JPH05165265A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an image forming device which ensures safety movement and replacement of a process cartridge without mistake by means of a simple operation, is free from leakage, spilling, etc., of toner or developer at this time and is excellent in maintenance. CONSTITUTION:A movable console panel 11 which commands the operation of the image forming device is constituted in such a manner that its movement is restrained or released while interlocking with ON/OFF of a power source switch SW 1, and the attachment/detachment of the process cartridge 15 to/from an attaching/detaching means is restrained or released while interlocking with the movement of the console panel 11. A separable connecting part which connects a toner replenishment hopper and the developing units 23a-23b of the process cartridge 15 is constituted in such a manner that the connecting part is restrained or released while interlocking with the movement of the toner replenishment hopper and the attachment/detachment of the process cartridge 15 to/from the attaching/detaching means is restrained or released while interlocking with the restraint.

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 for forming a toner image on an image carrier by an electrophotographic method and transferring the toner image onto a transfer material to obtain an image.

In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine or a facsimile, in which an image carrier and a process cartridge in which an image forming apparatus such as a developing means and a cleaning means is unitized is detachably provided.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As image forming apparatuses such as printers and copying machines have become smaller, lighter and more sophisticated, the density and complexity of image forming apparatuses have been increasing.

On the other hand, an image forming apparatus having an image carrier and a process cartridge in which an image forming unit such as a developing unit and a cleaning unit is unitized has been developed so that an operator who is a general user can easily perform maintenance and management. It was

In an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine having this process cartridge, when an image carrier in the process cartridge is worn or deteriorated, the process cartridge itself is replaced, so that an operator who does not have specialized knowledge is required. The user can easily maintain and manage the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the apparatus main body is provided with a guide member for the process cartridge, and the process cartridge can be loaded so that an optimum image can be obtained only by inserting the process cartridge along the guide member. In such a case, in the conventional apparatus, since the insertion direction of the process cartridge and the loading direction of the transfer material are orthogonal to each other, the handling direction of the process cartridge and the handling direction of the transfer material are different, and these operations are just troublesome. In addition, the space constraint for installing the image forming apparatus has to be increased. Furthermore, in the case of maintenance, it was necessary to take a large working space.

In order to solve these drawbacks, JP-A-61-279870
An official gazette was proposed. That is, by matching the loading direction of the transfer material and the mounting / removing direction of the process cartridge provided in the upper housing, it is possible to facilitate the handling and operation of consumables and reduce the working space constraint. A device has been proposed.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, JP-A-61-279
In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 870, when the process cartridge is replaced, the upper casing must be opened and the operator himself must pull out the process cartridge from the upper casing and then take it out. Therefore, the work is not only very troublesome, but also when the process cartridge is heavy or large, the operator needs a considerable amount of force.

Further, in the paper transport path in the image forming apparatus,
When a paper jam occurs, it is necessary to put a hand in a narrow space inside the device to remove the transfer material, and no matter how much the upper housing is opened, a sufficient work space cannot be secured. Jam handling becomes difficult,
Moreover, the hand may sometimes come into direct contact with the portion soiled with toner or the image carrier. Further, in order to secure the working space, even if the process cartridge is moved or removed, it is necessary for the operator himself to pull out the process cartridge largely from the upper housing, which makes the work troublesome, and the jam processing is easily performed. It has the drawback that it cannot.

Further, when the process cartridge is inserted into or removed from the main body of the developing device, there is no fear of leakage of toner or developer from the developing device, spillage, and the like. A compact printer having a process cartridge which does not cause the above problem has not been proposed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to safely and safely carry out movement and replacement of a process cartridge by a simple operation. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that does not cause leakage of developer or the like and spillage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily and safely carrying out a work such as a paper jam generated in a sheet conveying path in the image forming apparatus and an inspection / repair in the apparatus. It is intended for.

[0012]

The above object is to attach and detach a process cartridge having at least an image carrier and a cleaner to and from an image forming apparatus, a retaining means for retaining the attachment and detachment, and the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus having an operation panel for instructing the operation of the operation panel, and a moving means for moving the operation panel, wherein locking means for attaching / detaching the process cartridge is interlocked with the moving means of the operation panel,
This is achieved by an image forming apparatus characterized by being locked or unlocked.

