KR101941554B1 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A first transfer unit that is rotatably installed and rotates and opens and closes an opening provided on one side of the main body; a first transfer unit that transfers the visible image on the photoconductor of the developing units; The second transfer unit includes guide protrusions provided on both sides thereof for position regulation, and the main body includes a plurality of guide members provided on both inner side walls thereof for supporting the guide protrusions, And the second transfer unit is supported on the inner side walls of the main body through the guide protrusion and the guide member, thereby reducing the force acting on the side cover.

Description

[0001] IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS [0002]

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a transfer device for transferring a developer from a plurality of developing units onto a sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an image forming apparatus is an apparatus for forming an image on a print medium, such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunctional apparatus that integrates these functions.

The image forming apparatus includes a main body having an opening at one side thereof and a side cover rotatably installed at the main body for opening and closing the opening. A plurality of An exposing device for forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor of each developing unit by scanning the photoreceptor with light to a plurality of developing units, a transfer device for transferring the visible image developed on the photoreceptor to the printing medium through the developer, , And a fixing device for fixing the developer to the printing medium are provided.

In the above configuration, the transfer apparatus includes a first transfer unit disposed in the main body and a second transfer unit disposed in the side cover.

The first transfer unit includes a transfer belt on which the developed visualized image is transferred to the photoreceptors, a drive roller and driven rollers disposed on both sides of the transfer belt, and a first transfer roller for transferring the visible image of the photoreceptor to the transfer belt, The second transfer unit includes a second transfer unit having a second transfer roller for transferring the visible image of the transfer belt to the print medium.

Thus, when the opening is closed by the side cover, the second transferring unit is pressed into the drive roller while the second transferring unit is housed in the main body.

One aspect of the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of supporting a transfer apparatus more stably.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a main body having an opening at one side thereof, a side cover rotatably installed and rotated to open and close the opening, and a photoconductor for developing the electrostatic latent image into a visible image through a developer A first transfer unit disposed in the main body and adapted to transfer the visualized image of the photoreceptor, and a second transfer unit movably installed in the side cover for transferring the visible image of the first transfer unit to the print medium And the second transfer unit includes a plurality of guide projections provided on both sides thereof for position regulation, and the main body includes a plurality of guide members provided on both inner side walls thereof to support the plurality of guide projections.

The first transfer unit includes a transfer belt that receives the developer from the plurality of developing units, a plurality of first transfer rollers that are arranged to face the photoconductor with the transfer belt interposed therebetween, And the second transfer unit includes a second transfer roller disposed opposite to the drive roller in a state in which the transfer belt is interposed, and the guide member guides the guide protrusion, 2 Let the transfer roller be pressed against the drive roller.

Further, the guide member includes a support portion to which the guide projection is hooked, and a guide portion for guiding the guide projection to the support portion.

The guide protrusion includes a first guide protrusion disposed on an upper portion of the second transfer unit and a second guide protrusion disposed on a lower portion of the second transfer unit. The guide member includes a first guide And a second guide member disposed below the inner side walls of the main body.

The side cover further includes a pair of guide brackets disposed on both sides of the second transfer unit so as to allow the second transfer unit to flow, and the pair of second guide projections are extended to both sides of the second guide unit, And an inner end extending toward the guide bracket, wherein the pair of guide brackets each include a guide hole in which an inner end of the pair of second guide protrusions is provided so as to be movable.

And the second transfer unit is elastically supported on the side cover.

Further, the second transfer unit includes a rotation bracket for allowing the second transfer roller to be rotatable and rotating about a position eccentric to the rotation center, and a rotation spring for elastically supporting the rotation bracket.

The second transfer unit includes a pair of hinge members for rotatably supporting both ends of the shaft of the second transfer roller, and a pair of hinge members provided on both sides of the rotation bracket so as to be movable toward the drive roller And a movement spring for allowing the hinge member to be resiliently supported by the movement guide, and the second transfer roller is installed on the rotation bracket through the hinge member and the movement guide.

The first transfer unit further includes a plurality of first transfer rollers, a transfer belt frame in which both ends of the drive roller and the driven roller are rotatably mounted, bearings are disposed at both ends of the second transfer roller, The frame is provided with a regulating groove for regulating the position of the bearing.

