JPS638653A - Image forming machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily load/unload a process unit by moving an upper supporting frame body up to an opening position so that a unit frame is held in a non- working position or moving the upper supporting frame body up to a closing position so that the unit frame is set up on a working position. CONSTITUTION:When the upper supporting frame body is rotated up to the opening position, the right upper surface of a lower supporting frame body 4 is opened around the left end part of a supporting structure. Then, the process unit 16 is positioned between the lower and upper supporting frame bodies 4, 6 by grasping grip members formed on the front and back walls of the unit frame 18 and the unit frame 18 of the process unit 16 is attachably/detachably fitted to a guide rod formed on the lower supporting frame body 4. In the attached state, the unit frame 18 is deflected upward by the action of a coil spring means and held on the non-working position.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Technical fields> TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to image producing machines such as electrostatic copying machines.

PRIOR ART As is well known to those skilled in the art, electrostatic copying machines or electrostatic printing machines, which form an electrostatic latent image on an electrostatographic photoreceptor and then develop the electrostatic latent image into a toner image. Image generating machines such as the machine are in widespread use. In an electrostatic copying machine as an example of such an image generator, a support structure includes a lower support frame and an upper support frame attached to the lower support frame so as to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position. There is also a process unit equipped with a unit frame and a movable photoreceptor support means such as a rotating drum mounted on the unit frame.

However, in the conventional electrostatic copying machine mentioned above,
The process unit is configured to be detachably attached to the upper support frame of the support structure, and this causes the following problems.

That is, the process unit is removed from the upper support frame (or the process unit is attached to the upper support frame).
In this case, the unit frame may be moved forward after the upper support frame is positioned in the open position (or the unit frame may be attached to the upper support frame and moved rearward; When detaching from the body (or attaching the unit frame to the upper support frame), the process unit must be moved while being securely held, and the operations for attaching and detaching the process unit are complicated. If the above-mentioned retention during detachment is insufficient, the rear part of the process unit will fall when detached from the upper support frame, and therefore the various components mounted on the unit frame will There is a risk of damage due to contact with the table on which the product is placed.

<Object of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main purpose is to provide an image generator in which a process unit can be attached and detached with great ease.

<Summary of the Invention> According to the present invention, a support structure including a lower support frame and an upper support frame attached to the lower support frame so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position; In an image generating machine equipped with a process unit including a movable photoreceptor support means mounted on the unit frame and having a photoreceptor on its surface; The unit frame is detachably attached to the lower support frame so as to be movable between non-working positions, and when the upper support frame is moved to the open position, the unit frame is held in the non-coughing position. An image generating machine is provided, wherein when the upper support frame is moved to the closed position, the unit frame is positioned at the operating position.

<Preferred specific examples of the invention> A more detailed explanation will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

靜；jU■Permutation 1! FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a specific example of an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image generating machine constructed according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the illustrated electrostatic copying machine has a generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing, which is indicated by the number 2 as a whole. The housing 2 is defined by a support structure consisting of a lower support frame 4 and an upper support frame 6. The lower left end of the upper support frame 6 is pivotally connected to the lower support frame 4 via a shaft 8, and can pivot between the closed position shown in FIG. 1 and the open position shown in FIG. can be moved.

The document mounting means 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the housing 2, ie, the upper surface of the upper support frame 6, so as to be able to reciprocate in the left-right direction. The document placement means 10 includes a transparent plate 12 on which a document to be copied is placed, and a document cover 14 that can be opened and closed to cover the transparent plate 12 and the document placed thereon. Contains.

A so-called process unit, generally designated by the number 16, is disposed approximately in the center of the housing 2.

As will be described later, it is important that the process unit 16 be configured to be detachably attached to the lower support frame 4. The illustrated process unit 16 has a unit frame 18, and the unit frame 18 is attached to a required portion of the lower support frame 4 so as to be detachable and movable in the vertical direction. This unit frame 18 is attached to and detached from the lower support frame 4 by moving and setting it in the vertical direction, as will be described later.

A rotating drum 2o constituting movable photoreceptor supporting means is rotatably mounted approximately at the center of the unit frame 18.

