JPH1145042A - Electrophotographic image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce cost and to improve accuracy in a device for detecting whether or not a process cartridge is loaded in an image forming device main body. SOLUTION: A cartridge presence/absence detecting member 21 is constituted to move in synchronization with a transfer roller 12. By utilizing the displacement of the roller 12 with the loading/unloading of the process cartridge B, the presence/absence of the cartridge B is detected. Since the cartridge B is positioned in the center of a photoreceptor drum 51, the detection is accurately performed and the reduction of cost is attained because only the member 21 is added.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of detachably attaching a process cartridge and forming an image on a transfer material.

Examples of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus include, for example, an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, and the like), a facsimile machine, and the like.

A process cartridge is a cartridge in which a charging unit, a developing unit, or a cleaning unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and this cartridge is detachable from an image forming apparatus main body. In addition, at least one of the charging unit, the developing unit, and the cleaning unit and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge so that the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body.
Further, at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. Here, the process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body by the user himself / herself, so that maintenance of the apparatus main body can be easily performed.

[0004]

The present invention is a further development of the prior art described below.

The present invention can provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having a process cartridge presence / absence detecting means which is inexpensive and has good confirmation accuracy.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachably mountable, and the process cartridge is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for obtaining an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a transfer material supplied between the transfer rotator and a transfer member, a slide is provided on the apparatus main body. Transfer rotation, which is urged toward the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and takes a first position when a process cartridge is loaded and a second position when a process cartridge is not loaded. A transfer device which is coaxial with the transfer rotary member, has a movable bearing for supporting the transfer rotary member, and is electrically connected to the transfer rotary member, and a transfer device for transferring the transfer rotary member. , A switch for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge by the position of the synchronous and the cartridge presence sensing member disposed for movement, the cartridge presence sensing member and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus characterized by having a.

A second invention according to the present application is the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the bearing for supporting the transfer rotary member also functions as a cartridge presence / absence detecting member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the switch for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge is substantially located on a line connecting the centers of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the transfer rotating body. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, and a transfer rotary member abutted on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus that obtains an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a transfer material supplied between the opening and closing section to move a process cartridge into and out of the apparatus main body An opening / closing cover that opens and closes, and is slidably provided on the apparatus main body, and is urged toward the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The first position when the process cartridge is loaded and the process cartridge are loaded. A transfer rotator that assumes a second position when there is no transfer rotator, and a movable bearing that is coaxial with the transfer rotator and supports the transfer rotator. A transfer device that is electrically connected to the body, a power switch that switches on and off a high-voltage power supply to the transfer device in conjunction with the open / close cover, and an operation of the main body of the image forming apparatus by detecting a disconnected state of the power switch. A central processing unit capable of determining whether or not a process cartridge is present, a cartridge presence / absence detection member arranged to move in synchronization with the movement of the transfer rotating body, and the presence / absence of a process cartridge detected by the position of the cartridge presence / absence detection member A switch for detecting the presence or absence of a process cartridge is turned on when the transfer rotary member and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are located at the first position when the process cartridge is loaded. When the power switch is turned on by the closing operation of the opening / closing cover, the central processing unit is determined to be operable and printing is possible. When the transfer rotary member and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are located at the second position when the process cartridge is not loaded, the switch for detecting the presence / absence of the process cartridge is turned off, and the power supply is opened by closing the opening / closing cover. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a power supply interrupting device that does not turn on even when a switch is pressed.

A fifth invention according to the present application is the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the fourth invention, wherein a bearing for supporting the transfer rotary member also functions as the cartridge presence / absence detecting member.

