided projection 131A located first is changed from the inclined guide surface 123 of the divided guide member 121A to the non-inclined guide surface 124. Relatively moving along, the terminal position of the non-inclined guide surface 124 is reached.
In such an operation process, the division guide member 121A is provided with the position regulating rib 127, so that the guided projection 131A does not fall off the guide surface of the division guide member 121A.

Further, when the opening / closing door 23 is closed, as shown in FIG. 13, the opening / closing door 23 is positioned first when the opening degree of the opening / closing door 23 reaches θ (for example, set to about 30 ° to 40 °). The guided projection 131A deviates from the guide surface of the divided guide member 121A, and the guided projection 131B located later is disposed in contact with the inclined guide surface 123 of the divided guide member 121A.
Thereafter, when the open / close door 23 is closed, as shown in FIG. 14, the guided protrusion 131B positioned later moves relative to the non-inclined guide surface 124 from the inclined guide surface 123 of the divided guide member 121A. Go.
During this time, since the guided protrusion 131B positioned later is guided and moved by the divided guide member 121A, the guided protrusion 131A positioned earlier is not in contact with the divided guide members 121A and 121B, but has a predetermined guide. Move along the trajectory.
Then, when the open / close door 23 reaches the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the guided projection 131B positioned later is disengaged from the guide surface of the divided guide member 121A, while the guided projection 131A positioned first is The non-inclined guide surface 125 is contacted and arranged through the inclined guide surface 126 of the divided guide member 121B.
At this time, the positioning projection 153 of the transfer unit 40 by the positioning mechanism 150 is fitted into the positioning hole 152 of the duplex transport unit 100, and the transfer unit 40 and the duplex transport unit 100 are positioned.
Further, the first guided protrusion 131A is disposed in contact with the non-inclined guide surface 125 of the divided guide member 121B, but this acts as a pressing mechanism 160, so that the transfer unit 40 is on the image forming unit 30 side. The positional relationship between the transfer unit 40 and the image forming unit 30 is maintained well.

<Driving mechanism on opposite side of double-sided conveyance unit (FIGS. 17 to 19)>
Next, an operation process of the guide mechanism 120 on the opposite side of the drive transmission guide mechanism of the duplex conveyance unit 100 will be described.
Assume that the open / close door 23 is closed from the fully open position toward the closed position.
As shown in FIG. 17, when the open / close door 23 is in the fully open position, the guided member 132 of the guide mechanism 120 is disposed near the entrance of the inclined guide surface 128 of the guide member 122.
In this state, when the opening / closing door 23 is closed, the guided member 132 relatively moves along the non-inclined guide surface 129 from the inclined guide surface 128 of the guide member 122 as shown in FIG.
When the open / close door 23 reaches the closed position, as shown in FIG. 19, the guided member 132 is disengaged from the guide surface of the guide member 122, but the pressing pin 161 of the pressing mechanism 160 is the stopper wall 163 on the open / close door 23 side. The transfer unit 40 is pressed against the image forming unit 30 side.
At this time, the positioning projection 153 of the transfer unit 40 by the positioning mechanism 150 is fitted into the positioning hole 152 of the duplex transport unit 100, and the transfer unit 40 and the duplex transport unit 100 are positioned.

-Positional relationship of the guide mechanism (Fig. 20)-
In the present embodiment, the drive transmission side guide mechanism 120 of the duplex conveyance unit 100 is disposed in the arrangement space of the duplex conveyance unit 100 through the slit openings 118 (divided slit openings 118A and 118B) of the duplex conveyance unit 100. Therefore, the dimension m ₁ between the guide mechanisms 120 provided on both sides in the width direction of the duplex conveying unit 100 can be set to be somewhat short. In FIG. 20A, s ₁ indicates the width dimension of the duplex conveyance unit 100.
In this regard, in the comparative form in which the guide mechanism 120 ′ is installed outside the installation space of the duplex conveyance unit 100, as shown in FIG. 20B, the drive transmission mechanism 116 and the drive motor of the duplex conveyance unit 100 are provided. Since the guide mechanism 120 ′ (guide members 121 ′ and 122 ′) must be installed in a portion that does not interfere with 117 (see FIG. 6), the dimension between the guide mechanisms 120 ′ provided on both sides in the width direction of the duplex conveyance unit 100. m ₂ must be set larger than in the case of Embodiment 1 (m ₁ ). Then, since the guided member 131 of the transfer unit 40 also moves correspondingly in the width direction, the width dimension of the transfer unit 40 is increased, and the width dimension of the apparatus housing 21 that supports the transfer unit 40 is also increased. Increase in size. In FIG. 20B, s ₂ indicates the width dimension of the double-sided conveyance unit 100, and is approximately the same dimension as s _{1 in the first} embodiment.

