JP7289673B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copiers and electrophotographic printers (for example, laser beam printers, LED printers, etc.).

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, it is common for a user or a service person to open an opening/closing door (an opening/closing member) to access consumables such as process cartridges inside the apparatus body and replace the consumables. is. However, in an image forming apparatus, it may be desirable to restrict replacement of consumables by anyone other than a specific person.

Here, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-100000 describes a configuration in which an open/close door of a storage device that stores sheets on which images are formed by an image forming apparatus is locked with a lock lever to a body of the storage device in a closed state. there is When releasing the lock by the lock lever, current is supplied to the solenoid, and the lock lever is moved by the driving force of the solenoid to release the lock. By applying such a lock structure to the opening/closing door of the image forming apparatus, it is possible to restrict replacement of consumables by anyone other than a specific person.

JP 2011-59296 A

However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the lock lever fails and cannot be moved, the opening/closing door cannot be unlocked. If the lock cannot be released in this manner, the process cartridge cannot be replaced in the image forming apparatus, and there is a possibility that the image cannot be formed.

In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a configuration for locking an opening/closing member, which can be manually unlocked even when the member for locking the opening/closing member fails. intended to provide

A representative configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes an apparatus main body in which a cartridge is detachably mounted through an opening, and an engaged portion, and the apparatus main body is provided with the above-described an opening/closing member movable between a closed position covering the opening and an open position exposing the opening; an engaging member configured to be movable between an engaging position for restricting the movement of the opening and closing member and a release position for releasing the engagement with the engaged portion; and a regulating member movable between a regulating position and a regulating position so that the engaging member can be moved from the engaging position to the releasing position in conjunction with the engaging member. a member, the movement of the pressing member for moving the engaging member from the engaging position to the releasing position is regulated when the engaging member is at the regulating position; a restricting member configured to allow movement, wherein the engaging member is movable from the outside of the apparatus main body, and the restricting member restricts the movement of the pressing member. However, it is characterized in that the engagement between the engaging member and the engaged portion can be released.

According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a configuration for locking an opening/closing member, even if a member for locking the opening/closing member fails, the lock can be manually released.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the surroundings of the latch member; It is a perspective view and an exploded perspective view of a regulation unit. It is the front view and top view of a regulation unit. FIG. 10 is a front view and a top view of the regulating unit when the stopper member is positioned at the regulating position and the button is pressed; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the regulating unit and the latch member when the stopper member is positioned at the regulating position and the button is pressed; FIG. 10 is a front view and a top view of the regulation unit when the stopper member is positioned at the release position and the button is pressed; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the regulating unit and the latch member when the stopper member is positioned at the release position and the button is pressed; 2 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the image forming apparatus; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a cartridge replacement sequence;

(First embodiment)
<Image forming apparatus>
Hereinafter, first, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described together with the operation during image formation with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the described components are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention only to them, unless otherwise specified.

The image forming apparatus A is an intermediate transfer tandem type image forming apparatus that forms an image by transferring four color toners of yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K onto an intermediate transfer belt and then transferring the image onto a sheet. is. In the following description, although the subscripts Y, M, C, and K are attached to the members using the toners of the respective colors, the configurations and operations of the members are different except that the colors of the toners used are different. Since they are substantially the same, suffixes are appropriately omitted unless they need to be distinguished.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus A. As shown in FIG. The image forming apparatus A includes an image forming section that forms a toner image to be transferred onto the sheet S, a sheet feeding section that feeds the sheet toward the image forming section, and a fixing section that fixes the toner image on the sheet.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming section includes process cartridges 57 (57Y, 57M, 57C, 57K), an intermediate transfer unit 59, and a laser scanner unit 103. As shown in FIG. The intermediate transfer unit 59 includes primary transfer rollers 54 (54Y, 54M, 54C, 54K), an intermediate transfer belt 102, a drive roller 55, a secondary transfer roller 105, a secondary transfer opposing roller 56, and the like.

Each process cartridge 57 contains yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner, and is provided with a toner sensor 35 for detecting the amount of toner contained. The process cartridge 57 includes photosensitive drums 51 (51Y, 51M, 51C, 51K), charging rollers 52 (52Y, 52M, 52C, 52K), and developing rollers 53 (53Y, 53M, 53C, 53K).

