JPH05333610A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an opened angle which is greater than a stroke of an elastic pushing up member by interposing the elastic pushing up member and a rod to obtain the opening angle of a top unit between the top unit and a bottom unit. CONSTITUTION:A gas spring 4 and the rod 5 with one edge connected to the spring 4 are interposed between the top unit 2 and the bottom unit 1, the other end of the gas spring 4 is attached to the side of the top unit 2 and the other end of the rod 5 is pivotally attached to the side of the bottom unit 1 as a rotation supporting point 6. The gas spring 4 is used as a constituent of the elastic pushing up member and a force acting in the direction opposite that of a force acting to rotate the unit in a closing direction is generated due to gravity of the top unit 2. When the top unit 2 becomes in a state where it is inclined and opened at the maximum opening angle, the gas spring 4 becomes in an approximately vertical state and the rod 5 becomes in an inclined state. Therefore, the opening angle of the top unit 2 can be obtained which is greater than the stroke of the gas spring 4 approximately by the length of the rod 5.

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 in which an apparatus main body is vertically divided into two parts, and an upper unit is hinged to a lower unit so as to be rotatable and openable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the image forming apparatus having the above structure, for example,
Since the paper path of the transfer paper can be opened, it is easy to remove the jammed paper, and maintenance and inspection are also easy. However, in this type of image forming apparatus, various process devices are provided in the upper unit,
The upper unit can be quite heavy.

When the upper unit becomes heavy,
It requires a large operating force to open and close it. Therefore, for example, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-209908, an elastic push-up member such as a gas spring is provided between the upper unit and the lower unit.

When such an elastic push-up member is used,
The upper unit can be opened automatically or with a light force. However, when such an elastic pushing-up member is used alone, the opening angle of the upper unit is determined by the stroke of the elastic pushing-up member, so it is difficult to set a large opening angle.

However, if such an elastic push-up member is arranged near the hinge portion of the upper unit, it is possible to obtain a certain opening angle. However, this makes it necessary to increase the reaction force of the elastic push-up member. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the strength of the mounting portion, which inevitably increases the cost of the device. Further, if the stroke of the elastic pushing-up member is lengthened, the length of the elastic pushing-up member becomes large in the most contracted state, so that the image forming apparatus tends to be large in size.
Such a device is not suitable for a relatively small image forming apparatus.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus having a structure in which an upper unit is rotationally opened so that an opening angle larger than a stroke of an elastic pushing-up member can be obtained. To provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has an image forming apparatus in which an apparatus main body is vertically divided into two parts, and an upper unit is hinged to a lower unit so as to be rotatable and openable. In the device, an elastic push-up member that generates a force in a direction opposite to the force of the upper unit by the dead weight of the upper unit, and one end is connected to the elastic push-up member and the other end Is the fulcrum of rotation, and is more than the stroke of the elastic lifting member,
A configuration is proposed in which a rod for obtaining the opening angle of the upper unit is provided between the upper unit and the lower unit.

Regarding the rod, the angle formed by the elastic push-up member and the rod on the hinge joint side is 180 °.
It is effective that the fixed stopper member is positioned at the following positions.

Further, it is effective for the rod to be click-stopped by the elastic member at a position where the angle formed by the elastic push-up member and the rod on the hinge joint side is 180 ° or more. is there.

Further, it is effective that the rod is urged to rotate in the opening direction of the upper unit.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a two-division type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying apparatus, a printer, a facsimile and the like.

In FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 has an apparatus body divided into upper and lower parts, and an upper unit 2 is hinged to a lower unit 1 so as to be rotatable and open. The portion indicated by reference numeral 3 is the hinge portion. The upper unit 2 can be rotated and opened and closed around the hinge portion 3.

Reference numeral 4 indicates a gas sprinkle, and this gas spring 4 constitutes one constitutional example of an elastic pushing-up member,
The weight of the upper unit 2 generates a force opposite to the force of the unit to rotate in the closing direction. In this example, the gas spring 4 is configured to generate a reaction force that exceeds the turning force in the closing direction due to the weight of the upper unit 2. One end of a rod 5 is rotatably connected to one end of the gas spring 4.