On the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20, an appropriate electrostatic photoluminescent material is disposed. The unit frame 18 further includes an arrow 22
A charging corona discharger 24, a developing device generally designated by numeral 26, and a cleaning device generally designated by numeral 28 are also installed around the rotating drum 20, which is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by . ing. The developing device 26 and the cleaning device 28 will be described later.

An irradiation lamp 30, a reflection plate 32, and an optical system 34 located above the process unit 16 are also mounted on the upper support frame 6. The optical system 34 is composed of a large number of elongated optical elements (for example, rod-shaped lenses sold by Nippon Glass Co., Ltd. under the trade name "Selfok Micro Lens") that extend in the vertical direction. The light from the irradiation lamp 30 is transmitted to the transparent plate 1 as shown by the dashed line.
The reflected light from the original passes through the optical system 34 and the exposure aperture 38 formed in the upper wall 36 of the uni-gutter frame 18 to the exposure area 40.
is projected onto the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20.

Approximately at the center of the lower support frame 4, there is a transfer corona discharger 44 facing the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20 in the transfer area 42, and a transfer corona discharger 44 located adjacent to and downstream of the transfer corona discharger 44. A stripping static eliminator 46 is provided.

Further, at the right end of the lower support frame 4, a copy paper supply means, which is indicated by the number 48 as a whole, is provided.
A copy paper tray 50 is disposed at the left end of the tray. And, between the copy paper supply means 48 and the copy paper tray 50,
A copy paper transport system, generally designated by numeral 52, is provided for transporting copy paper through the transfer area 42. The copy paper supply means 48 includes a copy paper table 54 and a copy paper delivery roller 56 disposed above the downstream end of the copy paper table 54. The copy paper delivery roller 56 is selectively lowered and rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow 58. The copy paper supply means 48 further includes the copy paper base 54.
a copy paper feeding roller 6 which is disposed downstream of and is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by the arrow 60;
2, and a copy paper separating means 64 disposed below the copy paper separating means 64. The copy paper separation means 64 includes a support member 68 rotatably mounted by a pin 66, and a support member 68 that is rotatably mounted by a pin 66.
The separating member 70 is formed from a high friction material such as synthetic rubber and is disposed on the upper surface of the separator member 70 . Support member 68
is elastically biased in a clockwise direction by suitable spring means (not shown), thus forcing separation member 70 elastically against copy paper feed roller 62.

In the copy paper supply means 48 as described above, a sheet-like copy layer of appropriate dimensions is manually inserted onto the copy paper base 54. Then, each time the copy paper feed roller 56 is lowered and rotated in the direction shown by the arrow 58, the upper copy paper in the copy paper layer is sequentially delivered, and the copy paper is further advanced by the copy paper feed roller 62. be done. Separation member 70 prevents copies other than the top copy paper from being advanced by copy paper feed roller 62 when two or more copies are fed out at a time by copy paper feed roller 56. In this way, the copy sheets are supplied to the copy paper conveyance system 52 one by one. The copy paper conveyance system 52 includes a pair of guide plates 72 , a pair of conveyance rollers 76 that are rotationally driven in the direction shown by arrow 74 , a guide plate 78 , a conveyance heald mechanism 82 that is rotationally driven in the direction shown by arrow 80
a pair of heat fixing rollers 86 that are rotationally driven in the direction indicated by 4;
It includes a pair of guide plates 88 and a pair of discharge rollers 92 that are driven to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow 90. An appropriate heating means 9 is provided in the upper heating roller 94 of the heating fixing roller pair 86.
6 are arranged. In addition, the upper heating roller 94 includes
A peeling member 98 is provided to prevent the copy paper from wrapping.

In the electrostatic copying machine as described above, the rotating drum 20
is rotated in the direction shown by arrow 22, charging corona discharger 24 substantially uniformly charges the photoreceptor on the rotating drum 20 to a specific polarity, and then, in the exposure area 40, the photoreceptor is charged on the transparent plate 12. The image of the original is scanned and exposed onto the photoreceptor, thus forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image of the original on the photoreceptor. During the above-mentioned scanning exposure, the document mounting means 10
, for example, is moved rightward for scanning exposure from the scanning exposure start position indicated by the two-dot chain vA10A to the scanning exposure end position indicated by the two-dot chain line 10B. Thereafter, the electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor is developed into a toner image by a developing device 26.