Next, the image forming operation will be described. First, when the control unit 30 shown in FIG. 11 receives an image forming job signal, the sheets S stacked and accommodated in the sheet cassette 107 are conveyed to the registration rollers 110 by the feeding rollers 108 and conveying rollers 109 . The registration roller 110 corrects the skew of the sheet S and conveys the sheet S to the secondary transfer portion formed by the secondary transfer roller 105 and the secondary transfer counter roller 56 .

On the other hand, in the image forming section, first, a bias is applied to the charging roller 52, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 in contact with the charging roller 52 is uniformly charged. After that, the laser scanner unit 103 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 with laser light according to image data transmitted from an external device or the like. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 .

After that, by applying a bias to the developing roller 53 , the toner of each color is attached to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 . Thereby, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 . The toner image thus formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is sent to a primary transfer portion formed by the photosensitive drum 51 and the primary transfer roller 54 as the photosensitive drum 51 rotates.

The toner image of each color sent to the primary transfer portion is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 102 by applying a bias having a polarity opposite to the charging polarity of the toner to the primary transfer roller 54 . As a result, the toner images of the respective colors are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 102 to form a full-color toner image.

The toner image is then sent to the secondary transfer station by rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 102 . Then, in the secondary transfer portion, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 102 is transferred onto the sheet S by applying a bias to the secondary transfer roller 105 .

After that, the sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is sent to the fixing device 111 . Then, the fixing device 111 applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image on the sheet S. As shown in FIG. After that, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge section 113 by the discharge rollers 112 .

<Open/close door>
Next, the configuration of the opening/closing door 1 will be described.

2 and 3 are perspective views of the image forming apparatus A. FIG. Here, FIG. 2(a) shows a state in which the opening/closing door 1 and the cover member 222 are positioned at the closed position. FIG. 2(b) shows a state in which the opening/closing door 1 is positioned at the closed position and the cover member 222 is positioned at the open position. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the cover member 222 is positioned at the closed position and the opening/closing door 1 is positioned at the open position. FIG. 3(b) shows a state in which the cartridge tray 58 is pulled out from the state shown in FIG. 3(a).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the image forming apparatus A is provided with an operation panel 14 (display unit) capable of displaying various kinds of information. The operation panel 14 is configured to be operable by the user, and the user can perform various settings related to image formation, such as the number of images to be formed and the setting of the sheet S, by operating the operation panel 14 .

Further, the image forming apparatus A is provided with an opening/closing door 1 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 100 . The opening/closing door 1 is rotatably supported with respect to the apparatus main body 100, and is rotated to move between an open position with respect to the apparatus main body 100 and a closed position with respect to the apparatus main body 100. to move. That is, the opening/closing door 1 is configured to be movable between a closed position covering the opening of the apparatus main body 100 and an open position exposing the opening of the apparatus main body 100 . The opening/closing door 1 is provided with two engaging claws 1a (engaged portions).

When the opening/closing door 1 is positioned at the open position, the cartridge tray 58 holding the process cartridges 57 is exposed through the opening of the apparatus main body 100 . A user or a service person can attach or detach the process cartridge 57 to/from the cartridge tray 58 by linearly pulling out the cartridge tray 58 from the opening of the apparatus main body 100 . By housing the cartridge tray 58 in the apparatus main body 100 , the process cartridge 57 mounted on the cartridge tray 58 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 . Thus, the process cartridge 57 is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 100 of the image forming apparatus A. As shown in FIG.

Further, the image forming apparatus A is provided with a cover member 222 that can be opened and closed with respect to the opening/closing door 1 . The cover member 222 is rotatably supported with respect to the opening/closing door 1, and rotates between an open position in which the opening/closing door 1 is opened and a closed position in which the opening/closing door 1 is closed. to move. When the cover member 222 is opened, an insertion opening 1c, which is a hole for inserting a tool (not shown), is exposed. That is, the cover member 222 is configured to be movable between a closed position covering the insertion port 1c and an open position exposing the insertion port 1c. A specific use of the receptacle 1c will be described later. Note that the cover member 222 may be, for example, a paper feed tray for stacking the sheets S for manual feeding.

