JPS60140264A - Electrophotographic copying machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the attachment and detachment of a process unit and the maintenance of a process device by providing a photosensitive body which constitutes the process unit and process device movably to each other, and attaching and detaching the process unit to and from the device body where it is moved from a specific operation position. CONSTITUTION:The rotation support shaft 55 of a frame 50 constituting the process unit is fallen in the receiver 56 formed in the side frame of the device body. When a cram shell is opened and the frame 50 is further rotated around the rotation support shaft 55, the process unit becomes attachable and detachable and a drum support shaft 2 is pressed by a slanting part 54 to move left, so contamination and deterioration states of respective parts of the process device are seen easily. Further, a transfer corona charger 20 and separation corona charger 21 are also positioned above fixed form guide plates 25 and 26, and the attachment and detachment are facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic copying apparatus in which process-related equipment arranged around an electrophotographic photoreceptor can be easily attached/detached and maintained.

[Prior art]

Generally, an electrophotographic copying apparatus is composed of various devices arranged around an electrophotographic photoreceptor, such as charging, exposing, developing, transferring, peeling, cleaning, fixing, paper feeding, exposure scanning, etc.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of such an electrophotographic copying apparatus. In the figure, 1 is an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, 2 is a support shaft for the drum, 3 is a corona charger for uniform charging,
4 is a fine lens array for projecting the original image, 5 is a movable document table, 6 is a glass platen attached integrally with this,
7 is a lamp for illuminating the original, 8.9 is a reflecting mirror, and 1O is a trimming lamp for removing electric charge in an area outside the screen. 11 is a developing unit, which includes a magnet roller 12, a toner supply roller 13, a blade 15, a toner hole 14,
It is composed of a seal plate 16, a developer container 17 and its opening 18, a developing machine), a maggot 19, and the like. 20 is a transfer corona charger, 21 is a peeling corona charger, 22 is a paper cassette, 23 is a pickup roller, 24 is a register roller, 25.26 is a paper guide plate, 27 is a fixing roller, 2 is a collected toner receiver, 29 is a Cleaning blade, 1132 is a light shielding plate, 31 is a cooling fan, 33.35
．． Reference numerals 36, 37, and 38 indicate a housing cover, 34 an opening/closing fulcrum shaft with a clamshell structure, and 39, 40, and 41 an electrical unit, respectively.

Among the above configurations, except for the fact that the detailed configuration of the developing unit 11 is not common, the other components and their arrangement are generally known techniques. Further, although the developing unit 11 has the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-57835, which was previously proposed by the present inventor, this may also be applied in place of a conventionally known developing unit. It's something that doesn't exist.

In such an electrophotographic copying device, paper jams may occur when the device is operated, or deterioration of the electrophotographic photoreceptor drum, developer deterioration, corona charger wire deterioration, etc. due to long-term use. Maintenance is required to deal with the adhesion of dirt, removal of collected toner, dirt on the fiber lens array, etc. The configuration, which is relatively widely used to facilitate maintenance, is such that most of the process equipment including the electrophotographic photoreceptor can be opened and closed, with the copy paper path as the boundary, as illustrated in FIG. It has a so-called clamshell structure in which the device is held integrally with an upper frame, and at the time of maintenance, the upper frame is rotated around the rotation fulcrum shaft 34, and one end of the device can be opened up and down.

Although this structure is extremely convenient for removing paper jams, it has the disadvantage that it is not necessarily convenient for replacing electrophotographic photoreceptors and maintaining other process equipment.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-52543 discloses a sliding structure in which the photosensitive drum and the developing unit can be pulled out from the housing. Although this configuration facilitates maintenance of the photoreceptor drum and some of the process units, it is difficult to maintain the process equipment that remains inside the housing, and it is also difficult to remove paper jams. There are drawbacks.

