JP6943304B2 - Complex device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a composite device including a reading unit for reading a document and an image forming unit for forming an image on a medium, and an image forming device for forming an image on a medium.

Generally, the composite device includes an image forming unit and a reading unit. The reading unit is arranged above the image forming unit and is configured to be vertically rotatable (openable and closable). Further, the cover member covering the upper part of the image forming unit is also vertically rotatable so that the internal components (for example, the fixing unit) of the image forming unit can be attached and detached.

When attaching and detaching the components of the image forming unit, the user rotates the reading unit upward greatly, and in that state, rotates the cover member upward. Further, a handle gripped by the user is provided in front of the reading unit.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-54871 (see FIGS. 1, 5 and 6)

However, in a device provided with a tray or the like above the cover member, it is required to secure the rotation angle of the cover member as large as possible even when there is little free space above the cover member.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make the rotation angle of the cover member as large as possible even when there is little free space above the cover member.

The composite device of the present invention includes an image forming unit and a reading unit rotatably provided above the image forming unit with respect to the image forming unit. The image forming unit has a first stacker on which the medium is loaded, and includes a cover member that can rotate about a first rotation axis between a closed position and an open position, and a reading unit and a cover member. A second stacker is provided on the cover member so as to be rotatable around a second rotation shaft arranged at a position different from that of the first rotation shaft. .. The second rotation shaft moves around the first rotation shaft in the direction in which the cover member rotates according to the rotation operation of the cover member. The distance between the first stacker and the second stacker when the cover member is in the open position is smaller than the distance between the first stacker and the second stacker when the cover member is in the closed position.

According to the present invention, when the cover member is in the open position, the distance between the first stacker and the second stacker is shortened, so that the rotation angle of the cover member is set with respect to the rotation angle of the reading unit. It can be secured large. Therefore, even when there is little free space above the cover member, the rotation angle of the cover member can be made as large as possible.

It is a side sectional view which shows the whole structure of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance shape of the composite device of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the process unit of the complex apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the reading unit of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the mounting structure of the stacker cover and the tray of the composite device of 1st Embodiment. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the mounting structure of the stacker cover and the tray of the composite device of 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the shape of the convex part provided in the stay of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the stopper and the receiving part of the composite device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation operation of the reading unit, the stacker cover and the tray of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation operation of the reading unit, the stacker cover and the tray of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the rotation operation of the reading unit, the stacker cover and the tray of the composite apparatus of 1st Embodiment.

<Overall configuration of composite device>
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of a composite device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external shape of the composite device. The composite device includes an image forming unit 1, a reading unit 2 provided above the image forming unit 1, and a stay (frame) 3 that supports them. In the composite device shown in FIG. 1, the portion including the reading unit 2 and the stay 3 constitutes the image forming device.

The image forming unit 1 includes a housing 1a accommodating each component for forming an image, a stacker cover (cover member) 5 covering the upper part of the housing 1a, and a tray 6 provided above the stacker cover 5. have. The stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 are configured so that the medium after image formation can be loaded on the upper surfaces thereof.

The reading unit 2 has a rotating shaft (support shaft) 21 whose axial direction is the horizontal direction. The stay 3 that supports the reading unit 2 is provided with a hole 31 that supports the rotating shaft 21 of the reading unit 2. By engaging the rotating shaft 21 with the hole 31, the reading unit 2 can rotate about the rotating shaft 21. The rotation shaft 21 and the hole 31 form a rotation support portion of the reading unit 2.

That is, the stay 3 is configured to integrally hold the image forming unit 1 and the reading unit 2 and to rotatably support the reading unit 2 with respect to the image forming unit 1. The reading unit 2 rotates between the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the open position shown in FIG.

Here, the direction of the rotation axis 21 is the X direction (horizontal direction), and the direction orthogonal to the X direction in the horizontal plane is the Y direction (front-back direction). In the Y direction, the side on which the rotation shaft 21 is formed is the rear side (+ Y direction in FIG. 1), and the opposite side is the front side (-Y direction). Further, the direction orthogonal to the XY plane (vertical direction) is defined as the Z direction.

The rotation shaft 21 of the reading unit 2 is arranged at the rear end portion (one end portion in the + Y direction) of the reading unit 2. The front end portion (end portion in the −Y direction) of the reading unit 2 is provided with an operation panel 25 for the user to input an operation to the composite device and a handle 26 for gripping the reading unit 2 when rotating the reading unit 2. ..

As shown in FIG. 2, the stay 3 includes a pair of side walls 35 facing each other in the X direction. An image forming unit 1 is arranged between the pair of side walls 35, and a reading unit 2 is arranged above the pair of side walls 35. Each side wall 35 is made of, for example, sheet metal. Further, a holding mechanism 28 for holding the reading unit 2 in the open position is provided on each side wall 35. The holding mechanism 28 may be any one that can hold the reading unit 2 in a state where the user has rotated the reading unit 2 to the open position.

