JPH03114067A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability of the closing operation of a unit by providing an engaging and stopping member displacing means by which a first unit and a second unit are coupled by pulling a first unit to the second unit side. CONSTITUTION:The device main body is constituted from a first unit 1A and a second unit 1B, the device is an image forming device with the first unit 1A provided openable/closable with a rotating fulcrum on one edge side as a center, when the first unit 1A is displaced to a fixed position to be coupled with the second unit 1B, the engaging and stopping member 71F is made to be in a state of being engaged and stopped to the engaged and stopped member 72F of a lock means 63 before becoming completely coupled, the engaging and stopping member displacing means 85 is operated to automatically displace the engaging and stopping member 71F of the lock means 63 to pull the unit 1A to the unit 1B side to have the units 1A and 1B coupled. Therefore, even when the space between the engaging and stopping member 71F and the engaged and stopped member 72F is left large, the engaging and stopping member 71F and the engaged and stopped member 72F are engaged in a state of close contact in the end. Therefore, the operator only needs to close the unit 1A to a fixed position. Thus, the operability of the closing operation of the unit is improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, and more specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, and more specifically, the apparatus main body having a built-in image forming means is connected to a first unit. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a second unit and a second unit, the first unit being able to be opened and closed around a pivot point provided at one end.

(Prior Art) In recent years, various types of desktop electronic copying machines and the like have been put into practical use as image forming apparatuses.

Normally, in this type of apparatus, a main unit a containing an image forming means is divided into an upper unit b and a lower unit C with the paper conveyance path as the border, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. It has a clamshell structure in which the upper unit b can be opened and closed around a pivot point d provided at one end.

If necessary, the upper unit b can be opened upward about the support shaft d as shown in Fig. 15, so that maintenance and inspection inside the main body a and paper jam removal can be easily performed. ing.

In addition, in a seeding device adopting this clamshell structure, supporting means e such as a gas shock absorber for holding the upper unit b in an open state as shown in FIG. 15, and support means e such as a gas shock absorber as shown in FIG. A locking means f is provided to hold the upper unit b in a closed state.

However, in conventional devices of this type, the locking means f simply includes hooks g, g (only one shown) as locking members provided on the free end side of the upper unit b, and on the rear side and the front side. Hook G provided on the lower unit C side
, g are locked members, and h is configured. Then, when the upper unit b is securely overlapped with the lower unit C, the hook g1g becomes the locked member.

It is designed to engage with, that is, lock, h.

However, when the upper unit b is slowly closed, the lock may not be engaged due to twisting of the rear side and the front side. Furthermore, if the operator pushes down only the front side, which is easy to operate, there is a problem that the frame may not be locked due to twisting.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in the conventional device, there was a problem in operability with respect to the closing operation of the upper unit.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to configure a main body of an apparatus containing an image forming means into a first unit such as an upper unit and a second unit such as a lower unit. In an image forming apparatus in which the first unit can be opened and closed around a rotational fulcrum provided at one end, the operability of the closing operation of the first unit can be improved while having a simple and inexpensive configuration. The present invention is intended to provide an image forming apparatus that has the following features.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises a device body including a built-in image forming means, consisting of a first two units and a second unit, In an image forming apparatus in which a first unit can be opened and closed about a pivot point provided at one end, a locked member is attached to one of the first unit and the second unit, and a first unit is attached to the other one of the first unit and the second unit. a locking means for holding the first unit and the second unit in a superposed state, the locking member having a locking member that locks the first unit and the second unit in a superposed state before the first unit and the second unit are completely superposed; In the state where the locking member is locked to the locking member, the locking member is automatically displaced and the first
a locking member displacement means for pulling the unit toward the second unit and overlapping the first unit and the second unit;
The image forming apparatus is configured to include a connecting means for connecting and driving the locking member displacement means to a drive system of the image forming means.

(Function) That is, according to the above means, when the first unit is displaced to a certain certain position in order to superpose into the second unit,
The locking member is locked to the locked member of the locking means before the polymerization completely occurs, and then, in this state, the locking member displacement means operates to automatically displace the locking member of the locking means. to pull the first unit toward the second unit and
and the second unit are polymerized. As a result, even if the gap between the locking member and the locked member is increased, the locking member and the locked member will eventually be securely engaged in a close contact state. For this reason, the operator only has to close the unit to a certain position and it will close automatically afterwards, so the operator is not affected by the closing speed or the operating location, and only has to operate slowly or in a place that is easy to operate. It is possible to improve the operability of the motion.

