JPH08314350A - Image forming unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate handling at the time of transportation and storage because volume becomes small in a packed state by moving and setting a movable image forming element at a specified position when it is attached and to form an image in an appropriate state by setting the image forming element at the specified position in the case it is attached to an image forming device. CONSTITUTION: In the packed state, a rotating member 16 is rotated and inclined to move an electrifier device 12 to the upper side of a cleaning device 15, and a transfer and separation device 14 is moved below a developing device 13. Thus, the handling is facilitated and transporation cost and storage cost are reduced. In the case of setting the unit in the image forming device 1, the inclined rotating member 16 is inserted along a guiding part so as to be gradually rotated and it is erected. Thus, an image carrier 11 and the image forming element such as the electrifier device 12 on the periphery of the image carrier 11 are set at the specified positions.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming unit used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device are arranged into a unit. The image forming unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, the entire image forming apparatus can be made compact, maintenance can be easily performed, and productivity of the entire image forming apparatus can be improved. For the purpose of improving the image forming apparatus, an image forming unit has been used in which a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device used in the image forming apparatus are appropriately combined to form a unit.

Here, in the image forming unit that has been generally used in the past, each image forming element such as an image carrier, a developing device, a charging device, and a cleaning device in the image forming unit is used as an image forming device. It was arranged in the same state as when it was set.

However, when various image forming elements such as the image bearing member, the developing device, the charging device and the cleaning device are arranged in a state of being set in the image forming device, generally, the image bearing member Since the charging device and the transfer / separation device are arranged above and below each other with an appropriate interval, and the developing device and the cleaning device are arranged on both sides of the image carrier, the image forming unit Since the height and width become large, the volume of the image forming unit at the time of packaging becomes very large,
There is a problem in that handling is troublesome due to being bulky during transportation and storage, and transportation costs and storage costs are high.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems in an image forming unit having a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device. is there.

That is, according to the present invention, in the packaged state before being set in the image forming apparatus, the volume thereof is small, so that it can be easily handled at the time of transportation, storage, etc., and the transportation cost, the storage cost, etc. On the other hand, it is possible to provide an image forming element in which each of the above-mentioned image forming elements is set at a predetermined position at the time of mounting on the image forming apparatus, and image formation can be performed in an appropriate state. This is an issue.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, at least a part of an image forming unit in which a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device are arranged. The image forming element is movably provided, and the movable image forming element is moved to a predetermined position when the image forming unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus, and the width and / or height of the image forming unit is expanded. I decided to do it.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in an image forming unit having a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device as described above, at least a part of the image forming elements is movably provided. Therefore, before mounting the image forming unit on the image forming apparatus, by appropriately moving and arranging the movably provided image forming units to collect them, The volume of the unit can be reduced.

When the product is packed in such a small volume, it does not become bulky during transportation, storage, etc., and it is easy to handle, and transportation costs and storage costs are low.

On the other hand, in mounting the image forming unit packed in such a reduced volume into the image forming apparatus, the image forming units moved to reduce the volume as described above are used. It is returned to a predetermined position for image formation and set in the image forming apparatus.

In this way, in the image forming apparatus, each image forming element in the image forming unit is set at a predetermined position and proper image formation can be performed.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An image forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1) In the image forming unit of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an image carrier 11 and a charging device 1 are used as image forming elements.
2, the developing device 13, the transfer / separation device 14, and the cleaning device 15 are provided so that they are unitized.

The charging device 1 is attached to both ends of a rod-shaped rotating member 16 which rotates coaxially with the shaft 11a of the image carrier 11.
2 and the transfer / separation device 14 are attached to the image forming device 1.
In the packing condition before setting to, as shown in Fig. 1,
The rotating member 16 is rotated and tilted, and the charging device 1
2 is moved to the upper side of the cleaning device 15 and the transfer / separation device 14 is moved to the lower side of the developing device 13, and in this state, the image forming unit is housed in the box 2 for packaging. .

With this arrangement, the height of the image forming unit can be increased as compared with the case where the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 are arranged above and below the image carrier 11 with a required space therebetween. It can be made low, and the box 2 to be packed can have a small height and a small volume, and it does not become bulky at the time of storage, transportation, etc., and its handling becomes easy, and the transportation cost can be reduced. And storage costs could be reduced.

