JP2003316105A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure improvement in maintenance and replacement work in an image forming device having a plurality of image carriers like a color image forming device of a tandem system. <P>SOLUTION: The image carriers 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3BK are held by an image carrier holding member 41 all together so that they have play. Image forming units are held by an image forming unit holding member 43 all together. With the holding member 41 put in a specific position in a device body 2, the image carriers 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3BK are positioned to the device body 2. The image forming units are positioned to the corresponding image carriers 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3BK thus positioned. This structure eliminates the need for accuracy in mounting the units to the corresponding holding members 41 and 43, and makes it very easy for a user to perform a detaching operation without paying attention to mounting positions, etc., in maintenance or replacement work. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine using an electrophotographic system, a charging device, a developing device, etc. are formed around an image carrier such as a photoconductor in accordance with an electrophotographic process. An image processing member is provided.

Further, in the case of a color image forming apparatus, there are various systems. For example, in the tandem system, YM
A photoconductor (image carrier) and an image forming process member around the photoconductor (image carrier) are provided for each color of CBk (yellow, magenta, cyan, black), and toner images of each color formed on the photoconductor for each color are formed. , For example, it is temporarily superposed and transferred onto a belt-shaped transfer member (second image carrier) provided in common to each photoconductor, and the superposed toner images on the transfer member are transferred onto a recording material such as transfer paper. I am trying to transfer it to.

[0004]

In this type of image forming apparatus, it has been conventionally possible to perform maintenance / replacement work by a user by integrally forming a photoconductor and a developing device and detaching them from the main body of the device. Known process cartridge (or process unit) forms are known. The process cartridge has an advantage that the replacement work by the user is easy when the life of the cartridge is reached because the image forming means such as the photoconductor and the developing device are integrated, but on the other hand, there is a plurality of image forming means. Since it is configured as a single unit, it is necessary to replace the entire cartridge even when the life of part of the image forming means in the process cartridge has expired, which is a costly and environmentally heavy demerit. Have.

For this reason, the photosensitive member, the image forming unit adjacent to the photosensitive member such as the developing unit, and the like are exchanged in units of each constituent element according to each life, so-called integral type disposable to long-life disassembly type. The transition to is becoming the trend of the times.

However, when considering such a long-life disassembly type structure, particularly in a tandem type full-color image forming apparatus, there are many target members, and the work is extremely troublesome at the time of maintenance / replacement work at the user level. And it becomes difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus having a plurality of image bearing members such as a tandem type color image forming apparatus, which can improve the workability of maintenance and replacement.

[0008]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a plurality of image bearing members; and an image bearing member holding member that holds the plurality of image bearing members together with play. A plurality of image forming units that perform an image forming process including at least a developing process on each of the image carriers, and an image forming unit holding member that collectively holds the plurality of image forming units, Each of the image carriers is positioned with respect to the device body with the image carrier holding member being positioned at a predetermined position in the device body, and the image forming unit is provided for each of the positioned image carriers. Each of the image forming units held by the holding member is positioned.

Therefore, a plurality of image carriers are collectively held with play on the image carrier holding member, and a plurality of image forming units are collectively held on the image forming unit holding member. Since each image carrier is positioned with respect to the device body in the state where the holding member is located at a predetermined position in the device body, each image forming unit is positioned with respect to each image carrier thus positioned. Since it is not necessary to attach the holding members to each of the holding members, maintenance / replacement work at the user level is extremely easy without the need to pay attention to the attaching position or the like during the attaching / detaching operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, an image carrier holding member regulating member that positions the image carrier holding member at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body, and a position at the predetermined position. An image carrier positioning mechanism for positioning each of the image carriers on the image carrier holding member with respect to the apparatus main body, and an image forming unit holding member for each of the positioned image carriers. An image forming unit positioning mechanism for positioning each of the held image forming units.

Therefore, the structure for realizing the invention described in claim 1 becomes clear.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, there is provided a contacting / separating mechanism for separating the image carrier holding member and the image forming unit holding member in the apparatus main body.

Therefore, in addition to the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the image carrier holding member holding a plurality of image carriers and the image forming unit holding member holding a plurality of image forming units are contacted in the apparatus main body. By enabling separation by the separation mechanism, it is possible to separate each image carrier and image forming unit with a single contact / separation mechanism for holding members without providing a contact / separation mechanism. Can be greatly simplified, and with a simple and inexpensive configuration, it is possible to easily avoid the adverse effects such as remaining contact marks due to the constant contact between the image carrier and the image forming unit. .

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect, the respective image carriers are arranged in parallel with the image carrier holding member and are detachably held. Has been done.

Therefore, the invention can be suitably applied to the case of a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus in addition to the invention according to the first, second or third aspect. In addition, since the image carrier that has the same function and can be regarded as having almost the same life is detachably held by the image carrier holding member, it is possible to maintain the structure while maintaining the long life decomposition type. It becomes possible to collectively perform the replacement work etc. for each image carrier holding member unit, and it is possible to greatly improve the workability of the maintenance / replacement work etc.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, each of the image bearing members is mounted on the image bearing member holding member from above and is removable.

Therefore, in addition to the third aspect of the invention, at the time of maintenance / replacement of the image bearing member, it suffices to place it on the image bearing member holding member from above, and workability is improved.

The present invention as defined in claim 6 is any one of claims 1 to 5.
In the image forming apparatus described in any one of the above, at least one of the image carrier holding member and the image forming unit holding member can be drawn out from the apparatus main body.

Therefore, in addition to the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, an image carrier having the same function and having a substantially same life as image carriers, image forming units, can be imitated. The members are collectively held by the image carrier holding member, the image forming units are collectively held by the image forming unit holding member, and each holding member unit can be independently pulled out from the apparatus main body, so long-life decomposition While adopting the mold configuration, it is possible to perform maintenance / replacement work for each image carrier holding member unit or image forming unit holding member unit, and greatly improve workability of maintenance / replacement work. It can also be improved.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1 to 6.
In the image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, a second image carrier, which is provided in common to each of the image carriers and onto which an image carried by each of the image carriers is transferred, and the second image carrier. A second image carrier holding member for holding a body, and the second image carrier held by the second image carrier holding member is positioned with respect to each of the positioned image carriers. It

Therefore, in addition to the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the second image carrier is held by the second image carrier holding member, and each holding member is mounted in the apparatus main body. Each image bearing member is positioned in this state, and the second image bearing member is positioned with respect to each image bearing member thus positioned, so that it is not necessary to attach each holding member accurately, and at the user level. Even for maintenance and replacement work, it becomes extremely easy without having to pay attention to the mounting position when attaching and detaching.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the second image held by the second image bearing member holding member with respect to each of the positioned image bearing members. A second image carrier positioning mechanism for positioning the carrier is provided.

Therefore, the structure for realizing the invention of claim 7 becomes clear.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the seventh or eighth aspect, there is provided a contact / separation mechanism for separating the image carrier holding member and the second image carrier holding member in the apparatus main body. Prepare

Therefore, in addition to the seventh or eighth aspect of the invention, the image carrier holding member and the second image carrier holding member can be separated from each other by the contacting / separating mechanism in the apparatus main body. It is possible to provide only the contact / separation mechanism between these holding members without providing the contact / separation mechanism or the like for the second image carrier, and it is possible to greatly simplify the contact / separation mechanism, which is simple and inexpensive. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily avoid an adverse effect such as a contact mark remaining due to the constant contact between the image carrier and the second image carrier.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the separation operation of the image forming unit holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member and the second image with respect to the image carrier holding member. An interlocking mechanism for simultaneously performing the separating operation of the carrier holding member is provided.

Therefore, in addition to the ninth aspect of the invention, the mechanism for interlocking the separating operation of the image forming unit holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member and the separating operation of the second image carrier holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member. By simultaneously performing the above, it is possible to further simplify the contacting / separating mechanism, such as making the drive source and the like common, and it is possible to simplify because there is no need to separately provide the control system.

According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the seventh to tenth aspects, the image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier holding member are provided. Can be pulled out from the main body of the device.

Therefore, in addition to the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 10, like the image bearing members, the image forming units, and the second image bearing member, they have the same function and have substantially the same life. The image carriers that can be imitated are collectively held by the image carrier holding member, the image forming units are collectively held by the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier is held by the second image carrier holding member. Since each holding member can be independently pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, the maintenance / replacement work can be performed for each image carrier holding member and image forming unit holding member while adopting a long-life disassembly type configuration. Alternatively, it is possible to collectively carry out the second image carrier units one by one, and it is possible to greatly improve workability such as maintenance and replacement work.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, the images held by the image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier holding member, respectively. The mounting and demounting directions of the carrier, the image forming unit and the second image carrier are the same.

Therefore, in addition to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the holding members that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body are all attached in the same attaching and detaching direction, the workability of the attaching and detaching operation is improved.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the twelfth aspect, the drawing directions of the image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member and the second image carrier holding member are horizontal. Therefore, the attachment / detachment directions of the image carrier, the image forming unit, and the second image carrier are the same in the vertical direction.

Therefore, in addition to the invention of claim 12,
Since the mounting and demounting directions of the image carrier, the image forming unit, and the second image carrier are the same in the vertical direction, the workability of the mounting and demounting operation can be further improved.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the seventh to thirteenth aspects,
A third image carrier on which an image on the image carrier is transferred, and a third image carrier
A third image carrier holding member for holding the image carrier,
The second image carrier holding member and the third image carrier holding member each have a positioning portion, and the third image carrier holding member is positioned relative to the positioning portion of the second image carrier holding member. The positioning portions are engaged with each other to perform mutual positioning.

Therefore, in addition to the invention according to any one of claims 7 to 13, in the case of a structure in which a third image bearing member is provided to enable double-sided color printing with one sheet of paper passing, for example. Also, each of the second image bearing member holding member and the third image bearing member holding member has a positioning portion, and by positioning them by mutual engagement, the individual image bearing member, the image forming unit, and the second image bearing member are positioned. With respect to the above, it is sufficient to perform positioning with respect to each corresponding holding member, and it is possible to eliminate the need for a complicated positioning mechanism individually.

[0036]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
21 to 21. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment shows an example of application to a full-color printer capable of printing on both sides almost simultaneously by a so-called tandem system. Figure 1
Is an external perspective view showing the outline of the full-color printer 1.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic structure of the inside. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied not only to printers, but also to copying machines, facsimile machines, and the like.

