JPH02249842A - Image former - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make an image former compact in size after being housed in a proper position in a body at the time of nonuse but at the time of use, feed various sheets certainty by moving a setting position of a manual paper feed mechanism in keeping apart at time of nonuse or use. CONSTITUTION:Centering on a fulcrum shaft 20 installed with a device front part at the lower side, on-off turning operations e-f are free in a confined state after setting upright and turning round as shown in a full line to a device body and in an opened state after tilting down as far as nearly 90 degrees forward a device and going round. A lock is released and opened, making the turning operation (f) can be done, so that the inside of the device grows larger and comes to a released state. A process cartridge 3 performs its detaching operations g-h to a receiving part at the device body side in a state of opening the device front side largely. In addition, even if a paper jam occurs in the device inside, the device front part is opened, and its handling can be easily performed from the device front.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer.

For more details, see 9 Manual paper feed? The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having TLL.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as laser printers have, in addition to a mechanism for feeding paper from a cassette containing a large number of sheets, -
A configuration is adopted in which one or more sheets of paper can be placed, and sheets of types or sizes other than those stored in the cassette are fed and placed as appropriate. A so-called manual paper feeder is often provided.

For the reasons mentioned above, this manual paper feeding mechanism can be easily operated when necessary, and the frequency of use is lower than when feeding paper from a cassette. It must be installed in the main body of the device in a configuration that does not adversely affect the other functions of the device or the user's handling of other parts, and furthermore, it must not be possible to feed paper of special types or sizes that cannot be fed from the cassette. In order to feed paper, it is required to have an al capacity that can reliably feed even paper that is difficult to feed.

However, very few conventional image forming apparatuses are equipped with a manual paper feeding mechanism that satisfies all of the above conditions. In other words, there are problems such as functional deterioration due to the paper feeding mechanism used for cassette paper feeding also being used, and difficulty in use due to the mechanism being provided on the side opposite to the normally used side of the device. There were many cases where this happened. On the other hand, image forming apparatuses such as laser printers have been devised that take into account various aspects related to devices other than the manual paper feed mechanism and can provide comprehensively superior JJJti.

FIG. 6(A) shows such a conventional laser printer. In such a radar printer, the paper conveyance path is concentrated on one side of the device, in the present example, a substantially vertical path on the left side of the drawing. Therefore, it is possible to create space in other parts of the device, in the case of the device in this example, the part on the right side of the drawing, and other parts such as electrical components can be accommodated in these areas, making it possible to downsize the entire device. .

In FIG. 6(A), 100 is the outer case of this case, iot
is its front plate. Reference numeral 4 denotes a paper cassette in which sheets P are loaded and stored, and the lower part of the apparatus is used as a cassette accommodating part, and the insertion and removal operations aab are performed from the front plate side of the apparatus. l is the scanner section (laser beam scanner) located at the back of the device, 3
is a process cartridge disposed at the front of the scanner section l. This process cartridge includes a photosensitive drum 2 as an image carrier. Also housed are well-known image forming devices such as charging means, developing means, and cleaning means.

5 is located at the lower part of the process cartridge 3. If! ,! This is a paper feeding roller which is in contact with a surface portion near the leading edge of the upper surface of the stacked papers in the paper cassette 4 installed in the apparatus. When this paper feed roller 5 is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction of the arrow, a force is applied to the uppermost paper of the stacked paper P, and in cooperation with a separating claw member (not shown), etc., the next paper is lowered. One sheet is separated from the stacked sheets of paper and fed to the left from inside the cassette 4.

A transfer roller 7 contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 exposed on the front surface of the process cartridge 3 with a predetermined pressing force. 6 is from the paper feed roller 5 to the photosensitive drum 2
8 is a registration roller disposed in the middle of the paper conveyance path leading to the nip between the process cartridge 3 and the transfer roller 7; 8 is a setting R device disposed above the process cartridge 3; 9 and 12 are the fixing rollers 8;
A first paper ejection roller and a second paper ejection roller are arranged on the paper exit side of the paper.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a manual feed tray provided on the outer surface side of the front panel 101 of the apparatus. This tray 15 is raised and rotated around the support shaft 15+ on the lower side of the front panel 101 of the device, and has a retractable seat that is closed against the outer surface of the front panel 101 of the device as shown by the solid line, and a support. Center the front plate 1 of the device by tilting it down and rotating it.
01 on the lower side of 2 points lA line (or Fig. 6 (B)
The posture change operation C11d is free to change the position to the horizontally extended state of the front section as shown by the solid line (indicated by the solid line).

