JPH03282484A - Attaching/detaching method of processing cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the attaching/detaching operation of a processing cartridge and to make a large projection for a processing cartridge handle unnecessary by moving the processing cartridge linked with opening/closing action of an opening/ closing gate of the device main body and by carrying out locking or unlocking of a lock of the processing cartridge against the device main body. CONSTITUTION:The engagement of a hood 23a from the device main body claw 26 is released by moving an original press plate 25 and an original platen glass 24 in the upper part of the device main body 1, and the main body upper frame 23 is opened to the upper direction with a rotation shaft 23b as the center. Because of this, the upper part of the device main body 1 is opened and the processing cartridge 10 in the lower direction becomes extractable. Then, the processing cartridge 10 is rotated to an easily extractable position by moving it linking with the opening operation of the main body upper frame 23. Furthermore, the processing cartridge 10 is positioned to a specified position in a device main body 1 by moving it linking with the closing operation of the main body upper frame 23. Thus, even when the processing cartridge 10 is directly attached to a device main body, the attaching operation is facilitated, and the large handle member is made unnecessary.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge that is detachably installed in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or an LBP.

(Prior Art) A process cartridge and its attachment/detachment method will be explained with reference to FIG.

In the figure, 1O is a process cartridge detachably disposed in the main body 100 of the image forming apparatus, and inside the housing of the process cartridge 1O, in addition to the photosensitive tram 11 which is an image carrier, the photosensitive drum a primary charger 15 that uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 11; a developing device 16 that supplies toner to the latent image formed on the photosensitive tram 11 and visualizes it as a toner image;
Process equipment such as a cleaning device 17 for cleaning residual toner from the photosensitive drum 11 after the toner image has been transferred is housed.

When the toner in the developing device 16 is used up, the cleaning device 17 is full of waste toner, or the life of the photosensitive tram 11 or the developing device 16 has reached the end, the whole process cartridge 10 Maintenance is facilitated by replacing the parts.

Since the process cartridge 10 is attached to the upper frame 101 of the apparatus main body 100, the upper frame 101 is attached to the support shaft 1.
By opening upward from center 01a, the process cartridge 10 is lifted upward from inside the apparatus main body 100. Therefore, when the upper frame 101 is opened, the process cartridge 10 is exposed to the outside, making it easy to replace the process cartridge 10 with respect to the apparatus main body 100.

On the other hand, in order to reduce the size and weight of the entire apparatus, the process cartridge 10 is not held in the upper frame 101, and only the upper frame 101 (cover group) is opened and closed, and the process cartridge is directly attached to and removed from the inside of the apparatus main body 100. Image forming apparatuses of this type are also becoming popular.

(Invention or problem to be solved) However, the process cartridge 10 is
In an image forming apparatus that is directly attached to and removed from the inside of the apparatus main body 100, especially when the process cartridge 10 is removed from the apparatus main body 100, the process cartridge 10 remains inside the apparatus main body 100, so the handle of the process cartridge 10 The position of the handle is not clear, and the handle is also difficult to grip, which can easily lead to malfunction.

For this reason, it becomes necessary to provide a large gripping protrusion on a part of the process cartridge 10 in order to facilitate the removal of the process cartridge 10, which causes an increase in the cost of the process cartridge 10, and also causes an increase in the cost of the process cartridge 10. There was also the disadvantage that the structure within the main body 100 was greatly restricted.

Further, when attaching and detaching the process cartridge 10 to and from the apparatus main body 100, it is necessary to lock and unlock the process cartridge 10 with respect to the apparatus main body 100, which increases the number of man-hours and places a burden on the operator.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems.

The objective is to provide a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge that is easy to attach and detach directly into the main body and does not require large gripping protrusions on the process cartridge.

Means for Solving Problem 1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge which is removably disposed in the apparatus body of an image forming apparatus. When the opening/closing door is opened, the process cartridge inside the device rotates toward the opening/closing door, and a part of this process cartridge protrudes outward from the opening of the opening/closing door. The process cartridge is characterized in that the process cartridge is moved and returned to a predetermined position within the apparatus main body.

In addition, the present invention provides a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge that is removably disposed in the apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, when the opening/closing door of the apparatus main body is opened for attaching and detaching the process cartridge. It is characterized in that when the opening/closing door is closed, it is locked against the process cartridge or the main body of the apparatus.

(Function) In the present @1 invention, the process cartridge is rotated in conjunction with the opening operation of the opening/closing door of the 5 apparatus main body, and a part of it is exposed from the opening/closing door. The cartridge can be easily attached and removed, and when the opening/closing door is closed, the process cartridge moves back to a predetermined position within the apparatus main body, so there is no problem in positioning the process cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body.

