JPH11212325A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming device in which the operability of a power source button is improved and whether a power source is on or off can be judged visually. SOLUTION: The image forming device equipped with a paper feeding carrying means, a laser scanning optical means, a process cartridge, a transfer means, an outer cover, a fixing means, an electrical substrate and a housing, is provided with a power source button 2 which has tapering parts on a contact face and the underside of it and is attached to the outer cover, and a spring 3 which biases the power source button 2 in the direction of the inside of the main body. In this manner, and power source button 2 is biased toward the inside of the main body by th spring 3 and the power source button 2 and a main switch 7 move in conjunction with each other without causing a gap between them, therefore the operation fueling of the power source button 2 can be improved, and, also, because the position of the power source button 2 when the power source is on and that when it is off are different, a user can judge visually whether the power source is on or off.

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 for forming an image on a recording material, such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a laser printer equipped with a process cartridge as a specific example of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a conventional laser printer. The laser printer has a process cartridge 101 mounted thereon, forms an image by an electrophotographic method, and records the image on a recording material.

The process cartridge 101 has a photosensitive drum 102, which is an image carrier, rotatably provided in a frame, and a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 102 around the photosensitive drum 102; Charged photosensitive drum 10
Developing means for developing a latent image formed by irradiating a light image corresponding to the image information with a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) to visualize the latent image as a toner image; Cleaning means for removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 102 after transferring the toner image to the recording material P, and these are integrated by a frame to form a cartridge. Incidentally, the laser printer has a mounting means for mounting the process cartridge 101 in the apparatus main body.

On the other hand, an optical system 103 for irradiating the photosensitive drum 102 with a light image corresponding to image information is provided at an upper portion in the apparatus main body.

[0006] The recording material P stored in the paper feed cassette 104 is fed by a paper feed roller 105 and a separation claw 1 operated by a print signal from a host computer (not shown).
06, the sheets are separated and fed one by one. The recording material P is conveyed by being turned upside down through a paper feeding reversing unit including a conveying roller 107, a first roller 108, a second roller 109, and a third roller 110. One). Then, the recording material P is used as the transfer guide 1
11, the photosensitive drum 102 and the transfer roller 112
To the pressure contact nip.

On the other hand, image information from a host computer (not shown) is irradiated as an optical image from the optical system 103 onto the photosensitive drum 102 in the process cartridge 101 to form a latent image on the photosensitive drum 102 in accordance with the image information. The latent image is developed by toner and visualized. Then, the recording material P is conveyed in time with the image information developed as a toner image, and a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 102 is applied to the transfer roller 112 so that the photosensitive material is exposed at the pressure contact nip. Drum 1
02 is transferred to the recording material P.

The recording material P to which the toner image has been transferred
Immediately after passing through the transfer unit, the fixing unit passes directly above a static elimination needle (not shown) and a static elimination needle holder 113 that guides the static elimination needle, passes through a transport path 115 provided on the electrical unit 114, and fixes. To the fixing film 11 of the fixing unit.
The toner image is fixed by passing through a pressure nip portion between the pressure roller 6 and the pressure roller 117. Then, the recording material P that has passed through the fixing unit passes through the rear part of the apparatus main body behind the fixing unit, is turned upside down again, and is discharged by a discharge roller 118 onto a paper discharge tray 119 provided at the upper part of the apparatus main body.

[0009]

By the way, in the conventional laser printer, the power button is urged outward by a spring so that the power button is not positioned on the track of the main switch so that the electric unit can be retrofitted. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a clearance between the main switch and the power button in consideration of dimensional tolerances and mounting errors even when the power is off. In addition, since the main switch is retracted when the power is on, the backlash is generated more than when the power is off, which causes a deterioration in the operation feeling of the power button. Since the power button was always at the same position, it was not possible to visually check the power ON / OFF.