Also, JP-A-56-128958, JP-A-57-14
In various publications such as No. 6265 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-146282, an electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment are integrated into a unit, and the related process equipment maintains a normal operating position relative to the electrophotographic photoreceptor. A configuration in which the device can be attached and detached is shown. This configuration is convenient in cases where the electrophotographic photoreceptor and process equipment that have deteriorated over time and become contaminated are to be disposed of together.
If the electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment are to be replaced or maintained separately, it becomes necessary to configure each element in the unitized structure to be separately removable. In addition, in order to make a large unitized structure removable from the device body, it is necessary to limit the shape of the unit or to add some ingenuity to the device body that supports the unit so that it can be easily attached and detached. There are problems such as the need to set up the device and restrictions on device design.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention takes advantage of the unit structure that integrally holds an electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment, while also making it possible to easily attach and detach the electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment to the main body of the equipment, and to easily maintain the unitized process equipment. The object of the present invention is to provide a photocopying apparatus.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention provides an electrophotographic copying apparatus in which an electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment are integrally held to form a process unit, and this unit is removably attached to the main body of the apparatus. The electrophotographic photoreceptor and process device in the process unit are disposed so as to be movable relative to each other, and when the electrophotographic photoreceptor and process device are moved from a predetermined operating position, the process unit can be attached to and detached from the main body. The electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are configured to move to take a predetermined operating position in connection with the operation of attaching the electrophotographic photoreceptor to the main body, and the process unit including the electrophotographic photoreceptor can be attached to and removed from the main body, and the detached pronus This makes it easy to remove the photoreceptor from the unit, facilitate observation of the inside of the process unit, and ensure accurate positioning when attached to the main body.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electrophotographic copying apparatus having a preferable configuration to which the present invention is applied. This configuration example has a clamshell structure, and when the clamshell is opened, the upper structure A and the lower structure B are connected to the opening/closing fulcrum shaft 34.
It is divided into two areas. As is clear from the comparison with the clamshell configuration shown in Figure 2,
In FIG. 3, an electrophotographic photoreceptor drum 1 and related process equipment, such as a leveling/forming corona charger 3,
Developing unit 11, transfer corona charger 20, peeling corona charger 21. The cleaning blade 29 and the collected toner receiver are attached to the lower structure B. On the other hand, some process devices such as a fiber lens array 4, a movable document table 5, a glass platen 6, an illumination lamp 7, a trimming lamp 10, etc. are attached to the upper structure A.

In the electrophotographic copying apparatus configured as described above, when the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1 and related process equipment are formed into a unit, if the unit is configured to be detachable from the opening on the right side of the drawing, it is possible to attach and detach the unit. It has the advantage of being easy to maintain and easy to maintain.
In this configuration, for example, the transfer corona charger and the peeling corona charger 21 are connected to the fixed paper guide and the guide plate 25.2.
6, which makes it difficult to attach and detach the process unit, or because the developing unit 11 is almost the same size as the opening formed by the upper structure A and the lower structure B, the process unit There is a problem that it is difficult to attach and detach.

In contrast, in the present invention, the positional relationship between the electrophotographic photoreceptor and related process equipment in the process unit is shifted to make it easier to attach and detach the process unit to the apparatus body, and at the same time, to facilitate maintenance of the removed process unit. The structure is such that it can be carried out.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 50 is a frame constituting the process unit, and 55 is a rotation support shaft of the frame 50, which is supported by falling into a receiver 56 formed in a side frame 53 of the main body of the apparatus. The frame 50 further includes an elongated hole 51 for receiving the support shaft 2 of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum l, and facing the elongated hole 51, the support shaft 2 is clicked to take two stable positions. Spring 52 for
is installed. The frame 50 includes a uniform charging corona charger 3, a transfer corona charger, a peeling corona charger 21, a cleaning blade 29, and a collected toner receiver 2.
Process equipment such as No. 8 that requires maintenance or replacement is integrally attached.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a side frame of the main body of the electrophotographic copying apparatus or a structure attached to the side frame, which includes a receiver 56 into which the support shaft 55 attached to the frame 50 of the process unit is fitted, and a structure into which the drum support shaft 2 is fitted, as described above. Suru Uke 5
7, and an inclined portion 54 continuous to the receiver 57 for moving the drum support shaft 2.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which the clam shell is opened and the process unit frame 50 is further rotated around the rotation support shaft 55 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, so that the process unit can be attached and detached. There is.

As the process unit frame rotates, the drum support shaft 2 is pushed by the inclined portion and moves to the left in the drawing, making it easier to see the contamination and deterioration of each part of the process device.

Further, the transfer corona charger 20 and the peeling corona charger 21 are also located above the fixed paper guide plate 25, 26, making it easy to attach and detach them.