Next, the copy paper supplied from the copy paper supply means 48 and conveyed by the copy paper conveyance system 52 is brought into close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20 in the transfer area 42, and is transferred onto the photoreceptor by the action of the transfer corona discharger 44. The toner image is transferred onto the copy paper. Thereafter, the copy paper is peeled off from the rotating drum 20 by the action of the static eliminator 46. The peeled copy paper is conveyed through a pair of heat-fixing rollers 86, during which time the toner image on the copy paper is heat-fixed, and then discharged onto the copy paper tray 50. On the other hand, the rotating drum 20 continues to rotate, and the toner remaining on the photoreceptor after the transfer is removed from the photoreceptor by the action of the cleaning device 28.

(Continuing the explanation with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7 as well as FIG. 1, the unit frame 18 of the process unit 16 shown in FIG.
is the front-back direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper in Figure 1, the third
Front walls 100 (
5, 6, 8-A) and the rear wall 102 (8-A)
A rotating drum 20, a developing device 26, and a cleaning device 28 are installed between the front wall 100 and the rear wall 102. Referring also to FIG. 8-A, between the front wall 100 and the rear wall 102, there is a bottom wall 1 along with the above-mentioned top wall 36.
04, a left side wall 106 and a right side wall 108 are provided. The bottom wall 104 has, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 8-A,
An opening 110 is formed to allow the copy paper conveyed by the action of the copy paper conveyance system 52 to come into close contact with the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 200. Further, on the front surface of the front wall 100 and the rear surface of the rear wall 102 of the unit frame 18, gripping members 11 that are gripped when the unit frame 18 is mounted and removed are provided.
2 and 114 (see especially FIG. 7).

The rotating drum 20 is rotatably mounted between the front wall 100 and the rear wall 102 of the unit frame 18.

When the process unit 16 is detachably attached to the lower support frame 4 and the upper support frame 6 is brought to the closed position, that is, the state shown in FIG. The arrow 22 is driven by the action of the driving source (not shown) disposed at the
It is designed to be rotated in the direction shown by.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the developing device 26 mounted on the right side of the unit frame 18 has a developing chamber 116, a developer accommodating chamber 118, and a toner accommodating chamber 120 divided by various walls.
Equipped with: The developing chamber 116 has an open left side facing the rotating drum 20, and inside the developing chamber 116 there are an applying means 122, a developer stirring means 124, and a guide plate 126.
are arranged. A start developer is stored in a developer storage chamber 118 disposed above the development chamber 116, and the start developer is transferred from the developer storage chamber 118 to the development chamber 116 when the development device 26 is used. supplied to

Further, toner is stored in a toner storage chamber 120 disposed on the upper right side of the development chamber 116 , and toner is supplied from the toner storage 120 to the development chamber 116 by the action of the toner supply roller 128 . As such a developing device 26, for example, the one disclosed in the specification and drawings of the utility model registration application (name: developing device for image generation machine) filed by the applicant on May 30, 1986 can be used. It can be used conveniently.

The illustrated cleaning device 28 mounted on the left side of the unit frame 18 includes an elastic blade 130. The free end of the elastic blade 130 is pressed against the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20 with a predetermined pressure, so that the rotating drum 20
The toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the toner is removed by the action of the elastic blade 130. The cleaning device 28 further includes:
It includes a toner collection chamber 132, and a collection blade 134 is provided at the opening of the toner collection chamber 132. Therefore, the toner removed by the elastic blade 130 is collected into the toner collection chamber 132 by the action of the collection blade 134. be done.

