Image forming device

Abstract

To provide an image forming device which is hardly operated erroneously.SOLUTION: An image forming device comprises: image forming means; a device body that accommodates the image forming means; an opening / closing unit that is located to a side of the device body in a first direction, pivotably supported by the device body, and openable / closable to the device body; sheet support means which is located to the side of the device body, pivotably supported by the device body, and openable / closable to the device body, and which supports a sheet; and feeding means for feeding the sheet supported by the sheet support means toward the image forming means. The opening / closing means has a grip part, and a part of the opening / closing unit is not covered by the sheet support means when seen from a first direction while the opening / closing unit and the sheet support means are in a closed state, and the grip part of the opening / closing unit is covered by the sheet support means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Some image forming devices such as printers, copiers, and multifunction devices have an openable / closable unit (door, door unit) on the side of the device body of the image forming device to allow access to the inside of the device body. Some image forming devices also have a sheet support means (manual feed tray, multipurpose tray) on which a sheet can be placed from outside the image forming device, on the same side as the openable / closable unit. Patent Document 1 describes an image forming device that includes a door that can be opened and closed relative to the device body, and a manual feed tray that is rotatably supported by the frame of the door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-095395 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above document, the manual feed tray is supported by the door, and the door is supported by the device body, but it is possible to use a structure in which the device body of the image forming device supports both the door and the manual feed tray so that they are rotatable. However, if the door is opened by mistake while the manual feed tray is closed, the manual feed tray and the door may interfere with each other, which may result in damage to parts, etc.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus which is less susceptible to erroneous operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming means for forming an image on a sheet; an apparatus main body that accommodates the image forming means; an opening / closing unit arranged on a side of the apparatus main body in a first direction, rotatably supported by the apparatus main body, and openable and closable relative to the apparatus main body; sheet support means arranged on the side of the apparatus main body, rotatably supported by the apparatus main body, openable and closable relative to the apparatus main body, and supporting a sheet; and a feeding means that feeds a sheet supported by the sheet support means toward the image forming means when the opening / closing unit is closed and the sheet support means is open, wherein the opening / closing unit has a gripping portion that is gripped to move the opening / closing unit, and when viewed from the first direction when the opening / closing unit and the sheet support means are closed, a portion of the opening / closing unit is not covered by the sheet support means, and the gripping portion of the opening / closing unit is covered by the sheet support means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus which is less susceptible to erroneous operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a manual feeding section according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1A is a front view and FIG. 1B is a side view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the right side of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the right side of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a front view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 1A is a perspective view of a door rotation shaft and a tray rotation shaft according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a view of the door rotation shaft and the tray rotation shaft as viewed from the front side. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Image forming device) Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 201 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 201.

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 201 is a tandem type intermediate transfer type laser beam printer that utilizes an electrophotographic process. The image forming apparatus 201 can execute an image forming operation that forms a full-color image or a monochrome image on a sheet S based on image information. As the sheet S, which is a recording medium (recording material), various sheet materials of different sizes and materials can be used, including paper such as plain paper and cardboard, sheet materials with surface treatments such as coated paper, sheet materials with special shapes such as envelopes and index paper, plastic films, cloth, etc.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 201 includes an apparatus body 201A that houses an image forming unit 201B, and an image reading device 202 that is disposed above the apparatus body 201A and reads image information from an original. A discharge space V for discharging sheets is formed between the image reading device 202 and the apparatus body 201A. The image forming unit 201B, which is an example of an image forming means, is an electrophotographic unit of an intermediate transfer type that includes four image forming stations PY, PM, PC, and PK, an intermediate transfer unit 201C, and a fixing device 201E.

[0013] Each of the image forming stations PY to PK executes an electrophotographic process to form a yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner image on the photosensitive drum 212. That is, when the image forming stations PY to PK are requested to form a toner image, the photosensitive drum 212, which is an image carrier, is rotated and the charging device 213 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 212. The exposure device 210 provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 201A is driven by an image signal (video signal) generated based on image information, and exposes the photosensitive drum 212 by irradiating the photosensitive drum 212 with a laser beam. As a result, an electrostatic latent image according to the image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 212. The developing device 214 supplies a developer (toner) to the photosensitive drum 212 and develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 212 into a toner image. Incidentally, above the image forming section 201B, toner cartridges 215 are mounted for replenishing the developing devices 214 of the image forming stations PY, PM, PC, and PK with yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner, respectively.

