JP7229718B2 - image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers that form images on sheets.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in image forming apparatuses such as copiers and printers that form images on sheets, parts are arranged so that no dead space is formed inside the apparatus housing in order to meet the demand for miniaturization. As a result, the sheet conveying path is arranged near the center of the apparatus housing, and when the sheet is jammed in the conveying path near the center of the apparatus housing, the operator puts his/her hand into the gap to the vicinity of the center of the apparatus housing. It becomes difficult to retrieve the sheet by hand.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-100001, a configuration is proposed in which a transport guide forming a transport path near the center of the apparatus housing is provided so as to be able to be pulled out to the outside of the apparatus housing. As a result, the transport guide can be pulled out of the device housing, and the sheet can be removed while securing a working area outside the device housing.

Further, in an image forming apparatus such as a copier or a printer that forms an image on a sheet, the stacking unit for stacking the sheet on which the image is formed can be moved vertically above the image forming apparatus that forms the image on the sheet. A configuration is known (Patent Document 2). As shown in FIG. 11, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200023 has a stacking section for stacking sheets on which images are formed as an independent unit 202 in the image forming apparatus 201. It is provided movably so that it can be connected to and separated from a part. Also, a part of the image forming apparatus 201 directs a sheet toward a discharge portion 201a that discharges sheets to a stacking portion 202a above the unit 202 and a processing portion 204 that is provided inside the unit 202 and below the stacking portion 202a. A discharge unit 201b for discharging a sheet. An independently movable unit 202 in the image forming apparatus 201 can be connected to the discharge sections 201a and 201b as shown in FIG. can be separated from 11A and 201b, the sheets discharged from the discharging section 201a can be stacked on the stacking section 202a, and the sheets discharged from the discharging section 201b can be transferred to the processing section 204. can be transported. Further, the image forming apparatus 201 is provided with an image reading device 203 for reading an image of a document, above the unit 202 constituting the stacking section and above the discharge sections 201a and 201b of the image forming apparatus 201 .

JP 2001-253585 A JP 2014-106294 A

However, in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 11, when a sheet is jammed in the conveying path near the connecting portion between the unit 202 and the discharge portions 201a and 201b of the image forming apparatus 201, jam clearing work to remove the jammed sheet is required. is necessary. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11B, it is necessary to move the unit 202 away from the discharge sections 201a and 201b of the image forming apparatus 201 and open the transport path. Therefore, it takes time and effort to clear the jam.

When opening the transport path, one of the transport guides forming the transport path is opened in a direction away from the other opposing transport guide. Therefore, if there is no mechanism for holding the conveying guide in an open state, the operator must perform jam processing while holding the conveying guide in an open state, which makes jam processing difficult. On the other hand, if the movement of the unit 202 away from the discharge sections 201a and 201b of the image forming apparatus 201 is followed by the operation of opening the conveying guide, it is difficult to find the jammed sheet in the conveying path.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the operability of jam handling for removing a sheet jammed in the vicinity of a connecting portion between a discharging portion and a movable stacking portion in the image forming apparatus.

A representative configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is one of an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet and a rotatably provided guide that forms a first conveying path that guides the sheet. and a pair of discharge rollers for discharging the sheet guided by the guide ; a connecting portion detachably connected to a unit; a stacking tray on which sheets discharged by the conveying portion are stacked; and a second conveying path for conveying the sheets. a stacking unit configured to be movable between a first position capable of conveying to two transport paths and a second position spaced apart from the first position, wherein the stacking unit moves from the first position to the second position; According to the moving operation, the connecting portion rotates the guide unit in a direction away from the other guide facing the one guide and holds the first conveying path in an open state.

According to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus, it is possible to improve the operability of jam processing for removing a sheet jammed in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the conveying portion and the movable stacking portion.

Schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 Explanatory diagram of jam clearance access positions in Embodiment 1 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a jam processing operation by a sliding operation of the sheet conveying device according to the first embodiment; 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the attachment and detachment operation of the connecting portion by the sliding operation of the sheet conveying device according to the first embodiment; Explanatory drawing of the structure of the connecting part in the first embodiment Explanatory drawing of the connection operation of the connection part in Example 1 FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation from holding to releasing by the toggle mechanism of the guide unit in Embodiment 1; Explanatory drawing of the operation from releasing to holding by the toggle mechanism of the guide unit in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the opening operation of the guide unit on the apparatus main body side in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the closing operation of the guide unit on the apparatus main body side in the first embodiment. Explanatory drawing of conventional technology

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of components described in the following embodiments are intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them. isn't it.

[Example 1]
An image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. Here, in order of explanation, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described first, and then the configuration around the discharge tray will be described.

[Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. Here, an electrophotographic color laser beam printer having a double-sided image forming function is exemplified as an example of the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a color laser beam printer, and may be applied to other image forming apparatuses such as copiers and facsimiles.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 100 has an image forming section 101, a sheet feeding section 102, and a conveying unit 103 as a conveying section.

(Image forming section)
The image forming section 101 forms an image on a sheet, and includes process cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K, an intermediate transfer belt unit 10, a secondary transfer section 15, and a fixing device 18, which will be described below.