<Basic configuration of image forming unit>
Next, the basic configuration of the image forming unit 1 will be described. The image forming unit 1 includes a medium cassette 11 that stores a medium such as printing paper (indicated by reference numeral P in FIG. 1) in a loaded state, a pickup roller 12 that feeds out the medium of the medium cassette 11, and the fed medium. It includes a feed roller 13 and a separation roller 14 for feeding paper sheets one by one into a transport path, and a resist roller 15 and a pressure roller 16 for correcting the skew of the fed medium and transporting the paper along the transport path.

The pickup roller 12, the feed roller 13, the separation roller 14, the resist roller 15, and the pressure roller 16 are arranged in the vicinity of the front end portion (one end portion in the + Y direction) of the image forming unit 1. The medium conveyed by the resist roller 15 and the pressure roller 16 is conveyed in the Y direction toward the rear of the image forming unit 1. The width direction of the medium transport path is the X direction.

The image forming unit 1 also has four process units (image forming units) 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d arranged in the Y direction (front-back direction). The process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d form toner images (developer images) of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan using, for example, electrophotographic methods. The process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d are removable from the housing 1a of the image forming unit 1.

Exposure heads 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d are arranged above the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d. The exposure heads 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d irradiate the photoconductor drums 71 (described later) of the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d with light based on the image data of each color, and irradiate the surface of each photoconductor drum 71 with light. Form an electrostatic latent image. The exposure heads 8a, 8b, 8c, and 8d are held by the head holding portion 58 of the stacker cover 5.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the process unit 7a. In FIG. 3, in addition to each component of the process unit 7a, the exposure head 8a and the transfer belt 91 and the transfer roller 92a described later are also shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, the process unit 7a includes a photoconductor drum 71 as a developer carrier, a charging roller 72 as a charging member, a developing unit 73, and a developing agent cartridge 74 as a developing agent accommodating portion. A cleaning member 75 is provided.

The photoconductor drum 71 is a cylindrical member having a photosensitive layer on its surface and whose axial direction is the X direction. The photoconductor drum 71 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 about the rotation axis in the X direction. The charging roller 72 uniformly charges the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the photoconductor drum 71. The developing unit 73 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 71 by the exposure head 8a to obtain a toner image. The developer cartridge 74 supplies the developer to the developing unit 73. The cleaning member 75 removes residual toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 71 after the transfer of the toner image.

The process units 7b, 7c, and 7d have the same configuration as the process unit 7a except for the toner to be used.

Returning to FIG. 1, the transfer unit 9 is arranged below the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d. The transfer unit 9 includes a transport belt 91, a belt drive roller 93 over which the transport belt 91 is bridged, and a driven roller 94. The transfer unit 9 also includes transfer rollers 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d as transfer members arranged to face the photoconductor drums 71 of the process units 7b, 7c, and 7d with the transport belt 91 interposed therebetween.

The transfer unit 9 holds the medium by suction with a transfer belt 91 and transfers the medium along the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d. Further, the toner image formed on the surface of each of the photoconductor drums 71 of the process units 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d is transferred to the medium by the transfer voltage applied to the transfer rollers 92a, 92b, 92c and 92d.

The fixing unit 10 is arranged on the downstream side of the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d along the transport direction of the medium. The fixing unit 10 includes, for example, a heating roller 101, a pressure roller 102, a fixing belt 103, and the like, and heats and pressurizes the medium on which the toner image is transferred, and fixes the toner image on the medium.

A discharge transport path 40 is provided on the downstream side of the fixing unit 10 along the transport direction of the medium. The discharge transport path 40 is branched into a first transport path (first route) 41 and a second transport path (second route) 42, and a separator (switching portion) 45 is arranged at the branched portion. There is. A discharge port 47 is provided at the end of the first transport path 41, and a discharge port 48 is provided at the end of the second transport path 42.

At the discharge port 47 of the first transport path 41, a roller pair including a first discharge roller 17 and a first driven roller 18 for discharging the medium from the discharge port 47 is arranged. The medium discharged from the discharge port 47 is loaded on the upper surface of the stacker cover 5.

At the discharge port 48 of the second transport path 42, a roller pair composed of a second discharge roller 19 (first roller) and a second driven roller 20 (second roller) for discharging the medium from the discharge port 48 is arranged. Has been done. The medium discharged from the discharge port 48 is loaded on the upper surface of the tray 6.