In the process unit 16 as described above, holes 136 are formed in the four corners of the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18 in connection with the unit frame 18 being movably attached to the lower support frame 4. (Figure 5, Figure 8-A). On the other hand, four guide ports/grooves 138 are provided at required portions of the lower support frame 4, corresponding to each of the four holes 136 formed in the unit frame 18 (see FIG. 4). Figure 5,
Figure 8-A). Mainly referring to FIGS. 4 and 5,
A pair of guide rods 138 (FIGS. 4 and 8-A) are inserted into a pair of holes 136 provided on the right side of the unit frame 18.
The guide rods (on the right side in the figure) are provided on the bottom wall 140 of the lower support frame 4 at intervals in the front-rear direction, and each of their upper end portions is connected to the lower guide plate 1 of the guide plate pair 72.
It projects upwardly through a hole formed in 42. Additionally, a pair of guide rods 138 are inserted into a pair of holes 136 provided on the left side of the unit frame 18 (Figs. 4 and 8).
The guide rods (on the left side in Figure A) are provided on the upper surface of the guide body 144 provided on the bottom wall 140 of the lower support frame 4 at intervals in the front-rear direction, and protrude upward from the upper surface of the guide body 144. . The above-mentioned conveyor belt mechanism 82 is attached to the guide body 144, and guide protrusions 146 are provided on the upper surface of the guide body 144 at intervals in the front-rear direction. And each guide loft 138 provided along this street.
includes a coil spring means 148 constituting the first biasing means;
is installed. Therefore, as can be easily understood from FIG. 5 and FIG. 8-A, the unit frame 18 has its bottom wall 1
The guide rod 13 corresponding to the hole 136 formed in 04
8 is inserted into the lower support frame 4 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and when installed in this way, each coil spring means is inserted between the lower support frame 4 and the unit frame 18, as shown in FIG. 8-A. 148 are interposed (in detail, the pair of coil spring means 148 on the right side are interposed between the guide plate 142 attached to the lower support frame 4 and the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18, and the pair of coil spring means 148 on the left side The means 148 includes a guide body 144 attached to the lower support frame 4 and a unit frame 18.
is interposed between the bottom wall 104 of. In the specific example, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, on the front surface of the front wall 100 of the unit frame 18, there are grooves at both ends at intervals in the lateral direction (in the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 7). A pair of secured pins 150 are provided that protrude forward, and a pair of secured pins 152 that protrude rearward are also provided on the rear surface of the rear wall 102 at both ends thereof, spaced apart laterally. It is provided. On the other hand, in correspondence with the engaged pins 150 of the front wall 100, a pair of substantially ■-shaped engagement pieces 156 projecting rearward are provided on the rear surface (inner surface) of the front substrate 154 of the upper support frame 6. Furthermore, in correspondence with the pins 152 to be engaged on the rear wall 102, a pair of substantially ■-shaped engagement pieces projecting forward is provided on the front surface (inner surface) of the rear substrate 158 of the upper support frame 6. 160 are provided. Therefore, when the upper support frame 6 is placed in the open position, the engaging pieces 156 and 160 engage the engaged pins 150 and 152.
The unit frame 18 is thus held in the original operating position shown in FIG. abuts on the engagement pins 150 and 152 and engages them as required;
The unit frame 18 is thus brought into the operating position shown in FIG. 8-A.

In the copying machine of the specific example, in order to protect the photoreceptor existing on the circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20, the unit frame 1 is further
A protective cover member 162 is disposed at 8. Figure 1,
Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 8-A, the illustrated protective cover member 162 is composed of a plate-shaped member, and its substantially central portion protrudes downward in a semi-cylindrical shape corresponding to the shape of the rotating drum 20. I'm being forced to do it. A transfer opening 16 elongated in the front-rear direction is provided in a protrusion 162a projecting in a semi-cylindrical shape.
4 is formed. The protective cover member 162 is attached to the lower part of the unit frame 18 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, that is, in the direction approaching and away from the rotating drum 20, and is in a copyable state, that is, as described later, the upper support frame 6 is When placed in the closed position, the exposed position close to the rotating drum 20 (
1 and 8-A), and when the upper support frame 6 is brought to the open position, the rotating drum 20
(Note that even if the process unit 16 is separated from the lower support frame 4 as described later, , the protective cover member 162 continues to be held in the protected position). In conjunction with this protective cover member 162, a second
A biasing means is attached to the unit frame 18. 3 and 8-A, the illustrated second biasing means comprises a coiled spring means 166, which in the specific example is located between the bottom wall of the developer device 26 and the right side of the protective cover member 162. A pair of coil spring means 166 are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction.
Further, a pair of coil spring means 166 is arranged between the bottom wall of the cleaning device 28 and the left side of the protective cover member 162, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the protective cover member 162 is normally biased away from the rotating drum 20 by the action of the four coil spring means 166, and its lower surface is biased against the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18.
is held in the protected position by abutting against the upper surface of. In the specific example, four recesses 168 are provided at predetermined locations on the upper surface of the protective cover member 162, and the lower end of the coil spring means 166 is accommodated in each of the four recesses 168. A protrusion may be provided in place of the recess 168, and the lower end of the coil spring means 166 may be fitted into the protrusion. Further, if desired, a recess or projection for the coil spring means 166 can be provided on the lower surface of the bottom wall of the developing device 26 and/or the lower surface of the bottom wall of the cleaning device 28.

