JPH0583770U - Electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] To provide an electrophotographic apparatus in which a document take-out roller and a white roller can be easily and detachably mounted. [Arrangement] An upper original guide and a lower original guide 174 defining upper and lower original conveying paths, an original take-out roller 158 arranged above the entrance of the original conveying path to take out and convey the originals one by one, and a conveying path. Separating unit 156, which is disposed below the entrance of the document, and which separates the original document after the leading original document, which is also held by the contact portion with the original document taking roller, from the original document taken out by the taking-out roller 158, and the original document taking roller. An image reading unit, which is arranged on the downstream side of the document conveyance direction from 158 and reads the image of the document conveyed here, and a white roller 162, which is arranged on the opposite side of the image reading unit and the conveyance path. , The original take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 to the lower original guide 1
And a mounting means that is detachably mounted to the unit 74.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an electrophotographic apparatus having an image forming means utilizing electrophotography.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, an electrophotographic apparatus is equipped with an image reading mechanism that reads an image of a document, and this image reading mechanism conveys a document in order to convey it to the image reader in a state where the documents are separated one by one. A document take-out roller and a document separating unit arranged so as to contact the roller are provided at the entrance of the path.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 Here, in such a document separating section, in order to achieve a reliable document separating state, the contact state between the document take-out roller and the document separating unit must always be kept constant. However, when the document separating operation is repeatedly executed, the contact state described above is changed due to the abrasion of the friction roller of the document taking roller, the abrasion of the separating member in the document separating unit, etc., and the separating function is impaired. Misfeed will occur. For this reason, it is necessary to replace the document take-out roller and the document separating unit as needed. It has been pointed out that the document is firmly attached and fixed in the document separation section, and its removal operation is difficult. Also, if the white roller arranged opposite to the image reader becomes dirty, it deteriorates the image reading accuracy, and it is necessary to clean the white roller frequently. However, in the prior art, like the document take-out roller, the white roller is relatively firmly attached and fixed in the document separating section, and it has been pointed out that the removing operation is difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to easily attach and detach a document take-out roller or a white roller within a range that does not impair the separating operation. It is to provide an electrophotographic apparatus.

[0005]

[Means for solving the problem]

 In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention has an upper document guide and a lower document guide that define a document transport path in the vertical direction and an upper document guide located above the entrance of the transport path. Document take-out rollers that are provided and take out and convey the documents brought forward one by one, and a document take-out roller that is arranged below the entrance of the above-mentioned conveying path and contacts the document take-out rollers. , When there are a plurality of originals, separating means for separating the originals after the first original brought into contact with the original take-out roller from the original taken out by the take-out roller, and the original feeding direction from the original take-out roller. An image reading unit that is arranged on the downstream side and reads an image of a document conveyed here, and a weight roller that is arranged on the opposite side of the image reading unit and the conveyance path, Serial and original take-out roller and the white roller and characterized by comprising a mounting means for removably attaching to the lower original guide.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the lower document guide includes a guide body that defines a lower surface of the transport path, and a pair of lower document guides that are attached to both sides of the guide body. The support plate, a first recess formed on the upper edge of each support plate in the upstream side with respect to the document conveyance direction, and for supporting the document take-out roller, and the original document on the upper edge of each support plate. A second concave portion for supporting the white roller is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the document take-out roller includes a shaft portion and a friction roller portion attached to an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion have bearing bushes. It is characterized in that it is fitted into the corresponding first concave portions of both support plates and is pivotally supported rotatably.

In addition, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the white roller includes a shaft portion and a white roller portion attached to an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion have bearing bushes. It is characterized in that it is fitted in the corresponding second concave portions of both support plates via the above and is rotatably supported by the shaft.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the bearing bush is provided between a bearing main body portion into which a corresponding shaft portion is rotatably inserted, and the support plate corresponding to the bearing main body portion. And a locking unit that locks the bearing body to the support plate in a disengageable manner.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the locking means is formed integrally with the bearing main body and extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the rotation axis of the corresponding shaft portion. And a protrusion formed on a side surface of the extension and protruding toward a corresponding support plate, and a bearing formed on the support plate and having the corresponding protrusion fitted therein. It is characterized by having a locking hole for locking the bush in the corresponding recess. The electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the upper original guide is attached so as to be separated upward from the lower original guide.

[0011]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, a configuration of an embodiment of the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in the case of being applied to a facsimile apparatus.

[Description of Overall Configuration] As shown in FIG. 1, the facsimile apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment automatically reads the image information of a transmission original in which a plurality of sheets are set at one time, one by one, The read image information is sent to the facsimile machine on the receiving side of the other party using the telephone line, and the image information transmitted from the facsimile machine on the other party's receiving side is transmitted via electrophotography using the laser scanning method. It is constructed so that it can be transferred (image formation) to a built-in paper (in this embodiment, a cut plain paper). On the other hand, the facsimile apparatus 10 is configured to have a so-called electronic copying function capable of copying (forming an image) the image information read from the original document on a built-in sheet. Further, the facsimile device 10 has a so-called printer function capable of transferring (forming an image) the image information transmitted from the information processing device, for example, through a connection line other than a telephone line to a sheet containing the image. Is also configured.

The facsimile apparatus 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the main plate 12 and the main plate 12 arranged substantially parallel to the mounting surface thereof, and has the above-described image forming function. The print mechanism 14, a swing frame 16 that is rotatably supported at the rear end of the main plate 12, and is swingable with respect to the main plate 12, and is disposed on the upper surface of the swing frame 16. An image reading mechanism 18 having the above-described image reading function, and a control panel 20 having a rear end rotatably supported by an intermediate portion of the swing frame 16 and swingable with respect to the main swing frame 16. Lower frames 22a, 22b fixed to both left and right sides of the lower surface of the main plate 12 and extending in the front-rear direction, and both lower frames 22a, 22b. The laser scanning unit 24 which is disposed in the space sandwiched between the main plate 12 and the lower surface of the main plate 12 and has a function of forming a latent image on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum (described later) of the print mechanism 14, The lower frames 22a and 22b each have four legs 26 fixed to the front and rear ends of the lower surface, respectively, and mounted on a mounting surface (not shown).

[Explanation of Enclosure 28] Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the facsimile apparatus 10 is provided with an enclosure 28 that completely defines the outer surface thereof. In this embodiment, the enclosure 28 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the space sandwiched by the lower frames 22a and 22b (that is, the portion below the main plate 12) and below the main plate 12. The lower housing 30 and the middle housing, which is continuously provided immediately above the lower housing 30 and surrounds the print mechanism 14 and is provided above the main plate 12. A housing (printer housing) 32 and an upper housing 34 which is continuously arranged immediately above the printer housing 32 and fixed to the swing frame 16 so as to openably close the upper opening of the housing 32. It is configured in a state in which it is divided into three parts. The control panel 20 is pivotally supported at the rear edge of the front opening so as to openably close the front opening formed in the front portion of the upper housing 34. There is.

As described above, since the enclosure 28 that defines the outer surface of the facsimile device 10 has the three-part structure including the lower housing 30, the printer housing 32, and the upper housing 34, after assembling all the internal structures, The enclosure 28 can be assembled in a state irrelevant to the internal structure, and the workability of assembling the facsimile device 10 can be improved. As shown in FIG. 4, the above-mentioned leg portions 26 are arranged at four corners of the substantially rectangular bottom surface of the facsimile apparatus 10, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively. It is fixed to the lower surfaces of the lower frames 22a and 22b. That is, in the fax machine 10, the main plate 12 does not have the enclosure 28 (particularly the lower housing 30) assembled therein during the assembly thereof, but the main plate 12 has the lower frames 22a, It will be stably placed on an assembly table (not shown) via the leg portions 26 fixed to the lower surface of 22b.

Further, with the lower housing 30 attached to the lower frames 22a and 22b, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, each leg portion 26 is formed on the lower housing 30 in a corresponding state. It is configured to be inserted through the through hole 30a formed of the stupid hole and taken out downward. As a result, the weight of the facsimile device 10 is basically received by the main plate 12 via the lower frames 22a and 22b while the facsimile device 10 is placed on the assembly table, and the enclosure 28 including the lower housing 30 is received. Will have no effect on. Therefore, an unnecessary load (self-weight) does not act on the enclosure 28, the risk of deformation due to receiving this load is eliminated, and thinning is achieved, so that the overall weight can be reduced. Become.

Although the details will be described later, the laser scanning unit 24 is set so as to be attached to the lower surface of the main plate 12 as shown in FIG. .. As shown in FIG. 6, a part of the laser scanning unit 24 (specifically, a laser beam outlet for image exposure on a photosensitive drum, which will be described later), is projected to the upper surface side of the main plate 12. Is set. Here, if the leg portion 26 is attached to the lower surface of the lower housing 30 and the lower housing 30 receives the load through the leg portion 26, the lower housing 30 is not assembled in advance. It becomes difficult to assemble No. 4, the work order is greatly restricted, and the workability is extremely deteriorated. However, in this embodiment, the leg portions 26 for receiving the load are fixed to the lower frames 22a and 22b in a state independent of the lower housing 30, so that the leather scanning unit 24 is configured so that After the lower frames 22a and 22b are assembled to the main plate 12, the lower frames 22a and 22b can be assembled to the lower surface of the main plate 12 at any time, so that the degree of freedom in workability is increased and the workability can be improved.

On the other hand, in the center of the rear part of the above-mentioned upper housing 34, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a paper feed cassette 36 is inserted and a paper feed cassette mounting opening 34a also serving as a transfer paper take-in opening is formed. Further, document intake ports 34b for receiving the transmission originals are formed in front of the attachment ports 34a, respectively. Although not described, the paper feed cassette 36 is configured so that a large number of paper sheets of a predetermined size can be accommodated in a batch. Further, in the front surface of the printer housing 32, a paper ejection outlet 32a for ejecting the paper on which the image information is transferred is formed on the lower surface in a state of being positioned downward, and the reading operation is provided above the paper ejection opening 32a. A document discharge port 32b through which the transmitted document after the completion is discharged is formed. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front surface of the lower housing 30 receives the paper ejected from the paper ejection port 32a and the transmission original document ejected from the document ejection port 32b. A paper discharge tray 38 is detachably attached. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of guide portions 40a and 40b are provided at the above-mentioned original document intake port 34b so as to be movable along the width direction of the transmitted original document according to the size of the original document to be transmitted. A document tray 40 is detachably attached.

On the upper surface of the control panel 20 described above, various operation buttons 20a are arranged, and a display window 20b having a liquid crystal display device for displaying predetermined information to an operator is arranged. ing. An upper housing release button 42 is provided on the right side of the front surface of the control panel 20. The upper housing release button 42 is rotatably attached to the swing frame 16 and is rotated to push it up to lock the swing frame 16 to the main plate 12 in a closed state. 7 is released, the swing frame 16 and the upper housing 34 attached to the swing frame 16 can be rotated upward as shown in FIG. As a result, the upper opening of the printer housing 32, that is, the upper surface of the print mechanism 14 is opened over substantially the entire surface, and the operation of removing the paper jammed during the conveyance and the maintenance of each mechanism portion constituting the print mechanism 14 are performed. Etc. can be easily performed.

On the other hand, to the immediate left of the upper housing release button 42, a control panel release button 44 is arranged adjacent to it. The control panel release button 44 is rotatably attached to the control panel 20. By rotating the control panel release button 44 so as to push it down, the lock of the control panel 20 in the closed state to the swing frame 16 is released. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the control panel 20 can rotate upward. As a result, the front opening of the upper housing 34, that is, the upper surface of the image reading mechanism 18 is opened over substantially the entire surface, and the operation of removing the document jammed during conveyance and each mechanism forming the image reading mechanism 18 are performed. It will be possible to easily perform maintenance of the parts. As shown in FIG. 9, a front opening 30b communicating with the front inner space in the lower space surrounded by the lower housing 30 is formed on the front surface of the lower housing 30 described above. The front opening 30b is openably closed by a front blind cover 30c (shown in FIG. 7). Incidentally, as will be described in detail later, in this front inner space, an adjustment board 46 for changing and adjusting, for example, a direct current resistance value, an electrostatic capacitance, etc. is accommodated in accordance with the standards of each country in the world. .. Then, by removing the front blind cover 30c, it is possible to adjust and set the DC resistance value, the electrostatic capacitance, etc. in the adjustment board 46 according to the standard of the country to be shipped. .

On the other hand, on the rear surface of the lower housing 30, as shown in FIG. 3, there is formed a rear opening 30d communicating with the rear inner space in the lower space. The rear opening 30d is openably closed by a rear blind cover 30e. In the rear inner space, as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of left and right board guide rails 48, 50 are parallel to each other in a state of extending in the front-rear direction on the lower surfaces of the lower frames 22a, 22b. It is installed in a state of being attached to. Guide grooves 48a and 50a are formed on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrate guide rails 48 and 50 facing each other.

