JPH0356471B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine or a recording machine.

In particular, in order to facilitate maintenance, inspection, cleaning, repair work, etc., an image processing kit that includes a photoconductor and part or all of the image forming means disposed around it can be attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus. The present invention relates to a forming device.

Hereinafter, an explanation will be given using an electronic copying machine as an example.

Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, it is necessary to replace a photoreceptor as an image carrier, replenish developer, dispose of waste toner, clean charging wires, or maintain the developing device. Most of these tasks were performed by professional service personnel.

However, with electronic copying machines that are small and intended for personal use, the number of units installed is larger than in the past, and the variation in copy volume among users is also large, making it difficult for specialized service personnel to perform maintenance. It's coming.

Therefore, a copying machine structure has been proposed in which, for example, a photosensitive drum, a charger, a cleaner, etc. are integrated into a process kit, which can be attached to and removed from the main body of the apparatus, thereby facilitating maintenance.

Similarly, in order to facilitate maintenance, inspection, cleaning, or repair work on a copying machine, a copying machine configuration in which the main body can be divided into an upper and lower part has been considered.

This is the exposure mechanism, charger,
In a general mechanism, an upper frame equipped with a photoreceptor, a developer, a cleaner, etc. is rotatably mounted on one end of the frame as a fulcrum. )
In some cases, the upper frame is pivotably connected to the upper frame.

In the case of maintenance, inspection, repair, etc. inside the main body, the upper frame is opened wide upwards relative to the lower frame, or the drum adjacent member included in the lower frame is opened from the upper frame.

In this way, the process kit is configured to be removably attached to the apparatus main body, and the kit in which the process kit components such as the charger, photoreceptor, developer, cleaner, etc. are configured to be removably attached to the process kit. The above-mentioned maintenance is relatively easy to perform on a kit copying machine.

However, after the component parts such as the charger, photoreceptor, developer, cleaner, etc., which are the image forming means in the process kit, are individually installed and removed and maintenance, inspection, and repairs are completed, they are reinstalled into the process kit and the process is completed. When inserting a kit into the main body, all of its constituent members must be attached, but sometimes the process kit is inserted into the main body without all the constituent members being attached. In that case, not only will the main body not be able to function as an image forming device, but there is a possibility that the main body and its constituent members may be damaged. There are also safety issues. Also, from the point of view of labor, it is necessary to reinstall the process kit, which results in wasted time. Therefore, improvement in this point is required.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above.

That is, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which a process kit that removably supports at least one of an image bearing means and an image forming means acting on the image bearing means is removably inserted into a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus. When the removable means is attached to the process kit, the process kit is moved to a position that allows the process kit to be inserted into the predetermined position, and when the removable means is removed from the process kit, the process kit is moved to the predetermined position. The process kit is characterized in that the process kit is provided with means for moving the process kit to a position that prevents the process kit from being inserted into the process kit.

As a result, the present invention can perform maintenance and repair of paper jams, etc.
Or, when reinstalling the process kit after maintenance and inspection of the component parts of the process kit, such as replacing the photoconductor, replenishing the developer, disposing of waste toner, and cleaning the charging wires, the component parts are not properly installed in the process kit. If it is not installed, it may be impossible to insert the process kit into the main body.
Operation of the image forming apparatus in an incomplete state can be strictly prevented.

Embodiments of a copying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is directed. Reference numeral 1 denotes a document mounting table made of a transparent member, which moves back and forth in the direction of the arrow. Reference numeral 2 denotes a short and small diameter imaging element array, and an original image placed on an original placing table 1 is slit-exposed onto a rotating photosensitive drum 3. A charger 4 uniformly charges the photosensitive drum. The uniformly charged drum 3 is subjected to image exposure by the element array 2 to form an electrostatic image. Next, the electrostatic image is visualized by the developing device 5. On the other hand, the transfer paper P is fed between the drum 3 and the transfer charger 8 by a paper feed roller 6 and a registration roller 7 that rotates at a certain timing so as to register the image on the photosensitive drum 3, and is then transferred. The toner image on the photosensitive drum 3 is transferred onto the transfer paper P by the charger 8 .
The transfer paper P on which the image has been transferred is then separated from the drum 3, guided by a guide 11 to a fixing device 12, where the image is fixed, and is discharged as a copy to a tray 14 outside the machine by a paper discharge roller 13.

On the other hand, the surface of the photosensitive drum 3 after passing through the transfer section is cleaned to remove residual toner images after being transferred by a rubber blade 10 of a cleaning device 9, and is repeatedly used for copying.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a housing of a process kit, and the photosensitive drum 3, charger 4, developing unit 5, and cleaner 9 are assembled and held in this housing as a process kit.

The main body of the copying machine is divided into two parts, an upper frame 17 and a lower frame 18, and the upper frame 17 is connected to the shaft 1.
6 can be opened up from the lower frame 18 at any angle. Copying is carried out with the upper frame 17 fully closed to the lower frame 18 as shown in FIG. 1 and locked by a suitable locking mechanism 25. Work such as maintenance and inspection is performed by releasing the lock mechanism 25 and opening the upper frame 17 about the shaft 16. The above process kit housing 15 is held by the upper frame 17.
7, it can be freely inserted and removed from the front side of the device (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing).

