JP6695374B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is an image forming apparatus that includes a toner cartridge and a waste toner box, forms a visible image with toner supplied from the toner cartridge, and collects waste toner that has not been used for forming the visible image in the waste toner box. Regarding

  The present invention is an image forming apparatus that includes a toner cartridge and a waste toner box, forms a visible image with toner supplied from the toner cartridge, and collects waste toner that has not been used for forming the visible image in the waste toner box. Regarding

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoconductor, and the electrostatic latent image is developed, that is, visualized by toner supplied from a developing device. The toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor by the development is transferred to, for example, a transfer belt, further transferred from the transfer belt to the paper, and then fixed on the paper by a fixing device. The toner consumed from the developing device by the development is appropriately replenished to the developing device from the toner cartridge. Further, in the image forming apparatus, a waste toner box that stores the waste toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor, which is not used for forming a visible image, and scraped off from the surface of the photoconductor together with paper dust, etc. Is also provided. The toner cartridge is replaced with a new one when the toner is empty. Similarly, the waste toner box is replaced with a new one when it is full.

  Further, conventionally, image forming apparatuses used in small offices and home offices have been promoted to be compact and space-saving. In such small offices and home offices, document files, books, bookcases, cabinets, etc. are often arranged beside the image forming apparatus, and toner cartridges are replaced beside the image forming apparatus. It is difficult to secure a working space for For this reason, in this type of image forming apparatus, a configuration in which a worker can operate from the front position of the image forming apparatus is the mainstream when replacing a toner cartridge or the like.

  Among the configurations that can be operated from the front position of the image forming apparatus, the configurations described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example, are known as a configuration in which the front door is opened and operated.

  The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a cartridge support member (tray) whose posture can be changed between an upright posture and an inclined posture by rotating around a fulcrum. The toner cartridge can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge supporting member with the cartridge supporting member set in the inclined posture. Further, it is mounted on the developing device in a state of being set upright. As a result, with the front door open, the upper surface opening of the cartridge support member faces the operator, and the toner cartridge can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge support member.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, a cartridge door is provided on the front surface. In the cartridge door, a plurality of toner cartridge insertion holes each having a cylindrical hole opening to the front are formed in the front-rear direction. The outer shape of the toner cartridge is a cylindrical shape corresponding to the toner cartridge insertion hole. Therefore, the toner cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus by being inserted into the toner cartridge insertion hole from the front with the cartridge door opened.

  As described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in the configuration in which the operator opens and closes the front door to insert and remove the toner cartridge, it is necessary to secure a working space for the operator on the front surface of the image forming apparatus.

  However, in a small office or a home office, even if it is on the front side of the image forming apparatus, the front-and-rear movement of the worker in the front position of the image forming apparatus may hinder other people from passing the work. In many cases, it is difficult to secure a space, which makes it difficult to work smoothly.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a work door on the side surface of the image forming apparatus so that the operator can operate the toner cartridge and the like from the front position of the image forming apparatus.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 3, an opening / closing cover that opens rearward is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus. A cartridge holder is provided on the inner surface of the opening / closing cover. The toner cartridge can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge holder obliquely in the front-rear direction with the opening / closing cover opened. Further, the toner cartridge is mounted on a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus by closing the opening / closing cover.

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 4, a side cover that opens downward is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus, and the side cover is provided with a cartridge storage portion. The toner cartridge can be inserted and removed obliquely in the vertical direction with respect to the cartridge storage portion with the side cover open. Further, the toner cartridge is mounted at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus by closing the side cover.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 5, when the toner cartridge or the waste toner box is replaced, the printing paper (recording paper) is fed so that the toner and the waste toner spilled from the toner cartridge or the waste toner box are not contaminated. It describes a configuration in which both the toner cartridge and the waste toner box are arranged at a position outside the paper width of the printing paper.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-065271 (Published March 15, 2007) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-036921 (Published February 19, 2009) Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-090048 (published April 17, 2008) JP, 2008-216451, A (published on September 18, 2008) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-79876 (Published March 20, 1990)

  In the configurations described in Patent Documents 3 and 4, if a relatively small space can be secured to the side of the image forming apparatus so that the side door can be opened, the toner cartridge replacement work is performed by the operator. It can be performed in a small work space without moving in the front-back direction from the position. Therefore, the configurations described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 are favorable in that the toner cartridge can be replaced in a small work space.

  However, in the image forming apparatus, as described above, not only the toner cartridge but also the waste toner box needs to be replaced. Therefore, when the opening / closing doors for the toner cartridge replacement and the waste toner box replacement are provided, the opening / closing doors are opened for each replacement work, which complicates the work. Further, in the image forming apparatus, a large number of opening / closing doors are required together with other opening / closing doors, which complicates the structure. This problem is particularly noticeable in small image forming apparatuses used in small offices and home offices.

  Further, if the access direction when replacing the toner cartridge and the waste toner box is the same as the access direction when pulling out the paper feed cassette in the image forming apparatus and replenishing the paper, if the access direction of the toner cartridge or the waste toner box is the same. Even if the exchange and the replenishment of the recording paper cannot be performed at the same time, or even if they can be performed at the same time, toner or waste toner adheres to the paper feed cassette or the recording paper placed on it and contaminates the recording paper. There is a risk of

  In the configuration described in Patent Document 5, the printing paper is placed upright on the stacker portion provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus, and therefore the toner cartridge and the waste toner box are placed at the position outside the paper width of the printing paper. Even if both are arranged, the contamination of the printing paper cannot be reliably prevented. In particular, since the access direction when replacing the toner cartridge is the same as the access direction when placing the printing paper on the stacker part, it is thought that toner tends to adhere to the stacker part and the printing paper placed on it. Be done.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the toner cartridge and the waste toner box can be easily replaced, and at the same time when the paper is supplied to the paper feed cassette, the number of opening / closing doors is required. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the above and simplifying the structure.