A sixth invention according to the present application is characterized in that a movement of the open / close cover is transmitted to the power switch via a link device, and the power switch is turned on / off. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the first aspect.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the link device includes a first opening / closing cover link member operated by an opening / closing cover, and a second cover connected to the first opening / closing cover link member to open and close a power switch. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a link member, wherein each of the first and second opening / closing cover link members has an enlarged lever ratio.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachable, and the process cartridge includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a transfer rotary member abutting the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus that obtains an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a transfer material supplied between the opening and closing section to move a process cartridge into and out of the apparatus main body An opening / closing cover that opens and closes, and is slidably provided on the apparatus main body, and is urged toward the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. The first position when the process cartridge is loaded and the process cartridge are loaded. A transfer rotator that assumes a second position when there is no transfer rotator, and a movable bearing that is coaxial with the transfer rotator and supports the transfer rotator. A transfer device that is electrically connected to the body, a power switch that switches on and off a high-voltage power supply to the transfer device in conjunction with the open / close cover, and an operation of the main body of the image forming apparatus by detecting a disconnected state of the power switch. A central processing unit capable of determining whether or not the transfer is possible, and a cartridge presence / absence detection member arranged to move in synchronization with the movement of the transfer rotator, wherein the transfer rotator and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are provided. However, when the printer is located at the first position when the process cartridge is loaded, the power switch is turned on by the closing operation of the opening / closing cover, the central processing unit is determined to be operable, and printing is enabled, and the transfer is performed. When the rotating unit for use and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are located at the second position when the process cartridge is not loaded, the power switch may be turned on or off depending on the movement of the opening / closing cover. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising the power intermittent device to disable the operation of the switch.

[0014]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, a cartridge is integrally formed with an electrophotographic photosensitive member and process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and the cartridge is used for image forming. A process cartridge system that can be attached to and detached from the forming apparatus main body is employed. According to this process cartridge system, the maintenance of the apparatus can be performed by the user himself without relying on a serviceman, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, the process cartridge system is widely used in image forming apparatuses.

In such a process cartridge, when the process cartridge is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body, an opening / closing cover for opening and closing the process cartridge mounting section of the apparatus main body is opened, and the process cartridge is mounted on the mounting section. Attach and close the open / close cover. And
To enable image formation only after confirming that the process cartridge is mounted and the open / close cover is closed, an interlock switch that connects the power supply of the apparatus main body in conjunction with the open / close cover of the image forming apparatus and the process cartridge A micro switch for detecting the presence or absence is provided. The detection location for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge is a frame of the process cartridge.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Here, the order of explanation is
First, the overall configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and the process cartridge will be described, then the configuration for attaching and detaching the process cartridge will be described, and then the configuration for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge will be described.

{Overall Configuration of Process Cartridge and Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus} The overall configuration of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and the process cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view showing the overall configuration of an image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge is mounted, and a detailed view of the process cartridge is shown in FIG. or,
In each of the drawings including the figure, the left side is “front” of the printer apparatus main body A, and the right side is “back”. According to this, with respect to the upstream and downstream in the transport direction of the transfer material P, the rear portion is on the upstream side and the front portion is on the downstream side.

This electrophotographic image forming apparatus (laser beam printer) A forms an image by an electrophotographic image forming process. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter, “photosensitive drum”) of the process cartridge B
Is charged to the photosensitive drum 51 and then the photosensitive drum 5 is charged.
1 is irradiated with laser light corresponding to image information from the optical means 9 to form a latent image. The latent image is developed by a developing unit to form a toner image.

In FIG. 1, A is a laser printer main body A, 1 is a paper feed tray 1 on which a transfer material P before image formation is stacked, and B is a photosensitive drum 51 and a charging roller (B) as shown in FIG. A process cartridge B, which is a cartridge formed by integrally incorporating a charging device 52, a developing device (developing device) 53, and a cleaning device 54 into a cartridge container, opens and closes when the process cartridge B is detached from the apparatus main assembly A. Reference numeral 3 denotes a discharge tray 3 on which the transfer material P after image formation is stacked.

First, the transfer material P waiting on the paper feed tray 1 is supplied to the pre-transfer guide 11 by the paper feed roller 10 so as to match the timing with the toner image on the photosensitive drum 51. Is guided between the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 12 along the pre-transfer guide 11. In the transfer section, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred onto the transfer material P by the transfer roller 12 to which the transfer voltage of the positive polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied.