Reference numeral 14 denotes a horizontally long slit-shaped manual paper feed port opened on the lower side of the front panel 101 of the device, and 16 indicates a nuclear paper feed port 1.
This is a manual feed roller disposed on the side opposite to the manual feed tray 15 side with 4 inside.

Based on the print start signal, the photosensitive drum 2 is rotated clockwise at a predetermined circumferential speed, its circumferential surface is uniformly charged by the charging means, and the charged surface is charged by the scanner section 1. Main scanning exposure of the laser beam 4L modulated according to the target print information is performed, thereby forming a 19fi latent image corresponding to the target print information on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. That latent image is developed by means of development! A l1l1 image is created (toner image).

On the other hand, when paper feeding is in the cassette paper feeding mode, rotation of the paper feeding roller 5 is started at a predetermined timing, and feeding of one sheet of paper P from the cassette 4 is started. The fed paper is guided upward by the guide surface 17 and further guided to the nip portion of the registration rollers 6 through a sheet path between the guide surfaces 18 and 19. The registration roller 6 rotates the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer roller 7 to move the paper in synchronization with the formation area of the visible image formed as described above on the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 2.
The material is fed to the nip section. As the paper passes through the nip between the photosensitive drum 2 and the transfer roller 7, the paper forms a shape 1t1 on the side of the photosensitive drum 2. It receives the sequential transfer of the rejected and exposed images, and then passes through the fixing device 8 and undergoes image fixing processing. The paper exiting the fixing device 8 is guided to the first paper ejection roller 9 side and ejected onto the face-down tray 10 on which the printed side is placed facing downward, or the paper is guided to the second paper ejection roller 12 side by switching the flapper 11. and is discharged onto the face-up tray 13, which is placed with the printing surface facing upward.

When feeding paper in the manual paper feeding mode, the manual feeding tray 15 is changed from a stored state in which it is closed against the outer surface of the front panel 101 of the apparatus to an extended state in which it is folded down substantially horizontally in front of the front panel 101 of the apparatus.

Paper Pa (Fig. 6 (B)) to be manually fed is placed in this tray 1.
5, and insert the leading edge side into the front plate 101 of the apparatus through the manual paper feed port 14 and abut against the nip of the manual paper feed roller 16. The insertion of the leading edge side of the paper is detected by a sensor (not shown), and after a predetermined time from the detection, the manual feed roller 16 is rotated to FMt! ! The paper Pa on the manual feed tray 15 is pulled into the device, and the sheet path between the guide surfaces 17-19, the guide surfaces 18 and
It passes through the sheet path 19111jl and is guided upward to the nip portion of the registration roller 6. Thereafter, the paper is transported through the same route as in the case of cassette feeding described above, printing (image transfer) and image fixation are performed on the nuclide paper, and the printed paper is discharged to the face-down tray 1O or the face-up tray 13. be done.

As mentioned above, in this example device, the conveyance path from the paper feed section (cassette paper feed section and manual paper feed section) to the paper ejection section is located on one side of the device, and in this example device, the paper conveyance path from the paper feed section (cassette paper feed section and manual paper feed section) to the paper ejection section is approximately located near the back side of the front panel lot of the device. They are aggregated along a vertical path, allowing for miniaturization of the device.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) The registration rollers 6 are in a rotational stopped state when the leading edge of the paper P or Pa fed from the paper feed roller 5 or the manual feed roller 16 reaches the nip portion of the registration rollers 6. The leading edge of the fed paper hits the nip and the receiver is stopped. As the paper continues to be fed by the feed roller 5 or the manual feed roller 16, a deflection loop of the paper is created in the paper transport path from the paper feed roller 5 to the registration roller 6 or from the manual feed roller 16 to the registration roller 6. is formed. The paper's own force (paper deflection reaction force) generated by this paper loop formation ensures that the entire length of the leading edge of the paper abuts along the length of the nip of the registration roller 6, and the skew of the paper is removed. It will be done. Thereafter, at a predetermined timing, the rotation of the registration roller 6 is started, and the roller 6 feeds the paper to the transfer section at a predetermined speed without being skewed. In addition to the feeding function, it also has a paper skew prevention function.

In order to achieve this operation reliably, 1 manual feed roller 1
6 or the configuration of the paper conveyance path from the paper feed roller 5 to the registration roller 6 requires the following.

First, the paper conveyance path has sufficient space to allow the paper to freely form necessary and sufficient loops without any obstruction. In particular, manual paper feeding often uses various types of paper, so ffi! It is. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a sufficient length for the conveyance path from the manual feed roller 16 to the registration roller 6.

