JPH04366969A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the removal of a jammed sheet and maintenance check and, in addition, to prevent an operator from burning himself at the time of the removal of a jammed sheet in a fixing part by supporting the heating member of the fixing part and one of pressure members arranged below a paper carrying path with a supporting member. CONSTITUTION:A covering mechanism CV provided on the supporting member 25d covers the pressure roller of the fixing part 6 while interlocking with an opening operation, and is provided with a coiled spring CV 1 supported by the supporting shaft 62a of the pressure roller and with a roller cover CV 2. One end part of the coiled spring CV 1 is fixed to the lower surface of the member 25d and the other is fixed to the cover CV 2. It energizes in the direction apart from the member. An engaging rod CV 3 fixed to the hood 61b of a heat roller 61 in engaged with an engagement shoulder part CV 2a provided on the cover CV 2. Therefore, from a closed condition the paper carrying path is released with the cover CV 2 covering the pressure roller 62, by releasing the supporting member 25d.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrostatic copying machine or an electrostatic printer.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, extremely compact image forming apparatuses such as electrostatic copiers and printers have been used to visualize an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor drum into a toner image and then transfer it to paper. A so-called portable type device has been provided (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-17453).

[0003] This type of image forming apparatus includes, within the main body of the apparatus,
An image forming unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor into a toner image and then transfers it to paper; a paper transport unit that transports the paper along the paper transport path; and an opposing arrangement across the paper transport path. The paper is sandwiched between the heated heating member and the pressure member,
A fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the paper, a drive system that drives these units, and functional components such as a control circuit and other electrical components are arranged. Each of these functional parts is attached to a metal reinforcing frame, which is arranged inside a box-shaped casing made of a resin molded product, and is made of a pair of side plates, a stay connecting the side plates, and the like. In particular, some of the parts that make up the paper transport unit and are located below the paper transport path are attached to the reinforcing frame via a support plate that is rotatably attached to the lower part of the reinforcing frame. By rotating the support plate with the device body upright and pulling out each component attached to the support plate from the device body, part of the paper conveyance path can be removed from the bottom of the device body. It can be opened.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] According to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, a part of the paper conveyance path can be opened from the bottom of the apparatus main body, so that jam removal, maintenance and inspection, etc. can be performed with some ease. However, since the fixing section cannot be opened, there is a problem in that it is difficult to perform jam removal, maintenance and inspection, etc. in the fixing section.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which jam removal and maintenance and inspection can be performed more easily. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned improvements, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can prevent burns when handling jams in the fixing unit.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 for achieving the above object has the following features: (1) After visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor into a toner image, The paper is sandwiched between an image forming section that transfers the image, ■ a paper conveyance section that conveys the paper along the paper conveyance path, and ■ a heating member and a pressure member that are arranged opposite to each other across the paper conveyance path. It is equipped with at least a fixing section that fixes the transferred toner image, ■a drive system that drives these, and ■electrical components, and these functional components are arranged in a casing made of a resin molded product. , at least a part of the members disposed on the lower side of the paper transport path among the members constituting the paper transport section is supported by a support member provided at the bottom of the casing so that it can be pulled out from inside the casing. In the image forming apparatus, one of the heating member and the pressure member of the fixing unit, which is disposed below the paper conveyance path, is supported by the supporting member;
The present invention is characterized in that a cover mechanism is provided that covers a member of the fixing section disposed below the paper conveyance path in conjunction with the opening operation of the support member.

Further, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the configuration according to claim 1, the cover mechanism guides the paper to the fixing section when the support member is closed. This constitutes a guide mechanism.

[0008]

[Operation] According to the image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
Of the heating member and pressure member of the fixing unit, the member disposed below the paper conveyance path is supported by the support member, so that this member, together with some of the members constituting the paper conveyance unit, can be removed from inside the casing. Can be withdrawn. Therefore, the portion of the paper conveyance path corresponding to the fixing section can also be opened from the bottom of the casing. Furthermore, the cover mechanism covers a member of the fixing unit disposed below the paper transport path in conjunction with the opening operation of the paper transport path.