Here, FIGS. 2 and 3 show detailed views of the transfer section. FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the transfer unit when the process cartridge B is mounted in the apparatus main body A. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the transfer unit when the process cartridge B is taken out of the apparatus main body A. The transfer roller 12 is supported by a bearing 13 mounted in the apparatus main body A. That is, the transfer roller 12 has a roller shaft 12a protruding from both ends thereof.
It is mounted on the device main body A side by being supported by the bearing 13 held in the concave portion 14 in the device main body A.
Here, the concave portion 14 in the apparatus main body A is
(The direction connecting the centers of the photosensitive drum 51 and the transfer roller 12, that is, the direction of arrow C in the figure), and the bearing 13 is provided in the recess 14 with the photosensitive drum 5.
1 and a linear guide that is slidably supported so as to advance and retreat toward 1. The spring member 15 of a compression coil spring is contracted below the bearing 13, and the bearing 13 is attached to the photosensitive drum 51 by the spring member 15. Since the transfer roller 12 is pressed, the transfer roller 12 is
1 to form a transfer nip between the photosensitive drum 51 and the photosensitive drum 51. Therefore, the transfer roller 1
2 is supported by the apparatus main body A via the bearing 13 and is positioned with respect to the photosensitive drum 51 by being pressed by the photosensitive drum 51. Since at least one side of the bearing 13 is formed of a conductive member, a transfer bias voltage can be applied to the transfer roller 12 from the bearing 13 via the metal spring member 15.

Since the bearing 13 is provided with a stopper claw 13a as shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge B is taken out of the apparatus main assembly A and the photosensitive drum 5 is removed.
1 is not in the apparatus main body A, the stopper claw 13a
As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer roller 12 and the bearing 13 do not jump out of the recess 14 because they are locked by the stopper 16 provided on the apparatus main body A side. At this time, since the transfer roller 12 and the bearing 13 are pressed in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 by the spring member 15, the stopper claw 13 a reaches the position where it is locked by the stopper 16 provided on the apparatus main body A side. Will move.

Next, the transfer material P to which the toner image has been transferred from the photosensitive drum 51 is guided by the guide plate 17 and conveyed to the fixing means 18. The fixing unit 18 includes a fixing rotator 18a having a built-in heater, and a pressure roller 18b for pressing and transferring the transfer material P to the rotator 18a. Transfer material P
Established in The transfer material P is transported by the discharge rollers 19 and 20 and discharged to the discharge tray 3.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, the process cartridge B includes a photosensitive drum 51, a charging roller (charging means) 52, a developing device (developing means) 53, and a cleaning device (cleaning means) 54, as described above. Is integrated into a cartridge container to form a cartridge, which can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main assembly A. The photoconductor drum 51 is a drum-shaped electrophotographic photoconductor,
It is driven by the drive mechanism on the apparatus main body A side. The charging roller 52 is disposed in contact with the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 and rotates following the rotation of the photoconductor drum 51. A charging voltage on which a DC current and an AC current are superimposed is applied to the charging roller 52 from the control substrate 6 on the apparatus main body A side, and the rotation of the photoconductor drum 51 makes the surface of the photoconductor drum 51 uniform. Charge. The developing device 53 includes a toner container 55 containing a toner, a developing sleeve 56, and a regulating blade 5.
And 7. The developing sleeve 56 has a magnet (not shown) at the center inside, and carries the toner on the surface by rotating. The toner on this surface is regulated by the regulating blade 57 to have a layer thickness and is given an electric charge, and is attached to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 by the optical means 9 to form a toner image. The cleaning device 54 includes a cleaning blade 58 that rubs the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 after transferring the toner image to the transfer material P to remove residual toner on the surface, and a cleaning container 59 that collects the removed waste toner. Have.

Here, the photosensitive drum 51 in the process cartridge B is rotationally driven, and is charged by the charging roller 52.
The surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is uniformly charged, for example, to a negative polarity. The surface of the uniformly charged photosensitive drum 51 is exposed by the optical unit 9. A laser beam is emitted from the optical unit 9 based on the image signal, and the photosensitive drum 51
Irradiate the surface. The light irradiation part on the photosensitive drum 51 is
The negative charge is removed to form an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image becomes a toner image by so-called reversal development in which a negative toner is attached by the developing device 53.