Furthermore, since the driving force for the locking member displacement means is taken from the drive system of the image forming means, a dedicated motor is not required. Therefore, it is possible to reduce costs.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.

FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the entire electronic copying apparatus.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body incorporating an image forming means 2, and a document holding cover 4 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 1 to bring a document (not shown) into close contact with a document table 3.

A drum-shaped photoreceptor 5 as an image carrier is arranged approximately in the center of the apparatus main body 1, and a charging device 6, a developing device 7, and a transfer device are arranged around the photoreceptor 5 along its rotation direction. 8, a stripping device 9, a cleaning device 10, and a static eliminator 11 are arranged in this order.

Further, an exposure device 12 is provided in the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 to irradiate light onto the original set on the original document mounting table 3 and to guide the reflected light to the photoreceptor 5 through between the charging device 6 and the developing device 7. is provided.

Furthermore, paper P1 is automatically fed from the upper cassette 15 or the lower cassette 16 mounted on the right side of the apparatus main body 1, or a manual paper feed table 16 which also serves as a cover for the upper cassette 15 is inserted into the apparatus main body 1. A paper conveyance path 20 is formed which guides the manually fed paper P through the image transfer section 18 between the photoreceptor 5 and the transfer device 8 to the paper discharge tray 19 mounted on the left side of the apparatus main body 1. ing.

A pair of aligning rollers 25 is arranged on the upstream side of the image transfer section 18 of the paper transport path 20, and a fixing device 26 and a pair of paper ejection rollers 27 are arranged on the downstream side.

In addition, a paper feed roller 28 and two double-sheet prevention means are provided near the loaded portions of the upper cassette 15 and the lower cassette 16, respectively, and a take-in roller 28 is provided near the manual paper feed table 17. 30 are arranged.

Further, the exposure device 12 illuminates a document set on a document table 3 provided on the top surface of the main body 1 with an exposure lamp 41 whose back is surrounded by a reflector 40, and emits light reflected from the surface of the document. First mirror 42. second mirror 4
3. Guide the light to the lens 45 through the third mirror to 44 in sequence,
Next, the light transmitted through the lens 45 is sent to a fourth mirror 46,
The light is guided to the photoreceptor 5 via a fifth mirror 47 and a sixth mirror 48 in this order.

Note that the exposure lamp 41 surrounded by the reflector 40 and the first mirror 42 are mounted on a first carriage 49 that can freely move back and forth, and the second mirror 43 and the third mirror 44 are mounted on the first carriage 49. The carriages 49 and 49 are mounted on a second carriage 50 that moves in the same direction at half the speed of the document mounting table 3, and these carriages 49 and 50 move from left to right in the figure along the lower surface of the document table 3 in the state shown in FIG. By doing so, the original set on the original placing table 3 is scanned, and an image corresponding to the original is slit-exposed onto the photoreceptor 5.

Further, the developing device 7 includes an upper developing unit 51 for color development and a lower unit 52 for black development, and can selectively develop black or other colors such as red.

Further, a cooling fan 53 is arranged above the fixing device 26 in the apparatus main body 1 .

Note that the copying operation is not directly related to the present invention and will therefore be omitted.

Further, the apparatus main body 1 incorporating the image forming means 2 as described above is separated into an upper unit IA as a first unit and a lower unit IB as a second unit approximately at the transport path 20 of the paper P. Moreover, it has a clamshell structure in which the upper unit IA can be opened and closed about a pivot point 60 provided on the right end side.

As shown in FIG. 3, after opening the front cover 61, the opening/closing lever 6 is pressed while holding the upper unit IA.
2 in the direction of arrow A to release the locking operation of a locking means 63 (described later), and then push up the upper unit IA in the direction of arrow B with the opening/closing lever 62, so that the upper unit IA can be separated from the lower unit IB. It has become. The image forming means 2 disposed inside the apparatus main body 1 can be inspected, and the paper P jammed in the paper transport path 20 can be easily removed.

The upper unit IA can be kept open by a gas shock upsorber 64 (see FIGS. 10 to 12) as an opening/closing holding device, and when the locking means 63 is unlocked, the upper unit IA can be held open. IA
will not open.

Moreover, by pushing down the free end side of the upper unit IA in the direction of arrow C as shown in FIG.
can be closed. When the upper unit IA is closed to a predetermined position, the locking means 63 operates as described later, and the upper unit IA is held in the closed state.