The regulating groove is formed in a V-shape.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including a main body having an opening, a side cover for opening and closing the opening, a plurality of developing units each including a photoconductor for developing the electrostatic latent image into a visible image through a developer, And a second transfer unit provided on the side cover for transferring the visible image of the first transfer unit to the print medium, wherein the second transfer unit is provided with a first transfer unit for transferring the visible image of the first transfer unit to the print medium, And a plurality of guide protrusions provided on both sides thereof, and the main body includes a plurality of guide members provided on both inner side walls thereof to support the plurality of guide protrusions.

As described above, the second transfer unit disposed on the side cover is supported on the inner side walls of the main body through the guide protrusions and guide members provided on both sides of the side cover in a state where the side cover covers the openings. .

Further, as described above, since the second transfer roller can rotate with respect to the side cover, the guide protrusion can be easily detached from the guide member.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side view showing an opening and closing operation of a side cover applied to an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a side cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exploded perspective view of a side cover according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transfer roller installation structure of a second transfer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 to 10 are side views showing the opening and closing operation of the side cover and the operation of the second transfer unit according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 10 forming an outer appearance thereof, a print medium storage unit 20 in which a print medium is stored, A plurality of developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y and 30K for developing the electrostatic latent image with a visible image in accordance with the color and a photosensitive member 31 of the electrically charged developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y and 30K, Transfer devices (50, 60) for transferring a visible image formed on the photosensitive member (31) to the print medium by receiving the print medium from the print medium storage unit (20), and a transfer unit And a fixing unit 70 for fixing the developer to the printing medium.

The main body 10 is provided with a loading section 10a on which an image-formed printing medium is loaded, and a loading section 10b on the one side of the loading section 10a for discharging the printing medium on which image formation has been completed do. One side of the main body 10 is provided with an opening 10c for repairing and replacing parts and replacing consumables inside the main body 10 and a side cover 11 for opening and closing the opening 10c. In the present embodiment, the lower end of the side cover 11 is rotatably installed on the main body 10, and rotates about the lower end thereof to open and close the opening 10c.

The printing medium storing unit 20 includes a printing medium cassette 21 movably installed in the main body 10, a knocking plate 22 disposed in the printing medium cassette 21 and loaded with print media, 22) for supporting the elastic member (23).

The developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y and 30K are provided with a photoreceptor 31 on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by the exposure unit 40 on the charged surface, a developing roller 32 for supplying the photoreceptor 31 with a developer, And a charging unit 33 for charging the surface of the photoreceptor 31, respectively.

The developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y and 30K in the present embodiment are arranged so that any one of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y) and black (K) 30M, 30Y, and 30K capable of developing the magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) colors, respectively. The four developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y, and 30K are arranged side by side below the transfer devices 50 and 60. [

The exposure unit 40 irradiates the photoconductors 31 provided in the developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y and 30K with image information to form electrostatic latent images on the surfaces of the photoconductors 31. [

The transfer devices 50 and 60 include a first transfer unit 50 in which a visible image formed by the developer is transferred from the development units 30C, 30M, 30Y, and 30K, and a second transfer unit 50 in which the visible image on the first transfer unit 50 And a second transfer unit (60) for transferring the image onto a print medium.

The fixing unit 70 includes a heating roller 71 for generating heat and a pressing roller 72 whose outer circumferential surface is made of an elastically deformable material and presses the printing medium against the outer peripheral surface of the heating roller 71. [

The main body 10 is provided with a pick-up unit 80 disposed on the top of the print medium storage unit 20 and picking up the print mediums stacked on the knock-up plate 22 one by one, And a conveying roller 12 disposed on the upper side of the fixing unit 70 and disposed in the vicinity of the conveying belt 10b so that the printing medium passing through the fixing unit 70 is conveyed through the conveying belt 10b And a discharge unit 90 for discharging is arranged. The pick-up unit 80 includes a pick-up roller 81 for picking up print media one by one on the knock-up plate 22 and the delivery unit 90 includes a pair of delivery rollers 91).

