JP7230614B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a fixing device.

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a fixing device that heats and fixes a toner image formed on a medium. In such an image forming apparatus, when the fixing device is removed from the main body of the image forming apparatus, a lock mechanism holding the fixing device is released, and at the same time, power supply to the heater in the fixing device is cut off. For example, see Patent Document 1.).

JP-A-9-80962

By the way, in such an image forming apparatus, it is preferable that the fixing device can be easily attached at the correct position.

Therefore, it is desired to provide an image forming apparatus which is more excellent in handleability.

An image forming apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body, a fixing device, one or more lock mechanisms, and a switch. The main body has an image forming section that forms an image on a medium, a gear mechanism capable of transmitting driving force from a power source, and a first exterior portion that accommodates the image forming section and the gear mechanism. The fixing device is detachably attached to the main body, and includes a second exterior portion that forms an exterior together with the first exterior portion when attached to the main body, and a driving force that rotates about a rotation axis along the first direction. It has a rotating member that rotates to convey the medium in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and is configured to be capable of fixing an image on the medium. The lock mechanism is configured to be capable of transitioning between a holding state in which the fixing device attached to the main body is held and a detachable state in which the fixing device can be removed from the main body. The switch allows power supply from the main body to the fixing device when the lock mechanism is in the holding state, and cuts off power supply from the main body to the fixing device when the lock mechanism is in the detachable state. Here, the fixing device includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end in the first direction. In the first direction, a first distance between the gear mechanism and the first end is less than a second distance between the gear mechanism and the second end, and in the first direction, a third distance between the switch and the first end. is less than a fourth distance between the switch and the second end.

In the image forming apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention, the gear mechanism and the switch are arranged closer to each other due to the above configuration. Therefore, the fixing device is held in the main body by the lock mechanism when the fixing device is in the correct position with respect to the main body, that is, when the driving force of the gear mechanism is correctly transmitted to the rotating member of the fixing device. In such a correctly held state, the fixing device can be energized.

According to the image forming apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply can be applied only when the rotating member is rotatable, so that part of the rotating member is prevented from being overheated. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus which is more excellent in handleability.
Note that the effect of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be any of the effects described below.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the appearance of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration example of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the fixing device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 6 is a first cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the fixing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 6 is a second cross-sectional view showing an enlarged main part of the fixing device shown in FIG. 5; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following description is a specific example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following aspects. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the arrangement, dimensions, dimensional ratios, etc. of each component shown in each drawing. The explanation is given in the following order.
1. Embodiment 1.1 Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus 1.2 Detailed Configuration of Fixing Device 1.3 Operation of Image Forming Apparatus (A) Basic Operation (B) Mounting Operation of Fixing Device (C) Removal Operation of Fixing Device 1.4 Effect of image forming apparatus2. Modification

<1. one embodiment>
[1.1 Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an image forming apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. This image forming apparatus corresponds to a specific example of the "image forming apparatus" of the present invention. It is an electrophotographic printer capable of selectively forming color images and monochrome images.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 includes a main body 1 and a fixing device 2 detachably attached to the main body 1. As shown in FIG. The main body 1 has, for example, an upper housing 3 and a lower housing 4 that accommodate an image forming transfer section 30 (described later) that forms an image on the medium PM described later. The upper housing 3 is a so-called top cover provided on the upper portion of the lower housing 4 so as to be openable and closable. It should be noted that the upper housing 3 and the lower housing 4 are specific examples corresponding to the "first exterior portion" of the present invention. A front cover 5 is attached to the front surface of the lower housing 4 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the lower housing 4 . A first medium supply unit 10 that can be pulled forward from the lower housing 4 is provided at the bottom of the lower housing 4 .

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, showing the appearance of the main body 1 with the fixing device 2 removed. The fixing device 2 is attached to the main body 1 so as to be fitted into the accommodating portion 1K of the main body 1 when it is used (see FIG. 1). The fixing device 2 can be removed from the main body 1 by being pulled out in a direction different from the conveying direction of the medium PM, for example, vertically upward. In this embodiment, the housing portion 1K has an opening in the upper surface 3US of the upper housing 3, and the fixing device 2 is housed in the housing portion 1K through the opening, or the fixing device 2 is housed in the housing portion 1K through the opening. from the image forming apparatus 100 to the outside. The central portion 2S positioned above the fixing device 2 and the central portion 3S including a portion of the upper surface 3US of the upper housing 3 have a shape that is continuous with each other. A stacker 100S for stocking the media PM ejected to the stacker 100S is configured (see FIG. 1). The stacker 100S is, for example, the part surrounded by the dashed line in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration example of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus includes, in order from upstream along the transport direction of the medium PM, a first medium supply unit 10, a second medium supply unit 60, a medium transport unit 20, and an image forming transfer unit. A section 30 , a fixing device 2 , and a discharge section 50 are provided. The first medium supply section 10 , the medium transport section 20 , the image forming transfer section 30 , and the discharge section 50 are all provided inside the main body 1 . The second medium supply unit 60 appears when the front cover 5 is opened.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the image forming apparatus 100 further includes an operation panel 6, an interface section 7, an interlock switch 8, a sensor section 130, a driving section 140 and a general control section 150. FIG.

The operation panel 6 is a touch panel type input display unit that uses liquid crystal elements, light emitting diodes, or the like, for example. The operation panel 6 is configured so that the user can input various conditions related to the printing operation, such as selection of the medium PM, selection of the font, print density, and selection of the print mode, and can display various information related to the printing operation. ing.

The interface unit 7 includes, for example, an interface connector and an interface IC, receives various signals such as print data and control commands from an external device such as a host computer, and transmits the signals to the main control unit 158 (described later) in the overall control unit 150. It is designed to

The interlock switch 8 transmits an ON signal to the main control unit 158 when the fixing device 2 is attached to the main body 1, and when the fixing device 2 is not attached to the main body 1, i. 2 is a device that transmits an off signal to the main control unit 158 in the detached state.