Next, the automatic locking unit 70 including the locking means 63 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 to 9.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the locking means 63 includes hooks 7 as locking members provided on the free end side, front side, and rear side of the first unit IA.
1p, 71R, and locked members 72F, 72 provided on the lower unit 1B and to which the hooks 71F, 71R lock.
It has a configuration having R. Hook 71p, 71)
1 has its upper end fixed to a shaft 73 having the opening/closing lever 62 at one end, and is biased in the direction of the arrow by a spring 74 to a substantially vertical position. . On the other hand, the locked member 72F,
Each of the hooks 72R includes a plate member 75 having an inclined guide surface 75a at its upper end and an engagement hole 75b into which the claw portion 76 of the hook 71F (71R) engages.

Furthermore, the engagement holes 75b, 75b are connected to the hook 71F (7
It is formed at a position where the claw portions 76 and 76 of 1R) can be inserted.

Further, an optical sensor 80 as a gap detection means is provided near the rear side locked member 72R, and detects the vertical position of the hook 71H, and the claw portions 76 and 76 of the hooks 71p and 71R are It is possible to detect a state in which the engagement holes 75b, 75b are reliably engaged.

Furthermore, the hook 71F is detected by the optical sensor 80.

When it is detected that the claws 76, 76 of 71R are securely engaged with the engagement holes 75b, 75b, the locking member displacement means 85 operates to automatically move the hooks 71p, 71R of the locking means 63 upward. The configuration is such that it is displaced to .

The locking member displacement means 85 has the following configuration. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the shaft 73 to which the hooks 71F and 71R are attached is connected to the support shaft 86.8.
Arms 87F and 87H rotatably supported by '6
It is rotatably held on the free end side of.

Furthermore, the lower surfaces of the arms 87P and 87R are connected to the shaft 73.
It rests on the cam surfaces of eccentric cam rollers 89P and 89R that are attached to a shaft 88 that is parallel to the cam rollers 89P and 89R.

A gear 90 is attached to the rear end of the lever 88 to which the eccentric cam rollers 89F and 89R are attached, and the image forming means The driving force of a main motor 94, which is the driving source of the second drive system (PPC drive system) 93, is transmitted.

The driving force transmission mechanism 92 transmits the driving force of the main motor 94 to the pulley 9 via a dog clutch 95 which is a driving force connecting/disconnecting means.
6 and the gear 9 via this rotational force belt 97.
It is configured such that the signal is transmitted to a pulley 98 that is integrated with 1.

Further, a position detection cam 100 is attached to the front end of the shaft 88 to which the eccentric cam rollers 89F and 89R are attached, and a switch 101 provided near this cam 100 is attached.
It is designed to turn on and off. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the position at which the position detection cam 100 turns the switch 101 from OFF to ON is the bottom dead center of the eccentric cam rollers 89F and 89H, and as shown in FIGS. Position detection cam 100 turns on switch 101
Eccentric cam rollers 89F and 89R
It is designed to be the top dead center of the And switch 1
The detection operation of 01 causes the dog clutch 95 to operate so as to rotate the eccentric cam rollers 89F and 89R by half a rotation.

The dog clutch 95 includes a pulley 96 rotatably fitted to a drive shaft 94a of a main motor 94, as shown in FIG.
The driven claw member 105 is integral with the driven claw member 105, and the drive claw member 107 is slidable in the axial direction of the drive shaft 94a to engage with and disengage from the driven claw member 105, and whose movement in the rotational direction is restricted by a key 106. The drive claw member 107
is configured to be displaced by the solenoid mechanism 102 against the biasing force of a biasing body (not shown) to engage with the driven pawl member 105 .

The solenoid mechanism 102 has a free end connected to the drive claw member 10.
7 and is biased by the spring 108 in a direction away from the end surface of the drive claw member 107. It is configured to be displaced in the direction of arrow Y.

Then, the hook 71F is detected by the optical sensor 80.

When it is detected that the claws 76, 76 of 718 are securely engaged with the engagement holes 75b, 75b, the solenoid 109 is energized and the drive claw member 107 is displaced in the direction of arrow Y as shown in FIG. The dog clutch 95 is now in a connected state. Then, the driving force of the main motor 94 is transmitted to the shaft 88, and as shown in FIG.
turn half a turn in the direction of arrow E. As a result, the intermediate portions of the arms 87p and 87H that support the shaft 73 are pushed up in the direction of the arrow F, and with this movement, the hooks 71F and 71R attached to the shaft 73 are pulled up in the direction of the arrow G.