Further, in the second invention, since the process cartridge is locked and unlocked from the apparatus main body in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing door, the work of attaching and removing the process cartridge to the apparatus main body is reduced accordingly. It becomes easier.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus, and 10
1 shows a process cartridge that is detachably installed in the apparatus main body l. The process cartridge 10
In addition to the photosensitive drum 11, which is an image carrier, process equipment such as a primary charger, a developing device, and a cleaning device are integrated inside the interior, and maintenance of the internal equipment can be performed by attaching and detaching the process cartridge 10 to and from the apparatus body 1. Efforts are being made to make it easier.

Below the process cartridge 10 is a transfer charger 20,
A conveyor belt 21 and a fixing device 22 are disposed, and a main body upper frame 23 is disposed above the process cartridge, which houses lighting equipment and an optical system for reading originals, and also serves as the upper cover of the apparatus main body 1. A document placement glass 24 and a document pressure bonding plate 25 are arranged above the document plate 23 .

In other words, the photosensitive tram ll uniformly charged by the -order charger
When exposed to image light based on the original on the original placing glass 24, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 11. The electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device and visualized as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred onto transfer paper by a transfer charger 20. The transfer paper carrying the toner image is then sent to a fixing device 22 via a conveyor belt 21, where the toner image is fixed as a permanent image. Incidentally, the photosensitive drum 11 after the transfer is cleaned of residual toner by a cleaning device, and is prepared for the next image formation.

Next, the means for attaching and detaching the five-process cartridge 10 to and from the apparatus main body 1 will be explained.

First, a method for opening the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 will be explained. The original pressing plate 25 and the original placing glass 24 on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 are movable in the right direction in FIG. Due to the release of the connection, the rotation axis 23 on the left end
It can be rotated up and down around b. That is, after moving the original pressure bonding plate 25 and the original placing glass 24 to the right, if the upper frame 23 of the first main body is opened upward about the rotation shaft 23b,
The upper part of the apparatus main body 1 is opened, and the lower process cartridge 10 can be taken out.

Next, a method for positioning and supporting the process cartridge 10 with respect to the apparatus main body l will be described.

The process cartridge 10 has a drum shaft 11a protruding from both sides thereof, or a guide member 27 on the side of the main body l of the process cartridge 10 (disposed on both the left and right sides of the process cartridge 10, or one side will be omitted for convenience of explanation). The four upward parts 27a
The right portion 10A of the process cartridge 10 on the right side of the tram shaft 11a in FIG. 1 is placed on the mounting table 28 of the apparatus main body 1. In addition, the process cartridge 10 has a positioning pin 12 provided on its side surface and a drum shaft 11a located in an upward recess 27a of a guide member 27, which is moved in the vertical direction by a slide lock plate 29 movable in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Since the movement of the guide member 27 is restricted. The mounting table 28 and the slide lock plate 29 completely position and fix the device inside the main body l.

A rotating plate 30 is disposed on the right end side of the slide lock plate 29 in FIG. A pin portion 30c protruding from the rotating plate 30 is engaged with a groove portion 29a of the slide lock plate 29. Therefore, the slide lock plate 29 moves to the left as the rotation plate 30 rotates clockwise in FIG. The connection is now released. Furthermore, the engagement portion 29b of the slide lock plate 29 with the positioning pin 12 of the process cartridge IO is! As shown in figure s2, it protrudes toward the process cartridge 10, so
If the slide lock plate 29 moves to the left as shown by the chain line in the figure, the process cartridge 10 will move upward (above the plane of the paper in FIG. 2) without being obstructed by the slide lock plate 29. Become.

Here, the gear portion 30a of the rotating plate 30 meshes with the gear member 31 attached to the rotating shaft 23b of the upper frame 23 of the main body, so that when the upper frame 23 of the main body is opened upward, the gear member 31 also rotates. Since the rotating plate 30 rotates clockwise via the gear member 31, the slide lock plate 29 also moves to the left.

Further, a rotating claw 32 is pivotally supported on the rotating plate 30 via a support shaft 32a, and as the rotating plate 30 rotates clockwise, the rotating claw 32 is provided on the left side surface of the process cartridge 10. the recess 13 (see FIG. 2 or 3),
The process cartridge 10 is rotated counterclockwise around the tram shaft 11a. In addition, rotating claw 3
2 is biased against the rotating plate 30 via a spring member 33 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG.
Its rotation is restricted by a stopper 34.

Next, the operation of attaching the process cartridge 10 to the apparatus main body and removing the process cartridge 10 from the apparatus main body l will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

When taking out the process cartridge 1O from the apparatus main body 1, move the original pressure bonding plate 25 and the original placing glass 24 to the right as shown in FIG. Rotate upward around the center to open the upper part of the process cartridge 10 of the apparatus main body 1.