  In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus and supplies toner to a developing device. Toner cartridge, a waste toner box that is detachably attached below the toner cartridge and receives and stores the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section, and an opening and closing on one side surface of the casing of the image forming apparatus. A side opening / closing door formed so as to be possible, the side opening / closing door includes a door lower portion and a door upper portion, and by opening the door upper portion, the toner cartridge becomes detachable, and the door upper portion is provided. By opening the lower part of the door, the waste toner box can be attached and detached, the upper part of the door is provided with a first shaft for opening the upper part of the door, and the lower part of the door is the door. A second shaft for opening the lower part is provided, and the first shaft and the second shaft are provided on different straight lines.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the toner cartridge and the waste toner box can be easily replaced, and at the same time when the paper is supplied to the paper feed cassette, the number of opening / closing doors required can be suppressed. The structure can be simplified.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the image forming main body device when the image forming main body device according to the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the right side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a process unit in a state of being removed from the image forming main body device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus including an automatic document feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention and with a housing removed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus showing a state in which a toner cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a toner cartridge is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion shown in FIG. FIG. 6A is a front view of the waste toner box shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the front of the right side of the image forming main body apparatus, and FIG. 6B is a rear view of the waste toner box. FIG. 6 is a front view of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5, showing a state in which a toner cartridge and a waste toner box are removed, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 6 is a side view showing the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5 in a simplified manner. FIG. 9 is a front view of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 8. It is a front view which simplifies and shows the cartridge mounting part shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 8 is moved obliquely downward from above to insert the fitting convex portion into the fitting concave portion of the cartridge mounting portion. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where mounting of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 8 on a cartridge mounting portion is completed. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of a toner intermediate receiving member with which the image forming main body device shown in FIG. 5 is provided. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an open / closed state of a side opening / closing door in the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 16A shows a case where the side opening / closing door is arranged at the closed position and a case where the side opening / closing door is opened at the first opening position when viewed from the front side of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of an opening angle adjustment mechanism part. FIG. 16B is a front view showing a connecting member included in the opening angle adjusting mechanism section shown in FIG. FIG. 16C is an explanatory view showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section when the side opening / closing door is opened to the second opening position when viewed from the front side of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure. FIG. 17A is an explanatory view showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section when the side opening / closing door is opened to the first opening position when viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure. FIG. 17B is an explanatory view showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section when the side opening / closing door is opened to the second opening position when viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5. It is a figure. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an access direction when replacing a toner cartridge and a waste toner box, and an access direction when replenishing a sheet to a sheet feeding cassette in the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 5. A first connecting portion between the toner cartridge and the developing device, and a second connecting portion between the waste toner box, the waste toner carrying pipe, and the waste toner carrying pipe when viewed from the front side of the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a sheet and a transport area that is transported when forming an image on a sheet set in a sheet cassette. FIG. 20A is a plan view showing an operation of replacing a toner cartridge of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 by an operator using a wheelchair. FIG. 20 (b) is a plan view showing an operation state of the main power source of the image forming apparatus by an operator using a wheelchair. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a document file is placed at a position on the right side having a side opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is arranged in a cabinet and a vase is placed at a position on the right side having a side opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 23 (a) is an explanatory view showing another example of the side opening / closing door shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 23 (b) shows a state where the upper part of the side opening / closing door shown in FIG. 23 (a) is opened. FIG. 23C is an explanatory view showing a structure for holding the upper part of the door shown in FIG. 23A in a closed state. FIG. 24A is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism portion when the side opening / closing door is at the closed position in the image forming main body apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24B is an explanatory diagram of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section shown in FIG. 24A as viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the opening angle adjustment mechanism part when the side opening / closing door shown in FIG.24 (a) is opened to the 1st opening position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of an opening angle adjustment mechanism part when the side opening / closing door shown in FIG.24 (a) is opened to the 2nd opening position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of an opening angle adjustment mechanism part when the side opening / closing door shown in FIG.24 (a) is opened to the 3rd opening position.

[Embodiment 1]
(Overall structure of image forming apparatus)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the right side of the image forming apparatus is referred to as the right side of the image forming apparatus, and the left side of the image forming apparatus is referred to as the left side of the image forming apparatus.

  The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an automatic document feeder on the image forming main unit.

  FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the image forming main body device 2 when the image forming main body device 2 is viewed from the right side. In FIG. 1, the left side is the front side of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and the right side is the back side.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming main body device 2 is a full color printer. Therefore, the image forming main body apparatus 2 prints a color image on a sheet (recording sheet or sheet-shaped recording medium) according to image data transmitted from the outside. Here, although the image forming main body apparatus 2 is exemplified as a printer, it may be a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions. In this case, the image forming main body apparatus 2 prints a multi-color or single-color image on the paper according to the image data transmitted from the outside and / or the image data read from the document by the scanner.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming main body apparatus 2 is provided with a process unit 11 at the center in the vertical direction. A laser optical system unit 12 and a paper feed cassette 13 are sequentially provided from below in a position below the process unit 11. A transfer unit 14 is provided at a position on the back side of the process unit 11, and a fixing unit 15 is provided at a position above the transfer unit 14. The upper surface of the casing of the image forming main body device 2 above the process unit 11 serves as a paper discharge tray 16.

  A paper conveyance path 17 is formed in a path from the paper feed cassette 13 to the paper ejection tray 16, and a paper feed roller 18 is provided in the paper conveyance path 17 from the paper feed cassette 13 side toward the paper ejection tray 16. A timing roller 19, the transfer unit 14, the fixing unit 15, and a paper discharge roller 20 are provided.

  The process unit 11 includes first to fourth image forming units 31 to 34, an intermediate transfer belt unit 35, and a transfer belt cleaning device 36.

  The first to fourth image forming units 31 to 34 are for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively.

  The first image forming unit 31 includes a photoconductor drum 41a, a charger 42a, a developing device 43a, an intermediate transfer roller 44a, and a photoconductor cleaner unit 45a.

  The charger 42a charges the surface of each photoconductor drum 41a to a predetermined potential. The developing device 43a develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41a with toner by exposing the photosensitive drum 41a with the laser light from the laser optical system unit 12. The intermediate transfer roller 44 a is arranged on the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51, and transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 a by development to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 61 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35. The photoconductor cleaning device 45a removes and collects residual toner and paper dust on the surface of the photoconductor drum 41a after development and image transfer.

  Similarly, the second image forming unit 32 includes a photoconductor drum 41b, a charger 42b, a developing device 43b, an intermediate transfer roller 44b, and a photoconductor cleaning device 45a. The third image forming unit 33 includes a photoconductor drum 41c, a charger 42c, a developing device 43c, an intermediate transfer roller 44c, and a photoconductor cleaning device 45c. The fourth image forming unit 34 includes a photoconductor drum 41d, a charger 42d, a developing device 43d, an intermediate transfer roller 44d, and a photoconductor cleaning device 45d.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 35 includes an intermediate transfer belt 51, a driving roller 52 that supports the intermediate transfer belt 51, a driven roller 53, and tension rollers 54 and 55.

  The transfer belt cleaning device 36 removes residual toner and paper dust on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  The laser optical system unit 12 includes laser light sources 12a to 12d corresponding to the respective photoconductor drums 41a to 41d. The laser light sources 12a to 12d irradiate the photoconductor drums 41a to 41d with laser light to form the image forming main body device 2. An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image to be printed is formed on the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 41a to 41d.

  The transfer unit 14 includes a transfer roller 14 a that is pressed against the driving roller 52 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35 via the intermediate transfer belt 51, and the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51 is supplied from the paper feed cassette 13. Transfer to.

  The fixing unit 15 includes a fixing roller 15a and a pressure roller 15b, and melts a toner image on a sheet to fix the toner image on the sheet.

(Image forming operation)
In the image forming main body device 2 having the above configuration, when a color image is printed, laser light is emitted from the laser optical system unit 12 to the photoconductor drums 41a to 41d according to the input image data, and the photoconductor An electrostatic latent image is formed on the drums 41a to 41d. These electrostatic latent images are developed by the toners supplied from the developing devices 43a to 43d, and yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 41a to 41d, respectively.

  These toner images are transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 51 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35 so as to be sequentially overlapped with each other, and further transferred onto the paper at the transfer unit 14.

  The paper is sent from the paper feed cassette 13 to the paper transport path 17 by the paper feed roller 18, and is supplied to the transfer unit 14 by the timing roller 19 at the timing matching the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit 14 is conveyed to the fixing unit 15, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet by the fixing unit 15. After that, the paper is ejected onto the paper ejection tray 16 by the paper ejection roller 20.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, since the fixing unit 15 is located on the back side, the heat (hot air) generated in the fixing unit 15 is transmitted to the user located on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 and the user. Does not feel uncomfortable.