Further, since the drum support shaft 2 is pressed to the illustrated position by the action of the spring 52, the process unit is prevented from rotating and falling downward.

Furthermore, when the process unit is detachable as shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning blade 29 is separated from the drum 1, so if the process unit is left unused for a long period of time, for example six months to several years, In such cases, this configuration is suitable for preventing the tip of the blade from being deformed or the electrophotographic photoreceptor 1 from being deformed or deteriorated due to long-term stress. In cases where the process unit is stored without being used for a long period of time, if the electrophotographic photoreceptor and process equipment such as the cleaning blade are supplied as an inseparable unit and are configured to be disposable, That's enough to wake up to. Alternatively, as will be described later, when the developing unit is also integrated to form a process unit, and the apparatus is configured such that a unit equipped with colored toner and a unit equipped with black toner are separately prepared and used interchangeably. In some cases, the process unit may be left unused for a long period of time, and the present invention can be effectively applied to such cases as well.

Furthermore, if the paper gets caught in the cleaning device due to a malfunction in the paper peeling function, if the process unit is made removable, there will be a large gap between the photoconductor drum 1 and the cleaning blade 29 or other process device. A space is formed, which is very convenient for removing jammed paper.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the position of the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is moved by engaging the drum shaft 2 with an inclined portion 54 formed on the side frame of the apparatus main body. It is also possible to adopt other configurations, such as a configuration in which the drum shaft is directly moved manually to take a normal operating position and a movement position, and the process unit can be attached and removed only in the latter movement position.

Electrophotographic photoreceptor drums, various corona chargers, cleaning devices, etc. are parts that deteriorate over time, so it would be convenient for maintenance if they were integrated and configured to be disposable when deterioration or staining occurs. For this purpose, the structure of the process unit shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is extremely convenient.

As mentioned above, the unit components that are suitable for the purpose of forming a process unit include at least an electrophotographic photoreceptor and a cleaning device, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor and cleaning blade etc. are separated when the unit is attached or detached. Furthermore, it is preferable that various corona chargers are integrated into a unit, and that the distance between the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the processing equipment thereof is large when the electrophotographic photoreceptor is attached or detached.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a frame 60 is rotatably held on the frame 50 by a support shaft 61, separately from the frame (material) of the process unit supporting the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1, and a separate frame is attached to the frame 60. It is equipped with a process device, for example, a composite process unit configured by installing a developing unit 11.

62 is a pin installed in frame 60, 63 is a pin installed in frame 5
0 and 64ti pins 62 and 63 respectively show the springs passed over them. Further, 66 is a pin implanted in the main body of the apparatus, and 65 is a positioning roller attached to a frame 60 that rotates in conjunction with the photosensitive drum 1. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the process unit is installed in an operating state and the clamshell is also closed.

FIG. 7 shows an aspect of the apparatus shown in FIG. 6 when the clam shell is opened and the process unit is made detachable. That is, the frame 50 of the process unit supporting the photoreceptor drum 1 is connected to the support shaft 55.
When it is rotated around the support shaft 61, the pin 63 installed in the frame 50 also moves upward, and the frame ω, which supports the developing unit 11 by the action of the spring and the action of gravity, also moves around the support shaft 61. It rotates to the state shown in the figure.

As a result, the convex portions protruding from the bottom of the axial photo corona charger, the peeling corona charger 21, etc. move upward, and tall structures such as the developing unit 11 are tilted, and the overall structure is The process unit is in a flattened state, making it extremely easy to remove it from the clamshell opening. Furthermore, when attaching and detaching the photoreceptor drum 1, since the peripheral processing equipment is located away from the drum 1,
It has the advantage of being easy to attach and detach.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 includes an electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1, a developing unit 111, a cleaning blade 29,
This configuration is extremely convenient for integrating major process devices such as the above to form a process unit, and when it is made disposable, maintenance work can be greatly simplified.

The process unit is taken out in the state shown in FIG. 7, and is loaded from the outside in this state, and when completely installed, it is in the state shown in FIG. is placed at a predetermined position.

The process unit in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is biased by a spring 64 and
The posture shown in the figure when attaching and detaching is the stable position. Therefore, in order to maintain the mounting position as shown in FIG. 6, a stopper mechanism (not shown) must be provided in the process unit or the main body of the apparatus, or a stopper mechanism (not shown) must be provided with pressure from the upper structure of the clamshell. It is necessary to take measures such as applying force to maintain the posture.

