JP7567006B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming device such as a printer or copier that has a locking mechanism used when opening and closing doors that open and close in the same direction.

Conventionally, some image forming devices, such as printers and copiers, that use electrophotography have multiple doors on one side of the main body of the image forming device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the image forming device of Patent Document 1, one door is a cartridge door for the main body of the device, and the other door is a feed tray door. When the cartridge door is opened, the feed tray door can be opened and closed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-230621

However, if the feed tray door can be opened and closed when the cartridge door is opened, there is a risk that the feed tray door may open in the process of opening the cartridge door, which may confuse the user. Also, if the intention is to open only the cartridge door but the outer feed tray door also opens, the user will have to go through the trouble of closing the cartridge door as well as the feed tray door again when closing the door.

The object of the present invention is to improve usability by providing a locking mechanism that automatically prevents the feed tray door from opening when the cartridge door is opened.

A representative configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a housing having an opening, a moving unit capable of moving between the inside and outside of the housing through the opening, a first door that is movable relative to the housing and can be moved between a closed position that covers the opening and an open position that exposes the opening, the first door having an abutting member that can abut against the housing and a locking member configured to be movable between an engaged position and a released position in conjunction with the movement of the abutting member, and a second door having an engaged portion, and a movement control unit that controls the movement of the second door relative to the first door so that when the locking member is positioned at the engaged position and engaged with the engaged portion, the second door moves integrally with the first door. When the movement of the second door is restricted, the locking member is positioned at the release position and is separated from the locked portion, the second door can be opened and closed relative to the first door, and when the first door is positioned at the closed position, the abutting member is in abutment with the housing, the locking member is positioned at the release position, and the abutting member and the locking member are positioned at a predetermined position in the vertical direction, and when the first door moves from the closed position to the open position, the abutting member moves away from the housing and the locking member moves from the release position to the locking position, and when moving between the inside and outside of the housing, the moving unit passes through a position lower than the predetermined position.

The above configuration improves the usability of the cartridge door.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the cartridge door of the first embodiment when it is open. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment as viewed from below. 5A to 5C are top views showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of the lock mechanism when the cartridge door is closed in the first embodiment. 5 is a perspective view showing an operation of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment. FIG. 13A and 13B are top views showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the second embodiment.

First Embodiment
A lock mechanism according to the first embodiment will now be described with reference to Fig. 1, which is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 10 has four process cartridges 11 (image forming units). The process cartridges 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) shown in FIG. 1 contain yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners in their developing devices, respectively, to form toner images of the corresponding colors. Since the internal configurations of each process cartridge 11 (11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K) are the same, in the following description, the suffixes Y, M, C, and K will be omitted unless necessary.

(Image forming apparatus)
As described above, the image forming apparatus 10 includes four process cartridges 11. Each process cartridge 11 includes a photosensitive drum 1 (image carrier) and a process means that acts on the photosensitive drum 1. The process means include, for example, a charging roller 2, a developing roller 4, a primary transfer member 6, a cleaning member 7, etc. An exposure unit 3 that irradiates laser light is disposed above the four process cartridges 11.

The photoconductor drum 1 is a drum-shaped electrophotographic photoconductor. The charging roller 2 uniformly charges the photoconductor drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and potential. The exposure unit 3 irradiates the photoconductor drum 1 with laser light to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 1. The developing roller 4 is disposed in a developing device that stores toner, and forms a toner image on the photoconductor drum 1 by supplying toner to the electrostatic latent image. The primary transfer member 6 is disposed opposite the photoconductor drum 1 via the intermediate transfer belt 5, and transfers (primary transfer) the toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 5 described below. The cleaning member 7 removes residual toner that remains on the photoconductor drum 1 without being transferred in the primary transfer from the photoconductor drum 1.

The intermediate transfer belt 5 is an endless belt. The intermediate transfer belt 5 is suspended by multiple tension members and transported between the photosensitive drum 1 and the primary transfer member 6 (primary transfer section) in the four process cartridges 11.