The image forming apparatus A also includes a latch member 4 (engagement member) for locking the opening/closing door 1 located at the closed position with respect to the apparatus main body 100 . The latch member 4 comprises two latches 4a. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the periphery of the latch member 4. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the latch member 4 is biased in the direction of arrow K1 by the latch spring 5, so that the latch member 4 and the button 2 are in contact with each other. Note that the button 2 (pressing member) is exposed from the exterior cover 201 of the apparatus main body 100 and configured to be pressable from the outside of the apparatus main body 100 (FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the opening/closing door 1 is closed, the sloped portion 4b of the latch 4a of the latch member 4 and the sloped portion 1b of the engaging claw 1a of the opening/closing door 1 come into contact with each other. Next, when the opening/closing door 1 is further closed, the sloped portion 1b of the engaging claw 1a moves along the sloped portion 4b of the latch 4a while pressing the latch member 4 in the direction of the arrow K2. After that, when the open/close door 1 is closed to the end, the sloped portion 1b of the engaging claw 1a and the sloped portion 4b of the latch 4a are out of contact, and the biasing force of the latch spring 5 causes the latch member 4 to move in the direction of the arrow K1. As a result, the latch 4a is engaged with the engaging claw 1a, and the opening/closing door 1 is locked with respect to the main body 100 of the apparatus.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the button 2 is pressed in the direction of arrow K2 by a user or service person, the latch member 4 in contact with the button 2 resists the biasing force of the latch spring 5 in the direction of arrow K1. , and slides along with the button 2 in the direction of the arrow K2. As a result, the engagement between the latch 4a and the engaging claw 1a is released, and the locking of the opening/closing door 1 with respect to the device main body 100 is released. In this unlocked state, a user or a service person can manually open the open/close door 1 .

<Regulation unit>
Next, the configuration of the regulation unit 200 (regulation section) that regulates movement of the button 2 will be described.

5A is a perspective view of the regulation unit 200. FIG. 5B is an exploded perspective view of the regulation unit 200. FIG. 6A is a front view of the regulation unit 200. FIG. FIG. 6B is a top view of the regulation unit 200. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the regulation unit 200 includes a holder 210, a slide member 211, a stopper member 7, a solenoid 11, a detection arm 212, a button sensor 9, and a holder 210. FIG.

The slide member 211 is supported movably in the directions of arrows K1 and K2 with respect to the holder 210, and is urged in the direction of arrow K1 by a slide spring 214. As shown in FIG. As a result, the button contact portion 211 a of the slide member 211 is brought into contact with the button 2 .

The stopper member 7 (regulating member) is supported so as to be swingable in the directions of arrows R1 and R2 about the stopper shaft 7a by engaging the stopper shaft 7a with the support hole 210a of the holder 210. is urged in the direction of arrow R1 by the urging force of . Here, the position where the stopper member 7 swings in the direction of arrow R1 and faces the stopper contact portion 211b of the slide member 211 (the position shown in FIG. 5) is called a regulated position. The stopper member 7 regulates the movement of the button 2 at the regulation position, as will be described later. There is a distance P between the stopper contact portion 211b of the slide member 211 and the stopper member 7 when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position and the button 2 is not pressed.

Solenoid 11 is fixed to holder 210 by screws 217 . A connecting shaft 11b is attached to the plunger 11a of the solenoid 11, and the two are connected by engaging the connecting shaft 11b with the groove 7b of the stopper member 7. As shown in FIG. When current is supplied to the solenoid 11, a magnetic force is generated to move the plunger 11a in the direction of arrow K3. As a result, the stopper member 7 connected to the plunger 11a swings from the regulated position in the direction of the arrow R2 against the biasing force of the stopper spring 8 in the direction of the arrow R1. The position (the position shown in FIG. 9) where the stopper member 7 is swung in the R2 direction from the restricting position in this manner is referred to as the releasing position.

