Image forming apparatus

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a rotating body including a storage frame to which a toner cartridge is attachable; a conveying portion; a first motor; a first drive transmission portion; and a second drive transmission portion. The first drive transmission portion is configured to transition to: (i) a first state in which a driving force of the first motor is transmitted to the rotating body in a state in which the first motor rotates in the first direction; (ii) a second state in which the driving force is not transmitted to the rotating body in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction; and (iii) a third state in which the driving force is transmitted to the rotating body in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction. The second drive transmission portion transmits the driving force to the transmission portion in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material. BACKGROUND

[0002] In an image forming apparatus of an electrophotographic system, a rotary developing system that forms a color image by rotating a rotating body equipped with a plurality of developing members is known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-183305 and 2008-096852 each disclose an image forming apparatus that includes a rotating body equipped with a plurality of developing rollers, and a plurality of toner cartridges, i.e., toner storage containers, each of which is attachable to and detachable from the rotating body.

[0003] In recent years, it has been desired to configure the rotating body to be rotatable in both a forward direction and a reverse direction, while reducing cost. SUMMARY

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present application, an image forming apparatus to which a toner cartridge is detachably attached and which forms an image on a recording material includes: a rotating body configured to rotate, the rotating body including a developing roller and a storage frame to which the toner cartridge is attachable, the storage frame including a storage portion configured to house toner supplied to the developing roller; a conveyance portion configured to convey the recording material; a first motor configured to drive the rotating body and the conveyance portion, the first motor being configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first drive transmission portion configured to transmit drive from the first motor to the rotating body; and a second drive transmission portion configured to transmit drive from the first motor to the conveyance portion. The first drive transmission portion is configured to switch to: (i) a first state in which the drive from the first motor is transmitted to the rotating body so that the rotating body rotates in a third direction in a state in which the first motor rotates in the first direction; (ii) a second state in which the drive from the first motor is not transmitted to the rotating body in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction; and (iii) a third state in which the drive from the first motor is transmitted to the rotating body so that the rotating body rotates in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction. The second drive transmission portion is configured to transmit the drive from the first motor to the conveyance portion in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present application, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material includes: a first output portion; a second output portion different from the first output portion; a first motor configured to drive the first output portion and the second output portion, the first motor being configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first drive transmission portion including a switching portion and a restriction member, the first drive transmission portion being configured to transmit a drive from the first motor to the first output portion; a second drive transmission portion configured to transmit the drive from the first motor to the second output portion; and a second motor configured to drive the restriction member. The switching portion is configured to switch to a transmission state in which the switching portion transmits the drive from the first motor toward the first output portion and a non-transmission state in which the switching portion does not transmit the drive from the first motor toward the first output portion. The restriction member is configured to move to a permitted position in which the restriction member permits the switching portion to switch to the non-transmission state and a restricted position in which the restriction member restricts the switching portion from switching to the non-transmission state by a drive from the second motor. The first drive transmission portion is configured to switch to a first state in which the first drive transmission portion transmits the drive from the first motor to the first output portion so that the first output portion rotates in a third direction in a case where the first motor rotates in the first direction, a second state, and a third state in which the first drive transmission portion transmits the drive from the first motor to the first output portion so that the first output portion rotates in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction in a case where the first motor rotates in the second direction and the restriction member is positioned at the restricted position. The second drive transmission portion transmits the drive from the first motor to the second output portion in a case where the first motor rotates in the second direction.

[0006] Other features of the present application will become apparent from the following description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a configuration view of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a developing unit, a toner cartridge, and a tray according to the first embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are each a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a rotating body according to the first embodiment.

[0012] FIGS. 6A-6C are each a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are each a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a rotating body according to the first embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a rotating body according to the first embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a rotating body according to the first embodiment.

[0017] FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are each an explanatory view of a configuration related to movement of a tray according to the first embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are each an explanatory view of a configuration related to movement of a tray according to the first embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are each a perspective view of a configuration of a drive mechanism of a tray according to the first embodiment.

[0020] FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are each a perspective view of a stepped gear according to the first embodiment.

[0021] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a locking member according to the first embodiment.

[0022] FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B are each a front view showing an operation of a locking mechanism according to the first embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B are each a perspective view showing an operation of a locking mechanism according to the first embodiment.

[0024] FIG. 18A andFIG. 18B Each is a view showing a drive transmission configuration from a motor to a rotation main body and a conveyance unit according to the first embodiment.

[0025] FIGS. 19A-19C Each is a perspective view of a rotation drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0026] FIGS. 20A-20C Each is a view showing an engagement operation of the rotation drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 21A and FIG. 21B Each is a view showing a disengagement operation of the rotation drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0028] FIGS. 22A-22C Each is a perspective view of a conveyance drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0029] FIGS. 23A-23C Each is a view showing an engagement operation of the conveyance drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B Each is a view showing a disengagement operation of the conveyance drive ratchet according to the first embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 25A and FIG. 25B Each is a view showing a movement distance of a rotation main body according to the first embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B Each is a sectional view showing a restriction lever according to the first embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 27A and FIG. 27B Each is a sectional view of an operation of the restriction lever according to the first embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a peripheral configuration of the restriction lever according to the first embodiment.

[0035] FIG. 29A and FIG. 29B Each is a front view showing a state in which the restriction lever moves between a permission position and a restriction position according to the first embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 30 is a view of a rotation drive train according to the second embodiment.

[0037] FIG. 31 is a view of a conveyance roller drive train according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] First Embodiment

[0040] The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1-12B The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to

[0041] Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus

[0042] First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described. The image forming apparatus 1 is a laser beam printer that forms an image on a sheet S by an electrophotographic system. More specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 is a color laser beam printer equipped with four developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k. Various sheet materials having different sizes and formed of different materials can be used as the sheet S serving as a recording material or recording medium, including paper such as regular paper and thick paper, plastic film, cloth, sheet material subjected to surface treatment such as coated paper, and sheet material of special shape such as an envelope and index paper.

[0043] The image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 The schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 and its image forming operation will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the cross-sectional configuration of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a view showing the drive source of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a conceptual view showing the configuration of supplying toner from the toner cartridge 70 to the developing units 50.

[0044] As FIG. 1As shown, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as an apparatus main body 1A) and toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1A. The apparatus main body 1A according to the present embodiment is a portion of the image forming apparatus 1 other than the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k.

[0045] The apparatus main body 1A of the image forming apparatus 1 includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) 2 having a drum shape (i.e., a cylindrical shape) as an image bearing member that bears an electrostatic latent image. A charging roller 3, a scanner 4 serving as an exposure unit, and a cleaning unit 6 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 2.

[0046] The charging roller 3 is an example of a charging unit for uniformly charging the photosensitive drum 2. The scanner 4 is an exposure unit that irradiates the photosensitive drum 2 with laser light based on image information. By irradiating the charged photosensitive drum 2 with laser light, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. The cleaning unit 6 is an example of a cleaning portion that removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0047] Further, the apparatus main body 1A includes a sheet storage portion 300, a pick-up roller 310, a feed roller 311, a separation roller 312, a conveyance roller pair 320, a secondary transfer roller 12, a fixing unit 40, and an intermediate transfer unit 10. The pick-up roller 310 is an example of a sheet feeding unit that feeds a sheet S. The feed roller 311 and the separation roller 312 are examples of a separation and conveyance unit that separates and conveys the sheet S one by one by a frictional force. The secondary transfer roller 12 is an example of a transfer unit that transfers an image from the intermediate transfer belt 10a to the sheet S.

[0048] The intermediate transfer unit 10 includes an intermediate transfer belt 10a, a belt drive roller 10b, a tension roller 10c, a cleaning device 13, and a primary transfer roller 11. The intermediate transfer belt 10a is an example of an intermediate transfer main body that bears an image transferred (i.e., primary transfer) from the photosensitive drum 2 and transfers (i.e., secondary transfer) the image to a sheet S. The intermediate transfer belt 10a is tensioned on the belt drive roller 10b and the tension roller 10c. The belt drive roller 10b is a drive member that conveys the intermediate transfer belt 10a by being rotated by a drive source.

[0049] Further, the apparatus main body 1A includes a rotating main body (i.e., a rotating body, a body that rotates, or a developing apparatus) 90 that includes developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k. As described below, according to the present embodiment, trays (i.e., support members) 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k are attached to the rotating main body 90. The toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k are detachably attached to the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k.

[0050] In the following description, a plurality of members having similar functions can be distinguished by assigning numbers thereto. For example, one of the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k can be referred to as a first toner cartridge, one of the remaining three can be referred to as a second toner cartridge, one of the remaining two can be referred to as a third toner cartridge, and the remaining one can be referred to as a fourth toner cartridge. Similarly, one of the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k can be referred to as a first tray, one of the remaining three can be referred to as a second tray, one of the remaining two can be referred to as a third tray, and the remaining one can be referred to as a fourth tray. That is, one of the trays 80y to 80k is an example of a first support member, another of the trays 80y to 80k is an example of a second support member, yet another of the trays 80y to 80k is an example of a third support member, and the last of the trays 80y to 80k is an example of a fourth support member. Such numbering is merely for the sake of description, and can be arbitrarily interchanged in principle.

[0051] The developing units, i.e., the first to fourth developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k, are each an example of a developing unit or developing portion that develops or visualizes an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 into a toner image using toner of a corresponding color. The developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 using yellow toner, magenta toner, cyan toner, and black toner, respectively. The developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k can be arranged in an order different from that shown. FIG. 1

[0052] The developing unit 50y includes a developing roller 51y, a feed roller 52y, and a developing blade. The developing roller 51y is a developer-carrying member that rotates while carrying toner serving as a developer and supplies the toner to the photosensitive drum 2. The feed roller 52y is a supply member that is arranged in contact with the developing roller 51y and supplies toner to the developing roller 51. The developing blade limits the thickness of a toner layer carried on the developing roller 51y. The other developing units 50m, 50c, and 50k similarly include developing rollers 51m, 51c, and 51k, feed rollers 52m, 52c, and 52k, and developing blades.

[0053] ​Corresponding to the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k, toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k are attached to the rotating body 90. Each of the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k stores therein yellow toner, magenta toner, cyan toner, or black toner as toner to be supplied to the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k, respectively. Among the four colors of toner, one can be referred to as a first toner, another of the remaining three colors of toner can be referred to as a second toner, another of the remaining two colors of toner can be referred to as a third toner, and the last one can be referred to as a fourth toner. For example, the black toner is an example of the first toner, and the magenta toner is an example of the second toner. Such numbering is merely for the convenience of description, and can be arbitrarily interchanged in principle.

[0054] The rotating body 90 includes a rotating frame 90f that supports the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k. The developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k are supported on the rotating frame 90f, which is a rotatable rotating support body.

[0055] The trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k are attached to the rotating body 90. A portion including both the rotating body 90 and the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k can be referred to as a rotating unit 90U. In other words, the rotating unit 90U includes the rotating body 90 and the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k.

[0056] The toner cartridges 70y to 70k are held on the trays 80y to 80k in an attachable / detachable manner. As described below, the trays 80y to 80k are supported in a slidable manner to the outside of the rotating body 90. A portion including both the rotating unit 90U and the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k can be referred to as a rotating assembly 90A. In other words, the rotating assembly 90A includes the rotating unit 90U and the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k.

[0057] As described below, the rotating body 90 is rotatable about a rotation axis (i.e., a rotation center) 90C. The rotation axis 90C corresponds to the rotation axis of the rotating frame 90f, the rotating unit 90U, and the rotating assembly 90A. Further, the rotation axis 90C is substantially parallel to the rotation axis (i.e., the rotation center) of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0058] By rotating around the rotation axis 90C, the rotating body 90 can adopt a developing posture in which one of the developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k faces the photosensitive drum 2. The posture of developing roller 51y facing the photosensitive drum 2 is called the yellow developing posture. The posture of developing roller 51m facing the photosensitive drum 2 is called the magenta developing posture. The posture of developing roller 51c facing the photosensitive drum 2 is called the cyan developing posture. The posture of developing roller 51k facing the photosensitive drum 2 is called the black developing posture. That is, the rotating body 90 can rotate around the rotation axis 90C, causing the positions of developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k relative to the photosensitive drum 2 to change. The black developing posture is an example of the first developing posture, in which the first developing roller (i.e., developing roller 51k) faces the photosensitive drum 2. The other developing postures are examples of the second developing postures, in which the second developing rollers (i.e., developing rollers 51y to 51c) face the photosensitive drum 2. The yellow / magenta / cyan / black developing postures can also be referred to as the first to fourth developing postures. This numbering is merely for ease of description and, in principle, can be arbitrarily interchanged.

[0059] like FIG. 2 As shown, the main body 1A of the device includes motors M1, M2, and M3, which serve as drive sources. As described below, motor M1, serving as the first motor, supplies driving force to rotate the rotating body 90 about the rotation axis 90C. In other words, motor M1 causes the rotating assembly 90A and the rotating unit 90U to rotate about the rotation axis 90C.

[0060] Additionally, the main body 1A of the equipment includes a drive unit 98, which comprises a motor M2 and a transmission device. The transmission device includes drive racks 15L and 15R, which serve as drive gears as described below, and a transmission section 15t. The driving force of the motor M2, which serves as a second motor, is transmitted to the drive racks 15L and 15R via the transmission section 15t. In other words, the motor M2 is configured to drive the drive racks 15L and 15R, and move the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k relative to the rotating body 90 via the drive racks 15L and 15R.

[0061] Motor M3 drives components other than those driven by motors M1 and M2. For example, motor M3 drives photosensitive drum 2, developing units 50y, 50m, 50c and 50k, pickup roller 310, feed roller 311, transfer roller pair 320, secondary transfer roller 12, belt drive roller 10b and fixing device 40.

[0062] The components driven by motors M1, M2, and M3 can be arbitrarily changed. Furthermore, the functions of any two or all three of motors M1, M2, and M3 can be integrated into a single motor. Alternatively, drive sources other than motors M1, M2, and M3 can be added.

[0063] Further, the device main body 1A includes a control unit 30 serving as a control unit for controlling the operation of the image forming device 1. The control unit 30 includes a CPU for executing a program and a storage portion such as a ROM or a RAM. The CPU reads and executes a program stored in the storage portion, and controls the operation of actuators such as the motors M1, M2, and M3 provided in the image forming device 1. The storage portion includes a nonvolatile storage medium and a volatile storage medium, and functions not only as a storage space for storing program data but also as a work space for the CPU to execute a program. The respective functions of the control unit 30 described below can be implemented in a circuit within the control unit 30 as independent hardware such as an ASIC.

[0064] The suffixes y, m, c, and k attached to the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k, the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k, and the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k indicate toner colors. The basic configurations and functions of the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k are the same. The basic configurations and functions of the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k are the same. Further, the basic configurations and functions of the trays 80y, 80m, 80c, and 80k are the same. Therefore, if it is not necessary to distinguish, the suffixes y, m, c, and k can be omitted, and they can be described as any one of the four units, cartridges, or trays. Further, if it is necessary to distinguish each of the four units, cartridges, and trays, the suffixes y, m, c, and k will be assigned so that each unit, cartridge, and tray can be distinguished as a specific one corresponding to the suffix added to the four units, cartridges, and trays.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 1 includes a device main body 1A and a toner cartridge 70y. The device main body 1A includes a device main body frame 2, a rotating body 90, and a toner cartridge 70y. The device main body frame 2 includes a device main body frame 2y, a device main body frame 2m, a device main body frame 2c, and a device main body frame 2k. The rotating body 90 includes a rotating body 90y, a rotating body 90m, a rotating body 90c, and a rotating body 90k. The toner cartridge 70y includes a toner cartridge 70y. FIG. 3 As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming device 1 includes a device main body 1A and a toner cartridge 70y. The device main body 1A includes a device main body frame 2, a rotating body 90, and a toner cartridge 70y. The device main body frame 2 includes a device main body frame 2y, a device main body frame 2m, a device main body frame 2c, and a device main body frame 2k. The rotating body 90 includes a rotating body 90y, a rotating body 90m, a rotating body 90c, and a rotating body 90k. The toner cartridge 70y includes a toner cartridge 70y.

[0066] The developing unit 50 includes a developing frame, that is, a storage frame 53, and is configured to allow the toner cartridge 70 to be attached thereto. The developing frame 53 includes a developing-side storage portion 53a, that is, a storage portion, and an inlet opening 53b communicating with the developing-side storage portion, that is, a toner supply chamber. That is, the rotating body 90 includes a developing frame 53y, a developing frame 53m, a developing frame 53c, and a developing frame 53k. That is, the rotating body 90 includes a first developing chamber, a second developing chamber, a third developing chamber, and a fourth developing chamber. As described above, the developing unit 50 includes a developing roller 51 and a feed roller 52, but these members are not shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3

[0067] ​The developing roller 51k included in the developing unit 50k is an example of a first developing roller. The developing roller 51m included in the developing unit 50m is an example of a second developing roller. The developing frame 53k of the developing unit 50k including the developing-side storage portion 53a (i.e., a first storage portion) FIG. 4A ) is an example of a first storage frame including a first storage portion. The developing frame 53m of the developing unit 50m including the developing-side storage portion 53a (i.e., a second storage portion) FIG. 4A ) is an example of a second storage frame including a second storage portion. The rotating body 90 is an example of a rotatable rotating body, and includes a first developing roller, a second developing roller, a first storage frame including a first storage portion, and a second storage frame including a second storage portion. In the present embodiment, the rotating body 90 includes first to fourth developing rollers and first to fourth storage frame bodies.

