JPH0735213B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a microfilm reader printer or a copying machine.

Generally, in a copy sheet conveying path of a copying machine or the like, a sheet of the copying machine or the like that has been sent may cause a jam (so-called paper jam), and in this case, it is necessary to remove the jammed sheet.

Conventionally, in order to enable the removal and discharge of this jammed sheet, the guide plate forming the sheet conveying path is retracted from the guide position, but a paper feed cassette for stacking and storing copy sheets, a fixing device, etc. Since it is fixed at a fixed position in the main body of the device, the space formed by retracting the guide plate is narrow, so it is difficult to pull out a jammed sheet by inserting a hand, and the jammed sheet causes other adjacent parts to come out when pulling out the sheet. May be damaged. It is also known that the sheet conveying path is divided into a plurality of sheets, each of the divided conveying paths is provided with a plurality of guide plates, and each of the guide plates is independently retracted from its guide position. The plate opening / closing mechanism is complicated and large, and the space formed by the retreat is further narrowed, which causes a problem in operability during jamming.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and is capable of rotating the entire sheet conveying unit provided with a holding unit for holding a sheet feeding cassette, a sheet feeding unit, a sheet guiding member, a fixing roller pair, and a sheet ejection tray. With the above configuration, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of forming a wide space in which a sheet can be easily taken out when a jam occurs.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a microfilm reader printer to which the present invention is applied, in which a microfilm held on a film carrier 1 is an illumination lamp 2 arranged in an apparatus main body 35.
And an illumination optical system including a condenser lens 3 and the like. An image of one frame on the film is enlarged and projected on the screen 10 by the projection optical system from the projection lens 5 and the mirrors 6, 7, 8 and the like to form a reader unit. The moving mirrors 12, 13 are advanced in the optical paths of the projection optical systems 5, 6, 7, 8 and the image is projected on the photosensitive drum 17 of the image forming unit 15 on the side of the reader unit to form the printer unit. . Around the photosensitive drum 17, a charging device 18 that charges the photosensitive drum 17, a developing device 19 that visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 17, and a cleaner that cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 17.
20 and the like are arranged, and the image forming unit 15 including these image forming means is fixed in the apparatus main body.

The sheet conveying unit 22 that supplies the copy paper is rotatably supported in the apparatus main body at one end by a support shaft 23, and is image-formed near the photosensitive drum 17 at the other end by a holding member (not shown). It is held at the first position where the copy paper can be conveyed to the transfer position of the unit 15. The space below the sheet transport unit 22 in the apparatus has a space enough to be charged and separated from the photosensitive drum 17 when the sheet transport unit 22 is pivotally dropped and placed in the second position. Inside the sheet conveying unit 22, a holding portion (not shown) that holds a detachable paper feed cassette 25 that houses the copy paper P, a paper feed roller that sends out the copy paper P in the paper feed cassette 25 in a substantially horizontal direction. 26, paper feed roller 26
For transferring the visible image on the first guide plate 27, the feeding roller 28, and the photosensitive drum 17 that folds the copy paper P sent out by the U-shape and guides it to the transfer position of the photosensitive drum 17. The transfer charger 29, the second guide plate 2 for guiding the copy paper P, which has passed through the transfer process, in a substantially horizontal direction above the cassette 25.
7 ', a fixing device 30 and the like are arranged. Fuser 30
The fixing rollers 30a and 30b not only fix the transfer image on the copy paper P, but also serve as rollers for discharging and conveying the copy paper P. In the sheet transport unit 22, a sheet discharge tray 32, which is a sheet receiving member, is provided on the discharge side of the fixing rollers 30a and 30b with a shaft
It is attached to the transport unit 22 so as to be rotatable in the clockwise direction around the lower center, and is normally locked at the position shown (lock mechanism not shown).

Copy paper P is fed from paper feed cassette 25 by paper feed roller 26.
Sheets are sent out one by one, conveyed to the transfer position, and exposed to the photosensitive drum 17
The developed image above is transferred, and the transferred image is fixed by the fixing device 30 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 32.