The image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is detachably provided with process cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K. These four process cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K have the same structure, but print images with toners of different colors, that is, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). They are different in that they are formed. The process cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3K are composed of developing units 4Y, 4M, 4C and 4K and cleaner units 5Y, 5M, 5C and 5K. Among these, the former developing units 4Y, 4M, 4C and 4K have developing rollers 6Y, 6M, 6C and 6K. On the other hand, the latter cleaner units 5Y, 5M, 5C and 5K include photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K which are image carriers, charging rollers 2Y, 2M, 2C and 2K, and drum cleaning blades 8Y, 8M and 8C. , 8K and a waste toner container. An exposure unit 9 is arranged vertically below the process cartridges 3Y, 3M, 3C and 3K, and exposes the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K based on image signals. After the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are charged to a predetermined potential by the charging rollers 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K, an electrostatic latent image is formed by the exposure unit 9, respectively. The electrostatic latent images are developed with toners in developing units 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K to form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images, respectively.

The intermediate transfer belt unit 10 has an intermediate transfer belt 12 stretched around a drive roller 13 and a tension roller 14 . The tension roller 14 applies tension to the intermediate transfer belt 12 in the arrow T direction. Each photosensitive drum 1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K rotates clockwise, and the intermediate transfer belt 12 rotates counterclockwise. Further, primary transfer rollers 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K are disposed inside the intermediate transfer belt 12 so as to face the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. is applied.

By applying a bias to the primary transfer rollers 11Y, 11M, 11C, and 11K, the toner images on the photosensitive drums are sequentially primary-transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 12, and the four-color toner images are superimposed and then secondary-transferred. It is transported to section 15 .

Toner remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1M, 1C and 1K after the toner image transfer is removed by the drum cleaning blades 8Y, 8M, 8C and 8K. Further, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 12 after the secondary transfer onto the sheet S is removed by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 21 and collected in the waste toner collection container 22 .

The sheet S is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion 15 by a pair of registration rollers 17 of the sheet feeding portion 102, which will be described later. In the secondary transfer portion 15 , the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 12 is secondarily transferred to the conveyed sheet S by applying a bias to the secondary transfer roller 16 .

A fixing device 18, which is a fixing unit, fixes the multi-color toner image transferred to the sheet S. A heating roller 19, which is a fixing member heated by a heater 7, which is heating means, is pressed against the heating roller 19. It has a pressure roller 20 which is a pressure member that rotates. The sheet S is guided by the inlet guide portion, introduced into the fixing nip portion which is the pressure contact portion between the heating roller 19 and the pressure roller 20, and is nipped and conveyed by the fixing nip portion to be given heat and pressure. . As a result, the toner images of a plurality of colors are fused and mixed to be fixed on the surface of the sheet as a full-color image.

The sheet feeding unit 102 feeds sheets toward the image forming unit 101, and includes a detachable sheet feeding cassette 24, a sheet feeding roller 23, a pair of double-sided conveying rollers 43 and 44, and a pair of registration rollers. 17.

The paper feed roller 23 is rotated by the power of a paper feed driving unit (not shown). The paper feed drive unit is fixed to the image forming apparatus 100 and has a drive mechanism such as a gear.

The sheet S is separated and fed one by one from the sheet feeding cassette 24 by the power of the sheet feeding drive unit, and the leading edge of the fed sheet S is positioned at the nip portion of the pair of registration rollers 17 which are in a stopped rotation state at that time. It hits and is caught. The pair of registration rollers 17 is used to perform final skew correction of the sheet S and to match the timing of image writing in the image forming section and sheet conveying.

(transport unit)
The sheet S on which an image has been formed after passing through the fixing device 18 is conveyed by a conveying unit 103 that is a conveying section. The transport unit 103 includes transport roller pairs 25 and 26, distribution guide members 28 and 29, a transport roller pair 30, a discharge roller pair 31, a guide unit 46 having one transport guide 44a, the other transport guide 44b, and a double-sided transport roller pair. 40, 42.

The sheet S transported from the fixing device 18 is transported by transport roller pairs 25 and 26 .

In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 has an image scanner 45 as an image reading section (image reading device) for reading an image of a document above the transport unit 103 . The image forming apparatus 100 movably includes a sheet processing device 33 as a stacking section in a body between the image forming section 101 and the image scanner 45 . The sheet processing device 33 is arranged directly above the image forming section 101 . Here, "directly above the image forming section 101" means that from one end 101a to the other end 101b of the image forming section 101 in the movement direction (arrow direction shown in FIG. 1) of the sheet processing device 33 in the image forming apparatus 100. The range is up to The sheet processing device 33 has a discharge tray 27 as a first stacking tray on its top surface and a side tray 34 as a second stacking tray on its side surface.

When the sheet S is to be discharged to the discharge tray 27 which is the first stacking tray, the sheet S is guided by the distribution guide members 28 and 29 to pass through the conveying roller pair 30 and conveyed to the discharging roller pair 31 . The sheet S is conveyed by the discharge roller pair 31 and discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 27 on the upper surface of the sheet processing device 33 . At this time, the sheet S is ejected onto the sheet ejection tray 27, which is the first stacking tray, while the full load detection flag 32 is raised.

When the sheet S is discharged to the side tray 34 which is the second stacking tray, the sheet S is guided by the distribution guide member 28 and conveyed to the sheet processing device 33 . The sheet S is guided by a conveying guide 35 forming a second conveying path inside the sheet processing apparatus 33 , passes through a pair of conveying rollers 36 and is conveyed to a pair of discharge rollers 37 . is discharged onto the side tray 34 of the . At this time, the sheet to be processed is processed by the sheet processing section 38 inside the sheet processing apparatus 33 . After that, the processed sheet is conveyed to the discharge roller pair 37 and discharged onto the side tray 34 which is the second stacking tray on the side of the sheet processing device 33 .