Of the discharge transport path 40, the entire portion of the first transport path 41 and the portion of the second transport path 42 up to the middle are formed in the first ejector unit 43 attached to the housing 1a of the image forming unit 1. On the other hand, the portion from the middle of the second transport path 42 to the discharge port 48 is formed in the second ejector unit 44 attached to the stacker cover 5. The first ejector unit 43 and the second ejector unit 44 are arranged at the rear end portion (end portion in the + Y direction) of the image forming unit 1.

The second transport path 42 in the second ejector unit 44 has a transport surface (first guide surface) 42a and a transport surface (second guide surface) 42b facing each other. The second ejector unit 44 is divided into a first portion 44a (first member) located on the transport surface 42a side and a second portion 44b (second member) located on the transport surface 42b side. The above-mentioned second discharge roller 19 is provided in the first portion 44a, and the above-mentioned second driven roller 20 is provided in the second portion 44b.

When the stacker cover 5 is in the closed position (FIG. 1), the first ejector unit 43 and the second ejector unit 44 are vertically overlapped with each other to form a continuous second transport path 42. On the other hand, when the stacker cover 5 is in the open position (FIG. 11 described later), the second ejector unit 44 rotates together with the stacker cover 5 and is separated from the first ejector unit 43, so that the second transport path 42 is separated from the middle. It will be in a separated state.

<Basic configuration of reading unit>
Next, the internal configuration of the reading unit 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the internal configuration of the reading unit 2. The scanning unit 2 includes a document mounting table 81 on which the document D to be read is placed, a document holding section 82 that presses the document D when scanning an image, and a document transport section 83 that transports the document D.

On the upper surface of the document placing table 81, a document placing portion 84 made of a transparent plate-shaped member such as glass is provided. A document reading unit 85, which is a line sensor, is arranged below the document placing unit 84. The document reading unit 85 can move in parallel with the document placing unit 84 (here, in the X direction). The document reading unit 85 moves while irradiating the document D with light through the document placing unit 84, and reads the image of the document D by receiving the reflected light by the light receiving element.

The document transport unit 83 includes a document tray 86 on which the document D is placed, a document transfer roller 87 that transports the document D, a document guide 88 that guides the document D to be transported, and a document that ejects the scanned document D. It is provided with a discharge roller 89. When the document D is set in the document tray 86 and the scanning of the document D is started, the document transport roller 87 rotates and transports the document D along the document guide 88 toward the scanning position R. The document reading unit 85 reads the image of the document D transported by the document transporting unit 83 while stopped at the scanning position R. The scanned document D is ejected to the upper surface of the document holding portion 82 by the document ejection roller 89. The reading unit 2 outputs image information based on the read image to the image forming unit 1.

<Structure of stacker cover>
Next, the configuration of the stacker cover 5 of the image forming unit 1 will be described. 5 and 6 are exploded perspective views showing the mounting structure of the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6. 5 and 6 are perspective views viewed from different directions.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the stacker cover 5 has a loading surface portion 5a which is an upper surface portion, a front surface portion 5b, a back surface portion 5c (FIG. 1), and a pair of side surface portions 5d. The loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 is a portion (first stacker) on which the medium discharged from the discharge port 47 of the first transport path 41 is loaded.

The rear side of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 extends diagonally downward (that is, the height becomes lower toward the rear) to form the curved surface 52. The curved surface 52 faces the discharge port 47 of the first transport path 41 described above, and has a curved shape that is convex toward the discharge port 47.

The front side of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 extends diagonally downward (that is, the height becomes lower toward the front) to form the curved surface 53. The curved surface 53 is a portion to be touched by the user when the stacker cover 5 is rotated from the open position to the closed position, as will be described later.

A pair of side surface portions 5d of the stacker cover 5 are provided with rotation shafts (support shafts) 51 extending outward in the X direction. The rotating shaft 51 is located at the rear end portion (end portion in the −Y direction) of the stacker cover 5. The side wall 35 of the stay 3 is provided with a hole 32 that engages with the rotation shaft 51. By engaging the rotating shaft 51 with the hole 32, the stacker cover 5 can rotate about the rotating shaft 51 in the X direction. That is, the rotation shaft 51 and the hole 32 form a rotation support portion of the stacker cover 5.

The upper surfaces of the pair of side surface portions 5d of the stacker cover 5 form a contact surface (second engaging portion) 56. The contact surface 56 is a surface that contacts the limiter 65 of the tray 6.

The stacker cover 5 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 51 between a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position (FIG. 11 described later) that is rotated upward by a predetermined angle from the closed position.

As shown in FIG. 6, one side surface portion 5d of the stacker cover 5 engages with a convex portion 33 (FIG. 5) provided on the side wall 35 of the stay 3 when the stacker cover 5 is in the open position. A recess 54 is formed. The stacker cover 5 is locked in the open position by engaging the concave portion 54 of the stacker cover 5 with the convex portion 33 of the stay 3. That is, the concave portion 54 and the convex portion 33 form a locking mechanism for the stacker cover 5.

