Opening and closing device, and office machine using the opening and closing device

Abstract

To provide an opening and closing device that prevents running out of grease between a support member and a slide member occurring due to an opening and closing operation over time of an opening and closing body.SOLUTION: An opening and closing device has: an attachment member that is attached to an apparatus body of an office machine; a support member that supports an opening and closing body rotatably attached to the attachment member with hinge shafts; and a slider that is slidably accommodated inside the support member and actuates an elastic member sliding the inside the support member with an opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body, between a free end side of the support member and a cam member attached to the attachment member. A grease groove for retaining grease for lubrication is provided at inside the support member or outside the slider.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an opening and closing device suitable for use in office equipment such as copying machines, multifunction machines, printing machines, facsimiles, and scanners, and to office equipment using this opening and closing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in the main body of an office machine such as a copying machine, a multifunction machine, a printer, a facsimile, and a scanner, an original cover is attached to the rear of the upper surface of the main body of the machine so as to be openable and closable via an opening and closing device. This opening and closing device is also called an original cover opening and closing device, and is a kind of hinge mechanism. For example, as described in the following Patent Document 1, the original cover is pivotally supported around a hinge shaft so as to be openable and closable, and an original can be pressed onto the contact glass surface on the upper surface of the main body of the machine, and the upper surface of the contact glass can be exposed. To set an original on the contact glass surface, the original cover is rotated (opened upward) to expose (open) the contact glass surface, and the original is placed on the surface of the contact glass, and then the original cover is rotated (closed downward) to press the original onto the contact glass surface with the original cover.

[0003] In the office equipment of the above known configuration, when the original cover is opened or closed, the support member constituting the opening / closing device that mounts the original cover to the device body so that it can be opened or closed rotates around the hinge shaft, and the slider that is pressed into the support member and slidably accommodated slides. At this time, a compression coil spring is provided to resist the sliding of the slider, and the slider is in pressure contact with the cam member provided on the mounting member side, so that an appropriate load is generated when the original cover is opened or closed. Therefore, the original cover is biased in the closing direction by the opening / closing device against the device body in the closed state, and the original cover can be held at an intermediate opening / closing angle, and further, the original cover is held not to fall naturally in the fully open state. The slider slides in a pressure-contact state inside the support member every time the original cover is opened or closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-8038 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional opener is naturally shipped with lubricating grease applied to the sliding surfaces of the slider and the support member, but the grease runs out over time, causing problems in the opening and closing operation of the original cover (hereinafter, simply referred to as the opening and closing body, considering that the original cover closer according to the present invention is used in office equipment other than copiers and multifunction machines) and generating abnormal noise. This problem tends to become apparent more quickly when the slider is strongly press-fitted into the support member. The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and its object is to provide an opener and an office equipment using this opener that does not cause opening and closing operation failure even after years of opening and closing operations of the opening and closing body and can prevent the generation of abnormal noise. In addition, in the present invention, the opener and closing device can be used in an embodiment using one slider and an embodiment using two sliders as a first slider and a second slider, so that when the word "slider" is used in the claims, it includes two types of sliders. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention described in claim 1 comprises an attachment member which is attached to the main body of an office machine, a support member which supports an opening / closing body which is rotatably attached to the attachment member via a hinge shaft, and a slider which is slidably accommodated inside the support member between the free end side of the support member and a cam member attached to the attachment member side and which is acted upon by an elastic member which slides inside the support member as the opening / closing body is opened and closed, and which is characterized in that a grease groove for collecting lubricating grease is provided on the inside of the support member and / or on the outside of the slider.

[0007] Next, the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the slider is composed of a first slider provided on the free end side of the support member and a second slider provided on the cam member side.

[0008] Next, the invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the grease groove is provided in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider.

[0009] Next, the invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that a lift member that supports the opening and closing body via a hinge shaft is further attached to the free end side of the support member, and the first slider and the second slider are arranged with an elastic member acting between an operating member provided on the lift member and the cam member.

[0010] Next, the invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the first slider is provided with relief grooves spaced apart at a predetermined interval on the side that contacts the upper plate side of the support member.

[0011] Next, the invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the second slider is provided with a protrusion on the side that contacts the upper plate side of the support member.