Next, in order to sufficiently transmit the force of the paper itself generated by the formed paper loop to the leading edge of the paper, it is also necessary that the transport path be formed smoothly without taking any sharp curves. As mentioned above, with manual paper feeding,
It is necessary to take into account that various types of paper are used, especially when the main body structure is as shown in Fig. 6 as a conventional example, since the WI feeding path can be bent to nearly 90@. In order to reduce the angle, it is important to arrange the manual feed roller 16 so as to be directly below the registration roller 6 as much as possible.

Further, with such a configuration, the leading edge of the paper runs smoothly on each of the guide surfaces 17-18-19 during conveyance and is guided to the registration rollers 6.

If we look at the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, which has a conventional manual paper feed mechanism, from all the above points, it can be seen that it has problems in each point. First, in terms of the length of the conveyance path, it is best to make the conveyance path between the registration roller 6 and the manual feed roller 16 long enough.

This means that the main body of the device becomes larger in the left direction in the drawing. This leads to an increase in the size of the device body, an increase in cost, and further a decrease in operability.

From the point of view of suppressing sharp curves in the conveyance path and arranging the manual feed roller 16 as directly below the registration roller 6 as possible to guide the paper from that direction, the cassette 4 is located below and the paper is guided from that direction. In the example, the manual feed roller 16 is immovably fixed to the main body of the apparatus, so it cannot be lowered beyond a certain level. It is also suitable for practical soil acid to be set on the left side of the diagram. Therefore, it is desirable that the cassette 4 is also installed and removed from the left side of the figure.2 Considering this, the manual feed a-ra 1
It is also impossible to place 6 downward. As a result, as shown in the figure, the paper conveyance path is 90
It has a shape that can be bent at an angle close to °.

Is this invention manual paper feeding? It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems regarding an image forming apparatus having an image forming apparatus, to make the main body of the apparatus more compact, and to improve the manual paper feeding function.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is an image forming apparatus characterized by the configurations described in (1) to (4) below.

(1) A manual paper feeding device consisting of at least a tray section for placing and guiding paper, a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of paper on the tray, and a feeding roller for guiding paper into the device. an image forming apparatus, wherein the manual paper feeder is configured to be movable between a first position housed in the apparatus main body when not in use and an operating position when in use. .

(2) An image N/O device according to the above (1), characterized in that the single manual sheet feeding device is configured to move around the center of the drive gear of the feeding roller as a rotational fulcrum.

(3) An image forming apparatus according to (1) above, characterized in that the single manual sheet feeder is configured to move about the center of one of the feed rollers as a rotational fulcrum.

(4) A paper conveyance path in the apparatus main body is formed approximately perpendicularly to the side of the image carrier, and the apparatus components on the side opposite to the image carrier are integrated as one unit with this conveyance path as a boundary. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the unit is configured to be rotatably opened relative to the main body of the apparatus, and the manual paper feeding device of the apparatus according to (1) is included on this unit side. .

(Function) According to the present invention, the members involved in manual paper feeding, including the two manual feed trays and the manual feed roller, are configured so that their setting positions can be changed between when they are not in use and when they are in use. By adopting such a configuration, the manual paper feed mechanism is housed in an appropriate position within the main body of the device when not in use, preventing it from affecting the size of the device, and at the same time ensuring optimal operation when in use. to ensure manual paper feeding.

(Example) Example 1 (Figures 1 to 3) This example is a laser printer that is almost the same as that of the pJSB diagram example described above, and the same reference numerals are given to the common components and parts, and the explanation will be repeated. Omitted 0 In this example device, the paper conveyance path from the paper feed section to the discharge section is concentrated in a substantially vertical direction near the device curved plate 1O1. The overall size of t'11 can be reduced.

In this example device, the side on which the process cartridge 3 containing the image carrier etc. is disposed is the main body of the device, with the almost vertical transport path from the paper feeding section to the ejecting section as the border, and the opposite side is the main body. When the front side of the device is used, the first axis relative to the device body is centered around the fulcrum shaft 20 provided on the lower side of the front side of the device.
The state in which it is raised and rotated and closed as shown by the solid line in the figure,
As shown by the two-dot chain line, it can be rotated approximately 90' towards the W1# direction to open and close the opening/closing operation eaf.

A guide surface member 19. A roller on one side of the registration roller 6, a transfer roller 7, a fixing device 8, a first discharge roller 9, a flapper 11. Second paper discharge 0-ra 12. The face-up tray 13, etc., and as a paper feeding mechanism as shown in Fig. 2-3,
Foldable manual feed tray 15. Manual paper feed slot 14. It is equipped with a manual feed roller 16 and the like.