Although the recess 54 is provided only on one side surface portion 5d of the stacker cover 5 here, the recess 54 may be provided on both side surface portions 5d. Further, the relationship between the convex portion and the concave portion may be reversed.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the shape of the convex portion 33 of the stay 3. Here, the convex portion 33 of the stay 3 has inclined surfaces 33a on both sides in the X direction. When the stacker cover 5 reaches the open position, the edge of the concave portion 54 of the stacker cover 5 slides along the inclined surface 33a of the convex portion 33, and the concave portion 54 and the convex portion 33 engage with each other. Further, when the stacker cover 5 rotates from the open position to the closed position, the edge of the concave portion 54 of the stacker cover 5 slides along the inclined surface 33a of the convex portion 33, and the concave portion 54 and the convex portion The engagement with 33 is disengaged.

Returning to FIG. 5, the above-mentioned second ejector unit 44 is attached between the pair of side surface portions 5d of the stacker cover 5. The second ejector unit 44 is provided with a second transport path 42 in a substantially box-shaped unit main body 44c. Further, a second discharge roller 19 and a second driven roller 20 are arranged at the discharge port 48 at the end of the second transport path 42.

The second ejector unit 44 is divided into a first portion 44a and a second portion 44b as described above. The first portion 44a is on the second discharge roller 19 side with respect to the second transport path 42, and has a transport surface 42a forming the second transport path 42. The second portion 44b is on the second driven roller 20 side with respect to the second transport path 42, and has a transport surface 42b forming the second transport path 42. The rotation shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 is arranged at a position corresponding to the first portion 44a of the second ejector unit 44. In other words, the extension line of the rotation shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 passes through the first portion 44a of the second ejector unit 44.

<Tray configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a tray 6 is attached above the stacker cover 5. The tray 6 is a second stacker for loading the medium discharged from the discharge port 48 of the second transport path 42, and may be referred to as a bin tray. The tray 6 is a substantially plate-shaped member having a width direction in the X direction, and has a pair of rotation shafts (support shafts) 61 extending in the X direction from both ends in the width direction.

The tray 6 has a portion provided with a rotating shaft 61 as a base end portion, a curved portion 62 that curves and extends from the base end portion, and a flat portion 63 that extends planarly from the tip of the curved portion 62. And have. A U-shaped notch 67 is formed at the tip of the flat portion 63.

The U-shaped notch 67 of the tray 6 facilitates the user to take out the medium loaded on the stacker cover 5 below the tray 6, and when the stacker cover 5 is rotated from the open position to the closed position. This is to make it easier to push the front side portion (curved surface 53) of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 by hand.

In order to rotatably support the tray 6, the stacker cover 5 has a hole 55 that engages with the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6. More specifically, the holes 55 are formed on both side walls of the unit main body 44c of the second ejector unit 44 attached to the stacker cover 5. By engaging the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6 with the hole 55 of the stacker cover 5, the tray 6 can rotate about the rotating shaft 61. That is, the rotation shaft 61 and the hole 55 form a rotation support portion of the tray 6.

The rotating shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 described above was arranged at a position corresponding to the first portion 44a (second discharge roller 19 side) of the second ejector unit 44, whereas the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6 was arranged. Is arranged at a position corresponding to the second portion 44b (second driven roller 20 side) of the second ejector unit 44.

A pair of limiters 65 (second holding portions) projecting toward the stacker cover 5 are provided on the lower surface of the tray 6. The pair of limiters 65 are arranged near both ends of the tray 6 in the X direction.

The limiter 65 of the tray 6 is a portion that comes into contact with the stacker cover 5 that is rotated from the closed position to the open position. More specifically, the limiter 65 of the tray 6 comes into contact with the contact surface 56 outside the loading surface portion 5a (the portion on which the medium is loaded) of the stacker cover 5 in the X direction.

A pair of stoppers 66 (first holding portions) projecting outward in the X direction are provided at both ends of the tray 6 in the X direction. The stopper 66 is, for example, a plate-shaped piece long in the X direction.

A receiving portion 34 (first engaging portion) for receiving the stopper 66 of the tray 6 is formed on the pair of side walls 35 of the stay 3. The receiving portion 34 of the stay 3 has a bottom surface 34a, an inclined surface 34b located behind the bottom surface 34a (+ Y direction), and a vertical surface 34c located in front of the bottom surface 34a (−Y direction). The inclined surface 34b of the receiving portion 34 is for making it easy for the stopper 66 to come out upward from the receiving portion 34 when the tray 6 rotates toward the open position.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the stopper 66 and the receiving portion 34. A convex portion 34d, which is a rectangular protrusion, is formed on the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34, for example. Further, a concave portion 68 that engages with the convex portion 34d of the receiving portion 34 is formed on the lower surface of the stopper 66.

