JP2011007841A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which suppresses downward deflection of an opening/closing door when the opening/closing door is rotated even when paper are stacked on a tray of the opening/closing door.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with: an opening/closing door 200 partially opening a conveying path for the image forming apparatus 100; and an engagement section 222 for engaging the image forming apparatus 100 and the opening/closing door 200. The opening/closing door 200 has a rotary shaft 210 arranged in the perpendicular direction, a handle section 220 for rotating the opening/closing door 200 with the rotary axis 210 as the center, and the paper discharge tray 93 for stacking the paper. The handle section 220 has a section to be engaged 221 which can be engaged with the engaging section 222, and the engagement with the engaging section 222 is released by being moved up from below.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an opening / closing door that is rotatable in a horizontal direction.

  When a jam or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to open the door and remove the jammed paper. In a conventional image forming apparatus, there are cases where the handle portion used when opening the opening / closing door and the handle portion provided on the manual feed tray are located in the vicinity of each other. there were.

  In view of this, even in the above case, a technique for preventing erroneous operations from each other has been disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-173125 A

  As described above, when a jam or the like occurs in the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to open the opening / closing door. In this case, the conveyance path is opened by rotating in the horizontal direction around the axis arranged in the vertical direction to open the door. In some cases, the opening / closing door is provided with a paper feed tray or a paper discharge tray, and sheets may be stacked on the tray. In this case, when the door is rotated, the door is bent downward by the weight of the paper loaded on the tray, and when the door is rotated, the door is in contact with the door provided on the lower side of the door. was there. This problem cannot be solved by the conventional technology such as Patent Document 1.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the downward bending of the opening / closing door when the opening / closing door rotates even in a state where sheets are stacked on a tray provided in the opening / closing door. Is to provide.

  The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an opening / closing door that opens a part of the conveyance path of the image forming apparatus main body, and an engaging portion that engages the image forming apparatus main body and the opening / closing door. The open / close door includes a rotary shaft arranged in a vertical direction, a handle portion for rotating the open / close door around the rotary shaft, and a tray for stacking sheets. The handle portion has an engaged portion that can be engaged with the engaging portion, and the engagement with the engaging portion is released by moving upward from below.

  Moving from below to above is a concept that includes not only movement in the vertical direction but also movement other than the horizontal direction, for example, obliquely upward. With this configuration, an upward force is applied to the open / close door.

  In this configuration, when the user rotates the door, the user naturally supports a part of the weight of the door. Therefore, even when sheets are stacked on the tray provided in the opening / closing door, it is possible to suppress the downward bending of the opening / closing door when the opening / closing door rotates. Therefore, even when the opening / closing door provided on the lower side of the opening / closing door is opened, the opening / closing doors do not contact each other.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention can suppress the downward deflection of the opening / closing door when the opening / closing door rotates even in a state where sheets are stacked on a tray provided in the opening / closing door.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an opening / closing door of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an opening / closing door of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a handle portion of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is rotated.

  Hereinafter, a sheet conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 100 forms a multi-color or single-color image on a predetermined sheet (recording paper) in accordance with image data transmitted from the outside. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a document processing device 120, a paper feeding unit 80, an image forming unit 110, and a paper discharge unit 90.

  The document processing device 120 includes a document placement table 121, a document transport device 122, and a document reading unit 123. The document placing table 121 is made of transparent glass and is configured to be able to place a document. The document transport device 122 transports the documents stacked on the document tray one by one. Further, the document conveying device 122 is configured to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow 124, and the document can be placed on the document placing table 121 by opening the document placing table 121. The document reading unit 123 reads a document being transported by the document transport device 121 or a document placed on the document placing table 122.

  The paper feed unit 80 is provided with a paper feed cassette 81, a manual paper feed cassette 82, a pickup roller 83, and a pickup roller 84. The paper feed cassette 81 is a tray for storing regular sheets. The manual paper feed cassette 82 is a tray on which an irregular sheet can be placed. The pickup roller 83 is provided near the end of the paper feed cassette 81, picks up sheets one by one from the paper feed cassette 81, and supplies them to the paper transport path 101. Similarly, the pickup roller 84 is provided in the vicinity of the end of the manual paper feed cassette 82, picks up sheets one by one from the manual paper feed cassette 82, and supplies them to the paper transport path 101.

  The image forming unit 110 includes image forming stations 31, 32, 33, 34, an exposure unit 30, an intermediate transfer belt unit 50, and a fixing unit 70. Each of the image forming stations 31, 32, 33, and 34 is provided with a photosensitive drum 10, a charger 20, a developing device 40, and a cleaner unit 60. Black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and magenta (M) are provided. This corresponds to a color image using each color of yellow (Y). In the present embodiment, the image forming station 31 will be described.