A protective cover member 16 attached to the upper unit frame 18
2, the lower support frame 4 is provided with means for locating the exposed position. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the exposed position positioning means shown in the drawings is composed of projections 170, and in the specific example, four projections 170 are provided corresponding to the coil spring means 166. A pair of positioned protrusions 170 (the right positioned protrusions in FIG. 4) that act on the right side of the protective cover member 162 are provided on the bottom wall 140 of the lower support frame 4 at intervals in the front-rear direction. Each of their upper ends protrudes upward through a hole formed in the guide plate 78, respectively. Further, a pair of positioning protrusions 170 (in the fourth article, the left positioning is a protrusion) that act on the left side of the protective cover member 162 are provided on the upper surface of the guide body 144 at intervals in the front-rear direction. . Positioned by protrusion 170
are provided on the inside of the guide rod 138 in the lateral direction, as shown in FIGS. A hole 172 through which the upper end of each protrusion 170 can be inserted is formed in the inner side of the bottom wall 104 in the lateral direction of the portion where the recess 136 is present (FIGS. 5 and 8-A). Further, in relation to each of the guide rods 138 described above, holes 174 are formed in the four corners of the protective cover member 162, into which the upper end of the guide rod 138 can be inserted (see FIGS. 5 and 8-8).
Figure A).

Next, with reference mainly to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 to 8, the effects of the electrostatic copying machine described above will be explained.

When installing the process unit 16 into the housing 2 and therefore into the lower support frame 4, first the upper support frame 6 is installed.
swivel to the open position shown in the second step. In this way, the upper right surface of the lower support frame 4 is opened using the left end opening of the support structure as a support.

Next, the process unit 16t is positioned between the lower support frame 4 and the upper support frame 6 by gripping the gripping members 112 and 114 provided on the front wall 100 and the rear wall 102 of the unit frame 18, and the process unit 16t is positioned between the lower support frame 4 and the upper support frame 6. The frame 18 is detachably attached to a guide rod 138 provided on the lower support frame 4. As understood from FIGS. 5 and 8-B, the unit frame 18 is mounted by moving the unit frame 18 downward so as to place it on the lower support frame 4, and forming the unit frame 18 on the bottom wall 104 thereof. It is only necessary to position the upper end of the corresponding guide loft 136 in each hole 136, and by doing so, the unit frame 18 is removably attached to the lower support frame 4 as shown in FIG. 8-B. . In this installed state, the unit frame 18 is biased upward by the action of the coil spring means 148 and held in the non-operating position shown in FIG. 8-B. When in the non-operating position, the protective cover member 162 is held in the protective position by the action of the coil spring means 166, and the upper end of each indoor rod 13B passes through the hole 174 of the protective cover member 162 and extends slightly upward. It stands out.

Thereafter, the upper support frame 6 is pivoted to the closed position shown in FIG. When the upper support frame 6 is moved from the open position to the closed position, FIGS.
- By comparing Figure A, it can be seen that the pieces 156 and 160 come into contact with the engaged pins 150 and 152 provided on the front wall 100 and rear wall 102 of the unit frame 18 (see also Figures 6 and 7) As the upper support frame 6 rotates toward the closed position, the unit frame 18 is moved downward along the guide rod 138 against the biasing force of the coil spring means 148.