The length C1 of the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34 in the Y direction is longer than the length (width) C2 of the stopper 66 in the Y direction. That is, the receiving portion 34 is configured so that the stopper 66 can slide in the receiving portion 34 in the Y direction (front-back direction). Further, the length C4 of the concave portion 68 in the Y direction is longer than the length C3 of the convex portion 34d in the Y direction. In both the difference between the length C1 and the length C2 (C1-C2) and the difference between the length C4 and the length C3 (C4-C3), the stopper 66 slides in the Y direction with respect to the receiving portion 34. It is larger than the amount of slide to be done.

The length L2 of the concave portion 68 of the stopper 66 in the X direction is set to be slightly longer than the length L1 of the convex portion 34d of the receiving portion 34 in the X direction. This is to prevent the stopper 66 from coming off from the receiving portion 34 by suppressing the displacement of the stopper 66 with respect to the receiving portion 34 in the X direction to a small extent. That is, the convex portion 34d and the concave portion 68 form a dropout prevention portion.

Returning to FIGS. 5 and 6, the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6 is arranged between the rotating shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 and the loading surface portion 5a. Further, in the discharge direction of the medium from the discharge port 48 of the second transport path 42, the limiter 65 of the tray 6 is arranged on the downstream side of the rotation shaft 61 of the tray 6, and the stopper 66 of the tray 6 is further downstream of the limiter 65. It is located on the side.

Further, the tray 6 is provided with a sensor lever 69 for detecting the presence or absence of a medium loaded on the tray 6, but the description thereof will be omitted.

<Operation of compound device>
Next, the operation of the composite device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. Here, a copy operation in which the reading operation in the reading unit 2 and the image forming operation in the image forming unit 1 are continuously performed will be described.

<Reading operation>
When the user opens the document holding section 82 of the scanning unit 2 shown in FIG. 4, places the document on the document placing section 84, and presses a predetermined switch (for example, a copy button) on the operation panel 25 (FIG. 1), The scanning unit 2 starts the document scanning operation. That is, while the document reading unit 85 moves in the X direction along the document surface, it emits light toward the document and receives the reflected light. The document reading unit 85 acquires a two-dimensional image of the document by moving in the X direction (secondary operation direction) while reading the line image in the Y direction (main scanning direction).

When the document reading unit 85 reaches the end of the movement range, the movement and scanning of the document reading unit 85 are stopped, and then the document reading unit 85 returns to the position (home position) before the movement. As a result, the document scanning operation by the scanning unit 2 is completed.

Although the case where the user places the document on the document placing unit 84 and reads the document has been described here, the document transport unit 83 automatically transports the document, and the document scanning unit 85 is in a fixed position (reading position R). It is also possible to perform reading.

<Image formation operation>
Next, the image forming unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs an image forming operation. First, the pickup roller 12 rotates to feed out the medium stored in the medium cassette 11, and the feed roller 13 and the separation roller 14 feed the media one by one to the transport path. Further, the resist roller 15 and the pressure roller 16 correct the skew of the medium while transporting the medium toward the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d.

Further, the belt drive roller 93 of the transfer unit 9 rotates and the transport belt 91 travels to suck and hold the medium for transport. The medium passes through the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d in that order.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the process unit 7a, the photoconductor drum 71 starts rotating at a predetermined timing, and the charging roller 72 uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 71. The exposure head 8a exposes the surface of the photoconductor drum 71 in accordance with image data of a predetermined color (for example, black) based on the image information of the document read by the reading unit 2 to form an electrostatic latent image. do.

The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 71 is developed with toner by the developing unit 73 to become a toner image (developer image). The black toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 71 is transferred to the medium on the transport belt 91 by the transfer voltage applied to the transfer roller 92a.

Similarly, in the process units 7b, 7c, 7d shown in FIG. 1, the yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images are transferred to the medium on the transport belt 91. The medium to which the toner images of each color are transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 10 by the conveying belt 91.

In the fixing unit 10, heat and pressure are applied to the medium by the heating roller 101, the pressure roller 102, and the fixing belt 103. As a result, the toner image transferred to the surface of the medium is fixed to the medium.

The medium on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed along the discharge transfer path 40, and is guided to the first transfer path 41 or the second transfer path 42 by the selector 45. Here, it is assumed that the control unit of the composite device drives the selector 45 to select either the first transport path 41 or the second transport path 42 based on the setting of the operation panel 25 by the user.

