JP6415237B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic system or an electrostatic recording system, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus to which a sheet processing apparatus can be retrofitted.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been widely applied as a copying machine, a printer, a plotter, a facsimile, and a multifunction machine having a plurality of these functions. These image forming apparatuses have a standard discharge tray for stacking discharged sheets. In addition to the standard discharge tray, a sheet processing device that can perform post-processing such as sorting, binding, punching, and folding is added to the discharged sheets as a retrofit device. May be installed. In order to mount such a sheet processing apparatus on the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus is provided with a connecting portion for connecting to the sheet processing apparatus. Prior to mounting the sheet processing apparatus, the connecting portion is covered with a plate-shaped sub-cover or the like for the purpose of improving the appearance and preventing an erroneous operation by the user.

  Conventionally, when a sheet processing apparatus is mounted on an image forming apparatus, the removed sub-cover or the like is often discarded. However, if the removed sub-cover or the like is discarded, for example, when the sheet processing apparatus once mounted is removed for maintenance or the like, the connection portion to the sheet processing apparatus remains exposed. For this reason, the appearance of the image forming apparatus is deteriorated, and there is a risk of erroneous operation by the user. In general, it is desired to reduce the number of discarded parts from the viewpoint of environmental protection.

  The discharge guide that can be attached to and detached from the discharge tray and that projects from the upper surface of the discharge tray while being attached to the discharge tray is also the same as the above-described sub cover. That is, when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the image forming apparatus, if such a discharge guide is removed and discarded, for example, when the mounted sheet processing apparatus is removed, the discharged sheet can be successfully guided. There is a risk of being lost.

  Therefore, when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the image forming apparatus, for example, an image forming apparatus having a dedicated accommodating portion for accommodating the removed connector cover has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). According to this image forming apparatus, when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the removed connector cover does not have to be discarded. Therefore, even when the sheet processing apparatus is removed, the connector cover can be used again. . Further, according to this image forming apparatus, it is possible to reduce the number of discarded parts.

JP-A-11-301053

  However, in the image forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above, since the housing portion is provided exclusively for housing the connector cover, the housing portion becomes useless when the sheet processing apparatus is not attached. . For this reason, there is a problem in that the image processing apparatus is increased in size by providing the accommodating portion.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can accommodate a detaching member such as a discharge guide or a sub cover that is removed when a sheet processing apparatus is mounted, but can suppress an increase in size.

An image forming apparatus of the present invention stacks an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a housing that houses the image forming unit, and a sheet that is discharged from a discharge port provided in the housing in a sheet discharging direction. A stacking unit capable of stacking sheets discharged from the discharge port, and provided upstream of the stacking unit in the sheet discharging direction and downstream of the stacking unit in the sheet discharging direction. A discharge tray having an inclined portion inclined downward from the side toward the upstream side, and a sheet processing device provided on the housing for processing sheets discharged from the discharge port are mounted on the discharge tray. A mounting part that enables, a cover member that covers the mounting part and is detachable from the housing, the cover member being removed when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray; Said A discharge guide that has a guide surface that protrudes from the top surface of the stacking portion in a state of being mounted on the output tray and guides the sheet discharged from the discharge port toward the inclined portion, and is detachable from the discharge tray. The discharge guide has the guide surface on the outside, and has a storage space on the inside for storing the cover member when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray. A holding portion that holds the cover member in the receiving space, and is housed in a space formed between the sheet processing device and the inclined portion when the sheet processing device is mounted on the discharge tray. It is possible.

  According to the present invention, the inclined portion that forms a space capable of accommodating the discharge guide when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted is configured to stack the discharged sheets when the sheet processing apparatus is not mounted. . That is, an inclined portion having a function of stacking sheets when the sheet processing apparatus is not mounted can be used as a storage section that can store the discharge guide when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted. For this reason, it is possible to accommodate the detaching members such as the discharge guide and the sub cover that are removed when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted, but it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the image forming apparatus compared to the case where a dedicated accommodating portion is provided. Can do.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an inclined portion of a discharge tray of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a sub cover is accommodated in a discharge guide of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet processing apparatus is mounted in the in-body space of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a tandem type full color printer is described as an example of an image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to a tandem type image forming apparatus, but may be an image forming apparatus of another type, and is not limited to a full color, and may be a monochrome or a mono color.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus main body) 10 as a housing. The apparatus body 10 includes an image reading unit 20, a sheet feeding unit 30, an image forming unit 40, a sheet conveying unit 50, a sheet discharging unit 60, and a control unit (not shown). Note that the sheet S as a recording material is formed with a toner image. Specific examples thereof include plain paper, resin sheets that are substitutes for plain paper, cardboard, and overhead projector sheets.