In the image forming apparatus having the above structure, the first transfer unit 50 is disposed inside the main body 10 and is formed as a visible image on the photoconductor 31 of the developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y, and 30K A driving roller 52 and a driven roller 53 disposed on both sides of the interior of the transfer belt 51 for causing the transfer belt 51 to rotate and a transfer roller 51 for transferring the transfer belt 51, A plurality of photosensitive members 31 are arranged to face the photosensitive members 31 of the respective developing units 30C, 30M, 30Y, and 30K with the visible image formed on the photosensitive members 31 transferred to the transfer belt 51 with the photosensitive member 31 interposed therebetween. (See FIG. 3) in which the both ends of the first transfer rollers 54, the first transfer rollers 54, the drive roller 52, and the driven roller 53 are rotatably mounted on the transfer belt frame 55 And is rotatably installed.

The second transfer unit 60 is installed in the side cover 11 as shown in Fig. 2 so that the side cover 11 rotates and closes the opening 10c of the main body 10, . The second transfer unit 60 is provided so as to be able to flow in the side cover 11 and is provided at one end to the second transfer unit 60 and at the other end to the side cover 11 through the flow spring 13, And is elastically supported on the cover 11. The second transfer unit 60 includes guide projections 60a and 60b and guide members 14 and 15 which will be described later as the side cover 11 closes the opening 10c as shown in Figs. And the second transfer roller 61 of the second transfer unit 60, which will be described later, can be accurately pressed to the drive roller 52. [

In this embodiment, the guide projections 60a and 60b include a first guide projection 60a disposed on the upper side of the second transfer unit and a second guide projection 60b disposed on the lower side of the second transfer unit 60 The guide members 14 and 15 include a first guide member 14 disposed on both inner side walls of the main body 10 and guiding the first guide protrusions 60a, And a second guide member 15 disposed under the wall and guiding the second guide projection 60b. In the present embodiment, the two second guide projections 60b each include an outer end extending toward both sides of the second transfer unit 60 and an inner end protruding toward the guide bracket 11a described later, The outer end of the guide projection 60b is guided by the second guide member 15 and the inner end of the second guide projection 60b is inserted into the guide hole 11a to be described later.

4, the second transfer unit 60 is disposed opposite to the drive roller 52 with the transfer belt 51 interposed therebetween so as to transfer the visible image of the transfer belt 51 onto the print medium. Two transfer rollers 61 and two hinge members 62 for rotatably supporting both ends of the shafts of the second transfer roller 61 and an accommodating portion 62 for movably mounting the two hinge members 62 And a moving spring 64 installed on the moving guide 63 and elastically supporting the hinge member 62. The moving guide 63 is provided with a pair of guide pins 63a and 63a. 5, the hinge member 62 is resiliently supported by the movement spring 64 so that the second transfer roller 61 is moved by the movement spring 64 with the transfer belt 51 interposed therebetween, And is pressed against the driving roller 52 by elastic restoring force of the driving roller 52. [

As described above, the second transfer unit 60 is provided so as to be able to flow in the side cover 11, and the position of the second transfer unit 60 can be adjusted by rotating the side cover 11 and closing the opening 10c The position of the second transfer unit 60 is regulated in this process so that the second transfer roller 61 can be accurately pressed onto the drive roller 52. [

The side cover 11 includes a pair of guide brackets 11a which are disposed on both sides of the second transfer unit 60 and in which a second transfer unit 60 is installed to be able to flow, Includes a guide hole 11a formed to have a larger width and a larger width than the second guide protrusion 60b and to have an inner end of the second guide protrusion 60b. The lower end of the guide hole 11a is formed in a V-shape so as to support the second guide projection 60b when the inner end of the second guide projection 60b is positioned at the lower end side of the guide hole 11a, 2 transfer unit 60 can be prevented from flowing.

A plurality of guide protrusions 60a and 60b are provided on both sides of the second transfer unit 60 for regulating the position of the second transfer unit 60 as described above, 60a, 60b and corresponding guide members 14, 15 are disposed.

The guide protrusions 60a and 60b are formed to have a circular cross section so that they can be guided easily by the guide members 14 and 15. The guide members 14 and 15 are formed by the guide protrusions 60a and 60b And guide portions 14b and 15b for guiding the guide projections 60a and 60b to the support portions 14a and 15a.