First, the internal structure of the full-color printer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Four drum-shaped photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk, which are image bearing members, are arranged in a horizontal state at a substantially central portion in the main body 2 of the full-color printer 1 and are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction in the figure at equal intervals. It is installed in. The subscripts Y, M, C, and Bk indicate yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. Focusing on the photoconductor 3Y for yellow image, the photoconductor 3Y
Y has a structure in which an organic semiconductor layer, which is a photoconductive substance, is provided on the surface of an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of, for example, 30 to 100 mm, and it is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction. 4Y, a developing device 6Y having a developing roller 5Y, and an image forming member such as a cleaning member 7Y are sequentially arranged. Magenta, cyan,
The same applies to the black photoconductors 3M, 3C, 3Bk side. That is, the colors of the toners used are different. The photosensitive member (image bearing member) is not limited to the drum-shaped member, and a belt-shaped member may be used.

These photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk
An exposure device 8 for forming a latent electrostatic image by irradiating the uniformly charged photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk with a laser beam corresponding to image data of each color by scanning is provided below. An elongated space (slit) is provided between each charging roller 4 and each developing roller 5 so that the laser beam emitted by the exposure device 8 enters toward the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk. There is. The example shown is
Although the laser scanning method using a laser light source, a polygon mirror, etc. is shown, an exposure apparatus combining an LED array and an image forming means may be used.

Further, these photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C,
An intermediate transfer belt 12 as a second image carrier, which is supported by a plurality of rollers 9, 10, 11 and is rotationally driven counterclockwise, is provided on the upper portion of 3Bk. The intermediate transfer belt 12 is common to each of the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk, and each of the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C,
After the development process of 3Bk, they are flatly arranged in a substantially horizontal state so that a part thereof comes into contact with each other.
Y, 13M, 13C and 13Bk are provided. For the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate transfer belt 12, for example, the roller 1
A cleaning device 14 is provided at a position facing 1. The cleaning device 14 wipes off unnecessary toner remaining on the belt surface. The intermediate transfer belt 12 has, for example, a substrate with a thickness of 50 to 600 μm.
The resin-based or rubber-based belt has a resistance value capable of transferring the toner images from the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk.

On the other hand, on the right side of the intermediate transfer belt 12, there is provided a transfer belt 17 as a third image carrier which is supported by a plurality of rollers 15 and 16 and is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction. The transfer belt 17 is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 12 at the roller 9 so as to form a predetermined transfer nip, and is arranged flat in a substantially vertical state. Similar to the intermediate transfer belt 12, the transfer belt 17 is also a belt whose base is, for example, a resin film or rubber having a thickness of 50 to 600 μm, and which can transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 12. Has a resistance value. For this reason, the transfer belt 17 is configured to have a peripheral length capable of carrying a toner image of at least the maximum paper size.

With respect to the transfer belt 17, the intermediate transfer belt 12 is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the transfer belt 17 so as to face the roller 9.
A transfer roller 18 and a guide roller 19 for transferring the upper toner image are provided, and a transfer charger 20 for transferring the toner image on the transfer belt 17 to the transfer sheet S and a belt surface are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the belt. A cleaning device 21 is provided to wipe off unnecessary toner that remains. 22
Is a spring that presses the transfer belt 17 against the intermediate transfer belt 12 via the transfer roller 18.

On the other hand, in the apparatus main body 2, below the exposure device 8, a plurality of stages, for example, two stages of paper feed cassettes 23 and 24.
Is arranged so that it can be pulled out freely. The transfer paper S stored in these paper feed cassettes 23 and 24 is selectively fed by the corresponding paper feed rollers 25 and 26, and is directed toward the transfer position by the intermediate transfer belt 12 and the transfer belt 17. The paper feed / transport path 27 is formed substantially vertically. Immediately before the transfer position, a pair of registration rollers 28 are provided immediately before the transfer position in the paper feed transport path 27. Further, above the transfer position, there is formed a conveyance / discharge path 30 which is continuous with the paper feed / conveyance path 27 and which extends between the transfer belt 17 and the transfer charger 20 and is connected to the discharge stack section 29 in the upper part of the apparatus main body 2. . A fixing device 31 having a pair of fixing rollers is provided in the conveyance / discharge path 30.
Alternatively, a pair of paper discharge rollers 32 and the like are provided.

In the main body 2 of the apparatus, the space below the paper discharge stack 29 is provided in each of the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk.
A toner container storage portion 33 that stores the toner of each color used in (3) and can be conveyed and supplied to the corresponding developing device by a pump or the like is provided.

The operation during double-sided printing in which an image is formed on both sides of the transfer paper S in such a configuration will be described.
First, by operating the exposure device 8, a laser beam corresponding to the image data for yellow emitted from the semiconductor laser is applied to the surface of the uniformly charged photoconductor 3Y by the charging roller 4Y to form an electrostatic latent image. To be done. This electrostatic latent image is subjected to a development process by the developing roller 5Y and developed with yellow toner to become a visible image, and is subjected to a transfer action by the transfer roller 13Y on the intermediate transfer belt 12 that moves in synchronization with the photoconductor 3Y. Transcribed. Such latent image formation, development, and transfer operations are sequentially performed in the same manner on the photoconductors 3M, 3C, 3Bk side with timing. As a result, on the intermediate transfer belt 12, yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C
The toner images of black and Bk are maintained and conveyed as full-color toner images that are sequentially overlapped.

The full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is transferred onto the transfer belt 17 that moves in synchronization with the intermediate transfer belt 12 by the transfer action of the transfer roller 18. As a result, a full-color toner image for one surface of the transfer paper S is maintained on the transfer belt 17.
Be transported. The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is cleaned by the cleaning device 14 to prepare for the next image formation / transfer.

After that, when the intermediate transfer belt 12 moves to a predetermined position, the image forming process for the other surface of the transfer paper S is started. The image forming process in this case is the same as that in forming the full-color toner image for one surface described above, and this full-color toner image is maintained on the intermediate transfer belt 12.

After this image forming process is completed, the registration roller 28
By transferring the transfer paper S toward the transfer position by the transfer roller 18 at a timing, the full-color toner images on the intermediate transfer belt 12 are sequentially transferred to the other surface side of the transfer paper S, and then the transfer charger 20 continues. As a result, the full-color toner images on the transfer belt 17 are sequentially transferred to the one surface side of the transfer paper S. That is, double-sided printing is performed on one sheet of transfer paper S at these transfer positions almost at the same time.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the polarity of the toner image on the photoconductor 3 is negative, and by applying a positive charge to the transfer roller 13, the toner image on the photoconductor 3 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 12. Is transcribed to. Further, by applying a positive charge to the transfer roller 18, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is transferred onto the transfer belt 17 (for one surface) or the other surface of the transfer sheet S (for the other surface). Further, by applying a positive polarity charge by the transfer charger 20, the negative polarity toner image on the transfer belt 17 is attracted and transferred to the one surface side of the transfer sheet S.

The transfer paper S, on which the full-color toner images have been transferred to both surfaces almost at the same time in this way, undergoes the fixing process by the fixing device 31 and is then discharged by the discharge roller 32 to the discharge stack unit 2
9 is ejected onto the sheet.

In the case of the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the side (page) of the double-sided image that is transferred to the transfer sheet S later, that is, the side that is directly transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 12 is downward. When the page alignment is taken into consideration, the second page image is first created and maintained on the transfer belt 17, and the first page image is printed. The transfer may be directly performed on the transfer sheet S from the intermediate transfer belt 12. In addition, the transfer paper S from the intermediate transfer belt 12
The image transferred onto the photoconductor 3 is a normal image, and the image transferred from the transfer belt 17 to the transfer sheet S is exposed on the photoconductor 3 so as to be a mirror image. The image forming sequence control for page alignment can be easily realized by a known technique of storing image data in a memory and the exposure control of switching between a normal image and a mirror image (reverse image) by a known image processing technique.

The operation for forming an image on only one side of the transfer paper S will be described. In this case, a method of transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 12 onto the transfer paper S,
There is a system in which the transfer belt 17 is also used to transfer a toner image from the transfer belt 17 onto the transfer paper S.
The former method, in which the step of transferring to the transfer belt 17 can be omitted, will be described.

First, when the exposure device 8 is actuated, the laser light corresponding to the image data for yellow emitted from the semiconductor laser is applied to the surface of the uniformly charged photoconductor 3Y by the charging roller 4Y to electrostatic latent image. An image is formed. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 5Y and developed with yellow toner to become a visible image, and the transfer roller 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 12 that moves in synchronization with the photoconductor 3Y.
It is transcribed by receiving the transcription action of 3Y. Such latent image formation, development, and transfer operations are sequentially performed in the same manner on the photoconductors 3M, 3C, 3Bk side with timing. As a result, the yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black Bk toner images are sequentially maintained and conveyed on the intermediate transfer belt 12 as full-color toner images that are sequentially overlapped.

The full-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is transferred onto the transfer paper S conveyed in synchronization with the intermediate transfer belt 12 by the transfer action of the transfer roller 18. The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is cleaned by the cleaning device 14 to prepare for the next image formation / transfer. The transferred transfer sheet S is subjected to a fixing action by the fixing device 31 in the transport sheet discharge path 30, and is discharged by the discharge roller 32 to the discharge stack section 29 in the downward direction of the image surface. During this process, the transfer charger 20 does not operate.

The double-sided printing and single-sided printing operations have been described in full-color printing. However, even in monochrome printing with a specific color or black, there is only a photoconductor that is not used, and the operation is functional. It is the same.

Further, when it is not necessary to print on both sides substantially at the same time by one sheet passing, instead of the transfer belt 17 and the transfer charger 20, a simple conveying belt 35 is provided as shown in FIG. 3, and A double-sided conveyance path 37 with a reversal path 36 for reversing the single-side printed transfer sheet S to the transfer position by the transfer roller 18 and re-feeding may be provided on the side of the conveying and discharging path 30. 38 and 39 are switching claws for switching the path of the transfer sheet S.

Under such a structure, the characteristic parts of the present embodiment will be sequentially described.

First, in the present embodiment, the photoconductors 3Y, 3
An image carrier holding member 41 that detachably holds M, 3C, and 3Bk is provided. Further, in the present embodiment, the developing device 6 including the charging roller 4 and the developing roller 5 and the cleaning member 7 are used as the image forming unit 42, and the image forming units 42Y, 42M, 42C and 42Bk are detachable. An image forming unit holding member 43 for holding is also provided. Further, a transfer member holding member 44 that holds the intermediate transfer belt 12 detachably is also provided as a second image carrier holding member.