According to the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the cover mechanism has the following features:
A sheet of paper on which an image has been formed can be guided from the image forming section to the fixing section.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples will be explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a copying machine as an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view showing its internal structure. The copying machine is of a so-called moving table type in which a document placed on the document table 1 is illuminated and scanned by moving the document table 1 made of a transparent glass plate in the left and right direction in FIG. A document presser 11 for holding down a placed document is provided above the document table 1 so as to be rotatable and openable. The copying machine includes an optical system 3 for illuminating and scanning a document moved by a document table 1, and a photosensitive drum 42, inside a device main body 2.
An image forming section 4 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface by a developing device 41 and then transfers it onto a sheet of paper; A paper transport section 5 that transports the paper along the paper transport path, a fixing section 6 that is arranged in the middle of the paper transport path and fixes the toner image transferred to the paper, the document table 1, the image forming section 4, the paper transport section 5, and It includes functional components such as a drive system 7 (see FIG. 7) for driving the fixing unit 6, and an electrical component 8 (see FIG. 7) including a control circuit for controlling these drives.

The optical system 3 includes a fluorescent lamp 31 for illuminating the original, a lens 32 for guiding light reflected from the original to the photosensitive drum 42, and the like, which are arranged inside a case 33. . The image forming section 4 includes a photosensitive drum 4
A charger 43, a developing device 41, a transfer charger 44, and a cleaner 45 are arranged in this order around the photoreceptor drum 42, and an original image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 42, which is uniformly charged by the charger 43. After forming an image to form an electrostatic latent image, the electrostatic latent image is transferred to a developing device 4.
This is a conventionally known configuration in which a toner image is visualized by a toner imager 1, a toner image is transferred to paper by a transfer charger 44, and residual toner is collected by a cleaner 45. A developing device 41, a photosensitive drum 42, and a cleaner 45 as components of the image forming section 4 are each assembled into an image forming frame 46 (see FIG. 5) to form a unit. Further, the electrification charger 43 is held by the case 33 of the optical system 3. The image forming frame 46 is made of a resin molded product, and a toner collecting container 47 for storing toner collected by the cleaner 45 is integrally molded into the image forming frame 46. The toner collection container 47 has a rectangular tray-like planar shape, and is provided above the paper transport section 5 on the downstream side in the transport direction.

The toner collection container 47 has an inclined side surface 47c continuous with a horizontal bottom 47b.
A flange portion 47a extending in the direction of the paper discharge port 21 is formed continuously from the upper end of the side surface portion 47c, and the slanted side surface portion 47c and the flange portion 47a are configured as a hand insertion guide G. . This hand insertion guide G guides the insertion of the hand into the apparatus main body 2 to a position that allows taking out small-sized paper such as a business card size that has passed through the fixing section 6, and mainly uses the side surface portion 47c to guide the insertion of the hand into the main body 2 by a predetermined amount. This restricts the insertion of the finger and prevents the finger from coming into contact with the fixing unit 6. Note that the flange portion 47a is in close contact with the upper edge of the paper ejection port 21 when it is introduced into the paper ejection port 21, and is designed to prevent the paper from getting caught on the upper edge. ing. In this way, insert a part of the toner collection container 47 into the hand insertion guide G.
Since it is configured as such, there is no need to separately arrange a hand insertion guide, and the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be reduced accordingly, making it possible to reduce manufacturing costs.

The developing device 41 includes a toner cartridge 41c that is removably inserted into a developing housing 41a made of resin, and a toner supply device that supplies toner dropped from the toner cartridge 41c into the inside of the developing housing 41a. roller 41d and developer housing 41a
an agitation roller 41e that agitates the toner supplied inside the
and a developing roller 4 that supplies toner to the photoreceptor drum 42.
1f. A large number of rib-shaped upper guides 41b are provided on the lower surface of the developing housing 41a and project in parallel to each other, and these upper guides 41b guide the upper surface side of the sheet being conveyed. The upper guide 41b is integrally molded with the developing housing 41a, and therefore, compared to the case where the upper guide is formed separately, the number of parts and assembly steps can be reduced, and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