In this case, the gear member 31 rotates with the rotation of the rotation shaft 23b, and the rotation plate 30 that meshes with the gear member 31 rotates clockwise, or as the rotation plate 30 rotates, the slide lock plate 2
9 to the left, and the engagement between the slide lock plate 29, the drum shaft 11a of the process cartridge 10, and the positioning pin 12 is released. Thus, the lock of the process cartridge 10 to the apparatus main body l is automatically released by the opening operation of the main body upper frame 23.

Further, as the rotating plate 30 rotates, the rotating claw 32 moves toward the process cartridge 1O, and the rotating claw 32 moves the recess 13 of the process cartridge 1o from the position of the m line 32A to the position of 32B in FIG. Since the process cartridge 10 moves downwardly, it is centered around the drum shaft 11a! i! 4 Rotate as shown in Figure 4 to remove the device body 1.
11111 on the right, which was positioned on the mounting table 28 of
The upper part of 0A is in a state where it partially protrudes outward from the opening 35 at the upper part of the apparatus main body 1.

Therefore, in this state, if the process cartridge 0 is lifted slightly upward and pulled out in the direction A2 in FIG.
It can be taken out from

Next, when installing the process cartridge 10 into the main body of the apparatus, place the process cartridge 10 at A in FIG.
Insert the process cartridge 10 into the apparatus main body l from two directions, drop the drum shaft 11a into the upward recess 27a of the guide member 27, and place the process cartridge 10 on the right side 10A of the process cartridge 10 or on the mounting table 28. Push down the right part 10A. Therefore, from this point on, the tram shaft 11a and positioning pin 12 of the process cartridge IO
The engagement between the slide lock plate 29 and the slide lock plate 29 becomes possible.

In this case, the rotating claw 32 of the rotating plate 30 is connected to the support shaft 32 at the front wall 14 (below the recess 13) of the process cartridge 10.
Return to the elastic force of the spring member 33 about point a and rotate it to the position indicated by the chain line 32C in FIG. Do it like this.

Next, when the main body upper frame 23 is rotated clockwise in FIG. rotate the slide lock plate 29 to the process cartridge 1.
0, and connect the drum shaft 11a of the process cartridge 10, the positioning pin 2, and the slide lock plate 2.
9, the process cartridge IO is positioned and fixed within the apparatus main body 1, and is locked. In this case, the rotating claw 32 is attached to the front wall 14 of the process cartridge 10.
Does it move while engaging with the

The rotating claw 32 is connected to the front wall 14 of the process cartridge 10.
From the time when the engagement is released, the spring member 33 rotates in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 and returns to the initial position 32D shown by the solid line.

As described above, in conjunction with the opening operation of the main body upper frame 23, the process cartridge 10 in the apparatus main body l is rotated to a position where it can be easily taken out, and in conjunction with the closing operation of the main body upper frame 23, the process cartridge lO Since the process cartridge 10 is positioned at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body 1, even when the process cartridge 10 is directly attached to and removed from the apparatus main body 1, the attachment/detachment operation is easy, and the process cartridge 10 has a large grip for handling it. There is no need to provide any members.

Further, since the locking and unlocking of the process cartridge 10 with respect to the apparatus main body 1 is performed in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the main body upper frame 23, the process cartridge 10 can be attached and removed easily.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the process cartridge is moved in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing door of the apparatus main body, and the process cartridge is locked or unlocked with respect to the apparatus main body. Therefore, even when the process cartridge is directly attached to and removed from the apparatus main body, the process cartridge can be easily attached and detached. Further, this eliminates the need for large protrusions for gripping the process cartridge.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of the image forming apparatus, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the slide lock plate, rotating plate, etc. installed on one side of the process cartridge, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rotating plate attached to the rotating plate. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the movable claw, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the image forming apparatus in a state where the upper frame of the main body is opened, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the prior art. 1... Device main body, 10... Process cartridge,
23... Main body upper frame (opening/closing door), 35-... Opening. 1 Figure 3 Clock applicant Canon Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge that is removably installed in the main body of an image forming apparatus, when the opening/closing door of the apparatus main body is opened to attach or detach the process cartridge, the process cartridge in the apparatus main body opens and closes. When the process cartridge rotates toward the door, a portion of the process cartridge protrudes outward from the opening of the door, and when the door is closed, the process cartridge is moved back to its predetermined position within the main body of the apparatus. Features: How to install and remove process cartridges. (2) In a method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge that is removably installed in the apparatus body of an image forming apparatus, when the opening/closing door of the apparatus body is opened to attach or detach the process cartridge, the process cartridge is locked to the apparatus body. A method for attaching and detaching a process cartridge, characterized in that the process cartridge is locked with respect to the apparatus main body when the opening/closing door is released and the opening/closing door is closed.