  The image reading unit 20 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 10. The image reading unit 20 includes a platen glass (not shown) as a document placement table, a light source (not shown) that irradiates light on a document placed on the platen glass, and an image sensor (not shown) that converts reflected light into a digital signal. Etc.

  The sheet feeding unit 30 is disposed in the lower part of the apparatus main body 10 and includes sheet cassettes 31a and 31b for stacking and storing sheets S such as recording paper and feeding rollers 32a and 32b. The sheet is fed to the image forming unit 40.

  The image forming unit 40 includes an image forming unit 41, a toner bottle 42, a laser scanner 43, an intermediate transfer unit 44, a secondary transfer unit 45, and a fixing device 46, and performs image formation. Yes.

  The image forming unit 41 includes four image forming units 41y, 41m, 41c, and 41k for forming toner images of four colors of yellow (y), magenta (m), cyan (c), and black (k). I have. These are each detachable from the apparatus main body 10 by the user. For example, the image forming unit 41y includes a photosensitive drum 47y that is an image carrier that forms a toner image, a charging roller (not shown), a developing roller, a drum cleaning blade, and toner. The image forming unit 41y is supplied with toner from a toner bottle 42y filled with toner. Since the other image forming units 41m, 41c, and 41k have the same structure, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The laser scanner 43 is an exposure unit that exposes the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k to form electrostatic latent images on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k.

  The intermediate transfer unit 44 is disposed above the image forming units 41y, 41m, 41c, and 41k. The intermediate transfer unit 44 includes a plurality of rollers such as a driving roller 44a and primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k, and an intermediate transfer belt 44b wound around these rollers. The primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k are disposed to face the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k, respectively, and are in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 44b. By applying a positive transfer bias to the intermediate transfer belt 44b by primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k, toner images having respective negative polarities on the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k are sequentially formed. Multiple transfer is performed on the intermediate transfer belt 44b. As a result, a full color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 44b.

  The secondary transfer unit 45 includes a secondary transfer inner roller 45a and a secondary transfer outer roller 45b. A full color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 44b is transferred onto the sheet S by applying a positive secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer outer roller 45b. The secondary transfer inner roller 45a stretches the intermediate transfer belt 44b inside the intermediate transfer belt 44b, and the secondary transfer outer roller 45b faces the secondary transfer inner roller 45a across the intermediate transfer belt 44b. It is provided in the position to do.

  The fixing device 46 includes a fixing roller 46a and a pressure roller 46b. The sheet S is nipped and conveyed between the fixing roller 46a and the pressure roller 46b, whereby the toner image transferred to the sheet S is heated under pressure and fixed to the sheet S. The fixing device 46 constitutes one unit and can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body 10.

  The sheet conveying unit 50 is configured to convey the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 30 from the image forming unit 40 to the sheet discharging unit 60, and includes a pre-secondary transfer conveyance path 51 and a pre-fixing conveyance path. 52, a discharge path 53, and a re-transport path 54.

  The sheet discharge unit 60 includes a discharge roller pair 61 disposed on the downstream side of the discharge path 53 and a discharge tray 62 disposed on the downstream side of the discharge roller pair 61. The discharge roller pair 61 feeds the sheet S conveyed from the discharge path 53 from the nip portion and discharges the sheet S to the discharge tray 62 through the discharge port 10 a formed in the apparatus main body 10. The discharge tray 62 is a face-down tray and is configured to stack sheets S discharged from the discharge port 10a. Further, the space between the image reading unit 20 and the discharge tray 62 constitutes an in-body space.

  The control unit is configured by a computer, and includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM that stores a program for controlling each unit, a RAM that temporarily stores data, and an input / output circuit that inputs and outputs signals to and from the outside. The control unit is connected to the image reading unit 20, the sheet feeding unit 30, the image forming unit 40, the sheet conveying unit 50, and the sheet discharging unit 60 through an input / output circuit, and exchanges signals with each unit and controls operations. It is supposed to be. Further, the control unit can be operated and set by an operator by a command from a computer (not shown) connected to the apparatus main body 10, an operation of the operation panel 11, and the like.