In the double-sided image formation (double-sided printing) mode, the conveyance of the sheet S is controlled as follows. That is, the single-sided printed sheet S is guided by the distribution guide members 28 and 29 and conveyed to the discharge roller pair 31 through the conveying roller pair 30 . At the timing when the rear end of the sheet S remains between the distribution guide member 29 and the nip portion of the discharge roller pair 31, the rotation of the discharge roller pair 31 is controlled to reverse. As a result, the single-side-printed sheet S is switchback-conveyed in the direction opposite to the direction in which it is conveyed toward the sheet processing device 33 . The sheet S that has been switched back enters the double-sided conveying path formed by the conveying guide 39 through the upper side of the sorting guide member 29, and is sequentially conveyed by the first double-sided conveying roller pair 40 and the second double-sided conveying roller pair 41. be. After that, the sheet S is sequentially conveyed by the third double-sided conveying roller pair 42 and the fourth double-sided conveying roller pair 43 of the sheet feeding section 102 and is re-sent after being turned upside down to the registration roller pair 17 .

Thereafter, in the same manner as in the single-sided printing mode, this sheet S undergoes skew correction by the registration roller pair 17, image writing in the image forming section, and sheet conveying timing matching. A toner image of four colors is secondarily transferred. Next, the sheet is introduced into the fixing device 18 again, and the sheet printed on both sides of the first and second sides is discharged to the discharge tray 27 or the side tray 34 .

[Structure of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
As described above, the sheet processing device 33, which is a stacking unit, is provided as an independent unit in the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be slidable in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. In the image forming apparatus 100 , the sheet processing device 33 is provided directly above the image forming section 101 . Here, the term “directly above the image forming unit 101” means that from one end 101a of the image forming unit 101 to the other in the moving direction (arrow direction shown in FIG. 1) of the sheet processing device 33 in the image forming apparatus 100, as described above. up to the end 101b. An image scanner 45 serving as an image reading section is provided directly above the sheet processing apparatus 33 and above the pair of discharge rollers 31 constituting the conveying unit 103 serving as a conveying section. The sheet processing device 33 is arranged in the body between the image forming section 101 and the image scanner 45 in the image forming apparatus 100 .

The sheet processing device 33 is horizontally slidable in the image forming apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The sheet processing device 33 includes a sheet discharge tray 27 that is a stacking tray for stacking sheets discharged from the conveying unit 103, a conveying guide 35 that forms a second conveying path for conveying the sheet conveyed from the conveying unit 103, have. The sheet processing device 33 has a first position where the sheet S conveyed from the conveying unit 103 can be conveyed to the sheet conveying path shown in FIG. 3A and a second position spaced apart from the first position. It is a stacking unit configured to be movable between the positions shown in FIG. 3(b). The sheet processing device 33 has a discharge tray 27 as a first stacking tray on its top surface and a side tray 34 as a second stacking tray on its side surface. The sheet processing apparatus 33 has a conveying guide 35 which is a sheet guide for guiding the sheet conveyed from the conveying unit 103 inside the apparatus under the sheet discharge tray 27 . The sheet processing device 33 also has a conveying roller pair 36 that conveys the sheet guided by the conveying guide 35 . Further, the sheet processing device 33 has a sheet processing section 38 for processing sheets below the conveying guide 35 which is a sheet guide. The sheet processing unit 38 is a stapler that performs binding processing on sheets. The stapler tends to be large, and the sheet processing device 33 tends to be taller in the vertical direction (height direction) of the image forming apparatus. Further, the sheet processing device 33 has a discharge roller pair 37 for discharging the processed sheet onto the side tray 34 .

The transport unit 103, which is a transport unit, has a discharge port 103a for discharging the sheet transported by the transport roller pair 26 and guided by the distribution guide member 28. FIG. The sheet processing device 33, which is a stacking unit, has a supply port 33a at a position facing the discharge port 103a of the transport unit 103 for receiving the sheet discharged from the discharge port 103a. When the sheet S conveyed from the discharge port 103a of the conveying unit 103 is at the first position shown in FIG. The distance to 33a is the shortest. On the other hand, at the position shown in FIG. 3B, which is the second position away from the first position, the distance from the discharge port 103a to the supply port 33a is longer than at the first position.

[How to remove sheet]
Next, a method for removing the jammed sheet S near the connecting portion between the supply port 33a of the sheet processing device 33 and the discharge port 103a of the transport unit 103 will be described. 2 to 4, a method for removing the jammed sheet S in the vicinity of the first conveying path 44 for discharging the sheet to the discharge tray 27 will be described.

In this embodiment, the guide unit 46 is interlocked with the movement of the sheet processing device 33 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus in a state in which the guide unit 46 forming the first transport path 44 for removing the sheet S from the first transport path 44 in the transport unit 103 is opened, as viewed obliquely from the front left side. . 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sectional views of essential parts showing a state in which the guide unit 46 moves in conjunction with movement of the sheet processing apparatus 33 from the operating position, which is the first position, to the retracted position, which is the second position. is.

