JPH09325551A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device capable of easily connecting and disconnecting a transmitting medium such as a printer cable. SOLUTION: On the upper end side of a paper supply tray 2, a visible window 100 is formed at a position where an area required for connecting the printer cable 9 to a connector 8 can be viewed when a printer is viewed from the upper part in a state where the tray 2 is inserted in a main body 1. Besides, the tray 2 is extended toward the upper back part of the printer to a position where the upper end part 2a thereof overlaps the above mentioned area. Thus, the cable 9 can be connected or disconnected while the position of the connector 8 is confirmed even in the state where the tray 2 is inserted in the main body 1. Therefore, the device is made convenient. Besides, even when the back surface of the printer is installed along a wall, the connector 8 or the like does not collide with the wall.

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 such as a small printer for personal use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent trend of downsizing of computers, individuals are often using personal computers (personal computers) or workstations on their desks. Along with this trend, there is a demand for a small printer that can be placed on a personal desk so that documents and tables created by a personal computer can be easily printed out.

In such a small-sized printer, a paper feed tray on which paper is placed is usually attached to the printer body for use. On the other hand, since the small printer is used by mounting it on a personal desk as described above, its planar installation space (hereinafter simply referred to as "installation space") needs to be as narrow as possible. Therefore, a configuration is proposed in which the mounting portion of the paper feed tray is formed on the upper part of the printer body and the paper feed tray does not protrude from the printer body when the printer is viewed in plan with the paper feed tray mounted on the printer body. (JP-A-63-187273, JP-A-3-
See Japanese Patent No. 192041 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-361923. ).

[0004]

By the way, there are cases where the printer is handled, for example, with the front surface of the printer, in which the sheet discharge port is formed, facing you. On the other hand, in order to use the printer, it is necessary to connect the printer cable connected to a personal computer or the like to the printer body. The printer cable is usually connected to a connector provided on the rear surface of the printer body.

Therefore, if the printer cable is connected to the connector while the paper feed tray is still attached to the printer body, the paper feed tray interferes with the position of the connector and the connector cannot be easily connected. For this reason, the user usually moves the printer body so that the rear surface of the printer body is facing toward you, leans out, connects the printer cable to the printer body, and removes it from the printer body. There is a need to. Therefore, the cable connection work is complicated, and it cannot be said that it is easy to use.

The above also applies when the printer cable is detached from the connector. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and to provide an image forming apparatus capable of easily connecting a transmission medium such as a printer cable to the main body or easily removing the transmission medium from the main body. is there.

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is an image forming apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, comprising a main body having an image forming mechanism,
A mounting portion provided on the upper portion of the main body and extending obliquely upward toward the rear of the main body for mounting sheets to be transferred to and from the main body, and an area for connecting the transmission medium, which is provided on the rear side of the main body. In the image forming apparatus, the mounting portion is provided with a visual recognition window through which the transmission medium connection region can be visually recognized from above.

According to the present invention, since the mounting portion is provided with the visual recognition window for visually recognizing the area for connecting the transmission medium from above, it is not necessary to move the main body or push the body out. , The transmission medium can be connected to the main body while confirming the connection position. Similarly, the transmission medium can be removed while checking the connection position.
Therefore, the work of connecting / disconnecting the transmission medium can be easily performed.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in a plan view, the mounting portion extends rearward to a position where a rear end of the mounting portion overlaps with a region for connecting the transmission medium. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. According to the present invention, in the plan view, the mounting portion extends rearward so that the rear end thereof overlaps with the area for connecting the transmission medium, so that the rear surface of the image forming apparatus is installed along the wall. Even when the mounting portion is used as a reference, not only the main body but also the connector and the cable do not collide with the wall. Moreover, since the mounting portion projects only in the essential region of the main body, the installation space is not unnecessarily expanded.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a simplified external configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the printer for explaining the internal configuration of the printer. It is the figure seen. In FIG. 2, in order to emphasize the internal configuration of the printer, the configuration relating to the external appearance is shown by a chain double-dashed line.

First, an outline and an external configuration of this printer will be described below. This printer is of a so-called personal use that is used by being placed on the desk of each individual. That is, this printer is connected to a personal computer (personal computer) or the like used by each individual, and is used for the purpose of easily printing out documents, tables and the like created by the individual on the personal computer.