The medium guided to the first transport path 41 is discharged from the discharge port 47 by the first discharge roller 17 and the first driven roller 18, and is discharged onto the stacker cover 5. The medium guided to the second transport path 42 is discharged from the discharge port 48 by the second discharge roller 19 and the second driven roller 20, and is discharged onto the tray 6. As a result, the image forming operation is completed.

Although the copy operation in which the reading operation and the image forming operation are continuously performed has been described here, for example, an operation of forming an image transmitted from a personal computer (printing operation) may be used.

<Rotating operation of reading unit and stacker cover>
When replacing the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d or the fixing unit 10 and removing the jammed medium, the user moves the reading unit 2 and the stacker cover 5 from the closed position to the open position. It needs to be rotated.

Hereinafter, the rotational operation of the reading unit 2, the stacker cover 5, and the tray 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 9 to 11. 9 to 11 are diagrams for explaining the rotational operation of the reading unit 2, the stacker cover 5, and the tray 6.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, the reading unit 2, the stacker cover 5, and the tray 6 are all in the closed position. As described above, the stopper 66 of the tray 6 is held in contact with the bottom surface 34a (FIG. 8) of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3. The flat portion 63 of the tray 6 is horizontal, and the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 is also substantially horizontal. In this state, the distance between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 is V1, and the distance between the tray 6 and the reading unit 2 is V2.

When rotating the reading unit 2 from the closed position to the open position, the user grips the handle 26 of the reading unit 2 and lifts the reading unit 2 upward. As a result, the reading unit 2 starts rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 around the rotation shaft 21.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the reading unit 2 rotates from the closed position to a position rotated by a predetermined angle (rotation angle A), the reading unit 2 comes into contact with the limiter built in the holding mechanism 28 and stops rotating. do. Then, the reading unit 2 is held in the open position by the holding mechanism 28. The rotation angle A is, for example, 56 degrees.

With the reading unit 2 held in the open position, the user rotates the stacker cover 5 from the closed position to the open position. At this time, the user grips the handle 57 (FIG. 2) provided on the stacker cover 5 and lifts the stacker cover 5 upward. As a result, the stacker cover 5 starts rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 9 around the rotation shaft 51.

When the stacker cover 5 starts rotating from the closed position, the tray 6 is held in a state where the stopper 66 (FIG. 5) is in contact with the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3. Further, the limiter 65 of the tray 6 is separated from the upper surface of the stacker cover 5. That is, at this point, the tray 6 is not rotating. Therefore, as the stacker cover 5 rotates, the relative position between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 changes (centered on the rotation shaft 61 of the tray 6).

Before the stacker cover 5 comes into contact with the limiter 65 of the tray 6, the stopper 66 of the tray 6 comes into contact with the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3. However, the rotation shaft 61 of the tray 6 is provided on the stacker cover 5, and rotates (revolves) around the rotation shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5. Therefore, the stopper 66 of the tray 6 slides in the Y direction on the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3. Since the receiving portion 34 is configured to hold the stopper 66 of the tray 6 while allowing the slide in the Y direction, the above-mentioned C1-C2 and C4-C3 are configured to be larger than the slide amount of the stopper 66. The stable operation of 6 is realized. Similarly, the limiter 65 of the tray 6 also slides along the contact surface 56 of the stacker cover 5.

When the stacker cover 5 further rotates toward the open position, the contact surface 56 of the stacker cover 5 comes into contact with the limiter 65 of the tray 6. After that, as shown in FIG. 10, the tray 6 rotates around the rotation shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 together with the stacker cover 5. Further, the stopper 66 of the tray 6 is separated upward from the bottom surface 34a of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3.

When the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 rotate to the positions shown in FIG. 11, the concave portion 54 (FIG. 6) of the stacker cover 5 engages with the convex portion 33 (FIG. 5) of the stay 3. This position is the open position of the stacker cover 5. Further, the tray 6 is held at the position (open position) shown in FIG. 11 by the contact between the limiter 65 and the contact surface 56 of the stacker cover 5.

The rotation angle B from the closed position to the open position of the stacker cover 5 is, for example, 60 degrees, which is larger than the rotation angle A (for example, 56 degrees) of the reading unit 2 described with reference to FIG.

In other words, the distance W1 between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 at the open position shown in FIG. 11 is smaller than the distance V1 between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 at the closed position shown in FIG. Further, the distance W2 between the tray 6 and the reading unit 2 at the open position shown in FIG. 11 is smaller than the distance V2 between the tray 6 and the reading unit at the closed position shown in FIG.