The guide unit 46 has one transport guide 44a and one roller 30a of the transport roller pair 30 that form the first transport path 44 that guides the sheet on which the image is formed. The guide unit 46 is rotatably provided in the image forming apparatus 100 with the rotation shaft of the lower roller 31a of the discharge roller pair 31 as a rotation fulcrum. Therefore, by rotating the guide unit 46 about the rotating shaft of the lower roller 31a in a direction away from the other conveying guide 44b and the other roller 30b of the conveying roller pair 30 facing each other, the position shown in FIG. Thus, the first transport path 44 can be opened. The guide unit 46 has a link shaft 49 that is an engaging portion that detachably engages with the sheet processing apparatus 33 having the discharge tray 27 . The link shaft 49 is provided on the end portion side of the guide unit 46 opposite to the rotating shaft side. The link shaft 49 extends in the width direction of the guide unit 46 perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and protrudes from one side of the guide unit 46 in the width direction.

The sheet processing device 33, which is a stacking section, is connected to the main body of the image forming apparatus via a rail unit (not shown) in the body between the image forming section 101 and the image scanner 45 of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. Here, the main body of the image forming apparatus is the portion of the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment excluding the sheet processing device 33, the image scanner 45, the process cartridge, and the paper feed unit, which constitute the image forming apparatus 100. be. The sheet processing device 33 is configured to be slidable along rails with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The sheet processing device 33 has a position shown in FIG. 3A, which is a first position where the sheet S conveyed from the conveying unit 103 can be conveyed to the sheet conveying path, and a second position spaced apart from the first position. It is movable between certain positions shown in FIG. 3(b).

The sheet processing apparatus 33, which is the stacking section, includes a connecting member 50 which is a connecting section detachably connected to the guide unit 46. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting member 50, which is a connecting portion, has a swinging member 66, which is a moving portion, and a fixed member 68, which is a fixed portion. The swinging member 66, which is a moving portion, is provided movably in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction with respect to the support member 59 of the sheet processing device 33. As shown in FIG. A fixed member 68 that is a fixed portion is provided to face the swing member 66 in the direction in which the sheet processing apparatus 33 moves, and is fixed to the support member 59 . The connecting member 50 has a groove portion 52 formed by the moving wall 53 of the swinging member 66 and the fixed wall 51 of the fixed member 68 . The connecting member 50 acts on the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 by sliding the sheet processing device 33 from the operating position, which is the first position, to the retracted position, which is the second position. Unit 46 can be opened. This connecting member 50 will be described later in detail.

Jam processing when the sheet processing device 33 is moved from the operating position, which is the first position, to the retracted position, which is the second position, will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the retracted position, which is the second position, is also the jam processing position, it is hereinafter also referred to as the jam processing position.

3A shows a state in which the sheet processing apparatus 33 is connected to the conveying unit 103, and the sheet S conveyed from the discharge port 103a of the conveying unit 103 can be conveyed to the supply port 33a of the sheet processing apparatus 33. FIG. It is in position 1. From here, when removing the sheet S jammed inside the device near the first conveying path 44, the sheet processing device 33 is moved from the operating position, which is the first position shown in FIG. It slides to the second position, the jam clearing position. FIG. 3B shows that the distance from the discharge port 103a to the supply port 33a is greater at the position shown in FIG. 3B, which is the second position away from the first position, compared to the first position. long. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the sheet processing device 33 is slid to the jam processing position, which is the second position away from the conveying unit 103 . In FIG. 3A, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 in the groove 52 of the connecting member 50 of the sheet processing apparatus 33 moves from the position 49a indicated by the broken line to the position 49 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 3B. there is When the sheet processing device 33 moves from the operating position to the jam processing position, the moving wall 53 of the connecting member 50 acts on the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46, causing the guide unit 46 to rotate the lower roller 31a of the discharge roller pair 31. Rotate around the axis. Therefore, the guide unit 46 is swung away from the other transport guide 44b in the direction of the arrow in FIG. , are held by the connecting member 50 . By the above operation, the inside of the first conveying path 44 can be accessed, and the sheet S jammed near the first conveying path 44 can be removed.

4A shows a state in which the sheet processing device 33 is slid further away from the discharge roller pair 31 from the jam processing position shown in FIG. 3B. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the sheet processing apparatus 33 is further moved away from the jam processing position shown in FIG. , and the connection is released. In this manner, the sheet processing device 33 can be disconnected from the guide unit 46 of the image forming apparatus only by sliding.

4B shows a state in which the guide unit 46, which is disconnected from the connecting member 50, swings counterclockwise due to its own weight and closes the first transport path 44. FIG. From this state, by sliding the sheet processing device 33 toward the operating position, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 engages (contacts) with the inclined surface 54 of the connecting member 50 . After that, as the sheet processing apparatus 33 moves further, the moving wall 53 of the connecting member 50 is moved from one side to the other side in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by the link shaft 49 engaged with the inclined surface 54 . . After that, by moving the sheet processing device 33 until the link shaft 49 is disengaged from the inclined surface 54 , the link shaft 49 is moved to the groove portion 52 of the connecting member 50 , and the connecting member 50 is connected to the guide unit 46 . connected again.

[Description of the operation of the connecting member when attaching and detaching the sheet processing apparatus]
5 and 6, the configuration of the connecting member 50 and the movement of the connecting member 50 and the link shaft 49 during connection and separation will be described below.

As described above, the connecting member 50, which is a connecting portion, has the swinging member 66, which is a moving portion, and the fixed member 68, which is a fixed portion, as shown in FIG. A swinging member 66 which is a moving portion is provided movably with respect to the supporting member 59 and is composed of a moving wall 53 , an inclined surface 54 , a holding surface 72 , an abutting portion 67 and a fulcrum shaft 69 . A fixed member 68 that is a fixed portion is fixed to the support member 59 and is composed of a fixed wall 51 and a receiving portion 70 .