[0012] The invention recited in claim 7 is an office machine using any of the opening and closing devices described above. Effect of the Invention

[0013] As described above, according to the present invention, a grease reservoir groove is provided on the sliding surfaces of at least one or both of the support member and the slider, thereby preventing the grease from running out between the support member and the slider due to repeated opening and closing operations of the opening and closing body, thereby suppressing malfunctions during opening and closing operations of the opening and closing body even after years of use and preventing the generation of abnormal noises, and providing an opening and closing device and office equipment using this opening and closing device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a copying machine as an example of an office machine using an opening and closing device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an opening and closing device according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the opening and closing device according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the opening / closing body of the opening / closing device according to the present invention when it is closed. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of an opening / closing body of the opening / closing device according to the present invention at an intermediate opening / closing angle. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the opening / closing body of the opening / closing device according to the present invention when it is further opened to a full opening angle. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a perspective view of the support member according to the present invention, seen from a different angle from that shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 8] 4A is a perspective view of a first slider according to the present invention, seen from a different angle from the state shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view seen from a further different angle from that of FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is a second perspective view according to the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view seen from a different angle from the state shown in FIG. 3, and (b) is a perspective view seen from a further different angle from (a). [Figure 10] 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a sliding portion between a support member and a second slider according to the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] An opening and closing device according to the present invention and an office machine using the opening and closing device will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. EXAMPLES

[0016] 1 shows a copier as an example of an office machine using an opening / closing device according to the present invention. According to the drawing, an opening / closing body C is attached to an apparatus body a of a copier A so as to be openable and closable via an opening / closing device B according to the present invention and an opening / closing device B' having a different and simpler configuration from the opening / closing device B. The opening / closing devices B and B' enable the opening / closing body C to be opened and closed from a closed position where it contacts the top surface of the apparatus body a to a maximum usable opening angle.

[0017] 2 to 6 are diagrams specifically showing an example of an opening / closing device B according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, the opening / closing device of the present invention has a mounting member 4, a support member 5, and a lift member 6. The support member 5 contains a first slider 31 and a second slider 32, which are sliding members, and a compression coil spring 21 that biases the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 in a direction separating them from each other. The mounting member 4 and the support member 5 are rotatably connected to each other by a first hinge shaft 11. The support member 5 and the lift member 6 are attached to each other by a second hinge shaft 12 so as to be rotatable. An adjustment plate 71 contained in the mounting member 4 is provided to adjust the mounting position of the mounting member 4 relative to the device main body a.

[0018] In the exploded oblique view of Figure 3, the mounting member 4 is composed of a bottom plate 41 attached to the device main body a, side plates 42, 42 extending from both side ends of the bottom plate 41 in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate 41 (including a direction approximately perpendicular to the bottom plate 41), a substantially rectangular rear plate 43 extending from one end (rear end) of the bottom plate 41 in a direction perpendicular to the bottom plate 41 (including a direction approximately perpendicular to the bottom plate 41), and a curved recess 44 formed on one side of the side plates 42, and stopper portions 48, 48 are provided on the rear plate 43 side of the side plates 42.

[0019] The bottom plate 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape and is provided with mounting holes 45 for mounting to the device main body a with screws or the like. Both side plates 42, 42 are formed in a substantially L-shape and are provided with a first hinge shaft hole 46 at their tip (upper portion). A cam member hole 47 is provided at a position closer to the bottom plate 41 (lower) and shifted inward (forward) than the first hinge shaft hole 46. The cam member 13 is inserted into the cam member hole 47. Note that, although the cam member 13 is shaft-shaped in this embodiment, it is not limited to this and may be of any other shape provided between the both side plates 42, 42 of the mounting member 4.