A main control board 52 which controls the entire control of the facsimile apparatus 10 is supported in a state where both end edges are slidably guided by the guide grooves 48a and 50a. Then, by removing the rear blind cover 30e, the main control board 52 can be taken out of the enclosure 28 through the rear opening 30d. In this way, the main control board 52 can be very easily used as needed. Will be replaced.

The bottom portion of the lower housing 30 is formed with a bottom opening 30f which is slightly larger than the laser scanning unit 24, as shown in the bottom view of FIG. The opening 30f is openably closed by a bottom blind cover (not shown). Then, by removing the bottom blind cover, the laser scanning unit 24 can be easily put into and taken out from the lower space described above through the bottom opening 30f. In other words, during the assembly of the facsimile device 10, for example, by setting the intermediate assembly to the sideways state, the laser scanning unit 24 can be easily mounted on the main plate even after the lower housing 30 is assembled. The bottom blind cover 30g can be simply removed without removing the lower housing 30 even when the laser scanning unit 24 is replaced in the event of a failure. This replacement operation can be performed only by itself, and the workability of assembling the laser scanning unit 24 and the workability of the replacement thereof can be improved.

[Description of Document Tray] Next, the configuration of the document tray 40 described above and the receiving structure of the document tray 40 in the printer housing 32 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, the original tray 40 is provided with a flat plate-like original placing table 54 on which an original is placed, as shown in a partially enlarged state in FIG. 10, and on the original placing table 54, the above description is given. A pair of left and right guide portions 40a and 40b are attached so as to be movable along the width direction. Inclined boss portions 56, 58 for supporting the document tray 40 on the upper housing 34 in a state of being inclined at a predetermined angle are integrally formed at both left and right sides of the front portion of the document placing table 54. Here, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, each of the inclined boss portions 56, 58 has a support surface 56a, which is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the extending surface of the document placing table 54 (that is, the document placing surface). 58a is provided in the latter half of the lower surface, and the supporting surfaces 56a and 58a are in close contact with the upper surface of the upper housing 34, so that the document placing table 54 is tilted by a predetermined angle with respect to the upper surface of the upper housing 34. It will be supported in an inclined state.

Further, projecting boss portions 60 and 62 projecting downward are integrally formed on the front half portions of the lower surfaces of the inclined boss portions 56 and 58, respectively. On the lower surface of each of the projecting boss portions 60 and 62, a projection that extends substantially parallel to the extending surface of the document mounting table 54 (document mounting surface) and that projects downward from the above-mentioned supporting surfaces 56a and 58a. Surfaces 60a and 62a are formed, respectively. At the lower ends of the projecting boss portions 60, 62, locking pins 60b projecting outward along the width direction, that is, from the left and right side surfaces of the corresponding projecting boss portions 60, 62, respectively. 62b is attached integrally.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, a tray holder 35 for receiving the document tray 40 is integrally attached to the upper surface of the upper housing 34 to which the document tray 40 is attached. Through holes 35a, 35b are formed on the upper surface of the tray receiving base 35 so that the pair of left and right locking pins 60b, 62b are inserted from above. Corresponding protruding bosses 60 and 62 are fitted to the tray receiving base 35 located immediately in front of the respective insertion holes 35a and 35b in a continuous state with the corresponding insertion holes 35a and 35b. Fitting holes 35c and 35d are formed. Here, the respective fitting holes 35c, 35d are set to have a size sufficient to form a predetermined space in front of the front surfaces 60c, 62c of the projecting boss portions 60, 62 fitted therein. Further, recesses 35e and 35f having a semicircular cross section for rotatably receiving the corresponding locking pins 60b and 62b from below are formed on the lower surface of the portion defining the both side edges of the respective fitting holes 35c and 35d. Has been done.

Since the original tray 40 and the tray receiving stand 35 to which it is attached are configured in this manner, when attaching the original tray 40 to the tray receiving stand 35, first, as shown in FIG. 14 in a substantially upright state. From this state, as shown in FIG. 14, the locking pins 60b, 62b are inserted through the corresponding insertion holes 35a, 35b, and the protruding bosses 60, 62b are inserted. Are fitted into the corresponding fitting holes 35c and 35d. In this way, the locking pins 60b and 62b are taken out below the lower surface of the upper housing 34.

After that, the portions where the supporting surfaces 56a, 58a of the inclined boss portions 56, 58 and the projecting surfaces 60a, 62a of the projecting boss portions 60, 62 intersect with each other are set behind the corresponding insertion holes 35a, 35b. As shown in FIG. 15, by rotating the document tray 40 as a whole in the counterclockwise direction in the state where it is applied to the upper edge of each end, as shown in FIG. , 62b enter into the corresponding recesses 35e, 35f from below, and are received in a rotatable state by the respective recesses 35e, 35f, and the respective support surfaces 56a, 58a closely contact and abut on the upper surface of the upper housing 34. In this way, the document tray 40 is attached to the upper surface of the tray receiving stand 35.

When removing the document tray 40 from the tray receiving base 35, the procedure reverse to the above-described mounting operation may be performed. In this way, the document tray 40 can be easily replaced by the upper tray. It can be attached to and detached from the housing 34, and in the attached state, its posture can be reliably maintained in a stable state. That is, when the original tray 40 is attached to the upper housing 34, the supporting surfaces 56a and 58a are in close contact with the upper surface of the tray receiving base 35, so that the original tray 40 moves backward (that is, in the opposite direction in the drawing). Rotation (in the clockwise direction) is prohibited, and the mounting posture will be maintained. On the other hand, since the size of each of the fitting holes 35c and 35d is set so that a predetermined space is formed in front of the front surfaces 60c and 62c of the protruding boss portions 60 and 62, the document tray 40 is moved forward. Rotation (that is, along the clockwise direction in the figure) is allowed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16, when the upper housing 34 is lowered and the upper surface of the printer housing 32 is completely closed by the upper housing 34, a document tray attached to the upper housing 34 is attached. 40 and a paper feed cassette 36 attached to the print mechanism 14 fixed to the main plate 12 are arranged substantially parallel to each other. As is clear from the above description, the document tray 40 is attached to the upper housing 34, and the paper feed cassette 36 is attached to the print mechanism 14. Therefore, for example, when the print mechanism 14 is maintained, the upper housing 34 is When the swinging frame 16 is rotated upward to open it upward, the original tray 40 is also rotated integrally with the opening operation. Will remain. As a result, the rear end of the document tray 40 interferes with the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 36 and abuts against it when the document tray 40 is half opened as shown in FIG.

However, in this embodiment, as described above, since the original tray 40 is allowed to rotate in the clockwise direction in the drawing from the attached state with respect to the upper housing 34, the original tray 40 shown in FIG. With the further opening operation of the upper housing 34 from the state shown, the rear end of the document tray 40 is slid along the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 36 and is moved in the clockwise direction in the figure with respect to the upper housing 34. It will rotate. In this manner, the document tray 40 is rotated clockwise along with the opening operation of the upper housing 34, so that, for example, the rear end of the document tray 40 is the opening operation of the upper housing 34. Even if it comes into contact with the upper surface of the paper feed cassette 36 on the way, the original tray 40 may not be damaged, and the opening operation of the upper housing 34 may not be disturbed.

On the other hand, as described above, the adjustment board 46 shown in FIG. 19 is housed in the front space in the lower space of the lower housing 30. A large number of jumper terminals 64a, 64b, ... Are erected on the front edge of the adjustment board 46 facing the above-described front opening 30b. As shown in FIG. 20, each of the jumper terminals 64a, 64b ... Is composed of a pair of connection terminals 65a, 65b which are spaced apart in the state of being close to each other. Then, by electrically connecting the connection terminals 65a and 65b of the arbitrary jumper terminals 64a, 64b ... Through the connecting member 66, that is, by shorting them, the jumper terminal 64a in the corresponding circuit. , 64b ... The electrical state is defined as the “0” state. On the other hand, in a state where the connection terminals 65a, 65b of the arbitrary jumper terminals 64a, 64b ... Are not electrically connected, the electrical state of the jumper terminals 64a, 64b. Stipulated in.

On the other hand, in the adjustment board 46, as shown in FIG. 20, the predetermined jumper terminals 64a, 64b, ... It is possible to adjust and change the specifications such as DC resistance value and capacitance according to the specifications of each country to be shipped. That is, in this embodiment, as is apparent from the above description, in order to adjust and change the electrical standard according to the specifications of each country, simply remove the front blind cover 30c and open the front opening. By opening 30b, the front edge of the adjustment board 46 is made accessible, and the connecting member 66 is connected to the corresponding jumper terminals 64a, 64b according to the specifications of each country through the front opening 30b. It is possible to adjust and change the facsimile device 10 so that it becomes an electrical standard according to the specifications of the country by attaching it to.

As a result, the manufacturer of the facsimile apparatus 10 does not need to set a production line in consideration of the standards in each country of the world, and a uniform production line can be set up, and the production efficiency is extremely improved. It will be a thing. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to manage the electrical standard of each country in the world, and it becomes unnecessary to manage the inventory of the electric parts of each country according to the number of shipped units of each country, and the productivity can be improved. become.

On the other hand, in the country to which the facsimile device 10 is supplied, the predetermined jumper terminals 64a, 64b, ... Are short-circuited by the connecting member 66 in a state conforming to the standard peculiar to the country. The attaching operation of the connecting member 66 can be performed simply by removing the front blind cover 30c. For example, it is necessary to remove the lower housing 30 and also remove the adjusting board 46 itself from the enclosure 28. Is not necessary either. In this way, this changing and adjusting operation requires only a very simple work of removing the front blind cover 30c and attaching the connecting members 66 to the predetermined jumper terminals 64a, 64b ... It is possible to achieve the effect of achieving this.

[Description of Structure of Swing Frame 16] Next, the structure of the swing frame 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in the drawing, the swing frame 16 extends sideways with side plates 68a and 68b arranged in parallel in a standing state, and connects the front ends of both side plates 68a and 68b to each other. A solid front connecting shaft 70 and a solid rear connecting shaft that is disposed substantially parallel to the front connecting shaft 70 and connects the rear ends of both side plates 68a and 68b to each other to function as a swing support shaft. 72, and a pair of front and rear plate-shaped mounting bases 74a and 74b arranged so as to connect the front portions of the both side plates 68a and 68b to each other. Here, the swing support shaft 72, which will be described in detail later, is rotatably supported by swing support brackets 76a and 76b that are fixed in a state of standing upright at the left and right ends of the rear portion of the main plate 12. There is.

On the other hand, locking hooks 78a and 78b are rotatably attached to the left and right ends of the front connecting shaft 70 described above in such a manner that they are integrally rotated about their longitudinal axes. .. Each of the locking hooks 78a, 78b is composed of an inclined surface whose lower end surface is inclined in a direction away from the upper surface of the main plate 12 as it goes rearward, and the rear end of the locking hooks 80a, 80b is described later. Each of them is formed so as to project backward by a predetermined amount so that they can be locked. Further, the respective locking hooks 78a, 78b are elastically biased by a torsion coil spring (not shown) so as to be rotationally displaced in the clockwise direction in the figure, and are not supported by the stopper (not shown). By abutting on each other, they are elastically held at their stop positions.

The locking hooks 78a and 78b are elastically held at the above-described stop positions, and the swing frame 16 is rotated downward from the open state, so that The inclined surface engages with the corresponding locking pin 80a, 80b attached to the main plate 12 from above, and according to the inclination, it is forced along the counterclockwise direction in the figure against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring. It is designed to rotate. On the other hand, when the swinging frame 16 is rotated further downward to further shift the locking hooks 78a, 78b counterclockwise, the locking pins 80a, The engagement with 80b is released at the rear end of each inclined surface, and at the time of this release, the biasing force of the corresponding torsion coil spring reverses the rotation bias in the clockwise direction in the figure. As a result, the upper surfaces of the locking hooks 78a, 78b enter below the corresponding locking pins 80a, 80b, and the swing frame 16 is thus locked in the closed position.

On the other hand, the respective locking hooks 78a, 78b are connected to the above-mentioned upper housing opening button 42, and by pushing this up, the respective locking hooks 78a, 78b act on the biasing force of the torsion coil spring. It is forcibly rotated counterclockwise in the figure against this, and in this way, the locked state with the corresponding locking pins 80a, 80b is forcibly released. The locking pins 80a, 80b are aligned with each other in the lateral direction to the mounting brackets 82a, 82b fixed to the left and right ends of the front portion of the upper surface of the main plate 12, and the main pins It is firmly attached and supported so as to be substantially parallel to the upper surface of the plate 12.