[0068] As described below, the toner cartridge 70 is movable relative to the developing frame 53 between an attached position and a retracted position retracted from the attached position. In a state where the toner cartridge 70 is in the attached position relative to the developing frame 53, the discharge port 71b faces the inlet opening 53b. That is, the toner storage portion 71a of the toner cartridge 70 and the developing-side storage portion 53a of the developing unit 50 communicate via the discharge port 71b and the inlet opening 53b. In a state where toner is supplied from the toner cartridge 70 to the developing unit 50, at least a portion of the inlet opening 53b is positioned below at least a portion of the discharge port 71b.

[0069] Then, the toner stored in the toner storage portion 71a is discharged through the discharge port 71b, and the toner discharged through the discharge port 71b is stored in the developing-side storage portion 53a via the inlet opening 53b. That is, the first developer is supplied to the first developing chamber included in the rotating body 90, the second developer is supplied to the second developing chamber, the third developer is supplied to the third developing chamber, and the fourth developer is supplied to the fourth developing chamber.

[0070] The toner stored in the developing-side storage portion 53a is supplied to the developing roller 51 by the feed roller 52. The toner stored in the toner storage portion 71a is supplied to the developing roller 51 through the above-described path.

[0071] The toner cartridge 70 preferably includes a not-shown sealing member (i.e., a first sealing member) covering the discharge port 71b. In addition, the developing unit 50 preferably includes a not-shown sealing member (i.e., a second sealing member) covering the inlet opening 53b.

[0072] In a state where the toner cartridge 70 is not attached to the developing unit 50, it is preferable that the discharge port 71b and the inlet opening 53b are each covered with a sealing member so that leakage of toner through the discharge port 71b and the inlet opening 53b is suppressed.

[0073] Image forming operation

[0074] An image forming operation according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the photosensitive drum 2 is rotated in the arrow direction (i.e., the counterclockwise direction) in FIG. 8 in synchronization with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 10a. Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 3. FIG. 1

[0075] When a color image is formed on the sheet S, as described below, the rotating body 90 is rotated in the arrow direction (i.e., the clockwise direction) in FIG. 8 while supporting the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k. Then, the developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k are moved one by one to the developing positions, and the electrophotographic process is repeatedly performed. FIG. 1

[0076] First, laser light based on image data corresponding to a yellow image is irradiated from the scanner 4, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the yellow image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. In parallel with the formation of this electrostatic latent image, the motor M1 rotates the rotating body 90 so that the rotating body 90 assumes a yellow developing posture. When the rotating body 90 assumes the yellow developing posture, the developing roller 51y is at the developing position, and the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 is developed with yellow toner.

[0077] In the present embodiment, each of the developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k is an elastic roller formed by covering a metal shaft with rubber. At the developing position, each of the developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k develops an electrostatic latent image in a state of being in contact with the photosensitive drum 2. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment adopts a contact developing system. However, at the developing position, each of the developing rollers 51y, 51m, 51c, and 51k can develop an electrostatic latent image in a case where a gap is formed between the developing roller and the photosensitive drum 2. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 can adopt a non-contact developing system.

[0078] When the yellow toner image is developed, the yellow toner image on the photosensitive drum 2 is primary-transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 10a by the primary transfer roller 11 disposed on the inner side of the intermediate transfer belt 10a.

[0079] ​​Thereafter, by rotating the rotating body 90 and sequentially moving the developing rollers 51m, 51c, and 51k to their developing positions, toner images of the respective colors are formed. That is, after a yellow toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a, the rotating body 90 assumes a magenta developing posture, and a magenta toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a. After the magenta toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a, the rotating body 90 assumes a cyan developing posture, and a cyan toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a. After the cyan toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a, the rotating body 90 assumes a black developing posture, and a black toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a. After the black toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a, the rotating body 90 is rotated in the arrow direction (i.e., the clockwise direction) about the rotation axis 90C, and returns to the yellow developing posture. The color of the image that is first formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a is arbitrary, and for example, a black toner image can be first formed. FIG. 1

[0080] By repeating the primary transfer, a color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a such that toner images of the four colors are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a. While the color image is being formed on the intermediate transfer belt 10a, the secondary transfer roller 12 and the cleaning device 13 are not in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 10a.

[0081] Meanwhile, the sheet S is fed by the pickup roller 310 from the sheet storage portion 300 arranged in the lower portion of the device body 1A. The sheet S is separated one by one by the feed rollers 311 and the separation rollers 312 and is sent to the conveyance roller pair 320. The conveyance roller pair 320 sends the sheet S fed thereto toward the transfer portion (i.e., the secondary transfer portion), which is a nip portion located between the intermediate transfer belt 10a and the secondary transfer roller 12. The color image on the intermediate transfer belt 10a is transferred (i.e., secondary transferred) onto the surface of the conveyed sheet S.

[0082] The sheet S on which the color image is transferred is sent to the fixing unit 40. In the fixing unit 40, the sheet S is heated and pressed, and the image is fixed on the sheet S. The sheet S that has passed through the fixing unit 40 is discharged as a finished product to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0083] Meanwhile, when a monochrome image is formed on the sheet S, the rotating body 90 assumes the black developing posture. In this state, by charging and exposing the photosensitive drum 2, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2, and thereafter the electrostatic latent image is developed with black toner by the developing roller 51k positioned at the developing position. The black toner image is primary transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 10a, and then secondary transferred onto the sheet S. The subsequent steps are similar to those of the color image. ​

[0084] Configuration of rotating body

[0085] The configuration of the rotating body 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 4A , FIG. 4B and FIG. 5 . FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B Each is a sectional view showing the rotating body 90 and the periphery of the image forming apparatus 1. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B Each is a sectional view of the apparatus cut at a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rotating body 90.

[0086] As described above, the toner cartridges 70y to 70k are attachable to and detachable from the rotating body 90. When the toner in the toner cartridges 70y to 70k is used up, the user can replace the toner cartridges 70y to 70k to replenish the toner to the image forming apparatus 1.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 1 , the apparatus body 1A includes a frame 16 that accommodates the rotating body 90. The frame 16 is a main frame of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The frame 16 is a housing or a casing of the apparatus body 1A composed of a frame and an exterior member, and in the present embodiment, it has an approximately cuboid shape.

[0088] The frame 16 includes an opening 16a. More specifically, the frame 16 includes a side surface 16b extending in a direction intersecting the horizontal direction. The side surface 16b constitutes at least a part of the outer surface of the apparatus body 1A on the +X side. The opening 16a is arranged on the side surface 16b. The side surface 16b is a side surface arranged on the downstream side of the sheet discharge port in the direction in which the sheet S on which an image has been formed is discharged through the sheet discharge port of the apparatus body 1A. The user can access the sheet storage portion 300 from the side of the surface 16b of the image forming apparatus 1 to replenish the sheet S or to take out the sheet S discharged through the sheet discharge port. Therefore, the side surface 16b can be referred to as the front side of the apparatus body 1A.

[0089] The toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k can be attached to and detached from the rotating body 90 through the opening 16a. That is, the toner cartridge 70k can be referred to as an example of a first toner cartridge that stores toner to be supplied to a first developing roller (i.e., the developing roller 51k) and can be attached to and detached from a rotating body (i.e., the rotating body 90) through the opening 16a of the frame 16 of the device body 1A. The toner cartridge 70m is an example of a second toner cartridge that can be referred to as an example of a second toner cartridge that stores toner to be supplied to a second developing roller (i.e., the developing roller 51m) and can be attached to and detached from a rotating body (i.e., the rotating body 90) through the opening 16a of the frame 16 of the device body 1A.

[0090] In the present embodiment, the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k are attached to and detached from the rotating body 90 in a state of being supported by the trays 80y to 80k through the opening 16a. In other words, a user can attach and detach the toner cartridges 70y to 70k with respect to the rotating body 90 via the trays 80y to 80k.

[0091] The opening 16a is provided on the side surface 16b of the frame 16. In the present embodiment, the side surface 16b is a surface that is substantially parallel to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90. Therefore, when the toner cartridges 70 are replaced, the toner cartridges 70 pass through the opening 16a in a direction intersecting the rotation axis 90C, preferably in a direction orthogonal thereto.

[0092] The image forming device 1 includes a door 14 that covers the opening 16a of the frame 16. The door 14 is an opening / closing member that can be moved between a closed position (also refer to FIG. 6A ) that covers the opening 16a and an open position (also refer to FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C ) that exposes the opening 16a.

[0093] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the toner cartridges 70 are configured to be attached to and detached from the rotating body 90 via the trays 80. Therefore, the toner cartridges 70 can be stably attached to and detached from the rotating body 90.

[0094] More specifically, the user can replace the toner cartridge 70 by the operation of attaching and detaching the toner cartridge 70 to and from the tray 80, which is configured to be movable with respect to the rotating body 90 (that is, with respect to the device body 1A). In a configuration in which the user replaces the toner cartridge by directly inserting and extracting the toner cartridge into and from the device body, the user needs to insert the toner cartridge into a predetermined attachment position within the device body. In the present embodiment, the tray 80 is movable in a state of supporting the toner cartridge 70 so that the toner cartridge 70 is moved to the attachment position. Therefore, the user can replace the toner cartridge 70 by a simple operation of placing the toner cartridge 70 on the tray 80, and the operability is improved.

[0095] The toner cartridge 70 is configured to have a long and narrow shape in which the Y direction parallel to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90 is set as the longitudinal direction. That is, the longitudinal dimension of the toner cartridge 70 is greater than its height and width in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. In handling the toner cartridge 70 having such a long and narrow shape, by arranging the opening 16a on the side surface 16b of the frame 16 so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction (that is, the Y direction) of the toner cartridge 70, the toner cartridge 70 can be passed through the opening 16a with a shorter moving distance. For example, compared to a case in which the toner cartridge 70 is inserted or extracted via an opening formed on the side surface of the frame 16 on one side (that is, the +Y side or the -Y side) of the toner cartridge 70 in the longitudinal direction, the replacement of the toner cartridge 70 becomes easier.

[0096] The rotating body 90 can be rotated about the rotation axis 90C to assume a replacement attitude to allow one of the toner cartridges 70y to 70k to be removed from the rotating body 90. The attitude that allows the removal of the toner cartridge 70y is referred to as a yellow replacement attitude. The attitude that allows the removal of the toner cartridge 70m is referred to as a magenta replacement attitude. The attitude that allows the removal of the toner cartridge 70c is referred to as a cyan replacement attitude.

[0097] The attitude that allows the removal of the toner cartridge 70k is referred to as a black replacement attitude. The black replacement attitude is an example of a first replacement attitude that allows the removal of a first toner cartridge from the rotating body 90. The yellow, magenta, and cyan replacement attitudes are examples of second replacement attitudes that allow the removal of a second toner cartridge from the rotating body 90. The yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement attitudes can also be referred to as first to fourth replacement attitudes. Such numbering is merely for the sake of description, and can be arbitrarily interchanged in principle.

[0098] The rotating body 90 can be rotated about the rotation axis 90C in the clockwise direction of the rotating body 90 and assume the yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement attitudes in this order. In the present embodiment, the rotating body 90 is rotated about the rotation axis 90C in the clockwise direction of the rotating body 90 and assumes the yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement attitudes in this order by the user's operation of rotating the rotating body 90 about the rotation axis 90C in the clockwise direction of the rotating body 90. FIG. 1 FIG. 1 ​clockwise direction, the developing posture and the replacement posture can be switched alternately. For example, in FIG. 1 the rotating body 90 takes the black developing posture. By rotating the rotating body 90 in the clockwise direction from this state, the posture of the rotating body 90 can be switched in the order of the cyan replacement posture, the yellow developing posture, the black replacement posture, the magenta developing posture, the yellow replacement posture, the cyan developing posture, and the magenta replacement posture according to the naming. By rotating the rotating body 90 in the clockwise direction from the magenta replacement posture, the rotating body 90 returns to the black developing posture. That is, the rotating body 90 can be rotated more than one turn (i.e., 360°) in the clockwise direction.

[0099] FIG. 4A A cross section of the rotating body 90 in a state of taking a developing posture (more specifically, a yellow developing posture) is shown. FIG. 4B A cross section of the rotating body 90 in a state of taking a replacement posture (more specifically, a black replacement posture) is shown.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , four trays 80y to 80k are attached to the rotating body 90. The toner cartridges 70y to 70k are held on the trays 80y to 80k, respectively. In FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , the trays 80y to 80k are accommodated in the inside of the rotating body 90, and this state can be referred to as a state in which the toner cartridges 70y to 70k are attached to the developing units 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k.

[0101] As described above, the toner cartridges 70 are movable to an attached position and a retracted position in which the toner cartridges 70 are retracted from the attached position, with respect to the developing frames 53 of the developing units 50. That is, a first toner cartridge (i.e., the toner cartridge 70k) can be movable to a first attached position and a first retracted position with respect to a first storage frame (i.e., the developing frame 53k). A second toner cartridge (i.e., the toner cartridge 70m) can be movable to a second attached position and a second retracted position with respect to a second storage frame (i.e., the developing frame 53m).

[0102] In a state in which the toner cartridge 70 is in the attached position with respect to the developing frame 53, as shown in FIG. 3 , the discharge port 71b and the inlet opening 53b face each other. In this state, the toner cartridge 70 is configured to supply toner to the developing-side storage portion 53a through the inlet opening 53b (i.e., the opening of the storage frame).

[0103] The device main body 1A includes a moving device 85 configured to move the toner cartridges 70 from the attached position to the retracted position with respect to the rotating body 90 (more specifically, with respect to the developing frame 53 of the developing unit 50). The moving device 85 will be described below with reference to FIG. 8 The moving device 85 is described. In the present embodiment, a plurality of moving devices 85y to 85k corresponding to the plurality of toner cartridges 70y to 70k are arranged in the rotating body 90. The trays 80y to 80k can be referred to as a part of the moving devices 85y to 85k.

[0104] In the present embodiment, the toner cartridge 70k storing black toner has a size larger than the toner cartridges 70y to 70c storing yellow, magenta, and cyan toners, and can store a larger amount of toner. In other words, a first toner cartridge can store a first amount of toner, a second toner cartridge can store a second amount of toner, and the first amount is larger than the second amount.

[0105] Specifically, the length of the black toner cartridge 70k in a first radial direction with respect to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90 is larger than the length of the magenta toner cartridge 70m in a second radial direction. Now, the first radial direction is a radial direction of a virtual circle having a center set to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90 (i.e., a radial direction of the rotating body 90), and is a direction in which the toner cartridge 70k extends with respect to the rotation axis 90C when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C. The second radial direction is a radial direction of the rotating body 90, and is a direction in which the toner cartridge 70m extends with respect to the rotation axis 90C when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C. Similarly, the length of the black toner cartridge 70k in the first radial direction is larger than the lengths of the other toner cartridges 70y and 70c in radial directions corresponding to the toner cartridges 70y and 70c.

[0106] Therefore, the tray 80k that holds the black toner cartridge 70k has a larger size than the sizes of the trays 80y to 80c that hold the other toner cartridges 70y, 70m, and 70c. That is, the four toner cartridges 70y to 70k and the trays 80y to 80k having different sizes are provided in the rotating body 90. In other words, the rotating body 90 allows the toner cartridge 70k serving as an example of a first toner cartridge and the toner cartridge 70y serving as an example of a second toner cartridge that is smaller in size than the first toner cartridge to be attached to and detached from the rotating body. In correspondence thereto, the rotating body 90 has the tray 80k serving as an example of a first support member that supports the first toner cartridge and the tray 80y serving as an example of a second support member that is smaller in size than the first support member provided therein. In addition, the rotating body 90 allows the toner cartridges 70m and 70c serving as examples of third and fourth toner cartridges that are smaller in size than the first toner cartridge to be attached to and detached from the rotating body. In correspondence thereto, the rotating body 90 has the trays 80m and 80c serving as examples of third and fourth support members that are smaller in size than the first support member provided therein.

[0107] Now, with reference to FIG. 5 , the rotation drive of the rotating body 90 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5 , disc gears 92L and 92R are formed on respective end portions of the rotating body 90. In addition, rotation drive gears 93L and 93R formed on respective end portions of the swing shaft 91 are connected in a manner capable of transmitting a drive force. The drive force of the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation drive gear 93R via a drive transmission mechanism. Next, the rotating body 90 is driven to rotate by transmitting the drive force to the disc gears 92L and 92R via the rotation drive gears 93L and 93R. The rotating body 90 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 about the rotation axis 90C. FIG. 1 .

