JPH04189266A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the access to an image formed medium receiving part by providing a receiving part for a medium subjected to image formation within the lower wall of a room forming means, and providing a light permeable member on the lower wall making the medium subjected to image formation is formed in the receiving part into visible state. CONSTITUTION:In a device body 1 as a box, an image forming means 2 for electrification, exposure, development, transfer, peeling, cleaning, electricity removal, and fixing is built. A room forming means forming a room R, a receiving part S for a medium subjected to image formation, a carrying means 60 carrying the medium subjected to image formation, and a support means are provided, and further, a light permeable member 5b is provided on the lower wall making the medium subjected to image formation in the receiving part S for the medium subjected to image formation into a visual state is provided. The medium subjected to image formation by the image forming means is laid in the state carried to the receiving part S for the medium subjected to image formation within the lower all of the room forming means by the carrying means 60, the lower wall can be opened by the support means. Thus, the access to the receiving part S for the medium subjected to image formation by an operator can be allowed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine and a laser beam printer.

(Prior Art) As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-303236, there has been a function to transport (re-transport) paper on which a deformed image is formed again for image formation without ejecting it. There has been an image forming apparatus equipped with a stock section that temporarily stores paper before it is conveyed again.

However, in such conventional image forming apparatuses, the stock section is located inside the device, and it is troublesome for the operator to access the stock section. This was particularly inconvenient when removing the material.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in conventional image forming apparatuses, when the operator accesses the stock section provided in connection with the function of re-conveying paper, the operator must perform a cumbersome operation. is necessary,
It was extremely inconvenient.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that facilitates access to the stock section as described above.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming means for forming an image on an image forming medium, a housing containing the image forming means, and the like. a gap forming means for forming a gap in the direction of gravity at a position in the housing in which the image forming means is provided; the gap forming means has a lower wall; and a cover formed in the lower wall; an image forming medium storage section, a conveying means for transporting the image forming medium, and further transporting the image forming medium from the image forming medium storage section to the image forming means, and a means for transporting the image forming medium to open the image forming medium. , a support means for supporting the lower wall in an openable and closable manner; and a support means provided on the lower wall for making the image forming medium in the image forming medium storage section visible when the supporting means opens and supports the lower wall. The present invention provides an image forming apparatus characterized by comprising a translucent member having a transparent structure.

(Function) The image forming medium on which the image is formed by the image forming means,
When conveyed by the conveying means to the imaged medium storage in the lower wall of the gap forming means, the support means can open the lower wall to provide access to the imaged medium storage by the operator. becomes possible.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the example shown in FIGS. 1 to 11.

Fig. 1 shows the internal structure of the entire electronic copying machine.
Image forming process configuration means 2 such as transfer, peeling, cleaning, static neutralization, fixing, etc. are built-in, and an original placing table (hereinafter referred to as a platen glass) 3 on which an original is set is provided on the top surface of the main body 1 of the apparatus. .

Further, a paper feed cassette 10.11 serving as a paper feed unit that stores paper such as plain paper to be supplied to the image forming process configuration means 2 is inserted in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1. A tray 12 for collecting fixed sheets is provided on one upper side.

The image forming process configuration means 2 has the following configuration. That is, a drum-shaped photoreceptor 20 serving as an image carrier is arranged approximately in the center of the apparatus main body 1.
Around the photoconductor 20, a conventional charger 21. Exposure equipment (optical system)
22 exposure section 22a, developing device 23, transfer charger 25 as transfer means, peeling charger 26, cleaning device 2
7. Static eliminators 28 are sequentially arranged.

Furthermore, inside the apparatus main body 1, the paper feed cassette 10.
The paper as an image forming medium automatically fed from 11 is passed through the image transfer section 30 between the photoreceptor 20 and the transfer charger 25 to a tray 12 which is detachably provided on the left side of the main body 1 of the apparatus. A paper conveyance path 31 is formed that leads to the paper.