As shown in FIG. 1, this printer has a structure including an apparatus main body 1 and a paper feed tray 2. The external appearance of the apparatus main body 1 is composed of an openable / closable cover 3, and an upper housing 4 and a lower housing 5 which are fitted to each other. The paper feed tray 2 is for holding paper to be printed, and is removable from the apparatus body 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 1 so as to cover the upper front surface of the printer. The cover 3 is centered on the fulcrum portion 6,
The printer can be opened in the direction of arrow A from the front side to the rear side. A tray insertion port 7 is formed on the rear side of the cover 3. The paper feed tray 2 can be attached by inserting it into the tray insertion port 7, and the tray insertion port 7
It can be removed by pulling it out.

A connector 8 is attached to the rear surface portion 4a of the upper housing 4. The connector 8 is for connecting this printer to a personal computer or the like. That is, the printer cable 9 having one end connected to the personal computer is connected to the connector 8. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the connector 8 and the printer cable 9 project from the rear surface portion 4 a of the upper housing 4. That is,
On the rear side of this printer, there is an area necessary for connecting the printer cable 9 to the apparatus main body 1. The protruding length L of the connector 8 and the printer cable 9 is determined by the type of the connector 8 and the type of the printer cable 9 used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feed tray 2 is shaped so as to extend obliquely upward and rearward from the apparatus main body 1 when inserted into the tray insertion port 7. At this time, the paper feed tray 2 has its upper end 2a in plan view.
Overlaps the above area. That is, the projected image 11 of the upper end portion 2a of the paper feed tray 2 on the printer installation surface 10 projects from the rear surface portion 4a of the upper housing 4 by substantially the same length as the projection length L of the connector 8 and the printer cable 9.

The protruding length L differs depending on the type of the connector 8 and the type of the printer cable 9 used as described above, but here, the maximum protruding length is predicted and the size of the paper feed tray 2 is determined. The shape and is designed. As a result, when installing the rear surface of this printer along the wall,
The operator does not collide the connector 8 and the printer cable 9 with the wall by setting the upper end 2a of the paper feed tray 2 as a reference and aligning the upper end 2a with the wall.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden of installation work on the operator and prevent damage to the connector 8.

In addition, the printer installation surface 10 of the upper end 2a
The length of the projected image 11 with respect to the rear surface portion 4a of the upper housing 4 is determined by the length of the connector 8 and the printer cable 9.
Is almost the same as the protrusion length L of Therefore, the installation space is not unnecessarily expanded. A visual recognition window 100 is formed on the upper end side of the paper feed tray 2 for visually recognizing an area required to connect the printer cable 9 from above. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the viewing window 100 is formed by cutting out the upper end side of the paper feed tray 2 along the side edge portions 101 and 102 and the lower edge portion 103, and its shape. Has a trapezoidal shape. The shape of the viewing window 100 is not limited to the trapezoidal shape, and various shapes such as a square shape and a rectangular shape can be considered.

The viewing window 100 is sized so that when the viewing window 100 is viewed from above, all the portions to which the printer cable 9 should be connected are accommodated. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, which is a view of the rear side of this printer as seen from above,
The lower edge 103 of the viewing window 100 substantially corresponds to the rear surface portion 4a of the main body 1 when viewed from above, and the width of the viewing window 100 is at least the width of the connector 8 or more.

As described above, when the printer is viewed from above, all the portions to which the printer cable 9 should be connected can be visually recognized through the viewing window 100. Therefore, the paper feed tray 2
The printer cable 9 can be connected to the connector 8 while checking the position of the connector 8 even when the printer cable is attached to the main body 1. Therefore, when connecting or disconnecting the printer cable 9 to or from the connector 8, the printer is purposely moved to bring the rear surface of the printer toward you,
There is no need to get out of the body and be in an uncomfortable position, or to remove the paper feed tray 2 each time. The same applies when the printer cable 9 is removed from the connector 8. Therefore, the device can be easily used.

In the first embodiment, the viewing window 1
Although 00 is formed by cutting out the upper end side of the paper feed tray 2, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the upper end side of the paper feed tray 2 is cut out so as to leave the upper end portion 2a of the paper feed tray 2. It may be formed by Next, the internal configuration of this printer will be described in detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer includes a paper feeding unit 20, a laser light irradiation unit 30, an imaging unit 40, a developing unit 50, a transfer unit 60, and a fixing unit 70. A discharge port 80 is formed on the front surface of the printer. The discharge port 80 is formed near the boundary between the upper housing 4 and the lower housing 5.