The sensor unit 130 has medium sensors 131 to 133, a medium discharge sensor 134, a medium thickness sensor 135, and a fixing current value sensor 136 as shown in FIG. The medium sensors 131 to 133 are positioned at predetermined positions on the medium transport path along which the medium PM is transported. Specifically, as shown in FIG. They are provided at mutually different positions on the medium transport path before reaching 30 . The medium sensors 131 to 133 detect the presence or absence of the medium PM at each position on the medium transport path and transmit the detection signal to the main controller 158 . The medium ejection sensor 134 is provided downstream of the fixing device 2 to detect the medium PM heading from the fixing device 2 to the ejection section 50 and transmit the detection signal to the main control section 158 . The medium thickness sensor 135 is a sensor that detects the thickness of the medium PM and transmits the detection signal to the main control unit 158. For example, the medium thickness sensor 135 is provided between the medium sensor 131 and the medium sensor 132 shown in FIG. ing. A fixing current value sensor 136 measures a fixing current value flowing through a fixing motor 145 (described later) and transmits a detection signal to the main control section 158 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive unit 140 includes, for example, a paper feed motor 141, an electromagnetic clutch 142, a belt motor 143, a photosensitive drum motor 144, a fixing motor 145, an exposure device 146, and a fixing heater 147. have.

A two-phase excitation pulse motor, a DC motor, or the like is applied to each motor in the drive unit 140, that is, the paper feed motor 141, the belt motor 143, the photosensitive drum motor 144, and the fixing motor 145, for example. A two-phase excitation pulse motor is supplied with a constant current, and the phase current direction is switched at the rising edge of a clock signal. In the two-phase excitation pulse motor, the rotation speed of the motor shaft is accelerated and decelerated by changing the clock frequency. On the other hand, in a DC motor, the rotation speed of the motor shaft is controlled by the voltage applied to the motor terminals, and the rotation direction of the motor shaft is controlled by the polarity of the voltage applied to the motor terminals.

The electromagnetic clutch 142 is, for example, a dry single plate electromagnetic clutch. The electromagnetic clutch 142 connects/disconnects the sheet feeding motor 141, the feed roller 17 (described later) driven by the sheet feeding motor 141, and the transport roller pairs 21 and 22 (described later).

As shown in FIG. 4, the overall control unit 150 includes, for example, a main control unit 158, a paper feed motor control unit 151, an electromagnetic clutch control unit 152, a belt motor control unit 153, and a photosensitive drum motor control unit 154. , a fixing motor control section 155 , an exposure control section 156 and a fixing heater control section 157 . The main control unit 158 is a central processing unit that incorporates, for example, an arithmetic device, a storage device, or a timer counter. The main control unit 158 controls the paper feed motor control unit 151, the electromagnetic clutch, and the like based on various detection signals from the sensor unit 130, input signals from the operation panel 6, and various signals such as print data and control commands from the interface unit 7. Commands are issued to the control unit 152 , the belt motor control unit 153 , the photosensitive drum motor control unit 154 , the fixing motor control unit 155 , the exposure control unit 156 and the fixing heater control unit 157 , and the control of the image forming apparatus 100 is integrated.

The paper feed motor control unit 151 transmits an operation signal to the paper feed motor 141 based on a command from the main control unit 158 to control the operation of the paper feed motor 141 .

The electromagnetic clutch control section 152 controls the operation of the electromagnetic clutch 142 by transmitting an actuation signal to the electromagnetic clutch 142 based on a command from the main control section 158 .

The belt motor control unit 153 controls the operation of the belt motor 143 by transmitting an operation signal to the belt motor 143 based on a command from the main control unit 158 .

The photosensitive drum motor control section 154 transmits an operation signal to the photosensitive drum motor 144 based on a command from the main control section 158 to control the operation of the photosensitive drum motor 144 .

The fixing motor control section 155 controls the operation of the fixing motor 145 by transmitting an operation signal to the fixing motor 145 based on a command from the main control section 158 .

The exposure control section 156 transmits an operation signal to the exposure device 146 based on a command from the main control section 158 to control the operation of the exposure device 146 .

The fixing heater control section 157 controls the operation of the fixing heater 147 by transmitting an operation signal to the fixing heater 147 based on a command from the main control section 158 .

(First medium supply unit 10)
The first medium supply unit 10 includes, for example, a paper feed tray 11, a platen plate 12, a lift-up lever 13, a paper feed motor 141, a lift detector 15, a pickup roller 16, a feed roller 17, and a retarder. and a roller 18 .

The paper feed tray 11 is, for example, detachably attached to the lowermost part of the lower housing 4 of the main body 1 and accommodates a stack of media PM. is provided. The medium PM is stacked on the mounting plate 12 . A lift-up lever 13 rotatably supported by a shaft J13 is provided on the feed tray 11 on the delivery side of the medium PM. The shaft J13 is rotated by the driving force from the sheet feeding motor 141. As shown in FIG. The paper feed motor 141 is driven or stopped by a signal from the paper feed motor controller 151 . In the first medium supply unit 10, the lift-up lever 13 rotates around the axis J13, so that the tip of the lift-up lever 13 pushes up the platen plate 12, and the medium PM placed on the platen plate 12 is lifted. also rises. As a result, the upper surface of the uppermost medium PM is kept in contact with the pickup roller 16 . The lift detection unit 15 detects that the platen plate 12 has been sufficiently pushed up to a predetermined height and that the upper surface of the uppermost medium PM is in contact with the pickup roller 16 . The paper feed motor control section 151 stops driving the paper feed motor 141 based on the signal from the rise detection section 15 . The pickup roller 16 , the feed roller 17 and the retard roller 18 operate to supply the medium PM accommodated in the paper feed tray 11 to the medium transport section 20 one by one. The pickup roller 16 and feed roller 17 are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