Various devices are disposed along this paper transport path 31 as a first transport means. In other words, the image transfer section 30
, align the leading edge of the paper on the upstream side of the
A pair of registration rollers 32 are disposed to convey the paper while synchronizing the conveyance of the paper with the rotational movement of the photoreceptor 20, and on the downstream side, a fixing roller consisting of a heat roller 33a and a press roller 33b that rolls into contact with the heat roller 33g. A device 33;
A roller 34a and a roller 34 are downstream of this fixing device 33.
A pair of rollers 34 whose rollers b are in rolling contact with each other is provided, and a pair of paper discharge rollers 35 is further disposed on the downstream side thereof,
A switch 36 for detecting paper ejection is provided here. In addition, the peeling charger 26 and the fixing device 33
A conveyor belt 37 is disposed between the two. Various devices arranged along these paper transport paths 31 are as follows:
The opening/closing unit 130, which will be described in detail later, is configured to be able to integrally move in a direction away from the photoreceptor 20. A gap R is formed below inside the device main body 1 to allow the opening/closing unit 130 to open.

Near the mounting portion of the paper feed cassette 10.11, there are three pickup rollers 38° for taking out sheets of paper P1 and P2 stored in each paper feed cassette one by one, and a Taken out paper P1,
Separation conveyance means 4 composed of a roller pair of a conveyance roller that receives P2 and sends it to the paper conveyance path 31 and a separation roller.
0.41 is arranged.

By the way, in the present invention, a conveyance means is provided to guide the paper from various devices disposed along the paper conveyance path 31 to the gap R, and the image is fixed on the paper.
The structure is such that the sheet on which image formation has been completed is guided and conveyed into the gap R.

That is, a gate 50 is rotatably provided between the pair of rollers 34 downstream of the fixing device 33 and the pair of discharge rollers 35, and switches the paper conveyance direction between the pair of discharge rollers 35 and the gap R direction. Or is provided.

From the gate 50 toward the gap R, a paper guide plate 51 and a rotatably provided gate 52 for switching the paper transport direction are provided from the upstream side in the paper transport direction.

A pair of paper discharge rollers 53 is rotatably provided on one side of the paper conveyance direction switched by the gate 52 to discharge the paper into the gap R with the image-formed surface facing upward. A switch 54 for detecting paper ejection is also provided. On the other side of the paper conveyance direction switched by the gate 42, the paper is reversed and fed into a stack section S as an image forming medium storage section formed inside the lower wall of the gap R, for double-sided copying. A transportation mechanism 60 is provided. Incidentally, the lower wall of the gap R can be opened and closed as will be described later, and is configured so that the paper in the stack section S can be removed by the operator in the open state. Moreover, at least a portion of this lower wall
As shown in the figure, there is a region fitted with a translucent member, for example a glass plate 56, so that the operator can easily check the state of stacking of sheets in the stack section S.

The location of this glass plate 56 allows the operator to check the accumulated state of sheets in the stack section S without having to bend down when operating the main body 1 of the apparatus to perform a copying operation. It is preferable to provide it in a location where it can be used, and the entire lower wall may be made of a glass plate. Furthermore, the transparent member is not limited to a glass plate, but may also be made of plastic, acrylic, or the like. The double-sided conveyance mechanism includes three rollers 61 and 62 that are rotatably connected in the directions of arrows A and B in the figure, respectively, in order to switch between the leading edge and the trailing edge in the conveying direction of the paper using a so-called switchback method. Further, on the downstream side thereof, a paper guide plate 64 that guides the conveyance of paper, a pair of rollers 65 that are rotatably connected to each other so as to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions, and a switch that detects paper near the rollers 61 and 62 are provided. 66 are arranged respectively. and,
On the downstream side of the paper transported in a switchback manner by each of these rollers, a pair of paper ejection rollers 67 is rotatably provided near the insertion part into the stack section S. A switch 68 is provided to detect discharge. In addition, within the stack section S where sheets are conveyed through such a device, there is a length guide 70 provided movably in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and a length guide 70 movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of this length guide 70. A pickup roller 72 is provided to take out the sheets one by one from the width guide 71 and the stack section S, and on the downstream side of the transport of the sheets taken out by the pick-up roller 72, there is a width guide 71 provided in the stack section S. A separating and conveying means 73 is provided. Paper transport operations in these mechanisms will be described later.