The paper placed on the paper feed tray 2 is fed by the paper feed unit 20, the imaging unit 40, the transfer unit 60, and the fixing unit 70 along the conveyance path 90 formed by the broken line on the apparatus main body 1. The sheets are sequentially conveyed, and finally discharged from the discharge port 80 to the outside of the apparatus. Transport route 90
2, is formed in a substantially straight line having a downward slope from the paper feed tray 2 toward the discharge port 80. This is because the shape is optimal for downsizing the printer.

The paper feed section 20 is for feeding the paper placed on the paper feed tray 2 to a conveyance path 90 formed in the apparatus main body 1. The paper feeding unit 20 is attached to the cover 3, and is lifted together with the cover 3 when the cover 3 is opened. The paper feeding unit 20 is provided with a paper feeding roller 21. The paper feed roller 21 is provided at a position where it abuts the surface of the paper feed tray 2 when the paper feed tray 2 is inserted into the tray insertion port 7.

The paper feed section 20 is also provided with a paper detection switch 22. The paper detection switch 22 is for detecting the presence or absence of paper in order to perform paper feed control.
It is provided immediately downstream of the separation roller 21 in the transport path 90. Paper feed control is performed as follows. That is, when the sheet feeding is instructed while the sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 2, the sheet feeding roller 21 starts to rotate. As a result, the paper is taken out by the paper feed roller 21 and sent to the conveyance path 90. After the first predetermined time has elapsed from the start of rotation of the paper feed roller 21, the paper is
The paper detection switch 22 is reached. That is, the paper detection switch 22 is turned on.

The rotation of the paper feed roller 21 is stopped after a predetermined second time has elapsed since the paper detection switch 22 was turned on. During this second time, the supplied paper is the fixing unit 7
It is set long enough to reach zero. The sheet that has reached the fixing unit 70 is conveyed and discharged by the fixing unit 70. When it is necessary to supply the next sheet, the sheet feeding roller 21 is rotated again after a lapse of a predetermined time from the rotation stop.

If the paper detection switch 22 does not turn on even after the first time has elapsed from the start of rotation of the paper feed roller 21, it is recognized that the paper is out. Laser light irradiation unit 3
0 is for outputting a laser beam corresponding to the image signal. The laser light irradiation unit 30 is provided in the lower housing 5 of the apparatus body 1.

The laser light irradiation unit 30 is provided with a laser light source 31 and an optical system 32. The laser light source 31 is composed of a semiconductor laser or the like. Optical system 3
2 is composed of a plurality of reflecting mirrors, lenses, polygon mirrors, and the like. The laser light generated by the laser light source 31 is applied to the imaging unit 40 via the optical system 32.

The laser light irradiation unit 30 has a connector 8
Is electrically connected to Laser light irradiation unit 30
From the personal computer to the printer cable 9 and connector 8
The irradiation light amount of the laser light and the like are determined on the basis of the image data given via the. Then, the laser light is generated from the laser light source 31 based on the determined irradiation amount of the laser light and the like.

The imaging unit 40, the developing unit 50 and the transfer unit 60 are for forming an image on the paper fed from the paper feeding section 20. In the imaging unit 40, the photoconductor 41 that is exposed by the above-mentioned laser light is installed. A charging charger 42 and a paper dust collecting brush 43 are provided along the periphery of the photoconductor 41. As the photoconductor 41, a small one having a diameter of 16 (mm) is used for downsizing of the printer.

The photosensitive member 41 rotates at a constant speed along the arrow B direction during image formation. After the surface of the photoconductor 41 is uniformly charged to a predetermined high potential by the charging charger 42,
It is exposed to laser light from the laser light irradiation unit 30. In the exposed area that receives the light, the electric charge in that area escapes to a low potential. As a result, an electrostatic latent image having a high potential region and a low potential region is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 41.

