JPH0484152A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the exchange of consumables, the maintenance and exchange of materials and jam treatment by making display on an operating and display section when the exchange of process materials is needed or the replenishment thereof is needed or when the jamming of a transfer material arises and moving a process cartridge from a 1st position to a 2nd position by the operation of the operating and display section. CONSTITUTION:A lamp L1 and a lamp L2 are respectively lighted and are displayed when a jamming detection signal and a detection signal of the exchange and replenishment of the process materials are inputted to the control section of a device body. The signal to supply electric power of forward rotation to motors M1 and M2 is outputted to a power source section simultaneously with the lighting by the input of either of the detection signals. Consequently, the process cartridge 30 is moved from the 1st position in the device where images can be formed to the 2nd position where the attaching and detaching of the cartridge are possible, so that the process cartridge is easily removable from a frame 50. The operations, such as exchange, inspection and replenishment of the process materials are executed at adequate time intervals in this way; further, the easy and rapid treatment of the troubles, such as jamming of transfer materials without losing the timing thereof is possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that forms an image on a transfer material such as a copying machine or a printer.

[Background of the invention]

There are many ways to obtain color images using electrophotography.
device has been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 61100770
As disclosed in the publication, a latent image is formed and developed in accordance with the number of separated colors of the original image on a photosensitive drum serving as an image forming member, and is transferred onto a transfer drum each time it is developed. There is a method of forming a multicolor image and then transferring it onto a transfer material to obtain a color copy. A device using this method requires a transfer drum large enough to transfer one sheet of image onto its circumferential surface in addition to the photoreceptor drum, and the device does not have a large and complicated structure. Inevitable.

Furthermore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-149972, for example, a latent image is formed and developed on a photoreceptor drum according to the number of separated colors of the original image, and is transferred onto a transfer material each time it is developed. There is a way to obtain a multicolor copy. With this method, it is difficult to overlay multicolored images with high precision,
It is not possible to obtain a good quality color copy.

Another method is to repeatedly form a latent image on a photoconductor drum according to the number of separated colors of the original image and develop it with color toner, and then overlap the color toner images on the photoconductor drum and then transfer the images to obtain a color image. . The basic process of forming a multicolor image is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-75850 and No. 60-75850 by the present applicant.
-76766, 60-95456, 60-95
No. 458, No. 60-158475, and the like.

In a multicolor image forming apparatus that obtains a color image through such superimposition, a plurality of developing devices containing different color toners are arranged around the periphery of the photoreceptor drum. The photosensitive drum is rotated multiple times to develop the latent image on the photosensitive drum to obtain a color image.

On the other hand, in image forming apparatuses such as monochrome analog copying machines using electrophotography and copying machines and printers using semiconductor laser/LED scanning systems, various photoreceptors, developer carriers, cleaning members, and developers that have a long service life are used. A part of the image forming means is made into a cartridge for replenishment and replacement when toner is consumed, and a member integrating the main parts of these image forming means is taken out of the apparatus for maintenance or replacement. The following are proposed. Furthermore, various configurations have been proposed in which the conveyance path of the transfer material on which an image is formed by the image forming means is opened to make it easier to take out the transfer material when clearing a jam.

A typical configuration of these is as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-54392, in which the photoreceptor drum, developer, cleaner, etc. are integrally attached to a support member, and can be pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, and each unit is Proposals were made to make replacement and repair easier, and the next step was to integrate the main parts of these image forming means and make them disposable in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-15.
4255, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 147366/1989 discloses a printer configuration that uses a similar disposable cartridge and forms a latent image on a photosensitive drum by dot exposure scanning writing using a semiconductor laser. There is.

Further, these publications disclose a configuration in which the upper housing of the divided structure is opened to open the transfer material conveyance path and take out the transfer material in the event of a jam. The upper casing has a two-part structure, and the disposal process cartridge and nozzle are arranged in a replaceable manner on the two sides to improve the workability of replacing the cartridge and the ease of clearing jams. . In addition, the two-part structure has been designed with emphasis on ease of replacing process cartridges, mainly replenishment toner cartridges and recovery toner lining cartridges. (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1161/1983 discloses a device that improves the workability of maintenance.)