The paper transport unit 5 has a pair of transport rollers 51 that sandwich the paper set in the paper feed tray 22 and introduce it into the apparatus main body 2, and a pair of transport rollers 51 that abuts the leading edge of the paper transported by the pair of transport rollers 51. , and a registration stopper 52 for temporarily holding the paper. The upper roller 51a, which is disposed above the paper conveyance path of the pair of conveyance rollers 51, is connected to the developing housing 41 of the developing device 41.
It is rotatably supported by an upper guide 41b protruding from a. That is, the upper guide 41b also serves as a support member for the upper roller 51a. The registration stopper 52 is rotatably provided around a fulcrum 52a, and is normally urged to rotate clockwise in FIG. The leading edge of the paper is brought into contact with the paper in this advanced state, and the paper is put on standby. Then, when the document table 1 has moved to a predetermined position, the registration stopper 52 is rotated counterclockwise via a link mechanism operated by the document table 1, for example, to retreat from the paper conveyance path, thereby making it standby. The paper thus prepared is supplied to the image forming section 4.

The fixing unit 6 fixes the toner image transferred to the paper while sandwiching and transporting the paper, and includes a heat roller 61 as a heating member heated by a built-in heater.
and a pressure roller 62 as a pressure member that is pressed against and driven by the heat roller 61 are disposed opposite to each other across the paper conveyance path. The pressure roller 62 is provided so as to be freely movable in the vertical and horizontal directions while being biased upward by a spring (not shown), and its support shaft 62a is introduced into the groove 63a of the stay 63 that supports the heat roller 61. By doing so, the relative position with respect to the heat roller 61 is determined.

The casing of the apparatus main body 2 is composed of an upper casing 24 and a lower casing 25 that are screwed together so that they can be separated from each other. 5, a drive system 7, and an electrical component 8 are held by an upper casing 24 and a lower casing 25, respectively. To explain in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, the case 33 of the optical system 3, which is one of the members disposed above the paper conveyance path, is screwed to the upper casing 24. The entire optical system 3 is held by the upper casing 24. Further, the image forming frame 46 of the image forming section 4 is screwed to the upper casing 24, so that the developing device 41 and the photoreceptor drum 42 of the image forming section 4 are screwed together.
, and a cleaner 45 are held in the upper casing 24. Further, the remaining charger 43 of the image forming section 4 is indirectly held by the upper casing 24 via the case 33 of the optical system 3, and is held on the upper part of the pair of transport rollers 51 of the paper transport section 5. The roller 51a indirectly connects to the upper casing 24 via the developing housing 41a.
The heat roller 61 of the fixing unit 6 is held by the upper casing 24 via a stay 63. On the other hand, among the members arranged below the paper conveyance path,
The lower roller 51b and registration stopper 52 of the paper conveying section 5 are held by a lower guide 25a, which will be described later, which is integrally molded with the lower casing 25, and the transfer charger 44 of the image forming section 4 and the pressure roller 62 of the fixing section 6 are held by a lower guide 25a, which will be described later. , is held by a support member 25d forming a part of the bottom of the lower casing 25.

