JP2007083517A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

In an image forming apparatus, there is no need to provide a special member for holding a scanner unit during an ink cartridge replacement operation, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced. The ink cartridge can be easily replaced by a procedure.
A scanner unit 20 is rotatably supported above a printer housing 10 of a printer unit 30. An ink cartridge 33 is fixed to a carriage 32 disposed inside the printer housing 10 by a cartridge fixing member 34 having an engaging claw 34 a at one end and being pivotally supported by the carriage 32 at the other end. The ink cartridge 33 rotates the scanner unit 20 upward, rotates the cartridge fixing member 34, and engages the engagement protrusion 25 and the engagement claw 34 a on the bottom surface of the scanner housing 10 b to move the scanner unit 20. Replaced by holding. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a special member for holding the scanner unit 20.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that has an image reading function and forms an image on a recording sheet by an inkjet method.

  Conventionally, a scanner unit having a function of reading a document as image data, and an image on a recording sheet based on image data arranged under the scanner unit and read by the scanner unit or image data input from the outside. There is known an image forming apparatus provided with a printer unit that forms the image. As such an image forming apparatus, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, an image is formed on a recording paper by a so-called ink jet method in which ink stored in an ink cartridge is ejected from a recording head onto the recording paper. There is something to do.

  In the ink jet type image forming apparatus, when the ink in the ink cartridge becomes empty, it is necessary to replace the ink cartridge with a new one. As an ink jet type image forming apparatus having a scanner unit above the printer unit as described above, by moving the scanner unit upward and exposing the ink cartridge from the upper surface of the printer housing, Some ink cartridges are configured to be replaced.

  6 and 7 show an example of a conventional image forming apparatus in which the ink cartridge is replaced as described above. The image forming apparatus 81 is placed on the upper document table 821 on the upper part of the printer unit 830 using a sensor unit (not shown) equipped with an image sensor such as CIS (Contact Image Sensor). A scanner unit 820 for reading a document as image data is provided. The scanner unit 820 is pivotally supported on the printer housing 810a by a hinge unit 814 at the upper rear portion of the printer housing 810a. As shown in FIG. 6, an opening 815 is provided on the upper surface of the printer housing 810a. The image forming apparatus 81 performs an operation of forming an image on a recording sheet in a closed state in which the scanner housing 810b of the scanner unit 820 covers the opening 815.

  A printer engine is housed in the printer casing 810a, and a carriage 832 on which an ink cartridge 833 is mounted is disposed so as to be capable of reciprocating in the main scanning direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 6). The carriage 832 is provided with an arm-shaped cartridge fixing member 834 having one end pivotally supported and the other end locked to the carriage 832, and the ink cartridge 833 is attached to the carriage 832 by the cartridge fixing member 834. It is fixed so that it can be pressed down.

  In this image forming apparatus 81, the ink cartridge 833 is replaced by exposing the opening 815 of the printer housing 810a. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the front side of the scanner unit 820 is opened upward with respect to the printer housing 810a, and the engagement between the cartridge fixing member 834 and the carriage 832 is released. Thus, the ink cartridge 833 is inserted into and removed from the carriage 832 through the opening 815 and replaced. Here, as described above, the scanner unit 820 contains, for example, a glass document table 821, a sensor unit, a motor (not shown) for driving the sensor unit, and the like, and has a weight. It is heavy. For this reason, in this image forming apparatus 81, one end is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the scanner unit 820, and the other end can be engaged with an engaging portion (not shown) on the top surface of the printer housing 810a. The stand arm 850 is formed.

When the scanner unit 820 is in the closed state, the stand arm 850 is housed inside the printer housing 810a as indicated by a broken line in FIG. When the ink cartridge 833 is replaced, the scanner unit 820 is rotated by the user to open the scanner unit 820. At the same time, the stand arm 850 is pulled out from the inside of the printer housing 810a. The other end engages with an engaging portion on the upper surface of the printer casing 810a. That is, when the scanner unit 820 is in the open state, the stand arm 850 is disposed so as to hold the scanner unit 820 between the bottom surface of the scanner unit 820 and the top surface of the printer housing 810a. Accordingly, the user can easily replace the ink cartridge 833 in a state where the scanner unit 820 is fixed in an open state inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the upper surface of the printer housing 810a. When the ink cartridge 833 is replaced, the user's operation releases the engagement between the stand arm 850 and the upper surface of the printer casing 810a, and the scanner unit 820 becomes rotatable again. Then, the scanner unit 820 is returned to the closed state, and an operation for forming an image on the recording paper can be performed again.
JP 2003-285964 A