(Process unit)
Here, the process unit 11 is replaced with a new one, for example, after printing a predetermined number of sheets. In this case, the process unit 11 can be inserted into and removed from the image forming main body apparatus 2 on the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 (the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 1). FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the process unit 11 in a state where it is removed from the image forming main body apparatus 2.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the process unit 11, the waste toner carrying pipe 36a connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36 and the waste toner carrying pipes 45a1 to 45d1 connected to the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45d are provided in the image forming body. It projects to the right side of the device 2.

  Next, an arrangement state of the automatic document feeder, the cartridge mounting portion, the toner cartridge, and the waste toner box in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 including the automatic document feeder 3 and with the housing removed.

(Automatic document feeder)
As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic document feeder 3 is provided on the image forming main body device 2. The automatic document feeder 3 includes a document set tray 61 and a paper discharge tray 62, and conveys a document placed on the document set tray 61 to a document reading unit (not shown) and then discharges it onto the paper discharge tray 62. .. The document reading section is provided inside the automatic document feeding device 3 and above the image forming main body device 2.

  In the present embodiment, the automatic document feeder 3 conveys (feeds) a document placed on the document set tray 61 toward the left side of the image forming main body device 2 when reading a document image. Is becoming Specifically, the original is conveyed from the original set tray 61 in the left side direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2, is read by the original reading section, is then conveyed in the right side direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and is ejected. It is discharged onto the tray 62.

  The paper feed cassette 13 can be pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 (image forming main body apparatus 2) by pulling the handle 13a. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes an operation panel 21 at the upper part of the position on the front side.

(Cartridge mounting part and toner cartridge)
As shown in FIG. 3, four cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 are provided above the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 with respect to the process unit 11, and a waste toner box 69 is provided below. .. The cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 have a vertically long shape and are arranged in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1 at the same height position. The cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 have a structure in which adjacent ones are connected and integrated, and are provided corresponding to the developing devices 43a to 43d, respectively.

  Toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, respectively, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 showing a state in which the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view of the image forming main body apparatus 2 when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 shown in FIG.

  The toner cartridges 71 to 74 contain yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners, respectively. When the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, the toner can be supplied to the corresponding developing devices 43a to 43d. The group of toner cartridges 71 to 74 is arranged on the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 at a position closer to the front surface with respect to the center position of the image forming main body apparatus 2 in the front-rear direction.

  Here, the upper portions of the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 are arranged inside the right vertical wall portion 82 of the left and right vertical wall portions 81 and 82 of the image forming main body apparatus 2. The vertical wall portions 81 and 82 are provided at the left and right positions of the paper discharge tray 16, and are formed such that the upper surface of the housing is higher than the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 16 in order to hold the paper on the paper discharge tray 16. Has been done. As a result, the vertically long cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, that is, the vertically long toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be efficiently arranged by using the vertical wall portion 82 of the housing, and the toner cartridges 71 to 74 can secure a desired capacity. It's getting easier.

(Waste toner box)
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the waste toner box 69 has a thin rectangular box shape. Specifically, the dimension in the left-right direction of FIG. 6A (the front-back direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2) is longer than the dimension in the vertical direction, and the front-back direction of FIG. The size in the left-right direction and the thickness of the waste toner box 69) is shorter than the size in the vertical direction. 6A is a front view of the waste toner box 69 as seen from the front of the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and FIG. 6B is a rear view of the waste toner box 69 (FIG. 6A). It is the back side of).

  On the upper portion of the waste toner box 69, first to fifth extending portions 91 to 95 extending upward for taking in the waste toner and paper dust collected by each cleaning device of the process unit 11 are formed. Has been done. The first to fifth extending portions 91 to 95 are connected to the internal space of the waste toner box 69. The height of the first extension portion 91 is higher than the height of the other second to fifth extension portions 92 to 95, and the height of the second to fifth extension portions 92 to 95 is the same. Circular hole-shaped waste toner inlets 91a to 95a are formed on the surfaces of the first to fifth extending portions 91 to 95 facing the process unit 11, respectively.

  The waste toner box 69 can be easily attached to and detached from the image forming main body device 2. When the waste toner box 69 is attached to the image forming main body device 2, the waste toner intake port 91 a of the first extension portion 91 is connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36, and the second to fifth extension portions 92 to 95. The waste toner intake ports 92a to 95a are connected to the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45d.

  In order to connect the cleaning device 36 and the cleaning devices 45a to 45d to the waste toner box 69, as shown in FIG. 7, a waste toner carrying pipe 36a connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36 and a photoconductor cleaning device 45a. To 45d, the waste toner conveying pipes 45a1 to 45d1 project to the position of the waste toner box 69. FIG. 7 is a front view of the image forming main body device 2 shown in FIG. 5 with the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 removed, as seen from the right side.

  Therefore, when the waste toner box 69 is attached to the image forming main body device 2, the waste toner transport pipe 36 a connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36 is inserted into the waste toner intake port 91 a of the first extension portion 91. To be done. Further, the waste toner transport pipes 45a1 to 45d1 connected to the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45d are inserted into the waste toner intake ports 92a to 95a of the second to fifth extending portions 92 to 95, respectively. As a result, the first extension portion 91 takes in waste toner and paper dust from the transfer belt cleaning device 36. The second to fifth extending portions 92 to 95 take in waste toner and paper dust from the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45d. The waste toner is conveyed from the cleaning devices 36, 45a to 45d to the first to fifth extending parts 91 to 95 by, for example, a waste toner conveying screw provided in the cleaning devices 36, 45a to 45d.

(Detailed structure of toner cartridge and cartridge mounting part)
Next, the structures of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 will be described. Hereinafter, the toner cartridge 71 and the cartridge mounting portion 65 will be described as an example. FIG. 8 is a side view showing the toner cartridge 71 shown in FIG. 5 in a simplified manner. 9 is a front view of the toner cartridge 71 shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 10 is a front view showing the cartridge mounting portion 65 shown in FIG. 3 in a simplified manner, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. It is a figure.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the toner cartridge 71 is formed in a vertically long shape that is long in the up-down direction, and has a toner storage portion 71a that stores toner therein. A toner supply port 71b is formed at the lower end of the toner storage portion 71a, and a shutter 71c that opens and closes the toner supply port 71b is provided. The lower end surface where the toner supply port 71b is formed is curved in an arc shape, and correspondingly, the shutter 71c is formed in an arc shape. The shutter 71c is in a closed state by the action of a spring (not shown) in a normal state where the toner cartridge 71 is not mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 65.

  Fitting protrusions 71d are provided on both side surfaces of the toner storage portion 71a at a position above the toner supply port 71b and below the toner cartridge 71 close to the position of the toner supply port 71b. That is, the one fitting convex portion 71 d projects in the front direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and the other fitting convex section 71 d projects in the rear direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2.