Next, the exposure device 22 exposes the document set on the platen glass 3 provided on the top surface of the device main body 1 using an exposure lamp 81 as a light source whose back is surrounded by a reflector 80.
The light image reflected from the original is reflected by a first reflecting mirror 82, a second reflecting mirror 83, and a third reflecting mirror 8.
4 sequentially to the lens 85, and then the lens 85
The transmitted light image is transmitted to the fourth reflective mirror 86, the fifth reflective mirror 87, the sixth reflective mirror 88, and the slit glass 8.
The photoreceptor 9 is guided to the photoreceptor 20 sequentially.

The exposure lamp 81 and the first reflection mirror 82 surrounded by the reflector 80 are mounted on a first carriage (not shown) that is movable back and forth along the lower surface of the platen glass 3, and The reflecting mirror 83 and the third reflecting mirror 84 are mounted on a second carriage (not shown) that moves in the same direction at half the speed of the carriage 'M1, and these first and second carriages While moving from left to right in the state shown in FIG. 1 using a carriage shaft or the like as a guide, the original placed on the platen glass 3 is irradiated with light, and the photoreceptor 20 receives light corresponding to the image of the original. The image is exposed to slit light.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an operation panel 90 is provided near the platen glass on the top surface of the apparatus main body 1, through which an operator can set copying conditions and the like.

As described in detail in FIG. 3, this operation panel 90 is provided with a copy key 91 at the rightmost end for instructing the apparatus main body 1 to start a copying operation. To the left of this copy key 91 is a numeric keypad 92 for setting and inputting the number of copies, etc.
, a clear key 93 that clears and sets the set copying conditions to the standard state, a preheat key 94 that switches and sets the power saving mode and standard mode, and stores the copying conditions set by the closing operation in the device memory (not shown). interrupt key 9, which allows copying operations based on other copying conditions and resets the above-mentioned copying conditions stored in the memory by re-entering the key;
5 is provided. On the left side of these, there is a density setting section 96 for setting the density of the copied image, and in order to provide information such as how to set the copying conditions of the main body 1 of the apparatus in an interactive manner, the operator's intention can be expressed manually as YESJ, rNOJ, rHELPJ. Input unit 97 to set the magnification of the copy image to 50% to 2
00% in 1% increments are provided, and the upper part of these drawings shows the condition setting status of the apparatus main body 1 or the copying condition setting method associated with input to the input section 97. A display section 99 for displaying information is provided. Further to the left of these, a paper size specification section 100 for specifying the size of the paper, a document size specification section 101 for specifying the size of the document, and abnormal conditions of the main body l of the apparatus are displayed using figures that are easy for the operator to recognize. Display section 102,
An edit setting section 103 is provided for setting various image edits. At the leftmost end of these operation panels 60, there is a transport path selection key 104, which is a feature of the present invention, and which, when pressed, selectively sets the transport path on the downstream side of the fixing device 33 described above. The number of inputs of the conveyance path selection key 104 closes the gap R.
There are provided an indicator 104a that lights up when the paper is transported to the stack section S, and an indicator 104b that lights up when the double-sided copy setting is set in which the paper is transported to the stack section S after the number of inputs is two.

Incidentally, if it is turned on three times, it is configured so that it returns to the state in which it has not been turned on even - times.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, we will mainly focus on the transport path selection key 104.
The control section of the main body related to input will be explained.