  However, in such an image forming apparatus 81, since the stand arm 850 is used to fix the scanner unit 820 in the open state, the parts cost is increased, and the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus 81 is increased. There is. Furthermore, since it is necessary to provide a storage space for storing the stand arm 850 when the scanner unit 820 is in the closed state in the printer housing 810a, it is difficult to reduce the size of the image forming apparatus 81. There's a problem. Further, as described above, when the ink cartridge 833 is replaced, after the ink cartridge 833 mounted on the carriage 832 is fixed using the cartridge fixing member 834, the user engages the stand arm 850 with the upper surface of the printer housing 810a. If is not released, the scanner unit 820 is closed and the image forming apparatus 81 cannot be used. For this reason, the replacement work of the ink cartridge 833 has many procedures and is troublesome. In Patent Document 1 described above, the ink cartridge is disposed below the tray from which the recording paper is discharged, and the ink cartridge can be easily replaced by providing a member that urges the tray upward. A recording apparatus which can be performed in the above is described. However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose an effective solution to the above-described problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is not necessary to provide a special member for holding the scanner unit, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which an ink cartridge can be easily replaced by a procedure.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is an ink jet printer unit that forms an image by applying ink onto recording paper conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction; A scanner unit that is disposed at an upper part of the printer unit and reads a document placed on a document table in a predetermined direction, and the casing of the scanner unit is rotatable on the back side of the casing of the printer unit. The upper front side of the housing of the printer unit is opened by lifting the front side of the housing of the scanner unit upward, and in this state, the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced. In a possible image forming apparatus, the carriage is rotatably supported in the vicinity of the rear end thereof, and an arm for pressing and fixing the ink cartridge to the carriage The cartridge fixing member is an engaging claw formed in the vicinity of one end of the arm shape separated from the portion pivotally supported by the carriage, and the engaging claw moves upward. And a support part that comes into contact with the upper surface of the casing of the printer unit when the cartridge fixing member is rotated. When the ink cartridge is replaced, the cartridge fixing member is rotated so that the engagement claw moves upward, and the support portion and the upper surface of the casing of the printer portion are in contact with each other, The housing of the scanner unit is held by engaging the engaging claw and the engaging protrusion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet type printer unit that forms an image by applying ink on recording paper conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction, and is disposed above the printer unit. A scanner unit that reads a document placed on a document table in a predetermined direction, and the casing of the scanner unit is rotatably supported on the back side of the casing of the printer unit, In the image forming apparatus in which the upper front side of the casing of the printer unit is opened by lifting the front side of the casing of the scanner unit upward, and in this state, the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced The carriage is rotatably supported in the vicinity of the rear end thereof, and includes a cartridge fixing member that presses and fixes the ink cartridge to the carriage. When the ink cartridge is replaced, the cartridge fixing member is rotated in a predetermined direction, and the cartridge fixing member is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the scanner unit casing, thereby holding the casing of the scanner unit. It is.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the cartridge fixing member has an engaging claw formed at a position away from a position pivotally supported by the carriage, and the housing of the scanner section. Engaging protrusions are formed on the bottom surface of the body, and when replacing the ink cartridge, the cartridge fixing member is rotated so that the engaging claws move upward, and the engaging claws, the engaging protrusions, By engaging the housing, the housing of the scanner unit is held.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the upper front side of the housing of the printer unit is opened by rotating the scanner unit, the engaging claw and the engaging projection of the cartridge fixing member are engaged to move the scanner unit. Therefore, the scanner unit can be reliably held by using the member for holding the scanner unit also as the member for fixing the ink cartridge. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a special member such as an arm stand to hold the scanner unit, the number of parts can be reduced, the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus can be reduced, and the scanner unit can be held. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a space for housing the members in the printer housing, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized. In addition, when the ink cartridge is replaced, after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the engagement protrusion of the scanner unit and the engagement claw of the cartridge fixing member are released, and the engagement claw is fixed to the carriage as it is. The operation of fixing the ink cartridge to the carriage and the operation of releasing the holding of the scanner unit can be performed at the same time, and the replacement work can be easily performed with a small number of procedures. Further, a support portion is formed on the upper portion of the cartridge fixing member, and the support portion and the upper surface of the printer housing are in contact with each other when the engaging claw and the engaging protrusion are engaged to hold the scanner portion. Thus, the force for holding the scanner unit can be distributed and handled by both the printer housing and the carriage, and the scanner unit can be held more reliably.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the scanner unit is rotated to expose the opening, the cartridge fixing member and the bottom surface of the scanner unit are brought into contact with each other. Therefore, the member for holding the scanner unit is used as the ink cartridge. It is possible to hold the scanner unit also as a member for fixing the scanner. Accordingly, as described above, the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized. When replacing the ink cartridge, after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage, the engagement between the bottom surface of the scanner unit and the engaging claw of the cartridge fixing member is released and the engaging claw is fixed to the carriage as it is. In the same manner as described above, the replacement work can be easily performed with few procedures.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the engaging projection is formed on the bottom surface of the scanner portion, and the engaging claw of the cartridge fixing member is engaged with the engaging projection, so that the cartridge fixing member and the scanner portion are connected to each other. It is possible to more reliably engage and hold the scanner unit more reliably.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 includes a printer unit 30 and a scanner unit 20 that is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the printer housing 10 and has a function of reading a document as image data. The printer housing 10 includes a printer engine that forms an image on the recording paper P based on image data read by the scanner unit 20 or image data input from the outside. Behind the printer housing 10 is a paper feed tray 11 on which recording paper P conveyed to the printer unit 30 is loaded, as will be described later. Disposed below the front surface of the printer housing 10 is a paper discharge tray 12 from which the recording paper P on which an image is formed by the printer unit 30 is discharged. The upper surface of the scanner unit 20 is covered with a document table cover 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the scanner unit 20 and the document table cover 13 are pivotally supported on a hinge unit 14 on the back side of the printer housing 10 so as to be rotatable with respect to the printer housing 10.