  The fitting convex portion 71d has upper and lower surfaces serving as arcuate curved surfaces 71d1, and a space between the upper and lower curved surfaces 71d1 is a straight portion 71d2 having a width narrower than the width between the curved surfaces 71d1.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the cartridge mounting portion 65 has a cartridge facing portion 65c which is vertically arranged along the right surface of the image forming main body apparatus 2. Further, convex wall portions 65a are provided at left and right positions near the lower end portion of the cartridge facing portion 65c (positions in the front direction and the rear direction with respect to the image forming main body device 2).

  Fitting recesses 65b are formed on the inner surfaces of the biconvex wall portions 65a that face each other. The fitting recessed portion 65b has a straight recessed portion 65b2 at the introduction portion, and a circular recessed portion 65b1 at the tip end portion thereof. The straight concave portion 65b2 is slightly wider than the straight portion 71d2 of the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71, and the circular concave portion 65b1 is between the curved surfaces 71d1 of the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71. The diameter is slightly wider than the width. Further, the straight concave portion 65b2 is inclined to the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 with respect to the vertical vertical direction.

  Therefore, when the toner cartridge 71 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 65, the operator first moves the toner cartridge 71 from the upper side to the diagonal lower side with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 65, and the fitting convex portion 71d is straightened. The portion 71d2 is inserted into the straight recess 65b2 of the fitting recess 65b. Further, the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward until the fitting convex portion 71d reaches the circular concave portion 65b1 of the fitting concave portion 65b. After that, the toner cartridge 71 is rotated until it comes into contact with the cartridge facing portion 65c of the cartridge mounting portion 65. In this case, the toner cartridge 71 can be rotated smoothly because the fitting convex portion 71d is rotatably held in the circular concave portion 65b1 of the fitting concave portion 65b.

(Replenishing toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device)
As shown in FIG. 5, toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79 are arranged below the toner cartridges 71 to 74 mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, respectively. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the end portions of the toner intake portions 43a1 to 43d1 of the developing devices 43a to 43d are arranged below the toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79, respectively. Therefore, the toners of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are supplied to the corresponding developing devices 43a to 43d via the toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79, respectively.

  Here, the configuration for replenishing toner from the toner cartridge 71 to the developing device 43a will be described by taking the case of the toner cartridge 71, the cartridge mounting portion 65, the toner intermediate receiving member 76, and the developing device 43a as an example.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward from above and the fitting convex portion 71 d of the toner cartridge 71 is inserted into the fitting concave portion 65 b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the mounting of the toner cartridge 71 in the cartridge mounting portion 65 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the toner intermediate receiving member 76 is provided with a toner intake port 76a. The position of the toner intake port 76a is a position facing the toner supply port 71b of the toner cartridge 71 when the toner cartridge 71 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 65.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the shutter 71c of the toner cartridge 71 is provided with an engaging projection 71e, and the toner intermediate receiving member 76 is provided with an engaging receiving portion 76b which is engaged with the engaging projection 71e. Has been formed.

  In the engagement receiving portion 76b, the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward from above, and the engagement convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71 is inserted into the fitting concave portion 65b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. 71e engages.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 13, when the toner cartridge 71 is rotated so as to come into contact with the cartridge facing portion 65c of the cartridge mounting portion 65, the shutter 71c is opened and the toner supply port 71b is opened. As a result, the toner in the toner cartridge 71 is supplied to the toner supply port 71b, the toner intake port 76a of the toner intermediate receiving member 76, the inside of the toner intermediate receiving member 76, the toner supply port 76c of the toner intermediate receiving member 76, and the toner intake port. The toner is supplied to the developing device 43a through the toner intake port 43a2 of the portion 43a1.

  The toner intermediate receiving member 76 has a structure shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of the toner intermediate receiving member 76. The toner intermediate receiving member 76 is fixed to the image forming main body apparatus 2, and as shown in FIG. 14, has a toner carrying screw 76d inside. In the toner intermediate receiving member 76, the toner taken in from the toner taking-in port 76a is carried by the toner carrying screw 76d, and is supplied from the toner replenishing port 76c to the developing device 43a through the toner taking-in port 43a2. The toner carrying screw 76d receives a driving force from the image forming main body device 2 and rotates.

(Side opening / closing door)
As shown in FIG. 15, a side opening / closing door 101 is formed on the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 in the housing of the image forming main body apparatus 2. The side opening / closing door 101 covers the area where the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 are arranged so as to be openable and closable. The side opening / closing door 101 has a handle 101a, and as shown in FIG. 15, can be opened / closed in the vertical direction about a rotation fulcrum shaft 102 at the lower end. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the opened / closed state of the side opening / closing door 101.

  In the present embodiment, the side opening / closing door 101 can be opened from the closed position 101a0 to the first open position 101a1 and the second open position 101a2. The toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be replaced at the first opening position 101a1, and the waste toner box 69 and the process unit 11 can be replaced at the second opening position 101a2. .. The opening angle (first opening angle) of the first opening position 101a1 with respect to the closing position 101a0 is 30 ° to 45 °, and the opening angle of the second opening position 101a2 (second opening angle) is 90 ° to 110 °. is there.

(Open angle adjustment mechanism)
Next, the opening angle adjusting mechanism for opening the side opening / closing door 101 to the first opening position 101a1 and the second opening position 101a2 will be described. FIG. 16A shows the opening when the side opening / closing door 101 is arranged at the closed position 101a0 and when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened at the first opening position 101a1 when viewed from the front side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the angle adjustment mechanism part 103. FIG. 16B is a front view showing the connecting member 105 included in the opening angle adjusting mechanism 103. FIG. 16C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism unit 103 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101a2 when viewed from the front side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. Is.

  Further, FIG. 17A shows a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 103 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101a1 when viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. FIG. FIG. 17B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism unit 103 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101a2 when viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. Is.

  As shown in FIGS. 16A and 17A, the opening angle adjusting mechanism 103 includes a guide member 104, a connecting member 105, a stopper 106, and a compression spring 107.

  The guide member 104 is a plate-shaped member having an elongated hole 104a, and is fixed to the image forming main body apparatus 2 so that the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 104a is the left-right direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. 16B, the connecting member 105 has an elongated plate-shaped plate-shaped portion 105a. Furthermore, a first boss 105b that vertically projects from the plate-shaped portion 105a at one end of the plate-shaped portion 105a, and a first boss 105b that projects in the same direction as the first boss 105b from the plate-shaped portion 105a at the other end of the plate-shaped portion 105a. It has two bosses 105c.

  Even if the guide member 104 is fixed to the image forming apparatus 1 with screws or the like, it is formed by processing the bottom plate of the image forming apparatus 1 into the shape of the guide member 104. May be.

  The first boss 105b is inserted into the elongated hole 104a of the guide member 104, guided by the elongated hole 104a, and movable in the left-right direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2. The second boss 105c is rotatably inserted into the side opening / closing door 101 at a predetermined position above the rotation fulcrum shaft 102.

  The stopper 106 has an operating portion 106a operated by an operator and a locking portion 106b protruding upward from the operating portion 106a, and is vertically movable with respect to the guide member 104. The operation unit 106 a of the stopper 106 is exposed downward from the bottom of the image forming apparatus 1, for example. When the operator does not push up the stopper 106, the stopper 106 is pushed downward by the compression spring 107 as shown in FIGS. 16A and 17A. In this state, the locking portion 106b is arranged at the position of the elongated hole 104a of the guide member 104, and blocks the rightward movement of the first boss 105b of the connecting member 105.