The fulcrum shaft 69 is inserted into the hole 65 of the support member, and the swing member 66 is held by the support member 59 so as to be swingable in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. Further, the swinging member 66 receives force from one side toward the other side in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction by a spring 71 . That is, the swinging member 66 receives force in the direction away from the supporting member 59 by the spring 71 . The swinging member 66 biased by the spring 71 hits the abutting portion 67 of the swinging member 66 against the receiving portion 70 of the fixed member 68 having the fixed wall 51 forming the wall facing the moving wall 53, and swings. It will stop the opening of time.

The moving wall 53 of the rocking member 66 is a surface that intersects the moving direction of the sheet processing apparatus 33 . The moving wall 53 rotates the guide unit 46 in a direction away from the one conveying guide 44a and the opposite conveying guide 44b as the sheet processing device 33 moves from the operating position to the jam processing position. It is the first working surface acting on the shaft 49 . The holding surface 72 of the swinging member 66 is a surface following the direction in which the sheet processing device 33 moves. The holding surface 72 is a holding surface that holds the link shaft 49 in the direction of gravity so as to hold the guide unit 46 in a state in which the first conveying path 44 formed by the conveying guides 44a and 44b is opened. The holding surface 72 holds the link shaft 49 so as to move the sheet processing device 33 further away from the jam processing position. The holding surface 72 is a surface inclined downward from one side to the other side in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction.

The inclined surface 54 of the swinging member 66 is located downstream of the moving wall 53, which is the first working surface, in the direction in which the sheet processing device 33 moves from the retracted position to the operating position. located below. The inclined surface 54 is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the direction in which the sheet processing device 33 is moved from the retracted position to the operating position.

The fixed wall 51 of the fixed member 68 is a surface that intersects the direction in which the sheet processing apparatus 33 moves. The fixed wall 51 is provided so as to face the moving wall 53 which is the first working surface of the rocking member 66 in the moving direction of the sheet processing device 33 . The fixed wall 51 rotates the guide unit 46 in a direction approaching one of the transport guides 44a and the other transport guide 44b that faces the transport guide 44b as the sheet processing device 33 moves from the retracted position to the operating position. 49 is a second working surface.

6(a), 6(b), and 6(c) are partial views explaining the operation of the connecting member when the sheet processing apparatus is attached and detached. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the connection between the connecting member 50 of the sheet processing device 33 and the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 on the transport unit side is released. By moving the sheet processing device 33 toward the operating position, the connecting member 50 of the sheet processing device 33 moves from the position shown in FIG. 6A to the position shown in FIG. 6B. As the sheet processing device 33 moves, the inclined surface 54 of the connecting member 50 contacts (engages) with the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 on the transport unit side. Thereafter, as the sheet processing apparatus 33 is further moved, the link shaft 49 engaged with the inclined surface 54 causes the swinging member 66 of the connecting member 50 to move from one side of the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction around the fulcrum shaft 69 . It is swung clockwise towards the other.

Further, by moving the sheet processing device 33 toward the operating position, the connecting member 50 of the sheet processing device 33 moves from the position shown in FIG. 6B to the position shown in FIG. 6C. As the sheet processing apparatus moves, the link shaft 49 is disengaged from the inclined surface 54 and the link shaft 49 enters the groove portion 52 . At this time, the rocking member 66 disengaged from the link shaft 49 rotates counterclockwise around the fulcrum shaft 69 toward one side in the width direction of the sheet by the force of the spring 71 shown in FIG. be shaken. The abutting portion 67 of the swinging member 66 abuts against the receiving portion 70 of the fixed member 68 , and the movable wall 53 of the swinging member 66 protrudes to a position where it can act on the link shaft 49 . As a result, the moving wall 53 can act on the link shaft 49 from one side in the moving direction of the sheet processing device 33, and the fixed wall 51 can act from the other side, and the connecting member 50 is connected to the guide unit 46 again. state.

That is, the swinging member 66 of the connecting member 50 swings only by sliding the sheet processing device 33 with respect to the guide unit 46 that has been disconnected, and the connecting member 50 is connected again to the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 . can.

From the connection state between the connection member 50 and the link shaft 49 shown in FIG. 6C, the sheet processing device 33 is slid from the operating position toward the retracted position. Then, as the sheet processing device 33 moves, the link shaft 49 hits the moving wall 53 of the connecting member 50, and the guide unit 46 is swung away from the one transport guide 44a and the opposite transport guide 44b. After that, the link shaft 49 is lifted upward along the moving wall 53 as indicated by the dashed arrow Y1 by the swinging motion of the guide unit 46 and reaches the holding surface 72 . The link shaft that reaches the holding surface 72 is the link shaft 49a indicated by the dashed line. At this time, the holding surface 72 of the connecting member 50 holds the guide unit 46 in a state in which the first conveying path 44 is opened, and the sheet processing device 33 moves toward the first conveying path as shown in FIGS. The jam clearing position with the passageway 44 open.

When the guide unit 46 is further closed independently from this state, when the guide unit 46 is pushed down, a downward force is applied from the link shaft 49 to the holding surface 72 of the connecting member 50 . As described above, the holding surface 72 is a surface that slopes downward from one side to the other side in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, when a downward force is applied to the holding surface 72 from the link shaft 49 , the holding surface 72 swings clockwise as indicated by the dashed arrow Y 2 , releasing the holding of the link shaft 49 . As a result, the link shaft 49 and the connecting member 50 are disconnected, and the guide unit 46 can be closed independently. That is, the guide unit 46 can be disconnected from the connecting member 50 and closed by simply pushing down the guide unit 46 from the state in which the first conveying path 44 is opened during jam processing. It should be noted that the closed guide unit 46 is held in a state in which the conveying path is closed in the image forming apparatus by a toggle mechanism, which will be described later.