In the structure using such holding members 41, 43, 44, in the present embodiment, at least at the time of image formation, as shown schematically in FIG. 4A, the image holding member holding member 41 is used as a reference. The holding members 43 and 44 are brought into a state of being close to each other or pressed so that an image forming operation can be performed. However, at the time of non-image formation, the holding member 43 is held against the image carrier holding member 41 as schematically shown in FIG. , 44 can be separated by a contacting / separating mechanism.

In the non-image formation, the holding members 43 and 44 are moved away from the image carrier holding member 41 at a certain timing immediately after the image forming operation is completed or at a fixed time after the image forming operation is completed. The timing when the time has passed can be taken. For example, if the timing is such that the holding members 43 and 44 are separated from each other immediately after the end of the image forming operation, the holding members 43 and 44 can be separated from the image carrier holding member 41 as much as possible, and an adverse effect such as a contact mark remaining can be avoided. If it can be maximized, and if it is automatically performed at a timing when a certain time has elapsed after the image forming operation is completed, the image carrier holding member 41 can be used within a range that does not interfere with non-image forming. The holding members 43 and 44 can be separated as much as possible, and the avoidance of adverse effects such as remaining contact marks can be maximized. Here, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the separation operation is automatically performed at the time of entering the energy saving mode after the image forming operation is completed and a certain time has elapsed. At the same time, when the user or service person opens the outer cover 45 (more practically, the inner cover 46 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) for maintenance / replacement, etc., and turns off the power switch. Also in the case of performing the operation, the mode in which the holding members 43 and 44 are automatically separated from the image carrier holding member 41 in conjunction with the opening operation and the power switch-off operation is also included. That is, the separation operation is set to be performed in the form of a logical sum (OR) of entering the energy saving mode, opening the exterior cover 45, and turning off the power switch. For example, the energy saving mode is set immediately after the image forming operation is completed. Even if the outer cover 45 is opened, the holding members 43 and 44 are not attached to the image carrier holding member 41
Will be executed. However, in the case of the type of model that does not have the exterior cover 45, a mode in which the separation operation is performed based on the operation of the separation switch or the like provided on the operation panel or the like may be included.

In any case, since the holding members 43 and 44 are separated from the image carrier holding member 41, the image forming units 42Y, which are in contact with the respective photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk. The members in 42M, 42C, 42Bk and the intermediate transfer belt 12 are also separated from each other.

Here, the image carrier holding member 41 is generally formed in a rectangular frame shape in plan view as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and each of the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3Bk is individually formed. It is detachably held so as to be simply placed from above in a parallel state. In this embodiment, the photoconductors 3Y, 3
Of M, 3C, 3Bk, color photoconductors 3Y, 3B
Considering that the M, 3C and the black photoconductor 3Bk are different in frequency of use (generally, the black photoconductor 3Bk is frequently used when monochrome printing is considered),
The color photoconductors 3Y, 3M, and 3C are the photoconductor units 4
7 is integrated and is detachably held by the unit of the photoconductor unit 47 with respect to the image carrier holding member 41. Such an image carrier holding member 41 can be pulled out in the front-rear direction with respect to the apparatus main body 2 by rail mechanisms 48 provided on the left and right sides. Reference numeral 49 is an acryl which is a constituent member of the rail mechanism 48 on the image carrier holding member 41 side.

Further, the image forming unit holding member 43 is formed in a rectangular tray shape in plan view as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and each image forming unit 42Y, 42M, 42 is formed.
C and 42Bk are detachably held in a parallel state so that they are simply placed from above. In the present embodiment, the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk are made to correspond to
The image forming units 42Y, 42M, and 42C are integrated as a color image forming unit 51 separately from the single image forming unit 42Bk for black. The image forming unit holding member 43 is a unit of the color image forming unit 51. It is held detachably with respect to. Such an image forming unit holding member 43 can be drawn out in the front-rear direction with respect to the apparatus main body 2 by rail mechanisms 52 provided on both left and right sides. Reference numeral 53 denotes the rail mechanism 5 on the side of the image forming unit holding member 43.
It is the acrylide which is the second component. Further, although not shown in particular, the image forming unit holding member 43 and the image forming units 42Y, 42M, 42C, 42Bk are provided with slit-shaped openings (or transparent light transmitting portions) through which light for exposure is transmitted. ing.

Further, the transfer member holding member 44 is generally formed in a rectangular frame shape in plan view as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and covers the intermediate transfer belt 12 and the roller which covers the intermediate transfer belt 12. Protective cover 5 holding 9-11 etc.
6, together with 6, is detachably held so as to be simply placed from above. Handles 57 are provided on the left and right sides of the protective cover 56.
Is provided. Such a transfer member holding member 44 is mounted on the apparatus main body 2 by rail mechanisms 58 provided on both left and right sides.
In contrast, it can be pulled out in the front-back direction. Reference numeral 59 is an acryl which is a constituent member of the rail mechanism 58 on the transfer member holding member 44 side.

In this embodiment having the configuration of FIG. 2, the transfer belt 17 is also detachably held by the belt holding member 61 as the third image carrier holding member. The belt holding member 61 also serves as a side plate cover that is provided so as to be rotatable and openable and closable around the fulcrum 62 with respect to the apparatus main body 2. The protective cover 63 is held in a detachable manner so that it can be simply placed together with the held protective cover 63.

Here, an example of the principle configuration of the contacting / separating mechanism 70 for performing the contacting / separating operation of the holding members 41, 43, 44 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. First, in the main body 2 of the apparatus, the acculides 71, 72, 72 forming the rail mechanisms 48, 52, 58 are respectively paired with the acculides 49, 53, 59 on the left and right sides of the holding members 41, 43, 44 as described above. 73 is supported by two left and right body stays 74 fixed to the apparatus body 2. At this time, with respect to the image carrier holding member 41, the holding members 43,
In order to separate 44 in the vertical direction, the accurlide 71 for the image carrier holding member 41 is fixedly provided on the main body stay 74, but the accurlides 72, 73 for the holding members 43, 44 are arranged in the vertical direction. Pins 72a and 73a fitted in the long holes 74a and 74b are vertically guided and held so as to be displaceable. Further, an interlocking mechanism 75 for simultaneously performing the separating operation of the holding members 43 and 44 is added. The interlocking mechanism 75 is, for example, a combination of two movable stays 77, 78 rotatable by a pin 76 standing upright in the center of the main body stay 74 so as to form an X-shaped link in the center.
Long holes 77a, 77b, 78a, 78b at both ends of 7,78
Pins 72a, 72b, 73a, which are erected on the left and right sides on the front side and the back side of the accurride 72, 73, respectively.
It is configured by fitting to 73b. Further, four eccentric cams 79 are fixedly provided on a rotary shaft 81 rotatably supported by a support piece 80 at positions contacting the lower surface of the image forming unit holding member 43 located on the lower side in the vicinity of its four corners. Has been. These eccentric cams 79 project the image forming unit holding member 43 toward the image carrier holding member 41 so as to push the image forming unit holding member 43 to the image carrier holding member 41, or the image forming unit holding member 43 by its own weight.
The motor 8 provided in the apparatus main body 2 has an eccentric shape with a retracted position in which the motor 8 is lowered to a position away from
2, a motor gear 83, a transmission gear 84 fixed on the rotary shaft 81 and meshing with the motor gear 83, and a predetermined cam via a transmission drive mechanism such as a belt 86 spanning between two front and rear pulleys 85 of the rotary shaft 81. It is driven and controlled to take a position.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 16A, when the protruding position of the eccentric cam 79 is in the upward direction, the image forming unit holding member 43 approaches the image carrier holding member 41. Or, it is pushed up to the pressed state. At this time, as the image forming unit holding member 43 moves up, the movable stays 77 and 78 are rotationally displaced by the pins 72a and 72b so that the crossing angle becomes narrow. As a result, the acrylide 73 is lowered through the pins 73a and 73b fitted in the long holes 77b and 78b of the movable stays 77 and 78, and the transfer member holding member 44 is brought close to or pressed against the image carrier holding member 41. Down to the state.

When the image forming unit holding member 43 comes close to or presses the image carrier holding member 41, each member of each image forming unit 42 held by the image forming unit holding member 43 also corresponds to the photoconductor 3. The image forming processing operation becomes possible by touching the. Similarly, the transfer member holding member 44
When the image holding member 41 approaches or presses the image carrier holding member 41, the intermediate transfer belt 12 held by the transfer member holding member 44 also comes into contact with the photoconductors 3 and becomes operable.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 15B and 16B, when the retracted position of the eccentric cam 79 is in the upward position, the image forming unit holding member 43 holds the image carrier by its own weight or the like. It descends so as to be separated from the member 41.
At this time, as the image forming unit holding member 43 descends,
The movable stays 77 and 78 are rotationally displaced by the pins 72a and 72b so that the crossing angle is widened. As a result, the accurride 73 is raised through the pins 73a and 73b fitted in the long holes 77b and 78b of the movable stays 77 and 78, and the transfer member holding member 44 is separated from the image carrier holding member 41. To raise.

When the image forming unit holding member 43 is separated from the image carrier holding member 41, each member of each image forming unit 42 held by the image forming unit holding member 43 is also separated from the corresponding photoconductor 3. Then, the image forming unit holding member 43 is ready to be pulled out. Similarly, when the transfer member holding member 44 is separated from the image carrier holding member 41, the intermediate transfer belt 12 held by the transfer member holding member 44 is also separated from each photoconductor 3, and the transfer member holding member 44 is also formed. Is ready for withdrawal.

In this way, the image forming unit holding member 4
3 and the transfer member holding member 44 cooperate with the image carrier holding member 41 to perform a separating operation and an approaching operation.