As described above, the swing frame 16 has a structure in which the rigidity thereof is increased in a state where the swing frame 16 has a substantially rectangular shape in a plane, and the swing frame 16 penetrates in the width direction. The rear connecting shaft 72 attached in 1 is used as a swing support shaft. As a result, the image reading mechanism 16 for reading the image of the transmission original is attached to the pair of front and rear mounts 74a and 74b. For example, the swing frame 16 is an axis line of the swing support shaft 72. Even if it is repeatedly driven to swing around, it is not twisted, and the posture in the closed state with respect to the main plate 12 can always be kept constant. In particular, as will be described later in detail, the lower surfaces of the pair of front and rear mounts 74a and 74b on which the image reading mechanism 16 is mounted are set so as to define the upper surface of the paper transport path in the print mechanism 14, and as described above. Since the distortion of the oscillating frame 16 is surely suppressed, the sheet conveying path can be satisfactorily and accurately defined with a predetermined accuracy.

On the other hand, with the opening operation of the swing frame 16, the upper housing 34 is driven to be opened. However, as is clear from the above description, when the upper housing 34 is opened, the upper housing 34 is opened. It is designed so that no rotational driving force acts on itself. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the upper housing 34 from being distorted due to the opening operation of the upper housing 34. Therefore, it is possible to form the upper housing 34 into a thin wall, and thus to reduce the total weight. Can be done. As shown in the drawing, the front end of the paper feed cassette 36 is introduced into a space surrounded by the swing frame 16 and located behind the pair of front and rear mounts 74a and 74b. It is set so that the space is regulated.

[Description of Swing Support Structure of Swing Frame 16] Next, the swing support structure of the swing frame 16 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 22 to 25. First, a mode will be described in which both ends of the rear connecting shaft 72 as a swing support shaft are rotatably supported by corresponding swing support brackets 76a and 76b, respectively. As shown in FIG. 22, the right end of the swing support shaft 72 is set to pass through the corresponding right swing support bracket 76b and terminate at the corresponding right side plate 68b. On the other hand, the left end of the swing support shaft 72 penetrates the corresponding left side swing support bracket 76a, and further projects the corresponding left side plate 68a toward the outside. The left side plate 68a has a predetermined protrusion amount from the outer surface thereof. It only ends in a protruding state. The protruding left end 72a of the swing support shaft 72 has a damper 84, which will be described later in detail, so that the upper housing 34 can be stopped at an arbitrary open position. It is installed between and.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, the connecting bushes 86a, are attached to the left and right ends of the swing support shaft 72 (note that, at the left end, the ends except the protruding end 72a). 86b is inserted in each. The connecting bushes 86a and 86b are hollow cylindrical sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 that are directly fitted to the outer periphery of the swing support shaft 72, and outer flanges that are integrally formed at the outer ends of the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1. And 86a2 and 86b2. The sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 and the swing support shaft 72 are connected to each other by spring pins 88a and 88b, which are attached so as to penetrate the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 in the radial direction, so as to rotate integrally with each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 25, the outer peripheral surfaces of the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 are provided with support holes 90a and 90b formed in a state of penetrating the corresponding upright pieces of the rocking support bases 76a and 76b in the thickness direction. It is slidably supported on the inner peripheral surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24, a pair of flat portions 86a3 and 86b3 which are parallel to each other are formed in the portions of the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 which are located directly outside the corresponding support holes 90a and 90b, respectively. Has been done. On the other hand, the left and right side plates 68a and 68b are set so that the portions of the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 having such a pair of flat portions 86a3 and 86b3 are complementarily fitted respectively, and along the thickness direction. Mounting holes 92a and 92b are formed in a penetrating state. By thus fitting the portions of the sleeves 86a1 and 86b1 having the pair of flat portions 86a3 and 86b3 into the mounting holes 92a and 92b in a complementary manner, the connecting bushes 86a and 86b respectively come into contact with the corresponding left and right. It will rotate integrally with the side plates 68a and 68b.

Further, in this embodiment, in order to ensure the integral rotation of both of them, as shown in FIG. 23, the respective outer flanges 86a2, 86b2 of the connecting bushes 86a, 86b are , Are fixed to the corresponding left and right side plates 68a and 68b by spot welding, respectively. In this manner, the left and right side plates 68a, 68b are fixed to the left and right ends of the swing support shaft 72 with the connecting bushes 86a, 86b interposed, respectively, and are integrally rotated according to the rotation thereof. It becomes possible to move, that is, swing. Since the left and right side plates 68a and 68b are fixed to the swing support shaft in this manner, the swing frame 16 including the side plates 68a and 68b is not distorted and maintains a stable posture, and the swing support shaft is maintained. It will be rocked around the axis of 72. In addition, since the distortion deformation of the swing frame 16 is prevented in this manner, the occurrence of so-called squeaking in the pivotally supporting the rotatably supporting frame 16 is effectively suppressed, and as a result, with an extremely light operating force. The rocking frame 16 can be rockingly driven, and therefore the upper housing 34 attached thereto can be opened and closed. In this way, the operability of the upper housing 34 can be improved.

[Description of Mounting Structure of Damper 84] Next, referring to FIGS. 26 and 27, a mounting structure of the damper 84 for stopping the swing frame 16 having the above-described configuration at an arbitrary rotational position explain. This damper 84 protrudes leftward from the leftward projecting end 72a of the swing support shaft (rear connecting shaft) 72, that is, the left swing support base 76a, and further from the corresponding left side plate 68a to the left. It is set so as to be interposed between the main plate 12 and the end portion 72 a protruding in one direction. For this reason, a mounting stem 94 is fixed to the protruding end portion 72a of the swing support shaft 72 in a state of extending along the radial direction of the swing support shaft 72 so as to rotate integrally therewith. One support pin 94a having an extension axis parallel to the extension axis of the swing support shaft 72 is fixed to the tip of the attachment stem 94. The one support pin 94a has the above-described damper. One end of 84 is rotatably attached. On the other hand, a mounting bracket 96 is fixed to the upper surface of the main plate 12, and the other support pin 96a having an extension axis parallel to the extension axis of the one support pin 94a is fixed to the attachment bracket 96. Has been done. The other end of the damper 84 is rotatably attached to the other support pin 96a.

Here, the damper 84 is configured as a gas-filled cylinder type, and has a cylinder main body 84a on one end side and a piston extending on the other end side so as to project / retract from the cylinder main body 84a. Each has a rod 84b. That is, the tip portion of the cylinder body 84a is rotatably supported by the one support pin 94a, and the tip portion of the piston rod 84a is rotatably supported by the other support pin 96a. It is supported. As is well known, the projecting / pulling force of the piston rod 84a from the cylinder body 84a is attenuated by the gas enclosed inside, and the rotation stop position can be elastically maintained. There is.

Since the damper 84 is attached in this way, when damping the turning force of the rocking frame 16, the damping force of the rocking support shaft 72 constituting the rocking frame 16 is directly damped. It is configured to do. Therefore, the reaction force generated when damping the rotational force of the swing frame 16 does not act on the entire swing frame 16, but directly and partially on the swing support shaft 72. It will be a matter. In other words, if one end of the damper 84 is connected to the upper housing 34 attached to the swing frame 16, the reaction force generated when damping the turning force of the swing frame 16 is This acts on the upper housing 34, which may cause twisting deformation in the upper housing 34. In order to prevent this twisting deformation, the rigidity of the upper housing 34 is increased. In addition, consideration must be given to, for example, increasing the wall thickness. Therefore, the weight of the entire apparatus increases and the manufacturing cost increases, which is not preferable.

However, in this embodiment, as is apparent from the above description, the reaction force generated in the damper 84 when the turning force of the rocking frame 16 is attenuated acts on the rocking support shaft 72. In other words, it can be received by the swing support shaft 72. Here, the torsional rigidity of the swing support shaft 72 is set to be extremely high. In this way, the reaction force generated in the damper 84 is reliably received by the swing support shaft 72 and does not cause twisting deformation of the swing support shaft 72. In this way, even if the damper 84 is provided to elastically hold the rotating position of the swing frame 16, the situation in which the swing frame 16 is twisted and deformed by this is surely prevented. As a result, a good rotation stop state is achieved.

[Explanation of Opening / Closing Structure of Control Panel 20] Next, with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29, an opening / closing structure for driving the control panel 20 to open / close with respect to the swing frame 16 will be described in detail. First, as shown in FIG. 28, a swing support shaft 100 for the control panel 20 is attached to the rear end portion of the control panel 20 in a state of extending along the width direction. Through the support shaft 100, it is pivotally supported between a closed position that closes the front opening of the swing frame 16 and an open position that opens it. On the other hand, the lock shaft 102 is attached to the front end of the control panel 20 so as to be rotatable about its own central axis line in a state of extending along the width direction. Locking hooks 104a and 104b for the control panel 20 (the right locking hook 104b is not shown for convenience of illustration) are integrally attached to the left and right ends of the lock shaft 102. There is.

Similar to the locking hooks 78a and 78b for the swing frame 16 described above, the locking hooks 104a and 104b are inclined in a direction in which the lower end surface thereof moves away from the upper surface of the main plate 12 as it goes rearward. The rear end is formed so as to project rearward by a predetermined amount so that it can be simultaneously locked to the front connecting shaft 70 described above. Further, the respective locking hooks 104a and 104b are elastically biased by a torsion coil spring (not shown) so as to be rotationally displaced in the clockwise direction in the drawing, and abut on a stopper (not shown). Is elastically held at the stop position.

Each locking hook 104a (104b) is tilted by the control panel 20 being rotated downward from the open state while being elastically held in the open position described above. The surface is engaged with the front connecting shaft 70 from above, and due to the inclination thereof, it is forcibly rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the figure against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring. On the other hand, when the control panel 20 is rotated further downward and the locking hooks 104a (104b) are further rotated counterclockwise, the inclined surfaces are engaged with the front connecting shaft 70. Will be released at the rear end of each inclined surface, and at the time of this release, the biasing force of the corresponding torsion coil spring will cause it to rotate and bias in the clockwise direction in the figure contrary to the past, and as a result, The upper surface of each locking hook 104a (104b) enters below the front connecting shaft 70, and thus the control panel 20 is locked in the closed position.

On the other hand, each locking hook 104a (104b) is connected to the control panel release button 44 described above, and by pushing it up, each locking hook 104a (104b) is provided with a torsion coil spring. It is forcibly rotated counterclockwise in the drawing against the force, and in this way, the locked state of the front connecting shaft 70 is forcibly released. When the locked state is released in this way, the control panel 20 is pivotally displaced from the closed position to the open position by the urging force of a spring (not shown) wound around the swing support shaft 100, and this open position is released. It will be elastically held in place.

Thus, in this embodiment, the rocking hook 104a (104b) for locking the control panel 20 in the closed position with respect to the rocking frame 16 is the rocking target. The moving frame 16 is configured, and a front connecting shaft 70 to which locking hooks 78a and 78b for locking the swing frame 16 in the closed position with respect to the main plate 12 is attached is used. .. In this way, in this embodiment, since it is not necessary to use a member for locking the locking hook 104a (104b), the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be reduced. Can be done.

[Description of Interlock Mechanism 106] Next, with reference to FIGS. 28 to 30, at the same time when the swing frame 16 is in the closed position with respect to the main plate 12, the control panel 20 causes the swing frame 16 to move. On the other hand, the configuration and operation of the interlock mechanism 106 for detecting that it is in the closed position will be described in detail.

First, as shown in FIG. 28, a push-on type detection switch 108 for the above-described detection operation is attached to the right lower frame 22b via an attachment stay 110. That is, the detection switch 108 is provided with an operating piece that is turned on by being pushed, and unless an external force acts on the operating piece, the detection switch 108 is projected outward by the urging force of a built-in spring, in other words, an off operation It is urged to do so. On the other hand, a final stage actuator 112 is rotatably supported around the support shaft 114 in the mounting stay 110 in a state in which the operating piece of the detection switch 108 can be pushed. Further, the final stage actuator 112 is biased by a torsion spring 116 wound around the support shaft 114 so as to be rotationally displaced in the clockwise direction in the drawing.

Incidentally, in the state shown in the drawing, that is, the control panel 20 is in the closed position, the upper front opening of the upper housing 34 attached to the swing frame 16 is closed, and the swing frame 16 is also closed. In the position where the upper opening of the printer housing 32 is closed, the detection switch 108 is rotated and displaced in the counterclockwise direction in the figure against the biasing force of the torsion spring 116 described above. It is pushed by the final stage actuator 112 and is turned on.

An intermediate stage actuator assembly 118 is arranged on the main plate 12 located immediately above the final stage actuator 112. The intermediate stage actuator assembly 118 includes a mounting plate 120 fixed on the main plate 12, a slide member 122 slidably supported by the mounting plate 120 in the vertical direction, and one side of the slide member 122. And a spring 126 for urging the push-in shaft 124 so as to always project downward. There is.

Here, the lower end of the push-in shaft 124 is taken out below the main plate 12 through a through hole (not shown) formed in the main plate 12 in a thickness direction. The final stage actuator 112 is arranged at a position where it can be pushed from above. Further, the above-described spring 124 is configured to have a larger urging force than the total urging force of the torsion spring 116 and the urging force of the spring built in the detection switch 108. As a result, when the push-in shaft 124 is pushed down as the slide member 122 descends, the final stage actuator 112 resists the biasing force of its own torsion spring 114 and the biasing force of the spring built in the detection switch 108. The operation piece of the detection switch 108 is pushed inward and turned on by the rotational displacement in the counterclockwise direction in the figure.