When the upper support frame 6 is further rotated as described above, the positioning provided on the lower support frame 4 is next to the projection 170.
protrudes into the unit frame 18 through a hole 172 formed in the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18, and the protective cover member 16
It comes into contact with the bottom surface of 2.

Therefore, as the upper support frame 6 rotates, the unit frame 18 is moved toward the lower support frame 4 by the action of the engaging pieces 156 and 160 and the engaged pins 150 and 152, while the protective cover member 162 is located at protrusion 170
The movement of the unit frame 1 is prevented by the action of
8 relative to the rotating drum 20 against the biasing force of the coil spring means 160 . When the upper support frame 6 is rotated to the closed position, the various components attached to the upper support frame 6 (
irradiation lamp 30, etc.), various components mounted on the unit frame 18 (rotary drum 20, developing device 26, etc.), and various components mounted on the lower support frame 4 (copy paper conveyance system 6).
4, etc.) are maintained in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 1, and therefore the above-mentioned copying operation is possible. In such a state, as shown in FIGS. 11, 6, and 8-A, the engaging pieces 156 and 160 provided on the upper support frame 6 and the engaged pin 150 provided on the unit frame 18 and 1
52, the unit frame 18 is held in a copyable working position (a position close to the top surface of the lower support frame 4), and the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18 is attached to the various parts attached to the lower support frame 4. Together with the constituent elements, it defines a part of the copy paper conveyance path.

Further, the protective cover member 162 is held in an exposed position close to the rotating drum 20 by the action of the coil spring means 166, and the lower circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20 is connected to the protective cover member 1.
Copy paper transported by the action of the copy paper transport system 52 is relatively fully exposed through the transfer opening 164 formed in the copy paper transport system 52, and also due to the proximity of the protective cover member 162 to the rotating drum 20. is allowed to come into close contact with the rotating drum 20 in the transfer area 42 through an opening 110 formed in the bottom wall 104 of the unit frame 18 and a transfer opening 164 formed in the protective cover member 162.

On the other hand, in order to remove a jam that has occurred in the copy paper conveyance system 52 or to remove the process unit 16 from the housing 2 and, therefore, from the lower support frame 4, the upper support frame 6 is rotated. Place it in the open position. When the upper support frame 6 is pivoted toward the open position, the unit frame 18 is moved upward along the guide rod 138 by the action of the coil spring means 148 as the upper support frame 6 is pivoted, and the protection The cover member 162 is moved downward and away from the rotating drum relative to the unit frame 18 by the action of the coil spring means 166.

Then, after turning in this way and positioning it in the above-mentioned open position, the second
As can be understood from the figures and FIG. 8-B, the upper support frame 6
Engagement pieces 1 provided on the front substrate 154 and rear substrate 158 of
56 and 160 are located above and apart from the engaged pins 150 and 152 of the unit frame 18, and the unit frame 18
is positioned in a non-operative position located somewhat above the operative position by the action of the coil spring means 148, thereby also opening the lower part of the process unit 16 of the copy paper transport path and thus defining the area defined by the copy paper transport system 52. Most of the copy paper conveyance path is opened, and if a paper jam occurs in the copy paper conveyance system 52 (particularly also in the lower part of the process unit 16), the jammed paper can be easily removed. Furthermore, when the upper support frame 6 is placed in the open position, the unit frame 18 is positioned above the protrusion 170 due to the unit frame 18 being positioned in the non-operating position, as shown in FIG. 8-B. , unit frame 18
The protective cover member 162 attached to the coil spring means 1
48 (in this protective position, the lower surface of the protective cover member 162 of the unit frame 18 comes into contact with the inner surface of the bottom wall 104, and the protrusion 162a touches the bottom of the unit frame 18). Opening 110 in wall 104
projecting somewhat downwardly through the In such a protected position, as can be seen from FIG. 8-B, the lower circumferential surface of the rotating drum 20 is relatively insufficiently exposed because the protective cover member 162 covers the rotating drum 20 at a distance. Therefore, in order to allow hands, etc. to touch the surface of the photoreceptor of the rotating drum 20 due to the action of the protective cover member 162 when removing the jammed paper described above, the upper support frame 6 is positioned in the open position. After that, the grip members 112 and 114 provided on the front wall 100 and the rear wall 102 of the unit frame 18 may be gripped and lifted upward. In this way, the unit frame 18 is separated from the guide rod 138 of the lower support frame 4, and the process unit 6 can be removed from the lower support frame 4. Even when the process unit 16 is removed, the protective cover member 162 is held in the protected position by the action of the coil spring means 166. Therefore, when the process unit 16 is inspected, repaired, or stored, the rotating drum 2
It is reliably prevented that hands or the like touch the surface of the photoreceptor 0.