In such a structure, when the energy saving mode is entered after a certain time has elapsed after the image forming operation is completed or the power switch is turned off, the above-mentioned contact / separation mechanism 70 causes the image forming unit holding member. 43 and the transfer member holding member 44 interlock with the image carrier holding member 41 to perform a separating operation, and the image forming unit holding member 43 and the transfer member holding member 44 separate from the image carrier holding member 41. As a result, each image forming unit 4
The respective members 2 and the intermediate transfer belt 12 are also maintained in a separated state. As described above, the plurality of photoconductors 3, the plurality of image forming units 5, and the intermediate transfer belt 12 are respectively connected to the image carrier holding member 41, the image forming unit holding member 43, and the transfer member holding member 4.
4, the image carrier holding member 41 and the image forming unit holding member 43, and the image carrier holding member 41 and the transfer member holding member 44 can be separated from each other in the apparatus main body 2. 3. The single contact / separation mechanism 70 between the holding members 41, 43, and 44 can be used without providing the contact / separation mechanism or the like for the image forming unit 42, the individual photoconductor 3, and the intermediate transfer belt 12. The contact / separation mechanism can be greatly simplified. Therefore, with a simple and inexpensive structure, it is possible to easily avoid the adverse effects such as remaining contact marks due to the constant contact of each member of the image forming unit 42 and the intermediate transfer belt 12 with the photoconductor 3. You can
In particular, since the separating operation of the image forming unit holding member 43 with respect to the image carrier holding member 41 and the separating operation of the transfer member holding member 44 with respect to the image carrier holding member 41 are simultaneously performed by the interlocking mechanism 75, The drive source 82
It is possible to simplify the contacting / separating mechanism 70, for example, by sharing the above, and it is possible to simplify the control system for the contacting / separating mechanism 70 without separately providing it.

On the other hand, in the user or service person,
In the event of need for maintenance or parts replacement,
As shown in FIG. 5, open the exterior cover 45 on the front side,
Further, when the inner cover 46 is opened as shown in FIG. 6, even if the above-mentioned energy saving mode is not entered, the image is formed by the contacting / separating mechanism 70 in conjunction with such cover opening operation. The unit holding member 43 and the transfer member holding member 44 interlock with the image carrier holding member 41 to perform a separating operation. As a result, the image forming unit holding member 4
3 and the transfer member holding member 44 are separated from the image carrier holding member 41, the members of the image forming units 42 and the intermediate transfer belt 12 are also kept separated from the photoconductors 3. It Therefore, each holding member 41, 4
3, 44 can be individually withdrawn.

Therefore, for example, when maintenance or replacement of the photoconductor 3 is required, the image carrier holding member 41 is pulled out to the front side as shown in FIG. 7, and as shown in FIG. The (photoconductor unit 47 and the photoconductor 3Bk) can be removed from the image carrier holding member 41 and replaced. At this time, since the photoconductor unit 47 and the photoconductor 3Bk are simply placed and held on the image carrier holding member 41, the photoconductor unit 47 and the photoconductor 3Bk can be easily replaced while adopting the long-life disassembly type configuration. Further, the color photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C have the same function and can be regarded as having substantially the same life, but these photoconductors 3Y, 3M
Since M and 3C are assembled as one unit as the photoconductor unit 47 and are detachable, workability such as replacement work is further improved. Conversely, it is considered that the black photoconductor 3Bk is used more frequently than the color photoconductor 3Bk and reaches the end of its life sooner. However, since the black photoconductor 3Bk is a single body, The color photoconductors 3Y, 3 at the replacement timing of the photoconductor 3Bk
It is possible to avoid exchanging M and 3C.

If maintenance or replacement of the image forming unit 42 is required, as shown in FIG. 9, the image forming unit holding member 43 is pulled out to the front side, as shown in FIG. 42 (color image forming unit 51 and image forming unit 42Bk) can be removed from the image forming unit holding member 43 and replaced. At this time, these color image forming units 51
The image forming unit 42Bk is simply placed and held on the image forming unit holding member 43, so that it can be easily replaced. In addition, the image forming unit 42Y for color,
42M and 42C have the same function and can be regarded as having substantially the same life, but these image forming units 42Y, 42M and 42C
Since C is integrated into one unit as the color image forming unit 51 and is detachable, workability such as replacement work is further improved. Conversely, it is considered that the black image forming unit 42Bk is used more frequently than the color image forming unit 42Bk and reaches the end of its life sooner. However, since the black image forming unit 42Bk is a single unit, It is also possible to avoid exchanging the color image forming units 42Y, 42M, and 42C at the replacement timing of the black image forming unit 42Bk.

Further, if maintenance or replacement of the intermediate transfer belt 12 is required, by pulling out the transfer member holding member 44 as shown in FIG. 11, the intermediate transfer belt 12 as shown in FIG. Can be removed from the transfer member holding member 44 and replaced. At this time, since the intermediate transfer belt 12 is simply placed and held on the transfer member holding member 44, it can be easily replaced.

As can be seen from FIGS. 8, 10 and 12, the attachment / detachment directions of the photoconductor 3, the image forming unit 42 and the intermediate transfer belt 12 to the holding members 41, 43 and 44 are all in the upward direction. Therefore, the workability is extremely good. Further, when the exterior cover 45 is opened for maintenance or component replacement, at least the holding members 41, 43 and 41, 44 are separated from each other, so that the holding members 41, 43, 44 are kept as they are.
It is possible to shift to a pull-out operation or the like, which does not require a separate operation or the like for performing a separate operation, and is easy to handle and good in operability for users and service persons.

A contact / separation mechanism 90 which is a modification of the contact / separation mechanism 70 is shown in FIG. In the contact / separation mechanism 90, the accuride 71, 72, 72 corresponding to the holding members 41, 43, 44,
Two left and right body stays 91 and 92 that support 73 are fixed to the apparatus body 2. At this time, since the holding members 43 and 44 are vertically separated from each other with the image carrier holding member 41 as a reference, the accrelide 71 for the image carrier holding member 41 is fixedly provided on the main body stays 91 and 92. Accurate 7 for holding members 43 and 44
Reference numerals 2 and 73 are pins 72a and 73 fitted in the vertical slots 91a and 92a (only the acrylide 72 side is shown).
It is held so as to be vertically displaceable by a. Also,
An interlocking mechanism 93 for simultaneously performing the separating operation of the holding members 43 and 44 is also added. The interlocking mechanism 93 is, for example, a main drive stay 95 that is connected to the accuride 72 for the image forming unit holding member 43 by a pin 94 and moves up and down, and a pivotal position with respect to the main body stays 91 and 92 by the pins 96a and 96b. Two front and rear driven stays 98a, which are freely supported, one end side of which is connected to the main drive stay 95 by a pin 97 and the other end side of which is connected to a pin 73a of the accurlide 73 for the transfer member holding member 44.
It is configured by including 98b. A pin 99 is provided on the accurride 71 for the image carrier holding member 41, and the vertical movement of the driving stay 95 is guided by the elongated hole 95a fitted into the pin 99. Also,
The configurations of the eccentric cam 79, the motor 82, etc. are shown in FIGS.
It is similar to the case of.

As a result, as shown in FIG.
When the protruding position of the eccentric cam 79 is in the upward direction,
The image forming unit holding member 43 is pushed up to a state of approaching or pressing the image carrier holding member 41. At this time, as the image forming unit holding member 43 moves up, the driving stay 9
5 is also displaced upward. As a result, the driven stay 98a, which is connected to the driving stay 95 by the pin 97,
98b pivotally displaces around the pins 96a and 96b, lowers the accurlide 73 through the pins 72a and 73a fitted to the other end, and moves the transfer member holding member 44 close to the image carrier holding member 41 or Lower until pressed.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 17B, when the retracted position of the eccentric cam 79 is in the upward direction, the image forming unit holding member 43 is separated from the image carrier holding member 41 by its own weight or the like. Descend to. At this time, the driving stay 95 is also displaced downward as the image forming unit holding member 43 descends. As a result, the driven stays 98a, 98 connected to the driving stay 95 by the pin 97 are connected.
b is pivotally displaced about the pins 96a and 96b, and the accurlide 7 is inserted through the pins 72a and 73a fitted to the other end.
3 is raised to raise the transfer member holding member 44 to a state of being separated from the image carrier holding member 41.

In this way, the image forming unit holding member 4
3 and the transfer member holding member 44 cooperate with the image carrier holding member 41 to perform a separating operation and an approaching operation.

If maintenance or replacement of the transfer belt 17 is required, the belt holding member 61 is pivotally opened about the fulcrum 62 as shown in FIG. 13 to transfer the transfer belt 17 as shown in FIG. The belt 17 can be removed from the belt holding member 61 and replaced. At this time, the transfer belt 17 is not supported by the belt holding member 6
1 is simply placed and retained on top of
Can be easily replaced.

Next, the positioning between the holding members 41, 43 and 44 will be described. In the present embodiment, the image carrier holding member 41 whose vertical position is fixed is used as a reference for positioning, and a plurality of, for example, three positioning pins 101 are provided on the upper surface of the image carrier holding member 41. Is provided as a positioning portion so as to be separated from a predetermined position set in advance. Although not particularly shown, the image carrier holding member 4
A plurality of positioning pins, for example, three positioning pins are also provided on the lower surface of 1 as spaced apart at predetermined positions set in advance as positioning portions. On the upper surface of the image forming unit holding member 43, a positioning hole 100 into which such a positioning pin is inserted is formed as a positioning portion at a position corresponding to the positioning pin (see FIG. 9 and the like). Similarly, on the lower surface of the transfer member holding member 44, a positioning hole (not shown) into which the positioning pin 101 is inserted is formed at a position corresponding to the positioning pin 101 as a positioning portion. Therefore, as described above, the holding members 41, 43, and 44 are connected to each other as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the holding members 41, 43, 44 are positioned relative to each other by engaging the positioning pins and the positioning holes with each other when they are brought into the proximity or the pressed state.

Therefore, also regarding the positioning, each holding member 4
Positioning portions are provided in units of 1, 43, and 44 and are positioned by mutual engagement. Therefore, with respect to the individual photoconductor 3, image forming unit 5, and intermediate transfer belt 12, respective corresponding holding members 41, 43, 44 are provided. It suffices to perform positioning with respect to, and it is possible to eliminate the need for a complicated positioning mechanism individually.

By the way, the positioning of the image carrier holding member 41 itself with respect to the apparatus main body 2 is carried out by the image carrier holding member 4
1, the basic position of the image carrier 1 is determined by the rail mechanism 48, as shown in FIG.
Metal plate 102 fixed to the front side of the plate by screws 101a
This is done by engaging the reference holes 102a and the holes 102b at the left and right ends of the device with the positioning pins 104 provided at predetermined positions on the front side plate 103 of the apparatus body 2. That is, the reference holes 102a and 102b of the metal plate 102 and the front side plate 103.
And the positioning pin 104 of the above function as an image carrier holding member regulating member.