  Next, an image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the image forming operation is started, first, the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k are rotated and the surface is charged by the charging roller. Laser light is emitted from the laser scanner 43 to the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k based on the image information, and electrostatic latent images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k. Is done. When toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image, it is developed and visualized as a toner image, and transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 44b.

  On the other hand, the feeding rollers 32a and 32b are rotated in parallel with the toner image forming operation, and the uppermost sheet S of the sheet cassettes 31a and 31b is fed while being separated. Then, the sheet S is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 45 via the pre-secondary transfer conveyance path 51 in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 44b. Further, the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 44 b to the sheet S, and the sheet S is conveyed to the fixing device 46, where the unfixed toner image is heated and pressed and fixed on the surface of the sheet S, and the discharge roller pair 61. Is discharged from the discharge port 10a and stacked on the discharge tray 62.

  Next, the discharge tray 62 and its peripheral structure will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and the like, the upstream or downstream in the discharge direction X of the sheet S in the in-body space 12 is simply “upstream” or “downstream”. The horizontal direction orthogonal to the discharge direction X is referred to as the “width direction”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the discharge tray 62 includes a stacking portion 71 formed substantially horizontally, an inclined portion 72 formed from the upstream end in the discharge direction X of the stacking portion 71 toward the upstream side, And an abutting portion 73 extending upward from the upstream end of the inclined portion 72. The discharge tray 62 is integrally formed of plastic, for example. The stacking unit 71 and the inclined unit 72 are configured to stack the sheets S discharged from the discharge port 10a. That is, the inclined portion 72 is arranged at a position where the sheets discharged from the discharge port 10a are stacked.

  The inclined portion 72 is inclined downward from the stacking portion 71 toward the abutting portion 73. The abutting portion 73 is provided substantially vertically from the upstream end of the inclined portion 72 to the discharge port 10a. For this reason, the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a is stacked on the stacking portion 71. However, since the upstream side portion of the sheet S is stacked on the inclined portion 72, the sheet S is guided to the inclined portion 72 and is upstream. It moves so as to slide down to the side and hits against the abutting part 73. When the sheet S abuts against the abutting portion 73, the position of the sheet S is aligned, and the sheets S are stacked straight.

  In other words, the inclined portion 72 has a function of guiding the discharged sheet S to the abutting portion 73 and aligning the end portions. The abutting portion 73 is disposed at the upstream end portion of the discharge tray 62 in the sheet discharge direction X, and abuts the upstream end of the sheet S. Note that when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is installed in the in-body space section 12, a space surrounded by the bottom surface of the sheet processing apparatus, the inclined section 72, and the abutting section 73 is defined as a storage section (space) 74 ( (See FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 1, a discharge guide 63 is detachably provided on the upstream side portion of the stacking portion 71 at a substantially central portion in the width direction. The discharge guide 63 protrudes from the upper surface of the discharge tray 62 in a state of being mounted on the discharge tray 62. The discharge guide 63 guides the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10 a toward the abutting portion 73. Specifically, the discharge guide 63 assists the guide of the sheet S to the abutting portion 73 by the inclined portion 72 by pushing up the central portion in the width direction of the sheet S.

  The discharge guide 63 protrudes upward from the stacking portion 71 and includes an inclined portion 63a, a horizontal portion 63b, and a downstream end portion 63c, as shown in FIG. The inclined portion 63a is inclined downward from the upstream end portion of the horizontal portion 63b toward the upstream side. This inclination angle is equivalent to that of the inclined portion 72. In addition, the discharge guide 63 includes two locking claws 63d protruding sideways from one side and elastically deformable elastic claws 63e protruding downward from the other side. The elastic claw 63e is an elongated plate having a claw at the tip, and grooves are provided on both sides thereof.

As shown in FIG. 3, an accommodation hole 71 a for accommodating and positioning the discharge guide 63 is formed in a portion where the discharge guide 63 of the stacking unit 71 is mounted. In the accommodation hole 71a, two locking holes 71b are formed on the front side surface of the in-cylinder space portion 12, and a locking hole 71c as a first engagement portion is formed on the bottom side of the in-body space portion 12 on the bottom surface. Has been. Then, by inserting the locking claw 63d of the discharge guide 63 from the side into the locking hole 71b of the receiving hole 71a, and inserting the elastic claw 63e of the discharging guide 63 into the locking hole 71c of the receiving hole 71a from above, The discharge guide 63 can be mounted in the accommodation hole 71a (see FIG. 1).

