JPH07175355A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make hand-carrying/housing possibly and easy, to obtain a stable form at the time of operating and to improve reliability by providing an image forming main body part and a fixing part unit and making a disposing form different at the time of forming an image and nonusing. CONSTITUTION:The image forming main body part 10 and the fixing part, unit 20 fixing an unfixed image on a recording medium are provided, the fixing unit 20 itself is connected to the main body part 10 by a right and left connecting shaft in the longitudinal direction of a photoreceptor 12 and freely rotated by the connecting shaft. In the form of the nonuse, the fixing part unit 20 is rotated centering the connecting shaft and located in the lower part of the main body part 10. In the image forming device in the form of the nonuse, the fixing part unit 20 is rotated to move centering the connecting shaft with respect to the main body part 10 and reconnected in a direction where an ejected recording medium from the main body part 10 is inserted into a fixing unit. Therefore, other image forming process elements are not located in the upper part of the fixing unit 20, so that a cooling fan is not required and the transfer of heat to other process elements can be remarkably prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus,
In particular, it relates to an electrophotographic apparatus such as a laser printer or an LED printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electrophotographic apparatuses such as printers have been downsized, and not only conventional dot impact printers, but also thermal transfer / sublimation printers and ink jet printers have been downsized. However, in the printer using the electrophotographic system, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 has been conventionally used in terms of image forming process elements and sheet feeding.

That is, the photoconductor 5 for forming an electrostatic latent image.
1. A charging unit 52 is arranged in the upper part around 1, and an exposing unit (LED) 53 is arranged along the rotation direction of the photoconductor 51, and a developing unit 5 is arranged on the side.
4, a transfer unit 55 at the bottom, a cleaning unit 56 and a charge eliminating unit 57 near the position facing the developing unit 54 with the photoconductor 51 interposed therebetween.
Are arranged.

Further, a fixing portion 58 for fixing the unfixed developer on the recording medium is provided at a position substantially the same height as the transfer portion 55 and between the cleaning portion 56 and the discharging portion 59.

Therefore, even if the diameter of the photosensitive member 51 is reduced, the entire structure is laterally long when viewed from the sectional direction of the photosensitive member 51 in which the photosensitive member 51 is disposed. It can be said that this is because the printer has been constructed based on the device configuration of the copying machine.

Further, in recent years, as a device structure dedicated to a printer, a device having image forming process elements as shown in FIG. 3 has been put on the market. This includes a cleaning unit 62 on the upper side of the photoconductor 61, a contact charging unit 63 and an exposing unit 64 along the rotation direction of the photoconductor 61, a developing unit 65 on the lower side, and a contact charging unit 63 via the photoconductor 61. Each part of the transfer part 66 formed of rollers is arranged at a position facing the part 64.

The exposure section 64 is located behind the developing section 65 as shown in FIG. 3 because of the space, and only the light beam passes through the space between the cleaning section 62 and the developing section 65 to irradiate the photoreceptor 61. It has become so.

The fixing section 67 is disposed above the cleaning section 62.

With such a structure, the horizontal length as shown in FIG. 2 is slightly improved, and it can be said that the operation and maintenance from the direction indicated by → become easier.

In addition to these configurations, a cleanerless process in which the developing unit shares a cleaning function has been proposed in recent years, and it is possible to narrow the distance between the photoconductor 51 and the fixing unit 58 in FIG. Becomes

Also in FIG. 3, the cleanerless type, and the cleanerless and LED exposed portion 6 are used.
There has also been proposed a method in which 4 is made to closely contact with the photoconductor 61 to make it slimmer.

[0012]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, first, with the structure shown in FIG. 2, the installation area of the device becomes large, and it is not a problem when it is always used, but it is a personal computer. If there are not many opportunities to print such as for youth, the installation space will be wasted.

Further, even with the structure shown in FIG. 3, the installation area cannot be greatly reduced by laser beam exposure. Although cleaner-less and LED exposure can certainly reduce the installation area to a large extent, the installation area may become too small with respect to the height of the device and installation may become unstable. Since each tray for receiving the discharged paper is attached, the installation instability is further increased.

[0014]

According to the present invention, an electrostatic latent image carrier, a means for forming a latent image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image carrier are formed. An image forming main body portion having a developing portion for developing the latent image, a transfer portion for transferring the developed image on the electrostatic latent image carrier to a recording medium, and a fixing portion for fixing an unfixed image on the recording medium. An image forming apparatus is provided which has a fixing section unit, and the arrangement of the image forming main body section and the fixing section unit is different when an image is formed and when it is not used.

[0015]

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the fixing section unit, which is connected to the lower portion of the main body when not in use, is rotationally moved around the connecting section, so that the image forming process elements other than the fixing section are rotated. Is re-coupled to the main body containing paper and the paper discharge side of the main body, the drive transmission system is connected and coupled from the main body for rotational driving of the fixing unit, the fixing unit heating source is heated, and the main unit is discharged from the paper discharge side. An image is formed by discharging a recording medium carrying an unfixed developer image on its surface through a fixing section.

[0016]

1A and 1B are views showing an electrophotographic apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 (B)
Although it is in the mode of use, the photosensitive member 1 is
2, a charging roller 13, an exposure laser optical system 14, a cleaner unit 15, a developing unit 16, and a transfer roller 17 are arranged and arranged as shown in FIG. A power supply / controller unit 18 including a motor and an image data controller unit is housed. On the other hand, the fixing unit 20 includes a fixing unit 21 including a heat roller 21a and a pressure roller 21b, and a discharge roller pair 22. The fixing unit 20 itself is laterally connected to the main body 10 in the longitudinal direction of the photoconductor 12. It is connected by a shaft and rotatable by a connecting shaft.