Further, the above-mentioned object is that the moving means of the operation panel has locking means for locking the movement of the operation panel, and the operation panel of the operation panel is interlocked with ON / OFF of the power switch of the image forming apparatus. The locking means is achieved by an image forming apparatus characterized by locking or unlocking.

Further, the above object is to provide a process cartridge which is attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus having at least an image carrier, a cleaner and a plurality of developing devices, and a rotatable or movable toner replenishing portion for replenishing toner to the developing devices. And an image forming apparatus having a connecting portion having detachable detaching means for connecting the developing device and the toner replenishing portion, wherein the connecting portion is detached in association with rotation or movement of the toner replenishing portion. Means are accomplished by an image forming device characterized in that it is activated.

Further, the above-mentioned object has an attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the process cartridge in the image forming apparatus, and a retaining means for retaining the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the locking means of the process cartridge is locked or unlocked in conjunction with the operation of the disconnecting means of the connecting portion.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the first invention of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a main cross section of a color printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the color printer. The apparatus main body 10 is surrounded by an openable / closable operation panel 11 and a panel lower part 111, an openable / closable upper cover (upper lid member) 12, a toner supply cover 13, and the like, and a detachable process cartridge 15 inside. And a paper feed cassette 16 are provided.

In FIG. 1, a photosensitive belt 17 as an image carrier is a flexible belt having a photosensitive layer such as an organic photoconductive layer coated on the surface of the belt. A photosensitive belt 17 is provided between a driving roller 18 and a driven roller 19. It is stretched. The drive roller 18 rotates via a drive gear that meshes with a gear provided in the apparatus body 10, and conveys the photosensitive belt 17 in the clockwise direction. Further, the distance holding member 20 keeps the distance between the developing sleeves 231a, 231b, 231c, 231d of the plurality of developing devices 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d and the photoconductor belt 17 constant, which is stable and favorable. It is possible to form an image. In this embodiment, the photoconductor belt 17 is used as the image carrier, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to other image carriers having a photoconductive layer such as a photoconductor drum.

Around the photosensitive belt 17, charging means, exposure means, developing means, transfer means and cleaning means are arranged.

The charging means is provided to uniformly charge the photosensitive layer on the surface of the photosensitive belt 17 with a predetermined polarity, and is an existing charger 21 such as a corona charger or a scorotron charger. A scorotron charger is preferably used for the conductive layer (OPC) photoreceptor.

The exposing means is a semiconductor laser writing system unit 22, and the photosensitive belt 17 charged by the charger 21.
The surface of is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image.

The developing means includes developers of different colors, for example, yellow, magenta, cyan and black color toners.
A plurality of developing devices 23a, 23 respectively containing (developer)
b, 23c and 23d. These developing devices 23a-23d are
Development sleeve 231a that maintains a predetermined gap from the photoconductor belt 17
~ 231d and agitation screw 232a for agitating each color toner
232d, and has a function of developing an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive belt 17 into a toner image by a non-contact developing method. This non-contact developing method is different from the contact developing method in that the photosensitive belt
Since the previous toner image formed on 17 is not damaged and the movement of the photosensitive belt 17 is not hindered, a good color image can be obtained. The developing means is not limited to color development using four different color toners as in the present embodiment, but a single color,
Two-color or three-color toners may be used, and in this case, the developing means may be provided with as many developing devices as the number of toner colors provided around the photosensitive belt 17.

The transfer means transfers the toner image formed on the photosensitive belt 17 onto the transfer material P by the transfer device 24 such as a transfer corona discharger. As this transfer means, a transfer device 24
Instead of this, an existing transfer member such as a transfer drum may be used.

The cleaning means 25 has a cleaning blade 251, which is kept at a position separated from the surface of the photoconductor belt 17 during the image forming process, and is used only for cleaning after the toner image is transferred onto the transfer material. It is provided so as to clean the photosensitive belt 17 by pressing it against the surface of the belt 17.

The toner recovery box 26 is for recovering the residual toner on the photosensitive belt 17 removed by the cleaning means 25 through the toner recovery pipe 262 by the waste toner screw 261 and storing it.

In this embodiment, the photoconductor belt 17 constituting the image forming portion of the above-mentioned printer, the charging device 21, the developing devices 23a to 23d containing the respective color toners, and the cleaning means.
Each process part of the toner collection box 26 and the toner collection box 25 is housed in the integrated process cartridge 15 and unitized,
It can be collectively attached to and detached from the device body 10. However, the process unit unitized in the process cartridge 15 is not limited to this, and at least the photoconductor belt 17 and the developing devices 23a to 23d, or the photoconductor belt 17 and the cleaning means 25 are unitized. Of course, other process parts may be united together.