Since the rotation angle B of the stacker cover 5 is large in this way, the user can easily replace the process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d or the fixing unit 10 or remove the jammed medium. can. Further, since the rotation angle A of the reading unit 2 is relatively small, it is easy for the user to put his / her hand on the handle 26 even when the reading unit 2 is in the open position.

In FIG. 11, the distance W1 between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 is set to, for example, about 15 mm. The reason for setting in this way is to make it easier for the user to touch the front side portion (curved surface 53) of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 when rotating the stacker cover 5 toward the closed position. Further, by providing a clearance (distance W1) between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6, the stacker cover 5 can be rotated even when the medium is still loaded on the stacker cover 5. Further, by making the distance W1 larger than the distance W2, it is possible to obtain an effect of encouraging the user to put his / her hand on the front side portion (curved surface 53) of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 when closing the stacker cover 5. ..

Further, the distance W2 between the tray 6 and the bottom of the reading unit 2 is set to, for example, about 2 mm. The reason for setting in this way is to prevent the user from accidentally touching the upper surface of the tray 6 when rotating the stacker cover 5 toward the closed position.

When rotating the stacker cover 5 from the open position to the closed position, the user puts his / her hand on the front side portion (curved surface 53) of the loading surface portion 5a of the stacker cover 5 and pushes it downward. As a result, the concave portion 54 (FIG. 6) of the stacker cover 5 is disengaged from the convex portion 33 (FIG. 5) of the stay 3, and the stacker cover 5 starts rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG.

Before the stacker cover 5 reaches the closed position (FIG. 9), the stopper 66 of the tray 6 comes into contact with the bottom surface 34a (FIG. 8) of the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3 and is held at that position. After that, only the stacker cover 5 rotates toward the closed position, and the relative position between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 changes. At this time, the stopper 66 of the tray 6 slides in the Y direction in the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3. Further, the limiter 65 of the tray 6 slides along the contact surface 56 of the stacker cover 5.

When the stacker cover 5 reaches the closed position (FIG. 9), the stacker cover 5 comes into contact with a predetermined position of the stay 3 to stop the rotation and is held at that position. After that, the user puts his / her hand on the handle 26 of the reading unit 2 and pushes it downward. Since the holding mechanism 28 (FIG. 2) of the reading unit 2 is configured to be unlocked when a constant external force is applied, the reading unit 2 rotates toward the closed position (FIG. 1). Then, the rotation of the reading unit 2 is stopped while the reading unit 2 is in contact with the upper surface of the stay 3.

<Effect of embodiment>
As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the stacker cover 5 rotates between the open position and the closed position, and the tray 6 rotates according to the rotation operation of the stacker cover 5. Move. The distance W1 between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 when the stacker cover 5 is in the open position (FIG. 11) is the distance W1 between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 when the stacker cover 5 is in the closed position (FIG. 1). It is smaller than the distance V1. Therefore, the rotation angle of the stacker cover 5 can be increased with respect to the rotation angle of the reading unit 2.

Therefore, maintenance such as replacement of the components of the image forming unit 1 (process units 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, fixing unit 10, etc.) or removal of the jammed recording medium can be easily performed. Further, since the rotation angle of the reading unit 2 can be suppressed to be relatively small, it is easy for the user to put his / her hand on the handle 26 of the reading unit 2. As a result, the convenience of the user's work is improved.

Further, the tray 6 includes a stopper 66 for holding the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 in a positional relationship (first positional relationship) in which the distance between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 is V1 when the stacker cover 5 is in the closed position. When the stacker cover 5 is in the open position, the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 have a limiter 65 for holding the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 in a positional relationship (second positional relationship) in which the distance between them is W1. The stay 3 has a receiving portion 34 that engages with the stopper 66 of the tray 6, and the stacker cover 5 has a contact surface 56 that engages with the limiter 65 of the tray 6. Therefore, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the distance between the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 is changed depending on whether the stacker cover 5 is in the open position or the closed position.

Further, the rotating shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 and the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6 are parallel to each other, and the rotating shaft 61 of the tray 6 is arranged between the rotating shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 and the loading surface portion 5a. Has been done. Therefore, the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 having a function of holding the discharged medium can be rotatably combined with each other in a relatively simple configuration.

Further, in the discharge direction of the medium from the discharge port 48 of the second transport path 42, the limiter 65 is arranged on the downstream side of the rotation shaft 61 of the tray 6, and the stopper 66 is arranged on the further downstream side of the limiter 65. .. Therefore, when the rotation angle of the stacker cover 5 from the closed position is small, the operation of holding the tray 6 by the receiving portion 34 of the stay 3 and then rotating the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 in conjunction with each other is compared. It can be realized with a compact configuration.