If the copy paper is jammed during transportation, first open the front door (not shown) of the device, then unlock the paper discharge tray 32, and use the holding member that holds the sheet transport unit in place. After releasing the lock, the sheet transport unit 22 is rotated to drop the end of the transport unit on the side of the sheet feeding cassette. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the sheet conveying unit 22 is largely separated from the image forming unit 15 to form a large space, and the entire conveying unit including the first and second guide plates, the transfer charger and the fixing unit is largely opened. Therefore, the jammed copy paper can be easily removed (jamming).

On the other hand, when the sheet conveying unit 22 rotates downward, the sheet discharge tray 32 rotates around the shaft 40, and the right end portion (upstream end portion in the conveying direction) near the shaft 40 moves downward, and As shown in the drawing, the left end portion (downstream end portion in the transport direction) opposite to the right end portion is always held at a position higher than the right end portion, and the rear end (right end) of the copy paper stack on the discharge tray is It comes into contact with the wall (not shown) on the right end side. As a result, when the sheet conveying unit is opened, the bundle of copy sheets on the discharge tray can be held in a bundled state, and the copy sheets can be taken out easily.

Further, since the entire conveyance path from the paper feed cassette to the discharge tray is formed in the sheet conveyance unit, there is no risk of damaging the copy sheet when the sheet conveyance unit is rotated, no matter where the copy sheet is jammed. In addition, the transport path can be opened wide.

Further, even if the sheet conveying unit is repeatedly rotated, the entire conveying passage is rotated together with the sheet conveying unit and is not divided in the middle of the passage, so that the conveying passage is always kept constant, and the jam of copy paper is prevented. Occurrence can be prevented, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention has a very simple structure, and the entire conveying unit including the sheet feeding cassette, the transfer charger, the fixing device, etc. is dropped from the image forming unit to be rotated and retracted to be wide. Since the space can be formed, the jam sheet can be easily removed, and there is no risk of damaging the parts when the sheet is removed, and the number of failures is reduced.

Further, when the sheet conveying unit is opened, the sheet bundle stacked on the sheet discharge tray is not disturbed, and the sheet bundle can be stored in the sheet discharge tray in an orderly manner, and the sheet bundle can be easily taken out.

Also, because the entire transport path from the paper feed cassette to the paper discharge tray is formed in the sheet transport unit, there is no risk of damaging the sheet when the sheet transport unit rotates, no matter where the sheet jams. The road can be opened widely, and it becomes easy to take out the jammed sheet and repair or clean the device.

Further, even if the sheet conveying unit is repeatedly rotated, the entire conveying passage rotates together with the sheet conveying unit and is not divided in the middle of the passage, so the conveying passage is always kept constant and a sheet jam occurs. Can be prevented, and the reliability of the device can be improved.

In addition, the entire transport path is largely opened in one operation, the opening mechanism is simple, the transport unit can be downsized, and maintenance of the components in the transport unit and the image forming unit can be performed easily. .

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 are configuration diagrams of a microfilm reader printer which is an image forming apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 15 is an image forming unit, 22 is a sheet conveying unit, 25 is a paper feed cassette, 30a and 30b are fixing rollers, 32 and 34 are paper discharge trays, and 35 is an outer surface of the apparatus main body.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus main body in which an image forming section is arranged, and a sheet conveying unit which is rotatably arranged in the apparatus main body and conveys a sheet to the image forming section, the sheet conveying unit comprising: A holding unit that detachably holds a sheet feeding cassette that stores sheets, a sheet feeding unit that feeds a sheet from the sheet feeding cassette, a fixing roller pair, and a sheet that is fed from the sheet feeding cassette in the image forming unit. A sheet guide member that forms a conveying path that guides the fixing roller pair through an image forming position, and a sheet discharge tray that is rotatably provided at one end of the sheet conveying unit and receives the sheet discharged by the fixing roller pair. Further, the sheet conveyance unit is rotatable to the first position in the transportable state and the second position in the dropped state separated from the image forming unit, and the sheet transport unit is moved to the second position. When moved, the discharge tray rotates together with the sheet conveying unit while the downstream end in the conveying direction is held at a position higher than the upstream end, and the conveying path facing the image forming unit is opened. An image forming apparatus having the above structure.