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

First, the process cartridge 15 is the main body of the apparatus.
It is loaded inside 10 and is ready for image formation.
Then, when the image signal of the first color output from the image reading apparatus separate from the apparatus main body 10 is input to the laser writing system unit 22, the laser writing system unit 22.
A laser beam is generated by a semiconductor laser (not shown) in. The laser beam is rotationally scanned by a polygon mirror 221 which is rotated by a drive motor (not shown), passes through an fθ lens 222, a cylindrical lens 224, and three mirrors 223, and is uniformly charged to a predetermined charge by a charger 21 in advance. A bright line is formed by being projected on the peripheral surface of the charged photoreceptor belt 17.

On the other hand, in the sub-scanning direction, a belt index (not shown) corresponding to a specific position of the photosensitive belt 17 is detected, or a print command signal is received, and this detection or command signal is used as a reference. Then, the main scanning line at which the modulation of the semiconductor laser by the image signal is started is determined. When the scanning is started, the laser beam is detected by an index sensor (not shown) in the main scanning direction, and the semiconductor laser is modulated by the image signal of the first color with reference to the detected signal. The modulated laser beam scans the surface of the photosensitive belt 17. Therefore,
A latent image corresponding to the first color is formed on the surface of the photosensitive belt 17 which is uniformly charged by the main scanning by the laser beam and the sub scanning by the conveyance of the photosensitive belt 17. This latent image is developed by a developing device 23a containing a yellow toner corresponding to the first color in the developing means, and the photosensitive belt is developed.
A yellow toner image is formed on the surface of 17. Thereafter, the photoconductor belt 17 passes the cleaning blade 251 separated from the surface of the photoconductor belt 17 while holding the yellow toner image on the surface of the photoconductor belt 17, and then enters the image formation of the second color.

That is, the photoreceptor belt 17 on which the yellow toner image is formed is uniformly charged again by the charger 21.
Then, the image signal of the second color is input to the laser writing system unit 22, and as in the case of the image signal of the first color described above, writing is performed on the surface of the photosensitive belt 17 to form a latent image. It is formed. The latent image is developed by the developing device 23b containing magenta toner as the second color. The magenta toner image is formed in the presence of the already formed yellow toner image.

Similarly, a cyan toner image is formed by the developing device 23c containing cyan toner after the latent image is formed by the image signal of the third color, and further, a black image is formed after the latent image is formed by the image signal of the fourth color. A black toner image is superposed on the surface of the photoconductor belt 17 by the developing device 23d containing the toner,
A color toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive belt 17.

Developing sleeves of these developing devices 23a-23d
A direct current or an alternating current bias is applied to 231a to 231d, and reversal development (jumping phenomenon) is performed in a non-contact manner on the photoreceptor belt 17 whose base is grounded. For this non-contact development, either one-component developer or two-component developer can be used. When a one-component developer is used, it is not necessary to provide a toner hopper separately from the developing section, and downsizing can be achieved, but the development method using a two-component developer is superior in terms of development stability. Therefore, it is preferable for color reproduction.

The color toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor belt 17 as described above is supplied from the paper feed cassette 16 by the paper feed roller 27 to a transfer material which is timed with the color toner image by the timing roller 28. Transcribed. The transfer device 24 performs transfer by applying a high voltage power source output having a polarity opposite to that of the toner.

The transfer material P on which the color toner image has been transferred in this manner is reliably separated along the driving roller 18 by the photosensitive belt 17 which rapidly changes direction (small diameter curvature).
It is conveyed upward by the conveyor belt 29. The conveyor belt 29 is provided with a suction means 291 to surely convey it upward while sucking. The transfer material P is the fixing roller 30.
After the toner is melted and fixed by, the sheet is discharged by the sheet discharge roller 31 onto the upper surface of the upper cover 12 which also serves as a sheet discharge tray.

On the other hand, after the transfer of the color toner image onto the transfer material P, the photosensitive belt 17 is further conveyed in the clockwise direction,
The cleaning means 25 with the cleaning blade 251 in a pressure contact state removes and cleans the residual toner. After cleaning, clean the blade again.
251 is separated from the photosensitive belt 17, and a new image forming process is started.