[0108] In addition, the rotating body 90 is supported in a manner capable of swinging about the swing shaft 91. The rotating body 90 is pushed by a pushing member (not shown) about the swing shaft 91 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8 and FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B . The direction can be referred to as a direction in which the developing rollers 51y to 51k each approach the photosensitive drum 2. Therefore, in a state in which the rotating body 90 is in a developing posture, one of the developing rollers 51y to 51k is in contact with the photosensitive drum 2.

[0109] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5 , rotation cams 90eL and 90eR are provided on respective end portions of the rotating body 90. When the rotating body 90 rotates about the rotation axis 90C in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 and FIG. 4A and FIG. 4Bthe clockwise direction in FIG. 9, the rotating cam 90eL and 90eR come into contact with the roller 96 supported by the frame 16 as shown in FIG. 10. Then, the rotating body 90 moves in the clockwise direction in FIG. 9 around the swing axis 91. This direction can be referred to as a direction in which each of the developing rollers 51y to 51k moves away from the photosensitive drum 2. In addition, this direction can be referred to as a direction in which the rotating body 90 approaches the opening 16a of the frame 16 and the door 14. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B the roller 96 supported by the frame 16 as shown in FIG. 10. Then, the rotating body 90 moves in the clockwise direction in FIG. 9 around the swing axis 91. This direction can be referred to as a direction in which each of the developing rollers 51y to 51k moves away from the photosensitive drum 2. In addition, this direction can be referred to as a direction in which the rotating body 90 approaches the opening 16a of the frame 16 and the door 14. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B the roller 96 supported by the frame 16 as shown in FIG. 10. Then, the rotating body 90 moves in the clockwise direction in FIG. 9 around the swing axis 91. This direction can be referred to as a direction in which each of the developing rollers 51y to 51k moves away from the photosensitive drum 2. In addition, this direction can be referred to as a direction in which the rotating body 90 approaches the opening 16a of the frame 16 and the door 14.

[0110] Thus, when the rotating body 90 rotates and switches from the developing posture to the replacement posture, the rotating body 90 swings around the swing axis 91. In a state where the rotating body 90 is in the replacement posture, the developing rollers 51 are separated from the photosensitive drum 2.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 9, in the black replacement posture, the toner cartridge 70k is stopped at a position facing the opening 16a provided on the side surface 16b of the device main body 1A and the door 14. When the tray 80k is moved from this state to slide from the attachment position of the developing unit 50k to the outside of the rotating body 90, the user can replace the toner cartridge 70k. FIG. 4B Toner cartridge replacement operation

[0112] The toner cartridge replacement operation will be described with reference to

[0113] , FIG. 4A , FIGS. 6A-6C , FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B . FIGS. 6A-6C Each is an external view of the device main body 1A. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B Each is a cross-sectional view of the rotating body 90 and its surroundings in the toner cartridge replacement. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B Each is a cross-sectional view of the device taken along a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90.

[0114] FIG. 6A The appearance of the device main body 1A during an image forming operation and in a standby state is shown. The image forming operation during is a period of time during a series of image forming device 1 operations of feeding a sheet S, forming an image on the sheet S, and then discharging the sheet S as a product. The standby state is a state in which the image forming device 1 can start the image forming operation if an image forming instruction, that is, a print instruction is received, and a state in which the image forming device 1 waits for the image forming instruction from the user. As shown in FIG. 1, the door 14 is in a closed state during the image forming operation and in the standby state. FIG. 6A

[0115] FIG. 6B ​The appearance of the device main body 1A at the time of toner cartridge replacement is shown. At the time of toner cartridge replacement, the door 14 is in an open state, and the tray 80 and the toner cartridge 70 are moved to the outside of the device main body 1A.

[0116] The toner cartridge 70 is movable relative to the developing frame 53 of the developing unit 50 to an attached position and a retracted position in which the toner cartridge 70 is retracted from the attached position. In a state in which the toner cartridge 70 is in the attached position relative to the developing frame 53, the discharge port 71b and the inlet 53b face each other, as shown in FIG. 3 As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B The rotation body 90 is configured to rotate about the rotation axis 90C to assume a developing posture and a replacement posture in a state in which the toner cartridge 70 is in the attached position, as shown in

[0117] The toner cartridge replacement operation will be described. First, the user instructs the control unit 30 of the device main body 1A of the toner cartridge replacement operation. The instruction of the toner cartridge replacement operation is given, for example, by input via an operation panel (i.e., an operation section) provided on the device main body 1A. FIG. 2

[0118] When the control unit 30 receives the instruction of the toner cartridge replacement operation, the rotation body 90 is rotated to the replacement posture of the toner cartridge 70 that is a target of replacement (i.e., the toner cartridge 70 in which toner has run out) and is stopped. That is, the control unit 30 rotates the rotation body 90 to the replacement posture of the toner cartridge specified in the instruction of the toner cartridge replacement, which is the black replacement posture for replacing the black toner cartridge 70k in FIG. 4B In the replacement posture, the tray 80 that supports the toner cartridge 70 that has been instructed to be replaced faces the opening 16a of the frame 16 of the device main body 1A.

[0119] For example, FIG. 4A The rotation body 90 is in the yellow developing posture in which the yellow developing roller 51y faces the photosensitive drum 2. At this time, the black toner cartridge 70k and the tray 80k do not have to face the opening 16a and the door 14. In other words, in a case where the rotation body 90 is in a replacement posture or a developing posture other than the replacement posture of the relevant toner cartridge, the toner cartridge 70 and the tray 80 do not have to face the opening 16a and the door 14. Therefore, the opening 16a can have a size such that each of the toner cartridges 70 can pass through the opening individually. When the rotation body 90 is rotated by a predetermined angle in the clockwise direction in the drawing from the yellow developing operation, the black toner cartridge 70k and the tray 80k will face the opening 16a and the door 14, as shown in FIG. 4B

[0120] ​​Here, "the tray 80 faces the opening 16a" means that the tray 80 is positioned to be movable to the outside of the device main body 1A through the opening 16a. That is, in a case where the tray 80 faces the opening 16a, the moving mechanism described below moves the tray 80 outward in the radius direction of the rotation of the rotation body 90, and thus the tray 80 and the toner cartridge 70 supported by the tray 80 can protrude to the outside of the device main body 1A. In FIG. 4A , none of the trays 80y to 80k face the opening 16a. In FIG. 4B , only the black tray 80k faces the opening 16a, and the other trays 80y to 80c do not face the opening 16a.

[0121] When the rotation body 90 is in the replacement posture, the motor M2 moves the tray 80 supporting the toner cartridge 70 serving as a replacement target to the outside of the device main body 1A.

[0122] Thus, the toner cartridge 70 serving as a replacement target is moved from the attached position to the retracted position with respect to the rotation body 90. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6B , FIG. 6C , FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B , the tray 80 and the toner cartridge 70 supported by the tray 80 serving as a replacement target protrude to the outside of the device main body 1A through the opening 16a.

[0123] More specifically, the tray 80 is movable with respect to the rotation body 90 to an accommodation position and a removal position. That is, the first tray is movable with respect to the rotation body 90 to the accommodation position and the removal position. In addition, the second tray is movable with respect to the rotation body 90 to the accommodation position (i.e., the third position) and the removal position (i.e., the fourth position). The accommodation position is a position in which the tray 80 is accommodated in the rotation body 90. The removal position is a position (i.e., a removal position or a replaceable position) in which at least a part of the tray 80 protrudes to or is exposed to the outside of the rotation body 90 and the toner cartridge 70 can be detached from the tray 80. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , the positions of the trays 80y to 80k are examples of the accommodation position. FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C , the positions of the trays 80, FIG. 7A , the position of the tray 80k, and FIG. 7B , the position of the tray 80m are examples of the removal position.

[0124] When the tray 80 is in the accommodation position, the toner cartridge 70 attached to the tray 80 is positioned inside the rotation body 90 and in the attached position. When the tray 80 is in the removal position, the toner cartridge 70 attached to the tray 80 is positioned outside the rotation body 90 and in the retracted position.

[0125] Here, as shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B , the rotating body 90 includes a protruding portion 95 that holds the tray 80 in the accommodation position and holds the toner cartridge 70 in the attached position. As shown in FIG. 8 , the tray 80 has a recessed portion 87 configured to fit onto the protruding portion 95. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B The protruding portions 95k and 95m corresponding to the trays 80k and 80m are shown, and FIG. 8 The recessed portions 87y and 87m of the trays 80y and 80m are shown, in which the protruding portion 95 and the recessed portion 87 are provided on each of the trays 80y to 80k. The protruding portion 95 is preferably urged in a direction in which the recessed portion 87 is engaged.

[0126] By fitting the protruding portion 95 to the recessed portion 87 of the tray 80, the tray 80 is locked with respect to the rotating frame 90f. Therefore, even when the rotating body 90 rotates, the tray 80 will stay in the accommodation position, and it is possible to prevent the toner cartridge 70 from moving from the attached position. In a case where the tray 80 moves between the accommodation position and the removal position by a moving device described below, the protruding portion 95 can be configured to move by the tray 80, and by virtue of this, the protruding portion 95 can disengage from the recessed portion 87.

[0127] In the present embodiment, the door 14 is supported in a pivotable manner with respect to the device body 1A. As shown in FIG. 7A , the door 14 is urged by a spring 14s from an open position to a closed position. The spring 14s is, for example, a tension spring, and urges the door 14 so that a moment in a counterclockwise direction is generated about a support shaft 14c of the door 14. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B .

[0128] By causing the tray 80 to urge the door 14, the door 14 will be in an open state shown in FIG. 6B . This state can be referred to as a state in which the tray 80 is supported by the door 14. The door 14 supports at least a portion of the tray 80 that protrudes outside the device body 1A, and thus the toner cartridge 70 can be more stably supported. In other words, when the first toner cartridge (i.e., the toner cartridge 70k) is in the first retracted position, the opening / closing member (i.e., the door 14) in the open position supports the first support member (i.e., the tray 80k). In addition, when the second toner cartridge (i.e., one of the toner cartridges 70y to 70c) is in the second retracted position, the opening / closing member (i.e., the door 14) in the open position supports the second support member (i.e., one of the trays 80y to 80c).

[0129] The door 14 is configured so as to be in contact with a portion of the frame 16 of the device main body 1A (for example, the lower edge 16c of the opening 16a) in the open position, and so as not to pivot downward beyond the open position. When the tray 80 is pulled back into the device main body 1A from the outside, the door 14 is returned to the closed position by the pushing force of the spring 14s.

[0130] The toner cartridge 70 is detachably held by the tray 80. Therefore, as FIG. 6C indicated, the user can perform an operation of detaching the toner cartridge 70 from the tray 80 and attaching a new toner cartridge 70 to the tray (i.e., a replacement operation). When replacing a plurality of toner cartridges 70, the replacement operation can be performed by repeating the above-described operation.

[0131] FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B A cross section of the rotating main body 90 and its surroundings at the time of toner cartridge replacement is shown. FIG. 7A A state at the time of replacement of the black toner cartridge 70k is shown. FIG. 7B A state at the time of replacement of the magenta toner cartridge 70m is shown.

[0132] The image forming apparatus 1 includes moving devices 85y, 85m, 85c, and 85k FIG. 8 ), which move the toner cartridges 70y, 70m, 70c, and 70k, respectively, from the attached position to the retracted position. When the term "moving device 85" without a suffix is used, it generally refers to any one of the moving devices 85y, 85m, 85c, and 85k. In the present embodiment, it can be said that the moving devices 85 include the tray 80. The moving device 85k including the tray 80k can be referred to as an example of a first moving device including a first support member. The moving device 85m including the tray 80m can be referred to as an example of a second moving device including a second support member.

[0133] Even when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position, the tray 80 is connected to the rotating main body 90 (i.e., is supported by the rotating main body 90). In order to easily detach the toner cartridge 70 from the rotating main body 90, it is preferable that the length of the toner cartridge 70 protruding from the rotating main body 90 be long when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position. Since the toner cartridge 70 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the rotating main body 90 via the tray 80, the toner cartridge 70 can be stably supported by the tray 80 even in the case where the length of the toner cartridge 70 protruding from the rotating main body 90 is long.

[0134] The moving direction of the toner cartridge 70 from the attached position to the retracted position is referred to as a retraction direction. In the present embodiment, the retraction direction of the toner cartridge 70 is a direction intersecting the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). Therefore, as FIG. 7A andFIG. 7B As shown, the retraction direction of the toner cartridge 70, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction), is a direction orthogonal to the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). In addition, the retraction direction of the toner cartridge 70 can be referred to as a direction outward in the radius direction of the rotation of the rotation body 90, i.e., a direction away from the rotation axis 90C.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 10, the toner cartridge 70 is attached to the rotation body 90 in the attachment position. As shown in FIG. 11, the toner cartridge 70 is retracted from the rotation body 90 in the retraction position. FIG. 7A FIG. 7B As shown, since the user detaches the toner cartridge 70 from the rotation body 90, it is preferable that at least a portion of the toner cartridge 70 protrude from the rotation body 90 when the toner cartridge 70 is detached. In the present embodiment, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position, the entire toner cartridge 70 protrudes from the rotation body 90.

[0136] It can be said that, when the rotation body 90 rotates around the rotation axis 90C, the rotation locus of the rotation body 90 coincides with the circumscribed circle of the rotation body 90 centered on the rotation axis 90C (i.e., a virtual circle 90V shown by a broken line in FIG. 12). FIG. 7A FIG. 7B As shown, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position, half or more of the length of the toner cartridge 70 in the retraction direction is preferably outside the rotation locus of the rotation body 90. That is, when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the rotation body, half or more of the total length of the toner cartridge in the direction of movement of the toner cartridge from the attachment position to the retraction position is preferably positioned outside the rotation locus of the rotation body. This applies to each of the toner cartridges 70 including the toner cartridge 70k serving as an example of the first cartridge and the toner cartridge 70m serving as an example of the second cartridge. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position as shown in FIG. 11, the entire toner cartridge 70 is outside the rotation locus of the rotation body 90 (i.e., the virtual circle 90V). FIG. 3 FIG. 6C As shown, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position, half or more of the length of the toner cartridge 70 in the retraction direction is preferably outside the rotation locus of the rotation body 90. That is, when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the rotation body, half or more of the total length of the toner cartridge in the direction of movement of the toner cartridge from the attachment position to the retraction position is preferably positioned outside the rotation locus of the rotation body. This applies to each of the toner cartridges 70 including the toner cartridge 70k serving as an example of the first cartridge and the toner cartridge 70m serving as an example of the second cartridge. In addition, in the present embodiment, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position as shown in FIG. 11, the entire toner cartridge 70 is outside the rotation locus of the rotation body 90 (i.e., the virtual circle 90V).

[0137] In addition, in order to allow the user to more easily grasp the toner cartridge 70, at least a portion of the toner cartridge 70 is preferably positioned outside the image forming apparatus 1, that is, outside the apparatus body 1A, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retraction position. The outside of the apparatus refers to a space outside the image forming apparatus 1 (i.e., outside the apparatus body 1A) when the image forming apparatus 1 is used for, for example, an image forming operation on the sheet S.

[0138] In the present embodiment, the outer surface of the apparatus body 1A is constituted by the outer surface of the frame 16. That is, the outside of the apparatus can also be referred to as the outside of the frame 16. Therefore, the state in which at least a portion of the toner cartridge 70 is outside the apparatus can also be referred to as a state in which at least a portion of the toner cartridge 70 protrudes outside the frame 16 through the opening 16a of the frame 16 of the apparatus body 1A.​​​

[0139] In the present embodiment, the opening 16a of the frame 16 of the device main body 1A is covered by the door 14 when the door 14 is in the closed position. In addition, the outer surface 14a of the door 14 in the closed position constitutes a part of the outer surface of the device main body 1A. In this case, the outside of the device refers to the outside of the outer surface 14a of the door 14 in the closed position. That is, in the case where the position of the outer surface 14a of the door 14 in the closed position is referred to as the outside position, when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position, at least a part of the toner cartridge 70 is positioned on the outside of the outside position with respect to the device main body 1A.

[0140] In other words, at least a part of the toner cartridge 70 is positioned in a space that serves as the outside of the device main body 1A in the case where the door 14 is in the closed position. In addition, at least a part of the toner cartridge 70 is positioned downstream of the outside position in the retraction direction of the toner cartridge 70.

[0141] In addition, in the case where the side surface 16b having the opening 16a is the front side of the device main body 1A, it can be said that at least a part of the toner cartridge 70 protrudes to the front side beyond the outer surface on the front side of the device main body 1A when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position. In this case, the user can easily access the toner cartridge 70 and perform the replacement operation of the toner cartridge 70 from the front side of the image forming device.