In the fixing unit 20, the discharge roller pair 22 is gear-coupled to the heat roller 21a, and the pressure roller 21b can be pressed against the heat roller 21a and driven to rotate. The heat roller rotating gear (not shown) is connected to a gear (not shown) which is connected and rotated by a main body motor (not shown) located on the cleaner portion 15 side of the main body 10 in the operating mode. It is like this.

The heat roller rotating gear (not shown) on the fixing unit 20 side does not protrude from the side cover near the connecting shaft of the fixing unit 20, and the corresponding coupling gear on the main unit side also protrudes from the main unit cover. It does not have a structure.

The corresponding coupling gear on the side of the main body portion 10 is covered when not in use, and the cover can be opened as the fixing portion unit 20 rotates.

FIG. 1 (A) shows an unused state of the image forming apparatus described with reference to FIG. 1 (B), in which the fixing unit 20 is rotated about the connecting shaft so that the fixing unit 20 is located below the main unit 10. The fixing unit 20 is positioned.

Now, the operation of the image forming apparatus having such a structure will be described.

The image forming apparatus in the unused state is
The fixing unit 20 is rotationally moved around the connecting shaft of the main body 10 and is recombined in a direction such that the recording medium discharged from the main body 10 is inserted into the fixing device 21, as shown in FIG.

At this time, the heat roller driving gear is mounted on the main body portion 10 side so as to be coupled with the heat roller driving gear when the apparatus is in the operating mode so that the rotation from the driving motor is transmitted to the fixing portion unit 20. Combines with installed gear.

When the unused mode is changed to the operating mode as described above, the heat roller 21a starts to be energized and starts to heat up. When the surface temperature of the heat roller 21a reaches a predetermined temperature, the print operation becomes possible.

When the printing operation is started, the photoconductor 12 is charged, exposed and developed, and the developed image is transferred to the recording medium fed from the direction opposite to the fixing unit 20 via the main body 10. After the transfer, the recording medium is discharged from the discharge port of the main body unit 10 and inserted into the fixing device 21 in the fixing unit 20.

The recording medium that has passed through the fixing device 21 is ejected from the ejection roller pair 22. On the other hand, the photoconductor 12 is cleaned by the cleaner unit 15 and used for the next image formation.

When the printing operation is completed and the printing apparatus is returned to the unused mode, the reverse operation of the operation from the unused mode to the operating mode is performed, that is, the connecting shaft of the main body 10 is centered to the lower part of the main body 10. The fixing unit 20 is rotated to move it to an unused state.

Although not particularly mentioned in the above description, when the fixing unit 20 is rotated or moved even a little from the position at the time of operation, the drive motor in the main unit 10, the applied voltage to each part, the heater input voltage. Etc. are supposed to stop.

In addition to this embodiment, a cleanerless process is used as the internal structure of the main body 10, an LED optical system is used instead of the laser optical system, a charging brush or a Kontron / scorotron is used instead of the charging roller, Processes such as corotrin transfer or adhesive transfer may be used instead of the transfer roller. Further, the fixing unit may use a film fixing method or a pressure fixing method instead of the heat roller method. A dielectric may be used instead of the photoconductor, in which case a latent image is formed by the electrostatic head. Further, the drive transmission between the fixing unit 20 and the main body 10 may be performed by belt transmission instead of gear connection. In the configuration positional relationship as shown in FIG. 1B, the transfer roller 17 and the pressure roller 21b are not connected. It is also possible to connect with a belt.

Further, in the case of printing a large number of sheets, it is possible to mount a paper feeding cassette on the paper feeding side of the main body 10.

In the above embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the electrophotographic apparatus has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus other than the electrophotographic apparatus such as a printer. .

[0032]

As described above, in the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the electrophotographic process is not fixedly arranged and the apparatus form is made different between when it is used and when it is not used. The image forming apparatus is small and can be carried and stored easily by a user who cannot always take up the apparatus installation space. And the storage form is compact and slim, and it can be made the same size as a laptop computer.

Further, during operation, the form becomes stable,
Even when a large number of sheets are required to be printed, stable output is possible, and even if there is vibration of the installation desk or human contact, it can operate with peace of mind and is reliable.

Furthermore, since no other image forming process element is located above the fixing portion, not only a cooling fan is not required but also heat transfer to other process elements can be largely prevented. In addition, since an air wall is formed between the main body portion and the fixing portion unit, heat transfer from the fixing portion to the main body portion can be prevented, which will be effective for future power consumption reduction and low temperature fixing toner use. In addition, the toner can be easily replenished, and the fixing unit unit can be rotationally moved to remove the paper jam or the like, which is effective in maintenance.

As described above, the image forming apparatus of the present invention has a completely different idea from the conventional configuration, and its effect is great without significantly increasing the cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrophotographic apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an unused state, and FIG.
[Fig. 6] is a diagram showing a form in use operation.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an electrophotographic apparatus according to a first conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an electrophotographic apparatus according to a second conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Main Body 12 Photoreceptor 13 Charging Roller 14 Exposure Laser Optical System 15 Cleaner 16 Developing Unit 17 Transfer Roller 18 Power / Controller 20 Fixing Unit 21 Fixer 22 Ejecting Roller Pair

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electrostatic latent image bearing member, a means for forming a latent image on the electrostatic latent image bearing member, and a developing unit for developing the latent image formed on the electrostatic latent image bearing member. An image forming main body section having a transfer section for transferring the developed image on the electrostatic latent image carrier to a recording medium, and a fixing section unit having a fixing section for fixing an unfixed image on the recording medium, An image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming main body and the fixing unit are arranged differently when an image is formed and when it is not used. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
An image forming apparatus, wherein the fixing unit is movably connected to the image forming main body.