  The photoconductor drum 10 is rotated when an image is formed and carries a developer image. Around the photosensitive drum 10, the charger 20, the exposure unit 30, the developing device 40, the intermediate transfer belt unit 50, and the cleaner unit 60 are arranged in this order from the upstream in the rotation direction. The fixing unit 70 is positioned on the most downstream side of the image forming unit 110 on the conveyance path 101.

  The charger 20 is a charging means for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 to a predetermined potential. In addition to the charger type as shown in FIG. 1, a contact type roller type or brush type charger is used. Sometimes used.

  The exposure unit 30 has a function of forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data on the surface thereof by exposing the charged photosensitive drum 10 according to the input image data. The exposure unit 30 is configured as a laser scanning unit (LSU) provided with a laser emitting portion, a reflection mirror, and the like. The exposure unit 30 includes a polygon mirror that scans the laser beam and optical elements such as a lens and a mirror that guide the laser beam reflected by the polygon mirror to the photosensitive drum 10. As the exposure unit 30, for example, a method using an EL or LED writing head in which other light emitting elements are arranged in an array can be employed.

  The developing device 40 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 with toner.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 50 includes an intermediate transfer belt 51, an intermediate transfer belt drive roller 52, an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 53, an intermediate transfer roller 54, and an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 55.

  The intermediate transfer belt driving roller 52, the intermediate transfer belt driven roller 53, and the intermediate transfer roller 54 are driven to rotate while the intermediate transfer belt 51 is stretched. Further, the intermediate transfer roller 54 gives a transfer bias for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum 10 onto the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  The intermediate transfer belt 51 is provided in contact with the photosensitive drum 10. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 51, thereby forming a toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 51. The intermediate transfer belt 51 is formed in an endless shape using, for example, a film having a thickness of about 100 μm to 150 μm.

  Transfer of the toner image from the photosensitive drum 10 to the intermediate transfer belt 51 is performed by an intermediate transfer roller 54 that is in contact with the back side of the intermediate transfer belt 51. A high voltage transfer bias (a high voltage having a polarity (+) opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)) is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 54 in order to transfer the toner image. The intermediate transfer roller 54 is a roller whose base is a metal (for example, stainless steel) shaft having a diameter of 8 mm to 10 mm, and whose surface is covered with a conductive elastic material (for example, EPDM, urethane foam, or the like). With this conductive elastic material, a high voltage can be uniformly applied to the intermediate transfer belt 51. In this embodiment, a roller shape is used as the transfer electrode, but a brush or the like can also be used.

  The electrostatic images visualized on the photosensitive drum 10 as described above are stacked on the intermediate transfer belt 51. Thus, the laminated image information is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 56 disposed at the contact position between the sheet and the intermediate transfer belt 51 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  At this time, the intermediate transfer belt 51 and the transfer roller 56 are pressed against each other at a predetermined nip, and a voltage for transferring the toner onto the paper is applied to the transfer roller 56 (the polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity (−)). (+) High voltage). Further, in order to obtain the nip constantly, the transfer roller 56 uses either the transfer roller 56 or the intermediate transfer belt drive roller 52 as a hard material (metal or the like) and the other as a soft material such as an elastic roller (elastic rubber roller). Or a foaming resin roller or the like.

  Further, as described above, the toner adhered to the intermediate transfer belt 51 by contacting the photosensitive drum 10 or the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 51 without being transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 56 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 51. It is set to be removed and collected by the cleaning unit 55. The intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit 55 is provided with, for example, a cleaning blade that contacts the intermediate transfer belt 51 as a cleaning member. The intermediate transfer belt 51 that contacts the cleaning blade is supported by an intermediate transfer belt driven roller 53 from the back side. ing.

  The cleaner unit 60 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 after development and image transfer.

  The fixing unit 70 includes a heat roller 71 and a pressure roller 72, and the heat roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 rotate with the sheet interposed therebetween. The heat roller 71 is set so as to reach a predetermined fixing temperature by a control unit based on a signal from a temperature detector (not shown), and the toner is thermocompression bonded to the sheet together with the pressure roller 72. It has a function of fusing, mixing, and pressing the transferred toner image and thermally fixing the sheet. Further, an external heating belt 73 for heating the heat roller 71 from the outside is provided.

  The paper discharge unit 90 includes a paper discharge tray 91 and a paper discharge roller 92. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 70 is discharged to a discharge tray 91 via a discharge roller 92. The paper discharge tray 91 is a tray for collecting printed sheets.

  The paper discharge unit 90 further includes a paper discharge tray 93. The paper that has passed through the fixing unit 70 is temporarily held by the paper discharge roller 92. Thereafter, the paper discharge roller 92 rotates in the reverse direction, and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 93 through the conveyance path 94.