Further, the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk simply placed on the image carrier holding member 41.
Is positioned on the inner side of the main body 2 of the apparatus, and each photoconductor shaft (not shown) rotatably and cantilevered while being connected to a drive transmission mechanism such as a motor is image-carried. With the pushing operation into the body holding member 41, the through holes on the back side of the image carrier holding member 41, the photoconductors 3Y,
Through the through holes 105 on the front side of the image carrier holding member 41 in 3M, 3C and 3Bk, the metal plate 102 is supported by bearing holes 106 formed at predetermined positions. That is, each of the photoconductor shafts that are positioned and cantilevered and the bearing hole 106 of the metal plate 102 act as an image carrier positioning mechanism. Conversely speaking, by pulling out the image carrier holding member 41 from the apparatus main body 2,
The photoconductor shaft comes off from each photoconductor 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk (remains in the apparatus main body 2), and a simple mounting state with play is provided, and each photoconductor 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk is directly moved upward. It will be removable.

Next, the image forming unit 42 for each of the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3Bk positioned with the image carrier holding member 41 mounted in the apparatus main body 2 as described above.
FIG. 19 shows an example of positioning of the intermediate transfer belt 12 and the intermediate transfer belt 12.
Will be described with reference to. For example, in the image forming unit 42 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, the wheel 111, which is located outside the region related to image formation and has the same diameter as the photoconductor 3 and is coaxially provided, can be separated. A plurality of, for example, two positioning rollers 112 and 113 that rotatably contact each other are provided at predetermined positions. As described above, the image forming unit holding member 43 can freely come into contact with and separate from the image carrier holding member 41, and can be in a separated state. When the image forming unit holding member 43 is approached or pushed up to a pressed state, the developing roller 5, the charging roller 4 and the like also approach the photoconductor 3 which is already positioned, but the positioning rollers 112, 11
3 comes into contact with the wheel 111 and is in a state in which it can no longer be displaced. At such a contact position, the developing roller 5 and the charging roller 4 are in the proper operating positions with respect to the photoconductor 3, and the image forming unit 42 is positioned with respect to the photoconductor 3. That is, the wheel 111 and the positioning roller 11
2, 113 function as an image forming unit positioning mechanism. Positioning of the intermediate transfer belt 12 side with respect to the photoconductor 3 is similarly performed by a second image carrier positioning mechanism (not shown).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk and the image forming unit 42 are different from the image carrier holding member 41 and the image forming unit holding member 43.
The Ys, 42Ms, 42Cs, and 42Bk are detachable with play, and the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3Bk are positioned with the holding members 41 and 43 mounted in the apparatus main body 2. The respective photoconductors 3Y, which are positioned as
Image forming units 42Y, 4 for 3M, 3C, 3Bk
Since each member of 2M, 42C, 42Bk is positioned, it is not necessary to have the mounting accuracy with respect to each holding member 41, 43, and it is not necessary to pay attention to the mounting position or the like at the time of attachment / detachment even in user level work. It will be extremely easy. This also applies to the intermediate transfer belt 12 side.

Positioning of the belt holding member 61 side with respect to the transfer member holding member 44 side will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the transfer member holding member 44
On both sides of the roller 9 supporting the intermediate transfer belt 12 on both sides on the shaft, a positioning pulley 12 as a positioning portion is provided.
1 is provided, and on the belt holding member 61 side, a positioning concave portion 122 as a positioning portion is formed at a position corresponding to these positioning pulleys 121 so as to be engageable with and disengageable from the positioning pulley 121.

As a result, when the belt holding member 61 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 2, the positioning recess 122 engages with the positioning pulley 121 as shown in FIG. The belt holding member 61 is positioned with respect to the transfer member holding member 44 so that the transfer belt 17 is brought into contact. On the other hand, with the opening operation of the belt holding member 61, the positioning recess 122 is disengaged from the positioning pulley 121, and the transfer belt 17 side becomes free as shown in FIG.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the elastic members 131 for sealing between the image carrier holding member 41 and the image forming unit holding member 43 and between the image carrier holding member 41 and the transfer member holding member 44, respectively. , 132 are provided. In the case of the present embodiment, these elastic members 131 and 132 are, for example, as shown in FIG.
7 and 8 are provided on the side
As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, it is attached to the peripheral portion of the image carrier holding member 41. Particularly, in order to avoid contact with the intermediate transfer belt 12 on the transfer member holding member 44 side, the transfer member holding member 44 is arranged in a substantially U-shape without a right side portion. These elastic members 131, 132 are pressed and deformed when the holding members 43, 44 are brought close to or pressed against the image carrier holding member 41, and these holding members 41, 43, 44 cause the photoconductor 3 to move. Image forming module 13 that forms a substantially closed space around
3 is included.

The substantially enclosed space around the photoconductor 3 formed by the image forming module 133 is not a completely enclosed space but communicates with the outside air. However, in this embodiment, as shown schematically in FIG. , For example, the exposure device 8 in the device body 2
Air-conditioning means 134 disposed deeper than the inner side of each photoconductor 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk through a branched exhaust pipe 135.
It is connected in units. Reference numeral 136 is an intake pipe for taking in outside air in the air conditioning means 134. As a result, the air-conditioning unit 134 takes in, for example, the atmosphere having a temperature of 30 ° C. and a humidity of 90% from the intake pipe 136, and dehumidifies the air having a temperature of 30 ° C. and a humidity of 50% through the exhaust pipe 135 to each photoconductor 3Y in the substantially closed space. , 3M, 3C, 3Bk are discharged toward the periphery. The air-conditioning unit 134 may have a built-in Peltier element or the like, which is a heat exchanger for cooling, if necessary.

In this type of electrophotographic image forming apparatus, since image formation is performed using charged fine particles such as toner and carrier and a charged photoconductor, the composition of air inside the apparatus, particularly humidity, ammonia gas, etc. Due to the influence of the ionic substance, the image quality becomes unstable due to the change of the charging state.

More specifically, for example, in an area with a high humidity climate, the inside of the apparatus becomes highly humid, the image quality becomes unstable, and abnormal wear of the photoconductor occurs, resulting in remarkable durability of the image forming section. It is known that the image quality deteriorates or a blurry abnormal image called "image deletion" occurs. Various studies have been conducted on these causes, and it has been known that the following mechanisms cause problems. Charged fine particles such as toner and carrier used in an electrophotographic apparatus are designed to stabilize an electrostatic charge state by adding a charge control agent to a polymer resin.
However, the electrical characteristics of polymer resins reduce the toner charge amount in the development process by taking in water in the air and causing electrical resistance, friction coefficient between powders or change in fluidity even if the hydrophobic treatment is exhausted. This may cause a change in image quality such as an increase in density. Further, in the charging means utilizing the discharge phenomenon, a nitric acid compound is generated along with the discharge, and the nitric acid compound is combined with the moisture in the air to attach ionized substances such as nitric acid and nitrates to the surface of the photoconductor, Deterioration of the surface is accelerated and abnormal wear of the photoconductor is caused, or electrostatic latent image is blurred due to the surface being electrically conductive by an ionized substance, so-called image deletion occurs. Both of them are serious problems in a high absolute humidity environment, and can be improved by providing a dehumidifying device. Further, the adhesion of the ionic substance causes the deterioration of the toner, the carrier, and the photosensitive member, which shortens the life.

In consideration of such a problem, it is basically necessary to provide an air-conditioning means, but when attempting to air-condition the entire apparatus, the capacity to be controlled becomes large, and the cost and size commensurate with the control capacity are increased. , Noise, and increase in power consumption.

In particular, in the electrophotographic full-color printer as in the present embodiment, the change in image density due to the influence of humidity or the like, which is not a problem for a single color, appears as a change in tint, so an image of an extremely high level is obtained. Stability is required, and measures such as using the entire device in a stable environment with air conditioning equipment and providing air conditioning means to air-condition the entire device inside the device will be taken. However, in the tandem full color printer, 4 Since it has an image forming part for each color, the capacity to be controlled becomes extremely large when trying to air-condition the entire device compared to a single color, resulting in a significant cost, size, noise, and power consumption increase commensurate with the control capability. I will leave.

In this respect, according to the present embodiment, as described above, the holding members 43 and 44 are attached to the elastic members 131, 44 with respect to the image holding member holding member 41 holding the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3Bk. An image forming module 133 which is sealed by 132 to form a substantially closed space is configured, and an air conditioning unit 134 is connected to the image forming module 133 to connect the photoconductors 3Y,
Since the dehumidified air is discharged around 3M, 3C and 3Bk, the capacity of the air conditioning area is reduced to the necessary minimum and the control ability by the air conditioning means 134 is kept low, or the ability is maximized without waste. Can be utilized.

In the so-called tandem type full color printer as in this embodiment, the photoconductor 3 and the image forming unit 42 are arranged as described above with respect to the structure around the photoconductor.
If the and are constructed so that they can be disassembled and exchanged, vibrations during driving may propagate to the respective photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk and cause images such as so-called banding. Members 131, 132
Since the image forming module 133 is configured using
Due to the vibration propagation preventing effect of the elastic members 131 and 132, it is possible to form a high-quality image with little banding.

In the present embodiment, the holding members 41,
The image forming module 133 is configured by sealing the gap between the portions 44 with the elastic member 132.
The intermediate transfer belt 12 held by 4 is a full-face belt and is covered with a protective cover 56, which helps to form a substantially closed space around the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk (upper part). Therefore, the elastic member 132 is omitted,
The holding members 41 and 43 and the elastic member 131 may be configured as an image forming module that forms a substantially closed space.

In the present embodiment, each holding member 4
Although the parts 1, 43, and 44 can be separated in the apparatus main body 2, the structure is not necessarily separable in the apparatus main body 2 during non-image formation.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 33. Parts that are the same as or correspond to the parts shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals,
The description is also omitted.

The present embodiment relates to an application example in which the contacting / separating mechanism 200 is used instead of the contacting / separating mechanism 70 shown in FIGS. In particular, in the process of moving from the storage position to the pull-out position, the intermediate transfer belt 12 is held with reference to the moving direction of the unit that is the image carrier holding member 41 that holds the photoconductors 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk together. The unit which is the transfer member holding member 44 and the unit which is the image forming unit holding member 43 which holds the image forming units 42Y, 42M, 42C and 42Bk together are configured to be vertically separated (each photoconductor 3Y, 3M). , 3
C itself may be the individual or the photoconductor unit 47. Similarly, the image forming units 42Y, 42M, and 42C may be formed individually or as the color image forming unit 51. ).

The structure of the contact / separation mechanism 200 will be described below.