Next, the opening/closing operation of the upper unit IA will be explained.

First, when opening the upper unit IA, as explained with reference to FIG.
direction, the hooks 71P and 71R of the locking means 63 are rotated against the biasing force of the springs 74°74, and the claw portion 7 is rotated.
6.76 is removed from the engagement holes 75b, 75b to release the locking operation. Then, by pushing up the upper unit IA in the direction of arrow B using the opening/closing lever 62, the upper unit IA is opened.

FIG. 107 shows the upper unit IA in an open state,
At this time, the minimum eccentric portions of the eccentric cam rollers 89F, 89R are in a state opposite to the arms 87F, 87H.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the upper unit IA is pressed down and closed to a position where the opening angle is θ, and the hook 71. .

The claw portions 76.76 of 71R enter into the engagement holes 75b, 75b. At this time, the sensor 80 is turned on, the solenoid 109 is energized, and the driving force of the main motor 94 is transmitted to the shaft 88 as described above.

As a result, as described above, the eccentric cam rollers 89F, 8
9R rotates half a turn, and as shown in FIG.
It will be in a state where it is facing. This allows the upper unit IA
is pulled downward and the aperture angle becomes 0.

In addition, Fig. 13 shows a case where the frame is twisted by pushing the front side, which is easy to operate, when closing the upper unit IA, and a twist δ occurs between the rear side and the front side of the upper unit IA. , the front side closes first, but a gap δ is left on the rear side.

It is natural that the gap δ due to this twisting is smaller than the opening angle e of the upper unit IA, and at this time, the hook 71
The claw portions 76 and 76 of P and 71R are in a state of being inserted into the engagement holes 75b and 75b, and the sensor 80 is in an ON state. Then, as mentioned above, the eccentric cam roller 8
The maximum eccentricity of 9p, 89° is in a state opposite to the arms 87F, 87R, and the hooks 71F, 7], R are in a lifted state, and the upper unit IA is pulled downward as shown in FIG. The opening angle becomes 0, and the twist of the upper unit IA is corrected.

In this way, in the present invention, the operator only has to close the upper unit IA to a certain position, that is, to the position where the opening angle is e, and the rest is automatically closed. Instead, it is sufficient to operate slowly or at a location that is easy to operate, and the operability of the closing operation of the upper unit 1-IA can be improved. Furthermore, since the driving force for the locking member displacement means 85 is taken from the drive system 93 of the image forming means 2, a dedicated motor is not required.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce costs.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment; for example, a locked member may be provided on the first unit side, and a locking member that locks on the locked member may be provided on the second unit side. Also good.

In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, the present invention comprises an apparatus main body containing an image forming means including a first unit such as an upper unit and a second unit such as a lower unit, and a second unit such as a lower unit. An image forming apparatus that can be opened and closed around a rotational fulcrum provided on one end side, which has a simple and inexpensive configuration and which can improve operability with respect to the closing operation of a first unit. It has the effect of being able to provide

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 14 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main parts, FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 3 is an upper part of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the unit is opened. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the upper unit is closed. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the state before the automatic locking unit is locked. FIG. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the detection operation state of the position detection cam. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the driving force transmission mechanism. 10
Figures 1 to 12 are explanatory diagrams showing the operating state of the automatic locking unit when the upper unit is closed, and Figs. 13 and 14 show the operating state of the automatic locking unit when the front side of the upper unit is closed. The explanatory diagrams, FIGS. 15 and 16, are explanatory diagrams showing conventional examples. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Apparatus main body, IA... 1st unit (upper unit) IB... 2nd unit (lower unit) 2... Image forming means, 63... Locking means,
71F, 71R...Locking member (hook), 72p. 72R... Locked member (plate-like member), 80... Gap detection means (optical sensor), 85... Locking member displacement means, 93... Drive system of image forming means, 94. ··motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The main body of the device containing the image forming means is composed of a first unit and a second unit, and the first unit can be opened and closed around a rotational fulcrum provided at one end. In the image forming apparatus, one of the first unit and the second unit has a member to be locked, and the other unit has a locking member that locks to the member to be locked before the first unit is completely overlapped. a locking means for holding the first unit and the second unit in a superposed state, and automatically displacing the locking member when the locking member is locked to the locked member of the locking means. a locking member displacement means for pulling the first unit toward the second unit and overlapping the first unit and the second unit; and a locking member displacement means for connecting the locking member displacement means to the drive system of the image forming means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a connecting means for connecting and driving the image forming apparatus.