  An operation panel 40 having an operation button (not shown) such as a power button that can be operated from the outside is provided on a part of the front side of the upper surface of the scanner housing 10 b of the scanner unit 20. In the image forming apparatus 1, the operation panel 40 is operated from the outside, and a signal is sent from the operation panel 40 to, for example, a control unit (not shown) housed inside the printer housing 10 to be described later. The operations of the printer 20 and the printer unit 30 are controlled by the control unit.

  FIG. 3 shows the image forming apparatus 1 when the scanner unit 20 is rotated upward to open the upper front side of the printer housing 10. As shown in the drawing, an opening 15 that is exposed to the outside when the scanner unit 20 is in an open state is provided at the center of the upper surface of the printer housing 10. That is, the opening 15 is in a state of being covered by the scanner housing 10b of the scanner unit 20 when the scanner unit 20 is in a closed state such that the scanner unit 20 is in close contact with the printer housing 10 as shown in FIGS. Is. The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with an open / close sensor (not shown) that detects whether the scanner unit 20 is open and transmits a signal to the control unit.

  The scanner unit 20 includes an original platen 21 made of a translucent member such as a glass plate mounted on the upper part, a scan unit (not shown) on which an image sensor such as a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) is mounted, and a motor, for example. And a drive mechanism 22 that moves the scan unit along the inner surface of the document table 21 by driving a belt or the like attached to the scan unit. As shown in FIG. 3, the main scanning direction (the direction of arrow A) of the printer unit 30 is located at the substantially central portion of the bottom surface of the scanner unit 20 that faces the opening 15 when the scanner unit 20 is in the closed state. An engagement protrusion 25 having a predetermined length is formed on the front.

  When the scanner unit 20 is used, the document is placed so as to be pressed against the upper surface of the document table 21 by the document table cover 13. The scanner unit 20 performs a scanning operation of capturing and scanning the document placed on the document table 21 as described above while scanning and scanning the document while moving the scan unit along the inner surface of the document table 21. The image data read by the scanner unit 20 is stored in, for example, the memory of the control unit, and is printed as an image on the recording paper P by the printer unit 30 as described later, or connected to the image forming apparatus 1, for example. Or sent to an external personal computer.