[0014] The toner images of each color formed by the image forming stations PY to PK are primarily transferred from the photosensitive drum 212 to the intermediate transfer belt 216 by a primary transfer roller 219. Adherents such as toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 212 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 216 are removed by cleaning devices provided in each of the image forming stations PY to PK.

[0015] The intermediate transfer unit 201C has an intermediate transfer belt 216 which is an intermediate transfer body. The intermediate transfer belt 216 is wound around a number of rollers including a secondary transfer inner roller 216a (drive roller) and a tension roller 216b, and is driven to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in the figure. When a color image is formed, the toner images of the respective colors created in the image forming stations PY to PK are multi-transferred so as to be superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 216. The toner images carried by the intermediate transfer belt 216 are transported toward the secondary transfer section 201D by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 216.

[0016] A secondary transfer roller 217 serving as a transfer means is disposed at a position facing the secondary transfer inner roller 216a across the intermediate transfer belt 216. A secondary transfer section 201D is formed as a nip between the secondary transfer roller 217 and the intermediate transfer belt 216. The toner image carried by the intermediate transfer belt 216 and conveyed to the secondary transfer section 201D is secondarily transferred to the sheet S at the secondary transfer section. Adherents such as toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 216 without being transferred to the sheet S are removed by a belt cleaning device.

[0017] The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is delivered to a fixing device 201E. The fixing device 201E of this embodiment has a fixing roller 220b and a pressure roller 220a that sandwich the sheet S, and a heating means such as a halogen lamp that heats the fixing roller 220b. The fixing device 201E fixes the toner image on the sheet S to the sheet S by heating and pressurizing the sheet S while sandwiching and transporting the sheet S at a nip portion between the fixing roller 220b and the pressure roller 220a.

[0018] In parallel with the above-described operation of the image forming section 201B, a sheet S is fed from the cassette feeding section 230 or the manual feeding section 235 (multi-feeding section) toward the image forming section 201B.

[0019] The cassette feeding section 230 includes a feeding cassette 1 as a sheet storage means, and a feeding unit that feeds the sheets S from the feeding cassette 1. The feeding unit of this embodiment includes a pickup roller 2 that sends out the topmost sheet S of the sheets stacked in the feeding cassette 1 from the feeding cassette 1, and a separation roller pair that separates and conveys the sheets S received from the pickup roller 2 one by one. The separation roller pair includes a conveying roller (feed roller) 3 that rotates along the sheet feeding direction, and a separation roller 4 that comes into contact with the conveying roller 3 to form a nip portion (separation nip) and applies a frictional force to the sheet S at the separation nip. When multiple sheets S enter the separation nip, the sheets S other than the topmost sheet S in contact with the conveying roller 3 are prevented from moving in the sheet feeding direction by the frictional force received from the separation roller 4.

[0020] Manual feed section 235 is disposed on the right side (right side) of device body 201A when image forming apparatus 201 is viewed from the front side. Note that the "front side" or "front side" of image forming apparatus 201 refers to the side of device body 201A that the user mainly accesses when using image forming apparatus 201. The front side of image forming apparatus 201 can be confirmed, for example, in a user's manual. The front side of image forming apparatus 201 in this embodiment is the front side of the paper in FIG. 1 (the side where input display device 730 is arranged). Hereinafter, the "right side" of device body 201A refers to the right side when image forming apparatus 201 is viewed from the front side (the right side from the viewpoint of FIG. 1).

[0021] The manual feed section 235 includes a manual feed tray 5 (multi-tray) as a sheet supporting means for supporting the sheet S, and a feeding unit that feeds the sheet S from the manual feed tray 5. The feeding unit of the manual feed section 235 can be configured similarly to the feeding unit of the cassette feed section 230. That is, the feeding unit includes a pickup roller 502 that feeds the uppermost sheet S of the sheets stacked on the manual feed tray 5 from the manual feed tray 5, and a separation roller pair that separates and conveys the sheets S received from the pickup roller 502 one by one. The separation roller pair includes a conveying roller (feed roller) 503 that rotates along the sheet feeding direction, and a separation roller 504 that comes into contact with the conveying roller 503 to form a nip portion (separation nip) and applies frictional force to the sheet S at the separation nip. When a plurality of sheets S enter the separation nip, the sheets S other than the uppermost sheet S in contact with the conveying roller 503 are prevented from moving in the sheet feeding direction by the frictional force received from the separation roller 504. The manual feed unit 235 will be described in detail later.