{Removable Configuration of Process Cartridge} In the image forming apparatus A, the process cartridge B is
An opening / closing cover 2 that opens and closes when detached from the device is attached to the apparatus main body A so as to be rotatable about a fulcrum 2b. Here, when the opening / closing cover 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 1 around a fulcrum 2b attached to the apparatus main body A, a large opening appears on the front surface of the apparatus main body A. Guide rails are arranged on both left and right sides as viewed from this opening,
The process cartridge B can be attached to and detached from the guide rail via the opening.
Further, when the process cartridge B is removed from the apparatus main assembly A, the conveyance path from the paper feed roller 10 to the guide plate 17 upstream of the fixing unit 18 via the transfer roller 12 is exposed, so that the transfer material P is jammed. Processing and the like can be easily performed.

Positioning grooves are provided at the ends of the left and right guide rails which can be seen by opening the open / close cover 2 of the apparatus main assembly A. On the other hand, on the both sides of the photosensitive drum 51 of the process cartridge B when viewed in the axial direction. A cylindrical boss for positioning is provided at the same center as the photosensitive drum 51, and the cylindrical boss for positioning of the process cartridge B fits into the positioning groove at the end of the guide rail on the apparatus main body A side. ing. Therefore, when the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main assembly A, the center of the photosensitive drum 51 is accurately positioned with respect to the apparatus main assembly A.

The process cartridge B is mounted on the main assembly A of the apparatus.
When mounted on, the movement to rotate around the cylindrical boss for positioning fitted in the positioning groove,
The guide member of the process cartridge B is fitted and guided on the guide rail of the apparatus main body A, and is stopped.

{Detection of presence / absence of process cartridge and opening / closing cover open / close} In this configuration, image formation can be performed only after confirming that process cartridge B is mounted and open / close cover 2 is closed. An interlock switch 4 for connecting the power supply of the apparatus main body A in conjunction with the opening / closing cover 2 of the forming apparatus and a micro switch 5 for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge B are arranged on a substrate 6 having a central processing unit. Further, a first opening / closing cover link member 7 fixed to a shaft 7a rotatably provided on the apparatus main body A, and a second opening / closing cover link member 8 fixed to a shaft 8b rotatably provided on the apparatus main body A. Is provided in the apparatus main assembly A, and the process cartridge B
When the cover 2 is opened and closed in order to attach and detach the cover 7 to and from the apparatus main body A, the shaft 7 is moved by the ribs 2 a provided on the cover 2.
The end of the arm member 7b fixed to the
b, the link member 7 rotates together, whereby the second opening / closing cover link member 8 connected to the elongated hole 7c of the first opening / closing cover link member 7 with the pin 8a also fixes this link member 8. Rotating together with the shaft 8b, the arm 8c fixed to the shaft 8b turns the interlock switch 4 on (shown by a solid line) and off (shown by a two-dot chain line).

As described above, when viewed in the plane of FIG. 1, the first opening / closing cover link member 7 is a bell crank which has an arm 7b and is pivotally attached to the apparatus main body A by a shaft 7a.
Open / close cover link member 8 has an arm 8c, and a shaft 8b
A bell crank pivotally attached to the apparatus main body A, and each of the shafts 7a and 8b has an enlarged lever ratio.
The length from to both ends is different. Therefore, the displacement of the end of the arm 7c is made larger than the displacement of the end of the arm 7b at the rib 2a of the opening / closing cover 2, and
In the retracted position where the actuator of the interlock switch 4 is not pressed, the end of the arm 8c is sufficiently far from the interlock switch 4.

On the other hand, the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 is held on the transfer roller shaft 12a, and is slidably supported in the direction of arrow C in FIG. When the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main assembly A, the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 presses the micro switch 5, and the micro switch 5 is in the ON state. When the process cartridge B is removed from the apparatus main assembly A, the transfer roller 12 and the bearing 13 are pressed in the direction of arrow C in FIG. 2 by the spring member 15, and as shown in FIG. Since it moves to the position where the movement is prevented by the stopper 16 provided on the A side, the cartridge presence / absence detecting lever 21 on the transfer roller shaft 12a also moves to the same position as the transfer roller 12 and the bearing 13. Therefore, when the process cartridge B is not mounted on the apparatus main assembly A, the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 does not press the micro switch 5, so that the micro switch 5 is turned off as shown in FIG.