FIG. 22 shows the holding members 4 which are unitized.
It is a perspective view showing the important section of the support device of 1,43,44,
In the figure, the supporting device is shown as the holding members 41, 43, 4
Slide rails 201, 202, 203 and slide rails 201, 201, which are support members attached to the side surfaces of
A sliding member 204 for moving the holding members 41, 43, and 44 to the storage position and the pulling position of the holding members 41, 43, and 44, and a supporting base installed immovably for slidably supporting the sliding member 204. The table 205 and the sliding driving member 210 for driving the sliding member 204 in the above-described directions are provided.

The slide rails 201, 202, 203 are arranged in the vertical direction, and the one positioned at the center in that direction is attached to the side surface of the image carrier holding member 41.
02. Each slide rail 201, 202, 203
The sliding member 204 and the support base 205 are the holding members 4
A pair is provided so as to face both side surfaces of 1, 43, 44 (in FIG. 22, only one side is shown).

Slide rails 201, 202, 203
23 have the same configuration, and as shown in FIG. 23, the outer rails 201A, 202A, 203A and the outer rails 201A, 202A, 203A are inserted into the outer rails 201A, 202A, 203A and slid by rolling elements such as spheres arranged inside. It is provided with movable inner rails 201B, 202B, 203B.

Outer rails 201A, 202A, 203
In A, as shown in FIG. 23, its longitudinal direction, that is,
Connection pins 201C, 202C as interlocking members for interlocking with the sliding member 204 before and after the direction in which the holding members 41, 43, 44 are moved to the storage position and the withdrawal position, respectively.
203C is fixed.

Connecting pins 201C, 202C, 203C
24, as shown in FIG. 24, penetrates through the insertion holes 204A, 204B, 204C formed in the sliding member 204,
As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, guide portions 205A, 205B, 205C formed as long holes in the support base 205.
Has been inserted into.

In FIG. 23, the insertion holes 204A, 204B and 204C through which the connecting pins 201C, 202C and 203C of the sliding member 204 penetrate are the connecting pins 202C provided on the slide rail 202 of the image carrier holding member 41. The target insertion hole 204B is a round hole, and the other insertion holes 204A and 204C are long holes whose longitudinal direction is set in the vertical direction.

Insertion holes 204A, 204B, 204 on the sliding member 204 side through which the connecting pins 201C, 202C, 203C provided on the holding members 41, 43, 44 penetrate.
The lengths of Cs are set in the longitudinal direction in directions away from each other with the center of the insertion hole 204B through which the connecting pin 202C provided in the slide rail 202 of the image carrier holding member 41 penetrates as a base point. Also, the insertion holes 204A, 2
In 04B and 204C, the center positions in the hole width direction in the direction orthogonal to the moving direction are made to coincide in the horizontal direction, so that the holding members 41, 43, and 4 are placed at the storage position and the withdrawal position.
When 4 moves, the relative positions of the holding members 41, 43, 44 in the moving direction do not change.

As shown in FIG. 23, the connecting pins 201C,
In the guide portions 205A, 205B, 205C on the side of the support base 205 through which the 202C, 203C are inserted, the guide portions 202B for the image carrier holding member 41 are located at the storage position and the pull-out position of the image carrier holding member 41. The transfer member holding member 4 is an elongated hole formed in a horizontal direction as a moving direction.
4 and the guide unit 2 for the image forming unit holding member 43
Reference numerals 05A and 205C are long holes having a direction in which the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 can be separated from each other as the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 move from the stored position toward the drawn position. It is configured.

The guide portions 205A and 205C temporarily move the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 when the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 move from the storage position toward the drawing position. A predetermined distance (distance indicated by symbol S in FIG. 23) is moved in the horizontal direction,
Next, the shape is such that they can be moved in the direction in which they are separated from each other to reach the drawn-out position, and in the figure, the shape is provided with an inclined portion.

In the guide portions 205A and 205C, a predetermined distance (indicated by symbol S in FIG. 23) to be temporarily moved in the horizontal direction.
Is the holding member 41, 43,
It is set to cut off the drive path of the drive member provided in the printer main body with respect to the drive member provided in the 44, and the holding members 41, 43, and 44 move from the storage position toward the withdrawal position. The distance is set such that the engagement between the drive members can be released from the time when the drive members are started.

Further, the guide portions 205A, 205B, 20
In 5C, the movement stroke of each holding member 41, 43, 44 from the stored position to the drawn-out position, in other words, the length of the long hole in the longitudinal direction is the same for each holding member 41, 43, 44, and the moving direction. Holding members 41, 43, along
The relative positional relationship of 44 is not changed.

In FIG. 24, brackets 206 are attached to the connecting pins 201C, 202C and 203C which penetrate through the insertion holes 204A, 204B and 204C formed in the sliding member 204, and the bracket 206 includes:
A spring 208 is hooked between a locking piece 207A formed by cutting and raising a part of a hole 207 formed in the sliding member 204. The spring 208 pulls the bracket 206 to constantly connect the connecting pins 201C, 202C, 203C.
Is a guide portion 205A, 205B, 20 on the side of the support base 205.
5C, the holding members 41, 43, and 44 are urged so as to return toward the movement start position.

On the other hand, one end of the sliding member 204 in the moving direction, that is, the holding members 41, 4 directed to the pulling position.
A sliding drive member 210 is provided at an end portion corresponding to the downstream side of the moving direction of 3, 44. FIG. 25 shows the sliding drive member 2
10 is a view showing a connection structure between the sliding member 204 and the sliding member 204, in which the holding member 41, 43, 44 is provided with a connecting member 211 at one end of the sliding member 204 in the moving direction described above.
It is provided so that it can slide in parallel with the moving direction of.

The connecting member 211 has a long hole 21 into which the connecting pin 204D fixed to the sliding member 204 is inserted.
A cam portion 211B is provided on each of 1A and the lower surface.
The long hole 211A has a longitudinal direction parallel to the moving direction of each holding member 41, 43, 44, and the connecting member 211 is parallel to the moving direction of each holding member 41, 43, 44 using the connecting pin 204D as a guide pin. It is designed to slide.

The cam portion 211B has a convex surface formed on the lower surface of the connecting member 211, and the sliding locking member 212 provided swingably at the immovable portion in the housing of the full color printer 1 is abutted. Touching.

The convex surface of the cam portion 211B has such a height that the sliding member 204 can release the locked state of the sliding member 204, and the long hole 211A has the sliding locking member 21.
The length is such that the facing surface of the cam portion 211B with respect to 2 can be switched (convex surface and concave surface). That is, the state shown in FIG. 25 shows the state in which the holding members 41, 43, 44 are in the storage position, and at this time, the connecting pin 204D inserted into the long hole 211A is in the pull-out direction (the arrow direction in the drawing).
The sliding engagement member 212 abuts on the concave surface of the cam portion 211B.

When the connecting member 211 is moved from this state in the pull-out direction (the direction of the arrow in the drawing), the connecting pin 204D in the elongated hole 211A moves toward the inner edge of the elongated hole 211A on the opposite side to the previous one, and Interlocking cam part 211B
Is in a state in which the sliding engagement member 212 rides on the convex surface.

The movement of the connecting member 211 is carried out by the connecting member 21.
The driving pin 211C fixed to No. 1 is inserted through the swing bracket 213 on the sliding drive member 210 side. The sliding drive member 210 is a support shaft 21 supported by an immovable portion of the casing of the full-color printer 1.
4 includes a swinging bracket 213 that can swing by 4 and an operation bracket 215 supported coaxially, and an operation handle 216 is attached to the operation bracket 215.

In FIG. 25, the swing bracket 213 is
It is a member having a swing radius capable of covering the connecting member 211 with the support shaft 214 as a reference, and a connecting drive hole 213A through which a drive pin 211C provided on the connecting member 211 side is inserted at the swing end side. Are formed. The coupling drive hole 213A is a long hole having a longitudinal direction substantially along the swing radius of the swing pin 213 instead of the swing locus about the support shaft 214, and the drive pin 21 is moved in accordance with the swing of the swing bracket 213.
1C to connect the connecting member 211 to each holding member 41, 43,
It is adapted to slide in the moving direction of 44.

The swinging bracket 213 has a connecting drive hole 2
Separately from 13A, an operation drive hole 213B formed of an elongated hole having a swing locus around the support shaft 214 is provided. The operation bracket 215 is provided in the operation drive hole 213B.
The operation pin 217 fixed to the
A click member 218 for positioning the operation pin 217 in the operation drive hole 213B at the half end of the swing locus is supported.

The click member 218 is the swing bracket 2
A swing support shaft 218A is provided at 13 so that the swing end side can swing in the direction in which it moves forward and backward with respect to the inside of the operation drive hole 213B. The driving force for entering the operation drive hole 213B is applied by the spring 219 that is hooked between the swing bracket 213 and the swing end of the click member 218.

Operation drive hole 2 in click member 218
A locking surface 218B formed of a convex surface is formed on the surface on the 13B side, and the operation pin 217 is positioned on any of the concave surfaces with the locking surface 218B as a boundary to swing the operation pin 217 into the operation drive hole 213B. It can be locked at any position on the trailing edge of the semicircle.

The spring 219 hooked on the click member 218 is set with an elastic force capable of preventing the operation handle 216 located on the operation bracket 215 side from accidentally falling due to the convex surface of the click member 218. The operation pin 217 on the operation bracket 215 side can ride over the convex surface by the falling force that acts only when the handle 216 is tilted from the upright position.

FIG. 26 shows the structure of the slide locking member 212 facing the cam portion 211B of the connecting member 211. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 26, a support bracket 220 for supporting the slide locking member 212 is provided on the stationary portion of the housing of the full-color printer 1, and the support bracket 220 has the slide locking member 212. It is swingably supported.

The sliding lock member 212 is used for the support bracket 2
It is a swinging member capable of seesaw movement about a support shaft 212A provided on 20 as a fulcrum, and a spring 221 is stretched between one of the swing ends and a support bracket 220.

The other of the swinging ends of the sliding engagement member 212 is adapted to face the cam portion 211B of the connecting member 211 by the bias of the spring 221, and the end portion has a different diameter in the axial direction. The locking roller 222 and the guide roller 223 are coaxially arranged side by side.

The locking roller 222 is a roller which can be engaged with and disengaged from a locking slit (indicated by reference numerals 204F and 204F 'in FIG. 25) formed on the lower surface of the sliding member 204, and the guide roller 223 is It is a roller that can roll while contacting the cam portion 211B of the connecting member 211.