[0022] The configuration of the feeding unit described above in the cassette feeding section 230 and the manual feeding section 235 is one example of a feeding method for feeding a sheet, and other feeding methods may be used. For example, a feeding unit in which a roller member that feeds a sheet from the manual feeding tray 5 abuts against a pad-shaped elastic member (friction pad, separation pad) may be used.

[0023] The sheet S fed from the cassette feeding unit 230 or the manual feeding unit 235 is conveyed to the registration roller pair 240 via the conveying roller pair 506. The registration roller pair 240 corrects the skew of the sheet S, and then conveys the sheet S to the secondary transfer unit 201D at a conveying timing synchronized with the creation of a toner image by the image forming unit 201B.

[0024] Thereafter, the sheet S on which an image has been formed by passing through the secondary transfer portion 201D and the fixing device 201E is sent to the first discharge roller pair 225a, the second discharge roller pair 225b, or the reversing roller pair 222. The path from the registration roller pair 240 to the first discharge roller pair 225a, the second discharge roller pair 225b, or the reversing roller pair 222 via the secondary transfer portion 201D and the fixing device 201E is the main transport path P1 on which image formation is performed.

[0025] In the case of single-sided image formation (single-sided printing) in which an image is formed only on one side of the sheet S, the sheet S with an image formed on its first side is discharged to the discharge space V by the first discharge roller pair 225a or the second discharge roller pair 225b. The discharged sheet S is stacked on a stacking section (discharge tray) 223 provided at the bottom of the discharge space V. In the case of double-sided image formation (double-sided printing) in which images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S with an image formed on its first side is reversed and conveyed (switched back) by the reversing roller pair 222, and sent to the double-sided conveying section 201F.

[0026] The double-sided conveying section 201F includes a re-conveying path P2 extending from the reversing roller pair 222 toward the registration roller pair 240, and a plurality of conveying roller pairs arranged along the re-conveying path P2. The double-sided conveying section 201F conveys the sheet S, which has been reversed by the reversing roller pair 222, toward the image forming section 201B again. The sheet S, which has an image formed on its second side by passing through the secondary transfer section 201D and the fixing device 201E again, is discharged to the discharge space V by the first discharge roller pair 225a or the second discharge roller pair 225b, and is stacked on the stacking section 223. At least a part of the double-sided conveying section 201F is disposed in the door 6, which will be described later.

[0027] The image forming unit 201B described above is an example of an image forming means. A direct transfer type electrophotographic unit that transfers a toner image from a photosensitive drum to a sheet without using an intermediate transfer body may be used. In addition, an image forming unit of an inkjet type or an offset printing type may be used, not limited to the electrophotographic type.

[0028] (Control unit) 2, the image forming apparatus 201 includes a control unit 100 as a control means for controlling the overall operation of the image forming apparatus 201. The control unit 100 has a processor (CPU) for executing a program. The control unit 100 is connected to a storage unit 101, an input display device 730, a blower unit 15, a feed motor 235M, and sheet sensors 17 and 505 in the image forming apparatus 201. The control unit 100 is also communicably connected to a host device 900 outside the image forming apparatus 201, and is thereby able to receive image information from the host device 900. The host device 900 is a personal computer, an image scanner, a facsimile, or the like.

[0029] The input display device 730 (see also FIG. 1) is an operation unit (operation panel) that serves as a user interface for the image forming apparatus 201. The input display device 730 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and an input device having a touch panel function of the liquid crystal panel and various buttons (such as a print execution button). The control unit 100 can present information to a user via a screen display on the input display device 730. The control unit 100 can also accept input of setting information for the image forming apparatus 201 and input of instructions from the user through user operation on the input display device 730. The setting information is, for example, attribute information (paper setting) of a sheet used in an image forming operation. The paper setting includes the paper type (whether or not it is coated paper, etc.), paper basis weight, and paper size.