When the photoconductor 41 further rotates and the electrostatic latent image reaches the developing unit 50, the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the developing unit 50. Developing unit 50
Is provided in the upper housing 4, and is filled with toner. A toner storage portion 51, a sub roller 52, and a developing roller 5 are provided.
This is a configuration including 3. The sub roller 52 and the developing roller 53 are rotated in the same direction as each other. By this rotation, the toner filled in the toner storage portion 51 is triboelectrically charged, and the toner is electrostatically adsorbed on the peripheral surface thereof. The sub roller 52 is provided to more effectively triboelectrically charge the toner.

A predetermined bias voltage is applied to the sub roller 52 and the developing roller 53. As a result, the toner attached to the peripheral surface of the developing roller 53 is electrostatically adsorbed only to the exposed area on the surface of the photoconductor 41.
So-called reversal development is performed. As a result, a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 41. When the photoconductor 41 further rotates and the toner image reaches the transfer unit 60, the toner image is transferred onto the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path 90. That is, the transfer roller 61 is incorporated in the transfer unit 60. The leading edge of the paper is
The toner image is supplied between the photoconductor 41 and the transfer roller 61 in accordance with the front end of the toner image facing the transfer roller 61.
As a result, the toner images formed on the photoconductor 41 are sequentially transferred to the paper.

The transfer unit 60 is attached to the cover 3, and is lifted together with the cover 3 when the cover 3 is opened. On the surface of the photoconductor 41 after transfer,
The toner that was not transferred to the paper remains. Further, when the paper comes into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 41, paper dust and the like generated from the paper also adhere to the surface of the photoconductor 41 together with the residual toner.

The paper dust attached to the photoconductor 41 is attached to the tip of the paper dust collecting brush 43 and collected when passing through the paper dust collecting brush 43 in the imaging unit 40.
Further, the residual toner adhering region of the photoconductor 41 is scattered and scattered by the tip of the paper dust collecting brush 43 when passing through the paper dust collecting brush 43, and the residual toner and the surface of the photoconductor 41 are separated from each other. The electrostatic coupling of is weakened. The residual toner having the weakened electrostatic coupling is collected by the developing roller 53 at the time of the next image formation.

The sheet after transfer is supplied to the fixing unit 70. The fixing unit 70 is for fixing the image transferred onto the sheet, and is provided along the transport path 90 between the upper housing 4 and the lower housing 5. The fixing unit 70 includes an upper fixing roller 74 and a lower fixing roller 75. A heater (not shown) is provided inside the lower fixing roller 75 along the axis thereof.

The sheet after transfer is supplied between the upper fixing roller 74 and the lower fixing roller. At this time, the lower fixing roller 75 is heated by the heat of the heater. As a result, the toner image is melted by pressing and heating and is fixed on the paper. The fixing unit 70 also includes an upper discharge roller 76 and a lower discharge roller 77. The paper after fixing is the upper discharge roller 76 and the lower discharge roller 77.
After being supplied between the sheet and the sheet, it is guided to the outlet 80 by the rotation of the rollers 76 and 77, and discharged to the outside of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is an external configuration diagram of a printer according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the printer according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals are used for the same functional parts as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the above-described first embodiment, the paper feed tray 2 is described as an example of a configuration for placing the paper to be supplied to the main body 1. However, in the second embodiment, the paper feed cassette 200 is used. I am trying. This is a major difference from the first embodiment. Further, differences in appearance include that the main body 1 is not divided into an upper housing and a lower housing, and that the cover 3 is not provided with steps.

The sheet feeding cassette 200 according to the second embodiment can be attached by inserting it into the cassette mounting portion 201, as in the first embodiment.
Further, it can be removed by pulling it out from the cassette mounting portion 201. The paper feed cassette 200 is shaped so as to extend obliquely upward and rearward from the main body 1 when mounted in the cassette mounting portion 201. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the projected image 203 of the front end portion 202 on the printer installation surface 10 is projected from the rear surface portion 1a of the main body 1 by substantially the same length as the protruding length L of the connector 8 and the printer cable 9. Size. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, if the tip portion 202 is used as a reference, the connector 8 and the printer cable 9 do not collide with the wall,
You can install a printer.

A visual recognition window 210 is formed in the paper feed cassette 200 according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment. More specifically, the viewing window 2
Reference numeral 10 corresponds to a through hole opened right below from the upper surface portion 211 and the side surface portion 212 of the paper feed cassette 200 in a state in which the paper feed cassette 200 is arranged at the same angle as that in which it is mounted in the cassette mounting portion 201. It is a thing.