The lower casing 25 is made of a resin molded product, and a number of rib-shaped lower guides 25a are integrally molded on the inner bottom of the lower casing 25 to guide the lower surface of the sheet being conveyed. Further, an opening 25b is provided at the bottom of the lower casing 25, and this opening 25b
The above-mentioned support member 25d is introduced. This support member 25d is made of a resin molded product, and is provided so as to be rotatable about a fulcrum 25c set on the downstream side of the fixing section 6. Further, on the upper surface side of the support member 25d, a large number of rib-shaped lower guides 25e that guide the lower surface of the sheet being conveyed are integrally formed and arranged in parallel. A transfer charger 44, which is one of the components of the image forming section 4 described above, is attached to the lower guide 25e, and a guide member e1 that guides the paper to the fixing section 6 is provided downstream of the transfer charger 44. is installed. Further, leg portions 25m are fixed to the lower surface of the support member 25d. By rotating this support member 25d clockwise in FIG. 4 about the fulcrum 25c, the bottom of the lower casing 25 can be opened, thereby opening a part of the paper conveyance path to clear the jam. We make it easy to do the following. Moreover, in this embodiment, the support member 2
Since the pressure roller 62 of the fixing section 6 is also supported by the fixing section 5d, paper jams in the fixing section 6 can be easily dealt with.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, support member 25
d is provided with a cover mechanism CV. The cover mechanism CV is a member for covering the pressure roller 62 of the fixing unit 6 in conjunction with the opening operation of the support member 25d.
a coil spring CV1 supported by the support shaft 62a of No. 2; and a roller cover CV biased by the coil spring CV1.
2. One end of the coil spring CV1 is fixed to the lower surface of the support member 25d, and the other end is fixed to the roller cover CV2, urging the roller cover CV2 in a direction away from the support member 25d. The roller cover CV2 is provided with a locking shoulder CV2a, and a locking rod CV3 fixed to the hood 61b of the heat roller 61 is always locked to the locking shoulder CV2a. According to the above structure, by releasing the support member 25 from the closed state of the paper transport path shown in FIG. 2, the paper transport path is opened with the roller cover CV2 covering the pressure roller 62 as shown in FIG. Therefore, when handling a paper jam in the fixing unit 6, there is no risk of accidentally touching the pressure roller 62 and getting burned.

Referring to FIG. 4, the lower casing 25
A rib-shaped upright piece 25f is formed along the peripheral edge of the opening 25b, and this upright piece 25f and the lower guide 25a etc. form the lower casing 25 into a monocoque structure to ensure desired rigidity. are doing. Note that cutouts 25g for forming a paper feed port 26 and a paper discharge port 21 are formed on both sides of the lower casing 25.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the upper casing 24 is an integrally molded resin product, and has cutouts on both sides for forming a paper feed port 26 and a paper discharge port 21. 24a is formed, and an opening 24b for inserting and removing the toner cartridge 41c is formed on one side that intersects the both sides. Further, a slit 24c for illuminating and scanning the original is formed on the upper surface, and a groove 24 for attaching a slider S (see FIG. 8) that movably supports one end of the original table 1.
i, and a protrusion 24 for supporting the other end of the document table 1
j are formed respectively. Further, inside the upper casing 24, a pair of band-shaped guide portions 24d are formed to hang down and guide the introduction of the toner cartridge 41c. This guide portion 24d is integrally molded at the same time as the upper casing 24 is molded, and is formed along almost the entire length of the toner cartridge 41c (
(See Figure 7). Further, a lid portion 2 covering the upper opening of the toner collection container 47 is provided at a location corresponding to the toner collection container 47.
4e is formed. The lid portion 24e is composed of a top surface of the upper casing 24 and a frame-shaped hanging piece 24f extending downward from the top surface. The toner collection container 47 is closed by bringing it into close contact with the edge, thereby preventing the toner collected in the toner collection container 47 from scattering. Note that the toner collection container 47 and the lid portion 24e of the upper casing 24 are connected to each other by screws (not shown) so as to be in close contact with each other. In this way, since the lid part 24e is integrally molded on the upper casing 24, there is no need to form a separate lid on the toner collection container 47, and the number of parts can be reduced accordingly.
Assembly man-hours can be reduced. Further, since the toner cartridge 41c can be inserted and removed through the opening of the upper casing 24, the replacement work can be easily performed without opening the inside of the apparatus main body 2. Moreover, since the guide portion 24d that guides the insertion and removal of the toner cartridge 41c is integrally molded on the upper casing 24, there is no need to separately form the guide, and the number of parts and assembly steps can be reduced accordingly.
This will help reduce costs. The upper casing 24 includes the guide portion 24d and the hanging piece 24f.
It has a monocoque structure, which ensures the desired rigidity.