[0030] The storage unit 101 stores programs for controlling the image forming apparatus 201 and data used to control the image forming apparatus 201. The CPU of the control unit 100 reads out and executes the programs from the storage unit 101 to control the operation of each unit of the image forming apparatus 201. For example, the CPU of the control unit 100 controls the operation of the blower unit 15 and the feed motor 235M based on a detection signal from the sheet sensor 17 to perform a sheet feeding operation from the manual feed unit 235.

[0031] The feeding motor 235M is a drive source that drives the feeding unit of the manual feeding section 235. The sheet sensor 17 is a sensor (sheet presence / absence sensor) that detects the presence or absence of the sheet S on the manual feeding tray 5 (see also FIG. 1). The sheet sensor 505 is a sensor (conveyance sensor) that detects the passage of the leading and trailing ends of the sheet S fed from the manual feeding tray 5 (see also FIG. 1). The blower section 15 will be described later.

[0032] The image forming apparatus 201 of this embodiment can perform continuous feeding of coated paper from the manual feed unit 235. That is, with a plurality of coated paper sheets stacked on the manual feed tray 5, an image can be formed on each coated paper sheet while continuously feeding the coated paper sheets one by one from the manual feed tray 5 by issuing an instruction for an image forming operation (inputting an image forming job) once. When the control unit 100 determines that there is a high need to improve the separability of the sheets S based on the paper settings, it operates the blower unit 15 during the sheet feeding operation from the manual feed unit 235 to blow separating air to the sheets on the manual feed tray 5. A case where there is a high need to improve the separability of the sheets is, for example, a case where the sheets are likely to adhere to each other and multiple sheets are likely to be fed due to the fact that the sheets are coated paper, the paper has a large basis weight, the paper size is large (for example, A3 size), etc.

[0033] (Manual feed section) The manual feed section 235 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the manual feed section 235 as viewed from above the manual feed tray 5.

[0034] As described above, the manual feed section 235 has the manual feed tray 5, the pickup roller 502, the conveying roller 503, the separation roller 504, and the conveying roller pair 506. The manual feed tray 5 is an example of a sheet supporting means for supporting the sheet S, and the pickup roller 502 is an example of a feeding means for feeding the sheet S from the manual feed tray 5.

[0035] The manual feed tray 5 is disposed on the right side (side in the first direction) of the image forming apparatus 201, and is provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body 201A. That is, the manual feed tray 5 is movable between a closed position (tray closed position, second closed position) and an open position (tray open position, second open position) with respect to the apparatus main body 201A. When the manual feed tray 5 is in the open state, the user can place a sheet S on the manual feed tray 5 from outside the image forming apparatus 201. The configuration relating to opening and closing of the manual feed tray 5 will be described later.

[0036] The manual feed section 235 also includes side end regulating plates 14a and 14b, a blower section 15, and blowing nozzles 16a, 16b, 16c, and 16d. The blower section 15 of this embodiment includes two blower fans 15a and 15b.

[0037] The side end regulating plates 14a, 14b are a pair of side end regulating members facing each other in a sheet width direction X perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction Y, and regulate the position of the sheet S in the sheet width direction X. The side end regulating plates 14a, 14b are connected to each other so as to be interlocked with each other in the sheet width direction X via a rack-and-pinion mechanism (interlocking mechanism) that is arranged in the space behind the loading surface 51 (sheet support surface) of the manual feed tray 5.

[0038] The blower fans 15a and 15b generate air (hereinafter referred to as blowing air) to be blown onto the sheets S stacked on the manual feed tray 5. The blower fans 15a and 15b include a blade portion and a fan motor, and rotate by receiving power supply from a power supply circuit in the device main body 201A. For example, a highly quiet sirocco fan can be used as the blower fans 15a and 15b, but other fans such as a propeller fan (axial flow fan) may also be used. The number of the blower fans 15a and 15b and the number and arrangement of the blowing nozzles 16a to 16d can be changed as appropriate.