Next, the image forming apparatus of the first invention will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a main part of a process cartridge of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, the process cartridge 15 is provided with projecting members 36 for movement on both side surfaces thereof. On the other hand, a guide member 37 for suspending the process cartridge 15 by inserting the protruding member 36 of the process cartridge 15 is attached to the internal structural member of the apparatus main body 10 in the process cartridge storage chamber of the apparatus main body 10, Is suspended. The solenoid SOL2 is attached to the internal structural member of the apparatus main body 10, and when the process cartridge 15 is loaded at a position where an image can be formed (see FIG. 1), the plunger P2 of the solenoid SOL2 projects from the process cartridge 15. Element
It can be inserted into and removed from the hole provided in 36. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the process cartridge 15 is loaded at a position where an image can be formed, the plunger P2 of the solenoid SOL2 is inserted into the hole provided in the projecting member 36 of the process cartridge 15, and the process cartridge 15 is locked. Shows. FIG. 1 also shows the process cartridge 15 as described above.
The left side view of the locked state is shown.

In FIG. 1, the micro switch SW2 is a switch for operating the solenoid SOL2. A cam 112 for operating the actuator of the micro switch SW2 is provided on the rotary shaft portion of the panel lower portion 111 below the operation panel 11.
Is provided. When the operation panel 11 is closed as shown in the figure, the micro switch SW2 is driven by the cam 112.
Actuator is activated and the micro switch SW2 is
When turned on, the solenoid SOL2 operates and locks the process cartridge 15 as shown. Therefore, when the operation panel 11 is opened to pull out or remove the process cartridge 15 from the apparatus main body 10, the micro switch SW2 is turned off and the plunger of the solenoid SOL2 moves upward to unlock the process cartridge 15. To be done. (Detailed later) In FIG. 1, the solenoid SOL1 is provided as a lock member for locking and unlocking the opening and closing of the operation panel 11. An operation panel 11 is integrally provided on the upper part of the panel lower portion 111, and the tip of the operation panel 11 is in contact with the end surface portion of the toner supply cover 13 as shown in the figure, and the operation panel 11 is in a closed state. The solenoid SOL1 is attached to an internal structural member (not shown) of the apparatus main body 10, and the solenoid SOL1.
When the OL1 operates, the plunger P1 locks the tip of the operation panel 11 as shown in the figure, and thus locks the operation panel 11 in the closed state.

SW1 is a power switch of the image forming apparatus, and the solenoid SOL1 is operated to turn on the power switch.
・ Activates / stops when turned off. Therefore, when the power switch of the image forming apparatus is turned on and the apparatus is operating as a color printer, the operation panel 11
Can't open. Of course process cartridge
15 is also locked in the image forming position of the apparatus main body 10 and stable image formation is possible.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, the process cartridge 15
The attachment / detachment will be described.

In the paper transport path in the image forming apparatus,
When a paper jam or the like occurs, or when the process cartridge is replaced, the process cartridge 15 is pulled out or removed from the apparatus main body 10. For that purpose, first, the power switch SW1 attached to the operation panel 11 is turned off. When the power switch SW1 is turned off, the operation of the solenoid SOL1 is stopped, and the plunger P1 moves downward as shown to unlock the tip of the operation panel 11. Therefore the operation panel
11 can be opened as shown and the process cartridge
It is in a state where it does not interfere with the pulling out or taking out of 15. When the operation panel 11 is rotated, the cam 112 of the rotary shaft portion does not press the actuator of the micro switch SW2, so that the micro switch SW2 is turned off, the operation of the solenoid SOL2 is stopped, and the plunger P is released.
2 moves upward to unlock the process cartridge 15. Therefore, the process cartridge 15 can be pulled out as illustrated. Further, the upper cover 12 can be opened as shown in the figure, for example, in the case of a paper jam,
When it is necessary to insert the hand from above, the hand can be inserted in this way and the jam can be easily removed. At this time, since the power switch SW1 is already turned off, there is no fear of electric shock, and the work can be carried out at ease.

When removing the process cartridge 15 from the apparatus main body 10, the guide member 37 is used to remove the process cartridge.
The projecting member 36 provided on the side surface of 15 will be pulled out until it comes off, but in this case as well, the work can proceed with peace of mind as in the above case.

The apparatus main body 10 of the process cartridge 15
The loading procedure is the reverse of the above procedure, so the description is omitted.