(Second medium supply unit 60)
The second medium supply section 60 has, for example, a paper feed tray 61 , a pickup roller 62 , a feed roller 63 and a retard roller 64 . The paper feed tray 61 appears when the front cover 5 provided on the front surface of the lower housing 4 is tilted forward to supply the medium PM from the front surface of the lower housing 4 to the inside of the lower housing 4. It's becoming The paper feed tray 61 is a member on which the medium PM is placed in a stacked state. The pickup roller 62 , the feed roller 63 and the retard roller 64 operate to supply the medium PM accommodated in the paper feed tray 61 to the medium transport section 20 one by one. The pickup roller 62 and feed roller 63 are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

(Medium transport unit 20)
The medium transport section 20 is a mechanism that transports the medium PM from the first medium supply section 10 or the second medium supply section 60 to the image forming transfer section 30 one by one. The medium conveying unit 20 has, for example, a conveying roller pair 21 and a conveying roller pair 22 arranged in order from upstream to downstream. A medium sensor 131 is provided upstream of the transport roller pair 21 , that is, between the transport roller pair 21 and the pickup roller 16 and feed roller 17 . A medium sensor 132 is provided downstream of the transport roller pair 21 , that is, between the transport roller pair 21 and the transport roller pair 22 . Furthermore, a medium sensor 133 is provided downstream of the conveying roller pair 22 , that is, between the conveying roller pair 22 and the image forming transfer section 30 . The transport roller pair 21 and 22 transports the medium PM downstream while restricting skew of the medium PM. The medium sensors 131 to 133 detect the position of the medium PM in order to adjust the driving timing of the conveying roller pairs 21 and 22 . In addition, the medium PM from the second medium supply unit 60 is inserted into the medium conveying path between the conveying roller pair 21 and the conveying roller pair 22 .

(Image formation transfer unit 30)
The image forming transfer section 30 has image forming units 31 ( 31 K, 31 Y, 31 M, 31 C) and a transfer unit 40 .

The image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C are mechanisms for forming toner images of respective colors to be transferred onto the medium PM conveyed from the medium conveying section 20, respectively. That is, the image forming unit 31K forms a black toner image, the image forming unit 31Y forms a yellow toner image, the image forming unit 31M forms a magenta toner image, and the image forming unit 31C forms a cyan toner image. is designed to form The image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C each include, for example, an exposure device 146 including an LED (Light Emitting Diode) head, a photosensitive drum 32, a charging roller 33, a developing roller 34, a cleaning section 35, and a toner containing section. 36 and a feed roller 37 . The photosensitive drum 32 , charging roller 33 , developing roller 34 and supply roller 37 are driven by the driving force of a photosensitive drum motor 144 driven under the control of a photosensitive drum motor control section 154 .

The exposure device 146 is arranged to face the photosensitive drum 32 and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 by exposing the surface of the facing photosensitive drum 32 .

The photosensitive drum 32 is a cylindrical member capable of carrying an electrostatic latent image on its surface, and is constructed using a photoreceptor (for example, an organic photoreceptor). The photosensitive drum 32 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed in the direction in which the medium PM is conveyed by the photosensitive drum motor 144 being driven to rotate based on the photosensitive drum motor controller 154 . The electrostatic latent image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 is developed with toner of each color.

The charging roller 33 is a charging member that charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 and is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 .

The developing roller 34 is a member that carries toner for developing an electrostatic latent image on its surface, and is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface (peripheral surface) of the photosensitive drum 32 .

The cleaning unit 35 is a cleaning blade that cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 by scraping and collecting toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 . The cleaning portion 35 is arranged so as to abut against the surface of the photosensitive drum 32 at the counter (protrudes in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 32). The cleaning part 35 is made of an elastic material such as polyurethane rubber.

The toner containing portion 36 is a container for containing toner therein, and has a toner outlet at its lower portion. The toner containing portion 36 of the image forming unit 31K contains black toner, the toner containing portion 36 of the image forming unit 31Y contains yellow toner, and the toner containing portion 36 of the image forming unit 31M contains magenta toner. Cyan toner is stored in the toner storage section 36 of the image forming unit 31C. The toner is composed of a non-magnetic material containing, for example, a binder resin such as a polyester resin, a charge control agent, a release agent and a colorant as internal additives, and an external additive such as silica or titanium oxide. It is a thing. By appropriately selecting the color of the coloring agent, the color of the toner image formed by the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C can be changed.

The supply roller 37 is a supply member for supplying toner to the development roller 34 and is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the development roller 34 .

The transfer unit 40 conveys the medium PM conveyed from the medium conveying section 20 along the conveying direction, and sequentially transfers the toner images formed by the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C onto the surface of the medium PM. This is the mechanism of transcription. The transfer unit 40 includes a transport belt 41, a drive roller 42 that drives the transport belt 41, an idle roller 43 that rotates following the drive roller 42, and a plurality of photosensitive drums 32 with the transport belt 41 interposed therebetween. It has a plurality of transfer rollers 44 arranged facing each other. The drive roller 42 and the idle roller 43 are substantially cylindrical members that are rotatable around a rotation shaft extending in the width direction (X-axis direction). Transfer unit 40 further has cleaning blade 45 , waste toner box 46 and film 47 .

The conveying belt 41 is, for example, an endless elastic belt made of a resin material such as polyimide resin. The transport belt 41 is stretched (stretched) by a drive roller 42 and an idle roller 43 . The drive roller 42 is driven to rotate in the direction in which the medium PM is transported by the rotational force transmitted from the belt motor 143 under the control of the belt motor control section 153 , and circulates the transport belt 41 . The idle roller 43 adjusts the tension applied to the conveying belt 41 by the biasing force of the biasing member. The idle roller 43 rotates in the same direction as the driving roller 42 .

The plurality of transfer rollers 44 rotate in a direction opposite to that of the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C to transfer the toner images formed by the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C to the medium while conveying the medium PM. It is a member for electrostatically transferring onto PM. The transfer roller 44 is made of, for example, a foamed semi-conductive elastic rubber material.