On the other hand, when the sheet processing device 33 is further moved away from the jam processing position where the link shaft 49 is held by the holding surface 72 , the link shaft 49 a is dropped from the holding surface 72 and connected to the connecting member 50 . be decoupled. Therefore, the sheet processing device 33 can be removed without performing work such as individually disconnecting the guide unit 46 and the sheet processing device 33 .

[Coupling Mechanism of Conveyance Guide of Sheet Processing Apparatus]
Next, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the opening/closing operation of the conveying path and the toggle mechanism by the swinging operation of the guide unit 46 will be described.

7 and 8 are partial perspective views showing the rear side holding portion of the guide unit 46 of the image forming apparatus. 7 shows the state in which the guide unit 46 is closed, and FIG. 8 shows the state in which the guide unit 46 is opened. Here, the rear side of the image forming apparatus is one side in the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and is the side opposite to the front side when the front side in FIG. 2 is the front side of the image forming apparatus. 1 is the back side (rear side) of the image forming apparatus.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rear side plate 47 constitutes a frame on the rear side of the discharge section. An upper roller 31b and a lower roller 31a forming the discharge roller pair 31 are rotatably supported on the rear side plate 47 by bearings 55 and 56, respectively. A guide unit 46 having one of the transport guides constituting the transport path is rotatably supported by the rear side plate about the rotation shaft of the lower roller 31a rotatably supported by the bearing 56. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the rear side plate 47 has an abutting portion 61 against which the link shaft 49, which is the engaging portion of the guide unit 46, abuts.

A toggle plate 58, which is a toggle member, is provided swingably on the rear side plate 47 with a crimping pin 64 as a fulcrum. A toggle spring 57 is applied between the toggle plate 58 and the rear side plate 47 , and the tensile force of the toggle spring 57 acts on the toggle plate 58 . The toggle plate 58 is pressurized by the tensile force of the toggle spring 57 and has a pressurizing portion 60 for abutting the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 against the abutting portion 61 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the guide unit 46 has a link shaft 49 sandwiched between a pressing portion 60 of a toggle plate 58 pressurized by a tensile force of a toggle spring 57 and an abutting portion 61 of a rear side plate 47. retained. As a result, the guide unit 46 is positioned in the image forming apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3(a).

The rear side plate 47 also has a second abutting portion 62 against which the toggle plate 58 abuts, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, as the guide unit 46 rotates, the link shaft 49 moves in the direction of the arrow Y4 against the pressing force of the toggle spring 57, so that the pressing portion 60 of the toggle plate 58 is pressed. , and the holding of the guide unit 46 by the toggle plate 58 is released. At this time, the toggle plate 58 swings the link shaft 49 from the holding position shown in FIG. 7 through the neutral position to the waiting position shown in FIG. move. Then, the toggle plate 58 abuts against the second abutment portion 62 on the rear side plate 47 by the tensile force of the toggle spring 57 and stops at the standby position where the link shaft 49 is pulled.

Next, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, interlocking between the connecting operation of the connecting member 50 and the opening/closing operation of the guide unit 46 accompanying the sliding operation of the sheet processing apparatus will be described.

9(a), 9(b), and 9(c) show only the guide unit 46 periphery and the fixed wall 51 and the movable wall 53 that constitute the groove portion 52 of the connecting member 50 of the sheet processing apparatus. It is a partial view. 9(a), 9(b), and 9(c) show a state in which the connecting member 50 positions and holds the guide unit 46 as the sheet processing apparatus slides from the operating position to the retracted position. 4 shows the operation of opening the transport path.

In the guide unit 46, as shown in FIG. 9(a), the link shaft 49 abuts against the abutting portion 61 of the rear side plate 47 by the pressing portion 60 pressurized by the toggle spring 57 acting on the toggle plate 58. positioned and held. At this time, the fixed wall 51 and the movable wall 53 of the connecting member are not in contact with the link shaft 49 . That is, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 is sandwiched and held between the pressurizing portion 60 of the toggle plate 58 and the abutment portion 61 of the rear side plate 47, so that the sheet processing apparatus at the operating position is connected. It is out of contact with the moving wall 53 and fixed wall 51 of the member. Therefore, the position of the guide unit 46 is precisely defined by the rear side plate 47 and the toggle plate 58 .

When the sheet processing apparatus is slid from the position shown in FIG. 9A from the operating position toward the retracted position, the moving wall 53 of the connecting member hits the link shaft 49, and the link shaft 49 presses the toggle plate 58. It acts on the portion 60 in the right direction in the drawing to swing the toggle plate 58 . As the sheet processing apparatus moves, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 swings from the holding position of the link shaft 49 shown in FIG. abuts against the second abutting portion 62 of . As a result, the toggle plate 58 is stopped at the standby position shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 9B, the toggle plate 58 has moved to a position where it does not interfere with the movement locus of the link shaft 49 for opening the guide unit 46 .