In order to improve the operational feeling of the power button, a configuration is considered in which the power button is biased inward by a spring and the power button and the main switch are integrally movable. When energizing, once the electrical unit is removed, the power button will pop out and the front end of the main switch and the power button will interfere when the electrical unit is installed again. However, there is a problem that the outer cover (including the power button) must be removed once.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of enhancing the operational feeling of a power button and visually discriminating power ON / OFF. It is in.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper feeding and conveying means for conveying a recording material, and a method for irradiating a photosensitive drum with a light image corresponding to image information. Laser scanning optical means, a process cartridge having the photosensitive drum, transfer means for transferring a developed image on the photosensitive drum onto a recording material, an outer cover surrounding the periphery of the apparatus body, and an unfixed image on the recording material. A fixing unit for fixing, an electric board for sending an electric signal to each unit, the paper feeding and conveying unit, a laser scanning optical unit, a transfer unit, an outer cover,
An image forming apparatus comprising a fixing unit and a housing for supporting an electrical board, a power button attached to the exterior cover having a contact surface and a tapered portion below the contact surface, and urging the power button inward of the main body. The spring is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the power button has a tapered portion on the lower side of the contact surface and the entire outer periphery.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the power button is urged toward the inside of the main body by the spring, and the power button and the main switch are interlocked without any gap between them. The feeling is enhanced, and the position of the power button is different at the time of power ON / OFF, so that it is possible to visually determine the power ON / OFF.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the taper portion is formed on the lower side and the entire outer periphery of the contact surface of the power button, the assemblability of the power button is improved without being restricted in the mounting direction.

[0016]

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

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a power button urged outward by a spring, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a power button urged inward by a spring, and FIG. And FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a power button of a laser beam printer having a power button urged inward by a spring.

1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body frame;
2 is a power button, 2a is a claw for hooking a spring 3 described later,
2b is a contact surface with a main switch 7 described later, 2c is a taper formed on the contact surface 2b, 2d is a contact surface with the exterior cover, 3 is a spring for biasing the power button 2 in one direction, 4 is a power button. Reference numeral 2 denotes a side cover, 5 denotes a scanner optical box (hereinafter, referred to as an optical box) for irradiating the photosensitive drum with an optical image corresponding to image information, 6 denotes an upper cover also serving as a paper discharge tray, and 7 denotes a main switch. Reference numeral 8 denotes an electric board on which the main switch 7 and other electric parts are mounted, and 9 denotes a shield plate for shielding and fixing the electric board 8.

FIG. 1A shows a power OFF state. In this state, a spring 3 interposed between the power button 2 and the side cover 4 urges the power button 2 outward, and the power button 2 is turned off. The power button 2 is maintained at a fixed position by the engagement of the claw 2a with the side cover 4. At this time, it is necessary to provide a clearance between the power button 2 and the main switch 7 in consideration of dimensional tolerance and the like. still,
The spring force of the spring 3 is set weaker than the spring force of the main switch 7.

On the other hand, when the power button 2 is pressed when the power is turned on, the gap between the power button 2 and the side cover 4 is narrowed, and the spring 3 is gradually compressed. Then, after the contact surface 2b of the power button 2 pushes the main switch 7 to the innermost position and then releases the power button 2, the power button 2 is moved by the reaction force of the spring 3 as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the main switch 7 is locked and turned on while the main switch 7 is returning to the power OFF position. At this time, a gap is generated between the power button 2 and the main switch 7.

Since the power button 2 is always located outside by urging the power button 2 outward,
When the main switch 7 is retrofitted, there is an advantage that the main switch 7 does not interfere with the power button 2.

On the other hand, the clearance between the power button 2 and the main switch 7 makes the operation feeling of the power button 2 worse, and the power button 2 is in the same position when ON / OFF, so that it cannot be visually distinguished. There's a problem.

Next, an example of urging the power button 2 inward will be described with reference to FIG.

The spring 3 is interposed between the power button 2 and the side cover 4 when the power button 2 is biased to the outside, but when the power button 2 is biased inward, the spring 3 is A spring 3 is interposed between the pawl 2a. In this case, since the contact surface 2b of the power button 2 is constantly pressed against the main switch 7 by the spring force, the strokes of the power button 2 and the main switch 7 become equal.