  The printer unit 30 forms an image by applying ink on the recording paper P by a so-called inkjet method. The printer engine inside the printer housing 10 includes a shaft 31, a carriage 32 slidably held on the shaft 31, an ink cartridge 33 mounted on the carriage 32, and an engaging claw 34 a near one end. A cartridge fixing member 34 which is an arm-like member whose other end is pivotally supported on the upper rear portion of the carriage 32, a fixing lever 35 whose one end is pivotally supported on the lower front portion of the carriage 32, and a motor (not shown), for example. By driving a roller (not shown) to drive the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 3) perpendicular to the main scanning direction, for example, by a motor (not shown) A driving mechanism 3 that drives the carriage 32 as will be described later by driving a belt (not shown) or the like connected to the carriage 32. It is equipped with a door.

  The shaft 31 is arranged inside the printer housing 10 so that the longitudinal direction is the main scanning direction. The carriage 32 is configured to be movable in the main scanning direction along the shaft 31 by being held by the shaft 31. The carriage 32 has a space (not shown) in which an ink cartridge 33 is mounted, which is open upward.

  The ink cartridge 33 has an ink tank (not shown) for storing ink therein. Further, on the bottom surface of the ink cartridge 33, a recording head for forming an image on the recording paper P by discharging ink stored in the ink tank is provided. In the present embodiment, the carriage 32 is mounted with one ink cartridge 33 that stores, for example, four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black in an ink tank. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to be able to form images of various colors on the recording paper P using these four colors of ink. The ink stored in the ink tank is not limited to this, and the ink cartridge 33 stores, for example, only black ink, or stores various types of color inks together. It may be. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 is not limited to the one in which only one ink cartridge 33 is mounted on the carriage 32. For example, a plurality of ink cartridges each storing one different color ink are stored. It may be mounted on the carriage 32.

  The cartridge fixing member 34 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface of the ink cartridge 33 mounted on the carriage 32 while being fixed to the carriage 32. Two engaging claws 34a are projected from the vicinity of one end of the cartridge fixing member 34 so as to be forward when fixed to the carriage 32 in the main scanning direction. The other end of the cartridge fixing member 34 is pivotally supported by the carriage 32 so that the rotation shaft 32a is substantially horizontal. When the engaging claw 34a is not fixed as will be described later, the cartridge fixing member 34 rotates with respect to the carriage 32. It is provided so that it can move freely. For example, a rib-shaped holding projection (supporting portion) 34 b is formed on a portion of the cartridge fixing member 34 that becomes an upper surface when the cartridge fixing member 34 is fixed to the carriage 32.

  The fixed lever 35 that is pivotally supported on the front surface of the carriage 32 is formed with a notch 35a that engages with the engaging claw 34a. In the state where the cartridge fixing member 34 covers the upper surface of the ink cartridge 33 mounted on the carriage 32, the fixing lever 35 is rotated to engage the engaging claw 34a and the cutout portion 35a. The engaging claw 34 a is fixed to the carriage 32 by being fixed on the front side of the carriage 32. At this time, the upper surface of the ink cartridge 33 mounted on the carriage 32 is pressed downward by the cartridge fixing member 34, and the ink cartridge 33 is pressed against the carriage 32 and fixed. The image forming apparatus 1 fixes the ink cartridge 33 in this manner and eliminates rattling between the ink cartridge 33 and the carriage 32, so that a higher-quality recording is performed when a printing operation is performed as described later. An image can be formed on the paper P.

  Next, a printing operation for forming an image on the recording paper P of the printer unit 30 will be described. First, the recording paper P loaded in the paper feed tray 11 is conveyed by the recording paper conveyance mechanism 36 into the printer housing 10 in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the carriage 32 is driven by the drive mechanism 37 so as to reciprocate in the main scanning direction. Thus, when the carriage 32 is moved in the main scanning direction, ink is appropriately ejected from the recording head of the ink cartridge 33, whereby an image having a predetermined width is formed on the recording paper P in the main scanning direction. An image is formed on the recording paper P by repeating the formation of an image having a predetermined width in the main scanning direction while transporting the recording paper P in the sub-scanning direction. When the image is formed, the recording paper P is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 12, and the printing operation is completed. In this embodiment, the carriage 32 is moved to the home position near one end in the main scanning direction when the printing operation is not performed or the power is turned off. Then, the recording head is capped so that dust or the like does not adhere to the recording head or the ink does not dry and the recording head is clogged.