FIG. 7 is a view of the rear surface side of the printer as seen from above. The formation position of the visual recognition window 210 is similar to that of the first embodiment when the printer is viewed from above.
All the parts to which the printer cable 9 should be connected are the viewing window 2
It is a position that fits within 10. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the paper feed cassette 200 is installed in the main body 1
The printer cable 9 can be connected to the connector 8 and the printer cable 9 can be removed from the connector 8 while checking the position of the connector 8 even when the printer cable 9 is attached to the connector 8. Therefore, the printer cable 9 can be connected and disconnected very easily. Therefore,
The device can be easily used.

Next, the internal structure of the printer according to the second embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 6 only in the structure greatly different from that of the first embodiment. In addition to the paper feed roller 21, a pair of transport rollers 210 are provided. This is because, when the paper is taken out from the paper feed cassette 200 and conveyed, it is difficult to perform good conveyance only with the paper feed roller 21, and it is necessary to assist the paper conveyance.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the paper feeding cassette 200 is used, a large amount of paper can be placed as compared with the paper feeding tray 2.
As a result, the number of paper supply operations can be reduced, and the number of paper outages when printing a large amount can be reduced. Therefore, the printer can be easily used.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a printer of the type in which the paper feed tray 2 or the paper feed cassette 200 is inserted into the tray insertion port 7 formed in the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 is described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a printer of a type in which, for example, a discharge tray for receiving sheets discharged from the apparatus body 1 is inserted in the upper portion of the apparatus body 1 so as to extend obliquely upward and rearward from the apparatus body 1. it can.

In the above embodiment, when the paper feed tray 2 or the paper feed cassette 200 is attached to the main body 1, the paper feed tray 2 or the paper feed cassette 200 is occupied by the main body 1, the connector 8 and the printer cable 9. A configuration that fits within a spatial area that is defined is described. However, the present invention is not limited to the paper feed tray 2 or the paper feed cassette 2 for example.
The present invention is also applicable to a configuration in which 00 is contained only in the area occupied by the main body 1, or a configuration in which 00 is slightly outside the area.

In this case, the viewing window 100 or 210 is not necessarily formed on the upper end side of the paper feed tray 2 or the paper feed cassette 200, but may be formed, for example, at a position closer to the lower end. Good. In short, it suffices that the portion to which the printer cable 9 is connected is formed at a position where it can be visually recognized from above. Besides, it is possible to make various design changes within the scope of the technical matters described in the claims.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the mounting portion is provided with the visual window for visually recognizing the area for connecting the transmission medium, the transmission is performed while confirming the position to connect the transmission medium. Media connection / disconnection work can be performed.
Therefore, the connecting / disconnecting work can be simplified and the device can be easily used.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the mounting portion extends rearward in plan view so that the rear end of the mounting portion overlaps the area for connecting the transmission medium. When the paper tray is installed along the wall, the connectors and cables do not collide with the wall even if the paper tray is used as a reference. In addition, the burden on the worker is reduced. Moreover, since the paper tray protrudes only in the essential area of the main body, it is possible to meet the demand for a smaller installation space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a simplified external configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the printer as viewed from the left side, for explaining the internal configuration of the printer.

FIG. 3 is a view of the rear side of the printer seen from above.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the viewing window formed on the paper feed tray.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a simplified external configuration of a printer according to a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of a printer according to a second embodiment to which the invention is applied.

FIG. 7 is a view of the rear side of the printer according to the second embodiment as seen from above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Device Main Body 2 Paper Feed Tray 2a Upper End 7 Tray Insertion 8 Connector 9 Printer Cable 10 Printer Installation Surface 11 Projected Image 100, 210 Viewing Window 200 Paper Feed Cassette 202 Tip L L Projection Length

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for recording an image on a sheet, comprising: a main body having an image forming mechanism; and a main body provided at an upper portion of the main body and extending obliquely upward toward the rear of the main body. Including a placing section for placing the sheet to be placed and an area for connecting the transmission medium provided on the back side of the main body, and the placing section being capable of visually recognizing the area for connecting the transmission medium from above. An image forming apparatus, which is provided with a viewing window capable of performing. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion extends rearward to a position where a rear end of the mounting portion overlaps the transmission medium connecting region in a plan view. .