The slide locking member 212 is the guide roller 22.
3 can be swung in accordance with the state of facing the cam portion 211B of the connecting member 211, and when the convex portion 3 of the cam portion 211B faces the locking roller 222, the locking roller 222 is moved.
It is rocked in the direction to separate from the locking slit 04.

The locking slits 204F and 204F 'are
The holding member 41, 43, 44 is a portion that blocks the movement of the sliding member 204 in order to hold the holding member 41, 43, 44 at the storage position and the withdrawal position. The locking slit indicated by 'is for holding the drawn position.

On the other hand, in each of the holding members 41, 43 and 44, the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 located above and below the image bearing member holding member 41 are based on the moving direction of the image bearing member holding member 41. Can be vertically separated from each other, and is so-called vertically supported. now,
With respect to the image forming unit holding member 43 located at the lowermost position in the vertical direction, which is the juxtaposing direction of the respective holding members 41, 43, 44, the elevating and supporting structure thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 27 and 28. .

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the bottom of the image forming unit holding member 43 as seen from below. In FIG. 27, the bottom plate DS of the image forming unit holding member 43 is placed and fixed on the bottom plate receiving member 230, and the bottom plate is fixed. The receiving member 230 is attached to the inner rail 203B of the slide rail 203 by using a screw or the like (not shown).

The bottom plate receiving member 230 is provided with a sliding portion 230A composed of a hanging piece.
A sliding guide hole 230B having a longitudinal direction that is parallel to the moving direction of the image forming unit holding member 43 is formed therein.

In the vicinity of the sliding guide hole 230B, a damping device 233 composed of an elevating member 231 having a sliding pin 231A inserted into the sliding guide hole 230B and a damping member 232 is arranged.

The attenuator 233 is a device for changing the speed of the image forming unit holding member 43 when it is moved up and down.
In particular, it is a device for attenuating the velocity when descending.

The elevating member 231 provided in the damping device 233 is provided on the supporting member 231B and the supporting member 231B having the sliding pin 231A at one end in the elevating direction and having the elevating direction as the longitudinal direction. The rack 231C as a joining member is provided.

The damping member 232 is provided with a pinion that meshes with the rack 231C, and is provided with a structure capable of damping the speed in one direction only when the image forming unit holding member 43 is lowered, that is, the rotation of the pinion is transmitted. Inside the main body, the velocity is attenuated by changing the viscoelasticity when a fluid such as oil or air is used.

The damping characteristic when a fluid is used is set by the change in the reaction force (elasticity) caused by the flow rate of the fixed orifice provided in the damping member 232 or the variable orifice whose opening area can be changed. can do. That is, when the moving speed is high, the reaction force becomes large by increasing the flow rate that tries to pass through the orifice, and when the moving speed is low, the reaction force becomes small by decreasing the flow rate. . Therefore, the damping member 232 can change the damping force according to the moving speed of the image forming unit holding member 43. When the moving speed of the image forming unit holding member 43 is high, it means that the image forming unit holding member 43 is in the position where the lowering of the image forming unit holding member 43 starts to descend due to the potential energy, and the moving speed decreases as the lowering continues. Here, the damping member 232 has a characteristic that the speed is attenuated, that is, the moving speed is smaller at the end of the descent than at the start of the descent.

In the damping device 233, the moving speed of the unit is attenuated by the combination of the elevating member 231 having the longitudinal direction of the ascending / descending direction and the attenuating member 232. Therefore, when the unit descends, only so-called linear movement is required, and moments, etc. Since it is not generated, the damping output of the damping member 232 does not need to be large, and a small size can be prepared. In addition, in FIG. 27, reference numeral 234 indicates a support base of the damping device 233.

As a modification of the damping device, a change in the friction coefficient can be used instead of viscoelasticity. FIG. 28
Is a schematic diagram showing this case, in which the friction member 23 in which the widthwise dimension of the image forming unit holding member 43 becomes narrower along the direction in which the image forming unit holding member 43 descends.
5 is provided so that the speed at the end of the descent is made smaller than that at the start of the descent due to the change (which tends to increase) in the frictional resistance when the surface of the friction member 235 slides down when the image forming unit holding member 43 descends. May be.

According to this embodiment, each holding member 41,
43 and 44 can be moved from the storage position toward the pull-out position by swinging the operation handle 216 mounted on the sliding drive member 210 from the upright state to the fallen state. Carrier holding member 4
As shown in FIG. 4B, the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 can be vertically separated from each other with reference to 1. The operation will be described below.

FIG. 23 shows the holding members 41, 43 and 44 in the housing position of the full-color printer 1, and in this state, the operating handle 216 mounted on the sliding drive member 210. Is standing up.
In the upright state of the operation handle 216, the operation pin 217 on the operation bracket 215 side shown in FIG.
It is maintained by being locked by the locking surface 218B of 18.

When the side cover (not shown) of the housing is opened and the operating handle 216 is operated, the operating handle 216 starts to shift from the upright state to the lying state.
In the support device of the holding members 41, 43, and 44, as shown in FIG. 29, when an operating force greater than the elastic force of the spring 219 on the click member 218 side is applied to the operation handle 216, the operation on the operation bracket 215 side is performed. The pin 217 rides over the locking surface 218B of the click member 218.

When the operation pin 217 goes over the locking surface 218B of the click member 218 and comes into contact with the inner edge of the operation drive hole 213B on the downstream side in the drawing direction in the longitudinal direction, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 0, the operating handle 216 is further swung toward the lying position in this state, so that the connecting member 21
The drive pin 211C on the first side slides by an amount corresponding to the length of the long hole 211A in the longitudinal direction in conjunction with the swing of the swing bracket 213.

As shown in FIG. 30, the connecting member 2
Each of the holding members 41, 43 in the elongated hole 211A on the 11 side,
When the connecting pin 204D is in contact with the inner edge on the downstream side of the pulling-out direction of 44, the convex surface of the cam portion 211B is slidable locking member 2
12, the sliding locking member 212 causes the locking roller 222 to slide on the sliding member 20 by facing the guide roller 223.
4, the sliding member 204 swings in a direction to be released from the locking slit 204F, the state in which the sliding member 204 is restrained at the storage position is released, and the sliding member 204 can be slid toward the pull-out position.

FIG. 31 shows a state in which the operating handle 216 is further swung toward the lying position from the state shown in FIG. 30, and in this state, the operating handle 216 swings in conjunction with the swing of the operating handle 216. As the bracket 213 swings, the drive pin 211C abuts on the inner edge of the connecting drive hole 213A and the connecting pin 204D abuts on the inner edge of the elongated hole 211A on the downstream side in the drawing direction. As a result, the sliding member 204 starts moving in the pull-out direction in conjunction with the swing of the swing bracket 213.

When the sliding member 204 starts to move in the pull-out direction, the connecting pins 201C, 202C, 203C penetrating the sliding member 204 are interlocked with each other to support the base 20.
5 slides along the guide portions 205A, 205B, 205C, but the holding members 41, 43, 44 are moved in the horizontal direction while the sliding member 204 is moving a predetermined distance immediately after the start of movement. The drive path between the drive member mounted on the housing and the drive member on the housing side is cut off. Since the moving direction at this time is the horizontal direction, for example, if the driving members are structured to be fitted in the horizontal direction, the driving path can be easily cut off without receiving an external force other than that direction when moving, and No extra load is applied by moving in the fitting direction.

In FIG. 31, the connecting pins 201C, 202C and 203C are provided on the slide rail 202 on the side of the image carrier holding member 41 by setting the shape of each of the guide portions 205A, 205B and 205C of the support base 205. Based on the moving direction of the connecting pin 202C, the connecting pins 201C and 203C provided on the slide rails 201 and 203 on the transfer member holding member 44 side and the image forming unit holding member 43 side move in the vertical direction so as to be separated from each other. To do. The separation between the transfer member holding member 44 side and the image forming unit holding member 43 side in the up-down direction depends on the formation positions of the insertion holes 204A and 204B provided in the sliding member 204 and the longitudinal direction. , 44, the transfer member holding member 44 and the image forming unit holding member 43 are vertically separated from each other with the image carrier holding member 41 interposed therebetween without changing the relative positional relationship along the moving direction.

On the other hand, the connecting member 211 also moves toward the pulled-out position in conjunction with the movement of the sliding member 204, and at this time, the concave surface of the cam portion 211B causes the sliding locking member 2 to move.
Face the 12 guide rollers 223. As a result, in the sliding locking member 212, the locking roller 222 causes the sliding member 20 to move.
It swings in a direction in which it engages with the other 204F ′ of the locking slits provided in FIG. As a result, the sliding member 204 is held at the pulled-out position of the holding members 41, 43, 44.

In the state shown in FIG. 31, the connecting pins 201C, 202C, 203C are interlocked with the movement of the sliding member 204.
Respectively move by an amount corresponding to the moving stroke of the sliding member 204, whereby the connecting pin 201C,
Slide rail 2 to which 202C and 203C are fixed
Outer rails 201A, 202 of 01, 202, 203
A and 203A will move from the storage position toward the withdrawal position. As a result, the movement stroke of the entire slide rail can be increased as compared with the case where the outer rail is normally fixed and only the inner rail is moved. In this state, the outer rails 201A, 20A are moved from the edge of the support base 205 by the amount indicated by the symbol L in FIG.
2A and 203A correspond to the protruding state.

32 and 33, the state in which the image forming unit holding member 43 shown in FIG. 27 moves in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the movement of the sliding member 204 and the moving direction of the image carrier holding member 41 are used as references. It is a figure which respectively shows the state which descends as.

In FIG. 32, when the image forming unit holding member 43 moves in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the movement of the sliding member 204, the bottom plate receiving member DS also moves in the same direction (the direction indicated by arrow F in the drawing). The slide pin 231A of the elevating member 231 slides in the slide guide hole 210B on the damping device 233 side.

In FIG. 33, when the image forming unit holding member 43 descends in conjunction with the movement of the sliding member 204, the sliding portion 210A also descends in conjunction with the bottom plate receiving member DS descending (in the figure). , The direction indicated by arrow D), the elevating member 231 in which the slide pin 231A is inserted into the slide guide hole 210B is lowered (the direction indicated by arrow D ′ in the figure). At this time, the moving speed of the rack 231C included in the elevating member 231 is damped by the damping member 232 of the damping device 233.