  Here, in the image forming apparatus 1, when the ink in the ink tank is consumed by repeating the above-described printing operation, the user replaces the ink cartridge 33. The procedure for replacing the ink cartridge 33 will be described below.

  First, the user rotates the scanner unit 20 so that the front side of the scanner unit 20 is away from the printer unit 30 from the closed state as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Let open. At this time, the open / close sensor detects that the scanner unit 20 is in an open state, and the carriage 32 positioned at the home position is moved to the approximate center of the main scanning direction by the drive mechanism 37 by the control unit as shown in FIG. . That is, when the scanner unit 20 is rotated, the opening 15 is exposed to the outside, and the carriage 32 is exposed to the outside through the opening 15.

  Next, with the user holding the scanner unit 20 in the open state, the user operates the fixing lever 35 to release the engagement between the engaging claw 34 a and the notch 35 a of the fixing lever 35. Accordingly, the cartridge fixing member 34 is rotatable with respect to the carriage 32, and the fixing of the ink cartridge 33 to the carriage 32 is released. Then, the user rotates the cartridge fixing member 34 to move the engagement claw 34a upward, and the tip of the engagement claw 34a is moved to the engagement protrusion on the bottom surface of the scanner unit 20 as shown in FIGS. 25 is engaged. Since the engaging claw 34a and the engaging protrusion 25 are engaged in this way, the scanner unit 20 is held by the cartridge fixing member 34 with the opening 15 exposed to the outside. .

  In the image forming apparatus 1, the holding protrusion 34 b formed on the upper surface of the cartridge fixing member 34 is in contact with the upper surface of the printer housing 10 when the scanner unit 20 is held as described above. Thus, the force for holding the scanner unit 20 can be distributed and handled by the carriage 32 on which the cartridge fixing member 34 is pivotally supported and the printer housing 10. At this time, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge fixing member 34 is configured so that the rotation shaft 32a and the engaging claw 34a are aligned in a substantially vertical direction. Thereby, even if the distance between the engaging claw 34a of the cartridge fixing member 34 and the rotating shaft 32a is short, the scanner unit 20 is fixed in a state of being largely rotated from the closed state, and the periphery of the opening 15 is widened to the outside. Further, a downward force is mainly applied to the rotating shaft 32a so that the carriage 32 can easily handle the force for holding the scanner unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the scanner unit 20 is held by the cartridge fixing member 34 as described above, the ink cartridge 33 can be removed from the carriage 32 through the opening 15 by opening the upper portion of the carriage 32. It becomes a state. In other words, the user can replace the ink cartridge 33 mounted on the carriage 32 with another one immediately after holding the scanner unit 20. When the ink cartridge 33 is replaced, the user again holds the scanner unit 20 by himself / herself and releases the engagement between the engagement claw 34 a and the engagement protrusion 25. Then, the cartridge fixing member 34 is rotated to engage the engaging claw 34 a with the notch 35 a of the fixing lever 35, thereby fixing the replaced ink cartridge 33 while being pressed against the carriage 32. Thereafter, the scanner unit 20 is rotated to the closed state, whereby the replacement operation of the ink cartridge 33 is completed, and the printing operation can be performed. In this embodiment, the carriage 32 is again moved to the home position and the recording head is capped when the replacement operation is completed. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the scanner unit 20 is rotated to expose the opening 15, the engaging claw 34 a of the cartridge fixing member 34 and the engaging protrusion 25 are engaged with each other. The member 34 and the scanner unit 20 are more reliably engaged, and the member for holding the scanner unit 20 can also be used as the member for fixing the ink cartridge 33 to hold the scanner unit 20 reliably. It becomes. Accordingly, the number of parts constituting the image forming apparatus 1 is reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a space for housing a member for holding the scanner unit 20 in the printer housing 10, the image forming apparatus 1 can be downsized.