6 and 7, the guide protrusions 60a and 60b move along the guide portions 14b and 15b in the process of closing the opening by the side cover 11, 13 are elastically deformed while the second transfer unit 60 is moved upward by a predetermined distance with respect to the side cover 11. [ After the guide projections 60a and 60b are received in the support portions 14a and 15a, the guide protrusions 60a and 60b are supported by the support portions 14a and 15a by the elastic restoring force of the flow spring 13, . The outer end of the first guide projection 60a is supported on one side of the support portion 14a provided on the first guide member 14 and the outer end of the second guide projection 60b is supported on the second guide member 15, One side and the other side are respectively supported by the support portions 15a provided in the support portion 15a.

When the guide projections 60a and 60b are supported by the support portions 14a and 15a of the guide members 14 and 15 as described above, the second transfer roller 61 is pressed against the drive roller 52, The reaction force acting on the unit 60 acts on the inner side walls of the main body 10 through the guide members 14 and 15 so that the reaction force is not transmitted to the side cover 11 and is transmitted to a very small level even if it is transmitted . Particularly, the inner end of the second guide projection 60b moves upward in the process of moving the second transfer unit 60 upward, and is separated from the inner surface of the guide hole 11a as shown in FIG. Therefore, even if a reaction force acts on the second guide projection 60b, this force is not transmitted to the second transfer unit 60. [

Bearings 67 are provided at both ends of the shaft of the second transfer roller 61 so that the second transfer roller 61 can be more accurately supported by the drive roller 52, At one end, a regulating groove 55a formed in a V-shape for regulating the position of the bearing 67 is recessed.

In the above structure, the reaction force acts on the guide projections 60a and 60b when the second transfer roller 61 is supported by the drive roller 52. [ Therefore, the guide protrusions 60a and 60b can be detached from the guide members 14 and 15 only if the user applies a greater force than the reaction force acting on the guide protrusions 60a and 60b to open the side cover 11 .

Therefore, in order to allow the side cover 11 to be opened with a smaller force, the second transfer unit 60 is configured so that the second transfer roller 61 rotates about the rotational center of the second transfer roller 61 And a rotation spring 66 elastically supporting the rotation bracket 65 so as to rotate in one direction. The rotation bracket 65 is rotatable about the eccentric position.

The rotation bracket 65 is provided at both ends with the above-described movement guides 63 and is rotatably installed in the second transfer unit 60 through the hinge projections 63b. The hinge projections 63b extend integrally from the movement guides 63 provided on both sides of the rotation bracket 65 and protrude through the rotation bracket 65 and rotate to the second transfer unit 60 As shown in FIG.

9, when the side cover 11 is opened and the opening 10c is opened, by the reaction force acting on the second transfer roller 61 at the initial stage of opening the side cover 11, The rotation spring 66 is elastically deformed and the rotary bracket 65 rotates with respect to the side cover 11 and the moving spring 64 is elastically deformed so that the two hinge members 62 move to the inside of the movement guide 63 67 are separated from the restricting groove 55a. The reaction force transmitted to the guide protrusions 60a and 60b temporarily decreases so that the guide protrusions 60a and 60b can be separated from the support portions 14a and 15a of the guide members 14 and 15 by a small force. Therefore, the side cover 11 can be rotated by a small force to open the opening 10c.

When the side cover 11 is closed, the rotation spring 66 is elastically deformed so that the rotation bracket 65 rotates with respect to the side cover 11, and the movement spring 64 is elastically deformed so that the two hinge members 62 are moved to the inside of the movement guide 63, the bearing 67 enters the inside of the restriction groove 55a. Therefore, the bearing 67 can easily enter the inside of the restricting groove 55a even with a small force.