Further, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which various process devices are attached to the frame (2) that supports the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1, but no process devices are attached to the frame 50, and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1 is simply attached to the frame 50. It is also possible to carry out the present invention with only the body drum 1 attached, and in that case, a configuration in which the electrophotographic photosensitive drum is fixed to the frame 50 can also be adopted. .

Figure 8 (5), β) shows that without providing a special stopper,
FIG. 7 is a partial view showing the main parts of another embodiment of the present invention, which is configured so that the spring mechanism of the see-saw set allows the user to selectively take the mounting position and the mounting/detaching position as stable positions. In both figures, a fixed pin 63' is installed in the frame (material) of the process unit that holds the electrophotographic photoreceptor, a fixed pin 62' is installed in the frame 60 that holds the developing unit, and A support shaft 61' connecting both frames 50, 60 is provided, and these fixed bins 62', 63'
The connecting shafts 61' are arranged so that the kings thereof are aligned substantially in a straight line, and a spring 64' is stretched between the pins 62' and 63'. In addition, the frame (equipment) has a stopper bin 6.
7.68 is provided.

FIG. 8(5) shows the relative positions of each member when the process unit is installed, that is, when the photoreceptor drum and related process equipment are in operation, and the frames 50 and 60 are pulled by the spring 64'. It shows a state in which it is urged to come closer and its position is regulated by the stopper pin 67.

FIG. 8 (13) shows a state in which the process unit is in an attachment/detachment position, that is, in a position where the photoreceptor drum and related process unit are separated, and the frame (material),
Reference numerals 60 are urged by a spring 64' in a direction in which they open from each other, and their positions are regulated by a stopper pin thread.

With such a configuration, since the process unit itself has two stable positions, there is an advantage that positioning in the operating state can be performed with high precision.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing still another embodiment of the present invention, which includes a frame 50 that movably supports an electrophotographic photoreceptor, and a separate frame 60 that is pivotally supported by the frame 50. and each of these frames 5o, 60 has:
At least the cleaning blade 29 and the developing unit 1
1 are held together to form a process unit. The process unit in this embodiment includes process equipment that is most likely to suffer permanent damage and deterioration and that requires time and effort to maintain. For example, the cleaning device has a blade 29 that constitutes the cleaning device.
If it is damaged, it will need to be replaced, but when replacing it, high positioning accuracy is required. Furthermore, since a large amount of toner is stored in the toner receiver 28, the surrounding area is likely to be contaminated during maintenance. Regarding the developing unit 11,
There are tasks such as replacing developer and replenishing toner, which can easily cause toner contamination. The electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1 requires replacement or IJ-cleaning, but if it gets scratched during maintenance work, the scratches will be visible on the screen, so special care must be taken when handling it. .

In this embodiment, the above-mentioned process devices, which require time-consuming maintenance, are integrated and configured so that they can be taken out, making maintenance work easy. , maintenance work is no longer required and it can be easily replaced. If the corona charger is also soiled, it will need to be cleaned, but since the amount of toner attached will not be too large, there is a choice as to whether or not to include it in the process unit. In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, the transfer and peeling corona charger 21 is also included in the process unit, but in this embodiment shown in Figure 9, the corona charger is The uniform charging corona charger 3, which is the most likely to get dirty, is included in the process unit, but the transfer and peeling corona chargers 20 and 21 are installed on the main body of the device and excluded from the process unit. It shows.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention provides an electrophotographic copying apparatus in which a process unit configured by integrally holding an electrophotographic photoreceptor and a process device related thereto is removably disposed in a main body. The process devices are arranged so as to be movable with respect to each other, and when the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are moved from a predetermined operating position, the process unit can be attached to and detached from the main body. Since the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are configured to move to a predetermined operating position, it is easy to attach and detach the process unit including the electrophotographic photoreceptor to the main body of the device, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor can be removed from the detached process unit. As well as making it easier to remove the
This makes it easier to observe and inspect the inside of the process unit, and also makes it easier to remove jammed paper caught inside the process unit.