[0142] When the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position, half or more of the length of the toner cartridge 70 in the retraction direction is preferably outside the device. That is, when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the rotating body, in the state where the toner cartridge is in the retracted position, half or more of the total length of the toner cartridge in the movement direction of the toner cartridge from the attached position to the retracted position is preferably positioned outside the main body frame. This applies to each of the toner cartridges 70 including the toner cartridge 70k serving as an example of the first toner cartridge and the toner cartridge 70m serving as an example of the second toner cartridge. In addition, the entirety of the toner cartridge 70 is preferably located outside the device when the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position. Although the outer surface 14a of the door 14 and the side surface 16b constitute the outer surface on the front side of the device main body 1A in the present embodiment, the configuration of the door 14 is not limited to this example. For example, the size of the door 14 can be set to cover the entire side surface 16b. In this case, the outer surface 14a of the door 14 constitutes the outer surface on the front side of the device main body 1A.

[0143] The tray 80 includes FIG. 7A and FIG. 7BThe toner cartridge 70 is shown with a cartridge retaining portion 81. The cartridge retaining portion 81 is an attachment portion to which the toner cartridge 70 is attached. When the tray 80 is in the removed position, the entire cartridge retaining portion 81 is preferably outside the rotation path of the rotating body 90 in the retracted direction. When the tray 80 is in the removed position, half or more of the length of the cartridge retaining portion 81 is preferably outside the device in the retracted direction.

[0144] Here, as mentioned above, the toner cartridge 70k and tray 80k are larger in size than the other toner cartridges 70y to 70c and the other trays 80y to 80c. Therefore, as FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B As shown, in this embodiment, the amount of movement of the tray 80 when the toner cartridge is replaced is changed according to the size of the toner cartridge 70.

[0145] Specifically, such as FIG. 7A As shown, the travel distance L1 of pallet 80k (i.e., the first support member) from the receiving position (i.e., the first receiving position) to the removal position (i.e., the first removal position). The travel distance L2 of pallet 80m (i.e., the second support member) from the receiving position (i.e., the second receiving position) to the removal position (i.e., the second removal position). Although in FIG. 7B The diagram shows the states of the movable toner cartridge 70m and tray 80m, but the moving distance of trays 80y and 80c from the receiving position to the removal position is also L2. In this case, L1 is greater than L2. In other words, it can be said that the moving distance of the first support member when the first toner cartridge moves from the first attachment position to the first retracted position is longer than the moving distance of the second support member when the second toner cartridge moves from the second attachment position to the second retracted position.

[0146] In addition, such as FIG. 8 As shown, with the tray 80k in the removed position and the toner cartridge 70k in the retracted position, the toner cartridge 70k protrudes a distance P1 from the outer surface of the device body 1A to the outside of the device. In this embodiment, the tray 80k also protrudes a distance P1 from the outer surface of the device body 1A to the outside of the device.

[0147] In addition, such as FIG. 9 As shown, with the tray 80m in the removed position and the toner cartridge 70m in the retracted position, the toner cartridge 70m protrudes a distance P2 from the outer surface of the device body 1A to the outside of the device. In this embodiment, the tray 80m also protrudes a distance P2 from the outer surface of the device body 1A to the outside of the device. Toner cartridges 70y and 70c also protrude a distance P2 from the outer surface of the device body 1A to the outside of the device.

[0148] The distance P1 described above is greater than the distance P2. That is, the length of the first toner cartridge in the first retracted position that protrudes through the opening 16a of the device main body 1A will be referred to as a first length (P1), and the length of the second toner cartridge in the second retracted position that protrudes through the opening 16a will be referred to as a second length (P2). In this case, it can be said that the first length is longer than the second length.

[0149] In terms of strength, it is more preferable that the toner cartridges 70y to 70c, which are smaller in size than the toner cartridge 70k, have a shorter distance P2 by which they protrude to the outside of the device in the retracted position than the distance P1 by which the toner cartridge 70k protrudes to the outside in the retracted position. The reason for this is as follows. When the toner cartridge 70 is in the retracted position, at least a portion of the toner cartridge 70 protrudes to the outside of the device from the outside of the rotation locus of the rotation body 90 or the outer surface of the device main body 1A. At this time, the tray 80 supports the weight of the toner cartridge 70 in a state in which one side thereof is supported by the rotation body 90 in a cantilevered manner. Therefore, by making the distance P2 by which the toner cartridges 70y to 70c protrude to the outside of the device in the retracted position shorter, it is possible to reduce the load on the tray 80y to 80c or the guide portion 97 of the rotation body 90 that supports the tray 80y to 80k. In addition, since the toner cartridges 70y to 70c are smaller than the toner cartridge 70k, even if the distance P2 is set to be smaller than the distance P1, it is possible to maintain the operability for cartridge replacement of the trays 80y to 80c.

[0150] Arrangement of trays in a rotation body

[0151] The arrangement of the trays 80y to 80k in the rotation body 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 , FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 . FIG. 10 is a perspective view that shows the arrangement of the trays 80y to 80k in the rotation body 90.

[0152] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view that shows the arrangement of the trays 80y to 80k in the rotation body 90. FIG. 10 is a view that shows the arrangement of members on one end side in the Y direction of the trays 80y to 80k. FIG. 8 shows a cross section of the rotation body 90 taken along a virtual plane that is perpendicular to the rotation axis 90C of the rotation body 90. In addition, FIG. 8 the upper half of FIG. 10 is a view of the rotation body 90 and the trays 80m and 80k of FIG. 8 as seen from the right upper side (i.e., the +Z side) of FIG. 8 , and FIG. 8 the lower half of FIG. 11A is a view of the rotation body 90 and the trays 80c and 80y of as seen from the left side (i.e., -X) of .

[0153] As FIG. 11B shown, the trays 80y to 80k are each provided with a cartridge holding portion 81y to 81k and a guided portion 82y to 82k.

[0154] The toner cartridges 70y to 70k are attached to the cartridge holding portions 81y to 81k, respectively. The cartridge holding portions 81y to 81k each accommodate at least a portion of the toner cartridges 70y to 70k attached thereto.

[0155] The guided portions 82y to 82k are provided at respective end portions of the trays 80y to 80k such that the cartridge holding portions 81y to 81k are each interposed therebetween in the Y direction. The guided portions 82y to 82k are each a long and narrow member extending in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the rotating body 90.

[0156] In the present embodiment, as FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B shown, in the moving direction Dk of the tray 80k, a reinforcing rib 82k1 is formed on a portion of the guided portion 82k, and in the moving direction Dm of the tray 80m, a reinforcing rib 82m1 is formed on a portion of the guided portion 82m. The reinforcing ribs 82k1 and 82m1 are long and narrow ribs (i.e., ridges) that project outward in the Y direction from the guided portions 82k and 82m at the respective end portions of the trays 80k and 80m in the Y direction, and extend in the moving directions Dk and Dm of the trays 80k and 80m. The reinforcing ribs 82k1 and 82m1 enhance the rigidity of the guided portions 82k and 82m.

[0157] In the present embodiment, the lengths of the reinforcing ribs 82m1 and 82k1 are limited in a manner that avoids interference with the guided portions 82y and 82c, but if no interference with the guided portions 82y and 82c would occur, the reinforcing ribs 82m1 and 82k1 can be provided to cover the entire lengths of the guided portions 82m and 82k. Reinforcing ribs can be added to the guided portions 82y and 82c. Also, in a case where the rigidity of the guided portions 82m and 82k is sufficient, a configuration in which the reinforcing ribs 82m1 and 82k1 are not provided can be employed.

[0158] The guided portions 82y to 82k have rack portions 83y to 83k (i.e., rack gears) formed therein. Also, pinions 94y to 94k are rotatably held in the rotating body 90. The pinions 94y to 94k are each engaged with the rack portions 83y to 83k in a manner that enables transmission of driving force.

[0159] The tray 80y is provided with one or more rack portions 83y. The rotating body 90 is provided with one or more pinions 94y corresponding to the one or more rack portions 83y. Similarly, each of the tray 80m, the tray 80c, and the tray 80k is provided with one or more rack portions 83m, one or more rack portions 83c, and one or more rack portions 83k, respectively. The rotating body 90 is provided with one or more pinions 94m, one or more pinions 94c, and one or more pinions 94k, each corresponding to the one or more rack portions 83m, the one or more rack portions 83c, and the one or more rack portions 83k, respectively.

[0160] The rack portions 83y to 83k and the pinions 94y to 94k are part of the moving devices 85y to 85k configured to move the toner cartridges 70y to 70k from the attached position to the retracted position. In addition, it can be said that the rack portions 83y to 83k and the pinions 94y to 94k are part of driven devices driven by the driving device 98 of the device body 1A. It can be said that the pinions 94y to 94k are rotatable bodies (i.e., rotating members) that rotate to move the trays 80y to 80k relative to the rotating body 90.

[0161] The moving devices 85y to 85k are driven by the driving device 98 of the device body 1A. The pinions 94y to 94k and the rack portions 83y to 83k serve as driven portions of the moving devices 85y to 85k of the rotating body 90 to receive driving force from the driving device 98 of the device body 1A. The pinion 94k and the rack portion 83k are examples of a first pinion and a first rack gear that make up at least part of a first driven portion included in the first moving device. The pinion 94m and the rack portion 83m are examples of a second pinion and a second rack gear that make up at least part of a second driven portion included in the second moving device.

[0162] The rotating body 90 includes FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B guide portions 97 engaged with the guided portions 82y to 82k, respectively, as shown. FIG. 7A The guide portion 97 (i.e., 97k) engaged with the guided portion 82k of the tray 80k is shown, and FIG. 7B the guide portion 97 (i.e., 97m) engaged with the guided portion 82m of the tray 80m is shown. The rotating body 90 includes similar guide portions engaged with the guided portions 82y and 82c of the trays 80y and 80c, respectively. In addition, the guide portions 97 provided on one side (i.e., the +Y side) of the rotating body 90 in the Y direction are shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 However, similar guide portions 97 are also provided on the other side (i.e., the -Y side) of the rotating body 90 in the Y direction.

[0163] When the tray 80 moves between the accommodation position and the removal position, the guide portion 97 maintains a state of engagement with the guided portion 82 in at least a part of the movement range and guides the movement direction of the tray 80. In the present embodiment, the guide portion 97 maintains a state of engagement with the guided portion 82k throughout the movement range of the tray 80k between the accommodation position and the removal position. Also, in the present embodiment, the guide portion 97 maintains a state of engagement with the guided portion 82m throughout the movement range of the tray 80m between the accommodation position and the removal position.

[0164] Also, as FIG. 9 and FIG. 9 indicated, the four trays 80y to 80k are disposed in the rotating body 90 in a manner of overlapping each other, which will be described in detail below.

[0165] When the pinions 94y to 94k rotate, the rack portions 83y to 83k and the trays 80y to 80k move relative to the rotating body 90. As FIG. 4B indicated, the four trays 80y to 80k are arranged so that their movement directions relative to the rotating body 90 are rotated 90° from each other. Thus, the tray 80y and the tray 80c, and similarly the tray 80m and the tray 80k, are respectively held so as to be slidable in substantially the same direction (i.e., parallel direction) relative to each other. The movement direction of the movement in the sliding motion of the trays 80y to 80k is governed by the engagement between the guide portion 97 and the guided portions 82y to 82k described above.

[0166] The trays 80y to 80k are moved to the outside of the apparatus through the opening 16a. When the trays 80y to 80k are each moved to the outside of the apparatus through the opening 16a, the movement directions of the trays are substantially the same (i.e., parallel).

[0167] As FIG. 8 indicated, with respect to the movement direction Dk of the tray 80k, the range in which the tray 80k is disposed overlaps the range in which the tray 80y is disposed and the range in which the tray 80c is disposed. Also, with respect to the movement direction Dk of the tray 80k, the range in which the tray 80k is disposed overlaps the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90. That is, it can be said that the toner cartridge 70k held by the cartridge holding portion 81k of the tray 80k overlaps the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90 as FIG. 10 indicated.

[0168] Meanwhile, regarding the movement direction Dm of pallet 80m, the area of ​​pallet 80m is arranged in a shifted manner so that it does not overlap with the areas of pallet 80y and pallet 80c. Similarly, regarding the movement direction Dy of pallet 80y, the area of ​​pallet 80y is arranged in a shifted manner so that it does not overlap with the areas of pallet 80m and pallet 80k. Likewise, regarding the movement direction Dc of pallet 80c, the area of ​​pallet 80c is arranged in a shifted manner so that it does not overlap with the areas of pallet 80m and pallet 80k.

[0169] The positional relationship between pallets 80 can also be expressed as follows: Viewed in the direction of movement Dy of pallet 80y, pallets 80y and 80k overlap, but pallets 80y and 80m do not overlap. Viewed in the direction of movement Dm of pallet 80m, pallets 80m and 80k overlap, but pallet 80m does not overlap with pallets 80y and 80c. Viewed in the direction of movement Dc of pallet 80c, pallets 80c and 80k overlap, but pallets 80c and 80m do not overlap.

[0170] Two elements (such as components, parts, and units) that overlap when viewed in a particular direction are those in which the projected areas of one element and the projected areas of the other element at least partially overlap when the elements are orthogonally projected onto a virtual plane perpendicular to the particular direction.

[0171] like FIG. 10 and FIG. 10 As shown, the areas where the rack portion 83m and the guided portion 82m are located relative to the direction of rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction) and the areas where the rack portion 83k and the guided portion 82k are located are arranged to at least partially overlap each other. That is, in this embodiment, it can be said that, relative to the direction of rotation axis of the rotating body (i.e., the Y direction), the areas where the first rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83k) and the areas where the second rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83m) are located are arranged to at least partially overlap each other. Therefore, compared to an arrangement where the rack portion 83m and the guided portion 82m do not overlap with the rack portion 83k and the guided portion 82k, the rack portions 83m and 83k and the guided portions 82m and 82k can be arranged in a smaller space in the Y direction.

[0172] The range in which the rack portion 83y and the guided portion 82y are provided and the range in which the rack portion 83c and the guided portion 82c are provided are provided so as to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). That is, in the present embodiment, it can be said that the range in which the third rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83y) is provided and the range in which the fourth rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83c) is provided are provided so as to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating body (i.e., the Y direction). Therefore, compared to an arrangement in which the rack portion 83y and the guided portion 82y do not overlap the rack portion 83c and the guided portion 82c, the rack portions 83y and 83c and the guided portions 82y and 82c can be arranged in a smaller space in the Y direction.

[0173] Here, the engagement position between the rack portion (i.e., the rack gear) 83 and the pinion gear 94 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 the upper half of FIG. 9. FIG. 2 the lower half of FIG. 9. FIG. 8 the lower half of FIG. 9.

[0174] In the region Yl in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction) of the rotating body 90 in the drawing, the driving force transmitted from the motor M2 shown in FIG. 8 is transmitted to the pinion gears 94y to 94k to be described below. In the region Y2 in the Y direction in the drawing, the pinion gear 94k engages with the rack portion 83k in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force. In the region Y3 in the Y direction in the drawing, the pinion gear 94y engages with the rack portion 83y in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force. Similarly to the rack portion 83k, in the region Y2, the rack portion 83m engages with the pinion gear 94m shown in FIG. 8 in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force. Similarly to the rack portion 83y, in the region Y3, the rack portion 83c engages with the pinion gear 94c shown in FIG. 8 in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force.

[0175] Here, the regions Y2 and Y3 are at different positions in the Y direction, that is, are displaced from each other in the Y direction. In addition, in the Y direction, the region Yl is at a position different from both the regions Y2 and Y3. That is, in the Y direction, the region Yl is displaced from the regions Y2 and Y3.

[0176] Furthermore, in a state where the toner cartridges 70y and 70c are in the attached position, the range in which the rack portion 83y is disposed and the range in which the rack portion 83c is disposed are set to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of movement of the rack portion 83y (i.e., the direction of movement Dy of the tray 80y). In the present embodiment, since the directions of movement Dy and Dc of the trays 80y and 80c are substantially the same (i.e., parallel), the range in which the rack portion 83y is disposed and the range in which the rack portion 83c is disposed are set to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of movement Dc of the tray 80c as well. Thus, in a state where the toner cartridges 70y and 70c are in the attached position, the tooth surface of the rack portion 83y faces the tooth surface of the rack portion 83c in a direction orthogonal to the directions of movement Dy and Dc of the rack portions 83y and 83c (i.e., the left-right direction of the FIG. 12A

[0177] Furthermore, in a state where the toner cartridges 70m and 70k are in the attached position, the range in which the rack portion 83m is disposed and the range in which the rack portion 83k is disposed are set to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of movement of the rack portion 83m (i.e., the direction of movement Dm of the tray 80m). In the present embodiment, since the directions of movement Dm and Dk of the trays 80m and 80k are substantially the same (i.e., parallel), the range in which the rack portion 83m is disposed and the range in which the rack portion 83k is disposed are set to at least partially overlap each other with respect to the direction of movement Dk of the tray 80k as well. Thus, in a state where the toner cartridges 70m and 70k are in the attached position, the tooth surface of the rack portion 83m faces the tooth surface of the rack portion 83k in a direction orthogonal to the directions of movement Dm and Dm of the rack portions 83m and 83k (i.e., the up-down direction of the FIG. 11A

[0178] In addition, as will be described later FIG. 11B ​​As illustrated, the rack portion 83y overlaps the rack portions 83m and 83k when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). The rack portion 83m overlaps the rack portions 83y and 83c when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). The rack portion 83c overlaps the rack portions 83m and 83k when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). The rack portion 83k overlaps the rack portions 83y and 83c when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis 90C (i.e., the Y direction). In other words, it can be said that the range in which the first rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83k) is provided does not overlap the range in which the second rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83y) is provided with respect to the rotation axis direction (Y direction) of the rotating body. In addition, it can be said that the first rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83k) and the second rack gear (i.e., the rack portion 83y) overlap each other when viewed in the rotation axis direction (i.e., the Y direction) of the rotating body in a state in which the first toner cartridge 70k is in the first attachment position and the second toner cartridge 70y is in the second attachment position.