In the case of this example, the gas spring 4 and the rod 5 whose one end is connected to the gas spring 4 are provided between the upper unit 2 and the lower unit 1, and The end is pivotally attached to the upper unit 2 side, and the other end of the rod 5 is pivotally attached to the lower unit 1 side as a pivot point 6.

When the upper unit 2 is closed as shown by the solid line, the gas spring 4 is in a tilted state in a contracted state, and the rod 5 is in a state of lying sideways.

When the upper unit 2 is closed,
The unit 2 is locked in the closed position by a locking means (not shown), and when the space between the units 1 and 2 is opened, the locked state is released. Then, the gas spring 4 comes to extend against the own weight of the upper unit 2, and accordingly, the upper unit 2 is pivotally opened with the hinge portion 3 as a fulcrum. When the operator places his hand on the upper unit 2 to further open it when the gas spring 4 is fully extended, the rod 5 moves to the gas spring 4
And is swung clockwise around the fulcrum 6.
In this way, the upper unit 2 occupies the inclined open position shown by the broken line in FIG. Even when the reaction force of the gas spring 4 is set equal to or smaller than the turning force in the closing direction due to the weight of the upper unit 2, the upper unit 2 can be opened with a small force.

When the upper unit 2 is in the tilted open position with the maximum opening angle, the gas spring 4 is in a substantially vertical state as shown by the broken line, and the rod 5 is in a tilted state. With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an opening angle of the upper unit that is equal to or larger than the stroke of the gas spring 4 by about the length of the rod 5.

With the upper unit 2 opened, the upper unit 2 is locked in the open position by an appropriate locking means. For example, the upper unit 2 is shown by the broken line in FIG. When locking at the position indicated by, the following locking means are used to simplify the structure.
The intended purpose can be achieved.

When the upper unit 2 is at the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 1, the angle θ formed by the gas spring 4 and the rod 5 is 180 ° or less, as shown in FIG. The angle θ is an angle on the hinge portion 3 side.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 is a pin-shaped stopper member projecting from the lower unit 1,
When the rod 5 rotates from the solid line position in FIG. 1 to the broken line position,
At this broken line position, the rod 5 is stopped by the stopper member 7 and the rod 5 is positioned. That is, even if the weight of the upper unit 2 acts, the rod 5 does not rotate in the closing direction, and the upper unit 2 does not rotate.
It is held in the inclined open position as shown by the broken line.

By using such locking means, the opened upper unit 2 can be locked with an extremely simple structure. In addition, when closing the upper unit 2,
Push the rod 5 with your finger to rotate it counterclockwise around the fulcrum 6. This rotation may be performed until the gas spring 4 and the rod 5 pass through a central position where they are in a straight line,
After that, if the upper unit 2 is rotated in the closing direction against the reaction force of the gas spring 4, it can be closed to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. Further, when the reaction force of the gas spring 4 is set to be smaller, the upper unit 2 can be automatically closed at a slow speed to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, a torsion spring 8 is attached to a shaft 6 which serves as a fulcrum of rotation of the rod 5, and the rod 5 is rotated clockwise (opening direction of the upper unit) by this spring. When urged, the operating force at the time of opening the upper unit 2 can be reduced, or the upper unit 2 can be completely and automatically rotated to the open position. That is, when the stopper member 7 is provided, the rod 5 naturally rotates until it comes into contact with the stopper member 7, and the lock state is appropriately established.
In this way, the operability can be significantly enhanced.

In the layout of the image forming apparatus 10, the stopper member 7 as shown in FIG. 2 may not be provided at the position as shown. That is, there is a case where it is desired to provide the stopper member on the left side of the central position touched earlier.

In this case, the upper unit 2 can be locked in the open position by adopting the following locking means.