In addition, the above structure is made vertical, and JP-A-63-2
No. 44058, No. 63-244059, No. 63-24
4064, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-179168, etc., this is a powerful system that aims to improve same-direction operation and jam handling.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, if the developing device, image carrier, etc. are made into a process cartridge and are replaceable with respect to the main body of the apparatus, it is easy to load and remove the process cartridge from the main body of the apparatus.
In addition, there is no need to worry about toner or developer leaking or collapsing from the developing device when it is inserted into or removed from the main body of the device, and it also has a process cartridge that does not cause these problems when dealing with transfer material jams. No compact printer has been proposed.

In addition, in a printer with a two-part structure, a proposal was made in JP-A-58 in which the process cartridge was installed in the upper housing when the upper housing was opened, and the process cartridge was kept horizontal at all times to prevent waste toner from collapsing. It is disclosed in the publication No.-190961. Although it is designed to make loading and jam removal easier,
This configuration does not solve problems such as toner drop-off and leakage when loading a cartridge, clearing a jam, or replacing minced meat.

In particular, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-2003 has a structure in which a disposable cartridge is provided in the upper casing with a two-part structure that facilitates jam disposal.
72159, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 72159 proposes that a process cartridge is installed in the lower housing to facilitate replenishment and replacement of collected toner, and the process cartridge for developing, cleaning, photosensitive drums, etc. is lifted upward when handling jams. The proposals in Publication No. 58-1161 are all contradictory in terms of workability in replacing the process cartridge and ease of jam removal. Furthermore, in these process cartridges, the developing section
The cleaning part is on the bottom and faces the transfer pole across the paper feed and conveyance path, so even if the cartridge is tightly sealed, the developer This causes toner to smear from the toner and cleaner section, causing stains inside the machine and staining the transfer paper.

Furthermore, the printer disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-195357 has a process cartridge built-in and a flat feeding and conveying path formed at the top. The problem with the transport section has not been solved because there are restrictions on the transport path between the parts. Furthermore, it is not easy to clear jams when divided into two parts, it is not compact as a whole due to the stacked paper feeding configuration of the upstand, and the opening angle of the upper housing is restricted when divided into two parts, making it difficult for users to operate. However, it has not yet been possible to provide a device with excellent performance.

Regarding color image forming bodies, as explained above, there are photoconductor drums with a photoconductor coated or vapor-deposited on the peripheral surface of the drum, as well as belts with a photoconductor coated on or mounted on a flexible belt. For example, a patent application filed in 1983 by the applicant
4-192874, etc. The shape of the belt-shaped image forming body (hereinafter also referred to as a photoconductor belt) is determined by stretching it between rotating rollers including a drive roller, so that space can be used effectively to construct a compact color image forming apparatus. It is valid in some cases. In addition, since the photoreceptor belt can run along a small curvature, it is possible to prevent poor separation of the transfer material by using a rotating roller with a small diameter and using this curvature to separate the transfer material. can.

In a color image forming apparatus using such a photoreceptor belt, each image forming means such as a charging means, an image exposure means, a plurality of developing device groups, and a cleaning means are connected to the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor belt. Although these image forming means are mainly installed facing the lower circumferential surface, each of these image forming means, including the aforementioned photoreceptor belt, is housed as a unitized process cartridge in a state that can be freely attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus. Ru.

In addition, the transfer material with the color toner image transferred to it is ejected onto a paper ejection tray installed on the top of the device with the copy side facing down, allowing the device to be installed in a small space. ing.

In recent years, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications No. 64-40850 and No. 63-244059 have disclosed configurations that use compact cartridges to solve the problems of transportability and jam handling, and that enable operations in the same direction.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-85763 discloses a control concept that performs display output when the toner in the process cartridge is exhausted or when the photoreceptor has reached the end of its lifespan.
The above-mentioned jam disposal is easy, there is no toner consumption during operation and operation of the cartridge, and it is easy to replace.
In addition, there has been no image forming apparatus that is compact and has easy-to-use functions that allow all operations to be performed from one direction on the front of the apparatus body.

As a result of solving and improving this point, the present invention facilitates the replacement of consumables, maintenance and replacement of materials, and jam handling.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus configured such that all of the above operations can be performed from the same side of the apparatus.