[0020] An adjustment plate 71 is provided on the bottom plate 41 of the mounting member 4 so as to be slidable relative to the adjustment plate 71. An adjustment screw 74 is screwed into a substantially rectangular rear plate 75 extending from one end (rear end) of the adjustment plate 71 in a direction perpendicular to the adjustment plate 71 (including a direction substantially perpendicular to the adjustment plate 71) through the rear plate 43 of the mounting member 4 as shown in FIG. 4. The mounting holes 72, 73, and 76 of the adjustment plate 71 are mounting holes for mounting the adjustment plate 71 to the device main body a. The adjustment plate 71 is screwed to the device main body a by sandwiching the bottom plate 41 of the mounting member 4. Then, the opening / closing body C is attached to the opening / closing device B, and the opening / closing body is closed relative to the device main body a, and the adjustment screw 74 is turned so that the relative positions are appropriate. When it is confirmed that the relative positions are appropriate, the screw tightening torque of the mounting holes 72 and 73 is increased, and the mounting member 4 and the device main body a are also screwed through the mounting hole 45 provided in the bottom plate 41 of the mounting member 4. The bottom plate 41 is provided with adjustment holes 49a, 49b having a larger diameter than the mounting holes 72, 73 of the adjustment plate 71 so as to overlap with the mounting holes 72, 73, thereby enabling sliding adjustment of the mounting position of the mounting member 4. In particular, in Fig. 3, reference symbols 81 and 82 are mounting screws for mounting the bottom plate 41 and the adjustment plate 71 to the device main body a, and reference symbol 83 is a mounting button screw.

[0021] In the exploded oblique view of Figure 3, the support member 5 is composed of an upper plate 51, side plates 52, 52 vertically attached from both side ends of the upper plate 51 in a direction perpendicular to the upper plate 51 (including a direction approximately perpendicular to the upper plate 51), and holding pieces 53, 53 formed by bending the tips of the side plates 52, 52 90 degrees toward each other.

[0022] At one end (front end) of each of the side plates 52, 52, a second hinge shaft hole 55 through which the second hinge shaft 12 is inserted is provided, and a cutout portion 54 into which the operating member 14 described later is inserted is provided. At the other end (rear end) of each of the side plates 52, a first hinge shaft insertion hole 56 is provided. The first hinge shaft insertion hole 56 of each of the side plates 52 and the first hinge shaft hole 46 of the mounting member 4 are aligned with each other, and a bearing member 84 is inserted into these holes. The first hinge shaft 11 is inserted into the bearing portion of the bearing member 84, and is prevented from coming off by E-rings 86 provided on both ends of the first hinge shaft and engaged with the circumferential groove 11a via washers 85. In this way, the support member 5 is connected to the mounting member 4 so as to be rotatable about the first hinge shaft 11.

[0023] The lift member 6 is substantially U-shaped and includes an upper plate 61 attached to the rear end of the opening / closing body C with screws or the like, and both side plates 62, 62 suspended from both ends of the upper plate 61 in a direction perpendicular to the upper plate 61 (including a direction substantially perpendicular to the upper plate 61), and is formed to cover the support member 5. A second hinge shaft insertion hole 63 is provided at a location on the upper plate 61 side from the center of one end (tip) of the lift member 6, and an actuating member hole 64 is provided below the second hinge shaft insertion hole 63, through which a shaft-shaped actuating member 14 is inserted. The actuating member 14 is inserted and fixed in the actuating member hole 64 of both side plates 62. The actuating member 14 does not have to be shaft-shaped, and may be an actuating member (not shown) suspended from the upper plate 61 of the lift member 6, or a pressing member (not shown) attached to the actuating member. The second hinge shaft insertion hole 63 in both side plates 62 of the lift member 6 and the second hinge shaft hole 55 in both side plates 52 of the support member 5 are aligned with each other and the second hinge shaft 12 is inserted into these holes, connecting the lift member 6 to the second hinge shaft 12 so that the lift member 6 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the support member 5. The upper plate 61 is provided with an adjustment screw 65 for adjusting the parallelism of the opening / closing body C, which is attached to the lift member 6 by abutting its tip against the upper plate 51 of the support member 5, with respect to the document placement table a1. Note that designation symbols 67, 67 are mounting plate parts used when mounting the opening / closing body C.

[0024] A pair of a first slider 31 and a second slider 32 are slidably accommodated in the support member 5. The pair of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape with a rectangular cross section. The first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are held by holding pieces 53, 53 in the support member 5 so that their openings face each other, and are accommodated individually between the support member 5 so as to be able to slide freely. A compression coil spring 21 is provided between the pair of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32. That is, the concave interiors of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are formed as spring accommodating portions 31g (FIG. 8), 32c (FIG. 3) that accommodate the compression coil spring 21. The compression coil spring 21 may be one or more, and for example, two are provided in parallel or overlapped, and in the embodiment, the pair of the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are biased in a direction that moves them away from each other. In this specification and claims, the compression coil spring may be referred to as an elastic member.