The closed state of the sleeve 21 with respect to the main body of the apparatus is maintained by a locking means (not shown). By releasing the lock, an opening rotation operation f can be performed, and by opening and rotation, the inside of the apparatus is brought into a wide open state almost at the border of the ms vertical conveyance path of the paper.

As described above, with the front side of the apparatus wide open, the process cartridge 3 is attached to and detached from the receiver on the apparatus main body side by g and h. Furthermore, even if a problem such as a paper jam occurs inside the apparatus, the problem can be easily dealt with from the front of the apparatus by opening the front part of the apparatus. Furthermore, maintenance inside the device can also be done from the front of the device, so when manually feeding paper, the manual feed tray 15, which is closed on the outside of the front panel 101 at the front of the device, is moved approximately horizontally in front of the front panel 101. Perform the posture change operation d to the open and extended state (Fig. 2 → Fig. 3).

In this embodiment, the manual paper feed mechanism (device) is the manual paper feed tray 1.
5.Manual feed roller 16 (16+, 2) paper detection lever 23 (232, ko) - sensor 24, etc. constitute one manual paper feed unit, whose rotational fulcrum is the opening/closing rotational fulcrum 20 on the front of the device. are the same. Therefore, the manual paper feeding mechanism is included in the front part of the apparatus. This is to enable the above-mentioned operations such as paper jam removal and cartridge replacement to be performed with fewer steps. Of course, in the case of single manual paper feeding, if the tray 15 is rotated and opened independently of the other parts of the front face of the apparatus, manual paper feeding can be performed as a unit.

The rotation fulcrum 20 has a manual feed port to a shaft 18 (1) on the same axis.
B+) drive gear 25 (-dotted chain line) is provided, and this is connected to the drive system of the main body of the apparatus via a clutch (not shown). The driving gear 25 and the manual feed roller are connected by an input gear 26 (-point chain MA) provided coaxially with the input side roller 18+ of the roller.
As the manual feed tray 5 is opened and folded down, the manual feed roller 16 is rotated together with other manual paper feed members while maintaining connection with the drive gear 25, and is placed in the manual feed position (Fig. 3). becomes.

For manual paper feeding, paper Pa to be manually fed is placed on the manual feed tray 15 which is opened and folded down as shown in FIG.
The paper is advanced toward the 6 side until the leading edge of the paper hits the nip portion of the roller 16 and the receiver is stopped. While the leading edge of the paper is entering, the leading edge of the paper causes the paper detection lever 23 (23z, s
) is pressed, and the lever 23 rotates clockwise about the fulcrum 23+ against the tension spring 27.

The other piece 23 of the lever 23 leaves the sensor 24. As a result, a manual paper detection signal is input from the sensor 24 to the control section of the main body of the apparatus.

After a predetermined period of time in response to this detection signal, an operation signal is issued from the control circuit to the clutch for the drive gear 25, and the signal is passed from the gear 25 to the input gear 26 to the manual feed roller 16.
The rotational force is transmitted to the manual feed roller 16 to start rotating, and the storage paper Pa on the manual feed tray 15 is drawn into the apparatus, and the sheet bus between the guide surfaces 17 and 19 and the sheet between the guide surfaces 18 and 19 are transferred. It is guided upward through the path and into the nip portion of the registration rollers 6.

When the manual feed paper Pa on the manual feed tray 15 is pulled into the device and its rear end passes through a piece 232 of the lever 23, the lever 23 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction by the spring 27 about the fulcrum 23+ and returns to its original rotation. Return to corner position. Reference numeral 152 designates a stopper bin for regulating the return rotation angle t of the lever, and is provided on the tray 15.

Therefore, when not in use, the manual paper feeding mechanism is equipped with a manual paper feed tray 15 and a closed form 7g (first -
By performing the rotation operation C as shown in Fig. 2), the inside of the device body can be adjusted.
It has been housed in a large area, making the overall size of the device compact.

When in use, the manual feed tray 15 is opened and folded down (tj4
By performing a rotation operation d>3m>, the device is moved toward the outside of the device so as to maintain a sufficient conveyance path for forming a loop of paper between it and the registration rollers 6. In addition, in order to ensure that the loop force of the paper is sufficiently transmitted to the leading edge of the paper and the paper can be conveyed smoothly, its position is also moved downward, and the shape of the conveyance path formed there is set at a gentle angle. It is guided to the registration roller 6. The effect is clear even when compared with the conventional example shown in FIG.