The cleaning blade 45 is a member for scraping and cleaning the waste toner remaining on the surface of the conveying belt 41 . The waste toner box 46 collects and stores the waste toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 45 . The film 47 is a shielding member that prevents the waste toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 45 from scattering outside the waste toner box 46 .

(Fixing device 2)
The fixing device 2 is a member for applying heat and pressure to the toner image transferred onto the medium PM in the image forming transfer section 30 to fix the toner image onto the medium PM. As shown in FIG. 3 , the fixing device 2 includes, for example, a housing 70 and upper rollers 71 and lower rollers 72 provided inside the housing 70 . The upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 each extend in the X-axis direction, and rotate the medium PM perpendicularly to the X-axis direction by rotating about a rotation axis 71J and a rotation axis 72J along the X-axis direction. It is a rotating member that conveys in the Y-axis direction.

The upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 are heating rollers each containing a heat source 71H and a heat source 72H such as a halogen lamp as the fixing heater 147, and apply heat to the toner image on the medium PM. It is designed to be granted. The heat sources 71H and 72H are supplied with a bias voltage controlled by a fixing heater control section to control the surface temperatures of the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72, respectively.

The lower roller 72 is arranged to face the upper roller 71 so as to form a nip portion with the upper roller 71, and applies pressure to the toner image on the medium PM. The lower roller 72 may have a surface layer made of an elastic material.

A detailed structure of the fixing device 2 will be described later.

(Ejection unit 50)
The discharge section 50 has, for example, discharge roller pairs 51-53. A medium discharge sensor 134 is provided between the discharge roller pair 51 and the fixing device 2 to detect the medium PM discharged from the fixing device 2 . The discharge roller pairs 51 to 53 are rotationally driven based on detection information of the medium PM by the medium discharge sensor 134, and discharge the medium PM discharged from the fixing device 2 to the external stacker 100S.

[1.2 Detailed Configuration of Fixing Device 2]
Next, the detailed configuration of the fixing device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 in addition to FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the fixing device 2. As shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 5, in addition to the constituent elements of the fixing device 2, a body-side connector C70 and a power transmission gear group G70 provided on the body 1 are shown. Here, the body-side connector C70 is provided at a terminal such as a power line for supplying power to the fixing device 2, and is a specific example corresponding to the "first connector" of the invention. Further, the power transmission gear group G70 is a specific example corresponding to the "gear mechanism" of the present invention, and is a mechanism capable of transmitting driving force from the fixing motor 145 as a power source to the fixing device 2.

The housing 70 of the fixing device 2 has an exterior portion 70</b>G that constitutes the exterior of the image forming apparatus 100 together with the upper housing 3 when the fixing device 2 is attached to the main body 1 . The exterior portion 70G is exposed on the surface of the image forming apparatus 100, and is, for example, a central portion 2S forming part of the stacker 100S and a pair of end portions 70GL and 70GR facing each other in the X-axis direction so as to sandwich the central portion 2S. and have. The pair of end portions 70GL and 70GR respectively have a pair of upper surfaces 70SL and 70SR that are continuous with the upper surface 3US in the peripheral portion of the upper housing 3 other than the central portion 3S. The exterior portion 70G is a specific example corresponding to the "second exterior portion" of the present invention.

Grips 73L and 73R are provided at a pair of ends 70GL and 70GR of an exterior portion 70G provided on the top of the housing 70, respectively. A connector 74 is provided in the housing 70, for example, below an end portion 70GR provided with a grip portion 73R in the X-axis direction. The connector 74 is adapted to be fitted with a body-side connector C70 provided on the main body 1 when the fixing device 2 is mounted on the main body 1 . By fitting the connector 74 to the main body side connector C70, power can be supplied from the main body 1 to the heat sources 71H and 72H of the fixing device 2. FIG. Here, the connector 74 is a specific example corresponding to the "second connector" of the present invention, and power is supplied from the main body 1 via the main body side connector C70.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the housing 70, a power transmission gear group G70 is provided below the end portion 70GL provided with the grip portion 73L in the X-axis direction. The power transmission gear group G70 has a gear train composed of, for example, four gears G1 to G4 connected in series. The gear G1 is directly or indirectly engaged with the rotating shaft of the fixing motor 145, and the driving force from the fixing motor 145 is sequentially transmitted to the gear G1, gear G2, gear G3, and gear G4, and finally to the upper part. It is adapted to be transmitted to the rotating shaft 71J of the roller 71. As shown in FIG. The power transmission gear group G70 is fixed to the main body 1 so as to be rotatable around their respective rotation axes.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the left side 70L and the right side 70R of the housing 70 are provided with guide grooves 701, respectively. are adapted to engage. Therefore, when the fixing device 2 is attached to the main body 1 , the fixing device 2 is positioned so that the guide groove 701 engages with the projection provided on the main body 1 , and then the fixing device 2 is attached to the main body 1 . It is moved in the -Z direction, and the protrusion of the main body 1 is brought into contact with the end portion 702 of the guide groove 701 . By doing so, the fixing device 2 can be installed at the correct position on the main body 1 .

6 and 7 are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the vicinity of the locking mechanism 75 of the fixing device 2. FIG. In particular, FIG. 6 shows the appearance of the fixing device 2 in the holding state, and FIG. 7 shows the appearance of the fixing device 2 in the detachable state. 6 and 7 show the lock mechanism 75R (first lock mechanism) provided at the end portion 70GR, the lock mechanism 75L (first lock mechanism) provided at the end portion 70GL shown in FIG. 2 lock mechanism) has substantially the same configuration. Therefore, the configuration of the lock mechanism 75R and its vicinity will be described below, and the description of the configuration of the lock mechanism 75L and its vicinity will be omitted as appropriate.

The lock mechanism 75</b>R is configured to be capable of transitioning between a holding state in which the fixing device 2 attached to the main body 1 is held and a detachable state in which the fixing device 2 can be removed from the main body 1 . Note that in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the lock mechanism 75R is provided in the housing 70 of the fixing device 2, but the lock mechanism 75R may be provided in the main body 1 as well.