  A convex portion 72 a that is continuous with the discharge guide 63 and protrudes higher than other portions of the inclined portion 72 is formed at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the inclined portion 72. Similarly to the discharge guide 63, the convex portion 72a also pushes up the central portion in the width direction of the sheet S, thereby assisting the guide to the abutting portion 73 of the sheet S by the inclined portion 72. The inclined portion 72 includes a locking hole 72b formed adjacent to the back side of the convex portion 72a.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the discharge guide 63 can be housed in the housing portion 74 in a state of being removed from the housing hole 71a. That is, the discharge guide 63 is removed when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted, and can be stored in a storage portion 74 formed between the sheet processing apparatus 100 and the inclined portion 72. At this time, the discharge guide 63 reverses the upstream side and the downstream side, and the elastic claw 63e of the discharge guide 63 is engaged with and fixed to the locking hole 72b as the second engaging portion of the inclined portion 72 . To do. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the downstream end 63 c of the discharge guide 63 comes into contact with the abutting portion 73, and the inclined portion 63 a becomes horizontal and is positioned at the same height as the stacking portion 71. That is, the discharge guide 63 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 74 and supports the sheet processing apparatus 100 from below when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the discharge guide 63 has a housing shape with an open bottom, and has a pair of holding claws 63f inside. Each holding claw 63f can hold and hold a plurality of sub-covers 13, which will be described later, so that the held sub-covers 13 are placed above the lower surface of the discharge guide 63. Accordingly, the discharge guide 63 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 74 in a state where the sub cover 13 is accommodated when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a discharge claw (detachment member) 64 is detachably attached to the discharge port 10a. When the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted, the discharge claw 64 can be mounted on the discharge port 10a, and guides the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a to the discharge tray 62 when mounted.

  Further, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted on the side of the discharge port 10 a, the inner surface of the in-body space 12, and the side surface of the apparatus main body 10 on the sheet discharge direction X side, A hole (mounting part) 10b through which the part penetrates is formed. That is, as a part of the sheet processing apparatus 100, for example, a claw portion penetrates the hole 10b and engages with a frame built in the apparatus main body 10, or a part of the sheet processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, a connector. It penetrates the hole 10b and is connected to the apparatus main body 10. In addition, a sub-cover (detaching member) 13 that is closed when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not attached is attached to each hole 10b.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a mounting hole (mounting portion) 10c through which the mounting pin 101 of the sheet processing apparatus 100 passes is formed above the discharge port 10a. For example, the mounting pins 101 of the sheet processing apparatus 100 are fixed by being fitted to a frame 14 built in the apparatus main body 10 through the mounting hole 10c. As described above, the hole 10 b and the attachment hole 10 c are provided so that the sheet processing apparatus 100 can be mounted on the discharge tray 62.

  Next, the operation of the discharge tray 62 and its peripheral structure of the image forming apparatus 1 described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted, the discharge guide 63 is attached to the accommodation hole 71a. As a result, the discharge guide 63 and the convex portion 72a protrude upward from the upper surface of the discharge tray 62, and the center portion in the width direction of the discharged sheet S is pushed up so that the sheet S is abutted by the inclined portion 72. Guidance to the unit 73 can be assisted. At this time, since the discharge guide 63 is mounted with the elastic claw 63e facing away, the elastic claw 63e is not visible to the user. Thereby, the appearance can be improved, and the user can be prevented from noticing the elastic claw 63e and pressing the elastic claw 63e to remove the discharge guide 63 by mistake. Further, since the locking hole 72b of the inclined portion 72 is hidden behind the convex portion 72a, the user cannot directly see it and can prevent the appearance from deteriorating.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sub cover 13 is attached to each hole 10 b of the apparatus main body 10 when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not attached. Thereby, the appearance can be improved and the user can be prevented from damaging the image forming apparatus 1 by inserting a finger or a tool into the hole 10b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted, the discharge claw 64 is attached to the discharge port 10a, and the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a is guided to the discharge tray 62. Yes. As a result, the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a is stacked straight.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the sheet processing apparatus 100 can be retrofitted to the in-body space portion 12. As the sheet processing apparatus 100 here, for example, an apparatus that performs post-processing such as sheet S sorting, binding, punching, and folding can be applied. Alternatively, a large sheet processing apparatus is placed next to the apparatus main body 10, and a relay conveyance apparatus provided in the in-body space 12 is conveyed to convey the discharged sheet S from the discharge port 10 a to the sheet processing apparatus. You may apply as the processing apparatus 100. FIG. In other words, the sheet processing apparatus 100 is configured to be attached to the discharge port 10a, and in a mounted state, at least a part of the sheet processing apparatus 100 is installed on the discharge tray 62 and processes the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a.