In the present embodiment, the side cover 11 is rotatably installed and rotates and opens and closes the opening 10c. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and even when the side cover is linearly movable and linearly opens and closes the opening Can be applied as it is.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

10: main body 10c: opening
11: side cover 11a: guide bracket
11b: guide hole 13: floating spring
14, 15: guide member 50: first transfer unit
51: transfer belt 52: drive roller
54: first transfer roller 55: transfer belt frame
60: second transfer unit 60a, 60b: guide projection
61: second transfer roller 62: hinge member
63: moving guide 64: moving spring
65: rotation bracket 66: rotation spring

Claims (14)

A body provided with an opening at one side thereof,
A side cover rotatably installed and rotating and opening and closing the opening,
A plurality of developing units each including a photoreceptor for developing an electrostatic latent image into a visible image through a developer;
A first transfer unit disposed in the main body and adapted to transfer a visible image of the photoreceptor,
And a second transfer unit provided so as to be able to flow in the side cover and transfer the visible image of the first transfer unit to a printing medium,
The second transfer unit includes a plurality of guide projections provided on both sides thereof for position regulation,
Wherein the main body includes a plurality of guide members provided on both inner side walls thereof for supporting the plurality of guide protrusions provided on the second transfer unit so that the pressure transferred from the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit (2) is transferred only to the transfer unit (2) and is not transferred to the side cover (2). The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first transfer unit includes a transfer belt that receives developer from the plurality of developing units, a plurality of first transfer rollers disposed opposite to the photoconductor with the transfer belt interposed therebetween, And a driven roller disposed on the driven roller,
And the second transfer unit includes a second transfer roller disposed opposite to the drive roller with the transfer belt interposed therebetween,
Wherein the guide member guides the guide projection to urge the second transfer roller against the drive roller while the transfer belt is interposed therebetween. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the guide member includes a support portion to which the guide projection is hooked, and a guide portion that guides the guide projection to the support portion. The method according to claim 1,
The guide protrusion includes a first guide projection disposed on the upper side of the second transfer unit and a second guide projection disposed on the lower side of the second transfer unit,
Wherein the guide member includes a first guide member disposed above the inner side walls of the main body, and a second guide member disposed below the inner side walls of the main body. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the side cover includes a pair of guide brackets disposed on both sides of the second transfer unit and in which the second transfer unit is installed to be movable,
Wherein the pair of second guide projections include an outer end extending to both sides and guided by the second guide member and an inner end extending toward the guide bracket,
Wherein the pair of guide brackets each include a guide hole in which an inner end of the pair of second guide projections is provided so as to be able to flow, respectively. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a flow spring for allowing the second transfer unit to be elastically supported on the side cover. 3. The method of claim 2,
The second transfer unit includes a rotation bracket rotatably installed on the second transfer roller and configured to rotate around a position eccentric to the rotation center of the second transfer roller,
And a rotation spring for elastically supporting the rotation bracket. 8. The method of claim 7,
The second transfer unit includes a pair of hinge members for rotatably supporting both ends of the shaft of the second transfer roller, and a pair of hinge members provided on both sides of the rotation bracket so as to be movable toward the drive roller And a movement spring for allowing the hinge member to be resiliently supported by the movement guide,
And the second transfer roller is installed in the rotation bracket through the hinge member and the movement guide. 3. The method of claim 2,
The first transfer unit further includes a transfer belt frame in which both ends of the plurality of first transfer rollers, the drive roller, and the driven roller are rotatably mounted,
And bearings are disposed at both ends of the shaft of the second transfer roller,
Wherein the transfer belt frame is provided with a regulating groove for regulating the position of the bearing. 10. The method of claim 9,
And the regulating groove is formed in a V-shape. A body provided with an opening,
A side cover for opening and closing the opening,
A plurality of developing units each including a photoreceptor for developing an electrostatic latent image into a visible image through a developer;
A first transfer unit disposed in the main body and adapted to transfer a visible image of the photoreceptor,
And a second transfer unit provided on the side cover for transferring the visible image of the first transfer unit to a print medium,
The second transfer unit includes a plurality of guide projections provided on both sides thereof for position regulation,
Wherein the main body includes a plurality of guide members provided on both inner side walls thereof to support the plurality of guide projections,
And the second transfer unit is moved upward by the pressure transferred from the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit. 12. The method of claim 11,
And the second transfer unit is provided so as to be able to flow in the side cover. 13. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising a flow spring for allowing the second transfer unit to be elastically supported on the side cover. 12. The method of claim 11,
The guide member
A support portion on which the guide protrusion is seated;
And a guide portion for guiding the guide projection to the support portion,
Wherein the guide projection is moved along the guide portion from the support portion by the pressure transferred from the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit so that the second transfer unit is moved upward.

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