Modifications Next, a modification of an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image generating machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In this modified example, the supporting style of the process unit is modified, and in the following description, the same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 will be described with the same numbers.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, required portions of the lower support frame 4 have upwardly protruding 4
For positioning, projections 170' (two shown in FIG. 9) are provided. In a modified example, each positioning projection 170' is formed with a recessed portion 180 extending downward in the axial direction from the upper end surface thereof. On the other hand, on the process unit 16 side, on the bottom wall of the developing device 26, a pair of guided rods 18 are positioned at the right side in FIG.
2 is provided on the bottom wall of the cleaning device 28, and a pair of guided rods 184 are provided on the bottom wall of the cleaning device 28 at intervals in the front-rear direction in correspondence with the protrusion 170' located on the left side in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, guided rods 182 and 184 are respectively positioned so that projections 170' are received in recesses 180 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. still,
In the modified example, in order to allow the above-mentioned mounting of the guided rods 182 and 184, holes 186 are formed in required parts of the protective cover member 162 through which the lower ends of the guided rods 182 and 184 can pass. . Furthermore, in this modification, the coil spring means 1 constituting the first biasing means
48 are attached to each position by fitting the protrusions 170', and when the unit frame 18 is detachably attached to the lower support frame 4, each coil spring means 148 is attached to the lower support frame 4 and the bottom of the unit frame 18. It is interposed between the walls 104 and biases the unit frame 18 toward the non-operating position shown in FIG. Further, the coil spring means 166 constituting the second biasing means is fitted over each of the guided lofts 182 and 184 so that the bottom wall of the developing device 26 and the bottom wall of the cleaning device 28 and the protective cover member 1
62 to bias the protective cover member 162 toward the protective position shown in FIG. The other configurations in the above-mentioned modification are substantially the same as those in the specific example shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, and the same effects as in the above-described specific example can be achieved in this modification as well.

That is, when the process unit 16 is mounted on the lower support frame 4 in this modification, the unit frame 18 is moved downward so as to be placed on the lower support frame 4, in substantially the same manner as in the above specific example. The lower ends of the guided rods 182 and 184 of the 16 process units (these lower ends are connected to the hole 186 of the protective cover member 162 and the bottom wall 1 of the unit frame 18)
04 (which protrudes somewhat downwardly through the hole 172), the corresponding position of the projection 170' may be positioned within the recess 180. In this way, the unit frame 18 is removably attached as shown in FIG. 9, and the coil spring means 148
It is held in the non-operating position by the action of. When in this non-operating position, the protective cover member 162 is in the protective position due to the action of the coil spring means 166.

Thereafter, the upper support frame is pivoted to the closed position, similar to the above embodiment. In this way, similarly to the above specific example, the retaining piece provided on the upper support frame is attached to the unit frame 18.
The unit frame 18 is moved downward toward the lower support frame 4 against the biasing force of the coil spring means 148, and is positioned at the operating position. Further, as the unit frame 18 moves, the positioning protrusion 170' relatively moves the protective cover member 162 upward in the direction approaching the rotating drum 20 against the biasing force of the coil spring means 166. Thus, the protective cover member 162 is positioned in the exposed position.