Therefore, when the opening / closing cover 2 is open and the process cartridge B is not mounted, the microswitch 5 is turned off, so that the board 6 is determined to be not ready and not ready. Since the interlock switch 4 is not pressed in conjunction with the rib 2a provided on the opening / closing cover 2, the power is not connected.

When the process cartridge B is mounted and the opening / closing cover 2 is closed, the micro switch 5 is turned on, so that the substrate 6 is determined to be ready ready. That is, in the above description, when the cover 2 is closed, the arm 2b of the first cover link member 7 is pushed by the rib 2a provided on the cover 2 to rotate, and the first cover 2 is opened. Arms 8c work in conjunction with 7, 8
Presses the interlock switch 4 to turn it on,
The power supply is connected, and the apparatus main body A can be used.

Further, when the open / close cover 2 is closed without mounting the process cartridge B, the interlock switch 4 is pushed on by the rib 2a provided on the open / close cover 2 and the open / close cover link members 7 and 8 to turn on. However, since the microswitch 5 is turned off, the board 6 is determined to be not ready not ready, power is not supplied to the inside of the apparatus main body A, and the apparatus main body A cannot be used. .

According to the above configuration, the number of components is smaller than that of the conventional example by utilizing the displacement of the transfer roller 12 accompanying the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge B, and the configuration is not affected by the positional accuracy of the cartridge container of the process cartridge B. Therefore, it is possible to provide a process cartridge presence / absence detecting means which has a simple structure, is inexpensive, and has high reliability.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment,
The bearing 13 of the transfer roller 12 is integrated with or integral with the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 and has a shape that also serves as the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21. Therefore, by reducing the number of components compared to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a more inexpensive process cartridge presence / absence detecting means.

Third Embodiment A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Embodiment 3
In this example, only the interlock switch 4 for connecting the power supply of the apparatus main body A is disposed on the substrate 6 having the central processing means. Even when the cover link member is opened and closed and the cover link members 7 and 8 are rotated, the arm 8c of the cover link member 8 does not
The arm 8c is arranged at a position away from the actuator of the interlock switch 4 so that the actuator cannot be directly pressed. The opening and closing cover link member 7,
The configuration of 8 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be cited.

On the other hand, the cartridge presence / absence detecting lever 21 is held on the transfer roller shaft 12a, and is slidably supported in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. Further, in the third embodiment,
The cam groove 21a of the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 is connected to the apparatus main body A by a torsion coil spring 22 by an arrow E in FIG.
The pin 23a of the bell crank-shaped cartridge presence / absence detection link member 23 which is urged in the direction and is rotatably supported by the pivot 23b is fitted.

The cam groove 21a has a substantially U-shape, and when the pin 23a moves between the bent portion and the left side thereof as shown in FIG. It is immovable. Also, when the process cartridge B is not in the apparatus main assembly A and the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 is raised by the spring force of the spring member 15, the pin 23a moves to the right of the bent portion of the cam groove 21a. It has become.

Accordingly, when the open / close cover 2 is opened / closed while the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main assembly A, the arm 8c of the second open / close cover link member 8 has the cartridge presence / absence detection link member 23 at two points in FIG. When the pin 23a moves to the left from the bent portion of the cam groove 21a when moving from the position of the chain line to the position of the solid line, the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 does not move.

Here, when the process cartridge B is mounted on the apparatus main assembly A, the cartridge presence / absence detecting link member 23 is located at a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Therefore, when the open / close cover 2 is opened / closed to detach the process cartridge B from the apparatus main assembly A, the first open / close cover link member 7 is pushed by the ribs 2a provided on the open / close cover 2 to rotate, and thereby the first The open / close cover link member 8 also rotates, and furthermore, the arm 8
c is the arm 23 of the cartridge presence / absence detection link member 23
When the end c is pressed, the cartridge presence / absence detection link member 23 is also rotated to the position shown by the solid line, so that the interlock switch 4 is turned on (shown by the solid line) and turned off (2) as shown in FIG.
(Indicated by the dotted line).