When the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine or a printer, the image forming unit housed in the box 2 as described above is taken out, and then, as shown in FIG. As shown, the image forming unit is guided to a predetermined position in the image forming apparatus 1, and the rotating member 16 is moved along a guide portion (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 to form the image. The forming unit is inserted into the image forming apparatus 1, and the rotating member 16 which is inclined as described above is inserted along the guide portion so as to be gradually rotated and the rotating member 16 is erected. did.

By doing so, the charging device 12 attached to one end of the rotating member 16 is set at a predetermined position on the upper side of the image carrier 11 with a required space therebetween, and
Transfer / separation device 1 attached to the other end of the rotating member 16
4 is set at a predetermined position on the lower side of the image carrier 11 with a required gap.

When the image forming unit is thus set in the image forming apparatus 1 to form an image, each image forming element such as the image carrier 11 and the charging device 12 around the image carrier 11 is in a predetermined position. Since it is set to, proper image formation can be performed.

(Embodiment 2) In the image forming unit of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image carrier 11 and the charging device 1 are used as image forming elements.
2, the developing device 13 and the transfer / separation device 14 are provided so that these are unitized.

The slide member 17 is slidably mounted on the developing device 13 toward the image carrier 11 side, and is vertically rotated at the end of the slide member 17 on the image carrier 11 side. The rotating arm 18a and the second rotating arm 18b are attached, and the charging device 12 is attached to the end of the first rotating arm 18a on the upper side, while the transfer / transfer to the end of the second rotating arm 18b on the lower side. The separation device 14 was attached.

Here, when the image forming unit of this embodiment is packed in the box 2, the slide member 17 is slid in a direction away from the image carrier 11 as shown in FIG. The charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 attached to the first rotating arm 18a and the second rotating arm 18b are moved to the developing device 13 side, and the first rotating arm 18a is rotated downward. Meanwhile, the second rotating arm 18b is rotated upward to move the first rotating arm 18b.
The angle between “a” and the second rotating arm 18b is made small, the gap between the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 is made small, and the box 2 is packed in this state.

By doing so, as in the case of the first embodiment, as compared with the case where the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 are arranged above and below the image carrier 11 with a required gap, respectively. The height of this image forming unit can be reduced, and the box 2 to be packed can have a small height and a small volume, and does not become bulky during storage or transportation. The handling became easy, and the transportation cost, storage cost, etc. could be reduced.

When the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine or a printer, the image forming unit housed in the box 2 as described above is taken out and then the above-described embodiment is carried out. In the same manner as in the case of No. 1, the image forming unit is guided to a predetermined position in the image forming apparatus 1 and inserted into the image forming apparatus 1, and as shown in FIG. And the first rotating arm 18a is rotated upward while the second rotating arm 18b is rotated downward to move the first rotating arm 18a and the second rotating arm 18b. Increased the angle between.

In this way, the first rotating arm 18a
The charging / discharging device 12 attached to the end portion of the second rotation arm 18b is set at a predetermined position on the upper side of the charging device 12 and the image carrier 11 with a required space therebetween, and the transfer / separation device 14 is set at a predetermined position on the lower side of the image carrier 11 with a required space therebetween.

When the image forming unit is thus set in the image forming apparatus 1 to form an image, the image carrier 11 and the charging device 12 and the like around the image carrier 11 are formed as in the case of the first embodiment. Since each of the image forming elements of (1) is set at a predetermined position, proper image formation can be performed.

(Embodiment 3) In the image forming unit in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the image carrier 11 and the charging device 1 are used as image forming elements.
2, the developing device 13 and the cleaning device 15 are provided so as to be unitized, the developing device 13 is provided with a toner containing portion 13a for containing the toner, and the cleaning device 15 is provided with the collected toner. The waste toner storage portion 15a is provided.

In the image forming unit of this embodiment, the charging device 12 and the cleaning device 15 are moved along the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11 so that the image forming unit is opened and closed. When the image forming unit is packed in the box 2, as shown in FIG. 5, the charging device 12 and the cleaning device 15 are provided on the upper side of the developing device 13 along the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11. To close the image forming unit,
In this state, the image forming unit was housed in the box 2.

In this way, the charging device 12 is arranged above the image carrier 11 with a required space, and the developing device 13 and the cleaning device 1 are provided on both sides of the image carrier 11.
5, the height and width of the image forming unit can be reduced, and the box 2 for packaging the image forming unit can have a small volume. It was not bulky during storage or transportation, and its handling was easy, and transportation costs, storage costs, etc. could be reduced.