The lock mechanism 75R has a grip portion 73R, a lever 76R, a slider 77R, a frame 78R, a shaft 79R, and a compression spring 80R. The frame 78R is fixed to the housing 70. As shown in FIG. The shaft 79R is fixed to the frame 78R in a recess 70U provided at the end 70GR of the exterior portion 70G. The grip portion 73R is a specific example corresponding to the "first displacement member" of the present invention, and the slider 77R is a specific example corresponding to the "second displacement member" of the present invention.

The grasping portion 73R is provided so as to be rotatable around the shaft 79R. The grip portion 73R includes a base portion 731R attached to the shaft 79R and a tip portion 732R farthest from the base portion 731R. The leading end portion 732R is a grip portion that a user holds when attaching or detaching the fixing device 2 to or from the main body 1 . In the holding state shown in FIG. 6, the grasping portion 73R is in the first position lying sideways so that the entirety including the base portion 731R and the tip portion 732R can be accommodated in the recess portion 70U. However, in the detachable state shown in FIG. 7, the gripping portion 73R assumes the second posture in which a portion of itself, for example, the tip portion 732R, protrudes from the recess portion 70U. That is, the height position of the tip portion 732R in the grip portion 73R in the second posture is higher than the height position of the upper surface 70SR. Note that the height position refers to a position in the +Z direction. In this manner, the grip portion 73R is provided on the housing 70 so as to be reversibly displaceable between the first posture shown in FIG. 6 and the second posture shown in FIG.

The lever 76R is provided so as to be rotatable about the shaft 79R. Lever 76R includes a base 761R attached to shaft 79R and a tip 762R furthest from base 761R. A base portion 761R of the lever 76R is provided so as to be engageable with a base portion 731R of the grip portion 73R. Therefore, the lever 76R can be reversibly displaced between the first rotating position shown in FIG. 6 and the second rotating position shown in FIG. 7 according to the posture of the grip portion 73R. It's becoming That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the lever 76R is in the first rotation position in which the tip portion 762R is displaced in the +X direction when the grip portion 73R is in the first posture, and as shown in FIG. When the portion 73R is in the second posture, the distal end portion 762R is displaced in the -X direction to reach the second rotational position. However, in the lock mechanism 75L, the lever 76 is in the first rotation position in which the tip portion 762L is displaced in the -X direction when the grip portion 73L is in the first posture, and the tip portion 762L is in the second posture. The portion 762L becomes the second rotation position displaced in the +X direction. When the lever 76 moves from the first rotating position to the second rotating position, the tip portion 762R can contact the contact portion 772R (discussed later) of the slider 77R. The lever 76L has substantially the same configuration as the lever 76R except that it has a symmetrical shape with respect to the lever 76R.

The slider 77R is provided movably along the X-axis with respect to the housing 70. As shown in FIG. The slider 77R includes a projecting portion 771R that can protrude from the opening 70KR of the right side surface 70R of the housing 70, and a contact portion 772R that can contact the tip portion 762R of the lever 76R. However, in the lock mechanism 75L, the slider 77L includes a projecting portion 771L that can protrude from the opening 70KL of the left side surface 70L of the housing 70, and a contact portion 772L that can contact the tip portion 762L of the lever 76L. . The pressing spring 80R is provided between the frame 78R and the slider 77R, and is a biasing member that exerts a biasing force to keep the frame 78R and the slider 77R away from each other. The slider 77L has substantially the same configuration as the slider 77R except that it has a symmetrical shape with respect to the slider 77R.

In the holding state of FIG. 6, in the lock mechanism 75R, the contact portion 772 and the tip portion 762 of the lever 76 are separated. Therefore, the slider 77 is released from the lock by the lever 76, and is biased in the +X direction by the biasing force 80F of the push spring 80 to reach the most moved position in the +X direction. Therefore, the slider 77 is in a protruding state in which the protruding portion 771 protrudes from the opening 70KR of the right side surface 70R of the housing 70 . Similarly, in the lock mechanism 75L, in the holding state, the slider 77 is unlocked by the lever 76, and is biased in the -X direction by the biasing force 80F of the push spring 80 to the most moved position in the -X direction. becomes. Therefore, the slider 77 is in a protruding state in which the protruding portion 771 protrudes from the opening 70KL of the left side surface 70L of the housing 70 . The protrusion 771 of the slider 77 of the lock mechanism 75L and the protrusion 771 of the slider 77 of the lock mechanism 75 protrude from the opening 70KL and the opening 70KR, respectively, at two locations formed on the body frame 3F fixed to the body 1. They are adapted to be inserted through the lock holes 3H. The fixing device 2 is held by the main body 1 by inserting the protrusion 771 into the lock hole 3H.

On the other hand, in the detachable state of FIG. 7, the tip portion 762 of the lever 76 is in contact with the contact portion 772 in the lock mechanism 75R. Here, the biasing force 76F of the lever 76 to the slider 77 in the -X direction is sufficiently larger than the biasing force 80F of the push spring 80 to the slider 77 in the +X direction. Therefore, the slider 77 is biased in the -X direction by the biasing force 76F of the distal end portion 762 of the lever 76, and reaches the most moved position in the -X direction. Accordingly, the slider 77 is in a housed state in which the projecting portion 771 is retracted from the lock hole 3H and the opening 70KR and is housed in the housing 70 . Similarly, in the lock mechanism 75L, in the detachable state, the tip portion 762 of the lever 76 is in contact with the contact portion 772, and the slider 77 is urged in the +X direction by the biasing force 76F of the tip portion 762 of the lever 76. It is pushed to the position where it has moved most in the +X direction. Accordingly, the slider 77 is in a housed state in which the protrusion 771 is retracted from the lock hole 3H and the opening 70KL and is housed in the housing 70 .