Next, an embodiment of the first invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The lock or release of the roller of the operation panel 11 is performed by turning ON / OFF the power switch SW1 and actuating / stopping the solenoid SOL1 due to this ON / OFF, as in the case of the above embodiment.

A bow-shaped leaf spring 113 for pressing the process cartridge 15 to a position where an image can be formed and positioning the position when the operation panel 11 is closed is provided on the lower panel portion 111 below the operation panel 11. Process cartridge 15
It is attached to the position where it abuts.

Therefore, if the power switch SW1 is turned off and the operation panel 11 is opened, the process cartridge 15
Can be pulled out or taken out. Further, when the process cartridge 15 is inserted to a position where an image can be formed on the apparatus main body, the operation panel 11 is pressed against the reaction force of the plate spring 113 to a completely closed state, and the power switch SW1 is turned on, the solenoid SOL1 is turned on. As a result, the operation panel 11 is locked in the closed state as shown. Therefore, the process cartridge 15 is stably loaded in the image forming position in the apparatus main body by the spring force of the leaf spring 113, and stable image formation is possible.

Next, an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the second invention of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS. 6 to 10. It should be noted that in the reference numerals of the parts in the illustration of the second invention, the first
The same reference numerals are given to the parts having the same function as the parts shown in the explanatory view of the invention.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 35 denotes a toner replenishing hopper which is a toner replenishing section, and is composed of four toner replenishing hoppers for replenishing toner to each developing device.

The above toner replenishing hoppers are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and are integrally coupled to each other. Each toner replenishing hopper having a conveying screw therein is connected to each developing device to reduce the image density. The toner is replenished corresponding to the above.

The four toner supply hoppers are integrated as described above, and are guided by the guide frames 351 and 352 so as to be integrally movable in the vertical direction. And the guide frame 351
The toner replenishment hopper 35 is provided with a lock pin 353 that can be locked at the lower and upper positions thereof, and a spring member 354 that is constantly pressed in the direction of the toner replenishment hopper 35 is attached. The hopper 35 is locked. The lock position shown in the figure shows a state in which the toner supply hopper 35 is locked at the lower position.

On the other hand, at the position of the toner supply hopper 35, the micro switch S attached to the apparatus main body 10
The actuator of W3 is operated by the side surface of the toner supply hopper 35, and the micro switch SW3 is turned on. When the micro switch SW3 is turned on, the solenoid SOL2 and the solenoid SOL3 shown in FIG.
The operation of OL2 locks the process cartridge 15 in the image forming position as shown. As shown in FIG. 9, the upper connection plate PA and the lower connection plate PB, which are detachable connection parts that connect the toner supply hopper 35 and the developing device of the process cartridge, are not separated by the operation of the SOL3 in FIG. You will be locked. That is, in this state, the image forming apparatus as a color printer can stably form an image.
(The connection and disconnection of the toner replenishing hopper and the developing device will be described in detail later.) In such a state, the process cartridge 15 cannot be pulled out from the apparatus main body 10 only by opening the operation panel 11 in the arrow direction. It will be like that.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, the process cartridge 15
The attachment / detachment will be described.

In the paper transport path in the image forming apparatus,
When a paper jam or the like occurs, or when the process cartridge is replaced, the process cartridge 15 is pulled out or removed from the apparatus main body 10. For that purpose, first, the operation panel 11 and the toner supply cover 13 are opened as shown. Next, pull out the lock pin 353 that locks the toner supply hopper 35,
The toner supply hopper 35 can be moved upward. The toner replenishing hopper 35 is provided with a hole into which the lock pin 353 can be inserted so that the toner replenishing hopper 35 can be locked at a position above the toner replenishing hopper 35 that does not prevent the process cartridge 15 from being pulled out. Since the spring member 354 constantly presses the lock pin 353 toward the toner supply hopper 35 as described above, when the toner supply hopper 35 is raised to the position shown in the drawing, the lock pin 353 causes the toner supply hopper 35 to move to the upper position. You will lock it by jumping into the hole that you lock with.