On the other hand, when the upper support frame is moved from the open position to the open position, the engagement piece provided on the upper support frame is upwardly separated from the engaged pin provided on the unit frame 18, and thus the process unit 16 is in the state shown in FIG. That is, in the same way as when the unit frame 18 is attached to the lower support frame 4, the unit frame 18 is held in the non-operating position by the action of the coil spring means 148, and the protective cover member 162 is held by the action of the coil spring means 166. is positioned in the protected position.

Although specific examples and modified examples of an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image generating machine configured according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is limited to these specific examples and modified examples. However, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the illustrated specific example and modified example, the upper support frame 6 is rotatably attached to the lower support frame 4 via the shaft 8, but the upper support frame 6 is not limited to this. 6 may be mounted so as to be movable as required between the open position and the closed position via means such as a link mechanism.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional view showing a specific example of an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image generating machine constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a simplified sectional view showing the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1 with the upper support frame in an open position. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a protective cover member attached to the unit frame of the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1 and elements related thereto. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the left side of the lower support frame in the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a part of the process unit and associated guide rods and positioning projections in the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1; 6 is a partially sectional front view showing a state in which a process unit is attached to the lower support frame of the electrostatic copying machine shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 7 is a partially sectional plan view showing a part of the process unit and the upper support frame associated therewith in the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 1; 8-A and 8-B respectively show the relationship between the lower support frame and the process unit when the upper support frame is in the closed position, and the upper support frame in the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the lower support frame and the process unit when the body is in the open position. FIG. 9 is a partially sectional front view showing a process unit and a portion of a lower support frame in a modified example of an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image generating machine constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the positioning protrusion and its vicinity in the electrostatic copying machine of FIG. 9; 2...Housing 4...Lower support frame 6...Upper support frame 16...Process unit 18...Unit frame 20...Rotating drum 26...Developing device 28...-Cleaning Device 138...Guide rod 148...Coil spring means 150 and 152...Engaged pins 156 and 160...Engaging piece 166...Coil spring means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A support structure consisting of a lower support frame and an upper support frame attached to the lower support frame so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position, a unit frame, and the unit frame. In an image generating machine equipped with a process unit including a movable photoreceptor support means which is attached to a photoreceptor and has a photoreceptor on its surface; When the upper support frame is moved to the open position, the unit frame is held in the non-operating position, while the upper An image generating machine characterized in that when the support frame is moved to the closed position, the unit frame is positioned at the operating position. 2. The image generator according to claim 1, wherein the upper support frame is attached to the lower support frame so as to be pivotable between the open position and the closed position. 3. The lower support frame is provided with a first biasing means for biasing the unit frame upward toward the non-operating position, and when the upper support frame is placed in the open position, the upper support A frame is spaced above the unit frame, such that the unit frame is held in the inactive position by action of the first biasing means, while the upper support frame is moved into the closed position. a part of the body acts on a part of the unit frame to move downward against the biasing force of the first biasing means;
Thus, the unit frame is positioned in the working position by the upper support frame.
The image generator described in Section 1. 4. The lower support frame is provided with a plurality of guide rods extending upward, the unit frame is attached to the plurality of guide rods so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the first biasing means is attached to the lower support frame. The image generator according to claim 3, comprising a spring means interposed between the support frame and the unit frame. 5. A protective cover member is further attached to the unit frame so as to be movable in directions approaching and away from the movable photoreceptor supporting means, and when the upper support frame is placed in the open position, the protective cover member is attached to the unit frame. the member is held in a protected position spaced from the movable photoreceptor support means, while moving the upper support frame to the closed position causes the protective cover member to be in an exposed position proximate the movable photoreceptor support means; Claim 1
The image generator according to any one of items 1 to 4. 6. The lower support frame is provided with exposed position positioning means that can act on the protective cover member, and when the upper support frame is brought to the closed position, the exposed position positioning means moves the protective cover member 6. The image generator according to claim 5, wherein the image generator is actuated to bring the image to the exposed position. 7. The exposed position positioning means is comprised of a positioning protrusion provided on the lower support frame, and the positioning protrusion acts on the protective cover member when the upper support frame is placed in the closed position. The image generator according to item 6. 8. The unit frame is further provided with a second biasing means for biasing the protective cover member toward the protected position, according to any one of claims 5 to 7. image generator.