JPH08194428A - Process unit supporting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To prevent the interference with a processing unit and an exposure unit at the time of installation of the processing unit, and to miniaturize a main body by shortening the length for the installation process of the process unit in the main body. CONSTITUTION: A first and second projected parts 23, 24 are formed in both outside faces of a processing unit 6 to be installed in the inside of a main body 1 from an open part 20 formed in the upper side of the body and a first and a second guiding grooves 26, 27 are formed in both inside faces of the main body 1. The first and the second projected parts 23, 24 are separately inserted in the first and the second guiding grooves 26, 27, so that the posture of the processing unit 6 to be inserted in the main body 1 is so regulated as not to interfere an exposure unit 8. Furthermore, since the paths of the first and the second respective guiding grooves 26, 27 can be formed differently, the posture of the processing unit 6 tilted at the time of insertion in the open part 20 of the main body 1 can be corrected in horizontal direction with a small radius.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process unit supporting device used in an image forming apparatus for forming an image by electrophotography.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the outer periphery of a photoconductor is electrically charged, the charged portion is irradiated with light from an exposure unit to form an electrostatic latent image, and the electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device. There is an image forming apparatus that transfers the image onto a transfer sheet.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional image forming apparatus 100. The main body 101 of the image forming apparatus 100 has a conveyance path 103 at an intermediate portion for conveying a transfer sheet fed from a sheet feeding cassette 102 mounted in the lower part or a transfer sheet manually inserted. There is a structure in which a process unit 104 is arranged above the path 103 and an exposure unit 105 is mounted on the ceiling surface.

Although not shown, the process unit 104 includes a charger for charging the surface of the photosensitive member, and an electrostatic latent image formed by irradiating the portion charged by the charger with light from the exposure unit 105. A casing for developing a developing unit, a cleaning unit having a cleaning member for wiping off the residual toner on the photosensitive member, a static eliminator for uniformly discharging the charges on the photosensitive member, and the like are arranged around the photosensitive member. It is formed by assembling into. The toner box 106a which is the outer casing of the developing device
The waste toner box 106b, which is the outer casing of the cleaning unit, is formed integrally with the casing 106. A transfer device that transfers the developed image on the photoconductor onto a transfer sheet is provided in the transport path 103.

In such an image forming apparatus 100, an opening 108 which is opened and closed by a cover 107 is formed in the upper portion of the main body 101, and the cover 107 is opened to remove the jam during processing or maintenance of the process unit 104. I am taking out 104. In addition, a pair of protrusions 109 are provided on both sides of the casing 106.
The process unit 104 is provided on both inner side surfaces of the main body 101 in the inward direction from the front surface on the operation panel 110 side.
A guide surface 111 that is inclined downward so as to guide the light to the lower side of the exposure unit 105, a recess 112 that positions and holds the protrusion 109 is formed on the guide surface 111, and the protrusion 109 is formed on the guide surface 111. Slide along the recess 112
The structure is adopted in which the process unit 104 is set in the main body 101 by engaging with.

Further, as disclosed in JP-A-5-66621, two protrusions are formed on both sides of the process unit, and an arc-shaped groove for slidably guiding these protrusions is formed in the main body. There is one in which the photoconductor is mounted on the main body by forming the projections on both inner side surfaces and inserting the protrusions along the grooves. In such a structure, since the groove that holds the protrusion protruding from both sides of the process unit is arcuate, the tip of the insertion side should face downward of the exposure unit in the initial process of inserting the process unit into the main body. The process unit is inclined, and the posture of the process unit is gradually corrected in the horizontal direction along the arcuate groove as the inserting operation progresses, and the tip of the inserting side approaches the lower surface of the exposure unit.

[0007]

In order to meet the demand for miniaturization, it is difficult for the device shown in FIG. 4 to provide a space between the transport path 103 and the exposure unit 105. This is also true for the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-66621. On the other hand, when the process unit 104 is mounted on the main body 101, the process unit 104 is centered on the protrusion 109 supported by the guide surface 111.
Since the rotational movement of the process unit 104 is not regulated at all, the tip of the process unit 104 on the insertion side is displaced upward and the exposure unit 10
5 may collide. As a result, the process unit 104 is damaged or the mounting position of the optical element of the exposure unit 105 is misaligned and the image forming position on the photoconductor is displaced.