As will be described in detail later, the slide member 122 of the intermediate stage actuator assembly 118 is arranged in a position where it can be pushed downward by the first stage actuator assembly 128 attached to the swing frame 16. It is set up. The first-stage actuator assembly 128 is used when the upper housing 34 attached to the swing frame 16 is rotated from the open position to the closed position with the control panel 20 in the closed position, or when the upper housing is rotated. When the control panel 20 is rotated from the open position to the closed position with 34 in the closed position, the above-described slide member 122 can be engaged from above and pushed down. It is set.

As a result, if foreign matter enters between the slide member 122 and the first-stage actuator assembly 128, as the upper housing 34 is rotated to the closed position, the slide member 122 is sized by the amount of foreign matter. It will be pushed down with a longer stroke than usual. However, in this embodiment, as described above, since the push-in shaft 124 is vertically movably attached to the slide member 122 while being biased downward by the spring 126, the push-in shaft 124 is Even after the slide member 122 is further pushed downward after the final stage actuator 112 is pushed by a predetermined amount in response to pushing the slide member 122 downward, the spring 126 contracts and the push shaft 124 slides. The upper relative movement with respect to the member 122 is permitted, and the abnormal pushing amount of the slide member 122 is absorbed. In this way, in this embodiment, even if foreign matter enters between the slide member 122 and the first stage actuator assembly 128, the final stage actuator 112 is rotatably displaced by an amount larger than a predetermined amount. The damage to the detection switch 108 can be reliably prevented, and the reliability can be improved.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned first-stage actuator assembly 128 is the right side plate 68b that constitutes the swing frame 16, and is positioned immediately above the above-mentioned slide member 122 in the state where the swing frame 16 is in the closed position. The slide support member 130 and a push-in member 132 slidably attached to the slide support member 130 along the vertical direction are configured. The push-in member 132 projects downward from the lower edge of the side plate 68b, is engaged with the upper end of the slide member 122 from above, and the upper end of the lower end of the slide member 122. Is formed with an upper end that is engageable from above.

Since the first-stage actuator assembly 128 is configured in this manner, as shown in FIG. 28, the control panel 20 is in the closed position with respect to the upper housing 34, and the upper housing 34 is in the printer housing 32. On the other hand, in the closed position (completely closed state), the slide support member 132 of the first-stage actuator assembly 128 is pushed into the control panel 20 from above and pushed down. As the slide support member 132 is pushed downward, the slide member 122 of the intermediate stage actuator assembly 118, which engages with the slide support member 132 from above, is pushed downward, and this slide member 122 is pushed downward. The final stage actuator 112 that engages from above resists the combined force of the biasing force of the torsion spring 116 and the biasing force of the spring built in the detection switch 108, and causes a rotational displacement along the counterclockwise direction in the figure. It will be done.

As a result, the operation piece of the detection switch 108 is pushed and driven by being pushed by the final stage actuator 112. In this manner, the detection switch 108 is turned on, the control panel 20 is in the closed position with respect to the upper housing 34 with respect to the control system (not shown), and the upper housing 34 is with respect to the printer housing 32. It will be possible to inform that it is in the closed position.

On the other hand, when the control panel opening button 44 is pushed up from the completely closed state shown in FIG. 28, the locking hooks 104 a (104 b) for the control panel 20 are locked to the front connecting shaft 70 accordingly. The state is released, and as a result, the control panel 20 is rotated from the closed position to the open position as shown in FIG. With such opening operation of the control panel 20, as shown in the drawing, the control panel 20 for pressing the pushing member 132 of the first-stage actuator assembly 128 from above is no longer present. The biasing force of the torsion spring 116, which causes the final stage actuator 112 to rotate and rotate in the clockwise direction in the figure, is received through the intermediate stage actuator assembly 118, whereby the final stage actuator 112 is slid upward.

As a result, in the detection switch 108, the operating piece of the detection switch 108 is allowed to project outward due to the biasing force of the built-in spring, and thus the detection switch 108 is turned off. Then, at least the control system (not shown) can be informed that the control panel 20 is in the open position with respect to the upper housing 34.

Further, when the upper housing release button 42 is pushed up from the completely closed state shown in FIG. 28, the locking hooks 78a, 78b for the upper housing 34 are correspondingly pushed to the corresponding locking pins 80a, 80b. The locked state is released, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 30, the upper housing 34 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. With such opening operation of the upper housing 34, the pushing member 132 of the first stage actuator assembly 128 is separated upward from the slide member 122 of the intermediate stage actuator assembly 118 as shown in the figure. In other words, since the pushing member 132 that holds the slide member 122 from above is no longer present, the slide member 122 causes the final stage actuator 112 to rotate and shift in the clockwise direction in the drawing. By directly receiving the biasing force of the torsion spring 116, it is slid upward.

As a result, in the detection switch 108, the operating piece of the detection switch 108 is allowed to project outward due to the biasing force of the spring incorporated therein, and thus the detection switch 108 is turned off. Then, at least the control system (not shown) can be informed that the upper housing 34 is at the open position with respect to the printer housing 32.

As described above, since the interlock mechanism 106 in this embodiment is configured, the complete closed state shown in FIG. 28 is achieved, so that the detection switch 108 is turned on for the first time. The operation state of the facsimile apparatus 10 is regulated, and the print unit 14 and the image reading mechanism 18 provided inside are driven. On the other hand, when the control panel 20 is opened from such a completely closed state, the image reading mechanism 18 is exposed, and when the upper housing 34 is opened, the print unit 14 is exposed. In this embodiment, in these exposure states, in any case, the detection switch 108 of the interlock mechanism 106 is turned off immediately, so that the respective drive system and the laser scanning unit 24 are turned off immediately. As a result, it is possible to ensure the safety of the operator and ensure the maintenance of the internal mechanism.

[Explanation of Layout of Drive Motor] Next, with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32, a layout of a drive motor for driving the facsimile apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described. First, FIG. 31 shows the upper surface structure of the facsimile apparatus 10 with the upper housing 34 and the control panel 20 removed, and as shown in FIG. 31 and FIG. A document feeding motor 140 as a first drive motor is attached to the outer surface of the left side plate 68a for feeding a document in the image reading mechanism 18 arranged on the frame 16, and the main plate 12 is also used. A pickup motor 142 serving as a second drive motor is attached to the left rear portion of the main plate 12 in order to pick up paper one by one from the paper feed cassette 36 in the print mechanism 14 arranged above. Further, in order to execute the image forming operation in the print mechanism 14, a printer motor as a third drive motor is used. 144 is mounted on the right side substantially central portion of the main plate 12. That is, in the facsimile apparatus 10 of this embodiment, a total of three drive motors 140, 142, 144 are provided, and the image reading mechanism 18, the paper pickup system in the print mechanism 14, and the printing are respectively provided. The image forming systems in the mechanism 14 are arranged so as to be driven independently of each other.

As described above, in this embodiment, the image reading mechanism 18 can feed the document independently of the print mechanism 14 and independently of the print mechanism 14. In the print mechanism 18, the paper pickup and the image forming operation can be executed independently of each other, and the operation timing of each can be freely set. In other words, in this embodiment, by providing the three drive motors 140, 142, 144, the start timing of each can be set freely, and the degree of freedom in design is improved. You will be able to play. The driving force transmission system in each of the drive motors 140, 142, 144 will be described in detail in the following description regarding the configuration of each unit.

[Explanation of Arrangement Configuration of Circuit Board and Electrical Wiring Structure] Next, referring to FIGS. 1 and 32 described above, the arrangement structure of the circuit board and the electric wiring of this embodiment will be described. The routing structure will be described. As shown in FIG. 32, above the rear part of the main plate 12 and inside the space surrounded by the printer housing 32, the relay board 146 is attached in a horizontally extended state. The relay board 146 temporarily stores image information and various detection information read from a document in the image reading mechanism 18, and image information and various detection information for forming an image on a sheet in the printing mechanism 14. Collected here, the facsimile apparatus 10 is provided so that the data can be transmitted to the main control board 52 that controls the entire control via only one flat cable (not shown).

As described above, if various kinds of signals are input / output to / from the main control board 52 and they are directly connected to the main control board 52 via the corresponding signal lines, an extremely large number of signal lines are required. With the main plate 12 bypassed, the main plate 12 is routed to the main control board 52 disposed below the main plate 12. However, in this embodiment, however, the signal lines corresponding to the information generated from the parts arranged above the main plate 12 and the information that should be output to these parts are the same as those of the main plate 12. All are once collected on the relay board 146 arranged above, and in the electrically arranged state, they are converted into, for example, serial signals. In this way, the number of signal lines provided is reduced as much as possible, and then the main plate 12 is connected to the main control board 52 with the main plate 12 bypassed via the flat cable. In this way, even in the fax machine 10 that requires input / output of a wide variety of signals, it is possible to route the electrical wiring in an extremely neat state, which causes electrical failure. Maintenance can be easily performed.

On the other hand, as also shown in FIG. 1, a low voltage power supply substrate 148 is horizontally extended between the main plate 12 and the relay substrate 146, and is mounted on the main plate 12. Has been. Here, the space in which the substrate for low voltage power supply 148 is arranged will be described in detail later, but an exhaust device for forcibly exhausting ozone generated at the time of charging / transferring in the print mechanism 14 to the outside of the enclosure 28 and from the rear part thereof. It is set so as to constitute a part of an exhaust passage of 150 (described later). By disposing the low-voltage power supply substrate 148, which has a high degree of heat generation during operation, in the ozone exhaust passage between the main plate 12 and the relay substrate 146, the low-voltage power supply substrate 148 discharges. This eliminates the need for a dedicated heat device. That is, in this embodiment, the exhaust device 150 has both the functions of exhausting ozone and cooling the substrate 148 for low-voltage power supply, thereby effectively utilizing the installation space in the enclosure 28. Therefore, it is possible to promote downsizing of the entire structure. As shown in FIG. 32, the high-voltage power supply substrate 152 is mounted on the main plate 12 to the left of the printing mechanism 14 in an upright state.

[Description of Image Reading Mechanism 18] The configuration and operation of the image reading mechanism 18 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1, 31, 32, and 33 to 53 described above. .

(Description of Overall Configuration of Image Reading Mechanism 18) First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 31, the image reading mechanism 18 includes a document (at least one document) placed on a document tray 40. ) Is conveyed to the document discharge port 32b described above. Further, the image reading mechanism 18 separates the document placed on the document tray 40 into the document separation unit 156 and the document extraction roller 158 one by one, and separates the separated document. As the document take-out roller 158 rotates, the document is taken out forward, conveyed between the image reader 160 and the white roller 162, and the image of the document to be transmitted (or copied) is read by the image reader 160. It is configured so as to pass through the document transport path 154 and further transported to the front by a pair of document discharge rollers 164a and 164b arranged therein, and to be discharged to the outside of the enclosure 28 through the above-described document discharge port 32b. Has been done.

It should be noted that the image reading mechanism 18 has a total of three document detection switches 166 in a state where they are sequentially interposed in the document transport path 154 extending from the document tray 40 to the document discharge port 32b along the document transport direction. 168 and 170 are provided. The respective document detection switches 166, 168, 170 will be sequentially described below. First, as shown in FIG. 31, the first document detection switch 166 is arranged immediately upstream of the document take-out roller 158 in the document feed path 154 with respect to the document feed direction, and the document is present on the document tray 40. It is provided to detect whether or not (or remains). More specifically, the first document detection switch 166 is turned off in a state in which the operating piece is interposed in the document conveyance path 154, in a state in which an external force does not act on the operation piece, that is, in a state in which the document is not engaged. ing. On the other hand, in the first original detection switch 166, the original placed on the original tray 40 is conveyed by its own weight toward the original taking roller 158 along the original conveying path 154 according to its inclination. It is configured to be turned on by engaging the operating piece and driving it by pushing. The first original detection switch 166 is connected to the main control board 52 described above, and the main control board 52 does not detect any original on the original tray 40 when the first original detection switch 166 is off. It is configured not to exist and to judge that at least one document exists on the document tray 40 when it is turned on.

On the other hand, the second original detection switch 168 is arranged in a portion of the original conveyance path 154 located between the original take-out roller 158 and the image reader 160, and the original take-out roller 158 rotates and the original takes place. Is provided to detect that the document has been taken out toward the image reader 160 and to regulate the timing when the leading edge of the taken out document reaches the image reader 160. More specifically, the second document detection switch 168 is turned off in a state in which its operating piece is interposed in the document conveyance path 154, in a state in which no external force acts on it, that is, in a state in which the document is not engaged. There is. On the other hand, the second original detection switch 168 is turned on by the original conveyed by the rotation of the original take-out roller 158 being engaged with the operating piece of the original and pushed to drive it. It is configured. The second original detection switch 168 is connected to the above-mentioned main control board 52, and the main control board 52 is operated for a predetermined time, specifically, after the second original detection switch 168 is turned on. After the time required for the leading edge of the document to reach the image reader 160, which is determined by the distance between the position where the document is arranged and the image reader 160 and the document conveying speed due to the rotation of the document take-out roller 158, the image reader 160 is activated. , The image reading operation by this is started.