When forming an image in the process cartridge 11, the above structure first uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 2. Next, the photosensitive drum 1 is exposed to light by the exposure unit 3, forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the color component image of the desired color image.

Then, toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 1 by the developing roller 4 at the development position between the photosensitive drum 1 and the developing roller 4. This develops the electrostatic latent image and makes it visible as a toner image.

The toner images formed on each photosensitive drum 1 are primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 5 as they pass through the contact area between each photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 5. Then, when the four color toner images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 5 in order, one on top of the other, a composite color image corresponding to the desired color image is obtained on the intermediate transfer belt 5.

Next, we will explain the secondary transfer and the structure and operation from feeding to discharging the transfer material S.

A secondary transfer roller 12 is disposed in a portion facing the intermediate transfer belt 5. The nip portion where the intermediate transfer belt 5 and the secondary transfer roller 12 face each other is called the secondary transfer portion.

Next, the configuration of the transfer material S feeding section will be described.

A feed cassette 8 that stores transfer materials S is disposed below the intermediate transfer belt 5. The transfer materials S loaded in the feed cassette 8 are separated one by one by a feed roller 13a (feed member) and fed toward the secondary transfer section.

A manual feed tray 9 is provided on the side of the image forming device 10, and can store transfer materials S. The feed tray 9 can be opened and closed relative to the device body by a feed tray door 30 that rotates around a hinge 21. Therefore, when using the feed tray 9, the user opens the feed tray door 30 to make it possible to load transfer materials S (the state shown in FIG. 1). The transfer materials S loaded on the feed tray 9 are separated one by one by a feed roller 13b (feed member) and fed toward the secondary transfer unit.

The above configuration feeds the transfer material S stored in the feed cassette 8 or feed tray 9. Then, when the transfer material S approaches the secondary transfer section, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 5 is secondarily transferred onto the transfer material S.

Then, the transfer material S carrying the four-color toner image is introduced into the fixing device 14. In the fixing device 14, the four colors of toner are melted and mixed by heating and pressurizing, and are fixed to the transfer material S. Through the above operations, a full-color print image is formed on the transfer material S. Finally, the transfer material S is discharged outside the image forming device 10.

(General configuration of the opening and closing door)
Next, there will be described the structure of the door that is opened and closed when performing maintenance on the inside of the image forming apparatus 10. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration when the cartridge door of the first embodiment is open.

When performing maintenance on the process cartridge 11, such as when removing the process cartridge 11 from the device for replacement, first open the cartridge door 20 (first door) on the side of the device by rotating it around the hinge 21.

The cartridge door 20 rotates around a hinge 21 relative to the image forming device 10 and is attached so as to be openable and closable relative to the exterior 16. The cartridge door 20 is closed relative to the exterior 16 of the device body during image formation (see FIG. 1). In this state, an engaged portion (not shown) provided on the cartridge door 20 engages with an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the image forming device 10.

A release button (not shown) for releasing the engagement is provided on the surface of the image forming device 10. When opening the cartridge door 20, the user presses this release button (not shown). This releases the engagement between the engaged portion of the cartridge door 20 (not shown) and the engaging portion of the image forming device 10, causing the cartridge door 20 to open slightly.

Next, the user rotates the cartridge door 20 around the hinge 21. This allows the user to rotate the cartridge door 20 around the hinge 21 to open it relative to the image forming device 10 body as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the four process cartridges 11 are integrally assembled to the cartridge tray 15. Therefore, when the cartridge door 20 is open and the user pulls out the cartridge tray 15 to the outside of the main body, the process cartridges 11 can be installed or removed.

When the cartridge door 20 is closed relative to the image forming device 10, an unillustrated engaged portion of the cartridge door 20 engages with an unillustrated engaging portion of the image forming device 10. This keeps the cartridge door 20 in a closed state.