  In addition, a recess 106b1 that allows the first boss 105b to move to the right is formed in the locking portion 106b of the stopper 106. As shown in FIGS. 16C and 17B, the recess 106b1 is arranged at the position of the elongated hole 104a of the guide member 104 when the stopper 106 is pushed up by the operator. Therefore, in this state, the first boss 105b can be moved rightward. In this case, the first boss 105b moves to the right end position of the locking portion 106b, for example.

  In the above configuration, when the toner stored in the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is empty, the collected waste toner is full in the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11 is When the number of printed sheets reaches a predetermined number, they are replaced with new ones based on the display on the operation panel 21, for example.

Here, the replacement cycle of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11, when converted into the number of printed sheets, is approximately
Toner cartridges 71 to 74: Every 4,000 sheets Waste toner box 69: Every 10,000 sheets Process unit 11: Every 60,000 sheets

(Toner cartridge replacement work)
When replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the operator reaches the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 at the front side position of the image forming apparatus 1 and pulls the handle 101a of the side opening / closing door 101 to open the side opening / closing door 101. The first opening position 101a1 (FIG. 15, FIG. 16A, FIG. 17A) is opened.

  Here, in the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 103, when the side opening / closing door 101 is in the closed position 101a0, the first boss 105b of the connecting member 105 is located in the left direction of the elongated hole 104a of the guide member 104 in FIG. It exists near the end of the forming main body device 2).

  When the side opening / closing door 101 is opened from this state, the connecting member 105 is pulled by the side opening / closing door 101 and moves to the right along with this opening operation, and at the same time, the first boss 105b of the connecting member 105 is guided by the guide member. It moves to the right in the elongated hole 104a of 104 and abuts on the locking portion 106b of the stopper 106. As a result, the side opening / closing door 101 is prevented from further opening and is arranged at the first opening position 101a1.

  Next, the worker replaces the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to be replaced with the right hand in a state where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101a1.

  For example, when replacing the toner cartridge 71, as shown in FIG. 13, the operator starts from the position where the toner cartridge 71 is mounted in the cartridge mounting portion 65 (mounting completed state) as shown in FIG. The toner cartridge 71 is rotated rightward (clockwise) about the fitting convex portion 71d until the toner supply port 71b of the toner cartridge 71 is closed by the shutter 71c. The rotation angle of the toner cartridge 71 from the position shown in FIG. 13 to the position shown in FIG. 12 is, for example, 30 °.

  In the state shown in FIG. 12, the straight portion 71d2 of the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71 is parallel to the straight concave portion 65b2 of the fitting concave portion 65b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. Therefore, the operator moves the toner cartridge 71 diagonally upward at the angle shown in FIG. As a result, the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71 is pulled out from the fitting concave portion 65b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. In this case, the engagement convex portion 71e of the shutter 71c of the toner cartridge 71 and the engagement receiving portion 76b of the toner take-in portion 43a1 of the developing device 43a are disengaged. Therefore, the toner cartridge 71 can be pulled out from the image forming main body device 2 with the shutter 71c closed and the toner supply port 71b closed.

  On the other hand, when installing a new toner cartridge 71, the operator may perform the operation opposite to the above-described operation when removing the toner cartridge 71, and bring the toner cartridge 71 into the installation completion state shown in FIG. In this state, the shutter 71c is opened, and the toner in the toner cartridge 71 can be replenished to the developing device 43a through the toner replenishing port 71b and the toner retrieving port 43a2 of the toner retrieving section 43a1.

(Waste toner box replacement work)
When replacing the waste toner box 69, the operator opens the side opening / closing door 101 to the second opening position 101a2 (FIG. 15, FIG. 16 (c), FIG. 17 (b)). In this case, the operator pushes up the stopper 106 with the left hand and pulls the handle 101a of the side opening / closing door 101 with the right hand to open the side opening / closing door 101 at the front side position of the image forming apparatus 1.

  Here, in the opening angle adjusting mechanism 103, when the side opening / closing door 101 is in the closed position 101a0 and the stopper 106 is pushed up, the recess 106b1 of the stopper 106 moves to the position of the elongated hole 104a of the guide member 104. As a result, the first boss 105b of the connecting member 105 can move further to the right without being blocked from moving to the right by the locking portion 106b of the stopper 106. Therefore, the side opening / closing door 101 can be opened to the second opening position 101a2.

  Next, the operator pulls out the waste toner box 69 to the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 with the right hand in the state where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101a2 and replaces it with a new one.

(Process unit replacement work)
When replacing the process unit 11, the worker opens the side opening / closing door 101 in the second open position 101a2 (FIGS. 15, 16C, and 17B) in the same manner as the replacement work of the waste toner box 69. Open up to.

  Next, the operator removes the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, the waste toner box 69, and the like existing on the right side of the process unit 11 from the image forming main body apparatus 2, and then the image of the process unit 11 is displayed. Pull out from the forming main body device 2 and replace with a new one.

  In this case, if the worker can secure a work space on the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2, the worker may perform the work on the right side. Alternatively, the work may be performed by rotating the image forming main body device 2 horizontally by 90 degrees so that the right side of the image forming main body device 2 comes to the front side.

(Paper supply work to the paper cassette)
When replenishing paper to the paper feed cassette 13, the operator pulls the handle 13a to pull out the paper feed cassette 13 to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 (image forming main body apparatus 2). Then, the bundle of sheets is placed at a predetermined position in the sheet feeding cassette 13. In this case, if the operator cannot secure a work space on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 by pulling out the paper feed cassette 13, the worker may perform work from the side of the pulled paper feed cassette 13.

(Relationship between access direction for replacement work and replenishment work)
FIG. 18 shows an access direction when replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69, and an access direction when replenishing the paper to the paper feeding cassette 13. As shown in FIG. 18, the access direction when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 are replaced is the direction of arrow B from the space on the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 toward the right side (right side). The access direction when replenishing paper to the paper cassette 13 is the direction of arrow A from the space in the front of the image forming apparatus 1 to the front.

  Further, in FIG. 19, the first connecting portion P1 between the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) and the developing device 43a (43b to 43d), the waste toner box 96, the waste toner transport pipe 36a, and the waste toner transport pipes 45a1 to 45d1. 2 shows the positional relationship between the second connection portion P2 and the conveyance area in which the sheet 400 set in the sheet feeding cassette 13 is conveyed during image formation.

  A toner intermediate receiving member 76 (77 to 79) is interposed between the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) and the developing device 43a (43b to 43d), and the first connecting portion p1 is connected to the toner cartridge 71 ( 72 to 74) and the toner intake port 76a (77a to 79a) of the toner intermediate receiving member 76 (77 to 79). The waste toner carrying pipe 36a and the waste toner carrying pipes 45a1 to 45d1 are connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36 and the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45 corresponding to the waste toner collecting section.