The details of the copying machine in this example are omitted, but the first stage is opened at a small opening angle of the upper frame 17 (half-locked state), and the second stage is opened at a larger arbitrary angle as shown in Fig. 2. The locking mechanism 25 is configured so that the second stage can be opened as easily as possible, and when performing work such as removing jammed paper, the upper frame 17 is opened wide as shown in Fig. 2 and the second stage is opened. . Work such as inspection, repair, and replacement of equipment assembled as a process kit is performed by removing the process kit housing 15 from the upper frame 17 with the first stage open. However, in the present invention, it is not a requirement that the main body of the apparatus has a split open structure as described above, but it is sufficient that all or part of the image forming means can be inserted into and removed from the main body as a kit. .

Figures 3 and 4 show an example of a process kit loading prevention mechanism.
5 is an example of a mechanism related to the cleaner 9 that is inserted into and removed from the cleaner 5. Reference numeral 23 denotes a rotating shaft which is protruded inwardly and outwardly from the housing and is supported by the rear plate of the kit housing 15; 20 is a stopper arm whose base is fixed to and supported by the end of the shaft 23 projecting outward from the housing; and 21 is a shaft 23. The abutment lever 22 has its base fixed to the inwardly projecting end of the housing and is attached in a substantially L-shaped relationship with the stopper arm 20. Reference numeral 22 is a spring that constantly biases the shaft 23 to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing. When the cleaner 9 is installed in the process kit housing 15, the upper surface of the abutting lever 21 is pressed by the cleaner 9, and the entire lever 21, shaft 23, and stopper arm 20 move clockwise against the spring 22. It is rotated and held in the posture shown in the third figure. For convenience, the cleaner 9 attached to the process kit housing 15 and pressing the lever 21 as described above is omitted from the drawing. In this rotating position, the stopper arm 20 is in an obliquely tilted position as shown in the figure, and the upper end 20a is hidden within the plane of the rear plate of the process kit housing 15. On the other hand, when the cleaner 9 is removed from the kit housing 15, the pressure on the upper surface of the lever 21 is released, and as a result, the entire lever 21, shaft 23, and stopper arm 20 rotate counterclockwise by the force of the spring 22, and the stopper arm 20 is in an upright state as shown in the fourth figure, and rotates until it is received by a stopper 24 provided on the outer surface of the rear plate of the process kit housing 15. In this rotating posture state, the stopper arm 2
The upper end portion 20a of the process kit housing 15 protrudes upward from the upper edge of the rear plate of the process kit housing 15.

Then, the process kit housing 15 is pulled out from the main body of the apparatus and maintenance inspection, repair, etc. are performed.
When inserting the casing 15 into the main body of the apparatus again, do not forget to install the casing 15 into the casing 15. When the cleaner 9 is installed, the stopper arm 20 is in an obliquely rotating position as shown in the third figure, and the upper end 20a is housing 1
Since the housing 15 is recessed into the rear plate surface of the housing 15, it is possible to insert and reinstall the housing 15 into the main body of the apparatus without any problem.
However, when the case 15 is inserted into the main body of the apparatus and reinstalled without having forgotten to attach the cleaner into the case 15, the stopper arm 20 is in the upright position as shown in the fourth figure, and the upper end 20a is attached to the case. Because it protrudes from the upper edge of the rear plate of 15, the casing 15
When inserted into the main body of the apparatus, the upper end portion 20a of the stopper arm interferes with the edge of the case insertion opening 26 of the main body of the apparatus, making it impossible to reinstall the case. Therefore, this makes the operator aware that he has forgotten to install the necessary equipment into the housing 15.

Although the above example has been explained in relation to the cleaner 9, the charging prevention member 20 of the process kit case 15 is installed on some or all of the process component members, and the number is not limited.

That is, after maintenance of the process kit, it is now possible to prevent forgetting to install process kit components when the components are reinstalled into the process kit and inserted into the main body.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the process kit from being inserted into the image forming apparatus when the process kit is not equipped with a means that can be freely attached to and detached from the process kit. It is possible to prevent situations such as forgetting to attach a removable means to a process kit or being unable to form an image.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional front view of an example of an image forming apparatus with a built-in process kit and an upper and lower half-split type image forming apparatus in a closed state, Fig. 2 is the same view in an open state, and Fig. 3 is a process kit housing insertion prevention member. FIG. 4 is a slope view when the barrel stopper arm is in an obliquely tilted state, and FIG. 4 is a slope view when the barrel stopper arm is in an upright state. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Document placement table, 15...Process kit housing, 17...Upper frame, 18...Lower frame, 20...Stopper, 21...Abutment lever, 22...Crimp torsion spring.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus in which a process kit that removably supports at least one of an image bearing means and an image forming means that acts on the image bearing means is removably inserted into a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus. , when the removable means is attached to the process kit, the process kit is moved to a position that allows the process kit to be inserted into the predetermined position, and when the removable means is removed from the process kit, the process kit is An image forming apparatus characterized in that the process kit is provided with means for moving the process kit to a position that prevents the process kit from being inserted into a predetermined position.