Further, the rotation shaft 51 of the stacker cover 5 is arranged at a position corresponding to the first portion 44a (the same side as the second discharge roller 19) of the second ejector unit 44, and the rotation shaft 61 of the tray 6 is arranged. , The second ejector unit 44 is arranged at a position corresponding to the second portion 44b (the same side as the second driven roller 20). Therefore, it is possible to realize a configuration in which the rotating shafts 51 and 61 are provided around the second ejector unit 44 having the second transport path 42, which can contribute to the miniaturization of the stacker cover 5.

In the first embodiment described above, the configuration in which the medium is loaded on the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6 has been described, but the medium is loaded on a plurality of stackers, not limited to the combination of the stacker cover 5 and the tray 6. Anything is fine.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the composite device having the image forming unit 1 and the reading unit 2 has been described, but the present invention is also applied to a device (image forming device) not having the reading unit 2. can do. In the present invention, as can be understood from FIG. 11, for example, it is possible to secure a large rotation angle of the stacker cover 5 with respect to the rotation angle of the tray 6. Therefore, for example, when it is desired to make the rotation angle of the tray 6 as small as possible because there is little free space above the tray 6 (and the rotation angle of the stacker cover 5 is to facilitate the maintenance work of the user). The present invention is particularly advantageous when it is desired to secure the above.

In the first embodiment described above, a configuration example using a direct transfer type image forming unit that directly transfers the developer image formed by the process unit to the medium has been described, but the image forming unit in the present invention is directly. It is not limited to the transfer method. For example, an intermediate transfer method in which a developer image is transferred to a medium using an intermediate transfer body may be used. Further, the image forming unit is not limited to the one that forms a color image composed of a plurality of colors, and may be one that forms a monochromatic image.

1 image forming unit, 2 reading unit, 3 stay (frame), 31 hole (rotation support part), 32 hole (rotation support part), 33 convex part (lock part), 34 receiving part (first engagement) Part), 35 side wall, 5 stacker cover (cover member), 5a upper surface (first stacker), 51 support shaft (rotation shaft), 54 recess (lock part), 55 hole (rotation support part), 58 contact Surface (second engaging part), 6 trays (second stacker), 61 support shaft (rotating shaft), 65 limiter (first holding part), 66 stopper (second holding part), 7a, 7b , 7c, 7d process unit (image forming unit), 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d exposure head, 9 transfer unit, 10 fixing unit, 17 1st discharge roller, 18 1st driven roller, 19 2nd discharge roller (1st) Roller), 20 2nd driven roller (2nd roller), 40 Discharge transport section, 41 1st transport path (1st route), 42 2nd transport path (2nd route), 43 1st ejector unit , 44 2nd ejector knit, 44a 1st part (1st member), 44b 2nd part (2nd member), 47,48 outlet.

Claims (7)

Image formation unit and
A reading unit rotatably provided above the image forming unit with respect to the image forming unit,
With
The image forming unit is
A cover member having a first stacker on which the medium is loaded and rotatable about a first rotation axis between a closed position and an open position.
A medium is loaded between the reading unit and the cover member, and the cover member can be rotated around a second rotation shaft arranged at a position different from that of the first rotation shaft. Equipped with a second stacker provided
The second rotation shaft moves around the first rotation shaft in the direction in which the cover member rotates in response to the rotation operation of the cover member.
The distance between the first stacker and the second stacker when the cover member is in the open position is the distance between the first stacker and the second stacker when the cover member is in the closed position. A composite device characterized by being less than the distance of. The reading unit is rotatable with respect to the image forming unit between a first position that is a closed position and a second position that is an open position.
The composite device according to claim 1, wherein the open position of the cover member is defined between the first position and the second position. The distance between the reading unit and the second stacker when the cover member is in the open position is larger than the distance between the reading unit and the second stacker when the cover member is in the closed position. The composite device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is small. The second stacker is
When the cover member is in the closed position, a first holding portion for holding the first stacker and the second stacker in a first positional relationship, and
When the cover member is in the open position, the second stacker is restricted from moving toward the first stacker, and the first stacker and the second stacker are placed in a second stacker. The composite device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second holding portion for holding in the positional relationship of the above. The medium discharged through the first route of the image forming unit is loaded on the first stacker.
The composite according to claim 4, wherein the medium discharged through a second route different from the first route of the image forming unit is loaded on the second stacker. Device. The image forming unit is
A first roller and a second roller that discharge the medium along the second route,
A first member having a guide surface for guiding the medium discharged along the second route on the first roller side, and
A second member having a guide surface for guiding the medium discharged along the second route on the second roller side is provided.
The first rotation shaft of the cover member is arranged on the first member side.
The composite device according to claim 5, wherein the second rotating shaft of the second stacker is arranged on the second member side. The composite device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second rotation shaft is substantially parallel to the first rotation shaft.

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