[0025] The pair of first slider 31 and second slider 32 are formed with a length that allows them to fit within support member 5 when the opening / closing body is in the closed state and the bottom plate 41 and support member 5 (upper plate 51) are approximately parallel, as shown in Figure 4.

[0026] The outer surface of the closed surface 31a, which is the bottom surface of the first slider 31 on the tip side, is formed into a flat surface. This closed surface 31a presses the operating member 14 by the biasing force of the compression coil spring 21, so that the support member 5 and the lift member 6 overlap. That is, the biasing force of the compression coil spring 21 causes the adjustment screw 65 provided on the upper plate 61 of the lift member 6 to abut against the upper plate 51 of the support member 5, so that the upper plate 51 of the support member 5 and the upper plate 61 of the lift member 6 are approximately parallel and close to each other.

[0027] A protrusion 33 is provided at approximately the center of the outer surface of the closed surface of the second slider 32 on the rear end side (FIG. 9). The protrusion 33 is formed with a gradually inclined inclined portion 34 on the side of the holding piece 53. When the opening / closing body is closed, the protrusion 33 abuts against a fixed member, for example, the cam member 13, and as the lift member 6 rotates about the second hinge shaft 12, the portion where the cam member 13 abuts slides gradually from the protrusion 33 to the inclined portion 34. Grease for lubrication is usually applied to the outer periphery of this cam member 13. An extension piece 38 is provided protruding from the lower side of the second slider 32 rearward of the cam member 13.

[0028] In the closed state of the opening / closing body C shown in FIG. 4, the holding piece 53 of the support member 5 fits into the curved recess 44 of the mounting member 4, and the extension piece 38 covers the periphery of the cam member 13, particularly the device body a side. This is to prevent the grease applied to the cam member 13 from adhering to the device body a. From this state, when the side of the opening / closing body C opposite to the side on which the opening / closing device B is attached is held by hand and rotated about the first hinge shaft 11 in a direction away from the top surface of the device body a (upward), the part of the second slider 32 that abuts against the cam member 13 gradually slides from the protrusion 33 to the inclined part 34 as shown in FIG. 5, and the second slider 32 slides by being pressed toward the rear end side inside the support member 5 by the compression coil spring 21, and the compression coil spring 21 gradually expands. Then, when the opening / closing body C reaches the maximum use open position relative to the top surface of the device body a as shown in FIG. 6, the compression coil spring 21 is in the most expanded state.

[0029] Here, grease is applied to the sliding surfaces of the second slider 32 and the support member 5 to facilitate smooth sliding. In the present invention, measures are taken to prevent the applied grease from running out due to continued sliding.

[0030] 7, a grease groove 57 is provided by pressing or cutting a half-way through a sliding surface 58 that slides against the second slider 32, which is the back surface of the upper plate 51 of the support member 5. The grease groove 57 is formed as a groove in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider 32, and is structured to retain grease within the grease groove 57. Furthermore, since grease that spreads during sliding in one direction returns to the grease groove 57 by sliding in the opposite direction, it is possible to prevent grease from running out even if sliding is continued.

[0031] The first slider 31 is configured to slide within the support member 5 to stabilize the posture of the lift member 6. Therefore, in Fig. 8(a) and (b), grease grooves 31b, 31e and escape groove 31f are molded on the sliding surface 31d of the first slider 31 with the upper plate 51 of the support member 5 and on the sliding surface 31c with the holding piece 53. These grease grooves 31b, 31e are formed as grooves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the sliding direction with the support member 5, and grease is retained in the grease grooves 31b, 31e. Moreover, the escape groove 31f is formed as a groove deeper than the grease groove 31b along the sliding direction.

[0032] The second slider 32 is configured to slide within the support member 5 to control the opening and closing torque of the opening and closing body. Therefore, in Figs. 9(a) and (b), grease grooves 32e, 32e·32g, 32g are molded on the sliding surface 32d of the second slider 32 that slides against the upper plate 51 of the support member 5 and on the sliding surface 32f that slides against the holding piece 53. The sliding surface of the second slider 32 with the upper plate 51 of the support member 5 does not contact the entire surface, but only the sliding surface 32d. In Fig. 9(b), the surface 32h other than the sliding surface 32d is lower than the sliding surface 32d to avoid sliding friction. These grease grooves 32e, 32e·32g, 32g are also formed as grooves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the sliding direction with the support member 5, and grease is retained in these grease grooves 32e, 32e·32g, 32g.