The feed tray door 30 (second door) is attached so as to be rotatable about the hinge 21. This allows the feed tray door 30 to rotate in the same direction as the image forming device 10 and the cartridge door 20. When feeding the transfer material S from the feed tray door 30, the feeding operation is performed by the feed roller 13b.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the locking mechanism 40 is provided at the upper end of the cartridge door 20 (the end opposite the hinge 21). When the cartridge door 20 is closed, the locking mechanism 40 holds the cartridge door 20 so that the feed tray door 30 can be opened and closed freely (see Figure 1). On the other hand, when the cartridge door 20 is open, the locking mechanism 40 fixes the feed tray door 30 and the cartridge door 20 so that they move together (see Figure 2). In this way, the locking mechanism 40 performs an unlocking operation in conjunction with the opening and closing of the cartridge door 20.

(Description of the locking mechanism)
Next, the lock mechanism 40 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment as seen from below. Fig. 4 is a top view showing the operation of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the state of the lock mechanism when the cartridge door of the first embodiment is closed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the locking mechanism 40 is composed of a rotating cam 41 (rotating member), a stopper 42, and a biasing member 43.

The rotating cam 41 has an axial hole 41a formed at the bottom end thereof, into which a protrusion 20a (see FIG. 5) formed at the top end of the cartridge door 20 is fitted. The axial hole 41a functions as a rotation axis for rotating the rotating cam 41. A guide groove 41b that guides the stopper 42 is formed on the side opposite the axial hole 41a.

The stopper 42 is composed of a guide shaft 42b that is guided by the guide groove 41b of the rotating cam 41, and a tip portion 42a that is located on the side of the rotating cam 41 that faces the shaft hole 41a by the guide shaft 42b and has a tip that protrudes below the rotating cam 41. When the guide shaft 42b of the stopper 42 enters the guide groove 41b of the rotating cam 41, the stopper 42 and the rotating cam 41 are assembled together.

The biasing member 43 is a spring member that applies a biasing force to the rotating cam 41, biasing the rotating cam 41 to rotate in a certain direction with the shaft hole 41a as an axis.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guide groove 41b formed on the side of the rotating cam 41 is cut out at an angle. Meanwhile, the guide shaft 42b of the stopper 42 protrudes in a predetermined direction (the direction from the cartridge door 20 toward the feed tray door 30) regardless of the rotation state of the rotating cam 41. Therefore, when the rotating cam 41 rotates, the guide shaft 42b of the stopper 42 moves up and down along the guide groove 41b of the rotating cam 41. This causes the stopper 42 to move between the unlocked position shown in FIG. 4(a) and the locked position shown in FIG. 4(b).

The relationship between the locking mechanism 40 and each part of the main body of the image forming device 10 is as follows:

First, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge door 20 has a protrusion 20a that protrudes from its top surface. When the cartridge door 20 is closed, the stopper 42 of the locking mechanism 40 has a downward protruding tip 42a that is engaged with an opening 22 formed in the top surface of the cartridge door 20.

Here, we will explain the operation of the locking mechanism 40 and its engagement with the exterior 16, cartridge door 20, and feed tray door 30 of the image forming device 10.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the operation of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment. In Figure 6, (a) shows the cartridge door 20 in a closed state. That is, the top surface of the cartridge door 20 is in contact with the exterior 16. On the other hand, (b) shows the cartridge door 20 in an open state. That is, the top surface of the cartridge door 20 is separated from the exterior 16.

When the cartridge door 20 is closed, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the side of the rotating cam 41 closer to the shaft hole 41a abuts against the exterior 16. This determines the position of the locking mechanism 40.

When the cartridge door 20 is opened, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the rotating cam 41 separates from the exterior 16, allowing it to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The rotating cam 41 then rotates around the shaft hole 41a, which serves as the center of rotation, due to the biasing force of the biasing member 43.

First, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the tip 42a of the stopper 42 comes out of the opening 22 of the cartridge door 20. Next, the guide shaft 42b of the stopper 42 is guided by the guide groove 41b of the rotating cam 41. This causes the stopper 42 to descend (see FIG. 4).