  In FIG. 19, the side of the sheet feeding cassette 13 that is located on the line C indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is within the transport area, and the side of the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) and the waste toner box 69 that is located on the line C is outside the transport area. is there. Note that, in FIG. 19, the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) and the waste toner box 69 are shown separated from each other in the upper and lower sides for convenience sake, but as is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, the toner cartridge 71 is shown. The lower end of (72 to 74) and the upper end of the waste toner box 69 are alternately arranged.

(Advantages of image forming apparatus)
As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the worker performs the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 while the image forming apparatus 1 is positioned in front of the image forming apparatus 1. It can be performed with the right hand by opening the side opening / closing door 101 formed on the right side of 1.

  As a result, the operator is unlikely to move in the front-back direction at the position on the front side of the image forming apparatus, and the replacement of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 is unlikely to obstruct the passage of other people. Is becoming As a result, even in a small office or a home office, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 can be replaced smoothly.

  Further, since the side opening / closing door 101 is formed on the right side of the image forming apparatus 1, the right-handed person who is said to have a population ratio of about 70% has the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69. The replacement work can be easily performed with the dominant hand.

  Further, even if the worker is a person with a disability using a wheelchair, the side opening / closing door 101 on the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened to replace the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69. Can be done easily.

  FIG. 20A is a plan view showing an operation of replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74 of the image forming apparatus 1 by an operator using a wheelchair. FIG. 20B is a plan view showing an operation state of the main power source of the image forming apparatus 1 by an operator using a wheelchair.

  As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, when an operator 112 who uses the wheelchair 111 works on the image forming apparatus 1, the wheelchair 111 is laterally attached to the front side position of the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the worker 112 faces the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1 from the right side.

  When replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74, as shown in FIG. 20A, the worker 112 extends the right hand 113 to the right side position of the image forming apparatus 1 and operates the handle 101a in the above state. To open the side opening / closing door 101 and replace the toner cartridges 71 to 74. Similarly, the worker 112 can also replace the waste toner box 69. Further, for example, when operating the main power switch 22 on the operation panel 21, as shown in FIG. 20B, at the same position as when replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the main power switch with the right hand 113. 22 is operated.

  When performing each of the above operations, the operator 112 does not need to move the wheelchair 111 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 in the front-back direction of the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, although a space for the wheelchair 111 is required on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, no more space is required, and it is possible to prevent the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 from obstructing the passage of people.

  Further, since the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69 and the process unit 11 can be performed by opening the same side opening / closing door 101, these works can be easily performed. Moreover, since the number of opening / closing doors required for the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced, the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 can be simplified.

  Further, particularly, the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is performed in a state where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101a1, that is, a state where it is opened to a narrow angle (acute angle) such as 30 ° to 45 °. be able to. Therefore, if a relatively small space for opening the side opening / closing door 101 can be secured on the side of the image forming apparatus 1, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be replaced. This is a great advantage because the replacement frequency of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is significantly higher than the replacement frequency of the waste toner box 69 and the process unit 11.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, when the document file 121 is placed at the position on the right side having the side opening / closing door 101 of the image forming apparatus 1, or when the image forming apparatus 1 is in the cabinet as shown in FIG. Even when the vase 123 is placed at the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 having the side opening / closing door 101 of the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming apparatus 1 and the area around the image forming apparatus 1 are arranged. The toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be replaced without moving the existing ones.

  Further, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached to the image forming apparatus 1 with the side opening / closing door 101 being opened to the first opening position 101a1 and the toner cartridges 71 to 74 being obliquely downward from above with respect to the image forming apparatus 1. Then, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are rotated in the direction of the image forming apparatus 1 (counterclockwise) and then inserted. That is, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted to the image forming apparatus 1 by mounting the toner cartridges 71 to 74 on the side opening / closing door 101 and then closing the side opening / closing door 101 to move the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to a predetermined mounting position. It is not something to wear. Therefore, when the side opening / closing door 101 is deformed over time and the side opening / closing door 101 is closed, it is possible to prevent the trouble that the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are difficult to be mounted at the predetermined mounting positions.

  In addition, when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the side opening / closing door 101 is opened and the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 are not rotated to the position for receiving the insertion of the toner cartridges 71 to 74. The opening angle of the door 101 can be reduced, which also enables work in a narrow work area.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can easily replace the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11, and can reduce the number of opening / closing doors required. Can be simplified.

  As shown in FIG. 18, in the image forming apparatus 1, the access direction when replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 is different from the access direction when replenishing the paper to the paper feeding cassette 13. In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, in the image forming apparatus 1, the first connecting portion P1 between the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) and the developing device 43a (43b to 43d), the waste toner box 69, and the waste toner collection. Since both the second connecting portion P2 and the second portion are located outside the transport area in which the paper 400 accommodated in the paper feed cassette 13 is transported at the time of image formation, Even if the replenishment and the replacement of the toner cartridge 71 (72 to 74) or the waste toner box 69 are executed at the same time, the toner or the waste toner adheres to the paper feed cassette 13 or the paper 400 inside the paper feed cassette 13 to contaminate the paper 400. The situation can be effectively prevented.

(Other example of side opening / closing door)
The image forming apparatus 1 may include a side opening / closing door 131 shown in FIGS. 23A to 23C instead of the side opening / closing door 101 shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 23A is an explanatory view showing another example of the side opening / closing door 101 shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 23B is a diagram showing the door upper portion 132 of the side opening / closing door 131 shown in FIG. 23A. FIG. 23C is an explanatory view showing a state in which the door is opened, and FIG. 23C is an explanatory view showing a structure for holding the door upper portion 132 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 23A, the side opening / closing door 131 includes a door upper portion 132 and a door lower portion 133, and the door upper portion 132 and the door lower portion 133 are connected to each other by an opening / closing auxiliary member (coupling member) 134 and a hinge (coupling member). ) 135. A handle 131a is formed on the upper portion 132 of the door. The material of the opening / closing assisting member 134 may be elastic rubber such as NBR (Nitrile butadiene rubber), or may be a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film having a thickness of about 0.3 mm.

  Specifically, the upper door portion 132 and the lower door portion 133 are connected by an opening / closing assisting member 134 on the inner surface side and by a hinge 135 on the outer surface side, as shown in FIG. The opening / closing assisting member 134 is attached to the door upper portion 132 and the door lower portion 133 with screws 135. When the opening / closing assisting member 134 is formed of a PET film, a long hole 134a may be formed in a portion of the opening / closing assisting member 134 which is attached to the upper door 132 or the lower door 133. This is because the opening / closing auxiliary member 134 can be moved with respect to the screw 135 when the door upper portion 132 is opened, and the door upper portion 132 can be smoothly opened.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 23C, fitting convex portions 136 made of, for example, an elastic body are formed on both side surfaces of the door upper portion 132. On the other hand, a fitting concave portion 24 is formed at a position facing the fitting convex portion 136 in the housing 23 of the image forming main body apparatus 2. Therefore, when the door upper portion 132 is closed, the fitting convex portion 136 is fitted in the fitting concave portion 24, and the door upper portion 132 is held in the closed state.

  In the configuration including the side opening / closing door 131, only the upper door 132 is opened when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are replaced, and the upper door 132 and the door are replaced when the waste toner box 69 and the process unit 11 are replaced. The lower part 133 is opened.

  The opening angle of the door upper portion 132 when replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74 may be, for example, 60 ° to 70 °. In this case, the opening angle of the door upper portion 132 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the elongated hole 134a of the opening / closing assisting member 134.