  When a double-sided printing request is made, when the single-sided printing is completed and the trailing edge of the sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 70 is gripped by the paper discharging roller 92 as described above, the paper discharging roller 92 rotates in the reverse direction. The sheet is guided to the conveyance rollers 102 and 103. Then, after printing is performed on the back side of the sheet through the registration roller 104, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 91.

  2 and 3 are views showing the configuration of the opening / closing door of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The opening / closing door 200 has a rotating shaft 210, a handle portion 220, and a paper discharge tray 93. The rotating shaft 210 is disposed in the vertical direction and supports the open / close door 200. The handle part 220 is a part for rotating the opening / closing door 200 around the rotation shaft 210. As described above, the discharge tray 93 is a part for stacking discharged sheets.

  The rotating shaft 210 includes a frame 211 and a hinge 212. The frame 211 is not particularly limited as long as it is a member that can support the main body of the open / close door 200 when the open / close door 200 rotates, but is configured of metal in the present embodiment. The hinge 212 is provided at a substantially central portion with respect to the opening / closing door 200 in order to stably support the opening / closing door 200 body when the opening / closing door 200 rotates.

  The handle part 220 is a part used when the user rotates the door 200. The handle portion 220 is configured to be rotatable up and down. As shown in FIG. 4, the handle portion 220 includes an engaged portion 221 that can be engaged with an engaging portion 222 provided in the image forming apparatus 100. The handle portion 220 is applied with a force that rotates downward by the spring 223, and as a result, the engaging portion 222 and the engaged portion 221 are engaged. In this state, the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 and the opening / closing door 200 are locked, so that the opening / closing door 200 does not rotate. In order to release this engaged state, the handle 220 must rotate upward. When the handle portion 220 rotates upward, the engagement between the engaging portion 222 and the engaged portion 221 is released as shown in FIG. .

  Further, the handle portion 220 is disposed in the vicinity of the front surface of the image forming apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS. Therefore, the operability when the user opens and closes the opening / closing door 200 can be improved.

  Moreover, the handle part 220 is arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the tray 93, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. In particular, the handle portion 220 is disposed near the lower side of the tray 93. Therefore, even when the paper is stacked on the tray 93, the opening / closing door 200 can be opened and closed stably, and the user's arm and hand can come into contact with the paper when the opening / closing door 200 is opened and closed. Can be prevented.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the handle portion 220 is arranged so that the major axis direction is horizontally oriented. Therefore, when the user tries to rotate the opening / closing door 200, the user grips the handle portion 220 in such a manner that the palm faces upward. Then, by rotating the handle portion 220 upward with the force of the user's finger, the engagement between the engaging portion 222 and the engaged portion 221 is released, and the open / close door 200 becomes rotatable. At this time, an upward force is applied to the open / close door 200 as a whole. Further, since the handle portion 220 is arranged as described above, an upward force is always applied to the open / close door 200 when the open / close door 200 rotates, that is, when the user is holding the handle portion 220. Become. That is, the user naturally supports a part of the weight of the opening / closing door 200 when the opening / closing door 200 rotates.

  Therefore, even when the open / close door 300 disposed on the lower side of the open / close door 200 is in an open state, downward deflection is suppressed when the open / close door 200 rotates. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the opening / closing door 200 is rotated, even when the opening / closing door 300 provided below the opening / closing door 200 is opened, the opening / closing door 200 and the opening / closing door 300 are in contact with each other. There is no. In FIG. 5, the paper discharge tray 93 is omitted so that the positional relationship between the open / close door 200 and the open / close door 300 can be understood.

  In the present embodiment, the paper discharge tray 93 is provided in the opening / closing door 200, but a manual paper feed tray may be provided instead of the paper discharge tray 93.

  Finally, the description of the above-described embodiment is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above embodiments but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

93-Discharge tray 100-Image forming apparatus 200-Opening / closing door 210-Rotating shaft 220-Handle portion 221-engaged portion 222-engagement portion

Claims (5)

An open / close door that opens a part of the conveyance path of the image forming apparatus main body;
An engaging portion for engaging the image forming apparatus main body and the opening / closing door;
With
The open / close door has a rotary shaft arranged in a vertical direction, a handle for rotating the open / close door around the rotary shaft, and a tray for stacking paper,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the handle portion includes an engaged portion that can be engaged with the engaging portion, and is disengaged from the engaging portion by moving upward from below.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is disposed near a front surface of the image forming apparatus main body.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is disposed in the vicinity of the tray.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the grip portion is disposed below the tray.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grip portion is arranged so that a major axis direction thereof is horizontally oriented.

Images