The process cartridge B is mounted on the main assembly A of the apparatus.
6, the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 moves in the direction of arrow C in the figure, as in the first and second embodiments. Accordingly, the cartridge presence / absence detection link member 23 coupled to the cartridge presence / absence detection lever 21 rotates in the direction of arrow E in the figure and is located above the arm 8c as shown in FIG. , The interlock switch 4 cannot be pressed even when the cover link members 7 and 8 are rotated.

Therefore, when the cover 2 is open and the process cartridge B is not mounted, the interlock switch 4 is not pushed in conjunction with the rib 2a provided on the cover 2, so that the power supply Is not connected.

When the process cartridge B is mounted and the open / close cover 2 is closed, the open / close cover link members 7 and 8 are pushed by the ribs 2a provided on the open / close cover 2 to rotate. Since the presence / absence detection link member 23 rotates and the interlock switch 4 is turned on, the power is connected and the apparatus main body A can be used.

Further, when the open / close cover 2 is closed without mounting the process cartridge B, the interlock switch 4 is not pushed by the open / close cover link members 7 and 8 to be turned on. Is not supplied, and the apparatus main body A cannot be used. As described above, the present configuration provides a mechanical AND that can perform one switch operation only when two detection operations are completed.
It has a mechanism.

According to the above configuration, there is an effect that the cost of the apparatus main body A can be further reduced by reducing expensive electric parts.

In the above embodiment, the transfer roller 12 is moved linearly. However, the present invention is also applicable to a case where the transfer roller 12 is provided at the end of an arm whose base is pivotally attached to the apparatus main body A. .

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachable, and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the transfer cartridge abutting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum can be removed. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that obtains an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a transfer material supplied between a rotating body and a transfer rotating body, When the process cartridge is attached to or detached from the apparatus main body, the position of the transfer rotator is changed depending on the presence or absence of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. , A switch with a small number of parts, low cost, and high reliability It is possible to provide a true image forming apparatus.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having an opening / closing cover for opening / closing a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, which is detachable, and for opening / closing an opening / closing portion for allowing the process cartridge to enter and exit the apparatus main body. When the cartridge presence / absence detection member arranged to move in synchronization with the rotating body is located at the position where the process cartridge is loaded, a switch for detecting the presence / absence of the process cartridge is turned on. At this time, the opening / closing cover is closed. When the power switch for supplying power to the inside of the apparatus main body is turned on, it is determined that the central processing unit is operable and printing can be performed, and the cartridge presence / absence detecting member is located at a position where no process cartridge is loaded. The switch for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge is turned off and opened. When the power switch is closed, the power switch is not turned on even when the power switch is pressed, and the power supply intermittent device is not used. Therefore, the number of parts is small, the cost is low, and the reliability is low. And an electrophotographic image forming apparatus provided with a process cartridge presence / absence detection unit having a high process cartridge height.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus when a process cartridge according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the transfer unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the transfer unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus when a process cartridge according to a second embodiment of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus when a process cartridge according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an entire configuration of an image forming apparatus when a process cartridge according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention is not mounted.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the process cartridge according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: Apparatus body B: Process cartridge P: Short shooting material 1: Feeding tray 2: Opening / closing cover 2a: Rib 2b: Supporting point 3: Discharge tray 4: Interlock switch 5: Micro switch 6: Substrate 7: First Opening / closing cover link member 7a ... Shaft 7b ... Arm 7c ... Elongated hole 8 ... Second opening / closing cover link member 8a ... Pin 8b ...
Shaft 8c Arm 9 Optical means 10 Paper feed roller 11 Transfer guide 12 Transfer roller 12a Roller shaft 13 Bearing 13a Stopper claw 14 Depressed part 15 Spring member 16 Stopper part 17 Guide plate 18 Fixing unit 18a Fixing rotating body 18b Pressure roller 19 Discharge roller 20 Discharge roller 21 Cartridge presence detection lever 21a Cam groove 22 Torsion coil spring 22 Cartridge presence detection link member 23 Cartridge presence detection link member 23a ... Pin 23b ... Pivot 23c ... Arm 51 ... Photoconductor drum 52 ... Charge roller 53 ... Developing device 54 ... Cleaning device 55 ... Toner container 56 ... Developing sleeve 57 ... Regulator blade 58 ... Cleaning blade 59 ... Cleaning container

Claims (8)