  Further, the opening and closing of the door lower part 133 may be performed by the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 103 described above. That is, the door lower portion 133 is held in the closed state when the stopper 106 is pushed by the compression spring 107 and is moving to the lower position, and can be opened when the stopper 106 is pushed upward. In this case, the opening angles of the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 are 90 ° to 110 ° as in the case of opening the side opening / closing door 101 to the second opening position 101a2.

  In the configuration including the side opening / closing door 131 as described above, the side opening / closing door 131 (upper door 132) is opened when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached to / detached from the image forming apparatus 1. The rotation area can be reduced. As a result, the work space on the side of the image forming apparatus 1 required when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached and detached can be further reduced.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 24 to 27, the image forming apparatus 1 (image forming main body apparatus 2) of the present embodiment is provided with a side surface opening / closing provided on the right side of the housing of the image forming apparatus 1 (image forming main body apparatus 2). The door 101 is configured to be opened at three stages of angles, that is, first to third opening angles. For this reason, the image forming main body apparatus 2 has an opening angle adjusting mechanism that opens the side opening / closing door 101 in three stages, that is, from the closed position 101b0 to the first open position 101b1, the second open position 101b2, and the third open position 101b3. The unit 151 is provided.

(Open angle adjustment mechanism)
FIG. 24A is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is in the closed position 101b0. FIG. 24B is an explanatory diagram of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 151 shown in FIG. 24A as viewed from the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101b1. FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101b2. FIG. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the third opening position 101b3.

  As shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 151 includes an elongated plate-shaped opening angle adjusting member 152. The material of the opening angle adjusting member 152 is, for example, PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), iron, metal such as SUS. The opening angle adjusting mechanism section 151 is arranged inside the image forming main body apparatus 2 in the front-rear direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and the rear end is rotatably connected to the side surface of the side opening / closing door 101 by the shaft member 153. Has been done.

  A guide hole 152a extending in the left-right direction of the image forming main body apparatus 2 is formed in the opening angle adjusting member 152, and a guide pin 154 fixed to the image forming main body apparatus 2 is inserted into the guide hole 152a. The lower side of the opening angle adjusting member 152 around the guide hole 152a has a linear shape. On the other hand, the upper side of the guide hole 152a extends from the right end portion (the end portion on the side opening / closing door 101 side) of the guide hole 152a toward the left end portion thereof. The first guide portion 152a1, the first locking portion 152a2, and the second guide portion 152a3. And the 2nd locking part 152a4 is formed. Further, the left end portion (terminal portion) of the guide hole 152a, which is located further to the left of the second locking portion 152a4, is the third locking portion 152a5.

  The first guide portion 152a1 and the second guide portion 152a3 are horizontal after being inclined obliquely upward. The first locking portion 152a2 and the second locking portion 152a4 extend downward from the end portions of the first guide portion 152a1 and the second guide portion 152a3. A guide pin 154 is engaged with the first locking portion 152a2, the second locking portion 152a4, and the second guide portion 152a3, and the opening angle of the image forming main body apparatus 2 to the right side is adjusted when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened. Movement of member 152 is prevented.

  In the above configuration, when the operator pulls the handle 101a of the side opening / closing door 101 to open the side opening / closing door 101 from the closed position 101a0 shown in FIG. 24 (a), the side opening / closing door is opened by the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151. With the opening of 101, the opening angle adjusting member 152 moves to the right side of the image forming main body apparatus 2. In this case, the open angle adjusting member 152 moves due to the weight of the open angle adjusting member 152 while the first guide portion 152a1 is on the guide pin 154, and the first engaging portion 152a2 engages with the guide pin 154. Then, the further movement of the opening angle adjusting member 152 is prevented. In this state, the side opening / closing door 101 is in a state of being opened to the first opening position 101b1 as shown in FIG.

  When the left end portion of the opening angle adjusting member 152 (the end portion of the image forming main body apparatus 2 in the left side direction) is pushed up from the above state, the engagement between the guide pin 154 and the first locking portion 152a2 is released, and the side surface is further increased. The opening / closing door 101 can be opened.

  Next, after releasing the engagement between the guide pin 154 and the first locking portion 152a2, when the side opening / closing door 101 is further opened from the first open position 101b1, the second guide portion 152a3 rides on the guide pin 154. The open angle adjusting member 152 moves in the closed state. After that, when the second locking portion 152a4 engages with the guide pin 154, further movement of the opening angle adjusting member 152 is blocked, and the side opening / closing door 101 reaches the second opening position 101b2 as shown in FIG. It will be open.

  Next, after releasing the engagement between the guide pin 154 and the second locking portion 152a4, when the side opening / closing door 101 is further opened from the second opening position 101b2, the third locking portion 152a5 engages with the guide pin 154. However, further movement of the opening angle adjusting member 152 is prevented. As a result, the side opening / closing door 101 is in a state of being opened to the third opening position 101b3, as shown in FIG.

  When closing the side opening / closing door 101 from the first opening position 101b1, the second opening position 101b2, and the third opening position 101b3, the side opening / closing door 101 may simply be closed from each position.

  In the present embodiment, the open angle (first open angle) of the first open position 101b1 with respect to the closed position 101a0 is 30 ° to 45 °, and the open angle (second open angle) of the second open position 101b2 is 45 °. The opening angle is 3 ° to 75 °, and the opening angle (third opening angle) of the third opening position 101b3 is 90 ° to 110 °.

  At the first open position 101b1, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be replaced, and at the second open position 101b2, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 can be replaced. At the third open position 101b3, the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11 can be replaced. The procedure for replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11 is as described above.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the replacement operation of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is performed with the side opening / closing door 101 opened to the first opening position 101b1 having the first opening angle (30 ° to 45 °). You can Further, the waste toner box 69 can be replaced while the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101b2 having the second opening angle (45 ° to 75 °). That is, in addition to the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the replacement work of the waste toner box 69 can be carried out with the right hand while the same side opening / closing door 101 is opened at a small angle. Thus, if a relatively small space for opening the side opening / closing door 101 can be secured on the side of the image forming apparatus 1, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner box 69 can be replaced. The other advantages of the image forming apparatus 1 are the same as in the case of the above-described configuration in which the side opening / closing door 101 is opened by the opening angle adjusting mechanism section 103.

  Therefore, also in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner box 69, and the process unit 11 can be easily replaced, and the required number of opening / closing doors is suppressed. Can be simplified.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(Appendix)
An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus, and supplies a toner to a developing device. A waste toner box that is detachably attached to the lower side and receives and stores the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section, and is formed to be openable and closable on the one side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus, and in an open state, A side opening / closing door that allows attachment / detachment of the toner cartridge and the waste toner box, and a recording sheet that is provided in the lower portion of the image forming apparatus, accommodates recording paper before image formation, and is pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus. A first paper feed cassette for replenishing the toner cartridge, a first paper feed cassette for connecting the toner cartridge and the developing device, and a second paper feed cassette for connecting the waste toner box and the waste toner collecting unit. The recording paper contained in the paper feed cassette is located outside the carrying area where the recording paper is carried during image formation.