Here, the attraction force of the permanent magnet (not shown) of the solenoid 11 is set stronger than the biasing force of the stopper spring 8 . Accordingly, the stopper member 7 remains at the release position even after the supply of current to the solenoid 11 is stopped. When the stopper member 7 is at the release position, the plunger 11a is moved by the magnetic force and the urging force of the stopper spring 8 when a current is supplied to the solenoid 11 in the opposite direction to when the plunger 11a moves in the direction of the arrow K3. It swings in the direction of arrow K4. As a result, the stopper member 7 moves from the release position to the restriction position. That is, the stopper member 7, which is a part of the regulation unit 200, is configured to be movable between the regulation position and the release position by supplying current to the solenoid 11 (driving source). A stopper sensor 34 (FIG. 11) can detect whether the stopper member 7 is positioned at the restricted position or the released position.

The button sensor 9 is supported by the holder 210 by engaging the sensor shaft 210c of the holder 210 with the support hole 9b. The button sensor 9 also has a flag 9a that can swing in the directions of arrows R3 and R4. As will be described later, when the button 2 is pressed, the flag 9a swings in the direction of the arrow R3, and the pressing of the button 2 is detected.

The detection arm 212 is supported by an arm shaft 210b of the holder 210 so as to be swingable in the directions of arrows R5 and R6, and is biased by an arm spring 215 in the direction of arrow R5. Accordingly, the detection arm 212 is in contact with the arm support portion 211 c of the slide member 211 . The biasing force of the slide spring 214 is set larger than the biasing force of the arm spring 215 . Therefore, the slide member 211 does not move in the direction of the arrow K2 due to the biasing force of the arm spring 215, but moves in the direction of the arrow K1 due to the biasing force of the slide spring 214 and abuts the button 2.

<Regulation operation by regulation unit>
Next, the movement regulation operation of the button 2 by the regulation unit 200 will be described.

7A and 7B are a front view (FIG. 7A) and a top view (FIG. 7B) of the regulation unit 200 when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulation position and the button 2 is pressed. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the regulating unit 200 and the latch member 4 when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position and the button 2 is pressed.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the button 2 is pressed in the direction of arrow K2, the pressing force is transmitted to the button contact portion 211a that contacts the button 2, and the slide member 211 moves in the direction of arrow K2 together with the button 2. do. Further, since the latch member 4 is also in contact with the button 2 (FIG. 8), when the button 2 moves in the direction of the arrow K2, the latch member 4 also moves in the direction of the arrow K2 together with the button 2.

Here, when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position, the stopper contact portion 211b of the slide member 211 comes into contact with the stopper member 7 when the slide member 211 moves in the arrow K2 direction by a distance P (FIG. 5). As a result, the movement of the slide member 211 in the direction of the arrow K2 is restricted, and the movement of the button 2 and the latch member 4 in the direction of the arrow K2 is also restricted. That is, the stopper member 7 enters the area through which the slide member 211 passes when the button 2 is pressed, and restricts the movement of the slide member 211 .

As shown in FIG. 8, when the stopper member 7 positioned at the regulating position and the stopper contact portion 211b of the slide member 211 come into contact with each other, the latch 4a of the latch member 4 and the engaging claw 1a of the apparatus main body 100 are engaged. It has become. That is, when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position, the regulating unit 200 regulates the movement of the button 2 in the direction of the arrow K2 by bringing the stopper member 7 into contact with the button 2 via the slide member 211, thereby preventing the latch 4a from moving. and the engaging claw 1a are prevented from being disengaged. Therefore, when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position, even if the button 2 is pressed, the door 1 cannot be unlocked and the door 1 cannot be opened.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the button 2 is pressed and the arm support portion 211c of the slide member 211 moves in the direction of the arrow K2, the arm support portion 211c separates from the detection arm 212, and the detection arm 212 moves toward the arm spring. The urging force of 215 swings in the direction of arrow R5. As a result, the detection arm 212 presses the flag 9a of the button sensor 9, the flag 9a swings in the direction of the arrow R3, and the button sensor 9 detects that the button 2 has been pressed.

9A and 9B are a front view (FIG. 9A) and a top view (FIG. 9B) of the regulation unit 200 when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the release position and the button 2 is pressed. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the regulation unit 200 and the latch member 4 when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the release position and the button 2 is pressed.

As shown in FIG. 9A, when the button 2 is pressed in the direction of arrow K2, the pressing force is transmitted to the button contact portion 211a of the slide member 211 contacting the button 2, and the slide member 211 moves along with the button 2. Move in the direction of K2. Since the latch member 4 is also in contact with the button 2 (FIG. 10), when the button 2 moves in the direction of the arrow K2, the latch member 4 also moves in the direction of the arrow K2 together with the button 2.