At the center of the drawing is a main processor 110 that controls overall control of the copying operation of the main body 1 of the apparatus. On the input side of the main processor 110, an operation panel 90 is provided via an input interface circuit 111, on which the above-mentioned copy key 91, conveyance path selection key 104, etc. switch 36.54.66
．． 68 are connected. On the output side of the main processor 110, via an output interface circuit 112,
A solenoid 113 that urges the gate 50 to rotate clockwise/counterclockwise in an on/off operation, and a solenoid 114 that urges the gate 52 to rotate clockwise/counterclockwise in the same on/off operation. is connected. Furthermore, the output side of the main processor 110 is connected via an output interface circuit 112 to a motor 115 that is a drive source for each roller and the like. Furthermore, main processor 11
0 is connected via an output interface circuit 112, and in order to intermittent the driving force of the motor 115, a clutch 116 is connected between the roller 35, a Clara 117 is connected between the roller 53, and rollers 61 and 62. A clutch 118 is provided between the roller 63 and the roller 65, a driving force transmission system 119 that connects and connects the driving force to the roller 65 and rotates the roller 65 in forward and reverse directions, and a clutch 120 between the paper discharge roller 67 and the roller 65. is provided. Further, on the output side of the output interface circuit 112, there is a motor 120 for rotationally driving the pickup roller 72 and the separating and conveying means in the direction of taking out one sheet. clutches 121 and 122;
The pulses 11 and 123 and 124 for moving the length guide 70 and the width guide 71 by a predetermined amount depending on the alignment of the sheets in the stack section S, especially the size of the sheets, respectively,
electrically connected.

Here, in these control units, the transport path selection key 104
The operation related to the injection will be explained with reference to FIG. First, if the transport path selection key 104 is not pressed,
As shown in FIG. 5(a), the solenoid 113 is turned off, the gate 50 is rotated clockwise, and the clutch 1
16 is turned on to transmit the driving force of the motor 115 to the roller 35, the paper P is guided to the paper ejection tray 12 via the paper ejection roller 35, and the switch 36 detects whether the paper is ejected.

If the conveyance path selection key 104 has been turned on once,
The display 104a on the operation panel 90 lights up, and the display shown in FIG.
As shown in b), the solenoid 113 is turned on and the gate 50 is rotated counterclockwise, and the solenoid 114 is turned on.
is turned off, the gate 52 is urged to rotate counterclockwise, and only the Kurasochi 117 is turned on to transmit the driving force of the motor 115 to the roller 53. Therefore, the paper P is guided to the gap R via the paper guide plate 51 and the paper discharge roller 53, and the switch 54 detects the paper discharge. If the conveyance path selection key 104 is pressed twice and double-sided copying is set, the display 104b on the operation panel 90 lights up, and the fifth
As shown in Figure (C), the solenoid 113 is turned on and the gate 50 is rotated counterclockwise, and the solenoid 114 is further turned on and the gate 52 is rotated and urged clockwise. First, the clutch 118 and the driving force transmission system 119 are turned on, and the driving force of the motor 115 is transferred to the roller 61.
．． 62 and 63, the paper is sent to the double-sided copying conveyance mechanism 60, and is first transferred from rollers 61 and 62 to roller pair 65.
The paper P is conveyed while being held between the paper P and the paper P is detected by the switch 66.

When the paper is conveyed by the pair of rollers 65 until the paper is not detected by the switch 66 as shown in FIG. is turned on and the driving force of the motor 115 is transmitted to the roller 67. Then, as shown in FIG. 5(e), the paper is conveyed by the roller 65 to the sandwiching portion of the rollers 62 and 63, and guided to the paper ejection roller 65.
Further, the paper is guided to the stack section, and the switch 68 detects the discharge of the paper.

In this way, when the set number of copies on one side of the double-sided copying operation are completed, a signal is supplied to the pulse motor 125 to move a predetermined amount according to the size of the paper P, as shown in FIG. As shown, the paper P in the stack section S
alignment in the width direction is performed. Subsequently, a signal for moving the paper P by a predetermined amount is supplied to the pulse motor 124 according to the size of the paper P, so that the paper P moves from the left to the right in the figure, as shown in FIG. 5(f). The pickup roller 72 moves the paper to a position where it can be fed. In this state, the copy key 91
When the sheets P are loaded, the sheets P aligned in the stack section S are conveyed to the image transfer section 30 by the pickup roller 72 and the separation conveyance means 73.