  According to the above configuration, the toner cartridge and the waste toner box are collectively arranged on one side surface of the image forming apparatus, and can be attached and detached by opening the side opening / closing door provided on the side surface. Therefore, as long as the space for standing on the front surface of the image forming apparatus and the space for opening the door on the side surface can be secured with a small door structure and without securing a large working space on the front surface or the side surface of the image forming apparatus, the toner cartridge And the waste toner box can be replaced.

  Moreover, according to the above configuration, since the paper feed cassette is pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus and the toner cartridge and the waste toner box are attached and detached from the side surface of the image forming apparatus, the toner cartridge and the waste toner box are replaced. The access direction at the time of carrying out is different from the access direction at the time of pulling out the paper feeding cassette to supply the recording paper. In addition to this, the first connecting portion between the toner cartridge and the developing device and the second connecting portion between the waste toner box and the waste toner collecting portion convey the recording paper housed in the paper feeding cassette during image formation. Since it is located outside the transport area, even if the recording paper is supplied to the paper feed cassette and the toner cartridge or the waste toner box is replaced at the same time, the toner is It is possible to effectively prevent a situation in which waste toner adheres to the recording paper and contaminates the recording paper.

  In the image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the side opening / closing door has an opening angle set in a plurality of stages, the toner cartridge can be attached and detached at a first opening position having an acute opening angle, and the waste. The toner box can be attached and detached, and the toner box can be opened to the second opening position having an opening angle larger than the first opening position.

  According to the above configuration, the replacement operation of the toner cartridge, which is more frequently performed than the waste toner box, can be performed with the side opening / closing door open to the first opening position having a narrow angle (acute angle). This is possible if a relatively small space can be secured to the side of the forming device so that the side opening / closing door can be opened to the first opening position.

  As a result, even when an arrangement object such as a document file is present on one side surface having the side opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus or the arrangement object around the image forming apparatus is not moved. It is possible to replace the toner cartridge.

  In the image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the side opening / closing door can be opened / closed by rotating in the vertical direction around the lower portion of the image forming apparatus, and the toner cartridge can be opened / closed by the side opening / closing door. In the state of being opened to the first open position, the one side surface is moved obliquely downward from above, and then the toner cartridge is mounted by being rotated in a standing direction around the lower portion of the toner cartridge. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the is removed by the reverse operation.

  According to the above configuration, the toner cartridge is moved from the upper side to the lower side with respect to one side surface of the image forming apparatus in the state where the side opening / closing door is opened to the first open position, and then the toner cartridge is centered on the lower side. It is mounted by rotating it in the standing direction, and is removed by the reverse operation. Accordingly, the toner cartridge can be properly attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus in a state where the side opening / closing door is opened at the first opening position having an acute opening angle.

  An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus, and supplies a toner to a developing device. A waste toner box detachably attached to the lower side to receive and store the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section; and a side opening / closing door formed to be openable and closable on the one side surface of the casing of the image forming apparatus. The side opening / closing door includes a door lower portion and a door upper portion, and by opening the door upper portion, the toner cartridge becomes detachable, and by opening the door upper portion and the door lower portion, The waste toner box is detachable.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an image forming apparatus used in a small office or a home office, such as a copying machine, a multi-function peripheral, a printer, and a facsimile machine.

1 Image Forming Device 2 Image Forming Main Unit 3 Automatic Document Conveying Device 11 Process Unit 13 Paper Feed Cassette 14 Transfer Section 15 Fixing Section 16 Paper Ejection Tray 21 Operation Panel 36 Transfer Belt Cleaning Device (Waste Toner Collection Section)
36a Waste toner conveying pipes 41a to 41d Photoreceptor drums 43a to 43d Developing devices 43a1 to 43d1 Toner intake sections 43a2 to 43d2 Toner intake ports 45a to 45d Photoconductor cleaning apparatus (waste toner recovery section)
45a1 to 45d1 Waste toner conveying pipe 69 Waste toner boxes 71 to 74 Toner cartridge 71a Toner accommodating portion 71b Toner supply port (first connecting portion)
71c Shutters 76 to 79 Intermediate toner receiving member 76a Toner intake port 76b Engaging portions 91a to 95a Waste toner intake port 101 Side opening / closing door 101a Handle 101a0 Closed position 101a1 First open position 101a2 Second open position 101b0 Closed position 101b1 1 Open position 101b2 2nd open position 101b3 3rd open position 102 Rotation fulcrum shaft 103 Open angle adjustment mechanism part

Claims (6)

A toner cartridge that is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus and supplies toner to the developing device;
A waste toner box detachably mounted below the toner cartridge, for receiving and storing the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section;
A side opening / closing door formed to be openable / closable on the one side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus;
The side opening / closing door includes a door lower portion and a door upper portion,
By opening the upper part of the door, the toner cartridge can be attached and detached,
By opening the door upper portion and the door lower portion, the waste toner box can be detached,
The upper part of the door is provided with a first shaft for opening the upper part of the door,
The lower part of the door is provided with a second shaft for opening the lower part of the door,
The first axis and the second axis are provided on different straight lines,
An image forming apparatus, which can be opened stepwise from the upper part of the door to the lower part of the door. A toner cartridge that is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus and supplies toner to the developing device;
A waste toner box detachably mounted below the toner cartridge, for receiving and storing the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section;
A side opening / closing door formed to be openable / closable on the one side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus;
The side opening / closing door includes a door lower portion and a door upper portion,
By opening the upper part of the door, the toner cartridge can be attached and detached,
By opening the door upper part and the door lower part, the waste toner box can be detached,
An image forming apparatus, wherein an opening angle of the upper part of the door when replacing the toner cartridge is different from an opening angle of the lower part of the door when replacing the waste toner box. The waste toner box, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the toner cartridge is replaceable after becoming interchangeable. The waste toner box, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a replaceable by the the door bottom is opened after the door an open top. A toner cartridge that is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus and supplies toner to the developing device;
A waste toner box detachably mounted below the toner cartridge, for receiving and storing the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section;
A side opening / closing door formed to be openable / closable on the one side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus;
The side opening / closing door includes a lower door and an upper door,
By opening the upper part of the door, the toner cartridge can be attached and detached,
By opening the door upper portion and the door lower portion, the waste toner box can be detached,
The upper part of the door is provided with a first shaft for opening the upper part of the door,
The lower part of the door is provided with a second shaft for opening the lower part of the door,
The first axis and the second axis are provided on different straight lines,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the waste toner box is replaceable after the toner cartridge is replaceable. A toner cartridge that is detachably attached to either the left side or the right side of the image forming apparatus and supplies toner to the developing device;
A waste toner box detachably mounted below the toner cartridge, for receiving and storing the waste toner collected from the waste toner collecting section;
A side opening / closing door formed to be openable / closable on the one side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus;
The side opening / closing door includes a lower door and an upper door,
By opening the upper part of the door, the toner cartridge can be attached and detached,
By opening the door upper portion and the door lower portion, the waste toner box can be detached,
The upper part of the door is provided with a first shaft for opening the upper part of the door,
The lower part of the door is provided with a second shaft for opening the lower part of the door,
The first axis and the second axis are provided on different straight lines,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the waste toner box can be replaced by opening the upper part of the door and then opening the lower part of the door.