Further, the upper casing 24 is integrated with the lower casing 25 by screwing them at connecting portions 24k and 25h formed at at least four corners of each. In this way, the upper casing 24
are screwed to the lower casing 25 at least at the four corners, so even if each of the casings 24, 25 is warped, this can be corrected and both can be accurately positioned. That is, the upper casing 24
If the upper and lower casings 24 and 25 are warped, it will be difficult to accurately position them, and Although local stress is generated in the pivot portion and durability becomes a problem, such a problem can be avoided by using the above-mentioned screw fastening method.

The opening 24b for inserting and removing the toner cartridge 41c is closed by a cover 24g fitted to the opening 24b. Further, the paper feed tray 22 and the paper discharge tray 23 that receives paper discharged from the paper discharge port 21 are rotatably attached to the lower casing 25, and are rotated upright when not in use. By doing so, it can be kept along the upper casing 24. Furthermore, the upper casing 2
4 and the lower casing 25 are preferably combined in a zigzag shape, as shown in FIG. This means that the light is transmitted from the abutting part of the two to the main body of the device.
This is because it is possible to effectively prevent the photosensitive drum 42 from being deteriorated by the intruding light. Note that a cursor for guiding the width of the paper may be provided on the paper feed tray 22 so as to be slidable and adjustable according to the width of the paper.

The drive system 7 is fixed to a drive system arrangement portion 24h formed inside the upper casing 24, as shown in FIG. This drive system 7 drives, in addition to the photosensitive drum 42, a toner supply roller 41d, stirring roller 41e, and developing roller 41f of the developing device 41, an upper roller 51a of the paper conveying section 5, a heat roller 61 of the fixing section 6, etc. These driven parts are each driven by a motor 71 via a gear mechanism 72. In addition, electrical components 8 having circuit boards etc. that control these drives are also included.
It is attached to the upper casing 24. By arranging the drive system 7 and the electrical components 8 except the transfer charger 44 on the upper casing 24 side in this way,
Wiring for the drive system 7 and wiring between electrical components can be easily and efficiently performed. That is, when the drive system 7 and the electrical components 8 are arranged separately on the upper casing 24 side and the lower casing 25 side, it is necessary to perform complicated wiring between the two casings 24 and 25. However, if most of the wiring work is concentrated on the upper casing 24 side, the wiring between the two casings 24 and 25 is Since the number of crossover wirings can be reduced and the wiring work can be concentrated on one casing side, the wiring work can be performed easily and efficiently.

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, since the reinforcing frame for attaching functional parts is eliminated, the number of parts is reduced accordingly, making it possible to achieve a reduction in size and weight, and to reduce manufacturing costs. be able to. Furthermore, the number of man-hours required for assembling the reinforcing frame is also eliminated, making it possible to further reduce manufacturing costs. moreover,
In conventional copying machines equipped with a reinforcing frame, there is a risk of damage such as cracking or plastic deformation occurring at the joint between the casing and the reinforcing frame due to the difference in material and strength between the two. Well, there's no danger of that happening.

If the reinforcing frame is simply abolished in a conventional copying machine equipped with a reinforcing frame, there is a concern that external forces will affect the functional parts due to a decrease in the rigidity of the main body of the device. In the example, since each functional component is held by the casings 24 and 25 which have a monocoque structure and ensure rigidity, it is possible to suppress the influence of external forces acting on the device body 2 on the functional components. In particular, since important functional parts such as the image forming section 4 are attached to the casings 24 and 25 without significantly changing their form, the original rigidity of the functional parts themselves can be fully utilized. As a result, it can strongly withstand even excessive external forces. Therefore, even if the copying machine is handled roughly by a general user who is not familiar with the internal structure of the copying machine and tends to handle it roughly, it can exhibit excellent durability. As mentioned above, miniaturization and weight reduction,
Since manufacturing costs can be reduced and durability is sufficient to withstand rough handling, a copying machine suitable for widespread use at home and for personal use can be realized.