Further, the third document detection switch 170 is provided on the document transport path 154 immediately upstream of the pair of upper and lower document discharge rollers 164 a and 164 b in the document transport direction, and is used for image reading operation by the image reader 160. It is provided to detect that the finished document is discharged in the document transport path 154 without being jammed. More specifically, the third document detection switch 170 is turned off in a state in which its operating piece is interposed in the document conveyance path 154, and no external force acts on it, that is, in a state in which the document is not engaged. There is. On the other hand, the third original detection switch 170 is turned on by the leading edge of the original that is further conveyed through the original conveyance path 154 after the image reading operation, and turned off by the rear end of the original passing therethrough. It is configured to The third original detection switch 170 is connected to the main control board 52 described above, and the third original detection switch 170 is connected to the main control board 52 after the second original detection switch 168 is turned on. The time until it turns off is measured, and the required reference time defined by the distance between the two and the document conveyance speed due to the rotation of the document take-out roller 158 is compared with this measurement time. If it is determined that the document is long, it is determined that the document is jammed in the document transport path 154.

(Description of Driving System of Image Reading Mechanism 18) On the other hand, the driving system of the image reading mechanism 18 is coaxially fixed to the motor shaft of the document feeding motor 140 described above, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. Drive gear 172a, a first driven gear 172b coaxially fixed to the white roller 162, a second driven gear 172c coaxially fixed to the original taking roller 158, a drive gear 172a and a first driven gear 172a. First driven gear 172b and a first intermediate gear 172d interposed so as to be meshed with the driven gear 172b, and a second and a second driven gear 172c for sequentially transmitting the turning force of the first driven gear 172b. 3 intermediate gears 172e and 172f. On the other hand, a drive pulley 172g is fixed to the first driven gear 172b coaxially therewith, and a driven pulley 172h is coaxially fixed to the document discharge roller 164b located below the pair of upper and lower document discharge rollers 164a and 164b. The endless belt 172i is wound around the pulleys 172g and 172h.

In this way, the first and second driven gears 172b and 172c are driven and rotated in accordance with the rotational driving of the document feeding motor 140, and accordingly, the white roller 162 and the document take-out roller 158 are moved to predetermined positions. It will be driven to rotate at the reduction ratio. On the other hand, with the rotation of the first driven gear 172b, the driven pulley 172h is driven to rotate via the endless belt 172i. As the driven pulley 172h rotates, the lower original discharge roller 164b is rotationally driven at a predetermined reduction ratio. That is, in this embodiment, the rollers 160 and 164b for conveying the original are rotationally driven in synchronization with each other by the single original feeding motor 140.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 31 and 34, a description will be given of how the image reading mechanism 18 is attached to the control panel 20 for each component. In other words, among the above-mentioned constituent elements, the image reader 160, the upper guide member 154a that defines the upper side surface of the document transport path 154, and the upper document discharge roller 164a of the pair of document discharge rollers 164a and 164b are It is attached to the control panel 20. As a result, the control panel 20 is driven to open from the printer housing 32 as shown in FIG. 8, so that the image reader 160, the upper guide member 154a, and the upper document discharge roller 164a are separated from each other as shown in FIG. The corresponding white roller 162, the lower guide member 154b, and the lower original discharge roller 164b are spaced apart from each other upward, and the original conveying path 154 is opened widely. In other words, even if a document is jammed during the transportation of the document, by driving the control panel 20 from the closed position to the open position, the document transport path 154 is greatly opened and jammed. It is possible to remove the original reliably and easily.

Next, each component of the image reading mechanism 18 will be sequentially described in detail. (Description of Document Separation Section) First, as described above, the document on the document tray 40 (hereinafter, referred to as a symbol G) is, as shown in FIG. 35, the upper surface of the upper housing 34 and the rear end of the control panel 20. Through the original feed port 34b defined by the gap between the edge and the original feeding path 154, which is set to face the original taking-in port 34b, the original document feeding path 154 is tilted into the original feeding path 154 using its own weight. It is designed to be taken in by. The originals thus taken into the original feeding path 154 are separated into sheets one by one by the collaborative work of the original separating unit 156 and the original take-out roller 158, and are directed to the image reader 160 as the original separating-take-out roller 158 rotates. The document feeding path 154 near the document separating portion is provided on the lower document guide 174 and the upper surface of the lower document guide 174 with a predetermined gap therebetween as shown in the figure. It is defined by the gap between the upper document guide 176 that is attached and attached. Here, the above-mentioned document take-out roller 158 is integrally configured of a shaft portion 158a and a friction roller portion 158b fixed coaxially to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 158a and having an outer peripheral surface having a high friction coefficient. There is. Similarly, the white roller 162 is also integrally formed from a shaft portion 162a and a roller portion 162b that is coaxially fixed to the outer periphery of the shaft portion 162a and has a white outer peripheral surface, as shown in FIG. Has been done.

<Description of Upper Manuscript Guide 176> As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 36, the upper manuscript guide 176 described above has a lower portion of the roller portion 158b of the manuscript take-out roller 158 inserted substantially in the center thereof. An insertion hole 176a is formed. As shown in FIG. 32, the upper document guide 176 is detachably attached to the lower document guide 174 from above via a plurality of snap lock pins 175. In other words, the upper document guide 176 will rotate the control panel 20 to the open position to move the document feed path 154, as will be described in detail in the description of the attachment / detachment operation of the document take-out roller 158 and the document separation unit 156. The operator can easily remove the original take-out roller 158 and the original separation unit 156 by removing these snap-fastening pins 175 upward from the lower original guide 174 with the opening wide and the upper and lower parts largely separated. It is possible to disassemble from the image reading mechanism 18.

Specifically, the upper document guide 176 is integrally formed with the guide main body 176b in which the above-described insertion hole 176a is formed and the guide main body 176b, which is bent rearward (left in the drawing). And a bent portion 176c that is continuously connected. The bending angle of the bent portion 176c with respect to the guide main body portion 176b is set to 25 degrees in the clockwise direction in the figure, as shown in FIG. The numerical value of 25 degrees is based on the reference axis line passing through the rotation center axis line of the document take-out roller 158 (that is, the axis line parallel to the mounting surface on which the facsimile device 10 is mounted). The guide body 176b is inclined by 15 degrees clockwise with respect to the reference axis X, and the bent portion 176c is also inclined by 40 degrees. As a result, (40-15) = It is a value defined as 25 degrees.

Note that this numerical value is an example, and the point is that the guide main body portion 176 b of the upper document guide 176 surrounds the periphery of the document take-out roller 158 and moves upward from the lower document guide 174 with a predetermined gap. The document G which is located and which has passed through the document intake port 34b without the rear end of the upper document guide 176, that is, the rear end of the bent portion 176c, substantially obstructing the document intake port 34b. Is not limited to the above-mentioned numerical values, and can be appropriately selected as long as it is a value that guides between the lower document guide 174 and the guide body portion 176b of the upper document guide 176. It goes without saying that you can do it.

<Description of Lower Manuscript Guide 174> On the other hand, the lower manuscript guide 174 described above is formed in front of the tray receiving base 35 of the upper housing 34, as shown in FIG. 37 and FIG. It is stored in the recess 34c. More specifically, the lower document guide 174 is formed in a guide main body 174a whose upper surface defines the lower surface of the document conveying path 154 and in a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the guide main body 174a. The first recess 174b that can be detachably accommodated and the guide body 174a stand up from the left and right sides of the guide body 174a as a unit to define the left and right ends of the document feeding path 154, respectively, and the above-described document take-out roller 158. And the white roller 162, both ends of which are rotatably and detachably supported by support plates 174c and 174d.

As shown in FIG. 37, a second recess 174e into which the roller portion 162b of the white roller 162 is loosely fitted is formed in the front portion of the guide body 174a. Further, the front wall portion 174b1 defining the front end surface of the first recess 174b formed in the guide body 174a and the rear wall portion 174b2 defining the rear end surface of the first recess 174b respectively include the original separating unit 156 described above. Locking grooves 174f and 174g, into which locking boss portions, which will be described later, respectively formed in the front and rear are fitted, are formed. Here, as shown in FIG. 36, the lower document guide 174 is accommodated / fixed in the recess 34c formed in the upper housing 34, and the document receiving side portion (that is, the document take-out roller) of the lower document guide 174 is accommodated / fixed in the recess 34c. The upper surface (the portion on the left side of the drawing from the position where 158 is arranged) is set to be substantially flush with the upper surface (original placement surface) of the original tray 40 mounted on the tray receiver 35. In addition, it is set so as to be inclined by 28 degrees in the clockwise direction in the figure with respect to the above-mentioned reference axis line X, on the other hand, on the other hand, in the document sending side portion (that is, in the figure rather than the placement position of the document take-out roller 158). The upper surface of the right side portion) is set substantially parallel to the above-mentioned reference axis line X.

By setting the upper surface of the document receiving side portion of the lower document guide 174 at such an inclination angle, the above described inclination angle of the bent portion 176c of the upper document guide 176 with respect to the reference axis X ( In this embodiment, the document receiving path portion 154 has a so-called wedge shape with a virtual tip angle of 12 degrees, specifically, its height along the document transporting direction. It will be regulated so that it can be gradually reduced. As a result, the originals G placed on the original tray 40 are reliably conveyed toward the rolling contact portion (that is, the separating portion) between the original separation unit 156 and the original take-out roller 158 regardless of the number of the originals placed. Will be done.

These support plates 174c and 174d are located on the upstream side with respect to the document transport direction in the state of being opened at their upper end surfaces as shown in the state of being taken out in FIG. A first concave portion 180 for rotatably and detachably receiving the portion 158a via a first bearing bush 178 (described later) is also located on the downstream side in the document conveying direction. A second concave portion 184 for rotatably and detachably receiving the shaft portion 162a of the white roller 162 via a second bearing bush 182 (described later) is formed therein.

In detail, each of the recesses 180 and 184 is tapered hole portions 180a and 184a for receiving the corresponding bearing bushes 178 and 182, and is continuous below the tapered hole portions 180a and 184a, respectively. The narrowed hole portions 180b and 184b that are formed and have an opening width that is set narrower than the diameter of the corresponding bearing bushes 180 and 184, and are continuously formed below these narrowed hole portions 180b and 184b, respectively. The receiving hole portions 180c and 184c for substantially receiving the corresponding bearing bushes 178 and 182 and having substantially the same diameter as the diameters of the corresponding bearing bushes 180 and 184, respectively.

By forming the recesses 180 and 184 in this way, when the corresponding document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 are received via the bearing bushes 178 and 182, the bearing bushes 178 and 182 are temporarily provided. After passing through the narrowed holes 180b and 184b, they are received by the receiving holes 180c and 184c. As a result, the document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 are prohibited from coming out of the corresponding receiving holes 180c and 184c. It will be held in a stable state in the state of being kept. Further, on these support plates 174c and 174d, protrusions 178d and 182d (described later) formed on the first and second bearing bushes 178 and 182, respectively, in a state of being in close contact with the recesses 180 and 184, respectively. First and second locking holes 186 and 188 into which the respective holes are inserted are formed.

On the other hand, although the above-mentioned first and second bearing bushes 178 and 182 are both formed in the same manner, as shown in FIG. 39, the corresponding shaft portions 158a and 162a are rotatably rotatable. Bearing main body parts 178a and 182a to be supported, fitting groove parts 178b and 182b formed on the outer circumferences of the bearing main body parts 178a and 182a and fitted into the corresponding receiving hole parts 180c and 184c, respectively, and the corresponding bearing main body parts 178a and 178a. Extension pieces 178c and 182c that are integrally connected to the outside of 182a and extend toward one side orthogonal to the axial direction, and the inside surfaces of these extension pieces 178c and 182c are directed toward the inside. The projections 178d and 182d are formed so as to slightly project. Here, as shown in FIG. 51, which will be described later, flat portions 178e1; 178e2, 182e1; 182d2 that are set parallel to each other are formed on the outer periphery of each of the fitting groove portions 178b, 182b. The distance between the flat portions 178e1; 178e2, 182e1, 182e2 is set to be slightly smaller than the opening width of the corresponding narrowed hole portions 180b, 184b. By constructing the bearing bushes 178 and 182 in this manner, once the bearing bushes 178 and 182 are received in the corresponding receiving hole portions 180c and 184c, the bearing bushes 178 and 182 are approximately 90 degrees inside the corresponding receiving hole portions 180c and 184c. By rotating only by 180 degrees, the widths of the fitting groove portions 178b, 182b located immediately below the narrowed hole portions 180b, 184b become wider than the opening widths of the narrowed hole portions 180b, 184b and rotate by about 90 degrees. The protrusions 178d and 182d formed at the tips of the extended pieces 178c and 182c thus inserted into the corresponding locking holes 186 and 188, respectively, as described above. As a result, the bearing bushes 178, 182 are prohibited from coming out upward from the corresponding recessed portions 180, 184 unless the fitting state between the locking holes 186, 188 and the corresponding protrusions 178d, 182d is released. become.