FIG. 2 shows a rotating state in which the gas spring 4 and the rod 5 have passed the central thought position, while FIG. 3 shows a state before they both passed the central thought position. It is a thing. That is, the gas spring 4
The angle θ between the rod 5 and the rod 5 is 180 ° or more. In this state, the upper unit 2 is in a slightly closed position from the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. The upper unit 2 is locked at such a position.

The rod 5 is engaged with the free end 9a of the elastic member 9 made of a leaf spring, which clicks and stops at the position shown in FIG. The base end of the elastic member 9 is fixed to the lower unit 1 as shown in FIG.

The self-end portion 9a of the elastic member 9 is bent in a V shape, and the ridge line portion 5a of the rod 5 is formed on the inner surface thereof.
Is hitting. In this state, the rod 5 is click-stopped, and the upper unit 2 is held at a position slightly lower than the broken line position in FIG.

While the rod 5 shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 3, the rod 5 passes through this portion while bending the free end portion 9a of the elastic member 9.
As shown in FIG. 4, it engages with its free end 9a.

When closing the opened upper unit 2,
The upper unit 2 may be pushed down slightly forcibly. In this way, the rod 5 rotates while elastically bending the free end 9a of the elastic member 9 and passes through the free end. In any case, the rod 5 has a free end 9
The locked state can be released by pushing down the upper unit 2 until it passes a.

A portion connecting the gas spring 4 and the rod 5 is shown by reference numeral 11, and FIG. 2 shows a case where the connecting portion 11 is located closer to the right side in the drawing than the central position. In this case, when closing the upper unit 2, the rod 5 has to be slightly turned counterclockwise. On the other hand, in FIG. 3, since the connecting portion 11 is located on the left side of the drawing from the central position, such an operation is unnecessary. The elastic member 9 effectively functions especially in such a structure.

[0032]

According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect, the opening angle of the upper unit, which is larger than the stroke of the elastic pushing-up member, can be obtained by skillfully combining the elastic pushing-up member such as a gas spring with the rod. Obtainable. Further, it is not necessary to provide such a constituent member near the hinge portion of the upper unit, and the degree of freedom of installation can be further enhanced.

According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect,
The upper unit can be locked with an extremely simple configuration in the opened state of the upper unit such that the angle formed by the elastic push-up member and the rod is 180 ° or less on the hinge portion side.

According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect,
The upper unit can be locked with an extremely simple structure in the opened state of the upper unit such that the angle formed by the elastic pushing-up member and the rod is 180 ° or more on the hinge side. Also, when unlocking the opened upper unit, you only have to push this unit slightly downward,
This kind of closing operation can be performed easily.

According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect,
The opening operation of the upper unit can be lightened, and its operability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an opening / closing type image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an open holding mechanism of an upper unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of the open holding mechanism of the upper unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of an open holding mechanism of another example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Lower unit 2 Upper unit 4 Gas spring as elastic pushing member 5 Rod 7 Stopper member 9 Elastic member 10 Image forming device θ angle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming apparatus in which an apparatus main body is vertically divided into two parts, and an upper unit is hinged to a lower unit so as to be rotatable and openable and closable, the upper unit is attached by its own weight in a closing direction. An elastic push-up member that generates a force in the opposite direction to the force about to rotate, one end of which is connected to the elastic push-up member, and the other end of which serves as a rotation fulcrum, and the stroke of the elastic push-up member or more The image forming apparatus, wherein the rod for obtaining the opening angle of the upper unit is provided between the upper unit and the lower unit. 2. The rod is a rod which is positioned by a fixed stopper member at a position where an angle formed by the elastic push-up member and the rod on the hinge coupling side is 180 ° or less. Image forming apparatus. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rod is a rod which is click-stopped by the elastic member at a position where the angle formed by the elastic push-up member and the rod on the hinge joint side is 180 ° or more. apparatus. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rod is a rod that is urged to rotate in the opening direction of the upper unit.