Further, by holding the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the processing device in a process unit frame, and holding the electrophotographic photoreceptor movably with respect to the frame, and moving the process unit frame with respect to the main body of the device, configuring the photoreceptor to assume a normal operating position and a position displaced from the normal operating position relative to the process equipment;
By moving the process unit frame, the electrophotographic photoreceptor is automatically positioned and moved, and its attachment and detachment operations are also simplified.

Further, the electrophotographic photoreceptor is supported on a process unit frame, and a process device that is arranged at a predetermined distance from the electrophotographic photoreceptor and operates is rotatably supported with respect to the process unit, and the process unit is supported by the process unit frame. When mounted on the main body, the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are placed at a predetermined working distance, and when the process unit is attached or removed, the process device is rotated relative to the frame, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor is placed at a predetermined operating distance. By configuring the process device and the electrophotographic photosensitive member to be further separated from each other by exceeding the distance, the positioning accuracy of the process device and the electrophotographic photoreceptor can be increased, and highly accurate positioning can be easily performed as the process unit is attached.

Furthermore, the frame that movably supports the electrophotographic photoreceptor is provided with another frame rotatably supported, and at least the electrophotographic photoreceptor, the cleaning device, and the developing unit are integrally held in these frames. By configuring the process unit, it is possible to integrate and remove process equipment that is difficult to maintain or that is likely to be contaminated during maintenance, making maintenance easy or making the entire process unit disposable. If this method is adopted, effects such as the ability to further simplify maintenance can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conventional electrophotographic copying device, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conventional clamshell electrophotographic copying device in an open state, and FIG. teeth,
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an open state of an electrophotographic copying apparatus having a ramshell structure suitable for application of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the electrophotographic copying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a removable state of the process unit in the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 (5) is a diagram showing a detachable state, and FIG.
3) is a diagram showing a detachable state of the process unit of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8(5), and FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of still another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, l is an electrophotographic photosensitive drum, 3 is a corona charger for uniform charging, 4 is a fiber lens array, 10 is a trimming lamp, 11 is a developing unit, 1 is a transfer corona charger, and 21 is a peeling corona charger. , 25 and 26 are paper guide plates, parts are collected toner receivers, 29 are cleaning blades, opening/closing fulcrum shafts are frames, 51 are elongated holes, 52 are springs, 53 are side frames, and 54 are inclined parts. , 55 is a rotation support shaft, 6.57 is a receiver, 60 is a frame, 61 is a support shaft, and 65 is a positioning roller. Patent applicant Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. City 8 (A) 5 (B)

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) One or more process devices placed at a predetermined operating position in relation to the electrophotographic photoreceptor to be reused are held integrally with the electrophotographic photoreceptor to form a process unit, and In an electrophotographic copying apparatus in which a single process unit is removably attached to an apparatus main body, an electrophotographic photoreceptor and a process device in the process unit are arranged so as to be movable with respect to each other, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor When the process unit is moved from the predetermined operating position, the process unit can be attached to and removed from the apparatus main body, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process apparatus are moved to the predetermined operating position in connection with the mounting operation of the process unit to the apparatus main body. An electrophotographic copying apparatus characterized in that the electrophotographic copying apparatus is configured to move so as to take a position. (2) The electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are held in the same process unit frame, and the electrophotographic photoreceptor is held movably with respect to the frame, and the process device is held in the same process unit frame. Claim 1, characterized in that by moving the unit frame, the electrophotographic photoreceptor is configured to take a normal operating position and a position moved from the normal operating position with respect to the process device. electrophotographic copying equipment. (3) The electrophotographic photoreceptor is a process device) 7L/-
A process device is supported and glued to the electrophotographic photoreceptor and is operated while being arranged at a predetermined distance from the electrophotographic photoreceptor. When mounted, the electrophotographic photoreceptor and the process device are placed at a predetermined working distance, and when the process unit is to be attached or removed, the process device is rotated relative to the frame and moved beyond the predetermined working distance from the electrophotographic photoreceptor. 2. The electrophotographic copying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electrophotographic copying apparatus is configured to be separated from each other. (4) A frame that movably supports the electrophotographic photoreceptor, and another frame that is rotatably supported by the frame, and these frames include at least the electrophotographic photoreceptor, a cleaning device, and a developing device. 2. The electrophotographic copying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process unit is constructed by holding the units together.