Further, the one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-66621 has a structure in which two projecting portions projecting from the side surface of the process unit are guided by arcuate grooves of the main body. Therefore, if the distance between the protrusions is increased to some extent in order to stabilize the mounting posture of the process unit, the radius of the groove cannot be reduced. Therefore, unless the length of the groove is increased to a certain extent or more, the attitude of the tilted process unit cannot be corrected in the horizontal direction at the initial stage of insertion, which lengthens the insertion path of the process unit and reduces the size of the body. Will be the cause of inhibiting.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An opening that is opened and closed by a cover is formed in the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus, an exposure unit whose one end is close to the edge of the opening is provided on the ceiling surface of the main body, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by at least the exposure unit. The first and second protrusions are provided on both outer side surfaces of the process unit having the photoconductor on which the process unit is inserted into the opening in the initial stage of the inserting operation of the process unit. A path is defined so as to be obliquely inserted from above the opening portion toward the bottom of the exposure unit and to correct the insertion posture of the process unit in a substantially horizontal direction in the process after the middle stage of the insertion operation. Is a process unit supporting device in which first and second guide grooves for slidably guiding the first and second protrusions are formed on both inner side surfaces of the main body.

A second aspect of the present invention is the process unit supporting device according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the first protrusion is disposed on the axis of the photoconductor.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the attitude of the process unit inserted into the main body can be adjusted by inserting the first and second protrusions into the first and second guide grooves separately. It is possible to regulate so as not to interfere with the exposure unit. Furthermore, since it is possible to form the first and second guide grooves by changing the paths individually, the attitude of the process unit tilted when it is inserted into the opening of the main body is corrected horizontally with a small radius. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, the length of the process of mounting the process unit to the main body can be shortened, which contributes to downsizing of the main body.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the axial center of the photoconductor can be accurately positioned by holding the first protrusion by the first guide groove.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a main body. In the main body 1, a paper cassette 2 that can be pulled out, a paper feed roller 3, and a paper feed path 4 that reverses a transfer paper (not shown) drawn from the paper feed cassette 2 by the paper feed roller 3. , This paper feed path 4
The transfer path 5 connected to the transfer path 5, the process unit 6 mounted above the transfer path 5, and the exposure unit 8 fixed to the ceiling surface 7 of the main body 1 are provided. Further, a registration roller 9, a transfer device 10, and a fixing device 11 are arranged in the transport path 5. Further, on the downstream side of the transport path 5, a paper discharge path 13 for guiding the transfer paper to a paper discharge receiver 12 formed on the upper surface of the main body 1 is provided, and the transfer paper is provided in the middle of the paper discharge path 13. A paper discharge path switching lever 15 that guides toward the paper discharge tray 12 or the paper discharge port 14 on the rear surface of the main body 1 is rotatably provided, and a paper discharge roller 16 is rotatably provided above the paper discharge path 13. Has been. Further, an operation panel 18 is attached to the front surface 17 of the main body 1. Further, an opening 20 that is opened and closed by the cover 19 is formed in the upper portion of the main body 1.

The process unit 6 is formed by charging a charger (not shown) for charging the surface of the photoconductor 21 and irradiating the portion charged by the charger with light from the exposure unit 8. A developing device (not shown) that develops the electrostatic latent image, a cleaning unit (not shown) that has a cleaning member that wipes the residual toner on the photoconductor 21, and the charge on the photoconductor 8 are uniformly removed. A static eliminator (not shown) and the like are arranged around the photoconductor 21 and assembled in the casing 22. A toner box 22a, which is an outer casing of the developing unit, and a waste toner box 22b, which is an outer casing of the cleaning unit.
Are integrally formed with the casing 22. Also,
On both outer side surfaces of the casing 22, a first protrusion 23 arranged on the axis of the photoconductor 21 and a second protrusion 24 arranged on a straight line parallel to the axis of the photoconductor 21 are provided. It is provided.

The body 1 has a frame 25, and first and second guides for slidably guiding the first and second protrusions 23 and 24 on both sides of the frame 25. Grooves 26 and 27 are formed. These first and second guide grooves 26 and 27 are arranged such that the insertion posture of the process unit 6 is set from above the opening 20 in the initial process of the operation of inserting the process unit 6 into the opening 20 from above. A path is set so that the exposure unit 8 is regulated so as to be obliquely inserted downward, and the insertion posture of the process unit 6 is corrected in a substantially horizontal direction in the process after the middle stage of the insertion operation.

That is, the first guide groove 26 having an upper end open to the opening 20 side is inclined downward toward the exposure unit 8 and is bent substantially vertically at the lower end thereof. A bent portion 28 for positioning the one protruding portion 23 is formed. The upper end of the second guide groove 27 is opened between the upper end of the first guide groove 26 and the end portion 8a of the exposure unit 8. The second guide groove 27 is inclined downward toward the exposure unit 8 and its lower end. A bent portion 29 that is bent substantially vertically to position the second protrusion 24 is formed in the.