[0039] The blower fans 15a and 15b can be disposed in the space behind the placement surface 51 of the manual feed tray 5. For example, the blower fans 15a and 15b and the above-mentioned rack-and-pinion mechanism are housed in the space between the placement surface 51 and the bottom surface 52 (see FIGS. 7 and 10) of the manual feed tray 5. The blower fans 15a and 15b are supported by the manual feed tray 5 and move integrally with the manual feed tray 5 relative to the apparatus main body 201A. The blower fans 15a and 15b of this embodiment are supported by the side end regulating plates 14a and 14b, respectively, and move integrally with the side end regulating plates 14a and 14b inside the manual feed tray 5.

[0040] The blowing nozzles 16a to 16d form openings that open on the inner surfaces of the side end regulating plates 14a and 14b in the sheet width direction X. As shown by flow lines A1 to A4, the blowing nozzles 16a to 16d blow the loosening air from the blowing fans 15a and 15b to the side ends (ends in the sheet width direction X) of the sheets S on the manual feed tray 5. As the loosening air enters between the sheets S stacked on the manual feed tray 5, an upward force acts on the upper sheets, reducing the adhesive force between the sheets. In other words, the loosening air from the blowing fans 15a and 15b can improve the separation of the sheets when the sheets are fed from the manual feed section 235.

[0041] When the sheet sensor 17 detects the sheet S on the manual feed tray 5, and the user inputs an instruction to execute the image forming operation via the input display device 730 (when the start button is pressed), the sheet feeding operation from the manual feed unit 235 is started. In this case, the control unit 100 (FIG. 2) judges whether or not blowing of the separation air is necessary based on the paper setting, and drives the blower fans 15a and 15b if it is judged to be necessary. After a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of blowing the separation air, the control unit 100 rotates the pickup roller 502 while it is in contact with the uppermost sheet S. As a result, the pickup roller 502 sends out the sheet S from the manual feed tray 5 in the sheet feeding direction Y. The sheet S is further separated into one sheet by the separation roller pair (503, 504) and is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 240 (FIG. 1) via the conveying roller pair 506. The sheet conveyance after the registration roller pair 240 is as described above.

[0042] When the manual feed unit 235 performs continuous feeding, feeding of the succeeding sheet is started based on the conveyance timing of the preceding sheet detected by the sheet sensor 505 (for example, the timing of the passage of the rear end of the sheet in the sheet feeding direction Y). This allows the manual feed unit 235 to feed the multiple sheets S stacked on the manual feed tray 5 one by one at approximately regular intervals.

[0043] (door) The door 6 of the image forming apparatus 201 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the door 6 is an example of an opening / closing unit (door unit) that can be opened and closed relative to the apparatus body 201A. The door 6 is disposed on the right side of the apparatus body 201A, and is supported by the frame of the apparatus body 201A so as to be rotatable around a door rotation shaft 601 (described later).

[0044] 1, the door 6 is a unit in which the transport guide, transport rollers, etc. move integrally with the apparatus main body 201A. The door 6 in this embodiment includes a plurality of transport guides and a plurality of transport roller pairs that form the re-transport path P2 of the double-sided transport section 201F, a transport roller pair 506 of the manual feed section 235, and a secondary transfer roller 217. The door 6 is supported by the apparatus main body 201A by a door rotation shaft 601 (to be described later) and includes a door frame that supports the transport guide, etc.

[0045] Door 6 is movable between a closed position (door closed position, first closed position) and an open position (door open position, first open position) relative to apparatus body 201A. When door 6 is closed (FIG. 1), outer surface 6a of door 6 forms part of the right exterior surface of image forming apparatus 201. When door 6 is closed and manual feed tray 5 is open, manual feed unit 235 can feed a sheet from manual feed tray 5 toward image forming unit 201B.

[0046] When the door 6 is open (FIG. 8), the door 6 protrudes to the right relative to the device body 201A, exposing the space inside the device body 201A. By opening the door 6, a user or a service person can access the internal structure of the device body 201A (for example, the components around the main transport path P1) that was covered by the door 6 when the door 6 was closed, and can perform jam removal, maintenance work, etc. Also, by opening the door 6, the user or the service person can access the components arranged on the inner surface 6b of the door 6.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 7, the door 6 is provided with a recess 6c recessed toward the device body 201A side compared to the outer surface 6a that is the exterior surface. The recess 6c forms a space that accommodates at least a part of the members arranged on the manual feed tray 5 when the manual feed tray 5 is closed. In other words, when the image forming apparatus 201 is viewed from the front side with the manual feed tray 5 closed, at least a part of the members arranged on the manual feed tray 5 is located closer to the device body 201A (left side) than the outer surface 6a of the door 6. The "members arranged on the manual feed tray 5" include, for example, side end regulating plates 14a, 14b, spray nozzles 16a to 16b, and link member 5d that connects the manual feed tray 5 to the device body 201A so as to hold the manual feed tray 5 in the open position.