Here, when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the release position, unlike the case where the stopper member 7 is positioned at the restriction position, the slide member 211 does not come into contact with the stopper member 7 and its movement is not restricted. Therefore, the slide member 211 moves in the direction of the arrow K2 until the detection arm 212 swinging in the direction of the arrow K6 with the movement of the slide member 211 contacts the arm abutting portion 210d of the holder 210. FIG. That is, when the stopper member 7 is at the release position, the slide member 211 moves a longer distance in the arrow K2 direction than when it is at the restriction position.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the detection arm 212 contacts the arm abutting portion 210d of the holder 210 and the movement of the slide member 211 in the direction of the arrow K2 is restricted, the latch 4a of the latch member 4 and the apparatus main body 100 are engaged. The engagement with the dowel 1a is released. In other words, when the stopper member 7 is at the release position, the regulation unit 200 allows the button 2 to move in the direction of the arrow K2 until the engagement between the latch 4a and the engaging claw 1a is released. Therefore, when the stopper member 7 is located at the release position, the opening/closing door 1 is unlocked when the button 2 is pressed, and the opening/closing door 1 can be opened. In other words, the regulating unit 200 has two states: the state in which the button 2 is prevented from being moved by contacting the button 2; configured to obtain

Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the button 2 is pressed and the arm support portion 211c of the slide member 211 moves in the direction of the arrow K2, the arm support portion 211c separates from the detection arm 212, and the detection arm 212 moves toward the arm spring. The urging force of 215 swings in the direction of arrow R5. As a result, the detection arm 212 presses the flag 9a of the button sensor 9, the flag 9a swings in the direction of the arrow R3, and the button sensor 9 detects that the button 2 has been pressed.

<Control unit>
Next, of the system configuration of the image forming apparatus A, the system configuration of a portion particularly related to the opening/closing door 1 and the regulation unit 200 will be described.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing part of the system configuration of the image forming apparatus A. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the image forming apparatus A includes a control section 30 having a CPU 31, a ROM 32, and a RAM 33. As shown in FIG. The ROM 32 stores various data such as control programs and tables. The CPU 31 performs various arithmetic processes based on control programs and information stored in the ROM 32 . The RAM 33 temporarily stores data.

That is, the control unit 30 controls each device of the image forming apparatus A while the CPU 31 uses the RAM 33 as a work area based on the control program stored in the ROM 32 . Then, the above-described image forming operation such as formation of a toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 is executed through control of each device.

An operation panel 14 is also connected to the control unit 30 . As described above, by operating the operation panel 14, the user can make various settings related to image formation and execute an image formation job. Further, the control unit 30 receives signals from the operation panel 14 and operates various devices of the image forming apparatus A. FIG.

A power supply 36 that supplies current to the solenoid 11 is connected to the control unit 30 . The control unit 30 controls the solenoid 11 through control of the power source 36 to move the stopper member 7 between the restriction position and the release position.

A toner sensor 35 (toner detection means), a button sensor 9 (detection means), and a stopper sensor 34 are connected to the control section 30 . The control unit 30 uses the detection results of these sensors to execute a cartridge replacement sequence, which will be described later.

<Cartridge exchange sequence>
Next, the cartridge exchange sequence, which is the sequence for exchanging the process cartridge 57, will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This sequence is executed each time the image forming apparatus A forms an image.

When the cartridge replacement sequence is started, the stopper sensor 34 first detects whether the stopper member 7 is positioned at the restricted position or the released position (S1). Next, the toner sensor 35 detects the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 regardless of whether the stopper member 7 is at the restricting position or the releasing position (S2, S3, S6).

Next, when the stopper member 7 is positioned at the regulating position and the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 is less than a predetermined amount, the controller 30 supplies current from the power source 36 to the solenoid 11 to retract the stopper member 7 from the regulating position. position (S4, S5). If the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount, the current is not supplied from the power source 36 to the solenoid 11, and the stopper member 7 is kept at the regulating position (S4).