[Means to solve the problem]

The above object is to provide an image forming apparatus having a replaceable process cartridge including at least an image carrier, and an operation/display section, wherein the process cartridge has a first part that enables image formation.
1f and a second position where the process cartridge can be installed and removed, and when the process material of the process cartridge needs to be replaced or replenished, or when a jam occurs in the transfer material, the operation/display is displayed. This is achieved by an image forming apparatus characterized in that the process cartridge is moved from the first position to the second position by displaying a display on the operation/display unit.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 7.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a flexible photoreceptor belt which is a belt-like image carrier, and the photoreceptor belt L is installed between rotating rollers 2 and 3, and is driven clockwise by the rotational roller 2. transported to.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a support member or guide member fixed to the main body of the apparatus so as to be inscribed in the photoreceptor belt l, and the photoreceptor belt l is brought into a tensioned state by the outward biasing action of the rotary roller 3. The inner peripheral surface of the guide member 4
Let it rub.

Therefore, the photoreceptor on the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor bell 1 is always maintained at a constant position relative to the surface of the guide member 4 even during transportation, making it possible to form a stable image forming surface.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a Suflotron charger as a charging means, 7 a laser writing system unit as an image exposure means, and 8 to 11 a plurality of developing means, that is, developing devices each containing a developer of a specific color. The means is disposed facing the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor belt l with the guide member 4 on the back side.

In addition to the optical system shown in the drawings, the laser writing system unit 7 may also include an optical system that integrates a light emitting section and a convergent light transmission body.

Each of the developing units 8.9.10.11 accommodates, for example, yellow magenta, cyan, and black developers, respectively, and is provided with each developing sleeve that maintains a predetermined gap from the photosensitive belt l, and It has a function of making the latent image on l-1 visible by a non-contact development method. Unlike contact development, this non-contact development has the advantage of not interfering with the movement of the photoreceptor belt.

12 is a transfer device; 12A is a static elimination bar; 13 is a cleaning device; the blade 13A and toner conveying roller 13B of the cleaning device 13 are kept at a position apart from the surface of the photoreceptor belt I during image formation; and cleaning after image transfer is performed. Only when the photoreceptor belt 1 is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 as shown in the figure.

The process of forming a color image by the color image forming apparatus is performed as follows.

First, the formation of a multicolor image according to this embodiment is performed according to the following image forming system. That is, data obtained by a color image data input section in which an image sensor scans an original image is subjected to arithmetic processing in an image data processing section to create image data, which is then stored in an image memory. The image memory is then taken out during recording and input to a recording section, for example the color image forming apparatus shown in the embodiment of FIG.

That is, when a color signal output from an image reading device separate from the printer is input to the laser writing system unit 7, the color signal is generated by a semiconductor laser (not shown) in the laser writing system unit 7. The laser beam is rotated and scanned by a polygon mirror 7B rotated by a drive motor 7A, and passes through an fθ lens 7C to mirrors 7D and 7.
The optical path is bent by E and 7F, and the light is projected onto the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt 1, which has been charged in advance by the charger 6, which is a charging means, to form a bright line.

On the other hand, when scanning is started, the beam is detected by the index sensor, modulation of the beam by the first color signal is started, and the modulated beam scans the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt l. Therefore, a latent image corresponding to the first color is formed on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt l by the main scanning by the laser beam and the sub-scanning by the conveyance of the photoreceptor belt l. This latent image is developed by a developing device 8 loaded with yellow (Y) toner (developing medium) of the developing means, and a toner image is formed on the drum surface. The obtained toner image, while being held on the drum surface, passes under a cleaning device 13, which is a cleaning means, which is separated from the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt 1, and enters the next copy cycle.

That is, the photoreceptor belt 1 is charged again by the charger 6, and then the second color signal output from the signal processing section is input to the writing system unit 7, and the second color signal is inputted to the writing system unit 7, and the second color signal is inputted to the writing system unit 7. In the same manner, writing is performed on the drum surface to form a latent image. The latent image is developed by a developer 9 loaded with magenta (M) toner as a second color.