In such a configuration, the conveyance path that conveys the paper to the gap R has the following characteristics.

In other words, the conveyance path for discharging paper from the paper guide plate 51 to the gap R by the roller 53 is such that when multiple sheets of originals are successively copied in ascending order, the copied sheets are piled up in the gap R according to the order in which the originals are copied. This is very convenient because the copies are already in place when the copied paper is taken out.

Next, the copying operation of the electronic copying machine 1 described above in detail will be described. First, after setting the original on the platen glass 3 and selecting the transport path using the transport path selection key 104,
Insert the copy key 91.

As a result, the exposure lamp 81 is turned on and the first and second carriages are moved along the platen glass 3. By this movement, the original is scanned with light, and the light reflected via the original is reflected by the first to third reflecting mirrors 82.8.
3.84 to the lens 85, and further passes through this lens 85 to the fourth to sixth reflecting mirrors 86.8.
7.88 and a slit glass 89 to form an image on the photoreceptor 2o. The surface of the photoconductor 20 is a charger 21
This image formation forms an electrostatic latent image of the document. This electrostatic latent image is developed by supplying developer with the developing device 23.

On the other hand, at this time, the paper sheets P1 and P2 are picked up by the pickup rollers 38 and 39 from the paper feed cassette 1o or 11.
are taken out, separated one by one by the separating and conveying means 40 and 41, and sent to the registration rollers 32. After the skew of the leading edge of the paper is aligned by the registration rollers 32, the paper is transferred to the image transfer section 30 between the photoreceptor 20 and the transfer charger 25.
The developer image on the photoreceptor 20 is transferred thereto. The paper to which this image has been transferred is peeled off from the photoreceptor 20 by the action of the peeling charger 26, and is conveyed by the conveyor belt 37. Then, this paper is sent to the fixing device 33 to have the image fixed thereon, and according to the selection state of the transport path by the transport path selection key 104, the sheet is transferred to the paper output tray 12 as described above.
, is discharged to the gap R or the stack part S.

Here, a detector for detecting attachment and detachment of the paper ejection tray 12, which is detachably attached, may be provided near the mounting portion of the paper ejection tray 12. In such a configuration, when the detector detects that the paper ejection tray 12 is not attached, the main processor 110 selects the transport path selection key 1.
Among the transport path selection states according to 04, setting of the state of ejecting to the paper ejection tray 12 is prohibited, and only the state of displaying one of the indicators 104a and 104b on the operation panel 90 is set. It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the paper is conveyed in the direction of the paper discharge tray 12 that is not attached, since malfunctions can be prevented. Moreover, with this configuration, in order to reduce the space required for installing the apparatus main body 1, the paper output tray 12 can be
can be removed, which is extremely convenient.

Incidentally, an opening/closing unit 130 that forms the transport path 31 is provided within the apparatus main body 1. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, this opening/closing unit 130 is rotatably attached to a main body frame 134 via a support shaft 132 at its rear side. A locking tool 133 is attached to the center portion of the front side of the opening/closing unit 130.

This locking tool 133 includes a hook portion 135 that is engaged with and detached from the main body frame 134, and a handle portion 136 that rotates the hook portion 135. Further, the opening/closing knit 130 is supported by a balancer 137, and when the locking tool 133 is unlocked, the opening/closing unit 130 is supported by a balancer 137.
0 is rotated gently downward.

The lower roller 32a1 of the registration roller 32, the transfer charger 25, the peeling charger 26, the conveyance belt 37, and the roller 34b are integrally and movably arranged in the opening/closing unit 130 constructed in this way.

On the other hand, as described above, a gap R for paper removal is formed in the front central part of the apparatus main body 1, and the opening/closing unit 13
0 is configured so that it can be visually observed by the operator within the gap R when opened downward.