As described above, the stopper 42 protrudes in a predetermined direction, so that as the rotating cam 41 rotates, the stopper 42 is pushed out by the rotating cam 41. At this time, the stopper 42 leaves the area of the top surface of the cartridge door 20, and as shown in FIG. 6(b), it jumps out toward the feed tray door 30. At the same time, the tip 42a of the lowered stopper 42 engages with the tray door opening 33 formed in the upper end surface of the feed tray door 30.

Meanwhile, in the process of closing the cartridge door 20, the rotating cam 41 rotates around the shaft hole 41a and returns to its original state. In conjunction with this, the guide shaft 42b of the stopper 42 moves upward along the guide groove 41b of the rotating cam 41. This causes the stopper 42 to rise, and in the process, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 comes out of the tray door opening 33 of the feed tray door 30.

When the cartridge door 20 is completely closed, the side of the rotating cam 41 comes into contact with the end of the exterior 16. In this state, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 is engaged with the opening 22.

In this way, when the cartridge door 20 is closed, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 is engaged with the opening 22 inside the cartridge door 20. Therefore, the feed tray door 30 is not fixed to the cartridge door 20. Then, the feed tray door 30 can be opened and closed freely.

On the other hand, when the cartridge door 20 is opened while the feed tray door 30 is closed, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 enters the tray door opening 33 of the feed tray door 30 during the opening process. The feed tray door 30 then becomes fixed relative to the cartridge door 20. Therefore, the cartridge door 20 and the feed tray door 30 are opened and closed together. In this way, the feed tray door 30 does not open in the process of opening the cartridge door 20.

When the cartridge door 20 is closed relative to the main body of the image forming device 10, the feed tray door 30 also moves integrally with the cartridge door 20 and is closed relative to the main body of the image forming device 10. In this way, the locking mechanism 40 operates in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the cartridge door 20. This makes it possible to control the opening and closing of the feed tray door 30.

When opening the cartridge door 20 with the feed tray door 30 closed, it is preferable to provide a button for opening the cartridge door 20 on the housing of the image forming device 10 to improve operability.

The tip 42a of the stopper 42 is inclined with a portion cut away on the feed tray door 30 side. This is for the following reasons.

That is, when the feed tray door 30 is already in an open state and the cartridge door 20 is subsequently opened, the stopper 42 of the locking mechanism 40 is already in a state of protruding toward the feed tray door 30. In this state, when the cartridge door 20 abuts against the feed tray door 30, the tip 42a of the stopper 42 of the locking mechanism 40 first abuts against the feed tray door 30. Here, if the tip 42a is formed in a sloped shape, the end of the feed tray door 30 pushes up the sloped surface, and the tip 42a of the stopper 42 can be smoothly guided to the tray door opening 33.

The position of the locking mechanism 40 on the end of the cartridge door 20 is not clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6, and is not limited thereto. However, in order to more effectively lock the cartridge door 20 and the feed tray door 30, it is preferable to install the locking mechanism 40 in the center of the cartridge door 20 in the width direction.

The above configuration is an example of this embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Second Embodiment
A lock mechanism according to a second embodiment will be described. The same components as those described above are given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted. Fig. 7 is a top view showing the operation of the lock mechanism according to the second embodiment.

The lock mechanism 40 of the first embodiment is composed of two members, a rotating cam 41 and a stopper 42 that moves up and down, and a configuration has been described in which the cam portion (guide groove 41b) is located on the rotating cam 41 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 7, the locking mechanism 50 of this embodiment is composed of two members: a rotating member 51 that rotates and a stopper 52 that moves up and down, and the cam portion (guide groove 52b) is located on the side of the stopper 52 that moves up and down.

The rotating member 51 is a member that rotates around the shaft hole 51a, and a guide shaft 51b is formed on the side opposite the shaft hole 51a. On the other hand, a guide groove 52b is formed on the side of the stopper 52, which is cut diagonally to guide the guide shaft 51b. Therefore, when the rotating member 51 rotates, the guide shaft 51b of the rotating member 51 moves up and down along the guide groove 52b of the stopper 52. As a result of the stopper 52 moving up and down in this way, the tip 52a formed at the lower end of the stopper 52 by protruding downward also moves up and down.