  When the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted in the in-body space 12, the discharge guide 63, the sub cover 13, and the discharge claw 64 are obstructed, and are removed. The discharge guide 63 is disengaged from the engagement hole 71c by removing the engagement with the locking hole 71c by pushing a finger or the like to the back side and pushing the elastic claw 63e. Further, the sub cover 13 that closes the hole 10b used for connection of the sheet processing apparatus 100 is removed. As shown in FIG. 4, the removed sub-cover 13 is stacked and held between the holding claws 63 f inside the discharge guide 63. Further, the discharge claw 64 is removed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the discharge guide 63 is arranged along the back side of the convex portion 72a so that the downstream end 63c of the discharge guide 63 is brought into contact with the abutting portion 73, and is elastic. The claw 63e is inserted into the locking hole 72b, and the discharge guide 63 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 74. Further, the discharge claw 64 is appropriately accommodated in the empty space of the accommodation portion 74.

  Further, since the inclined portion 63a of the discharge guide 63 is horizontally provided at the same height as the stacking portion 71, the sheet processing apparatus 100 can be placed on the same height surface. Thereby, compared with the case where the discharge guide 63 is not accommodated in the accommodating part 74, the stability of the installed sheet processing apparatus 100 can be improved. In addition, since the sheet processing apparatus 100 generally includes a substrate or the like on the back side, the center of gravity is often located on the back side. For this reason, since the discharge guide 63 is disposed on the back side of the convex portion 72a, the back side where the center of gravity of the sheet processing apparatus 100 is located can be supported, and thus stable support can be realized.

  As illustrated in FIG. 5, the sheet processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, an attachment pin 101, and the attachment pin 101 is fitted into the frame 14 through the attachment hole 10 c. Thereby, the sheet processing apparatus 100 can be fixedly installed. At this time, the sheet processing apparatus 100 is supported at three points: the frame 14 to which the mounting pin 101 is attached, the inclined portion 63a that supports from below, and the stacking portion 71 that supports the back side from below. The three-point support can be realized.

  Further, for example, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is removed for maintenance or the like, the discharge guide 63, the sub cover 13, and the discharge claw 64 are taken out after the sheet processing apparatus 100 is removed. The discharged discharge guide 63, the sub cover 13, and the discharge claw 64 are reattached as before the sheet processing apparatus 100 is attached (see FIG. 1). As a result, there is no need to obtain a new discharge guide 63, sub-cover 13, and discharge claw 64, so that the image forming apparatus 1 can be used immediately.

  As described above, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted, the inclined portion 72 that forms the storage section 74 that can store the discharge guide 63 does not mount the sheet processing apparatus 100. In this case, the discharged sheets S are stacked. That is, the inclined portion 72 having a function of stacking the sheets S when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted is used as a storage section 74 that can store the discharge guide 63 when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted. can do. For this reason, the image forming apparatus 1 can be enlarged compared to the case where a dedicated accommodating portion can be provided while it is possible to accommodate the detaching members such as the discharge guide 63 and the sub cover 13 that are removed when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted. Can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the accommodating portion 74 includes the inclined portion 72 that inclines downward toward the abutting portion 73 with the upstream side portion of the discharge tray 62 in the sheet discharge direction X, and the abutting portion 74. Part 73. For this reason, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted, the end portions of the discharged sheets S can be aligned.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the discharge guide 63 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 74 and supports the sheet processing apparatus 100 from below when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted. ing. For this reason, stable installation of the sheet processing apparatus 100 can be realized.

  Further, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a detachable member that is detachable from the apparatus main body 10 and is detached when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted is provided. For example, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted, the detaching member is used as the sub cover 13 that closes the hole 10b of the apparatus main body 10 through which a part of the sheet processing apparatus 100 penetrates when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted. be able to.

  In this case, when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is mounted, the discharge guide 63 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 74 in a state where the sub cover 13 is accommodated. Thereby, the plurality of sub-covers 13 can be arranged in an orderly manner and can be stored in a space-saving manner. Further, it is possible to suppress noise generated by propagation to the sub-cover 13 due to vibration generated when the image forming apparatus 1 is operated. Furthermore, since the air layer can be secured by stacking the sub-covers 13, heat radiated from the image forming apparatus 1 to the sheet processing apparatus 100 or from the sheet processing apparatus 100 to the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced. become.