The interlock switch 8 is arranged in the body 1 on an extension in the direction (-X direction) in which the slider 77 of the lock mechanism 75R protrudes from the housing . The interlock switch 8 is an operation unit for turning on/off power supply to the heat sources 71H and 72H, and has a lever 81 capable of coming into contact with the tip portion 762 of the lever 76 of the lock mechanism 75R. As shown in FIG. 6, the lever 81 contacts and is pushed into the distal end portion 762 to enable the current supply, and as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the lock mechanism 75R is in the holding state, power supply from the main body 1 to the fixing device 2 is enabled, and when the lock mechanism 75R is in the detachable state, power supply from the main body 1 to the fixing device 2 is cut off. It's becoming In image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, interlock switch 8 is provided only at a position corresponding to lock mechanism 75R, and is not provided at a position corresponding to lock mechanism 75L.

Thus, the fixing device 2 includes an end portion 70GR (first end portion) and an end portion 70GL (second end portion) located on the opposite side of the end portion 70GR in the X-axis direction. Here, in the X-axis direction, the first distance between the power transmission gear group G70 and the right side surface 70R is shorter than the second distance between the power transmission gear group G70 and the left side surface 70L. Also, in the X-axis direction, the third distance between the interlock switch 8 and the right side surface 70R is shorter than the fourth distance between the interlock switch 8 and the left side surface 70L. That is, both the power transmission gear group G70 and the interlock switch 8 are arranged near the end portion 70GR.

Also, in the X-axis direction, the fifth distance between the connector 74 and the left side surface 70L is shorter than the sixth distance between the connector 74 and the right side surface 70R. That is, the connector 74 is arranged near the end 70GL on the side opposite to the power transmission gear group G70 and the interlock switch 8 .

[1.3 Operation of Image Forming Apparatus]
(A. Basic operation)
In this image forming apparatus, a toner image is transferred onto the medium PM as follows.

When print image data and a print command are transmitted from an external device such as a PC to the image forming apparatus 100 in the active state and input to the main control unit 158 via the interface unit 7, the main control unit 158 Each component of the image forming apparatus 100 is caused to start printing the print image data according to the print command.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the medium PM placed on the paper feed tray 11 of the first medium supply unit 10 is picked up one by one from the top by the pickup roller 16 or the like, and fed roller 17 and retard roller 18 are picked up. The sheet is conveyed toward the downstream image forming transfer section 30 via the medium conveying section 20 while the skew is corrected by such as. In the image forming transfer section 30, the toner image is transferred onto the medium PM as follows.

In the image forming transfer section 30, according to a print command from the main control section 158, a toner image of each color is formed by the following electrophotographic process. Specifically, the photosensitive drum motor controller 154 activates the photosensitive drum motor 144 based on a command from the main controller 158 to rotate the photosensitive drum 32 in a predetermined direction at a constant speed. Along with this, the charging rollers 33, developing rollers 34, and supply rollers 37 of the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C also start rotating in predetermined directions.

On the other hand, the main controller 158 applies a predetermined voltage to each charging roller 33 to uniformly charge the surface of each photosensitive drum 32 . Next, the main control unit 158 activates each exposure device 146 to irradiate each photosensitive drum 32 with light corresponding to the color component of the printed image based on the image signal, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of each photosensitive drum 32 . form respectively.

In each of the image forming units 31K, 31Y, 31M, and 31C, toner is supplied to the developing roller 34 via the supply roller 37 and carried on the surface of the developing roller 34 . Each developing roller 34 attaches toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on each photosensitive drum 32 to form a toner image of each color. Further, a predetermined voltage is applied to each transfer roller 44 in the transfer unit 40 to generate an electric field between each photosensitive drum 32 and each transfer roller 44 . When the medium PM runs between each photosensitive drum 32 and each transfer roller 44 in this state, the toner images of each color formed on each photosensitive drum 32 are sequentially transferred onto the medium PM.

After that, the toner image on the medium PM is fixed on the medium PM by applying heat and pressure in the fixing device 2 under the control of the fixing heater control section 157 according to the command from the main control section 158 . The medium PM on which the toner image is fixed is conveyed from the fixing device 2 to the discharge section 50 and discharged by the discharge section 50 to the stacker 100S outside the image forming apparatus 100 .

(B. Mounting operation of fixing device 2)
Next, the operation of mounting the fixing device 2 on the main body 1 in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the fixing device 2 is housed in the housing portion 1K by moving from above the housing portion 1K of the main body 1 in the -Z direction. At that time, the gripping portion 73L and the gripping portion 73R are in the second posture in which the tip portion 732 is positioned above the base portion 731 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the protrusion 771 of the slider 77 is housed inside the housing 70 and does not protrude outside the housing 70 through the openings 70KL and 70KR. Accordingly, the user lowers the fixing device 2 from above the housing portion 1K while gripping the gripping portions 73L and 73R with both hands, thereby preventing the projection portion 771 from colliding with the upper surface 3US of the upper housing 3. The fixing device 2 can be housed in the housing portion 1K of the main body 1. As shown in FIG.

When the fixing device 2 is inserted into the housing portion 1K, the protrusions 771 do not protrude from the openings 70KL and 70KR to the outside of the housing 70 as described above. not inserted. That is, the fixing device 2 is not held by the main body 1, and is in a detachable state by pulling the fixing device 2 upward (in the +Z direction). Furthermore, since the protrusion 771 of the lock mechanism 75R does not protrude from the opening 70KR to the outside of the housing 70, the protrusion 771 of the lock mechanism 75R does not contact the lever 81 of the interlock switch 8. Therefore, the interlock switch 8 is in the cut-off state, and power supply to the heat sources 71H and 72H of the fixing device 2 is disabled.