When the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine or a printer, the image forming unit housed in the box 2 as described above is taken out, and then, as shown in FIG. As shown, the image forming unit in the closed state as described above is opened, and the charging device 12 and the cleaning device 15 located on the upper side of the developing device 13 are respectively moved in the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11. The cleaning device 15 is guided to a predetermined position facing the developing device 13 via the image carrier 11 and the charging device 12 is guided to a predetermined position on the upper side of the image carrier 11,
In this state, the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1.

When the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1 in this way to form an image, the image carrier 11 and the charging device 12 around the image carrier 11 are formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiments. Since each of the image forming elements such as the above is set at a predetermined position, proper image formation can be performed.

(Embodiment 4) In the image forming unit of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the image carrier 11 and the charging device 1 are used as image forming elements.
2, the developing device 13 and the transfer / separation device 14 are provided so that these are unitized.

In the image forming unit of this embodiment, the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 1 described above are used.
4 is movable along the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11, and when the image forming unit is packed in the box 2, as shown in FIG. The device 14 is moved along the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11 to position the charging device 12 on the upper side of the developing device 13 and the transfer / separation device 14 on the lower side of the developing device 13.
In this state, the image forming unit was housed in the box 2.

With this arrangement, the height of the image forming unit can be increased as compared with the case where the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 are arranged above and below the image carrier 11 with a required space therebetween. It can be made low, and the box 2 to be packed can have a small height and a small volume,
It was not bulky during storage or transportation, and its handling was easy, and transportation costs, storage costs, etc. could be reduced.

When the image forming unit is set in the image forming apparatus 1 such as a copying machine or a printer, the image forming unit housed in the box 2 as described above is taken out, and then the image forming unit is formed. The charging unit is guided to a predetermined position in the image forming apparatus 1 to be inserted into the image forming apparatus 1, and the charging device 12 and the transfer / separation device 14 located on the upper side and the lower side of the developing device 13 as described above.
Are moved along the guide portions (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 in the circumferential direction of the image carrier 11, and the charging device 12 is moved to the image carrier 11 as shown in FIG. The transfer / separation device 14 is guided to a predetermined position on the lower side of the image carrier 11 and set, and image formation is performed in this state.

By doing so, as in the case of each of the above-described embodiments, the charging device 1 in the image carrier 11 and its surroundings.
Each image forming element such as No. 2 is set at a predetermined position so that appropriate image formation can be performed.

In the image forming unit according to the present invention, the type of the image forming element to be unitized can be appropriately changed, and the means for moving each image forming element is also shown in each of the above embodiments. What is not limited to this is what kind of image forming element is moved to a predetermined position when it is attached to the image forming apparatus, and the width and / or height of the image forming unit is expanded. It may be configured.

[0037]

As described above in detail, in the image forming unit according to the present invention, at least a part of the image forming element is movably provided, and the image forming unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus. In the front, it is possible to move the movable image forming units so as to properly collect them, and to reduce the volume of the image forming units so that they can be packaged, without being bulky during storage or transportation thereof. The handling became easy, and the transportation cost, storage cost, etc. could be reduced.

On the other hand, when the image forming unit is attached to the image forming apparatus, the image forming unit moved as described above is returned to a predetermined position for image formation and set in the image forming apparatus. This made it possible to perform proper image formation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a state in which an image forming unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention is packed in a box.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state where the image forming unit according to the first embodiment is set in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the image forming unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention is packed in a box.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an image forming unit according to the second embodiment is set in an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state in which the image forming unit according to the third embodiment of the present invention is packed in a box.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an image forming unit according to the third embodiment is set in the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state in which the image forming unit according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is packed in a box.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an image forming unit in Example 4 is set in the image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 11 Image carrier 12 Charging device 13 Developing device 14 Transfer / separation device 15 Cleaning device 16 Rotating member 17 Slide member 18a First rotating arm 18b Second rotating arm

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming unit in which a plurality of image forming elements such as an image carrier and a developing device are arranged and unitized, at least a part of the image forming elements is movably provided, and the image forming apparatus is provided. An image forming unit, wherein the movable image forming element is moved to a predetermined position when mounted on the image forming unit, and the width and / or height of the image forming unit is expanded.