[0048] (Opening and closing the door and manual feed tray) The support structure of door 6 and manual feed tray 5 in this embodiment, and the positional relationship between them when opening and closing will be described.

[0049] FIG. 4(a) is a front view of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where both the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed. FIG. 4(b) is a right side view of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where both the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed. FIG. 5(a) is a front view of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where the door 6 is closed and the manual feed tray 5 is open. FIG. 5(b) is a right side view of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where the door 6 is closed and the manual feed tray 5 is open. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the right side of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where both the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the right side of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where the door 6 is closed and the manual feed tray 5 is open. FIG. 8 is a front view of the image forming apparatus 201 in a state where both the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are open. FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view showing the tray rotation shaft 501 and the door rotation shaft 601 (an enlarged view of the circular area C1 in FIG. 7). Fig. 9(b) is a diagram showing the tray rotation shaft 501 and the door rotation shaft 601 as viewed from the front side of the image forming apparatus 201. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 201 passing through the tray operation unit 500 of the manual tray 5 and the door operation unit 600 of the door 6 as viewed from the rear side to the front side.

[0050] As shown in Figs. 4(a) to 7, the manual tray 5 is movable between a closed position (Figs. 4(a), (b), and 6) and an open position (Figs. 5(a), (b), and 7) relative to the apparatus main body 201A. The manual tray 5 is provided with a tray operation unit 500 as a gripping unit for moving the manual tray 5 between the closed position and the open position (Figs. 6 and 7). The tray operation unit 500 in this embodiment has a concave shape formed on the upper surface of the manual tray 5 (see also Fig. 10). A user can pull out the manual tray 5 from the closed position to the open position by inserting his / her hand into the tray operation unit 500 and pulling it.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 7, the door 6 is provided with a door operating unit 600 as a gripping unit for moving the door 6 between a closed position and an open position. The door operating unit 600 of this embodiment is disposed on the outer surface 6a of the door 6. A user can move the door 6 from the closed position to the open position by inserting a hand into the door operating unit 600 and pulling it. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 10, the door operating unit 600 has a gripping unit 600a and is shaped so that the gripping unit 600a can be gripped by inserting a hand into a space 600b below the gripping unit 600a. The gripping unit 600a may function as a release lever (a rotatable lever member) for releasing the lock of the door 6 to the device main body 201A.

[0052] 9(a) and (b), the door 6 has a door rotation shaft 601. The door rotation shaft 601 is provided at the lower end of the door 6 based on the state in which the door 6 is closed. The door rotation shaft 601 is rotatably supported by the device main body 201A. The door 6 rotates around the center line (first axis) of the door rotation shaft 601.

[0053] The manual feed tray 5 has a tray rotation shaft 501. The tray rotation shaft 501 is provided at the lower end of the manual feed tray 5 based on the state in which the manual feed tray 5 is closed. The tray rotation shaft 501 is rotatably supported by the device main body 201A. The manual feed tray 5 rotates around the center line (second axis line) of the tray rotation shaft 501.

[0054] In this embodiment, the rotation center (second axis) of the manual feed tray 5 is different from the rotation center (first axis) of the door 6. In this embodiment, the center line of the door rotation shaft 601 and the center line of the tray rotation shaft 501 both extend in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 201. In other words, the rotation axis of the manual feed tray 5 is substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the door 6. "Substantially parallel" means that they are parallel except for errors due to component tolerances, assembly tolerances, or play (backlash) between members required for assembly, etc.

[0055] 9(b), in the left-right direction of image forming apparatus 201, tray rotation shaft 501 of manual feed tray 5 is positioned outward with respect to device body 201A than door rotation shaft 601 of door 6. By positioning tray rotation shaft 501 outward of door rotation shaft 601, it is possible to easily ensure a rotation space for manual feed tray 5 even if manual feed tray 5 is enlarged.