[0033] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the sliding portion of the upper plate 51, the first slider 31, and the second slider 32 in the support member 5. In FIG. 10, the reference symbols 91, 91 indicate grease stored in the grease grooves 31b, 31b, and the reference symbols 92, 92 indicate grease stored in the grease grooves 32e, 32e. Furthermore, the reference symbols 93, 93 indicate grease stored inside the grease grooves 57, 57 provided in the upper plate 51. Although not shown, grease is also stored in the grease grooves 31e, 31e of the first slider 31, and grease is also stored in the grease grooves 32g, 32g of the second slider. The first slider 31 and the second slider 32 are in contact with the support member 5 by press-fitting, so there is little clearance between them, and therefore grease shortage is likely to occur. However, sufficient grease is stored in the grease grooves 32e and 57, which are provided with a large gap between them, and the grease stored in the grease grooves is applied to the sliding surfaces as the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 slide within the support member 5 due to the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body C. In this way, the first slider 31 and the second slider 32 slide within the support member 5 due to the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body C, so that the grease is reapplied every time the opening and closing operation is repeated, and a smooth sliding state can always be maintained.

[0034] It is not necessary to provide all of the above-mentioned grease grooves 57, 31b, 31e, 32e, and 32g. For example, the effect of preventing grease shortage can be obtained by providing only grease groove 57 on the support member 5 side, or by providing only grease grooves 32e and 32g on the second slider 32 side.

[0035] In this manner, in the opening and closing device, by providing grease grooves in at least one of the support member 5 and the second slider 32 and the first slider 31, it is possible to prevent the opening and closing device from running out of grease even when the opening and closing body C is opened and closed repeatedly, thereby enabling smooth opening and closing operations to be performed over a long period of time.

[0036] The opening / closing device B shown in the above embodiment is shown as having a lift member 6 attached to the free end side of the support member 5 so as to be rotatable in the opposite direction to the support member 5, but the opening / closing device according to the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a configuration in which the lift member is omitted and the opening / closing body C is attached to the support member. In that case, the slider will be only the second slider, which is provided between the free end side of the support member and the cam member. In this case, one end of the compression spring will be pressed against the free end side of the support member. The opening / closing device according to the present invention also includes an opening / closing device having such a configuration. [Industrial Applicability]

[0037] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to provide an opening and closing device that prevents malfunctions or abnormal noises from occurring in the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing body even after years of use, as well as office equipment using this opening and closing device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] A Office equipment B. Switchgear C. Opening and closing body a. Device body 4 Mounting parts 5 Supporting member 6 Lifting materials 11 First hinge shaft 12 Second hinge shaft 13 Cam member 14 Actuating member 21 Compression coil spring (elastic member) 31 First slider (sliding member) 31b Grease groove 31e Grease groove 32 Second slider (sliding member) 32e Grease groove 32g grease groove 38 Extension piece 41 Bottom plate 42 Both side panels 44 Curved recess 51 Upper Board 52 Both side panels 53 Holding piece 57 Grease groove

Claims

1. An opening and closing device having a mounting member that is attached to the main body of an office machine, a support member that supports an opening and closing body that is rotatably attached to the mounting member via a hinge shaft, and a slider that is slidably housed inside the support member and has an elastic member acting on it between the free end side of the support member and a cam member attached to the mounting member side, and that slides inside the support member as the opening and closing body is opened and closed, characterized in that a grease groove for collecting lubricating grease is provided on the inside of the support member and / or the outside of the slider.

2. 2. The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the slider comprises a first slider provided on the free end side of the support member and a second slider provided on the cam member side.

3. The opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the grease groove is provided in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider.

4. The opening and closing device described in claim 2, characterized in that a lift member that supports the opening and closing body via a hinge shaft is further attached to the free end side of the support member, and the first slider and the second slider are arranged with an elastic member acting between an operating member provided on the lift member and the cam member.

5. 3. The opening and closing device according to claim 2, wherein the first slider is provided with relief grooves at a predetermined interval on a side that contacts the upper plate side of the support member.

6. The opening and closing device according to claim 2, wherein the second slider is provided with a protrusion on a side that contacts the upper plate side of the support member.

7. An office machine using the opening and closing device according to claim 1.

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