In such a structure, when the jam is removed or the process unit 6 is maintained, the cover 19 is rotated upward or removed from the main body 1 to open the opening 20.
And the process unit 6 is removed or attached to the main body 1 in this state.

When mounting the process unit 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the first protrusion 23 is inserted into the first guide groove 26 and the second protrusion 24 is inserted into the second guide groove 27. Meanwhile, the process unit 6 is inserted into the opening 20 from above as shown by the phantom line. In the initial stage of this insertion operation, the first and second protrusions 23 and 24 are separately inserted into the first or second guide grooves 26 and 27, so that the process unit to be inserted into the main body 1 is inserted. It is possible to regulate the rotational movement of 6 and regulate the posture so that the tip on the insertion side does not interfere with the end 8a of the exposure unit 8.
Then, in the process after the middle stage of the inserting operation of the process unit 6 into the opening 20, the first and second protrusions 23, 2
4 goes to the lower ends of the first and second guide grooves 26, 27,
In this process, the posture of the process unit 6 is corrected in the horizontal direction, the leading end on the insertion side approaches the lower surface of the exposure unit 8, and the rear end on the opposite side approaches the transport path 5 side. That is, the first projecting portion 23 and the second projecting portion 24 are displaced in the radial direction with the center of the other side being the center of the radius, whereby the attitude of the process unit 6 is corrected in the horizontal direction. It The final mounted state is as shown in FIG. In addition, since the first protrusion 23 is disposed on the axis of the photoconductor 21, the axis of the photoconductor 21 is held by holding the first protrusion 23 at the lower end of the first guide groove 26. Can be accurately positioned.

Thus, the first and second guide grooves 26,
Since it is possible to form 27 by individually changing the path, it is possible to correct the attitude of the process unit 6 that is inclined when it is inserted into the opening 20 of the main body 1 with a small radius in the horizontal direction. . Therefore, the opening 2 in the direction from the front surface 17 of the main body 1 to the exposure unit 8
The length of 0 can be shortened, and the length of the mounting process of the process unit 6 to the main body 1 can be shortened to reduce the size of the main body 1.

A cartridge 30 for replenishing the developer is mounted on the process unit 6, but the cartridge 30 can be removed from the casing 22 after replenishing the developer.

[0021]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first and second protrusions are provided on both outer side surfaces of the process unit mounted inside from the opening formed in the upper portion of the main body, In the initial stage of the insertion operation of the process unit into the opening, the insertion posture of the process unit is regulated so as to be inserted obliquely from above the opening toward below the exposure unit, and after the middle stage of the insertion operation. In the process of (1), a path is defined so as to correct the insertion posture of the process unit in a substantially horizontal direction, and the first and second guide grooves for slidably guiding the first and second protrusions are formed. Since it is formed on both inner side surfaces of the main body, the attitude of the process unit inserted in the main body can be changed to the exposure unit by inserting the first and second protrusions into the first or second guide grooves separately. Dried It is possible to regulations so that it does not. Further, since the first and second guide grooves can be formed by changing the paths individually, it is possible to correct the attitude of the tilted process unit in the horizontal direction with a small radius when inserting it into the opening of the main body. You can Therefore,
The length of the opening of the main body can be shortened, and the length of the process of mounting the process unit on the main body can be shortened, which contributes to downsizing of the main body.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the first protrusion is disposed on the axis of the photoconductor, the first guide is held by the first guide groove to prevent the photoconductor from moving. The axis can be accurately positioned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a support structure of a process unit.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view showing a process of mounting the process unit on the main body.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main Body 6 Process Unit 7 Ceiling Surface 8 Exposure Unit 19 Cover 20 Opening 21 Photoconductor 23 First Projection 24 Second Projection 26 First Guide Groove 27 Second Guide Groove

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location G03G 15/08 507 E

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An exposure unit, which is opened and closed by a cover, is formed in an upper portion of a main body of an image forming apparatus, and an exposure unit whose one end is close to an edge of the opening is provided on a ceiling surface of the main body, and at least the exposure unit. First and second protrusions are provided on both outer surfaces of a process unit having a photoconductor on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the process unit in the initial process of inserting the process unit into the opening. The insertion posture of the unit is regulated so as to be inserted obliquely from above the opening portion to below the exposure unit, and the insertion posture of the process unit is corrected in a substantially horizontal direction in the process after the middle stage of the insertion operation. A first and a second guide groove, which has a path defined therein, and which slidably guides the first and second protrusions, is formed on both inner side surfaces of the main body. Set unit support device. 2. The process unit supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the first protrusion is arranged on the axis of the photoconductor.