It should be noted that the toner replenishing pipe having a built-in conveying screw connected to each toner replenishing hopper is flexible, and the toner replenishing hopper 35 is located above the toner replenishing hopper 35 as shown in FIG. Even if the toner supply hopper 35 is moved to the position, there is no problem when the toner supply hopper 35 is locked at the upper position of the movement of the toner supply hopper 35 because the supply pipe is flexible. Since the actuator of the micro switch SW3 is not pushed by the side surface of the toner supply hopper 35, the micro switch SW3 is turned off.
Becomes When the micro switch SW3 is turned off, the plungers of the solenoids SOL2 and SOL3 move upward as shown. Accordingly, the lock of the process cartridge 15 is released, and at the same time, the lock of the connection between the upper connection plate PA and the lower connection plate PB of FIG. 9 which is a detachable connection part for connecting the toner supply hopper 35 and the developing device of the process cartridge 15. Will also be released. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the process cartridge 15 can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 10. In the case of a paper jam, the upper cover 12 can be opened as shown to insert a hand from above to easily perform a jam process.

When removing the process cartridge 15 from the apparatus main body 10, the guide member 37 is used to remove the process cartridge.
The protruding member provided on the side surface of 15 is pulled out until it comes off, and the operation in this case is the same as that of the first embodiment of the invention. The loading of the process cartridge 15 into the apparatus main body 10 is also the same as that of the first embodiment of the invention.

Next, the connection and disconnection of the toner supply hopper and the developing device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS. 8 to 10.

FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show developing units 23a, 23, respectively.
b, 23c and 23d and the corresponding toner replenishment hoppers 35a, 35b, 35c and 35d, respectively, and the structure of the connecting portion. FIG. 8 shows the process cartridge 15 and the toner replenishment seen from the direction of arrow C in FIG. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the hopper 35, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the arrow D.

Toner replenishing pipes 234a, 234b, 234 having a built-in conveying screw connected to each of the toner replenishing hoppers.
c and 234d are arranged in parallel in a plane at the upper part of the process cartridge 15 and horizontally in a vertical side surface at a side part, and the conveying screw is rotated by the motor m at each end, and the c and 234d are arranged in each developing device. On the other hand, the toner is conveyed and replenished.

Vertical replenishment pipes 235a, 235b, 235c and 235d are further connected to the respective replenishment pipes, and the lower ends of the replenishment pipes are fixed to the main body of the apparatus.
Toner drop ports 236a, 236b, 236c and 2
36d each open.

On the other hand, on the side surface of the process cartridge 15, developer carrying pipes 233a, 233b, 233c and 233d each containing a carrying screw extending from the inside of each developing device are projected, and the upper end of the rising portion thereof is connected to the upper part. It is connected to the lower connecting plate PB arranged so as to face the lower surface of the plate PA, and the toner receiving ports 237a, 237b, 237c and 237d are opened.

Each of the above toner drop openings is provided with a guide rail 1001.
And a shutter plate 1000 slidably supported by 1002A and 1002B.

The shutter plate 1000 has four shutter holes 10 at equal intervals corresponding to the toner drop openings.
Although 00A is opened, the tension spring 1003 urges the toner in the opposite direction of the arrow so that the toner drops do not coincide with the toner drops and are always closed.

On the other hand, each of the toner receiving ports is a guide rail.
The shutter plate 2000 is slidably supported by 2001, 2002A and 2002B.

Four shutter holes 2000A are formed in the shutter plate 2000 at equal intervals corresponding to the respective toner receiving ports, but they are matched with the respective toner receiving ports by the biasing force of the tension spring 2003 in the arrow direction. Instead, each toner receiving port is always closed.

When the process cartridge 15 is in the position capable of forming an image as shown in FIG. 6, the lower connecting plate PB slides in the direction of the arrow and is located directly below the upper connecting plate PA, thereby lowering the lower connecting plate PB. The spring-loaded pin 2004 on the connecting plate PB side presses the rising portion 1004 of the shutter plate 1000 on the upper connecting plate PA side to slide the shutter plate 1000 so that the shutter hole 1000A is aligned with each toner drop opening to be in an open state. Then, on the other hand, on the other hand, the shutter plate on the lower connecting plate PB side
The rising part 2005 of 2000 is the spring hooking pin on the side of the upper connecting plate PA.
The shutter plate 2000 is slid by being pressed by 1005, and the above-mentioned shutter hole 2000A is aligned with each toner receiving port so that the toner can be replenished.