[0179] As described above, since the positions at which the rack portions 83k and 83m are provided and the positions at which the rack portions 83y and 83c are provided are set to be different in the Y direction, the rack portions 83y and 83c can be arranged to overlap the rack portions 83m and 83k when viewed in the Y direction.

[0180] Accordingly, the space for arranging the four trays in the rotating body 90 can be reduced, and the size of the rotating body 90 in the rotation radius direction can be reduced. That is, when the rack portions 83 are to be arranged such that the movement distances of the trays 80y to 80k are equal to the movement distances of the present embodiment and the rack portions 83 do not overlap each other when viewed in the Y direction, the area required for arranging the four rack portions widens when viewed in the Y direction. In comparison with such a configuration, since the plurality of rack portions 83 are arranged in a manner shifted in the Y direction such that the rack portions 83 overlap each other when viewed in the Y direction, the mounting area for the rack portions 83 when viewed in the Y direction can be reduced.

[0181] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the two pairs formed by two of the four rack portions 83y to 83k are arranged in a manner that shifts in the Y direction. That is, it can be said that, relative to the rotation axis direction (i.e., the Y direction) of the rotating body, the range where the first rack gear is located and the range where the second rack gear is located overlap each other, and the range where the third rack gear is located and the range where the fourth rack gear is located overlap each other. Additionally, it can be said that, relative to the Y direction, the range where the first rack gear and the second rack gear are located do not overlap with the range where the third rack gear and the fourth rack gear are located. Therefore, compared to the case where all four rack portions 83y to 83k are arranged in a manner that shifts in the Y direction, the size of the rotating body 90 in the Y direction can be reduced.

[0182] Tray movement configuration

[0183] Reference FIG. 12A , FIG. 12B , FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B Describes the components related to the movement of the trays 80y to 80k disposed in the rotating body 90. FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B Each is a 3D diagram of a component related to the movement of the tray 80k. FIG. 11A and FIG. 11A Each is a cross-sectional view of a component related to the movement of the tray 80k.

[0184] In this embodiment, trays 80y to 80k are driven by a motor M2 that transmits driving force to pinions 94y to 94k via drive racks 15L and 15R, which serve as transmission devices. Here, the configuration for moving tray 80k relative to the rotating body 90 will be described, and the configurations for moving trays 80y to 80c relative to the rotating body 90 will not be described, as they are substantially the same as the configuration for moving tray 80k.

[0185] FIG. 4A This shows the tray 80k located inside the rotating body 90, that is, the toner cartridge 70k attached to the developing unit 50k. In other words, FIG. 11B The diagram shows the tray 80k in its receiving position, corresponding to the toner cartridge 70k relative to... FIG. 11B The developing frame 53k shown is in the attachment position. FIG. 4A This shows the state in which the tray 80k has moved by sliding outside the rotating body 90. That is, FIG. 11A The diagram shows the tray 80k in the attached position, corresponding to the toner cartridge 70k relative to... FIG. 11A The developing frame 53k shown is in the retracted position.

[0186] The device main body 1A of the present embodiment includes drive racks 15L and 15R that function as drive gears that drive pinions 94. The drive racks 15 are each driven by the motor M2 via a transmission portion 15t. As shown in FIG. 9, in a state in which the tray 80k is positioned inside the rotating main body 90 (that is, in a state in which the toner cartridge 70k is attached to the developing unit 50k), the drive racks 15L and 15R are in a disengaged position that is separated from the pinions 94k. The drive racks 15L and 15R are moved from the disengaged position and engaged with the pinions 94k, such that the tray 80k is moved from the housed position to the removed position, and the toner cartridge 70k is moved from the attached position to the retracted position. FIG. 11B

[0187] As described above, two rack portions 83k are formed at respective end portions of the tray 80k in the Y direction. Two pinions 94k and the drive racks 15L and 15R are provided at positions that respectively correspond to the rack portions 83k at the respective end portions. That is, the device main body 1A of the present embodiment includes the drive racks 15L and 15R that function as first and second drive gears. It can be said that the drive rack 15L is an example of the first drive gear, and the drive rack 15R is an example of the second drive gear.

[0188] This numbering is merely for ease of description, and in principle can be arbitrarily interchanged. In a case in which it is not necessary to distinguish between the drive racks 15L and 15R from each other, the drive racks will be described as “drive racks 15” in general.

[0189] The rack portions 83 of the present embodiment are configured as a pair of rack gears, and the pinions 94 of the present embodiment are configured as a pair of pinions. In the present embodiment, the pair of rack gears and the pair of pinions are provided on first and second end sides of the support member (that is, the tray 80) in the Y direction, but they can be provided at other positions. The rack portion 83k and the pinion 94k of the moving device 85k corresponding to the tray 80k can be referred to as examples of a first pair of rack gears and a first pair of pinions, respectively.

[0190] The rack portions 83y to 83c and the pinions 94y to 94c of the moving devices 85y to 85c corresponding to the other trays 80y to 80c can be referred to as examples of a second pair of rack gears and a second pair of pinions, respectively.

[0191] ​One of the pair of rack gears meshes with one of the pair of pinions, and the other of the pair of rack gears meshes with the other of the pair of pinions. At least one of the pair of pinions is driven by the drive rack 15L serving as the first drive rack. In the present embodiment, both pairs of pinions are simultaneously driven by the drive racks 15L and 15R serving as the first drive rack and the second drive rack. Thus, rotation of the tray 80 is less likely to occur, and stable movement of the toner cartridge 70 is made possible. Alternatively, a configuration can be employed in which the tray 80 includes one rack portion 83 and is moved by one drive rack 15 via one pinion 94 can be employed.

[0192] The tray 80k is held slidable with respect to the rotating body 90 in a direction parallel to the guided portion 82k (i.e., the movement direction Dk). The drive rack 15 is held slidable with respect to the device body 1A in a direction intersecting the movement direction Dk of the tray 80k. The drive rack 15 is configured to slide (i.e., reciprocate) in a first movement direction (in the present embodiment, it is a vertically upward direction) and a second movement direction (in the present embodiment, it is a vertically downward direction) opposite to the first movement direction with respect to the device body 1A. That is, the movement direction of the drive rack 15 of the present embodiment is a direction intersecting (preferably, orthogonal to) both the movement direction Dk of the tray 80k and the direction of the rotation axis 90C of the rotating body 90 (i.e., the Y direction).

[0193] The tray 80k will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 11A The tray moving operation of the tray 80k will be described with reference to FIG. 4B performed by the motor M2, the transmission portion 15t, the drive rack 15, the pinion 94k, and the rack portion 83k shown in FIG. 17.

[0194] First, the tray moving operation (i.e., the tray pull-out operation) of detaching the toner cartridge 70k from the rotating body 90 will be described. In a state before the start of the tray pull-out operation, FIG. 11B the drive rack 15 is positioned below a position at which the drive rack 15 meshes with the pinion 94k. In addition, as described above, in the replacement operation of the toner cartridge 70k, the rotating body 90 takes FIG. 7A the replacement posture of the toner cartridge 70k shown in FIG. 18.

[0195] When the tray pull-out operation starts, the drive rack 15 is slid upward with respect to the device body 1A by the driving force of the motor M2. During the movement of the drive rack 15, the drive rack 15 meshes with the pinion 94k, and the pinion 94k is rotationally driven.

[0196] As FIG. 11BAs shown, the pinion 94k is rotationally driven in the arrow direction, and thus driving force enters the rack portion 83k engaged with the pinion 94k. Accordingly, the tray 80k is pushed out of the device, and moves from the housing position to the removal position with respect to the rotating body 90. By FIG. 7A As engagement between the guided portion 82k and the guide portion 97k of the rotating body 90, the moving direction of the tray 80k in this movement is guided to the predetermined moving direction Dk. As the tray 80k moves from the housing position to the removal position, the toner cartridge 70k moves from the attached position to the retracted position with respect to the developing unit 50k.

[0197] In a state where the tray 80k is positioned in the removal position and the toner cartridge 70k is positioned in the retracted position, a user can attach the toner cartridge 70k to the tray 80k and detach the toner cartridge from the tray.

[0198] The tray moving operation at the time of attaching the toner cartridge 70 to the rotating body 90 is performed in a process opposite to the tray pull-out operation (i.e., a tray pull-in operation or a tray insertion operation). For example, in response to a user operating a predetermined operation portion, the tray pull-in operation is started. When the tray pull-in operation is started, the driving rack 15 is slid downward with respect to the device body 1A by the driving force of the motor M2. Here, the rotation direction of the motor M2 in the tray pull-in operation is opposite to the rotation direction of the motor M2 in the tray pull-out operation.

[0199] As the pinion 94k is rotationally driven in the direction opposite to the arrow of FIG. 11B , driving force enters the rack portion 83k engaged with the pinion 94k. Accordingly, the tray 80k is pulled into the device, and moves from the removal position to the housing position with respect to the rotating body 90.

[0200] By engagement between the guided portion 82k and the guide portion 97k of the rotating body 90, FIG. 12A , the moving direction of the tray 80k is guided to the moving direction Dk opposite to the arrow of FIG. 12B . As the tray 80k moves from the removal position to the housing position, the toner cartridge 70k moves from the retracted position to the attached position with respect to the developing unit 50k.

[0201] The movement of the tray 80k and the toner cartridge 70k for black has been described above, and the movement of the other trays 80y to 80c and the toner cartridges 70y to 70c is also performed by similar mechanisms. That is, the driving rack 15 transmits driving to the pinions 94y to 94c in the respective replacement postures of the toner cartridges.

[0202] The motor M2 provided in the device main body 1A and the transmission device including the drive racks 15 (i.e., 15L and 15R) and the transmission portions 15t constitute a drive device 98 for driving the moving devices 85 provided in the rotating main body 90.

[0203] As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of moving devices 85k to 85y corresponding to a plurality of toner cartridges 70k to 70y are provided in the rotating main body 90. The drive device 98 of the device main body 1A is a common drive device that drives the plurality of moving devices 85k to 85y (i.e., a plurality of driven devices) of the rotating main body 90.

[0204] Further, in the present embodiment, the drive target of the drive device 98 is switched in accordance with the rotation of the rotating main body 90. In other words, the drive device of the present embodiment includes the drive racks 15 each serving as a transmission member that transmits the driving force of the transmission drive source. The drive device can take a state in which the transmission member is engaged with the first driven portion (e.g., the pinion 94k) in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force, and a state in which the transmission member is engaged with the second driven portion (e.g., the pinion 94m) in a manner capable of transmitting the driving force. Further, the drive device can take a state in which the transmission member is disengaged from the first driven portion and the second driven portion.

[0205] As described above, the pinions 94y to 94k are held by the rotating main body 90. Therefore, when the rotating main body 90 rotates, it is preferable that the engagement between the drive racks 15 and the pinions 94y to 94k be released.

[0206] FIG. 12A A state in which the tray 80k is located inside the rotating main body 90, i.e., a state in which the tray 80k is in the accommodation position, is shown. FIG. 12A A state in which the tray 80k has moved to the outside of the rotating main body 90, i.e., a state in which the tray 80k has moved to the removal position, is shown.

[0207] As FIG. 12B shown, when the tray 80k is located inside the rotating main body 90, the drive racks 15 are positioned in the lower portion of the device main body 1A. At this time, the drive racks 15 are retracted from the pinions 94k. Therefore, the rotating main body 90 can rotate without being interrupted by the drive racks 15. More specifically, the drive racks 15 can be retracted outside the rotation locus of the rotating main body 90 indicated by the broken line in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B .

[0208] As described above, by rotating the drive motor M2 in the forward direction and the reverse direction, the tray 80 attached to the rotating body 90 can be moved relative to the rotating body 90 from the accommodation position to the removal position and from the removal position to the accommodation position. That is, the drive device of the present embodiment can not only drive the moving device to move the toner cartridge from the attached position to the retracted position, but also drive the moving device to move the toner cartridge from the retracted position to the attached position.

[0209] Here, as described above, in the present embodiment, the amount of movement of the tray 80 during replacement of the toner cartridge 70 is changed depending on the size of the toner cartridge. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 13A the movement distance LI of the black tray 80k from the accommodation position to the removal position is longer than the movement distance L2 of the other trays 80y to 80c from the accommodation position to the removal position.

[0210] Therefore, in the present embodiment, when moving the toner cartridges 70y to 70k from the attached position to the retracted position, the value obtained by dividing the speed of the rack portion 83k by the speed of the drive rack 15 is greater than the value obtained by dividing the speed of the rack portions 83y to 83c by the speed of the drive rack 15.

[0211] For example, as shown in FIG. 13B the pinion gear 94y is formed as a stepped gear in which a small-diameter gear 942 engaged with the rack portion 83y has a pitch circle radius smaller than that of a large-diameter gear 941 engaged with the drive rack 15. The pinion gears 94m and 94c are formed as similar stepped gears. Meanwhile, the pinion gear 94k is formed so that the portion thereof engaged with the drive rack 15 and the portion thereof engaged with the rack portion 83k have the same pitch circle radius. In this case, the pitch circle radius of the pinion gear 94k can be equal to the pitch circle radius of the large-diameter gear 941 of the pinion gears 94y to 94c. According to this configuration, even in the case where the movement distance of the drive rack 15 is the same, it is possible to make the movement distance of the rack portion 83k greater than the movement distance of the other rack portions 83y to 83c. That is, it is possible to make the movement distance LI of the black tray 80k from the accommodation position to the removal position greater than the movement distance L2 of the other trays 80y to 80c from the accommodation position to the removal position.

[0212] In addition, by forming the pinion gears 94y to 94c as stepped gears, even in the configuration in which the pinion gears 94y to 94k receive driving force from the same drive rack 15, it is possible to make the movement distance LI of the tray 80k greater than the movement distance L2 of the other trays 80y to 80c.

[0213] Instead of or in combination with the configuration in which pinion gears 94y to 94c are formed as stepped gears, pinion gear 94k can be formed as a stepped gear. In this case, the portion of pinion gear 94k that engages with drive rack 15 can be formed as a small-diameter gear, and the portion of pinion gear 94k that engages with rack portion 83k can be formed as a large-diameter gear having a pitch circle radius larger than that of the small-diameter gear. In addition, the stepped gear is an example of a speed reduction mechanism, and can be replaced by a known speed reduction mechanism that makes the amount of movement of a member on the input side (i.e., the drive source side) smaller than the amount of movement of the member on the output side (i.e., the tray 80 side).

[0214] In addition, the amount of movement of drive rack 15 when toner cartridge 70k moves from the attached position to the retracted position can be larger than the amount of movement of drive rack 15 when toner cartridges 70y to 70c move from the attached position to the retracted position.

[0215] Incidentally, in the case where the moving distance of toner cartridge 70 from the attached position to the retracted position is small, the moving time of toner cartridge 70 can become shorter, and the time during which the user waits while toner cartridge 70 is moving can become shorter. If the configuration in which the amount of movement of drive rack 15 for toner cartridge 70k is larger than the amount of movement of drive rack 15 for toner cartridges 70y to 70c is employed as described above, the time during which the user waits while toner cartridges 70y to 70c are moving can be made shorter.

[0216] According to the above-described configuration, moving distance LI can be made larger than moving distance L2. These configurations can be combined.

[0217] In the above-described configuration, the configuration in which the driven portion includes a pinion gear that engages with both drive rack 15 and rack portion 83 has been described, but the configuration can also be configured such that the driven portion includes a gear that engages with drive rack 15 and a gear that engages with rack portion 83.

[0218] In addition, the configuration of moving device 85 that moves tray 80 is not limited to the so-called rack-pinion configuration. For example, the member corresponding to pinion gear 94 can be replaced with a roller that rotates by receiving drive from motor M2, and tray 80 can be moved by friction between the roller and tray 80.

[0219] In the case where a roller that rotates by receiving drive from motor M2 is used, the roller can be in contact with toner cartridge 70. In this case, toner cartridges 70y to 70k can be made directly attachable to and detachable from rotating body 90 without employing trays 80y to 80k. In this case, moving device 85 is constituted by the roller.