-Opening / closing operation of the door with the duplex transport unit removed (Figs. 21 and 22)-
Next, the opening / closing operation of the open / close door will be described for the image forming apparatus from which the duplex conveying unit 100 has been removed.
In the aspect in which the duplex conveyance unit 100 is removed, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, when the opening / closing door 23 is opened and closed, the guide mechanism 120 is provided between the opening / closing door 23 and the transfer unit 40. The transfer unit 40 relatively moves following the opening / closing operation of the door 23.
When the open / close door 23 reaches the closed position, the pressing mechanism 160 is activated, the transfer unit 40 is pressed toward the image forming unit 30, and the positional relationship between the two is kept good.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the opening / closing operation | movement process of the image forming apparatus which concerns on the outline | summary of Embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing which shows the opening / closing operation | movement process in the aspect which removed the double-sided conveyance structure from the image forming apparatus which concerns on the outline | summary of Embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship among an opening / closing door, a transfer unit, and a duplex conveyance unit of the image forming apparatus illustrated in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective explanatory view showing an opening / closing door and a double-sided conveyance unit used in the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which removed the double-sided conveyance unit from the opening / closing door shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating details of a double-sided conveyance unit used in the first embodiment. 4 is a perspective explanatory view showing a transfer unit used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a pressing mechanism of a transfer unit used in Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a state of a guide mechanism on a double-sided conveyance unit drive transmission side when the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 is fully opened. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view schematically showing a process (1) of closing the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 from the fully open position shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view schematically showing a process (2) of closing the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 from the fully open position shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view schematically showing a process (3) of closing the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 from the fully open position shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view schematically showing a process (4) of closing the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 from the fully open position shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a state in which an opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 is completely closed from a fully opened position illustrated in FIG. 10. It is the arrow view seen from the A direction in FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state of the guide mechanism on the opposite side of the double-sided conveyance unit drive transmission when the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 is fully opened. FIG. FIG. 18 is an explanatory view schematically showing a process of closing the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 from the fully open position shown in FIG. 17. FIG. 18 is an explanatory view schematically showing a state in which the open / close door of the image forming apparatus used in Embodiment 1 is completely closed from the fully open position shown in FIG. 17. (A) is the arrow view which looked at the double-sided conveyance unit used in Embodiment 1 from the upper direction in FIG. 5, (b) looked at the double-sided conveyance unit which concerns on a comparison form from the same direction as Embodiment 1. FIG. It is an arrow view. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state when the open / close door is closed in a state in which the duplex conveyance unit is removed from the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating one state of an opening / closing door opening process in a state in which a duplex conveyance unit is removed from the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Apparatus housing, 1a ... Door opening, 2 ... Image forming means, 2a ... Image holding body, 3 ... Opening / closing door, 3a ... Rotating fulcrum, 4 ... Transfer structure, 4a ... Rotating fulcrum, 5 ... Recording material, 7 ... Guide mechanism, 7a ... Guide member, 7b ... Guide member, 10 ... Double-sided conveyance structure, 11 (11a, 11b) ... Conveyance path member, 12 ... Conveyance member, 13 ... Double-sided conveyance path, 14 ... Conveyance member drive transmission Part, 15 ... opening

Claims (8)

An image forming means including an image holding body which is detachably provided in an apparatus housing having a door opening on a side and holds at least a transferable image;
An opening / closing door that is provided at the door opening edge of the device housing so as to be openable / closable around a rotation fulcrum and opens / closes the door opening;
Arranged to transfer an image on the image carrier by the image forming means to a recording material, and is provided to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum different from the rotation fulcrum of the opening / closing door with respect to the apparatus housing; A transfer structure that moves relative to the door in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the door; and
A guide member that is provided in the opening and closing door and moves and guides the transfer structure when the opening and closing door is opened and closed, and a guide mechanism that is provided in the transfer structure and has a guided member that contacts the guide member when the opening and closing door is opened and closed;
Up to the front of the image forming means to be detachably held by the door and provided between the door and the transfer structure, and to be able to form an image on the other side of the recording material that has been imaged on one side. A double-sided conveyance structure in which a recording material on which single-sided imaging has been completed is returned by a conveyance member via a double-sided conveyance path,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the double-sided conveyance structure has an opening through which the guide member of the open / close door is disposed in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path region of the recording material and the conveyance member drive transmission unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The opening / closing door guide member has a position restricting portion that extends along a moving direction of the guided member of the transfer structure when the opening / closing door is opened / closed and that restricts a position in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the guided member. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A positioning mechanism is provided between the double-sided conveyance structure held by the door and the transfer structure, and this positioning mechanism positions the double-sided conveyance structure and the transfer structure when the door is closed. An image forming apparatus comprising: a positioning member that is provided in a constituent body for positioning the transfer constituent body; and a positioning member that is provided in the transfer constituent body and is positioned in association with the positioning member of the double-sided transport constituent body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the guide mechanism is a member in which a guide member and a guided member are arranged in a portion excluding the positioning mechanism. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the guide mechanism includes a plurality of guide members and a plurality of guided members separated from each other with the conveying member drive transmission unit as a boundary. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus comprising urging means for urging the transfer structure toward the image forming means when the door is closed. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The double-sided conveyance structure has a pair of conveyance path members facing each other across the double-sided conveyance path, and holds one conveyance path member fixedly on the opening / closing door, and the other conveyance path with respect to this conveyance path member The member can be freely opened and closed, and the conveyance member drive transmission part and the opening are provided on one conveyance path member, and the other opening and closing conveyance path member is disposed at a position not facing the conveyance member drive transmission part and the opening. An image forming apparatus. An image forming means including an image holding body which is detachably provided in an apparatus housing having a door opening on a side and holds at least a transferable image;
An opening / closing door that is provided at the door opening edge of the device housing so as to be openable / closable around a rotation fulcrum and opens / closes the door opening;
Arranged to transfer an image on the image carrier by the image forming means to a recording material, and is provided to be rotatable about a rotation fulcrum different from the rotation fulcrum of the opening / closing door with respect to the apparatus housing; A transfer structure that moves relative to the door in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the door; and
An image provided with a guide member provided on the door for moving and guiding the transfer structure when the door is opened and closed, and a guided mechanism provided on the transfer structure for contacting the guide member when the door is opened and closed. A double-sided transport structure used in a forming apparatus,
Up to the front of the image forming means to be detachably held by the door and provided between the door and the transfer structure, and to be able to form an image on the other side of the recording material that has been imaged on one side. The recording material on which single-sided recording has been performed is returned by the conveying member via the double-sided conveyance path, and an opening portion through which the guide member of the opening / closing door penetrates in a portion other than the double-sided conveyance path area of the recording material and the conveyance member drive transmission unit A double-sided transport structure comprising:

Images