When the stopper member 7 is at the retracted position and the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the controller 30 supplies current from the power source 36 to the solenoid 11 to move the stopper member 7 from the retracted position to the regulation position. (S7, S8). If the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 is less than the predetermined amount, the power supply 36 does not supply current to the solenoid 11, and the stopper member 7 is left at the release position (S7). That is, the controller 30 positions the stopper member 7 at the regulated position when the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, and positions the stopper member 7 at the retracted position when the amount is less than the predetermined amount.

Next, when the button sensor 9 detects that the button 2 has been pressed, the toner sensor 35 detects the amount of toner inside the process cartridge 57 (S9, S10). After that, when the amount of toner inside all the process cartridges 57 is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the control unit 30 causes the operation panel 14 to display that it is not time to replace the process cartridges 57, and ends the cartridge replacement sequence (S11, S13). ). If there is at least one process cartridge 57 whose toner amount is less than the predetermined amount, the operation panel 14 displays the process cartridge 57 that needs to be replaced, and the cartridge replacement sequence ends (S11, S12). In addition to the display on the operation panel 14, the process cartridge 57 requiring replacement may be notified by voice.

<Method of unlocking the door manually>
In the image forming apparatus A, if current cannot be supplied to the solenoid 11 due to an electrical failure or the like, the door 1 cannot be unlocked electrically. Therefore, a method for manually unlocking the door 1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2B, when unlocking the door 1 manually, the unlocker moves the cover member 222 from the closed position to the open position to expose the insertion opening 1c. . Here, the insertion port 1c is a hole for accessing one latch 4a of the latch member 4. As shown in FIG. The unlocker inserts a tool (not shown) into the insertion opening 1c to access the latch 4a, operates the tool (not shown), and presses the latch 4a in the direction of the arrow K2.

Since the latch member 4 is configured as a separate member from the button 2 and the stopper member 7, it can move independently. Accordingly, this operation causes the entire latch member 4 to move in the direction of arrow K2, thereby releasing the engagement between the latch 4a and the engaging claw 1a. In other words, the latch member 4 can be moved from the outside of the apparatus main body 100, and even when the movement of the button 2 is restricted by the restriction unit 200, the latch 4a of the latch member 4 and the engaging claw are engaged. It is configured so that the engagement with 1a can be released. In this manner, the unlocker can manually unlock the door 1 even if current cannot be supplied to the solenoid 11 due to an electrical system failure or the like.

In this embodiment, the configuration using the solenoid 11 as a drive source for moving the stopper member 7 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as described above can be obtained even in a configuration using a motor as a drive source for moving the stopper member 7 .

Further, although the configuration using the process cartridge 57 has been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect as described above can be obtained by opening the opening/closing door 1, storing toner, and attaching/detaching the developing cartridge including the developing roller 53. FIG.

Further, although the electrophotographic image forming apparatus A has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, in the ink jet image forming apparatus, the opening/closing door 1 is opened to attach and detach the ink cartridge, and when the same structure as the lock structure of the opening/closing door 1 is used, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

1... Opening/closing door (opening/closing member)
1a... Engagement pawl (engaged portion)
1c... Insertion port (hole)
2... Button (pressing member)
4... Latch member (engagement member)
7... Stopper member (regulating member)
9... Button sensor (detection means)
11... Solenoid (driving source)
14 Operation panel (display unit)
30... Control unit 35... Toner sensor (toner detection means)
36 power supply 57 process cartridge 100 apparatus main body 200 regulation unit (regulation section)
201 ... Exterior cover (exterior)
202... Cover member 211... Slide member A... Image forming apparatus

Claims (21)