[Claims] A transfer cartridge provided between the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a transfer rotary member abutting on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum, wherein a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachable. In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for obtaining an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a material, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is movably provided in an apparatus main body and faces the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. A transfer rotary member that is biased and takes a first position when a process cartridge is loaded and a second position when a process cartridge is not loaded;
A transfer device that is coaxial with the transfer rotary member, has a movable bearing that supports the transfer rotary member, and is electrically connected to the transfer rotary member, and is synchronized with the movement of the transfer rotary member. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: a cartridge presence / absence detection member movably disposed; and a switch for detecting the presence / absence of a process cartridge based on the position of the cartridge presence / absence detection member. 2. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bearing supporting the transfer rotary member also serves as a cartridge presence / absence detecting member. 3. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switch for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge is substantially located on a line connecting the centers of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the transfer rotating body. Image forming device. 4. A transfer cartridge in which a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachable, and transfer is supplied between the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a transfer rotary member abutted on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus which obtains an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a material, wherein an opening / closing cover for opening / closing an opening / closing section for allowing a process cartridge to enter / exit the apparatus main body; A first position when the process cartridge is loaded and a second position when the process cartridge is not loaded are provided movably provided in the apparatus main body and urged toward the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. A transfer rotating body to be taken;
A transfer device which is coaxial with the transfer rotary member, has a movable bearing for supporting the transfer rotary member, and is electrically connected to the transfer rotary member, and interlocks with the opening / closing cover to the transfer device. A power switch for interrupting the high-voltage power supply, a central processing unit capable of detecting the on / off state of the power switch to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus main body can operate, and synchronizing with the movement of the transfer rotary member. A cartridge presence / absence detection member movably disposed; and a switch for detecting the presence / absence of a process cartridge based on the position of the cartridge presence / absence detection member. The transfer rotating body and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are loaded with a process cartridge. When the switch is in the first position, the switch for detecting the presence or absence of the process cartridge is turned on. When the power switch is turned on, the central processing means is determined to be operable and printing is possible, and the transfer rotating member and the cartridge presence / absence detecting member are located at the second position when the process cartridge is not loaded. when doing,
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: a power interrupting device that turns off a switch for detecting the presence or absence of a process cartridge and does not turn on even when the power switch is pressed by closing the opening / closing cover. 5. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a bearing for supporting said transfer rotary member also functions as said cartridge presence / absence detecting member. 6. The electrophotograph according to claim 1, wherein the movement of the opening / closing cover is transmitted to the power switch via a link device, and the power switch is turned on / off between the opening / closing cover and the power switch. Image forming device. 7. The link device has a first opening / closing cover link member operated by an opening / closing cover, and a second cover link member connected to the first opening / closing cover link member to open / close a power switch, The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the first and second opening / closing cover link members has an enlarged lever ratio. 8. A transfer cartridge, wherein a process cartridge having an electrophotographic photosensitive drum is detachable, and transfer is supplied between the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and a transfer rotary member abutted on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus which obtains an image-formed product by transferring a transferable image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum to a material, wherein an opening / closing cover for opening / closing an opening / closing section for allowing a process cartridge to enter / exit the apparatus main body; A first position when the process cartridge is loaded and a second position when the process cartridge is not loaded are provided movably provided in the apparatus main body and urged toward the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. A transfer rotating body to be taken;
A transfer device which is coaxial with the transfer rotary member, has a movable bearing for supporting the transfer rotary member, and is electrically connected to the transfer rotary member, and interlocks with the opening / closing cover to the transfer device. A power switch for interrupting the high-voltage power supply, a central processing unit capable of detecting the on / off state of the power switch to determine whether or not the image forming apparatus main body can operate, and synchronizing with the movement of the transfer rotary member. Closing the opening / closing cover when the transfer rotating body and the cartridge presence / absence detection member are located at the first position when the process cartridge is loaded. As a result, the power switch is turned on, the central processing unit is determined to be operable, and printing can be performed, and the transfer rotating member and the cartridge presence / absence detecting member are loaded with the process cartridge. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: a power interrupting device that disables the operation of the power switch depending on the movement of the open / close cover when the power switch is located at the second position when the power switch is not in operation.