This magenta (M) toner image is formed in the presence of the previously formed yellow (Y) toner image.

A developing device 10 has cyan (C) toner, and forms a cyan (C) toner image on the drum surface based on a control signal generated by a signal processing section.

Furthermore, 11 is a developing device having black toner, and forms a black toner image superimposed on the belt surface by the same process. These developing devices 8, 9゜lO and 11
A direct current or even alternating current bias is applied to each sleeve, and jumping development is performed using a two-component developer as a developing means, and non-contact development is performed on the photoreceptor bell (1) whose base is grounded. It looks like this. Note that as the development, non-contact development using component developers can also be used.

The color toner image thus formed on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 is transferred to a transfer material fed from the paper feed cassette 14 via the paper feed guide 15 at the transfer section.

That is, the transfer material housed in the paper feed cassette 14 is conveyed out by the rotation of the paper feed roller 16, and one sheet of the top layer is transferred via the timing roller 17 in synchronization with the image formation on the photoreceptor belt l. is supplied to the vessel 12.

The transfer material that has undergone image transfer and static electricity removal is transferred to the rotating roller 2.
The image is reliably separated from the photoreceptor belt l, which suddenly changes direction along the direction of the photoreceptor belt l, and heads upward via the suction conveyor belt 17A, and after the image is fused by the fixing roller 18, it passes through the paper ejection roller 19 and onto the top lid 20. It is discharged onto the formed tray.

On the other hand, the photoreceptor heald l, which has completed the transfer to the transfer material, continues to be conveyed to the blade 13A and toner conveyance roller 13B.
The remaining toner was removed in the cleaning device 13 which was brought into pressure contact, and after the cleaning was finished, the blade 13A was separated again, and a little later, the toner accumulated on the tip of the toner supply roller 13B or the blade 13A was smoothed out. Afterwards, the toner supply roller 13B is separated and a new image forming process is started.

The photosensitive drum 11, the charger 6, each developing device, and the cleaning device 13 are incorporated into an independent process cartridge 30 as process materials for image formation, and are integrally attached to and removed from the main body of the apparatus.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3 showing the AA cross section, inside the device, a pedestal 50 is provided which is slidably supported by engaging a pair of fixed guide rails 40 with legs 50A on the bottom surface. The process cartridge 30 is placed on the pedestal 50 and housed in the apparatus.

The pedestal 50 is the pinion PI of the motor Ml on the device main body side.
As shown in FIG. 2, the rack plate 51 is integrally meshed with the rack plate 51, and when the motor Ml rotates, the rack plate 51 is moved diagonally upward in parallel as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the upper lid 20 is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body via a shaft 20A, and is opened by rotating counterclockwise to open an opening in the upper part of the apparatus main body.

That is, the upper cover 20 has a sector gear 21 integrated in its rotating base that meshes with a pinion P2 of a motor M2 on the apparatus main body side, and is rotated counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2 by the rotation of the motor M2 to a predetermined position. is held at an angle of

The movement of the pedestal 50 and the opening of the upper cover 20, that is, the rotation of the motors M1 and M2, are automatically started at the time of the process material replacement, inspection, or replenishment cycle and at the timing of transfer material transport trouble. .

The process cartridge 30 has a counter function that adds up the frequency of use of the process materials it accommodates, and when it is newly installed in the apparatus main body, the protrusion member 31 on the side of the cartridge shown in FIG. 3 is installed on the apparatus main body side. Press the reset lever 35 of the counter C to return the display of the counter C to O, and record the number of uses from then on. When the frequency reference value is reached, the electric signal S from the counter C is output.

〔example〕

Cleaning durability replacement...20. OOOC drum life replacement...60,000C At 60,000C, the counter C is reset by inserting a new process unit.

Based on this signal, the cycle of replacement and inspection of the photosensitive drum 11, the charger 6, each developing device, and the cleaning device 13 is detected.

Note that the protruding member 31 is described in the present inventor's actual publication No. 2829.
The proposal in Publication No. 5 is applied, thereby preventing the counter C from being reset again by the same cartridge 30.