By forming the support plates 174c and 174d in this manner, the document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 are both rotatably supported in a stable state and the locking holes. By releasing the fitting state of the protrusions 178d and 182d corresponding to 186 and 188, it is possible to easily remove them from the lower document guide 174.

<Description of Document Separation Unit 156> Next, the configuration of the document separation unit 156 described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 36, 40 and 41. As shown in FIG. 36, the document separating unit 156 includes a unit main body 190 accommodated in a first recess 174b formed in the lower document guide 174, and a screw 192 on the upper surface of the unit main body 190. A leaf spring 194 and a friction member 196, which are fixed together in the state of being fastened together, are roughly configured. Here, an elastic stopper piece 190a is integrally joined to the front surface of the unit main body 190 in an upright state, and the front end surface of the elastic stopper piece 190a is formed on the lower document guide 174 described above. A front locking boss 190b fitted and locked in the front locking groove 174f formed is integrally formed in a state of protruding forward. On the other hand, on the rear surface of the unit main body 190, there is integrally formed a rear locking boss 190c which is locked by being fitted into the rear locking groove 174g formed in the lower document guide 174. Is formed.

As described above, the front locking boss portion 190b and the rear locking boss portion 190c are fitted and locked in the front locking groove 174f and the rear locking groove 174g, respectively. (That is, the document separating unit 156) is securely fitted into the first recess 174b of the lower document guide 174, with the housed state locked. In particular, in this embodiment, the front locking boss 190b is pressed forward by the elastic force inherent to the elastic stopper piece 190a on which the front locking boss 190b is formed, and the fitting state thereof is elastically retained. As a result, the fitted state of the unit main body 190 in the first recess 174b is reliably maintained. When it is necessary to remove the document separating unit 156 for maintenance or the like, the removing operation will be described in detail later. The elastic stopper 190a is pushed back against the elastic force to move the front engaging unit. By forcibly releasing the fitted state between the stop boss portion 190b and the front locking groove 174f, it can be easily removed from the lower document guide 174.

Further, the leaf spring 194 described above is integrally formed of a metal spring material, and as shown in FIG. 40 and FIG. The leaf spring main body 194a formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from above, the standing spring pieces 194b and 194c that are integrally erected from the left and right sides of the standing portion of the plate spring main body 194a, and these standing spring pieces. It is composed of a pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d, 194e bent at a predetermined angle from the upper ends of 194b, 194c toward the front. Here, the bending angles of the support spring pieces 194d, 194e with respect to the corresponding upright spring pieces 194b, 194c are as follows: the support spring pieces 194d, 194e are lower than the unit body 190 to which they are fixed as shown in FIG. In the state where the side document guide 174 is accommodated and locked in the first recess 174b, the side document guide 174 can be extended at an angle of 15 degrees in the clockwise direction in the figure with respect to the reference axis X described above. It is set.

That is, by defining the inclination angles of the support spring pieces 194d and 194e in this way, as is apparent from FIG. 36, the document transport path 154 is provided with the bent portions 176c of the upper document guide 176 and the bent portions 176c. In the portion defined by being sandwiched by the supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e, the bent portion 176c of the upper original guide 176 and the lower original guide in the portion adjacent to the upstream side with respect to the original conveying direction than this portion. The wedge shape in which the intersecting angle between the two is larger than the wedge shape in the portion defined by the guide body 174a of the guide 174 when the document receiving surface located below is lying more horizontally. The shape will change. As a result, the number of originals passing through here is sharply reduced when the number of originals is large.

Here, when each of the supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e comes into contact with a predetermined number of originals G and stops, the load applied to these originals G (that is, the rigidity of the originals). On the basis of the above, it is set so as to have an appropriate elastic coefficient so as to be displaced so as to hang down, that is, to be released from the tendency with respect to the document take-out roller 158 and to be displaced downward. In other words, the supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e are displaced so as to hang down even if the load of these originals G acts even when a predetermined number of originals G or less come into contact therewith and stop. Instead, it is possible to maintain that posture, that is, the posture in which the original take-out roller 158 is elastically abutted. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned predetermined number of originals G means 3 to 4 originals. That is, when the number of originals placed on the original tray 40 becomes 5 or more, the supporting spring pieces 194d, 194e act as the above-mentioned predetermined number of originals or more.

On the other hand, above the portion defined by the bent portion 176c of the upper document guide 176 and the support spring pieces 194d and 194e in the state of being sandwiched between the upper document guide 176 and the portion adjacent to the downstream side in the document transport direction. The portions of the document guide 176 sandwiched by the guide main body portion 176b and the support spring pieces 194d and 194e are set substantially parallel to each other. As a result, the document that is sharply squeezed at the portion defined by the bent portion 176c and the support spring pieces 194d and 194e is sequentially pressed from the upper side to the above-mentioned separating portion (that is, the document separating unit). It is supplied in a stable state through a document feeding path 154 which is set parallel to the rolling contact portion 156 and the document take-out roller 158.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41, the above-mentioned friction member 196 has a base end portion (FIG. 40) between the lower surface of the leaf spring main body portion 194a of the above-mentioned leaf spring 194 and the upper surface of the unit main body 190. The middle and left end portions are clamped together and fixed by the above-described screw 192 in a state of being clamped, and extend forward in a so-called cantilever state. Here, the friction member 196 is a plate-shaped rubber leaf spring 198 formed of synthetic rubber having a predetermined friction coefficient, and a metal plate made of metal attached with the lower surface of the rubber leaf spring 198 lined. And a spring 200. That is, although the rubber leaf spring 198 can have a desired coefficient of friction on its upper surface, it cannot maintain the cantilevered posture by itself, while the metal leaf spring 200 maintains the cantilevered posture. Although it is possible, the friction coefficient on the upper surface is small, and it is difficult to have a sufficient friction coefficient for separating the original.

In view of these characteristics of both, in this embodiment, the rubber leaf spring 198 is provided on the upper side and the metal leaf spring 200 is provided on the lower side, respectively, to maintain the posture and the member that exerts the friction coefficient. The members that perform their functions are separated according to their functions, and they are combined together. As a result, it is possible to achieve a structure in which the friction member 196 has a predetermined friction coefficient on its upper surface and extends forward in a cantilever state. The coefficient of friction between the rubber plate spring 198 of the friction member 196 and the original G is larger than the coefficient of friction between the original G and the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e, and the original G and the original take-out roller 158. It is set to be smaller than the coefficient of friction between and.

Further, at the lower end portion of the document take-out roller 158, the document separating unit 156, more specifically, the rubber plate spring 198 and the plate spring 194 of the friction member 196 which constitutes the document separating unit 156 are provided. The pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e are in contact with the upper surfaces of the pair of supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e with a predetermined downward pushing amount from above. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 36, the friction member 196 is rotated 5 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the above-mentioned reference axis line X in a state where the leading end of the friction member 196 is taken out and pushed downward by the roller 158. In the state of being inclined at an inclination angle of 1, the mounting position on the upper surface of the unit main body 190 and the downward pushing amount by the document take-out roller 158 are regulated so as to extend forward. The inclination angle (15 degrees) of the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e with respect to the reference axis X is a value when both are pushed downward by the document take-out roller 158 as described above. Not to mention the matter.

<Description of Document Separation Operation by Document Separation Unit 156 and Document Extraction Roller 158> Next, with reference to FIGS. 42 to 44, an operation of separating and taking in a document placed on the document tray 40. Will be described.

<< Operation of Taking in One Original Document >> First, referring to FIG. The operation of separating and taking in one original G (however, in the case of one original, only the operation of taking in the original) will be described.

First, when one original is placed on the original tray 40 with the image reading surface facing upward, the original is moved forward by its own weight in accordance with the inclination of the original placing surface of the original tray 40. Then, the document is conveyed into the document conveying path 154 provided in the image reading mechanism 18 through a document taking-in port 34b defined by a space between the control panel 20 and the upper housing 34. In this way, the original G taken into the original feeding path 154 from the original taking-in port 34b by its own weight turns on the first original detection switch 166, so that the image reading mechanism 18 enters the image reading standby state. That is, when the image reading standby state is set, the document feeding motor 140 for driving the document take-out roller 158, the white roller 162 and the like is energized to be in the excited state (drivable state), and the image reader 160 is also set. The power is turned on, and the image can be read.

The operation of taking in the original document by its own weight is, in detail, that the original document G taken into the original document conveyance path 154 from the original document intake port 34b is the first upstream portion of the original document conveyance path 154 in the original document conveyance direction. Is introduced into the first portion defined between the lower surface of the bent portion 176c of the upper document guide 176 and the upper surface of the lower document guide 174. The lower surface of the first portion of the document feeding path 154, that is, the upper surface of the lower document guide 174 is set to have an inclination angle of 28 degrees with respect to the reference axis X, as described above. Therefore, the document G conveyed forward in accordance with this inclination is the second portion of the document conveyance path 154 adjacent to the downstream side in the document conveyance direction of the first portion, that is, the bending of the upper document guide 176. It is smoothly and surely brought to a portion between the lower surface of the portion 176c and the upper surfaces of the pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e of the leaf spring 194 forming the document separating unit 156.

Here, the lower surface of the second portion, that is, the upper surfaces of the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e has an inclination angle of 15 degrees with respect to the reference axis line X, as described above. Is set. Therefore, the original G that has been conveyed along the inclination of the upper surface of the lower original guide 174 described above is, due to its own weight along this inclination, the original G downstream of the second portion with respect to the original conveyance direction. Smoothly adjacent to the third portion of the document conveying path 154, that is, between the lower surface of the guide main body portion 176b of the upper document guide 176 and the upper surfaces of the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e of the leaf spring 194. As described above, the upper surfaces of the support spring pieces 194d, 194e are slidably passed through the third portion according to the inclination of the support spring pieces 194d, 194e. It will be transported to the separation section. In this way, one original G that has been conveyed through the first to third portions of the original conveying path 154 by its own weight has its leading end brought to the separating portion, as shown in FIG. In the state, that is, in the state where the original take-out roller 158 and the pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e of the original separating unit 156 are in contact with each other, the conveying operation can be stopped.

From this state, when the document take-out roller 158 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, the original G is taken in to the right in the figure with this rotation, and the document take-out roller 158 and the friction member are once taken. Between 196 and. Here, since the friction coefficient between the document take-out roller 158 and the document G is larger than the friction coefficient between the document G and the rubber leaf spring 198 of the friction member 196, the document take-out roller is set. The conveyance force of the document G by the 158 exceeds the stopping force (separation force) of the document G by the friction member 196, and as a result, the document G passes between the two and this time, the document conveyance path 154 The fourth portion of the original document conveyance path 154 adjacent to the downstream side of the third portion in the original document conveyance direction, that is, between the lower surface of the guide body portion 176b of the upper original document guide 176 and the upper surface of the lower original document guide 174. Smoothly and surely, and is conveyed to the part between the image reader 160 and the white roller 162 through the fourth part.

In this way, the operation of taking out one original is completed. It should be noted that while the document G taken out forward with the rotation of the document take-out roller 158 is passing through the fourth portion of the document conveying path 154, the second document detecting switch 168 described above is turned on. . With the ON operation of the second document detection switch 168, after a predetermined time has elapsed from this ON operation, specifically, after the time required for the leading edge of the document G to reach the image reader 160, the image It is set so that the reader 160 starts the image reading operation.

When the document G has finished passing through the fourth portion of the document feeding path 154, the second document detection switch 168 is turned off. However, the first document detection switch 166 described above is operated. As long as is ON, the rotation of the document feeding motor 140 is continued. On the other hand, after the first and second document detection switches 166 and 168 are both turned off, a predetermined time sufficient for the document G to be completely discharged to the outside of the enclosure 28 via the document discharge port 32b. The driving of the document feeding motor 140 is stopped, but if the third document detection switch 170 described above is turned on at the time when this predetermined time has elapsed, the document G is being conveyed. In addition to the jam detection, it is determined that the last document G has jammed in the document conveyance path 154, and a predetermined alarm operation is executed.

<< Separation / Retrieval Operation of Plural Originals Less Than the Predetermined Number of Sheets >> Next, the operation of separating / retrieving a plurality of originals smaller than the prescribed number of sheets will be described with reference to FIG. First, a plurality of sheets smaller than the above-described predetermined number, for example, the first to third three originals G1, G2 and G3 in this embodiment are set with their image reading surfaces facing upward, and the number of pages is small. When they are stacked on the document tray 40 with the upper side facing up, the first to third documents G1, G2, and G3 follow the inclination of the document mounting surface of the document tray 40 due to their own weight. The originals are collectively conveyed toward the front, and in the same manner as in the case of the one original document G described above, they are conveyed toward the separating section by their own weight. Then, the first document G1 located on the uppermost side is in a state in which the leading end of the first document G1 is brought to the separation portion based on the inclination of the document conveyance path 154, specifically, the document extraction roller 158 and the document separation unit 156. The pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e are in a state of being in contact with each other.