When the power is turned off as shown in FIG. 2A, no step is formed between the power button 2 and the side cover 4, but when the power button 2 is pushed when the power is turned on, the claw 2a of the power button 2 and the side The distance from the cover 4 is widened,
The compressed spring 3 also extends. And FIG.
As shown in (b), when the main switch 7 is returned to the OFF position after the power button 2 is pushed all the way, the main switch 7 is locked and the power is turned on. Since the power button 2 stops at the lock position, a step is generated between the power button 2 and the side cover 4. That is, since the position of the power button 2 is different at the time of power ON / OFF, it is possible to visually determine the power ON / OFF.

Further, since the power button 2 and the main switch 7 move integrally without play, the operational feeling that is regarded as important by the function of the power button 2 can be enhanced.

Next, a procedure for retrofitting the main switch 7 to the power button 2 urged inward by the spring 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
A description will be given based on FIG.

The power button 2 is attached to the side cover 4 while being urged inward by the spring 3.

With the side cover 4 attached to the main body frame 1, the shield plate 9 on which the electrical board 8 is mounted is rotated near the main switch 7 on the side opposite to the main switch 7 to approach the main body frame 1. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the main switch 7 comes into contact with the lower tapered portion 2c of the power button 2 and pushes up the power button 2 to the outside of the main body, and moves up as shown in FIG. When the power button 2 is located on the same axis as the power button 2, the power button 2 is fixed to the main body frame 1.

As described above, the power button 2 can be assembled without interfering with the main switch 7 even in the OFF state where the power button 2 is extended to the end. Therefore, the workability can be enhanced because the serviceman can remove the outer cover when removing a board or the like without removing the outer cover.

<Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a power button portion of a laser beam printer which is an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Since the basic configuration of the inside of the main body of the laser beam printer according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, in FIG. 5, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. In the following, description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the power button 2 has a taper 2 c formed on the outer periphery of the contact surface with the main switch 7, and is attached to the side cover 4 by a spring 3 so as to be biased inward.

When the electric unit including the electric board 8 and the shield plate 9 is mounted on the body frame 1 with the side cover 4 (including the power button 2) preliminarily assembled, the tapered portion 2c can be assembled from any direction, up, down, left and right. Can prevent the interference between the power button 2 and the main switch 7, so that the assembling property can be improved without being restricted by the mounting direction.

Also, when the side cover 4 (including the power button 2) is assembled to the main body frame 1 in which the electrical unit is previously mounted, the upper cover 6 can be similarly slid vertically and horizontally. (The electrical unit is attached from below) and the like, which are integrated with the main body frame 1 from above.

[0036]

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the invention described above, the power button is urged toward the inside of the main body by the spring, and the power button and the main switch are interlocked without forming a gap between the two. Since the position of the power button is different at the time of / OFF, an effect is obtained that the power ON / OFF can be visually determined.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the taper portion is formed on the lower side and the entire outer periphery of the contact surface of the power button, the assemblability of the power button is improved without being restricted by the mounting direction. The effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a power button urged outward by a spring.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a power button urged inward by a spring;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the electrical unit of the laser beam printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a power button of a laser beam printer having a power button biased inward by a spring;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a power button portion of the laser beam printer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a conventional laser beam printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body frame 2 Power button 2a Power button claw 2b Power button contact surface with main switch 2c Power switch taper surface 2d Power button external cover contact surface 3 Spring 4 Side cover 5 Scanner box 6 Upper cover 7 Main Switch 8 Electrical board 9 Shield plate

Claims (2)

[Claims] A feeder for feeding a recording material; a laser scanning optical unit for irradiating a photosensitive drum with an optical image corresponding to image information; a process cartridge having the photosensitive drum; Transfer means for transferring a developed image onto a recording material, an outer cover surrounding the periphery of the apparatus body, fixing means for fixing an unfixed image on the recording material, an electric board for sending an electric signal to each section, An image forming apparatus including a housing for supporting a conveying unit, a laser scanning optical unit, a transfer unit, an exterior cover, a fixing unit, and an electrical board, wherein the image forming apparatus has a contact surface and a tapered portion below the contact surface, and is attached to the exterior cover. An image forming apparatus comprising: a power button; and a spring for urging the power button inward of the main body. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power button has a tapered portion on the lower side of the contact surface and the entire outer periphery.