In addition, the process cartridge 30 stores the amount of toner remaining in the toner supply hopper 30A and the amount of waste toner in the waste toner cartridge 30.
It is equipped with a sensor that detects the amount of toner collected in B, and when the time for replenishment or replacement is reached, a signal S' is transmitted to the main body of the apparatus via the connector 32 shown in FIG. The time is detected. At the time of replacement in the above-mentioned mencing period or the supply/replacement of consumable materials, a replacement display is displayed on the operation display section 60 in response to the signal SSI.

Seven sensors such as Sl, 528, and S3 are installed at key points on the conveyance path of the transfer material to detect the passage of the transfer material.After the sensor located upstream of each conveyance detects the passage of the transfer material, If the downstream sensor cannot detect the transfer material even after a predetermined time has elapsed, a jam detection signal S'' (not shown) is output to detect whether or not the transfer material has jammed.

Each of the detected signals described above is input to a control section of the main body of the apparatus, and output as a signal for controlling the rotation of the motors M1 and M2. On the other hand, the jam indicator lamp Ll is lit on the operation display section 60.

Hereinafter, the process of controlling the rotation of the motors MI8 and M2 using the above-mentioned symbols will be explained with reference to the control circuit diagram shown in FIG. 5 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 6.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention has an operation/display unit 60 provided on the front side thereof, that is, on the side indicated by arrow B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, there is a lamp Ll that indicates the occurrence of a jam in the transfer material, a lamp L2 that indicates the cycle of replacing or replenishing the process material, and a reset button that starts driving the motors Ml and M2 in the reverse direction. 61 and a use button 62 for starting drive in the normal rotation direction.

The above-mentioned jam detection signal (S''), replacement of process materials,
When the replenishment detection signal (S, S') is input to the control section of the main body of the apparatus, the lamps Ll and L2 are lit and displayed.

Furthermore, upon input of one of the detection signals, a signal is outputted to the power supply unit to supply power for forward rotation to the motors M1 and M2 at the same time as the lighting.

As shown in FIG. 4, when any one of the above-mentioned signals is input to the control section of the main body of the apparatus, the motor M
A signal is output for supplying power for forward rotation to M1 and M2, respectively.

Due to the forward rotation of the motor Ml, the pedestal 50 moves from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG.
At the position F, the rotation of the motor M1 is stopped.

As a result, the process cartridge 30 is moved from the first position in the apparatus, where image formation is possible, to the second position, where it can be removed from the apparatus, and is in a state where it can be easily removed from the pedestal 50, and process materials can be replaced. , inspections, replenishment, etc. are carried out efficiently.

Continuing or parallel to this, the front motor M2 rotates forward, and the upper cover 20 rotates from the angle shown in FIG. 1 to the angle shown in FIG. 2 to open the opening of the main body of the device. The rotation of the motor M2 is stopped at the angle at which the switch MS2 on the main body of the device is pressed and switched from OFF to ON.

Therefore, in conjunction with the movement of the process cartridge 30 described above, jamming of the transfer material can also be easily handled.

When the process cartridge 30 is removed from the pedestal 50 to replace or replenish the floss material, the process shown in FIG. 6(a)
By placing the cartridge 30 on the pedestal 50 again as shown in , the bottom of the cartridge 30 presses the switch MS3 and turns it off.
By switching from to ON, the process cartridge 3
0 storage detection signal is input, and the motors M1 and M
A signal for supplying power for reverse rotation to each of the two terminals is output.

As a result, the process cartridge 30 moves again from the second position to the original first position, and the motor Ml stops at the position where the light shielding plate 52 switches the seven sensor S4 of the apparatus main body from OFF to ON. The process material is maintained in an imageable condition.

On the other hand, the upper cover 20 rotates clockwise due to the reverse rotation of the motor M2, and the switch MSI is turned on with the sector gear 21.
The device stops at the angle required to switch from FF to ON, and the opening at the top of the device body is closed to enable copying.

In addition, when only the jam removal of the transfer material is performed and the process cartridge 30 remains placed on the pedestal 50, the reset function provided in the operation/display section 60 is reset as shown in FIG. 6(b). By pressing the button 61, a signal is output for supplying power for reverse rotation to the motors M1 and M2 in place of the action of the switch MS3.