[0220] Left-right connection configuration of tray drive mechanism

[0221] Reference FIG. 13A And FIG. 13B A drive mechanism for moving the tray 80 arranged in the rotating body 90 will be described. Here, a drive mechanism for moving the tray 80k relative to the rotating body 90 will be described, and a drive mechanism for moving the trays 80y to 80c is similar thereto, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

[0222] FIG. 13A And FIG. 13B Each is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism of the tray 80. FIG. 13A A state in which the tray 80k is arranged inside the rotating body 90 (i.e., in a housed position) is shown. FIG. 13B A state in which the tray 80k has been moved to outside the rotating body 90 (i.e., in a removed position) is shown. As FIG. 13A And FIG. 13B The drive mechanism of the tray 80k is composed of the motor M2, the worm gear 60, the stepped gears 61 and 62, the drive rack input gears 64L and 64R, the stepped gears 65L and 65R, and the left-right connection rack 66, as shown.

[0223] The operation of the drive mechanism for moving the tray 80k from the housed position of FIGS. 14A-17B to the removed position of FIG. 16A will be described. In a state in which the motor M2 is driven to rotate, the drive force is transmitted in sequence via the worm gear 60, the stepped gear 61, the stepped gear 62, the stepped gear 65R, and the drive rack input gear 64R. By the drive rack input gear 64R having received the drive force transmitted from the stepped gear 65R, the drive rack 15R slides in the upward direction (i.e., +Z direction) of the device body 1A. For ease of description, when viewed from the +X direction, i.e., when the device body 1A is viewed from the front side, the +Y direction side is referred to as the right side, and the -Y direction side is referred to as the left side.

[0224] Further, the left-right connection rack 66 slides in the rightward direction (i.e., +Y direction) of the device body 1A by the stepped gear 65R. By the left-right connection rack 66 sliding in the +Y direction, the drive force is transmitted in the listed order via the stepped gear 65L and the drive rack input gear 64L, and the drive rack 15L slides in the upward direction (i.e., +Z direction) of the device body 1A by the drive rack input gear 64L.

[0225] During movement in the upward direction of the device main body 1A, the drive racks 15L and 15R engage with the pinions 94kL and 94kR, respectively, and the pinions 94kL and 94kR are driven to rotate. Drive force is transmitted from the pinions 94kL and 94kR to the rack portions 83kL and 83kR of the tray 80k, respectively, and the tray 80k moves toward the removal position outside the rotating main body 90.

[0226] Locking mechanism of rotating main body

[0227] The locking mechanism 69 of the rotating main body 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 14A The locking mechanism 69 of the rotating main body 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 14B When the rotating main body 90 assumes the replacement posture, the locking mechanism 69 restricts the rotating main body 90 from rotating around the rotation axis 90C.

[0228] In the present embodiment, in order to engage the pinions 94 with the above-described drive racks 15 when the tray 80 moves from the housing position to the removal position, the pinions 94 are preferably positioned accurately at the engagement position at which the drive racks 15 are engaged.

[0229] One reason for the pinions 94 to deviate from the engagement position is a deviation in the position of the rotating main body 90 in the yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement posture. When the pinions 94 are engaged with the drive racks 15, the tooth surfaces of the pinions 94 receive force from the tooth surfaces of the drive racks 15. If this force rotates the rotating main body 90 around the rotation axis 90C, the pinions 94 can move from the engagement position. Furthermore, in a state in which the tray 80 is in the removal position, if the user accidentally touches the rotating main body 90 and causes the rotating main body 90 to rotate, the pinions 94 can move from the engagement position.

[0230] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the locking mechanism 69 that locks the rotating main body 90 in the rotation direction in the replacement posture is provided. As described below, the locking mechanism 69 operates and locks the rotating main body 90 during movement of the tray 80 from the housing position to the removal position.

[0231] FIG. 15 and FIG. 16A Each is an isometric view of the stepped gear 65R. FIG. 16B is an isometric view of the locking member 67. FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B Each is a front view illustrating the operation of the locking mechanism 69. FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B Each is an isometric view illustrating the operation of the locking mechanism 69. As FIG. 15 and FIG. 16AAs shown, the stepped gear 65R includes a large-diameter gear 651R, a small-diameter gear 652R that rotates integrally with the large-diameter gear 651R and has a smaller number of teeth than the large-diameter gear 651R, and a pressing portion 653 that is formed integrally with the large-diameter gear 651R. The pressing portion 653 constitutes a part of a lock mechanism 69 described below.

[0232] FIGS. 16A-17B The lock member 67 shown also constitutes a part of the lock mechanism 69 (refer to FIG. 16A ). The lock member 67 is supported so as to be movable in the Y direction with respect to the device main body 1A, and includes a pressed portion 671 and an engaging portion 672. The pressed portion 671 is configured to be able to abut against the pressing portion 653 of the lock member 67.

[0233] Next, the operation of the lock mechanism 69 will be described with reference to FIG. 17A FIG. 16B and FIG. 17B shows an unlocked state in which the lock mechanism 69 does not lock the rotation body 90, and FIG. 16A and FIG. 17A shows a locked state in which the lock mechanism 69 locks the rotation body 90. As shown in FIG. 17A and FIG. 16B , the lock mechanism 69 includes the pressing portion 653 of the stepped gear 65R, the lock member 67, and a push member 68. The push member 68 is provided in the device main body 1A, and pushes the lock member 67 in the -Y direction.

[0234] In a state in which the tray 80 is positioned in the accommodation position, the lock mechanism 69 is in an unlocked state, and the rotation body 90 is not locked by the lock mechanism 69. That is, the rotation body 90 is in a state in which it can rotate about the rotation axis 90C. The rotation body 90 is provided with four engaged portions 99a that can engage with the engaging portion 672 of the lock member 67. When the rotation body 90 assumes one of the yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement postures, the engaging portion 672 of the lock member 67 can engage with one of the four engaged portions 99a described above. By causing the engaging portion 672 to engage with the engaged portion 99a, the rotation of the rotation body 90 about the rotation axis 90C is regulated.

[0235] In a state in which the rotation body 90 is in one of the yellow / magenta / cyan / black replacement postures and the tray 80 is in the accommodation position, the pressing portion 653 of the stepped gear 65R is in contact with the pressed portion 671 of the lock member 67. Therefore, the push member 68 restricts the movement of the lock member 67 that is pushed in the -Y direction. In this state, as shown in FIG. 17B , the engaging portion 672 of the lock member 67 is separated from the engaged portion 99a of the rotation body 90, and the rotation body 90 is not locked. ​

[0236] The stepped gear 65R having the pressing portion 653 provided thereto constitutes a part of the transmission portion 15t that transmits the drive from the motor M2 to the drive rack 15 during the tray moving operation. That is, the stepped gear 65R rotates while performing the tray moving operation that slides the tray 80 between the housing position and the removal position. In the present embodiment, when the motor M2 is driven to move the tray 80 from the housing position to the removal position, the stepped gear 65R rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8A along with the pressing portion 653. FIG. 2

[0237] Then, the pressing portion 653 of the stepped gear 65R also rotates in the clockwise direction and moves in the -Y direction. At this time, the locking member 67 slides in the -Y direction by the pushing force of the pushing member 68. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the engaging portion 672 of the locking member 67 engages with the engaged portion 99a of the rotating body 90 and locks the rotating body 90. After the engaging portion 672 engages with the engaged portion 99a, the drive rack 15 engages with the pinion 94. Then, even in a state where the drive rack 15 engages with the pinion 94 and the tray 80 is positioned at the removal position, the rotating body 90 is locked by the locking mechanism 69. FIG. 18A

[0238] The following configuration is adopted in which, in a state where the tray 80 is moved from the removal position to the housing position, the engagement of the engaging portion 672 with the engaged portion 99a is released after the engagement of the drive rack 15 with the pinion 94 is released. Thus, in a state where the rotation of the rotating body 90 is restricted, the drive rack 15 and the pinion 94 mesh with each other.

[0239] As described above, in a state where the tray 80 is positioned at the removal position by the locking mechanism 69 of the rotating body 90, the rotating body 90 is locked in the replacement posture. Thus, during the tray moving operation, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of meshing failure between the pinion 94 and the drive rack 15.

[0240] Drive transmission configuration of rotating body and conveyance unit

[0241] As described with reference to FIG. 1, the device body 1A includes the motors M1, M2, and M3, and the members driven by each of the motors M1, M2, and M3 can be arbitrarily set. The following description shows a configuration in which the motor M1 serves as a drive source of both the rotating body 90 and the conveyance unit 350. The conveyance unit 350 includes the conveyance roller pair 320, and the conveyance roller pair 320 includes the conveyance roller 321 that serves as a conveyance portion and the driven roller 322 that is driven to rotate following the rotation of the conveyance roller 321. FIG. 18B

[0242] FIG. 18A and FIG. 18B ​​​Each is a view showing a drive transmission configuration from the motor Ml to the rotary main body 90 and the conveyance unit 350. As FIG. 18B and FIG. 18B As shown, the device main body 1A includes a rotary drive train 400 serving as a first drive transmission portion capable of transmitting drive from the motor Ml to the rotary main body 90 serving as a first output portion. Further, the device main body 1A includes a conveyance roller drive train 360 serving as a second drive transmission portion capable of transmitting drive from the motor Ml to the conveyance roller 321 serving as a second output portion of the conveyance unit 350.

[0243] FIGS. 19A-21B is a cross-sectional view showing the rotary main body 90, the conveyance roller 321, the rotary drive train 400, and the conveyance roller drive train 360 when the frame 16 is viewed from the left side. As FIGS. 19A-19C As shown, the drive force output from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotary drive train 400 and the conveyance roller drive train 360 via a pinion 450 fixed to an output shaft of the motor Ml. The rotary drive train 400 includes a rotary drive spur gear 401, a rotary drive ratchet (i.e., a first switching portion) 410, a rotary drive idler 403, and a rotary drive gear 93. The rotary main body 90 is rotated by inputting drive from the rotary drive gear 93 to a disc-shaped gear 92R of the rotary main body 90.

[0244] Meanwhile, the conveyance roller drive train 360 includes conveyance drive spur gears 361 and 365, conveyance drive idlers 362, 364, and 366, a conveyance drive ratchet (i.e., a second switching portion) 370, and a conveyance roller gear 367. The conveyance roller 321 is rotated by inputting drive from the conveyance roller gear 367 to the conveyance roller 321. For example, the conveyance roller gear 367 is fixed to a roller shaft to which the conveyance roller 321 is fixed. When the conveyance roller 321 is rotated, the driven roller 322 is also rotated with the rotation of the conveyance roller 321. Thereby, the sheet S gripped by the conveyance roller 321 and the driven roller 322 is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction.

[0245] Rotary drive ratchet

[0246] Next, the configuration of the rotary drive ratchet 410 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20A-20C FIG. 21A Each is a perspective view of the rotary drive ratchet 410. FIG. 21B Each is a view of an engagement operation of the rotary drive ratchet 410. FIGS. 19A-19C and FIG. 18B Each is a disengagement operation of the rotary drive ratchet 410.

[0247] As FIG. 18B ​As shown, the rotation drive ratchet 410 includes an input portion 411, a sliding engagement portion 412, and an output portion 413. The output portion 413 is engaged with the rotation drive idler 403. In a state where the driving force of the motor Ml is transmitted from the input portion 411 to the output portion 413, the driving force of the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation body 90 via the rotation drive idler 403 and the rotation drive gear 93. When the input portion 411 is rotated in the CCW direction (i.e., the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 19A the sliding engagement portion 412 is engaged with the output portion 413, such that the rotation drive ratchet 410, which functions as a first ratchet or ratchet wheel, will be in a first transmission state in which the driving from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation body 90. That is, when the motor Ml is rotated in the first direction Rl such that the input portion 411 is rotated in the CCW direction, the rotation drive ratchet 410 will be in the first transmission state. The direction of rotation of the motor Ml is the same as the direction of rotation of the pinion gear 450 fixed to the output shaft of the motor Ml.

[0248] When the input portion 411 is rotated in the CW direction (i.e., the clockwise direction in FIG. 19B the sliding engagement portion 412 is not engaged with the output portion 413, such that the rotation drive ratchet 410 will be in a first non-transmission state in which the driving from the motor Ml is not transmitted to the rotation body 90. That is, when the motor Ml is rotated in a second direction R2 opposite the first direction Rl such that the input portion 411 is rotated in the CW direction, the rotation drive ratchet 410 will be in the first non-transmission state.

[0249] As shown in FIG. 19B and FIG. 19C the input portion 411 includes press surfaces 411a and 411b and a hole portion 411c, where the press surfaces 411a and 411b are arranged at different positions along the direction of rotation of the input portion 411. The shaft 412e of the sliding engagement portion 412 passes through the hole portion 411c. As shown in FIG. 21A and FIG. 21AAs shown, the sliding engagement portion 412 serving as the second rotary member includes a pressed surface 412a pressed by the pressing surface 411a of the input portion 411, a gear engagement surface 412b, and a pressed surface 412c pressed by the pressing surface 411b of the input portion 411. The output portion 413 serving as the first rotary member includes a gear engagement surface 413a engageable with the gear engagement surface 412b of the sliding engagement portion 412. The sliding engagement portion 412 and the output portion 413 each have sawtooth-shaped teeth facing each other, and among these teeth, the portions capable of transmitting driving force by mutual engagement are the gear engagement surfaces 412b and 413a. Further, a gear ramp 412d extending in a manner inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the rotary drive ratchet 410 is formed on the teeth of the sliding engagement portion 412 (refer to FIG. 20A ). Similarly, a gear ramp 413b extending in a manner inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the rotary drive ratchet 410 is formed on the teeth of the output portion 413 (refer to FIG. 20A ).

[0250] FIG. 20B A state before the start of the engagement operation of the rotary drive ratchet 410, i.e., before the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, is shown. In this state, the sliding engagement portion 412 is positioned at a disengaged position where it does not rotate integrally with the output portion 413. As described above, when the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, the input portion 411 rotates in the CCW direction. As shown in FIG. 20C , the pressing surface 411a of the input portion 411 comes into contact with the pressed surface 412a of the sliding engagement portion 412 when the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, and a force Fl is transmitted from the input portion 411 to the sliding engagement portion 412. By a component Fla of the force Fl, the sliding engagement portion 412 moves in a direction close to the output portion 413, as shown in FIG. 21A .

[0251] When the movement of the sliding engagement portion 412 is completed, as shown in ​ , the gear engagement surface 412b of the sliding engagement portion 412 and the gear engagement surface 413a of the output portion 413 mutually engage, and the rotation of the input portion 411 is transmitted to the output portion 413 via the sliding engagement portion 412. In this state, the sliding engagement portion 412 is positioned at an engaged position where it is engaged to rotate integrally with the input portion 411 and the output portion 413.

[0252] Next, with reference to ​ and FIG. 21B , the disengagement operation of the rotary drive ratchet 410 will be described. FIG. 21AThe diagram shows the state before the disengagement operation of the rotary drive ratchet 410 begins, i.e., before the motor M1 rotates along the second direction R2. As described above, when the motor M1 rotates along the second direction R2, the input section 411 rotates along the CW direction. When the motor M1 rotates along the second direction R2, as... FIG. 21A As shown, the pressing surface 411b of the input portion 411 contacts the pressed surface 412c of the sliding engagement portion 412. Subsequently, the gear ramp 412d of the sliding engagement portion 412 contacts the gear ramp 413b of the output portion 413, and the sliding engagement portion 412 receives force F2 from the output portion 413.

[0253] By receiving the component F2a of the force F2, the sliding engagement portion 412 moves in the direction separating from the output portion 413, as shown. FIG. 21B As shown. That is, by sliding the gear ramp 412d on the gear ramp 413b of the output portion 413, the sliding engagement portion 412 moves to a position where it does not transmit rotation to the output portion 413. In this state, the rotating body 90 arranged downstream in the drive transmission direction of the output portion 413 acts as a load when the output portion 413 rotates, causing the output portion 413 to stop.

[0254] Transmission drive ratchet

[0255] Next, we will refer to FIGS. 22A-24B Describe the configuration of the transmission drive ratchet 370. FIGS. 22A-22C A 3D view of each of the transmission drive ratchet 370. FIGS. 23A-23C Each view shows the engagement operation of the transmission drive ratchet 370. FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B Each view shows the disengagement operation of the transmission drive ratchet 370.

[0256] like FIGS. 22A-22C As shown, the conveyor drive ratchet 370, which serves as the second ratchet, includes an input portion 371, a sliding engagement portion 372, and an output portion 373. When the driving force of the motor M1 is transmitted to the output portion 373 via the input portion 371, the driving force of the motor M1 is transmitted to the conveyor roller 321. When the input portion 371 moves along... FIG. 18B When the input portion 371 rotates in the CCW direction (i.e., counterclockwise), the transmission drive ratchet 370 will be in the second transmission state. In the second transmission state, the sliding engagement portion 372 engages with the output portion 373, and the drive from the motor M1 is transmitted towards the transmission roller 321 of the transmission unit 350. That is, the transmission drive ratchet 370 will be in the second transmission state, in which the motor M1 rotates along the second direction R2, causing the input portion 371 to rotate in the CCW direction.

[0257] Further, when the input portion 371 is rotated in the CW direction (i.e., the clockwise direction) along FIG. 18B , the conveyance drive ratchet 370 will be in a second non-conveyance state in which the slide engagement portion 372 and the output portion 373 are not engaged, and drive from the motor M1 is not conveyed toward the conveyance roller 321. That is, when the motor M1 is rotated in the first direction R1 so that the input portion 371 is rotated in the CW direction, the conveyance drive ratchet 370 will be in the second non-conveyance state.