  Further, when the ink cartridge 33 is replaced, after the ink cartridge 33 is mounted on the carriage 32, the engagement between the engagement protrusion 25 of the scanner unit 20 and the engagement claw 34a of the cartridge fixing member 34 is released, and the engagement is performed as it is. Since the claw 34a is fixed to the carriage 32, the operation of fixing the ink cartridge 33 to the carriage 32 and the operation of releasing the holding of the scanner unit 20 can be performed at the same time, and the replacement work can be easily performed with few procedures. It becomes possible. Further, in the image forming apparatus 1, when the engagement claw 34 a and the engagement protrusion 25 are engaged to hold the scanner unit 20, a force for holding the scanner unit 20 is applied to the printer housing 10 and the carriage 32. Therefore, the scanner unit 20 can be held more reliably.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible suitably in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, the engagement protrusion 25 may not be provided on the bottom surface of the scanner unit 20, and when the scanner unit 20 is opened, the cartridge fixing member 34 is rotated to engage the engagement claw 34a and the scanner unit. The scanner unit 20 can be configured to be held by engaging (contacting) a part of the bottom surface of the 20 with a step or the like. In addition, the cartridge fixing member 34 may not be provided with the holding protrusion 34b. At this time, the scanner unit 20 can be held by the carriage 32 via the cartridge fixing member 34. In this way, by holding the scanner unit 20 using the cartridge fixing member 34, the manufacturing cost of the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced, the size can be reduced, and ink can be easily obtained with fewer steps. The cartridge 33 can be exchanged.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The side view of an apparatus same as the above. The perspective view which shows when a scanner part is made into an open state in the apparatus same as the above. The perspective view which shows a cartridge fixing member when hold | maintaining a scanner part in an open state in the apparatus same as the above. The side view which shows when a scanner part is hold | maintained in an open state in the apparatus same as the above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a scanner unit is held in an open state in a conventional image forming apparatus. The side view which shows when a scanner part is hold | maintained in an open state in the apparatus same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 10a Printer housing | casing 10b Scanner housing | casing 20 Scanner part 21 Document stand 30 Printer part 32 Carriage 33 Ink cartridge 34 Cartridge fixing member 34a Engagement claw 34b Holding protrusion (support part)
A Main scanning direction B Sub scanning direction P Recording paper

Claims (3)

An ink jet printer unit that forms an image by applying ink onto recording paper conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction;
A scanner unit that is disposed at an upper part of the printer unit and reads a document placed on a document table in a predetermined direction;
The scanner unit casing is rotatably supported on the back side of the printer unit casing, and the front side of the scanner unit casing is lifted upward so that the casing of the printer unit is supported. In the image forming apparatus in which the upper front side of the ink cartridge is opened and the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced in this state,
The carriage includes a cartridge fixing member that is rotatably supported near the rear end and is an arm-shaped member that presses and fixes the ink cartridge to the carriage.
The cartridge fixing member includes an engaging claw formed in the vicinity of one end of the arm shape separated from the portion pivotally supported by the carriage, and the cartridge fixing member rotated so that the engaging claw moves upward. And a support part that comes into contact with the upper surface of the casing of the printer part,
An engagement protrusion is formed on the bottom surface of the housing of the scanner unit,
When replacing the ink cartridge, the cartridge fixing member is rotated so that the engaging claw moves upward, and the engaging claw and the upper surface of the casing of the printer unit are in contact with each other. An image forming apparatus, wherein the housing of the scanner unit is held by engaging with an engaging protrusion. An ink jet printer unit that forms an image by applying ink onto recording paper conveyed in the sub-scanning direction while moving the carriage in the main scanning direction;
A scanner unit that is disposed at an upper part of the printer unit and reads a document placed on a document table in a predetermined direction;
The scanner unit casing is rotatably supported on the back side of the printer unit casing, and the front side of the scanner unit casing is lifted upward so that the casing of the printer unit is supported. In the image forming apparatus in which the upper front side of the ink cartridge is opened and the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage can be replaced in this state,
The carriage includes a cartridge fixing member that is rotatably supported in the vicinity of the rear end and presses and fixes the ink cartridge to the carriage.
When replacing the ink cartridge, the housing of the scanner unit is held by rotating the cartridge fixing member in a predetermined direction and bringing the cartridge fixing member into contact with the bottom surface of the housing of the scanner unit. An image forming apparatus. The cartridge fixing member has an engaging claw formed at a part away from a part pivotally supported by the carriage,
An engagement protrusion is formed on the bottom surface of the housing of the scanner unit,
When replacing the ink cartridge, the cartridge fixing member is rotated so that the engaging claw moves upward, and the engaging claw and the engaging protrusion are engaged with each other, thereby holding the housing of the scanner unit. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.

Images