On the other hand, the second original G2 that continues below the uppermost first original G1 has a wedge shape formed by the uppermost first original G1 and a pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e. It is restricted to the space, and as shown in FIG. 43, the feeding operation is stopped in a state where the leading end thereof does not reach the portion where the document take-out roller 158 and the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e contact each other. It will be a matter. Further, the third original G3 located below the second original G2 is restricted to a wedge-shaped space formed by the second original G2 and a pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e. As shown in FIG. 5, the feeding operation can be stopped in a state where the leading end thereof does not reach the portion where the document take-out roller 158 and the pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e contact each other.

In this way, the first to third three originals G1, G2 and G3 are in a state in which the uppermost first original G1 can be taken out by the rotation of the original take-out roller 158. The second and third originals G2 and G3 that have been taken off and are successively brought are brought to a state of waiting backward one after another.

When the document take-out roller 158 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. 43, in the case of only one document G described with reference to FIG. In the same manner as described above, only the first original document G1 whose leading end is brought to the portions where the original document take-out roller 158 and the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d and 194e contact each other is conveyed forward. On the other hand, the rotating force of the document take-out roller 158 does not directly act on the succeeding second original G2, but only the frictional force accompanying the conveyance of the first original G1 acts. As a result, the second original G2, which continues below the first original G1 taken out, is conveyed so as to be dragged forward due to the friction with the first original G1. However, when the front end of the second document G2 is engaged with the surface of the friction member 196, the frictional force with the front side of the second document G2 is greater than the frictional force with the first document G1. The transport operation will be stopped. That is, the first original G1 taken out is separated. Then, the second original G2 is put in a standby state in which it can be taken out and conveyed forward as the original taking-out roller 158 rotates after the trailing edge of the first original G1 comes out of the original taking-out roller 158. Will be brought.

As long as at least one original is brought to the standby state, the first original detection switch 166 is turned on, and as long as the first original detection switch 166 is turned on, The document feed motor 140 is continuously driven to rotate. As a result, as described above, the trailing edge of the first original G1 comes out of the original take-out roller 158, so that the second original G2 first comes into contact with the original take-out roller 158 and frictionally engages with it. become. In this way, the second original G2 following the first original G1 is conveyed forward with the rotation of the original take-out roller 158 with a slight delay from the first original G1. It will be a thing. In this way, a small gap exists along the conveyance direction between the first document G1 previously conveyed and the second document G2 conveyed next, and based on this gap, The second original detection switch 168 is turned off once the trailing edge of the first original G1 has finished passing, and is turned on immediately by the leading edge of the second original G2 immediately after this off operation. become. The off / on operation of the second document detection switch 168 as described above makes it possible to distinguish the previous document and the next document in the image reading operation.

On the other hand, the third original G3, which continues below the second original G2, is conveyed so as to be dragged forward due to friction with the second original G2. However, when the front end of the third document G3 is engaged with the surface of the friction member 196, the frictional force between the third document G3 and the second document G2 is greater than the frictional force with the second document G2. The operation will be stopped. The start status of the separating operation of the third original G3 from the second original G2 and the operation of taking out the third original G3 after the taking-out operation of the second original G2 are the same as those in the above-mentioned first and second operations. Since it is the same as the two originals G1 and G2, description thereof is omitted here.

<< Separation / Retrieval Operation of Documents Larger Than the Predetermined Number of Sheets >> Next, the separation / retrieval operation of a large number of originals G1, G2, ... First, a large number of originals G1, G2, ..., Which are larger than the above-mentioned predetermined number, are set with the image reading surface facing upward, and the originals are stacked in such a state that the smaller number of pages is on the upper side. When placed on the sheet 40, the large number of originals G1, G2, ... Are conveyed toward the front in a batch according to the inclination of the original placing surface of the original tray 40 due to their own weight, and are conveyed toward the separating portion. It will be transported by its own weight. Then, the first document G1 located at the uppermost side is in a state in which the leading end of the first document G1 is brought to the separating portion based on the inclination of the document conveying path 154, specifically, the document take-out roller 158 and the document separating unit 156. The pair of left and right supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e come into contact with each other.

On the other hand, the original documents G2 ... Below the second original document G2, which continue below the uppermost first original document G1, and the uppermost first original document G1, together with the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194d, 194e. , And both supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e are pressed downward based on the strength of the bulk of these originals G1, G2, ... As shown in FIG. 44, the conveying operation can be stopped in the state where the respective tips contact the upper surface of the rubber leaf spring 198 of the friction member 196. That is, the first document G1 located at the top is in a state of entering the portions where the document take-out roller 158 and the friction member 196 of the document separating unit 156 contact each other.

On the other hand, the second original G2 that continues below the uppermost first original G1 is regulated by the wedge-shaped space formed by the uppermost first original G1 and the friction member 196. The transport operation can be stopped in a state where the leading end does not reach the portion where the document take-out roller 158 and the friction member 196 contact each other. Further, the third original G3, which is located below the second original G2, is restricted to the wedge-shaped space formed by the second original G2 and the friction member 196, and the leading end thereof is the original take-out roller 158. When the frictional member 196 and the friction member 196 are not in contact with each other, the conveying operation can be stopped.

In this manner, the large number of originals G1, G2, ... Are brought into a state in which the uppermost first original G1 can be taken out by the rotation of the original take-out roller 158, and the succeeding second original G1. And the third originals G2, G3, ... Are sequentially brought to the rear standby state.

When the document take-out roller 158 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing from the state shown in FIG. 44, the tip ends of the document take-out roller 158 and the friction member 196 are in contact with each other. Only the first original G1 brought to the front side has the frictional engagement force between it and the original document take-out roller 158 set to be stronger than the frictional engagement force with the friction member 196. Will be transported to. On the other hand, the rotating force of the document take-out roller 158 does not directly act on the succeeding second document G2, but only the frictional force associated with the conveyance of the first document G1 acts. As a result, the second original G2, which continues below the first original G1 taken out, remains at that position. That is, the first original G1 taken out is separated. The second original G2 is brought into a standby state where it can be taken out and conveyed forward as the original taking-out roller 158 rotates after the trailing edge of the first original G1 comes out of the original taking-out roller 158. Become.

That is, in the state where the first original G1 is taken out forward as described above, the stiffness of the above-mentioned remaining originals as a bulk is weakened by one original, and as a result, the left and right pairs are paired. The supporting spring pieces 194d and 194e are lifted upward by their own elastic force, and as a result, the second document G2 brought to the uppermost position is nipped by the document take-out roller 158 and the friction member 196. Will be brought to the state. In this way, the second original G2 following the first original G1 is conveyed forward with the rotation of the original take-out roller 158, with a slight delay from the first original G1.

On the other hand, the third original G3, which continues below the second original G2, is taken in and conveyed forward just like the second original G2. Here, when the number of remaining originals before being taken in by the original take-out roller 158 becomes smaller than the above-mentioned predetermined number, the operation described in << separation / taking-in operation of a plurality of originals smaller than a predetermined number >> in the previous section. The same situation as described above is obtained, and the remaining originals are sequentially conveyed, that is, taken in, in substantially the same state as the operation for taking out the originals here, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

<Description of Assembling Operation of Document Separation Unit> Next, referring to FIGS. 45 to 53, the document separation unit 156, the document take-out roller 158, and the white roller 162 are assembled to the lower document guide 174. The operation will be described in detail.

<< Description of Attachment Operation of Document Separation Unit 156 >> First, the attachment operation of attaching the document separation unit 156 to the lower document guide 174 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 45 to 49. As shown in FIG. 45, the document separating unit 156 is in a state before the lower document guide 174 in a bare state, that is, the document take-out roller 158, the white roller 162, and the upper document guide 176 are attached. It is attached to the lower document guide 174. More specifically, the document separating unit 156 is set so as to be mounted in a state of being housed in the first recess 174b of the lower document guide 174, but in the mounting operation, first, As shown in FIG. 46, the document separation unit 156 is inserted from above from the rear of the unit main body 190 into the first recess 174b, and the rear locking boss 190c of the unit main body 190 is shown in FIG. First, it is fitted into the corresponding rear locking groove 174g in the first recess 174b.

From the state shown in FIG. 47, when the front part of the unit main body 190 is pushed down by a worker's finger or the like, the elastic stopper piece 190a formed on the front surface of the unit main body 190 is moved to the front as shown in FIG. Allows the front portion of the unit main body 190 to be inserted into the first recess 174b once pushed back against the elastic force of the unit itself. Then, by further pushing down the front part of the unit main body 190, this front part is completely inserted into the first recess 174b. In this completely inserted state, as shown in FIG. 49, the front locking bosses 190b formed on the front end surface of the elastic stopper piece 190a are fitted into the corresponding front locking grooves 174f of the first recess 174b. To do. In this way, the rear portion of the unit main body 190 is fitted into the rear locking groove 174g to which the rear locking boss portion 190c corresponds, and the front portion thereof fits into the front locking groove 174f to which the front locking boss portion 190b corresponds. By inserting the document separating unit 156, the document separating unit 156 is housed in a state of being locked in the first recess 174b, and the housed state is maintained in a stable state.

The removal operation of the document separating unit 156 may be performed in the reverse order of the above-described attachment operation, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, in the storage state shown in FIG. By pushing the upper end of the elastic stopper piece 190a of the unit main body 190 rearward with a claw or a flat-blade type screwdriver, as shown in FIG. 48, the front locking boss 190b comes out from the corresponding front locking groove 174f. Then, the locked state is released so that the unit can be lifted upward, and then the upper end of the elastic stopper 190a is lifted, so that the front portion of the unit main body 190 moves to the first position as shown in FIG. It will come out of the recess 174b. Then, the front portion of the unit main body 190 that has come out of the first recess 174b is pulled forward, and the whole body is lifted up. As a result, as shown in FIG. 46, the document separating unit 156 is moved to the lower document guide unit 156. It can be completely removed from 174.

<< Explanation of Attaching Operation of Original Retrieval Roller 158 and White Roller 162 >> Next, referring to FIGS. 50 to 53, the operation of attaching the original take-out roller and white roller 162 to the lower original guide 174 will be described. The details will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 50, in the state where the document separating unit 156 is inserted and locked in the first recess 174b of the lower document guide 174, the upper document guide (not shown) is shown. 176 is attached to the upper surface of the lower document guide 174 via a snap lock pin 175. The upper document guide 176 can be easily removed from the lower document guide 176 by pulling out the snap lock pin 175.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned document take-out roller 158 has the fitting groove portions 178b of the first bearing bush 178 attached to both ends of the shaft portion 158a, respectively, from the state shown in FIG. While maintaining the erected posture of 178c, the lower document guide 174 is fitted into the first recesses 180 formed in the support plates 174c and 174d on the left and right sides of the lower document guide 174 so as to be pushed in from above. As a result, the fitting groove portion 178b is first loosely fitted in the corresponding tapered hole portion 180a of the first concave portion 180, and is forcibly guided to the upper end of the narrowed hole portion 180b according to the tapered surface thereof, and the narrowed hole portion 180b. 52 is pushed down while being expanded, and is inserted into the receiving hole 180c as shown in FIG. In this manner, the first bearing bush 178 is pivoted on the support plates 174c and 174d, respectively, in a so-called snap engagement state, with the fitting groove 178b being pushed into the corresponding receiving hole 180c. It will be supported freely.

FIG. 36 shows a state in which the document take-out roller 158 is rotatably and axially supported by both support plates 174c and 174d through the first bearing bush 178 at both ends thereof. As described above, the friction roller portion 158b of the original document take-out roller 158 is taken out below the original document take-out roller 158 through the insertion hole 176a formed in the upper original document guide 176 to form a pair of left and right leaf springs 194 constituting the original document separation unit 156. The support spring pieces 194c and 194d of the above are contacted from above, and at the same time, the rubber leaf spring 198 of the friction member 196 is also contacted from above.

Further, in the above-mentioned white roller 162, the fitting groove portions 182b of the second bearing bush 182 attached to the both ends of the shaft portion 162a of the white roller 162 are respectively provided with the corresponding extending pieces 182c from the state shown in FIG. While maintaining the state of standing upright, the lower document guide 174 is fitted into the second recesses 184 formed in the support plates 174c and 174d on the left and right sides of the lower document guide 174 so as to be pushed in from above. As a result, the fitting groove 182b is first loosely fitted in the corresponding tapered hole 184a of the second recess 184, and is forcibly guided to the upper end of the narrowed hole 184b according to the tapered surface, and the narrowed hole 184b is formed. 52 is pushed down while being expanded, and is inserted into the receiving hole 184c as shown in FIG. In this way, the second bearing bush 182 is rotatable with respect to the support plates 174c and 174d, respectively, in a so-called snap engagement state, with the fitting groove 182b being pushed into the corresponding receiving hole 184c. Will be supported by.