As the sheet processing apparatus moves further from the position shown in FIG. 9B, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 is guided by the moving wall 53 of the connecting member 50 and is swung around the bearing 56 as a fulcrum. As shown in (c), the conveying path is opened. As shown in FIG. 9(c), the link shaft 49 is held by the connecting member 50, and the guide unit 46 is held at the jam processing position where the conveying path is opened. At this time, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 is held by the holding surface 72 of the connecting member 50 as indicated by the dashed line 49a in FIG. 6(c). As a result, by pushing down the guide unit 46, the rocking member 66 is moved in the arrow Y2 direction about the fulcrum shaft 69, the holding surface 72 is retracted, and the holding of the link shaft 49 by the holding surface 72 is released. As a result, the guide units can be individually closed manually separately from the sliding operation of the sheet processing apparatus, thereby improving operability and preventing excessive force from being applied to the guide unit and the connecting member.

When removing the sheet processing apparatus from the image forming apparatus, the sheet processing apparatus is further moved from the position shown in FIG. 9C. That is, the sheet processing apparatus is moved in a direction further away from the retracted position away from the sheet discharge unit. As a result, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 passes through the holding surface 72 of the connecting member 50 and can be removed.

In this manner, by simply sliding the sheet processing apparatus out of the image forming apparatus, the connecting member 50 acts on the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 to move the guide unit 46 and open the conveying path. can. Further, the connection with the guide unit 46 can be released simply by sliding the sheet processing device out.

10(a), 10(b), and 10(c), the operation of moving the guide unit 46 from the open state to the closed transportable position will be described. FIG. 10(a) shows the same state as FIG. 9(c), in which the guide unit 46 opens the conveying path for jam processing.

When the sheet processing apparatus is moved from the position shown in FIG. 10A toward the operating position, the link shaft 49 is lowered along the moving wall 53 of the connecting member by the swinging motion of the guide unit 46. As shown in FIG. Thereafter, as the sheet processing apparatus moves, the link shaft 49 hits the fixed wall 51 facing the moving wall 53 in the movement direction of the sheet processing apparatus. Thereafter, as the sheet processing apparatus moves, the fixed wall 51 of the connecting member pushes the link shaft 49 and contacts the pushing portion 63 of the toggle plate 58 stopped at the standby position as shown in FIG. 10(b).

When the sheet processing apparatus is further moved from the position shown in FIG. 10B, the link shaft 49 pushed by the fixed wall 51 of the connecting member pushes the pushing portion 63 of the toggle plate 58, so that the toggle plate 58 is pinned. It starts swinging toward the holding position with 64 as a fulcrum. When the toggle plate 58 is oscillated beyond the force neutral position by the link shaft 49, the tensile force of the toggle spring 57 acts in the direction toward the holding position. Due to the action of the toggle spring 57 , the pressing portion 60 of the toggle plate 58 contacts the link shaft 49 and pushes the link shaft 49 toward the holding position, causing the link shaft 49 to abut against the abutting portion 61 of the rear side plate 47 . . As a result, as shown in FIG. 10C, the link shaft 49 is abutted against the abutting portion 61 of the rear side plate 47 by the pressing portion 60 pressurized by the toggle spring 57 acting on the toggle plate 58. Positioning is held. At this time, the fixed wall 51 and the movable wall 53 of the connecting member are not in contact with the link shaft 49 . That is, the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 is sandwiched and held between the pressurizing portion 60 of the toggle plate 58 and the abutment portion 61 of the rear side plate 47, so that the sheet processing apparatus at the operating position is connected. It is out of contact with the moving wall 53 and fixed wall 51 of the member. Therefore, the position of the guide unit 46 is accurately positioned by the rear side plate 47 and the toggle plate 58 .

Thus, by simply sliding and inserting the sheet processing apparatus into the image forming apparatus, the connecting member 50 acts on the link shaft 49 of the guide unit 46 to move the guide unit 46 and close the conveying path. can. Further, even though only the sheet processing device 33 is slid, it can be interlocked with the toggle mechanism on the image forming apparatus main body side. As a result, the link shaft can be held by the parts on the main body side of the image forming apparatus, and the guide unit can be held with high accuracy.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the slidable sheet processing apparatus is provided with the connecting member that can be attached to and detached from the conveying unit in the image forming apparatus. Accordingly, by simply sliding the sheet processing device out of the image forming apparatus, the guide unit can be rotated to open the conveying path, and then the sheet processing device can be held in the open state. Further, the guide unit can be rotated to close the conveying path only by sliding and inserting the sheet processing apparatus. As a result, operability during jam processing can be improved. Further, when removing the sheet conveying device, the connection with the guide unit can be released simply by sliding and pulling out the sheet processing device, making it easy to attach and detach the sheet processing device.

In addition, regardless of the movement of the sheet processing apparatus, the guide units held in the open state can be manually closed individually with respect to the image forming apparatus. Further, only by sliding and inserting the sheet processing apparatus, it is possible to reconnect with the disconnected guide unit and close the conveying path. This further improves the operability during jam clearing.

[Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, four process cartridges are used to form the image forming section, but the number of used cartridges is not limited, and may be appropriately set according to need.

In the above-described embodiment, the process cartridge detachable from the image forming apparatus is a process cartridge integrally including a photosensitive drum, and charging means, developing means, and cleaning means acting on the photosensitive drum as process means. bottom. However, it is not limited to this. In addition to the photosensitive drum, a process cartridge integrally including any one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, a copying machine was exemplified as an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other image forming apparatuses such as a printer and a facsimile machine, or other image forming apparatuses such as a multi-function machine combining these functions may be used. Further, an example of an image forming apparatus that uses an intermediate transfer member, sequentially superimposes and transfers toner images of respective colors onto the intermediate transfer member, and collectively transfers the toner images carried on the intermediate transfer member onto a sheet has been exemplified. It is not limited to this. The image forming apparatus may use a sheet carrier and sequentially transfer toner images of respective colors onto a sheet carried by the sheet carrier. Similar effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to an image forming apparatus having a slidable stacking unit or sheet processing apparatus among these image forming apparatuses.