Therefore, after inserting the fixing device 2 into the accommodating portion 1K, the gripping portion 73R in the second posture is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y73- about the shaft 79 as the rotation center, so that the gripping portion is moved as shown in FIG. 73R is displaced to the sideways first posture. The grip portion 73L is also displaced from the second posture to the first posture by the same operation. At that time, it is preferable that the whole including the base portion 731 and the tip portion 732 of the grasping portions 73L and 73R is completely accommodated in the recess portion 70U. As a result, the protrusions 771 of the lock mechanism 75L and the lock mechanism 75R protrude from the openings 70KL and 70KR to the outside of the housing 70 and are inserted into the lock holes 3H of the body frame 3F. That is, the protrusion 771 and the lock hole 3H are fitted. As a result, the lock mechanisms 75</b>L and 75</b>R can be shifted from the detachable state in which the fixing device 2 can be detached from the main body 1 to the holding state in which the fixing device 2 is held in the main body 1 . Further, when the lever 81 of the interlock switch 8 is pushed into contact with the tip portion 762 of the lever 76 of the lock mechanism 75R, it becomes energized. That is, the heat sources 71H and 72H as the fixing heater 147 are brought into a state capable of heating the upper roller 71 and the lower roller 72 under the control of the fixing heater control section 157. FIG.

(C. Detachment operation of fixing device 2)
Next, in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, a mounting/dismounting operation for removing the fixing device 2 in the holding state shown in FIG. 6 from the main body 1 will be described. In this case, by rotating the gripping portion 73R in the first posture in the direction of the arrow Y73+ about the shaft 79, the gripping portion 73R is displaced to the second posture as shown in FIG. The grip portion 73L is also displaced from the first posture to the second posture by the same operation. As a result, the protrusions 771 of the lock mechanism 75L and the lock mechanism 75R are retracted from the lock hole 3H and the openings 70KL and 70KR, respectively, and are housed in the housing . That is, the engagement between the protrusion 771 and the lock hole 3H is released. As a result, the locking mechanisms 75L and 75R can be shifted from the holding state in which the fixing device 2 is held in the main body 1 to the detachable state in which the fixing device 2 can be removed from the main body 1. FIG. Further, the interlock switch 8 lever 81 is separated from the tip end portion 762 of the lever 76 of the lock mechanism 75R to enter the blocking state. That is, the heat generation of the heat sources 71H and 72H as the fixing heater 147 is stopped.

When the locking mechanisms 75L and 75R are in the detachable state, the user can pull up the fixing device 2 while grasping the gripping portions 73L and 73R with both hands. As a result, the fixing device 2 is removed from the accommodating portion 1K of the main body 1. As shown in FIG.

[1.4 Effect of image forming apparatus 100]
As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is configured such that the fixing device 2 can be detached from the main body 1 . Therefore, the user can easily replace the fixing device 2 , and can easily remove the jammed medium PM on the medium transport path around the fixing device 2 . In addition, the user can take out the fixing device 2 only by operating the grips 73L and 73R, which improves convenience for the user.

Further, in the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, both the power transmission gear group G70 and the interlock switch 8 are arranged near the end portion 70GR. That is, the power transmission gear group G70 and the interlock switch 8 are arranged closer to each other. Therefore, in a state in which the driving force transmitted from the fixing motor 145 to the power transmission gear group G70 is correctly transmitted to the upper roller 71 and the like of the fixing device 2, the fixing device 2 is held by the main body 1 by the lock mechanisms 75L and 75R. At the same time, the heat sources 71H and 72H of the fixing device 2 can be energized. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus 100, the heat sources 71H and 72H can be energized only when the upper roller 71 and the like are rotatable. , 72H are not energized, avoiding overheating of a portion of the surface of the upper roller 71 or the like.

In this embodiment, the fixing device 2 is held on the main body 1 by the two lock mechanisms 75L and 75R provided at both ends thereof. It is sufficient to hold the fixing device 2 to the main body 1 by a locking mechanism 75R provided at the end portion 70GR. However, by providing lock mechanisms at two or more locations, the fixing device 2 can be stably held by the main body 1, which is preferable.

On the other hand, if, for example, the power transmission gear group G70 is arranged near the end 70GL, and the interlock switch 8 is arranged near the end 70GL on the opposite side in the X-axis direction, fixing is performed only by the lock mechanism 75L. When the device 2 is held by the main body 1, there is concern about the following problems. Specifically, in a situation where the power transmission is not sufficiently transmitted from the power transmission gear group G70 to the upper roller 71 or the like, that is, in a situation where, for example, the gears are disengaged from each other or the gears are idling, The projection 771 of the lock mechanism 75L located on the opposite side of the power transmission gear group G70 may cause the interlock switch 8 to turn on. Such a phenomenon occurs when the fixing device 2 is inserted into the housing portion 1K while being inclined with respect to the main body 1. As shown in FIG. In this case, since the heat sources 71H and 72H are energized even though the upper roller 71 and the like are not rotating, part of the surface of the upper roller 71 and the like may be overheated. According to the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the interlock switch 8 can be turned on while the fixing device 2 is held in the correct position with respect to the power transmission gear group G70 by the lock mechanism 75R. Such defects are avoided and better handleability is obtained.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the connector 74 connected to the main body side connector C70 is arranged near the end portion 70GL on the opposite side of the power transmission gear group G70 in the X-axis direction. I made it Therefore, during the fixing operation, the vibration accompanying the rotating operation of the gears G1 to G4 of the power transmission gear group G70 is less likely to be transmitted to the connector 74 and the body-side connector C70. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of connection failure between the connector 74 and the body-side connector C70 due to the influence of vibrations generated in the power transmission gear group G70. The poor connection referred to here is caused by, for example, peeling of the film of the contact portion between the connector 74 and the body-side connector C70, causing the conductive portions to separate from each other.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the lock mechanisms 75L and 75R are held in the holding state by adopting the first posture in which the grip portions 73L and 73R are entirely accommodated in the recess portions 70U. bottom. Therefore, if at least one of the tip 732 of the gripping portion 73L and the tip 732 of the gripping portion 73R protrudes from the recess 70U, the user can immediately understand that the lock mechanisms 75L and 75R are not in the holding state. can do. That is, the user can visually determine from the appearance of the image forming apparatus 100 that the fixing device 2 is not held at the correct position with respect to the main body 1 .