By assembling the locking mechanism 50 to the cartridge door 20 in the above configuration, when the cartridge door 20 is closed relative to the image forming device 10, the tip 52a of the stopper 52 is in a raised state (as shown in FIG. 7(a)).

In this state, the tip 52a does not enter the feed tray door 30, so the feed tray door 30 can freely abut against or move away from the cartridge door 20. Therefore, the feed tray door 30 can be freely opened and closed relative to the cartridge door 20.

On the other hand, when the rotating member 51 is rotated and the tip 52a of the stopper 52 is lowered (as shown in FIG. 7(b)), the tip 52a enters the tray door opening 33 formed in the feed tray door 30. Then, the feed tray door 30 is fixed integrally to the cartridge door 20.

In this way, the stopper 52 moves between the unlocked position shown in FIG. 7(a) and the locked position shown in FIG. 7(b).

By configuring the feed tray door 30 to be lockable relative to the cartridge door 20 when the cartridge door 20 is open, the cartridge door 20 can be opened without any problems even if the feed tray door 30 is held while opening the cartridge door 20.

The tip 52a of the stopper 52 is inclined with a portion cut away on the feed tray door 30 side. Therefore, for the same reason as in the above embodiment, the tip 52a of the stopper 52 can be smoothly guided to the tray door opening 33.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10: image forming apparatus 16: exterior 20: cartridge door 21: hinge 30: feed tray door 40: lock mechanism 41a: shaft hole

Claims (17)

A housing having an opening;
a moving unit movable between the inside and the outside of the housing through the opening;
a first door that is movable relative to the housing and can be moved between a closed position that covers the opening and an open position that exposes the opening, the first door having an abutting member that can abut against the housing and a locking member that is configured to be movable between an engaging position and a releasing position in conjunction with the movement of the abutting member;
A second door having a latched portion;
having
When the locking member is positioned at the locking position and engaged with the locked portion, the movement of the second door relative to the first door is restricted so that the second door moves integrally with the first door,
When the locking member is located at the release position and is separated from the locked portion, the second door can be opened and closed relative to the first door,
when the first door is located at the closed position, the abutting member is in abutment with the housing, the locking member is located at the release position, and the abutting member and the locking member are located at predetermined positions in the vertical direction;
When the first door moves from the closed position toward the open position, the abutting member moves away from the housing and the locking member moves from the release position to the locking position,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving unit passes through a position lower than the predetermined position when moving between the inside and outside of the housing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking member is movable relative to the abutting member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the locking member is configured to be linearly movable between the locking position and the release position. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the locking member moves in a direction intersecting the movement direction of the abutting member as the abutting member moves. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the moving unit includes a developing roller. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the moving unit includes a tray and a cartridge that is detachable from the tray. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the moving unit includes a tray and a plurality of cartridges that are detachable from the tray. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the moving unit includes a photosensitive drum. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a rotatable belt configured to come into contact with the photosensitive drum. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it has a button for opening the first door. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the tip of the engaging member has a slope on which the engaged portion slides. One of the abutting member and the locking member has a protrusion,
the other of the abutting member and the locking member has an insertion portion into which the protrusion is inserted,
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the insertion portion and the protrusion move relative to each other, thereby interlocking the movement of the locking member with the movement of the abutting member. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the engaging member has the projection, and the contact member has the insertion portion. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the contact member has the projection, and the locking member has the insertion portion. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the insertion portion is provided obliquely with respect to a moving direction of the locking member. 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first door is rotatable relative to the housing, and the second door is rotatable relative to the housing. a recording material can be supplied from between the first door and the second door into the housing when the first door is in the closed position and the second door is in an open state;
17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveying member that conveys the recording material supplied from between the first door and the second door.

Images