Here, with the document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 attached to the lower document guide 174 in this manner, as shown in FIG. 50, one end of the document take-out roller 158 (the left end in the figure). ) Coaxially fixed to the second driven gear 172c meshes with the third intermediate gear 172f from above, and the first fixed to the one end (left end in the figure) of the white roller 162 coaxially. Driven gear 172b simultaneously meshes with the first and second intermediate gears 172d, 172e, and by these meshing, the driving force of the document feed motor 140 is sequentially transmitted to the first and second driven gears 172b, 172c. Will be configured as shown in FIG. 33.

It should be noted that, in this manner, the white roller 162 is rotatably supported by both support plates 174c and 174d through the second bearing bush 182 at both ends thereof, and the roller of the white roller 162 is rotated. The portion 162b is accommodated in the second recess 174e of the lower document guide 174, and is predetermined for the image reader 160 attached to the lower surface of the control panel 20 when the control panel 20 is closed. Positioning is accurately performed in a state having the positional relationship of.

After this, from the state shown in FIG. 52, the extending piece 178c of each first slide bush 178 is rotated by about 90 degrees in the clockwise direction in the figure, and as shown in FIG. The protrusion 178d that is formed to project on the inner surface of the extending piece 178c is fitted into the corresponding first locking hole 186. In this way, the attachment state of each first slide bush 178 to the corresponding support plates 174c and 174d is fixed, and therefore the document take-out roller 158 is stably attached to the lower document guide 174 and is rotatable. Will be attached to.

Similarly, from the state shown in FIG. 52, the extending piece 182c of each second slide bush 182 is rotated about 90 degrees in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and as shown in FIG. The protruding portion 182d formed on the inner surface of the extending piece 182c is fitted into the corresponding second locking hole 188. In this way, the attachment state of each second slide bush 182 to the corresponding support plate 174c, 174d is fixed, and accordingly, the white roller 162 is rotatably attached to the lower document guide 174 in a stable attachment state. Will be attached to.

The removal operation of each of the document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 may be performed in the reverse order of the above-described attaching operation, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the locked state shown, for example, by using an operator's nail or a screwdriver of a minus type, the tips of the extending pieces 178c, 182c of the corresponding slide bushes 178, 182 are peeled off from the corresponding support plates 174c, 174d. By deforming, as shown in FIG. 52, the document take-out roller 158 and the white roller 162 are made rotatable about their own central axes, and are rotated by 90 degrees in the opposite direction to the mounting direction. By doing so, it is possible to lift it upward, and then continue to lift the corresponding slide bushes 178 and 182. By pulling it, as shown in FIG. 51, it can be pulled out upward from the corresponding recesses 180, 184 and completely removed from the lower document guide 174.

As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, the image reading mechanism 18 is required to have the highest mechanical performance, in other words, the originals are reliably separated and conveyed one by one. The document separating section, which exhibits the functions that can be performed, can be assembled by an extremely simple operation, and similarly, can be disassembled by an extremely simple operation. In this way, in this embodiment, for example, at the time of regular arranging, in order to maintain the original separating function favorably, the original take-out roller 158 is replaced with a new one or the original separating unit 156 is rubbed. The rubber leaf spring 198 of the member 196 can be reattached, or the inclination angle of the pair of left and right support spring pieces 194c and 194d of the leaf spring 194 can be adjusted very easily. It will be possible to improve the sex.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment and can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described one embodiment, the case where the invention is applied to the facsimile machine has been described, but the invention is not limited to such a configuration, and may be applied to a so-called printer device having no communication function. It goes without saying that you can do it.

[0141]

[Effect of the device]

 As described in detail above, the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention is provided above and below the upper document guide and the lower document guide that define the upper and lower sides of the document transportation path, and In the case where there are a plurality of originals, which are arranged below the entrance of the conveying path and which are arranged to take out and convey the brought originals one by one to the front and convey the originals. In addition, a separating means for separating the original document after the leading document, which is also held by the contact portion with the original document take-out roller, from the original document taken out by the take-out roller, and arranged downstream of the original document take-out roller in the original document conveying direction. An image reading unit that is provided to read an image of a document that has been conveyed here, a white roller that is disposed on the opposite side of the image reading unit and a conveyance path, and the document pickup roller. It is characterized by comprising an attachment means for attaching the white roller detachably to the lower original guide.

In the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the lower document guide includes a guide main body that defines the lower surface of the transport path, and a pair of lower document guides that are mounted upright on both sides of the guide main body. The supporting plate, a first recess formed on the upper edge of each supporting plate in the upstream side with respect to the document conveying direction, and for supporting the original document taking roller, and the original document on the upper edge of each supporting plate. A second concave portion for supporting the white roller is formed on the downstream side in the transport direction.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the document take-out roller includes a shaft portion and a friction roller portion attached to an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion have bearing bushes. It is characterized in that it is fitted in the corresponding first concave portions of both support plates and is pivotally supported rotatably.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the white roller includes a shaft portion and a white roller portion attached to an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion are bearing bushes. It is characterized in that it is fitted into the corresponding second concave portions of both support plates via the above and is rotatably supported.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the bearing bush is formed between a bearing main body portion into which a corresponding shaft portion is rotatably inserted, and the support plate corresponding to the bearing main body portion. And a locking means that locks the bearing body to the support plate in a disengageable manner.

Further, in the electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention, the locking means is integrally formed with the bearing main body and extends in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the rotation axis of the corresponding shaft portion. And a protrusion formed on the side surface of the extension and protruding toward the corresponding support plate, and a bearing formed on the support plate and having the corresponding protrusion fitted therein. It is characterized by having a locking hole for locking the bush in the corresponding recess. The electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the upper original guide is attached so as to be separated upward from the lower original guide.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the electrophotographic apparatus in which the original take-out roller and the white roller can be easily and detachably mounted within the range where the separating operation is not impaired.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing an internal configuration of a facsimile machine to which an embodiment of an electrophotographic apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when viewed obliquely from the front.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when viewed obliquely from the rear.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the bottom shape of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with a bottom blind cover removed.

5 is a bottom view showing a bottom surface shape of a main plate forming the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a rear view showing the shape of the rear surface of the main plate shown in FIG.

7 is a perspective view showing the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 2 with an upper housing opened.

8 is a side view showing a side shape of the facsimile device shown in FIG.

9 is a front view showing the front shape of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

10 is a perspective view showing a state in which a document tray provided in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is taken out.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the original tray shown in FIG. 10 and a tray pedestal attached to the upper housing in a state in which they are separated from each other in order to explain the attachment state.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing the document tray shown in FIG. 11 attached to a tray holder.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view showing the document tray shown in FIG. 11 in an upright state immediately before being attached to a tray holder.

FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which an upright document tray is inserted into the insertion hole of the tray pedestal from the state shown in FIG. 13 from above.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view showing a state immediately after the operation of inclining the document tray with respect to the tray cradle is started from the state shown in FIG. 14;

16 is a side view showing the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 2 in a completely closed state.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing the facsimile apparatus in a state where the upper frame is half opened from the state shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a side view showing the facsimile apparatus with the upper frame fully opened from the state shown in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing an upper surface shape of an adjustment substrate provided in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

20 is a front view showing a state immediately before the connecting member is attached to the jumper terminal on the adjustment board shown in FIG. 19;

21 is a perspective view showing a frame structure of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

22 is a plan view showing an axially supported state of the swing frame shown in FIG. 21 with respect to a main plate. FIG.

23 is a side view showing a state in which the swing frame shown in FIG. 22 is axially supported by the main plate. FIG.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the swing frame is axially supported by the main plate, taken along a line AA in FIG. 22.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the swing frame is axially supported by the main plate, taken along the line BB in FIG. 22.

FIG. 26 is a plan view showing how the damper is attached to the swing frame.

27 is a side view showing how the damper is attached to the swing frame shown in FIG. 21. FIG.

28 is a side sectional view showing the internal structure of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1, in particular, the configuration around the interlock mechanism in a completely closed state.

29 is an internal structure of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 28, in which the structure around the interlock mechanism is taken out,
It is a side sectional view shown in the state where only a control panel was opened.

30 is an internal structure of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 28, in which the structure around the interlock mechanism is taken out,
It is a side sectional view shown in the state where the upper housing was opened.

31 is a side view showing a state where an image reading mechanism provided in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is taken out.

32 is a plan view showing a top surface shape of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with an upper housing removed.

FIG. 33 is a side view showing a side surface configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 32.

34 is a side view showing the configuration of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 33 with the control panel opened.

35 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration near the document separating portion in the image reading mechanism shown in FIG. 31. FIG.

FIG. 36 is an enlarged side sectional view showing the vicinity of the document separating portion shown in FIG. 35 in an enlarged state.

37 is a side sectional view showing a shape of a lower document guide in the image reading mechanism shown in FIG. 31. FIG.

38 is a side view showing the shape of a support plate of the lower document guide shown in FIG.

39 is a perspective view showing a structure of a bearing bush for rotatably supporting a document separation feed roller and a white roller which are respectively attached to the lower document guide shown in FIG. 38. FIG.

FIG. 40 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a document separating unit in the image reading mechanism shown in FIG.

41 is a side sectional view showing a side surface shape of the document separating unit shown in FIG. 40.

FIG. 42 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of taking out one original.

FIG. 43 is a side sectional view for explaining a separating / removing operation of a plurality of originals smaller than a predetermined number.

FIG. 44 is a side sectional view for explaining a separating / removing operation of a document larger than a predetermined number.

FIG. 45 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the document separating unit is attached to the lower document guide.

FIG. 46 is a side sectional view showing a state immediately before the document separating unit is attached to the lower document guide.

FIG. 47 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the rear locking boss portion is fitted into the corresponding rear locking groove during the operation of mounting the document separating unit on the lower document guide.

FIG. 48 is a side cross-sectional view showing the upper side of the elastic stopper piece which is biased rearward during the operation of attaching the original separating unit to the lower original guide.

FIG. 49 is a side sectional view showing a state where the document separating unit is completely attached to the lower document guide.

FIG. 50 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before the document take-out roller and the white roller are attached to the lower document guide, with the upper document guide removed.

FIG. 51 is a side view showing a state immediately before the document take-out roller and the white roller are attached to the lower document guide.

52 is a side view showing a state where a document take-out roller and a white roller are fitted into a lower document guide from above. FIG.

FIG. 53 is a side view showing a state where a document take-out roller and a white roller are attached and locked to the lower document guide.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Facsimile Machine 156 Document Separation Unit 158 Document Extraction Roller 160 Image Reader 162 White Roller 174 Lower Document Guide 176 Upper Document Guide 178; 182 Bearing Bushing

Claims (7)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An upper manuscript guide and a lower manuscript guide that define the upper and lower sides of a document conveyance path, and are arranged above the entrance portion of the conveyance path, and the documents introduced here are directed forward one by one. And a document take-out roller for taking out and feeding the document, and the document take-out roller, which is disposed below the entrance of the feeding path, comes into contact with the document take-out roller when there are a plurality of documents. Separation means for separating the original document after the first original document that is taken out from the original document taken out by the take-out roller, and an image for reading the image of the original document that is arranged downstream of the original document take-out roller A reading unit, a white roller provided on the opposite side of the image reading unit with a conveyance path interposed therebetween, the original take-out roller and the white roller are attached to the lower original guide. Electrophotographic apparatus characterized in that it comprises an attachment means for attaching freely. 2. The lower original guide includes a guide main body that defines a lower surface of the conveyance path, a pair of support plates mounted upright on both sides of the guide main body, and an upper edge of each support plate. Formed on the upstream side with respect to the document conveying direction,
A first recess for supporting the document take-out roller,
A second member for supporting the white roller, which is formed on the downstream side of the upper edge of each of the support plates with respect to the document transport direction.
The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The document take-out roller includes a shaft portion and a friction roller portion attached to an outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion are provided with corresponding bearing plates of both support plates via bearing bushes. 3. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrophotographic apparatus is fitted in the concave portion of 1 and rotatably supported. 4. The white roller includes a shaft portion and a white roller portion attached to the outer periphery of the shaft portion, and both ends of the shaft portion correspond to both support plates via bearing bushes. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the electrophotographic apparatus is fitted in the second recess and rotatably supported. 5. The bearing bush is formed between a bearing body portion into which a corresponding shaft portion is rotatably inserted, and the support plate corresponding to the bearing body portion, and supports the bearing body. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a locking unit that locks the plate in a detachable manner. 6. The extension means is integrally formed with the bearing body and extends in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the rotation axis of the corresponding shaft portion, and a side surface of the extension piece. And a protrusion protruding toward the corresponding support plate and a corresponding protrusion formed on the support plate, and the bearing bush formed with the protrusion is locked in the corresponding recess. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a hole. 7. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper document guide is attached so as to be separated upward from the lower document guide.