When the process cartridge 15 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 7, the lower connecting plate PB slides in the opposite direction of the arrow together with the process cartridge 15 and retracts at the beginning of the movement. The shutter plate 1000 on the PA side returns to the position shown in the figure to block each toner drop port to be in a closed state, and then the shutter plate 2000 on the lower connecting plate PB side returns to the position shown to block each toner receiving port. Then, the toner is closed to prevent the toner from being washed away, scattered, or foreign matter is mixed.

Further, a tray-shaped receiving member 3000 is installed below the upper connecting plate PA, and receives and collects a small amount of toner that drops due to the operation of each shutter plate, and the receiving member 3000 As shown in FIG. 9, since the end of the developing unit in the direction of pulling out is arranged obliquely and the lower end has a reservoir, the fallen toner does not scatter and is accumulated on the toner receiving member according to the inclination and the inside of the device is contaminated by the toner. Prevent.

The toner is supplied to each of the toner supply hoppers manually by opening the toner supply cover 13 above the toner supply hopper. In this way, when jamming or replacing the process cartridge, when you pull it out, insert it, remove it, or load it, you can definitely work without causing toner leakage or spillage. Can be done.

Next, another embodiment of the second invention is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The toner replenishing hopper 35 is guided by the guide frames 351 and 352, and the toner replenishing hopper 35 can be locked at its lower or upper position by the lock pin 353 and the spring member 354. Same as in the example.

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the toner replenishing hopper 35 is locked at its lower position and the image forming apparatus operates or is operable as a color printer.

In FIG. 11, a lever A.51 is pivotally supported by a rotary shaft A.52 of an internal structural member (not shown) of the apparatus main body 10. The lever A.51 is urged in the clockwise direction by the operating spring A.53, and one arm of the lever A.51 is in contact with the protrusion on the lower surface of the toner supply hopper 35.

Also, like lever A.51, lever B.
55 is also pivotally supported on an internal structural member (not shown) of the apparatus main body 10 by its rotating shaft B.56. The first arm of the lever B 55 is connected to the other arm of the lever A 51 by a connecting rod 54 as shown in the figure.

The lock bar 58 has a shape as shown in the figure,
One end of the guide member 37 that suspends and guides the projecting member 36 of the process cartridge 15 and the projecting member 36 are penetrated as shown in the figure to lock the process cartridge 15.

At the other end of the lock rod 58, an upper connecting plate PA which is a detachable connecting part for connecting the toner replenishing hopper 35 and the developing device of the process cartridge 15 and a lower connecting plate PB are shown in the figure. Both connecting plates PA and PB are locked so that they cannot be separated by penetrating through.

An operating spring B / 57 is attached to the lock rod 58 as shown in the drawing, and urges the lock rod 58 upward. However, since the other arm of the lever B / 55 locks the pin implanted in the lock rod 58 as shown in the figure, the lock rod is not locked.
As described above, 58 maintains the lock state of the process cartridge 15 and the lock state of both connecting plates PA and PB. That is, as described above, the image forming apparatus is in a state of being operable or operable as a color printer.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, in order to pull out or remove the process cartridge 15, the operation panel 11 and the toner supply cover 13 are opened, and the toner supply hopper 35 is moved to the upper position. Then, a state in which the toner supply hopper 35 is locked at the upper position by the lock pin 353 will be described.

When the toner replenishing hopper 35 is moved to its upper position, the protrusion on the lower surface of the toner replenishing hopper 35, which is pressing the lever A · 51, is moved upward.
・ 51 rotates clockwise by the spring force of actuating spring A ・ 53. Therefore, the connecting rod 54 connected to the lever A 51 causes the lever B 55 to rotate counterclockwise. Rock stick
As described above, the operating spring B / 57 for urging the lock rod 58 upward is attached to the 58, but since the lever B / 55 rotates counterclockwise, it is planted in the lock rod 58. The pin also follows the lever B.55 and moves upward. That is,
The lock bar 58 moves upward as shown. Then, the lock of the process cartridge 15 and both connecting plates PA, P
The lock of B will be released as shown in the figure. Therefore,
The process cartridge 15 can be pulled out or removed.

As described in the first and second inventions,
Although the moving power of the process cartridge when attaching and detaching the process cartridge was not particularly described, for example, by the power of the electric motor with the rack mounted on the side of the process cartridge and the pinion that meshes with the rack, and the sensor that detects the position of the process cartridge. By driving and stopping the electric motor with a signal and, for example, a signal of SW2 or SW3, the process cartridge can be moved automatically or semi-automatically, and the image forming apparatus can be made more convenient.