The above-mentioned jam indicator lamp L1 and replacement/replenishment indicator lamp L2 are turned off automatically after the process cartridge returns to the first position and the top cover 20 is closed.

In addition, as mentioned above, even during wear and replacement operations, the operation and
It is also possible to specifically provide an eject button 62 on the display section 60 so that pressing the eject button causes the motors Ml and M2 to rotate in the normal direction. By pressing the reset button 61, the motor Ml
It is also possible to start the reversal of M2 at any timing.

Therefore, after confirming that the lamp LL or L2 is lit, the process cartridge 30 is moved and the top cover 20 is opened and closed by button operations, which simplifies the mechanism and allows work to be carried out safely.

FIG. 7 shows a transfer drum type image forming apparatus as another embodiment of the present invention. The photoreceptor belt and the process cartridge portion disposed around its periphery are approximately the same as those in the previous embodiment, or the transfer drum 200 is brought into contact with the transfer portion of the photoreceptor belt, and the transfer drum 200 is in contact with the transfer portion of the photoreceptor belt. 200 rotates in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) in synchronization with the photoreceptor belt 101. A transfer material is wrapped around the outer periphery of the transfer drum 200, a toner image is transferred onto the wrapped transfer material, the transferred toner images are superimposed, and then separated from the transfer drum 200 and placed directly above the fixing unit. This is what was discharged.

A charger 201 is provided at the peripheral edge of the transfer drum 200 to electrostatically attract the transfer material, and a wrapping member 202 is provided to mechanically wrap the transfer material around the transfer drum 200. 202 has a roller at its tip and comes into contact only when it is first wound around the transfer drum 200. Further, a gripper 203 is provided on the peripheral surface of the transfer drum 200, and acts to hold the leading edge of the transfer material that is synchronously conveyed. 204 is a transfer device, and photosensitive belt 1O1
Electrostatically transfer the upper toner image onto a transfer material. 205
206 is a separating electrode, and 206 is a separating claw. Further, 207 is a cleaner that can come into contact with and separate from the cleaner, and removes the toner adhered to the transfer drum 200 after the transfer material has been separated.

The transfer material discharged from the paper feed cassette 114 is transferred to the transfer drum 200, which is charged by the charger 201 while maintaining synchronization.
The yellow (Y ) Transfer the toner image onto a transfer material. After completing the first transfer, the transfer drum 200 continues to rotate, producing a magenta (M) toner image in the second rotation, a cyan (c) toner image in the third rotation, and a black (BK) toner image in the fourth rotation.
The toner images are transferred one after the other. When the transfer of the four-color toner image is completed, the transfer material is transferred to the separation electrode 20.
At step 5, the charge is removed, and the leading edge of the transfer material is released from being held by the separating claw 206, and then separated and conveyed to the fixing roller 118.

In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the transfer drum 200 is located on the apparatus main body side and is not included in the process cartridge which is movable and removable. Therefore, insertion and removal of the process cartridge, jam removal, etc. are performed in the same manner as in the previous embodiment.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, operations such as replacing, inspecting, and replenishing process materials in an image forming section can be carried out at appropriate intervals, and troubles such as transfer material jams can be easily and promptly dealt with without missing an opportunity. As a result, it has become possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is well inspected and maintained and can always copy high quality images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1, 2 and 7 are cross-sectional configuration diagrams of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views and side views of essential parts thereof, and FIG. 5 is a control circuit diagram, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the control process. l...Photosensitive drum 6...Charger 8-11...
Developing device 12...Transfer device 13...Cleaning device 14...Paper feeder 20...Top lid 21...Sectoral gear 30...Process cartridge 40...Guide rail 50... - Frame 51...
Rank board 60...operation/display section L 1 , L
2...Display lamp 5l-55...Photo sensor MSI MS2...Switch Ml, M2...Motor

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An image forming apparatus including a replaceable process cartridge including at least an image carrier, and an operation/display unit, wherein the process cartridge includes a first cartridge that enables image formation.
position and a second position where the process cartridge can be installed and removed, and when the process material of the process cartridge needs to be replaced or replenished, or when a jam occurs in the transfer material, the operation/display section An image forming apparatus characterized in that the process cartridge is moved from the first position to the second position by operating the operation/display unit.