[0258] As shown in FIG. 22B , the input portion 371 includes press surfaces 371a and 371b, and the press surfaces 371a and 371b are arranged at different positions in the rotation direction of the input portion 371. As shown in FIG. 22B and FIG. 22C , the slide engagement portion 372 includes a pressed surface 372a that is pressed by the press surface 371a of the input portion 371, a gear engagement surface 372b, and a pressed surface 372c that is pressed by the press surface 371b of the input portion 371. The output portion 373 includes a gear engagement surface 373a that can be engaged with the gear engagement surface 372b of the slide engagement portion 372. The slide engagement portion 372 and the output portion 373 each have sawtooth-shaped teeth that face each other, and among these teeth, the portions that can convey drive force by mutual engagement are the gear engagement surfaces 372b and 373a. Further, a gear ramp 372d that extends in a manner inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the conveyance drive ratchet 370 is formed on the teeth of the slide engagement portion 372 (refer to FIG. 24A ). Similarly, a gear ramp 373b that extends in a manner inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the conveyance drive ratchet 370 is formed on the teeth of the output portion 373 (refer to FIG. 24A ).

[0259] FIG. 23A A state before the start of the engagement operation of the conveyance drive ratchet 370, i.e., a state before the motor M1 is rotated in the second direction R2, is shown. As described above, when the motor M1 is rotated in the second direction R2, the input portion 371 is rotated in the CCW direction. When the motor M1 is rotated in the second direction R2, as shown in FIG. 23A , the press surface 371a of the input portion 371 comes into contact with the pressed surface 372a of the slide engagement portion 372, and force F3 is conveyed from the input portion 371 to the slide engagement portion 372. By receiving the component F3a of the force F3, the slide engagement portion 372 moves in a direction that approaches the output portion 373, as shown in FIG. 23B .

[0260] When the movement of the slide engagement portion 372 is completed, as shown in FIG. 23CAs shown, the gear engagement surface 372b of the sliding engagement portion 372 and the gear engagement surface 373a of the output portion 373 are mutually engaged, and the rotation of the input portion 371 is transmitted to the output portion 373 via the sliding engagement portion 372. In this state, the sliding engagement portion 372 rotates integrally with the input portion 371 and the output portion 373.

[0261] Next, with reference to FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B the disengagement operation of the conveyance drive ratchet 370 will be described. FIG. 24A A state before the start of the disengagement operation of the conveyance drive ratchet 370, i.e., a state before the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, is shown. As described above, when the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, the input portion 371 rotates in the CW direction. When the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, as FIG. 24A shown, the pressing surface 371b of the input portion 371 comes into contact with the pressed surface 372c of the sliding engagement portion 372. Subsequently, the gear ramp 372d of the sliding engagement portion 372 comes into contact with the gear ramp 373b of the output portion 373, and the sliding engagement portion 372 receives the force F4 from the output portion 373.

[0262] By receiving the component F4a of the force F4, the sliding engagement portion 372 moves in a direction to disengage from the output portion 373, as FIG. 24B shown. That is, by the gear ramp 372d sliding on the gear ramp 373b of the output portion 373, the sliding engagement portion 372 moves to a position where it does not transmit rotation to the output portion 373. In this state, the conveyance roller 321 disposed downstream of the drive transmission direction of the output portion 373 acts as a load when the output portion 373 rotates, so that the output portion 373 stops.

[0263] As described above, in a state where the motor Ml rotates in the first direction Rl, the rotation drive ratchet 410 is in the first transmission state so that the rotation body 90 rotates about the rotation axis 90C, and the conveyance drive ratchet 370 is in the second non-transmission state so that the conveyance roller 321 does not rotate. Meanwhile, in a state where the motor Ml rotates in the second direction R2, the rotation drive ratchet 410 is in the first non-transmission state so that the rotation body 90 does not rotate, and the conveyance drive ratchet 370 is in the second transmission state so that the conveyance roller 321 rotates. In a state where the restriction lever 430 is positioned in the restriction position, in a state where the motor Ml rotates in the second direction R2, the operation of the rotation body 90 is different from the above-described operation.

[0264] Reverse rotation configuration of rotation body

[0265] According to the drive transmission configuration of the rotating body 90 described above, when the motor M1 rotates in the first direction R1, the rotating body 90 rotates in the third direction R3 (i.e., the clockwise direction), but in a state where the motor M1 rotates in the second direction R2, the rotating body 90 does not rotate. However, in some cases, the rotating body 90 is preferably rotatable in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction. One example of such a case is a case when reading the storage labels 72y to 72k attached to the toner cartridges 70y to 70k.

[0266] FIG. 25A is a cross-sectional view of the storage labels 72y to 72k. As shown in FIG. 25A , for example, the storage label reading unit 73 provided on the device body 1A is positioned above the right of the rotating body 90. An example considers a case where the storage labels 72y to 72k are read immediately after the toner cartridges 70y to 70k are replaced. The moving distance U1 from the replacement position of the toner cartridges 70y to 70k to the storage label reading unit 73 is shorter in the case where the rotating body 90 rotates in the fourth direction R4 (i.e., the counterclockwise direction) than the moving distance U2 in the case where the rotating body 90 rotates in the third direction R3 (i.e., the clockwise direction). That is, by rotating the rotating body 90 in the fourth direction R4, it is possible to shorten the time from replacing the toner cartridges 70y to 70k to reading the storage labels 72y to 72k.

[0267] FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional view showing the moving distance in the case where the rotating body 90 rotates from the replacement position to the developing position. As shown in FIG. 25B , an example considers a case where a monochrome image is printed using black toner immediately after the toner cartridge 70k is replaced. The moving distance V1 from the replacement position of the toner cartridge 70k to the developing position is shorter in the case where the rotating body 90 rotates in the fourth direction R4 (i.e., the counterclockwise direction) than the moving distance V2 from the replacement position of the toner cartridge 70k to the developing position in the case where the rotating body 90 rotates in the third direction R3 (i.e., the clockwise direction). That is, by rotating the rotating body 90 in the fourth direction R4, it is possible to shorten the time from replacing the toner cartridge 70k to starting monochrome image formation. After the toner cartridge 70k is moved from the replacement position to the developing position, the image forming apparatus 1 starts a feeding operation of the sheet S and performs imaging on the sheet S.

[0268] FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B Each is a cross-sectional view of the limiting lever 430. FIG. 27A and FIG. 27B Each is a cross-sectional view of the operation of the limiting lever 430. As shown in FIG. 26AAs shown, the restriction lever 430 is provided on the rotation drive train 400 of the present embodiment. The restriction lever 430, which serves as a restriction member, is configured to be pivotable about a pivot 430a extending in the Y direction, and can be moved to FIG. 26A the allowed position and FIG. 26B the restricted position. As shown in FIG. 26A , the restriction lever 430 positioned at the allowed position does not overlap with the shaft 412e of the sliding engagement portion 412 when viewed in the Y direction. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 26B , the restriction lever 430 positioned at the restricted position overlaps with the shaft 412e of the sliding engagement portion 412 when viewed in the Y direction.

[0269] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 27A and FIG. 20C , in the allowed position, the restriction lever 430 allows the sliding engagement portion 412 of the rotation drive ratchet 410 to be separated from the output portion 413. In other words, the restriction lever 430 allows the rotation drive ratchet 410 to be shifted to the first transmission state in the allowed position. This is because, in the allowed position, the restriction lever 430 is retracted upward (i.e., in the +Z direction) from the shaft 412e. In other words, in the allowed position, the restriction lever 430 and the sliding engagement portion 412 are moved from the engaged position (i.e., the position shown in FIG. 20A ) in which the sliding engagement portion 412 is engaged with the output portion 413 to the disengaged position (i.e., the position shown in FIG. 27A ) in which the sliding engagement portion 412 is not engaged with the output portion 413.

[0270] As shown in FIG. 27B , in a state in which the restriction lever 430 is positioned at the allowed position and the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2, the sliding engagement portion 412 is separated from the output portion 413 and moved to the disengaged position. Therefore, the rotation drive ratchet 410 will be in the first non-transmission state.

[0271] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 18B , in a state in which the restriction lever 430 is positioned at the restricted position and the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2, the shaft 412e of the sliding engagement portion 412 attempts to be separated from the output portion 413 and abuts against the restriction lever 430. Therefore, the movement of the sliding engagement portion 412 from the engaged position to the disengaged position is regulated, and the rotation drive ratchet 410 maintains the first transmission state. That is, the state in which the driving force of the motor Ml is transmitted from the input portion 411 to the output portion 413 is maintained. In this state, the input portion 411 is rotated in the CW direction in FIGS. 28-29B , and the rotation body 90 is rotated in the fourth direction R4 (i.e., the counterclockwise direction).

[0272] In a state where the motor M1 rotates in the first direction R1, the rotation drive ratchet 410 will be in the first transmission state regardless of the position of the restriction lever 430. Therefore, the rotation main body 90 rotates in the third direction R3 (i.e., the clockwise direction).

[0273] Next, with reference to FIG. 28 , a configuration for moving the restriction lever 430 to the allowable position and the restriction position will be described. FIG. 29A is a perspective view of the periphery configuration of the restriction lever 430. FIG. 29B and FIG. 13A Each is a front view showing a state in which the restriction lever 430 is moved to the allowable position and the restriction position. In the present embodiment, the configuration described with reference to FIG. 13B and FIG. 28 is used to move the restriction lever 430.

[0274] As shown in FIG. 29A , in a state where the motor M2 rotates in the fifth direction R5, the drive rack 15R serving as a moving member slides in the upward direction (i.e., the +Z direction) via the worm wheel 60, the stepped gear 61, the stepped gear 62, the stepped gear 65R, and the drive rack input gear 64R. The drive rack 15R engages with the pinion 94R, and drives the pinion 94R serving as a drive receiving member. Then, the tray 80 is moved between the accommodation position and the removal position by the pinion 94R driven by the drive rack 15R.

[0275] A press surface 15Ra capable of pressing the pressed surface 430c of the restriction lever 430 is provided at the lower end portion of the drive rack 15R. Further, the center of gravity of the restriction lever 430 is determined so that the restriction lever 430 is pressed from the allowable position toward the restriction position by its own weight. That is, as shown in FIG. 29A , the center of gravity of the restriction lever 430 is positioned on the -X side of the center of the pivot 430a. The tray 80 is moved from the accommodation position toward the removal position by the motor M2 rotating in the fifth direction R5, and can be moved from the removal position toward the accommodation position by the motor M2 rotating in the sixth direction R6 opposite to the fifth direction.

[0276] In a state before the tray 80 is positioned at the accommodation position and the motor M2 is driven, the drive rack 15R is positioned at the first position shown in FIG. 29B . In this state, the press surface 15Ra of the drive rack 15R abuts against the pressed surface 430c of the restriction lever 430, and the movement of the restriction lever 430 from the allowable position to the restriction position is restricted. In a state where the motor M2 rotates in the fifth direction R5, the drive rack 15R slides upward, and as shown in FIG. 29A , the restriction lever 430 is pivoted from the allowable position to the restriction position in interlocking with the movement of the drive rack 15R. InFIG. 29B and FIG. 29B In this case, the drive rack 15R is positioned outside the rotational locus of the rotating body 90 shown by the broken line, so that the drive rack 15R does not interfere with the rotating body 90.

[0277] When the motor M2 is rotated in the sixth direction R6 in a state in which the restriction lever 430 is positioned in the restriction position as shown, the drive rack 15R slides in the downward direction (i.e., -Z direction). Thereby, the pressing surface 15Ra of the drive rack 15R can press the pressed surface 430c of the restriction lever 430, thereby causing the restriction lever 430 to pivot from the restriction position to the permission position. That is, the motor M2 can be said to be capable of driving the restriction lever 430 between the permission position and the restriction position. FIG. 30 Now, the timing regarding the switching of the restriction lever 430 from the permission position to the restriction position, the rotation lock of the rotating body 90, and the abutment of the drive rack 15R with the pinion 94kR in the movement of the tray 80k will be described. The tray 80k will be described hereinafter, and no further description will be made for the trays 80y to 80c that employ similar configurations. Although the drive racks 15, the lock members 67, and the pinions 94k are provided on the left and right sides of the device body 1A in the Y direction, respectively, the + side (i.e., right side) in the Y axis direction will be described hereinafter for the sake of convenience of description.

[0278] When the restriction lever 430 is switched from the permission position to the restriction position, the movement distance of the drive rack 15R is indicated by Z1, when the rotation of the rotating body 90 is locked, the movement distance of the drive rack 15R is indicated by Z2, and when the drive rack 15R abuts with the pinion 94kR, the movement distance of the drive rack 15R is indicated by Z3. The above movement distances Z1, Z2, and Z3 are based on the point in time when the drive rack 15R is positioned in the first position. That is, these distances are based on the state before the tray 80 is positioned in the accommodation position and the motor M2 is driven. The movement distances Z1, Z2, and Z3 satisfy the relationship of Z1 < Z2 < Z3.

[0279]

[0280] ​When the motor M2 rotates in the fifth direction R5 and the drive rack 15R moves in the upward direction (i.e., +Z direction), at the time point when the drive rack 15R has moved by the movement distance Z1, the restriction lever 430 is switched from the allowable position to the restriction position. As described above, the position where the drive rack 15R has moved by the movement distance Z1 from the first position is referred to as the second position. According to the present embodiment, the restriction lever 430 is positioned in the restriction position by abutting against the drive rack 15R positioned in the second position. In this state, the rotation of the rotation body 90 is not yet locked by the lock member 67, and the abutment of the drive rack 15R against the pinion 94kR has not yet started. That is, before the tray 80 starts to move from the accommodation position to the removal position, the restriction lever 430 is moved from the allowable position to the restriction position.

[0281] At the time point when the drive rack 15R has moved by the movement distance Z2, if the rotation body 90 is in the replacement attitude, the engaging portion 672 of the lock member 67 engages with the engaged portion 99a of the rotation body 90, and the rotation of the rotation body 90 is regulated (i.e., locked) as described above. That is, before the tray 80 starts to move from the accommodation position to the removal position, the lock member 67 is moved from the separated position where the lock member 67 is separated from the rotation body 90 to the lock position where the rotation of the rotation body 90 is regulated.

[0282] At the time point when the drive rack 15R has moved by the movement distance Z3, the drive rack 15R (i.e., the force receiving portion) engages with the pinion 94kR (i.e., the force applying portion). In this state, the tray 80k can be moved from the accommodation position toward the removal position by further rotating the motor M2 in the fifth direction R5 and moving the drive rack 15R upward. Meanwhile, in the state where the motor M2 is rotated in the sixth direction R6 and the tray 80k is moved from the removal position to the accommodation position, after the drive rack 15R has been separated from the pinion 94kR and the lock of the lock member 67 is released, the restriction lever 430 is moved from the restriction position to the allowable position.

[0283] In order to rotate the rotation body 90 in the fourth direction R4, it is preferable to stop the motor M2 in the state where the restriction lever 430 is in the restriction position and the rotation of the rotation body 90 is not regulated (i.e., locked) by the lock member 67. By rotating the motor M1 in the second direction R2 in this state, the rotation body 90 can be rotated in the fourth direction R4.

[0284] In the above configuration, the rotational drive train 400 according to the present embodiment can transition to the first state, the second state, and the third state. When the motor Ml is rotated in the first direction Rl, the rotational drive train 400 is set to the first state, and the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotational body 90 so that the rotational body 90 is rotated in the third direction R3. When the motor Ml is rotated in the first direction Rl, the rotational drive ratchet 410 will be in the first transmission state regardless of the position of the restriction lever 430. When the rotational drive train 400 is in the first state, the convey roller drive train 360 is in the second non-transmission state, and the convey roller 321 will not rotate. Thus, the load on the motor Ml can be reduced.

[0285] When the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2, the rotational drive train 400 can transition to the second state in which the drive from the motor Ml is not transmitted to the rotational body 90, or to the third state in which the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotational body so that the rotational body 90 is rotated in the fourth direction R4. In this state, if the restriction lever 430 is positioned in the allowed position, the rotational drive train 400 will be in the second state because the rotational drive ratchet 410 is in the first non-transmission state. If the rotational drive train 400 is in the second state, the convey roller drive train 360 is in the second transmission state. That is, when the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2, the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted to the convey roller 321. Thus, if the sheet S is in contact with the convey roller 321, the convey roller 321 conveys the sheet S downstream in the convey direction. The rotational direction of the convey roller 321 in this state can be referred to as a convey rotational direction. That is, in the state in which the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2, the convey roller drive train 360 transmits the drive from the motor Ml to the convey roller 321, and the convey roller 321 is rotated in the convey rotational direction.