In another embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a roller cover CV20 constituting the cover mechanism CV
is formed by curving a sheet metal member by, for example, press working, and its cross section is formed in a generally U-shape that opens toward the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction. and roller cover C
The other end of the coil spring CV1 is fixed to the lower plate part CV20a of V20, and the upper plate part CV20b faces the pressure roller 62 in the tangential direction and always covers the pressure roller 62. Also, the end wall part CV20c of the roller cover CV20
A locking member CV21 is integrally fixed to the back surface of the locking member CV21, and a locking rod CV3 is always locked to the upper part of the locking member CV21. In the structures shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, by releasing the support member 25 from the closed state of the paper transport path shown in FIG. 11, the paper is transported with the roller cover CV2 covering the pressure roller 62 as shown in FIG. Since the path is open, there is no risk of accidentally touching the pressure roller 62 and getting burned when handling a paper jam in the fixing unit 6.

Furthermore, according to the structure shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the upper plate portion CV20b faces the pressure roller 62 in the tangential direction and always covers the pressure roller 62. As shown in FIG. When CV25d closes the paper conveyance path, the upper plate portion CV20b functions as a guide mechanism that guides the paper to the fixing unit 6. Therefore, there is an advantage that there is no need to separately provide a guide member for guiding the paper to the fixing section 6.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment; for example, the heat roller 61 and pressure roller 62 of the fixing section 6 may be arranged upside down.
Alternatively, it may be constructed of a belt type that rotates endlessly. Further, the present invention can of course be applied and practiced not only to the above-mentioned moving table type copying machine but also to a type of copying machine in which a document is moved by a conveying roller. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to copying machines but also to electrostatic printers and the like.

[0029]

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, since the portion of the paper conveyance path corresponding to the fixing section can also be opened from the bottom of the casing, it is easy to remove jams and perform maintenance. Maintenance work such as inspection can be performed more easily than with conventional products. Moreover, since the cover mechanism covers the members of the fixing unit located below the paper transport path in conjunction with the opening operation of the support member, when handling a paper jam in the fixing unit, it is possible to accidentally damage the paper below the paper transport path. There is no risk of getting burned by touching the disposed members of the fixing section.

Further, according to the image forming apparatus according to claim 2, in addition to the above effects, when the support member closes the paper conveyance path, the cover mechanism acts as a guide mechanism for guiding the paper to the fixing section. It acts as a. Therefore, there is an advantage that there is no need to separately provide a guide member for guiding the paper to the fixing section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover mechanism of a copying machine as an image forming apparatus of the present invention is released.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the copying machine showing a state in which a locking mechanism of the copying machine is locked.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the copying machine.

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view showing the internal configuration of the copying machine.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an image forming section frame and a toner collection container.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the upper casing.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the upper casing.

FIG. 8 is a partially omitted cross-sectional view showing the upper casing and the document table.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a butted state of the upper casing and the lower casing.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover mechanism of a copying machine as an image forming apparatus in another embodiment of the present invention is released.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the copying machine showing a state in which the locking mechanism of the copying machine is locked.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Imaging section 5 Paper transport section 6 Fusing part 7 Drive system 8 Electrical components 24 Upper casing 25 Lower casing 25d Support member 61 Heat roller (heating member) 62 Pressure roller (pressure member) CV cover mechanism CV20b upper plate part (guide mechanism)

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim 1: ■ An image forming unit that visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor into a toner image and then transfers it to paper;
A paper transport unit that transports paper along the paper transport path, and ■
A fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred to the paper by sandwiching the paper between a heating member and a pressure member that are arranged opposite to each other across the paper transport path; ■ A drive system that drives these; ■ Electrical components. These functional parts (1) to (2) are arranged in a casing made of a resin molded product, and at least one of the members disposed below the paper transport path among the members constituting the paper transport section In an image forming apparatus in which a portion of the heating member and the pressure member of the fixing section are supported so as to be pulled out from inside the casing by a support member provided at the bottom of the casing, The arranged member is supported by the support member, and a cover mechanism is provided that covers the member of the fixing section arranged below the paper conveyance path in conjunction with the opening operation of the support member. image forming device. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover mechanism constitutes a guide mechanism that guides the paper to the fixing section when the support member is closed.