In the present embodiment, when the image forming unit holding member 43 has its descending speed attenuated to reach the descending end position through the slide rail 203 and the image forming unit holding member 43 is drawn out to the pull-out position, the slide rail is moved. 201-
Of the holding members 41, 43, 44 housed in 203, the holding member to be replaced or to be inspected is brought to a position where the device can be taken out by pulling out the inner rails of the slide rails 201 to 203 from the outer rail. To be done.

When the holding members 41, 43, 44 are moved from the withdrawal position toward the storage position, the holding members 41, 43, 44 are positioned and held at the storage position by the procedure reverse to the above. be able to.

[0158]

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, a plurality of image bearing members are collectively held with play on the image bearing member holding member, and a plurality of image bearing unit holding members are held. The image forming units are collectively held, and each image carrier is positioned with respect to the device body in a state where the image carrier holding member is positioned at a predetermined position in the device body, and each image carrier thus positioned. Since each image forming unit is positioned relative to each other, it is not necessary to attach the holding members to each holding member accurately, and it is not necessary to pay attention to the attaching position when attaching / detaching even during maintenance / replacement work at the user level. It can be done very easily.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the image forming member holding member holding a plurality of image holding members and the image forming unit holding a plurality of image forming units are formed. By allowing the unit holding member to be separated by the contacting / separating mechanism in the main body of the apparatus, one contacting / separating mechanism can be provided between the holding members without providing a contacting / separating mechanism for each image carrier / image forming unit The contact / separation mechanism can be greatly simplified, and with a simple and inexpensive structure, the contact mark remains due to the constant contact between the image carrier and the image forming unit. The adverse effects of can be easily avoided.

According to the invention described in claim 4,
In addition to the effects of the invention described in 2 or 3, it can be suitably applied to the case of a so-called tandem type image forming apparatus. In addition, since the image carrier that has the same function and can be regarded as having almost the same life is detachably held by the image carrier holding member, it is possible to maintain the structure while maintaining the long life decomposition type. It becomes possible to collectively perform the replacement work etc. for each image carrier holding member unit, and it is possible to greatly improve the workability of the maintenance / replacement work etc.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 4, at the time of maintenance / replacement of the image carrier, it suffices to place it on the image carrier holding member from above, Workability can be improved.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 5, the image bearing members have the same function and the image forming units have the same function, and have a long life. Image carriers that can be considered to be substantially the same are collectively held by the image carrier holding member, and image forming units are collectively held by the image forming unit holding member. Since it can be pulled out freely, it is possible to perform maintenance / replacement work etc. for each image carrier holding member unit or image forming unit holding member unit while adopting a long-life disassembly type configuration. Workability such as maintenance and replacement work can be greatly improved.

According to the invention described in claims 7 and 8, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 6,
The image bearing member is held by the second image bearing member holding member, and each image bearing member is positioned in a state where each holding member is mounted in the main body of the apparatus. With respect to each image bearing member thus positioned, Since the second image bearing member is positioned, it is not necessary to attach it to each holding member accurately, and it is extremely easy to perform maintenance / replacement work at the user level without having to pay attention to the attachment position when attaching / detaching. Can be

According to the invention of claim 9, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 7 or 8, the image carrier holding member and the second
Since the image carrier holding member can be separated from the image carrier by the contact mechanism in the main body of the apparatus, contact between these image holding members and the second image carrier can be achieved without providing a contact mechanism. It is possible to use only the separation mechanism, and the contact / separation mechanism can be greatly simplified. The simple and inexpensive structure ensures that the image carrier and the second image carrier are always in contact with each other. It is possible to easily avoid an adverse effect such as a trace remaining.

According to the invention of claim 10, claim 9 is provided.
In addition to the effects of the invention described above, the interlocking mechanism simultaneously performs the separating operation of the image forming unit holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member and the separating operation of the second image carrier holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member. , The drive source etc. can be made common, and the contact / separation mechanism can be further simplified,
In addition, the control system does not need to be separately provided, and can be simplified.

According to the invention of claim 11, claim 7 is provided.
In addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of 1 to 10, image carriers that have the same function and can be regarded as having substantially the same life as image carriers, image forming units, and a second image carrier. The members are collectively held by the image carrier holding member, the image forming units are collectively held by the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier is held by the second image carrier holding member. Since it can be independently pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, the maintenance / replacement work and the like can be performed for each image carrier holding member, each image forming unit holding member, or the second image carrier while adopting a long-life disassembly type configuration. It becomes possible to collectively carry out one by one, and it is possible to greatly improve workability such as maintenance and replacement work.

According to the invention of claim 12, claim 1
In addition to the effect of the invention described in item 1, since the holding members that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body are all attached in the same attaching and detaching direction, the workability of the attaching and detaching operation can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 13, claim 1
In addition to the effect of the invention described in item 2, since the mounting and demounting directions of the image carrier, the image forming unit and the second image carrier are the same in the vertical direction, the workability of the mounting and demounting operation can be further improved.

According to the invention of claim 14, claim 7
In addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of 1 to 13, in order to enable double-sided color printing by, for example, a single pass, a third
Even in the case where the image carrier is provided, each of the second image carrier holding member and the third image carrier holding member is provided with a positioning portion, and the respective image carrying members are positioned by mutual engagement. With respect to the body, the image forming unit, and the second image carrier, it suffices to perform positioning with respect to each corresponding holding member, and it is possible to eliminate a complicated positioning mechanism individually.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a full-color printer showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an internal configuration of a modified example.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an opened state of the exterior cover.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an open state of the inner cover.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a drawn-out state of an image carrier holding member.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the photoconductor is removed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a drawn-out state of an image forming unit holding member.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a detached state of the image forming unit.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a drawn-out state of a transfer member holding member.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the intermediate transfer belt is removed.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an opened state of a belt holding member.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing a transfer belt detached state.

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional front view showing an example of a contacting / separating mechanism.

FIG. 16 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing a modified example of the contact / separation mechanism.

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing a positioning structure of an image carrier holding member.

FIG. 19 shows an example of a positioning structure of the image forming unit,
(A) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 20 is a schematic front view showing the positioning structure of the belt holding member.

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection relationship with an air conditioning unit as seen from the back side.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view showing a contacting / separating mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the device in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 24 is a schematic perspective view showing the sliding member and the sliding driving member.

FIG. 25 is a partial side view showing a connecting structure of a sliding member and a sliding driving member.

FIG. 26 is a partial perspective view showing a part of the configuration of FIG. 25 seen obliquely from above.

FIG. 27 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration example of a damping device.

FIG. 28 is a schematic view showing a modified example of the damping device.

FIG. 29 is a partial side view showing the initial stage of the drawing operation.

FIG. 30 is a partial side view showing the middle stage of the pull-out operation in which the operation handle is further tilted.

FIG. 31 is a partial side view showing the final stage of the pull-out operation in which the operation handle is further tilted.

FIG. 32 is a schematic perspective view showing an initial stage of the damping device.

FIG. 33 is a schematic perspective view showing the final stage of the damping device.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 device body 3 Image carrier 12 Second image carrier 41 Image carrier holding member 42 Imaging unit 43 Image forming unit holding member 44 Second image carrier holding member

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H171 FA02 FA03 FA09 FA15 GA06                       GA11 HA06 HA15 HA23 JA02                       JA03 JA06 JA08 JA20 JA23                       JA27 JA29 JA31 JA39 JA48                       JA52 KA05 KA06 KA16 KA18                       KA22 KA23 KA25 KA26 KA29                       QB03 QB15 QB18 QB32 QC05                       QC22 QC36 SA08 SA11 SA14                       SA15 SA18 SA19 SA22 SA26                       SA37                 2H300 EA01 EA05 EA06 EA07 EB04                       EB07 EB12 EB24 EC05 EC13                       EF03 EH16 EJ09 EJ47 EK03                       GG02 GG33 HH02 HH03 HH12                       HH17 HH24 HH28

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of image bearing members, an image bearing member holding member for holding the plurality of image bearing members together with play, and an operation including at least a developing process for each of the image bearing members. A plurality of image forming units for performing image processing and an image forming unit holding member for collectively holding the plurality of image forming units are provided, and the image carrier holding member is located at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body. In this state, each of the image carriers is positioned with respect to the apparatus main body, and each of the image forming units held by the image forming unit holding member is positioned with respect to each of the positioned image carriers. Image forming apparatus. 2. An image carrier holding member regulating member for positioning the image carrier holding member at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body, and each of the image carriers on the image carrier holding member at the predetermined position. An image carrier positioning mechanism for positioning with respect to the apparatus main body, and an image forming unit for positioning each of the image forming units held by the image forming unit holding member with respect to each of the positioned image carrier The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning mechanism. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a contacting / separating mechanism that separates the image carrier holding member and the image forming unit holding member inside the apparatus main body. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image bearing members are arranged in parallel with the image bearing member holding member and are detachably held. 5. The image carrier is detachably mounted on the image carrier holding member from above.
The image forming apparatus described. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the image carrier holding member and the image forming unit holding member is retractable with respect to the apparatus main body. 7. A second image carrier, which is provided in common to each of the image carriers and onto which an image carried by each of the image carriers is transferred, and a second image carrier which holds the second image carrier. An image carrier holding member,
7. The image according to claim 1, further comprising: a second image carrier held by the second image carrier holding member with respect to each of the positioned image carriers. Forming equipment. 8. A second image carrier positioning mechanism for positioning the second image carrier held by the second image carrier holding member with respect to each of the positioned image carriers. 7. The image forming apparatus according to item 7. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a contacting / separating mechanism that separates the image carrier holding member and the second image carrier holding member from each other inside the apparatus body. 10. An interlocking mechanism for simultaneously performing a separating operation of the image forming unit holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member and a separating operation of the second image carrier holding member with respect to the image carrier holding member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9. 11. The image according to claim 7, wherein the image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier holding member can be drawn out from the apparatus main body. Forming equipment. 12. The attaching / detaching directions of the image carrier, the image forming unit and the second image carrier, which are respectively held by the image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier holding member, The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, which are the same. 13. The image carrier holding member, the image forming unit holding member, and the second image carrier holding member are drawn out in a horizontal direction, and the image carrier, the image forming unit, and the second image are drawn. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the carrier is attached and detached in the same vertical direction. 14. A third image bearing member to which an image on the second image bearing member is transferred, and a third image bearing member holding member holding the third image bearing member, the second image bearing member. The carrier holding member and the third image carrier holding member each have a positioning portion, and the positioning portion of the third image carrier holding member is engaged with the positioning portion of the second image carrier holding member. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 13, wherein the positioning is performed by combining them.