[0082]

As described above, according to the present invention, the process cartridge can be moved or replaced easily by a simple operation without fail, and at this time, leakage of toner or developer,
An image forming apparatus that does not cause spills or the like is provided. Further, since the process cartridge can be moved in the same direction as the operation portion and the replacement work can be performed, the one-sided operability (one-way operability), which is important as a printer, is achieved.

Further, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily and safely carrying out a processing operation for a paper jam or the like which has occurred in a sheet conveying path in the image forming apparatus, and an inspection and repair in the apparatus. In addition, it is possible to replace the process means and disconnect the connection between the parts requiring maintenance (photoreceptor, developing device, cleaner, etc.) and unnecessary parts (toner hopper, etc.) automatically. Is gone.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a main section of a color printer, which is an image forming apparatus to which the first invention of the present invention is applied, from a left side surface.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the color printer.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main part of a process cartridge of the color printer of the first invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing how to attach and detach the process cartridge with the operation panel and the upper cover of the color printer according to the first aspect of the invention opened.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the first invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a main section of a color printer, which is an image forming apparatus to which the second invention of the present invention is applied, from the left side surface.

FIG. 7 is a view showing how to attach and detach the process cartridge with the operation panel, the upper cover and the toner supply cover of the color printer according to the second aspect of the invention being opened.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a process cartridge and a toner replenishing hopper of the color printer according to the second aspect of the present invention, viewed from the direction of arrow C in FIG.

9 is a sectional view of the color printer according to the second aspect of the present invention taken along the arrow D in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the color printer of the second aspect of the present invention centering around the upper and lower connecting plates in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view showing a main section of a color printer showing another embodiment of the second invention from the left side surface.

FIG. 12 is a view showing how to attach and detach the process cartridge with the operation panel, the upper cover and the toner supply cover of the color printer showing another embodiment of the second invention shown in FIG. 11 being opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Main unit 1000,2000 Shutter plate 1000A, 2000A Shutter hole 11 Operation panel 112 Cam 113 Leaf spring 12 Top cover 13 Toner supply cover 15 Process cartridge 17 Photoconductor belt 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d Developer 233a, 233b, 233c, 233d Transport pipe 234a, 234b, 234c, 234d, 235a, 235b, 235c, 235d Replenishment pipe 236a, 236b, 236c, 236d Toner drop port 237a, 237b, 237c, 237d Toner receiving port 3000 Receiving member 35 Toner replenishing hopper 351,352 Guide frame 353 Lock pin 354 Spring member 36 Projection member 37 Guide member 51 Lever A 53 Operating spring A 54 Connecting rod 55 Lever B 57 Operating spring B 58 Lock rod SOL1, SOL2, SOL3 Solenoid SW1 Power switch SW2, SW3 Micro switch m Motor PA upper part Connecting plate PB Lower connecting plate

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical indication location G03G 15/08 113 9222-2H (72) Inventor Hisao Sato 2970 Ishikawacho, Hachioji, Tokyo Konica Stocks Company (72) Inventor Tadayoshi Ikeda 2970 Ishikawa-cho, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo Konica Stock Company

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A mounting / demounting means for mounting / demounting a process cartridge having at least an image carrier and a cleaner on / from an image forming apparatus, a locking means for locking the mounting / demounting, and an operation panel for instructing the operation of the image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus having moving means for moving the operation panel, wherein locking means for attaching / detaching the process cartridge is locked or unlocked in association with the moving means for the operation panel. Image forming apparatus. 2. The operation panel moving means has locking means for locking the movement of the operation panel, and locks the operation panel in association with ON / OFF of a power switch of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means locks or unlocks. 3. A process cartridge attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus having at least an image carrier, a cleaner, and a plurality of developing devices, a rotatable or movable toner replenishing portion for replenishing toner to the developing devices, and An image forming apparatus having a developing device and a connecting portion having a detachable detaching means for connecting the toner replenishing portion, wherein the detaching means of the connecting portion is interlocked with rotation or movement of the toner replenishing portion. An image forming apparatus that operates. 4. The image forming apparatus has an attaching / detaching means for attaching / detaching the process cartridge, and a locking means for locking the attaching / detaching of the process cartridge, and the image forming apparatus is interlocked with the operation of the disconnecting means of the connecting portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the locking means of the process cartridge locks or unlocks the process cartridge.