  Further, the detaching member may be, for example, a discharge claw 64 that can be mounted to the discharge port 10a when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is not mounted and guides the sheet S discharged from the discharge port 10a to the discharge tray 62 by the mounting. it can.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above, the case where the discharge tray 62 includes the stacking unit 71, the inclined unit 72, and the abutting unit 73 has been described, but is not limited thereto. For example, the inclined portion 72 and the abutting portion 73 are separate members, and the accommodating portion 74 may be formed by abutting and assembling.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the case where the inclined portion 72 is provided so as to be inclined downward from the stacking portion 71 toward the abutting portion 73 is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when a recessed space for inserting a finger when gripping the downstream end of the sheet S stacked on the stacking unit 71 is formed in a substantially central portion of the stacking unit 71, the space is formed. A part of the side wall may be an inclined portion.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the case where the discharge guide 63, the sub cover 13, and the discharge claw 64 are stored in the storage portion 74 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only the discharge guide 63 may be accommodated, or an appropriate one of the detachable members that are detached when the sheet processing apparatus 100 is attached, such as the sub cover 13 and the discharge claws 64, may be accommodated. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 10 ... Apparatus main body (casing), 10a ... Discharge port, 10b ... Hole part (mounting part), 10c ... Mounting hole (mounting part), 13 ... Sub-cover (detaching member), 40 ... Image Forming part, 62 ... discharge tray, 63 ... discharge guide, 64 ... discharge claw (detaching member), 72 ... inclined part, 73 ... abutting part, 74 ... accommodating part (space), 100 ... sheet processing apparatus, S ... sheet

Claims (9)

An image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet;
A housing for housing the image forming unit;
A discharge tray for stacking sheets discharged in a sheet discharge direction from a discharge port provided in the housing, the stacking unit capable of stacking the sheets discharged from the discharge port, and the sheet from the stacking unit A discharge tray having an inclined portion provided on the upstream side in the discharge direction and inclined downward from the downstream side in the sheet discharge direction toward the upstream side with respect to the stacking portion ;
A mounting portion that is provided in the housing and allows a sheet processing apparatus that processes a sheet discharged from the discharge port to be mounted on the discharge tray;
A cover member that covers the mounting portion and is detachable from the housing, the cover member being removed when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray;
A discharge surface that protrudes from the upper surface of the stacking portion in a state of being mounted on the discharge tray and guides the sheet discharged from the discharge port toward the inclined portion, and is detachable from the discharge tray. A guide ,
The discharge guide has the guide surface on the outside, and has a storage space on the inside for storing the cover member when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray. has a holding portion for holding a member, when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray can be accommodated in a space formed between the sheet processing apparatus and the inclined portion,
An image forming apparatus. Arranged at the upstream end of the discharge tray in the sheet discharge direction, and includes an abutting portion that abuts the upstream end of the sheet,
The inclined portion is configured to incline downward toward the abutting portion with respect to the upstream portion of the discharge tray in the sheet discharging direction, and guide the discharged sheet to the abutting portion,
The space is configured by the inclined portion and the butting portion.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that. The discharge guide is housed in the space and supports the sheet processing apparatus from below when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray .
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The discharge guide has an engaging portion that engages with the discharge tray below the holding portion when mounted on the discharge tray.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. The engaging portion has an elastic claw,
The discharge tray has a first engaged portion that engages with the elastic claw when the discharge guide is mounted.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that. The inclined portion includes a second engaged portion that engages with the elastic claw when the discharge guide is accommodated in the space.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that. The mounting portion is a hole portion of the housing through which a part of the sheet processing apparatus passes when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray,
The cover member closes the hole when the sheet processing apparatus is not mounted on the discharge tray;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. Covers the other mounting unit that allows the sheet processing apparatus to be mounted on the discharge tray together with the mounting unit, and is removed when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray. And another cover member
The discharge guide holds the cover member and the other cover member by the holding portion.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus. When the sheet processing apparatus is not mounted on the discharge tray, the sheet processing apparatus can be mounted on the discharge port, and includes a discharge claw that guides a sheet discharged from the discharge port to the discharge tray when mounted.
The discharge claw can be accommodated in the space when the sheet processing apparatus is mounted on the discharge tray.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus.

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