27 ... Ejection tray 31 ... Ejection roller pair 31a ... Lower roller 31b ... Upper roller 33 ... Sheet processing device 33a ... Supply port 34 ... Side tray 35 ... Conveyance guide 36 ... Conveyance roller pair 37 ... Ejection roller pair 44 ... Conveyance path 44a ... Conveyance guide 44b ... Conveyance guide 45 ... Image scanner 46 ... Guide unit 47 ... Rear side plate 49 ... Link shaft 50 ... Connection member 51 ... Fixed wall 52 ... Groove 53 ... Moving wall 54 ... Inclined surfaces 55, 56 ... Bearing 59 ... Support Member 66 ... rocking member 68 ... fixed member 69 ... fulcrum shaft 72 ... holding surface 100 ... image forming apparatus 101 ... image forming section 102 ... sheet feeding section 103 ... conveying unit 103a ... discharge port

Claims (12)

an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
Conveying comprising: a guide unit provided rotatably and having one of guides forming a first conveying path for guiding a sheet; and a pair of discharge rollers for discharging the sheet guided by the guide. Department and
A connecting portion arranged at one end in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction and detachably connected to the guide unit, a stacking tray for stacking the sheets discharged by the conveying portion, and a sheet conveying unit. a second conveying path, and is configured to be movable between a first position where the sheet conveyed from the conveying section can be conveyed to the second conveying path and a second position spaced apart from the first position. and
Along with the operation of moving the stacking section from the first position to the second position, the connecting section rotates the guide unit in a direction away from the other guide facing the one guide to open the first conveying path. An image forming apparatus characterized by being held in a state. The stacking unit is movable in a direction away from a retracted position away from the conveying unit,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion releases the connection with the guide unit when the stacking portion is further moved away from the second position. The guide unit has an engaging portion that detachably engages with the connecting portion,
the connecting portion has a moving portion that is movable in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction with respect to the stacking portion;
The moving portion is a plane that intersects the moving direction of the stacking portion, and moves the guide unit to the other side facing the one guide as the stacking portion is moved from the first position to the second position. a first action surface acting on the engaging portion to rotate away from the guide of
a holding surface following the direction in which the stacking unit moves, the holding surface holding the engaging portion in the direction of gravity so as to hold the guide unit in a state in which the first transport path is open;
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the holding surface holds the engaging portion movably in a direction in which the stacking portion is further separated from the retracted position. The holding surface is a surface inclined downward from one side to the other side in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and is arranged so that the one side is inclined with respect to the guide unit held in a state in which the first conveying path is opened. When a force is applied to rotate in a direction approaching the other guide facing the guide of the 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the holding of the engaging portion is released. The connecting portion has a fixed portion that is provided opposite to the moving portion in a direction in which the loading portion moves and is fixed to the loading portion,
The fixed portion is provided on a plane intersecting the moving direction of the loading portion and facing the first action surface of the moving portion in the moving direction of the loading portion. a second action surface that acts on the engaging portion so as to rotate the guide unit in a direction approaching the other guide facing the one guide as the guide unit moves from the first position to the first position; 6. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5 . The moving portion is provided downstream of the first action surface and below the holding surface in a direction of moving the stacking portion from the second position to the first position. has an inclined surface inclined to
As the stacking portion moves from the second position to the first position, the inclined surface engages with the engaging portion of the guide unit that has been released from the connection, thereby moving the moving portion to the other side in the width direction. When the inclined surface is disengaged from the engaging portion, the moving portion is moved from one side to the other side in the width direction, and the connecting portion moves toward the guide. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image forming apparatus is reconnected with the unit. a side plate that rotatably supports the guide unit, has an abutting portion for abutting the engaging portion of the guide unit, and constitutes a frame;
a toggle member having a pressurizing portion for abutting the engaging portion of the guide unit against the abutting portion, provided swingably on the side plate, and subjected to a tensile force of a spring;
has
The guide unit is positioned in the image forming apparatus by sandwiching and holding the engaging portion of the guide unit between the pressing portion of the toggle member pressurized by the tensile force of the spring and the abutting portion of the side plate. 8. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7 , wherein: The side plate has a second abutting portion for abutting the toggle member,
When the connecting portion rotates the guide unit in a direction away from the other guide facing the one guide, the toggle member moves the stacking portion from the first position to the second position. Further, the guide unit is swung by the engaging portion of the guide unit that is rotated by the connecting portion, hits the second abutment portion, and stops at a standby position at which the engaging portion is called in. 9. The image forming apparatus according to 8. The engaging portion of the guide unit does not come into contact with the connecting portion of the stacking portion at the first position in a state of being sandwiched and held between the pressing portion of the toggle member and the abutting portion of the side plate. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein: The stacking unit includes a sheet guide provided below the stacking unit for guiding the sheet sent from the conveying unit, a sheet processing unit provided below the sheet guide for processing the sheet, and a sheet processing unit. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second stacking tray for stacking the applied sheets. The stacking unit is provided directly above the image forming unit,
12. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein an image reading section for reading an image of a document is provided directly above the stacking section and above the conveying section. .

Images