a device main body in which the cartridge is detachably mounted through the opening;
an opening/closing member having an engaged portion and movable with respect to the device main body between a closed position covering the opening and an open position exposing the opening;
An engaging position provided in the device main body and engaged with the engaged portion of the opening/closing member positioned at the closed position to restrict movement of the opening/closing member and the engagement with the engaged portion. an engaging member configured to be movable between a released position to be released;
a pressing member that can be pressed from the outside of the apparatus main body and that is movable so that the engaging member is moved from the engaging position to the releasing position in conjunction with it;
a regulating member movable between a regulating position and a regulation releasing position, wherein when the pressing member is in the regulating position, movement of the pressing member that moves the engaging member from the engaging position to the releasing position is regulated; a regulating member configured to allow the movement of the pressing member when in the regulating release position;
with
The engaging member is movable from the outside of the apparatus main body, and even in a state where the movement of the pressing member is restricted by the restricting member, the engaging member and the engaged portion do not move. An image forming apparatus characterized by being disengageable. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is movable from the outside of the apparatus main body through a hole provided in the opening/closing member. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a cover member supported by said open/close member and movable between a position covering said hole and a position exposing said hole. a slidable slide member provided in contact with the pressing member;
a moving part that moves the regulating member by being supplied with an electric current;
has
4. The regulating member in the regulating position is located in a region through which the slide member passes when the pressing member is pressed, and regulates the movement of the slide member. 2. The image forming apparatus according to item 1. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the moving section includes a solenoid. toner detection means for detecting the amount of toner contained in the cartridge;
A control unit that controls the moving unit,
The control unit controls the moving unit so that the regulating member is moved from the regulating position to the regulating position when the amount of toner contained in the cartridge is less than a predetermined amount. Item 6. The image forming apparatus according to Item 4 or 5. A plurality of the cartridges are provided,
The controller moves the regulating member from the regulating position to the regulating position when the amount of toner contained in at least one of the plurality of cartridges is less than a predetermined amount. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6. A detection means for detecting that the pressing member is pressed,
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the toner detecting means detects the amount of toner contained in the cartridge when the pressing member is pressed. a display unit that displays information about the amount of toner contained in the cartridge;
9. The controller according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein when the amount of toner contained in the cartridge is less than a predetermined amount, the controller causes the display unit to display that the cartridge needs to be replaced. The image forming apparatus according to . a device main body in which the cartridge is detachably mounted through the opening;
an opening/closing member having an engaged portion and movable with respect to the device main body between a closed position covering the opening and an open position exposing the opening;
An engaging position provided in the device main body and engaged with the engaged portion of the opening/closing member positioned at the closed position to restrict movement of the opening/closing member and the engagement with the engaged portion. an engaging member configured to be movable between a released position to be released;
a pressing member that can be pressed from the outside of the apparatus main body and that is movable so that the engaging member is moved from the engaging position to the releasing position in conjunction with it;
a regulating member movable between a regulating position and a regulation releasing position, wherein when the pressing member is in the regulating position, movement of the pressing member that moves the engaging member from the engaging position to the releasing position is regulated; a regulating member configured to allow the movement of the pressing member when in the regulating release position;
a moving part that moves the regulating member by being supplied with an electric current;
a control unit that controls the moving unit;
with
When the control unit receives a signal indicating that the cartridge should be replaced, the moving unit moves the regulating member from the regulating position to the regulating position. to control the moving parts,
An image forming apparatus characterized by: 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the engaging member is movable from the outside of the apparatus body through a hole provided in the opening/closing member. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a cover member which is supported by said opening/closing member and movable between a position covering said hole and a position exposing said hole. a sliding member provided in contact with the pressing member and capable of sliding;
The regulating member at the regulating position is positioned in a region through which the slide member passes when the pressing member is pressed, and regulates the movement of the slide member.
13. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized by: 14. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the moving section includes a solenoid. toner detection means for detecting the amount of toner contained in the cartridge;
A control unit that controls the moving unit,
The control unit controls the moving unit so that the regulating member is moved from the regulating position to the regulating position when the amount of toner contained in the cartridge is less than a predetermined amount. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 14. A plurality of the cartridges are provided,
The controller moves the regulating member from the regulating position to the regulating position when the amount of toner contained in at least one of the plurality of cartridges is less than a predetermined amount. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15. A detection means for detecting that the pressing member is pressed,
17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the toner detection means detects the amount of toner contained in the cartridge when the pressing member is pressed. a display unit that displays information about the amount of toner contained in the cartridge;
18. The controller according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein when the amount of toner contained in the cartridge is less than a predetermined amount, the control unit causes the display unit to display that the cartridge needs to be replaced. The image forming apparatus according to . 19. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the restricting member is positioned at the restricting position when no current is supplied to the moving portion. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said pressing member is configured to press said engaging member . 21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a button provided on the apparatus body.

Images