The operation of the opening/closing unit 130 having such a configuration will be explained. First, assuming a situation in which paper is jammed in the conveyance path 31 during image formation as described above, the operator must perform the following steps to remove the jammed paper, as shown in FIG.
Operate the handle part 136 of the locking tool 133 of the opening/closing unit 130 to attach the hook part 135 to the main body frame 13.
4 from the locking hole 138. As a result, the opening/closing unit 130 is opened by gently rotating downward about the support shaft 132 due to its own weight, and moves to the visible part in the paper removal gap R of the apparatus main body 1. This movement allows the operator to visually see the paper P1 (P2) from the gap R.
Insert your hand into the gap R and remove the paper PI (P2).

In this way, after removing the paper, open/close unit 1 again.
30 is lifted upward and rotated, and the hook portion 135 of the locking tool 133 is engaged with the locking hole 138 of the main body frame 134 to lock and close it.

As described above, the opening/closing unit 130 includes the lightweight registration roller 32a, the transfer charger 25, and the peeling charger 2.
6. A conveyor belt 37 and a roller 34a are provided, and the opening/closing unit 130 is opened to remove the jammed paper.
The opening/closing operation of the opening/closing unit 130 becomes easier, and
The opening/closing mechanism can be simplified and costs can be reduced.

Also, when removing this jammed paper, make sure that the platen glass 3
does not move at all, so even if something is on the platen glass 3, it will not fall.

By the way, when a paper jam occurs in this way, if you are performing double-sided copying, if double-sided copying stops, or if the previous operator went somewhere during double-sided copying. etc., it becomes necessary to remove the paper in the stack section S. In that case, in order to easily remove the sheets from the stack section S, the lower wall 140 of the gap R is configured to be rotatable around a support shaft 142, as shown in FIG. In order to facilitate the opening operation of the lower wall 140, a handle portion 144 is formed as a recess. Therefore, when paper is to be removed from the stack section S, it can be accomplished by an extremely simple operation of grasping the handle section 144 and rotating the lower wall 140 upward. However, since it is not preferable for the lower wall 140 to be opened during the copying operation, a locking tool (not shown) is provided to lock the lower wall 140 during the copying operation.

In addition, since the gap R in the device body 1 of the main body is formed penetrating from the front to the rear as shown in FIG. 10, it is possible to take out the paper P discharged after copying not only from the front but also from the rear. I can do it. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, while executing the copying operation of the apparatus main body 1,
50 and the copying operation of the apparatus main body 1 is completed, the operator can take out the paper P without moving, which is extremely convenient. With this kind of device, the image forming apparatus can be placed in the office without worrying about the front, side, or rear, and the space can be used more effectively.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since the image forming medium storage section is provided in the lower wall of the gap forming means and the lower wall can be opened, the image forming medium storage section This greatly facilitates access and improves the operability of the device itself.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 11 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the inside of an electronic copying machine, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the electronic copying machine, and FIG. 3 4 is a block diagram showing the control unit mainly related to the selection of the conveyance path, a perspective view showing the second arrangement configuration, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing the structure of the installation of the opening/closing unit. , FIG. 9 is a side view showing the operation when taking out paper from the stack unit, and FIG.
The figure is a side view showing paper removal from the gap in the main body of the device.
FIG. 1 is a layout diagram showing the layout of an electronic copying machine. 1...Electronic copying machine main body, R...Gap, 56...
・Glass plate, 60... Conveyance mechanism for double-sided copying, S...
Stack unit, 104... Conveyance path switching key, 130...
- Opening/closing unit, 140... lower wall. Agent Patent Attorney Nori Chika Nobuyuki Yamashita - Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An image forming means for forming an image on an image forming medium; a housing housing the image forming means; a gap forming means for forming a gap; the gap forming means having a lower wall; an image forming medium storage section formed in the lower wall; a transport means for transporting an image forming medium on which an image has been formed and further transporting the image forming medium from the image forming medium storage section to the image forming means; support means for supporting the wall in an openable and closable manner; and a support means provided on the lower wall for making the image forming medium in the image forming medium storage part visible when the supporting means closes and supports the lower wall. An image forming apparatus comprising: a translucent member;