After use, the manual paper feed mechanism is returned to its original position when not in use by returning the manual paper feed tray 15 to the closed state (FIGS. 1-2) on the outer surface of the front panel 101 of the apparatus and rotating it. In this state, each member for manual paper feeding has been evacuated from the cassette 4 removal/detachment path a-b, so there is no problem in the cassette removal/detachment work.
Although the rotational fulcrum of the first part and the rotational fulcrum of the manual paper feeding mechanism unit which integrally constitutes the four manual paper feeding members are the same fulcrum 20, according to the gist of the present invention, these fulcrums are Although the rotational fulcrum of each member for one manual sheet feeding is also set as a common fulcrum, for example, the rotational fulcrum of the manual feed tray 15 and the rotational fulcrum of the manual feed roller 16 may be separate.

Embodiment 2 (Figures 4 and 5) In this embodiment, the center 30 of one input side roller 161 of the manual feed roller 16 (16+, 2) is connected to the manual feeder,
When the manual feed mechanism section, which serves as the rotational fulcrum of the structure, is not in use (Fig. 4), the other manual feed roller 162 is supported in pressure contact with the one manual feed roller 16+ on its left side, and the two manual feed rollers 162 are supported on the left side. When the paper mechanism section is in use (FIG. 5), it rotates around the roller 1B+ and is positioned on the f side of the roller 1B+ as shown in FIG. This handle tray 15 is also rotated about the roller 16+ and supported at the position shown in FIG. 5. t, that is, the rotation fulcrum 20 in the first embodiment. Drive gear 25, input roller 16+, input key 7
It is constructed as a combination of 26 pieces.

In the case of this embodiment as well, as is clear from the figure, the paper transport path from the manual feed roller 16 to the registration roller 6 in six manual paper feeds can be made sufficient to form a paper loop, and the shape of the transport path can be made gentle. It can be made to have an angle and can function well as a single manual paper feeding mechanism. Particularly in the case of this embodiment, the manual paper feeding mechanism itself can be simplified and made smaller, so that the main body of the apparatus can be made more compact.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, the conventional manual paper feeding mechanism can be applied to a place where an image forming apparatus that is smaller, more compact, and easier to operate can be achieved by devising the structure of the main body of the apparatus. Not only does this reduce the effect, but the paper feed mechanism itself also has insufficient lI.
According to the present invention, the positions of each member of the single manual paper feed mechanism are moved separately when in use and when not in use, compared to conventional image forming apparatuses that were unable to fulfill the above functions.
When the F-feeding mechanism is not in use, it is not only effective in reducing the size of the device itself, making it more compact, lowering costs, and improving operability, but when it is in use, it can be
Each member of manual paper feed ff1 can be set at an optimal position, and it is possible to realize a manual paper feed mechanism that can fully function for various types of paper.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view showing the schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus (laser splitter) according to an embodiment, FIG. Figure 4: Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the manual paper feed mechanism of other embodiments when not in use and when it is in use, respectively, and Figure 6 (A) is a vertical cross-section showing the schematic configuration of an example of a conventional device (laser printer). The side view (B) is an enlarged view of the manual paper feeding mechanism. 1 is a scanner section, 2 is a rotating photosensitive drum as an image carrier, 3 is a process cartridge, 4 is an M paper cassette, 5 is a paper feed a-ra, 15 is a manual feed tray, 16 is a manual feed a-te, 6 is a resist Rote, 7 is a transfer roller, 8 is a fixing device,
9 is the first paper ejection roller, 10 is the face down tray, 1
2 is the second paper ejection roller, and 13 is the face 7 pick tray. Patent applicant Canon Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A manual paper feeding device consisting of at least a tray section for placing and guiding paper, a detection member for detecting the presence or absence of paper on the tray, and a feeding roller for guiding paper into the device. an image forming apparatus, wherein the manual paper feeder is configured to be movable between a first position housed in the apparatus main body when not in use and an operating position when in use. . (2) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manual paper feeding device is configured to move with the center of the drive gear of the feeding roller as a rotational fulcrum. (3) The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the manual paper feeding device is configured to move about the center of one of the feeding rollers as a rotational fulcrum. (4) A paper conveyance path in the apparatus main body is formed approximately perpendicularly to the side of the image carrier, and the apparatus components on the side opposite to the image carrier are integrated as one unit with this conveyance path as a boundary. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the unit is configured to be rotatably opened relative to the main body of the apparatus, and the manual paper feeder according to claim 1 is included on the side of the unit.