Further, according to the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the exterior portion 70G as the second exterior portion has the central portion 2S that constitutes a part of the stacker 100S that stacks the media PM on which the images have been fixed. made it For this reason, the overlapping portion between the exterior portion of the main body 1 and the exterior portion of the fixing device 2 can be omitted, which is advantageous for reducing the size and weight of the image forming apparatus 100 as a whole.

<2. Variation>
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiments, an image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image using toner of four colors has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an image forming a color image of five or more colors, for example, can be used. It may be a forming device.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, for example, the power transmission gear group G70 and the main body side connector C70 are arranged below the fixing device 2, but the present invention is not limited to these aspects, and other configurations may be used. The power transmission gear group G70 and the body-side connector C70 may be arranged at the position of .

In the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 771 of the lock mechanism 75L and the protrusion 771 of the lock mechanism 75R are configured to be able to protrude from the left side surface 70L and the right side surface 70R, respectively. The protrusion 771 may be provided so as to protrude from another position of the housing 70 to the outside of the housing 70 without being limited thereto.

Further, in the above embodiment, an LED head using a light emitting diode as a light source is used as an exposure device, but an exposure device using a laser element or the like as a light source may be used.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an image forming apparatus having a printing function has been described as a specific example of the "image forming apparatus" of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus that functions as a multi-function machine having, for example, a scanning function and a facsimile function in addition to such a printing function.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Main body 1K...Accommodating portion 2...Fixing device 2S...Center portion 3...Upper housing 3F...Main body frame 3H...Lock hole 4...Lower housing 5...Front cover 6...Operation panel , 7... Interface unit, 8... Interlock switch, 10... First medium supply unit, 11... Paper feed tray, 12... Placing plate, 13... Lift up lever, 14... Paper feed motor, 15... Lift detector, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16... Pickup roller 17... Feed roller 18... Retard roller 20... Medium conveyance part 30... Image formation transfer part 31 (31K, 31Y, 31M, 31C)... Image formation unit 32... Photosensitive drum 33... Charging roller 34 Developing roller 35 Cleaning unit 36 Toner storage unit 37 Supply roller 40 Transfer unit 41 Conveyor belt 42 Driving roller 43 Idle roller 44 Transfer roller 45 Cleaning blade 46 Waste toner box 47 Film 50 Discharge unit 51 to 53 Discharge roller pair 60 Second medium supply unit 61 Paper feed tray 62 Pickup roller 63 Feed roller , 70... housing, 70G... exterior portion, 70GL, 70GR... end, upper surface... 70SL, 70SR, 70L... left side, 70R... right side, 70U... concave portion, 71... upper roller, 72... lower roller, 71H, 72H... Heat source 73 (73L, 73R)... Grasping part 731... Base part 732... Tip part 74... Connector 75... Locking mechanism 76... Lever 77... Slider 771... Projection part 771S... Tip surface, 772... Abutment portion 78... Frame 79... Shaft 80... Push spring C70... Body side connector G70... Power transmission gear group 100... Image forming apparatus 100S... Stacker 130... Sensor part 131 to 133 134 Medium discharge sensor 135 Medium thickness sensor 136 Fixing current value sensor 140 Drive unit 141 Paper feed motor 142 Electromagnetic clutch 143 Belt motor 144 Photosensitive drum motor 145 Fixing motor 146 Exposure device 147 Fixing heater 150 Overall control unit 158 Main control unit 151 Paper feed motor control unit 152 Electromagnetic clutch control unit 153 Belt motor control unit 154 Photosensitive drum motor control unit 155 Fixing motor control unit 156 Exposure control unit 157 Fixing heater control unit

Claims (7)

a main body having an image forming section that forms an image on a medium, a gear mechanism capable of transmitting driving force from a power source, and a first exterior portion that houses the image forming section and the gear mechanism;
a second exterior part that is detachably attached to the main body and forms an exterior together with the first exterior part when attached to the main body; a fixing device capable of fixing the image on the medium;
one or more locking mechanisms capable of transitioning between a holding state in which the fixing device attached to the main body is held and a detachable state in which the fixing device can be removed from the main body;
a switch that enables power supply from the main body to the fixing device when the lock mechanism is in the holding state, and cuts off power supply from the main body to the fixing device when the lock mechanism is in the detachable state; with
the fixing device includes a first end and a second end opposite to the first end in the first direction;
in the first direction, a first distance between the gear mechanism and the first end is less than a second distance between the gear mechanism and the second end;
An image forming apparatus, wherein a third distance between the switch and the first end is shorter than a fourth distance between the switch and the second end in the first direction. the first end includes a first side and the second end includes a second side;
the first distance is a distance between the gear mechanism and the first side surface in the first direction;
the second distance is the distance between the gear mechanism and the second side surface in the first direction;
the third distance is the distance between the switch and the first side surface in the first direction;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fourth distance is a distance between the switch and the second side surface in the first direction. the fixing device further includes a housing that houses the rotating member and that includes the second exterior portion;
The locking mechanism is
a first displacement member provided on the housing to be reversibly displaceable between a first posture and a second posture;
a second displacement member provided in the housing reversibly displaceable between a protruding state protruding from the housing and a housed state housed in the housing,
When the first displacement member is in the first posture, the second displacement member is in the projecting state, whereby the lock mechanism is in the holding state,
3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the first displacement member is in the second posture, the lock mechanism is brought into the detachable state by bringing the second displacement member into the accommodated state. The second exterior portion of the housing has a recess,
The first displacement member is provided in the second exterior part so as to be accommodated in the recess when in the first posture, and at least a part of itself protrudes from the recess when in the second posture. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 . the main body further has a first connector for supplying power to the fixing device;
The fixing device further includes a heater, and a second connector detachably attached to the first connector and connected to the first connector so that the electric power from the main body can be supplied to the heater. death,
5. A fifth distance between the second connector and the second end is shorter than a sixth distance between the second connector and the first end in the first direction. 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second exterior part constitutes at least part of a stacker that stacks the media on which the image is fixed. The one or more locking mechanisms comprise a first locking mechanism provided near the first end and a second locking mechanism provided near the second end, from claim 1 The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 .

Images