[0286] Meanwhile, in the state in which the restriction lever 430 is positioned in the restricted position, the rotational drive train 400 will be in the third state because the motor Ml is rotated in the second direction R2 and the rotational drive ratchet 410 is in the first transmission state. In the state in which the rotational drive train 400 is in the third state, the convey roller drive train 360 is in the second transmission state. In this state, the convey roller 321 is rotated in the convey rotational direction. However, in the state in which the rotational body 90 is rotated in the fourth direction R4, the convey roller 321 is separated from the sheet S so that the rotation of the convey roller 321 will not affect the conveyance of the sheet S.

[0287] As described above, by rotating motor M1 in both directions along the first direction R1 and the second direction R2, it is possible to select whether the rotating body 90 rotates along the third direction R3 or the fourth direction R4, thus reducing the number of motors and lowering costs. Furthermore, the drive rack 15R for moving the pallet 80 is used to switch the limiting lever 430 between the permissible and restricted positions, which reduces the number of motors and components and further lowers costs.

[0288] When switching the color of the toner image to be formed on the photosensitive drum 2, the rotating body 90 rotates along the third direction R3. Simultaneously, as described above, the rotating body 90 is also configured to rotate along a fourth direction R4, opposite to the third direction R3. For example, by rotating the rotating body 90 along the fourth direction R4, the storage tag 72 attached to the replaced toner cartridge 70 can be quickly read. As described above, the rotating body 90 rotates along the fourth direction R4 after the toner cartridge 70 has been attached to the developing frame 53 and before the imaging operation on the film S begins. Furthermore, by rotating the rotating body 90 along the fourth direction R4, the time from replacing the toner cartridge 70k to the start of monochrome image formation can be shortened.

[0289] When motor M2 rotates along the sixth direction R6 to move tray 80 from the removal position to the receiving position, firstly, pinion 94R rotates along with the movement of drive rack 15R and tray 80 is positioned in the receiving position. As motor M2 rotates further along the sixth direction R6, drive rack 15R disengages from pinion 94R. Then, locking member 67 disengages from rotating body 90, and the rotational lock of locking member 67 on rotating body 90 is released.

[0290] Then, with the rotational lock of the locking member 67 on the rotating body 90 released and the limiting rod 430 in the limited position, the motor M1 rotates along the second direction R2, thereby allowing the rotating body 90 to rotate along the fourth direction R4. After the rotating body 90 rotates along the fourth direction R4, when the motor M2 further rotates along the sixth direction R6, the drive rack 15R further descends, and the limiting rod 430 moves from the limited position to the allowed position.

[0291] Second Embodiment

[0292] Next, the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment uses an electromagnetic clutch 470 instead of the rotary drive ratchet 410 and the limiting lever 430 in the first embodiment. Therefore, configurations similar to those in the first embodiment are not shown or are indicated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 30 This is a view showing a rotary drive system 400B serving as a first drive transmission section according to a second embodiment.

[0293] likeFIG. 31 The driving force output from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation drive train 400B and the convey roller drive train 360 via the pinion gear 450 of the motor Ml, as shown. The rotation drive train 400B includes a rotation drive spur gear 401, an electromagnetic clutch 470, a rotation drive idler gear 403, and a rotation drive gear 93. The rotation main body 90 is rotated by inputting the drive from the rotation drive gear 93 to the disc gear 92R of the rotation main body 90.

[0294] The electromagnetic clutch 470 can be switched between ON and OFF at any time by the control unit 30, where the electromagnetic clutch 470 transmits the drive when ON, and does not transmit the drive when OFF. That is, the electromagnetic clutch 470 serving as the first electromagnetic clutch can be switched between a first transmission state in which the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted toward the rotation main body 90, and a first non-transmission state in which the drive from the motor Ml is not transmitted toward the rotation main body 90.

[0295] In the present embodiment, by rotating the motor Ml in the first direction Rl and placing the electromagnetic clutch 470 in the first transmission state, the rotation drive train 400B can be switched to a first state in which the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation main body 90 so that the rotation main body 90 is rotated in the third direction R3. Further, by placing the electromagnetic clutch 470 in the first non-transmission state, the rotation drive train 400B can be switched to a second state in which the drive from the motor Ml is not transmitted to the rotation main body 90.

[0296] Further, by rotating the motor Ml in the second direction R2 and placing the electromagnetic clutch 470 in the first transmission state, the rotation drive train 400B can be switched to a third state in which the drive from the motor Ml is transmitted to the rotation main body 90 so that the rotation main body 90 is rotated in the fourth direction R4. Similar to the first embodiment, in a state where the rotation lock of the rotation main body 90 by the lock member 67 is released, the rotation main body 90 is rotated in the fourth direction R4.

[0297] According to the above configuration, similar effects to the first embodiment can be exerted while reducing the number of components and reducing the space occupied by the rotation drive train 400B.

[0298] Third Embodiment

[0299] Next, an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment employs an electromagnetic clutch 471 in place of the convey drive ratchet 370 of the second embodiment. Therefore, configurations similar to the second embodiment are not shown or are denoted with the same reference numerals. FIG. 31 is a view showing a convey roller drive train 360B according to the third embodiment.

[0300] As ​ shown, the convey roller drive system 360B serving as the second drive transmission portion includes a convey drive pinion gear 361 and 365, convey drive idlers 362, 364, and 366, an electromagnetic clutch 471, and a convey roller gear 367. The convey roller 321 rotates by transmitting the drive input via the convey roller gear 367 to the convey roller 321.

[0301] The electromagnetic clutch 471 can be switched between ON and OFF at any time by the control unit 30, where the electromagnetic clutch 471 transmits the drive when ON, and does not transmit the drive when OFF. That is, the electromagnetic clutch 471 serving as the second electromagnetic clutch can be switched between a second transmission state that transmits the drive from the motor M1 toward the convey roller 321, and a second non-transmission state that does not transmit the drive from the motor M1 toward the convey roller 321.

[0302] In the present embodiment, the electromagnetic clutch 471 will be in the second transmission state when the motor M1 rotates in the second direction R2. Thereby, the convey roller 321 rotates in the convey rotation direction, and in a state where the sheet S is in contact with the convey roller 321, the convey roller 321 conveys the sheet S downstream in the convey direction. Further, the electromagnetic clutch 471 will be in the second non-transmission state when the motor M1 rotates in the first direction R1. Thereby, the convey roller 321 will not rotate, and the load on the motor M1 can be reduced. Further, the present embodiment exerts similar effects to the first embodiment while reducing the number of components and reducing the space occupied by the convey roller drive system 360B.

[0303] According to the present embodiment, an electromagnetic clutch 470 similar to the second embodiment is also employed in the rotation drive system 400B, but the present technology is not limited thereto. For example, a rotation drive system 400 similar to the first embodiment including a rotation drive ratchet 410 and a restriction lever 430 can be employed instead of the rotation drive system 400B.

[0304] Other Embodiments

[0305] In any of the above embodiments, the motor M1 transmits the drive to the rotating body 90 and the convey roller 321, but the present technology is not limited thereto. For example, the motor M1 can transmit the drive to at least one of the pickup roller 310, the feed roller 311, and the sheet discharge roller, instead of to the convey roller 321. Even in this case, when the rotating body 90 rotates in the fourth direction R4, it is preferable that at least one of the pickup roller 310, the feed roller 311, and the sheet discharge roller be separated from the sheet S. Further, the drive from the motor M1 can be configured to be transmitted not only to the rotating body 90 but also to the first output portion, and even according to this case, it is desirable to realize an image forming apparatus configured to be able to rotate the first output portion in the forward and reverse directions while being able to reduce the cost.

[0306] Further according to the first embodiment, when the motor M1 rotates in the second direction R2, the rotation drive ratchet 410 is switched between the first non-transmission state and the first transmission state by the restriction lever 430 that moves in interlock with the drive rack 15R, but the present technology is not limited thereto. For example, the restriction lever 430 can be switched between the allowable position and the restriction position by a moving member different from the drive rack 15R. In addition, instead of the restriction lever 430, when the motor M1 rotates in the second direction R2 by an actuator such as a solenoid, the rotation drive ratchet 410 can be switched between the first non-transmission state and the first transmission state.

[0307] Embodiments of the present application can also be implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which can also be referred to more fully as a 'non-transitory computer-readable storage medium') to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and / or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments and / or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiments. The computer can comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing units (CPUs), micro processing units (MPUs)) and can include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions. The computer executable instructions can be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium. The storage medium can include, for example, one or both of a hard disk and a solid state drive (SSD) that is a semiconductor storage device, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)®), a flash memory device, and a memory card (e.g., a secure digital (SD) card, extreme digital (xD) card). The computer executable instructions can be provided to the computer by one or more of these storage media, or by a computer data signal including a computer readable signal embedded in a carrier wave, through a communication pathway such as a network or a bus. TM ​

[0308] Other embodiments

[0309] Embodiments of the present application can also be implemented by a method for providing, through a network or various storage media, software (computer program product) that performs the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, which is configured to read and execute the computer program. The software provided to the system or apparatus can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as a hard disk, a solid state drive, a compact disc, a memory stick, or the like.

[0310] While the present application has been described with reference to example embodiments, it is to be understood that the application is not limited to the disclosed example embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus to which a toner cartridge is detachably attached and which is configured to form an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising: a rotating body configured to rotate, the rotating body including a developing roller and a storage frame to which the toner cartridge is attachable, the storage frame including a storage portion configured to accommodate toner supplied to the developing roller; a conveyance portion configured to convey the recording material; a first motor configured to drive the rotating body and the conveyance portion, the first motor being configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first drive transmission portion configured to transmit a driving force from the first motor to the rotating body; and a second drive transmission portion configured to transmit the driving force from the first motor to the conveyance portion, wherein the first drive transmission portion is configured to shift to: (i) a first state in which the driving force from the first motor is transmitted to the rotating body so that the rotating body rotates in a third direction in a state in which the first motor rotates in the first direction, (ii) a second state in which the driving force from the first motor is not transmitted to the rotating body in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction, and (iii) a third state in which the driving force from the first motor is transmitted to the rotating body so that the rotating body rotates in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction, and wherein the second drive transmission portion is configured to transmit the driving force from the first motor to the conveyance portion in a state in which the first motor rotates in the second direction. 2.The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first drive transmission portion includes a first switching portion and a restriction member, wherein the first switching portion is configured to shift to a first transmission state in which the first switching portion transmits the driving force from the first motor toward the rotating body and a first non-transmission state in which the first switching portion does not transmit the driving force from the first motor toward the rotating body, wherein the restriction member is configured to move to a permission position in which the restriction member permits the first switching portion to shift to the first non-transmission state and a restriction position in which the restriction member restricts the first switching portion from shifting to the first non-transmission state, and wherein the first switching portion is configured to (i) shift to the first non-transmission state in a case where the restriction member is positioned at the permission position and the first motor rotates in the second direction in a state in which the first drive transmission portion is in the second state, and (ii) shift to the first transmission state in a case where the first motor rotates in the first direction in a state in which the first drive transmission portion is in the second state. (ii) in a state where the first drive transmission portion is in the third state, in a case where the restriction member is positioned at the restriction position and the first motor rotates in the second direction, being regulated not to transition to the first non-transmission state.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first switching portion includes a first rotation member and a second rotation member configured to move to an engaged position where the second rotation member is engaged with the first rotation member so as to rotate integrally with the first rotation member and a disengaged position where the second rotation member is disengaged from the first rotation member so as not to rotate integrally with the first rotation member, in a state where the second rotation member is positioned at the engaged position, the first switching portion is in the first transmission state, in a state where the second rotation member is positioned at the disengaged position, the first switching portion is in the first non-transmission state, and wherein the restriction member is configured not to overlap with a movement locus of the second rotation member from the engaged position to the disengaged position in the allowed position, and the restriction member is configured to overlap with the movement locus in the restriction position.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second motor configured to move the restriction member between the allowed position and the restriction position.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a moving member configured to be moved by the second motor, wherein the rotation body includes a drive receiving member configured to be driven by the moving member, and wherein in a case where the moving member is positioned at a first position, the restriction member is in the allowed position, and in a case where the moving member is positioned at a second position different from the first position, the restriction member is in the restriction position.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a main frame configured to accommodate the rotation body and provided with an opening; and a support member configured to support the toner cartridge attachably and detachably, the support member being configured to be moved from an accommodation position where the support member is accommodated in the storage frame to a removal position where at least a part of the support member is exposed outside the main frame and the toner cartridge can be removed from the support member, through the opening, wherein the support member is configured to be moved between the accommodation position and the removal position by driving the drive receiving member by the moving member.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the restriction member is urged toward the restriction position from the allowed position, is positioned at the allowed position by abutting against the moving member positioned at the first position, and is positioned at the restriction position by abutting against the moving member positioned at the second position. 8.The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the restriction member is urged toward the restriction position from the permission position by a self-weight of the restriction member. 9.The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the restriction member is configured to pivot between the permission position and the restriction position, and wherein the moving member is configured to slide between the first position and the second position. 10.The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in a case where the support member moves from the accommodation position to the removal position, the second motor rotates in a fifth direction, and wherein in a case where the second motor rotates in the fifth direction and before the support member starts to move from the accommodation position toward the removal position, the restriction member moves from the permission position to the restriction position. 11.The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a lock member configured to move to a separation position separated from the rotating body and a lock position engaged with the rotating body to regulate rotation of the rotating body, wherein the lock member moves from the separation position to the lock position by a driving force from the second motor. 12.The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein in a case where the support member moves from the accommodation position to the removal position, the second motor rotates in a fifth direction, and wherein in a case where the second motor rotates in the fifth direction and before the support member starts to move from the accommodation position toward the removal position, the lock member moves from the separation position to the lock position. 13.The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first drive transmission portion includes a first electromagnetic clutch configured to switch to a first transmission state in which the driving force from the first motor is transmitted toward the rotating body and a first non-transmission state in which the driving force from the first motor is not transmitted toward the rotating body, and wherein in a case where the first drive transmission portion is in the first state or the third state, the first electromagnetic clutch is in the first transmission state, and in a case where the first drive transmission portion is in the second state, the first electromagnetic clutch is in the first non-transmission state. 14.The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second drive transmission portion includes a second switching portion configured to switch to a second transmission state in which the driving force from the first motor is transmitted toward the conveying portion and a second non-transmission state in which the driving force from the first motor is not transmitted toward the conveying portion, wherein in a case where the first motor rotates in the first direction, the second switching portion is in the second non-transmission state, and wherein in a case where the first motor rotates in the second direction, the second switching portion is in the second transmission state. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 15. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second drive transmission portion includes a second electromagnetic clutch configured to switch to a second transmission state in which the drive force from the first motor is transmitted toward the conveyance portion and a second non-transmission state in which the drive force from the first motor is not transmitted toward the conveyance portion, and wherein the second electromagnetic clutch is in the second transmission state in a case where the first motor rotates in the second direction.

16. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by the developing roller, wherein the rotating body is configured to rotate in the third direction in a case where a color of the toner image to be formed on the photosensitive drum is switched.

17. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the rotating body is configured to rotate in the fourth direction after the toner cartridge has been attached to the storage frame and before starting an image forming operation on the recording material.

18. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising: a first output portion; a second output portion different from the first output portion; a first motor configured to drive the first output portion and the second output portion, the first motor being configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first drive transmission portion including a switching portion and a restriction member, the first drive transmission portion being configured to transmit a drive force from the first motor to the first output portion; a second drive transmission portion configured to transmit a drive force from the first motor to the second output portion; and a second motor configured to drive the restriction member, wherein the switching portion is configured to switch to a transmission state in which the switching portion transmits the drive force from the first motor toward the first output portion and a non-transmission state in which the switching portion does not transmit the drive force from the first motor toward the first output portion, wherein the restriction member is configured to move to a permitted position in which the restriction member permits the switching portion to switch to the non-transmission state and a restricted position in which the restriction member restricts the switching portion from switching to the non-transmission state by the drive force from the second motor, wherein the second drive transmission portion is configured to transmit the drive force from the first motor to the second output portion in a case where the first motor rotates in the first direction and in a case where the first motor rotates in the second direction. wherein the first drive transmission part is configured to shift to a first state, a second state, and a third state, in the first state, the first drive transmission part transmits the driving force from the first motor to the first output part so that the first output part rotates in a third direction in a case where the first motor rotates in the first direction; in a state where the first drive transmission part is in the second state, the switching part shifts to the non-transmission state in a case where the restriction member is positioned in the allowed position and the first motor rotates in the second direction; in the third state, the first drive transmission part transmits the driving force from the first motor to the first output part so that the first output part rotates in a fourth direction opposite to the third direction in a case where the restriction member is positioned in the restricted position and the first motor rotates in the second direction, and wherein the second drive transmission part transmits the driving force from the first motor to the second output part in a state where the first motor rotates in the second direction. 19.The image forming apparatus of claim 18, further comprising: a rotating body configured to rotate and including: a developing roller; and a storage frame including a storage part configured to accommodate toner supplied to the developing roller, the storage frame being configured to have a toner cartridge attached thereto. 20.The image forming apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a locking member configured to move to a separation position separated from the rotating body and a locked position engaged with the rotating body to govern rotation of the rotating body, wherein the locking member moves from the separation position to the locked position by the driving force from the second motor.

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