[0056] 4(b), when the device body 201A is viewed from the right side of the image forming device 201 with the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 closed, a part of the door 6 (specifically, at least a part of the outer surface 6a of the door 6) is not covered by the manual feed tray 5. As described above, the door 6 is a large unit including a plurality of transport guides and transport rollers, and therefore, when the device body 201A is viewed from the right side of the image forming device 201 with the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 closed, the area of ​​the door 6 is larger than the area of ​​the manual feed tray 5. However, as will be described later, a door operation portion 600 of the door 6 is covered by the manual feed tray 5.

[0057] On the other hand, when the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed, the recess 6c of the door 6 is covered by the manual feed tray 5. This prevents the user from accidentally touching the rollers, the sheet conveying path, etc. of the manual feed portion 235 when the manual feed portion 235 is not in use.

[0058] In this embodiment, the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are independently rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 201A. The manual feed tray 5 is disposed on the outer side of the door 6. If the door 6 is opened with the manual feed tray 5 closed, the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 may collide with each other, possibly causing damage to the components. Even if the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 do not collide directly with each other, there is a possibility that a member interlocked with the opening and closing of the door 6 and a member interlocked with the opening and closing of the manual feed tray 5 may collide with each other, causing damage to the components. For this reason, when opening the door 6, it is required to open the manual feed tray 5 beforehand.

[0059] 4(b), when the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed, the door operation unit 600 is covered by the manual feed tray 5. This configuration can reduce the possibility of an erroneous operation to open the door 6 by mistake while the manual feed tray 5 is closed.

[0060] When the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed, the entire door operation unit 600 is preferably covered by the manual feed tray 5, but a part of the door operation unit 600 may be exposed if the door operation unit 600 cannot be gripped. For example, if the manual feed tray 5 covers the space 600b (FIGS. 7 and 10) below the grip portion 600a of the door operation unit 600, erroneous operation of the door 6 can be prevented.

[0061] In this manner, when the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed, the door operation unit 600 (grip unit) is covered by the manual feed tray 5 (sheet support means). This clarifies the correct operating procedure and prevents damage to parts caused by opening the door 6 with an incorrect operating procedure. In other words, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is less susceptible to erroneous operation.

[0062] In particular, in this embodiment, the center line of the door rotation shaft 601 (rotation center of the door 6) and the center line of the tray rotation shaft 501 (rotation center of the manual feed tray 5) are different axes. Specifically, in this embodiment, the tray rotation shaft 501 is located outside the door rotation shaft 601 (FIG. 9(b)). When the center line of the door rotation shaft 601 and the center line of the tray rotation shaft 501 are different, the rotation locus of the door 6 and the rotation locus of the manual feed tray 5 do not match. In this case, if the door 6 is opened by mistake with the manual feed tray 5 closed, there is a concern that a strong force will be applied to the parts due to the difference in the rotation locus, making them more likely to be damaged. However, according to this embodiment, the possibility of erroneous operation can be reduced.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, the door operation unit 600 is disposed on the outer surface 6a rather than inside the recess 6c of the door 6, so that the visibility and accessibility of the door operation unit 600 are higher than when the door operation unit 600 is disposed inside the recess 6c. On the other hand, since the door operation unit 600 is on the outer surface 6a, when a manual feed tray 5 of a size that fits into the recess 6c of the door 6 is used with the manual feed tray 5 closed, the door operation unit 600 is exposed even when the manual feed tray 5 is closed, which may lead to erroneous operation.

[0064] In this embodiment, the size of the manual feed tray 5 is larger than the recess 6c of the door 6, so that the manual feed tray 5 can cover the door operation unit 600 when the manual feed tray 5 is closed. More specifically, the door operation unit 600 of this embodiment is disposed above the recess 6c of the door 6. Also, the length of the placement surface 51 of the manual feed tray 5 in the direction along the sheet feeding direction is longer than the vertical width of the recess 6c of the door 6. With this configuration, when the manual feed tray 5 is closed, the manual feed tray 5 can extend above the upper edge of the recess 6c of the door 6 to cover the door operation unit 600. Also, the longer length of the placement surface 51 allows a sheet of a larger size to be placed on the manual feed tray 5.

[0065] In addition, the manual feed section 235 of this embodiment is provided with the blower fans 15a and 15b (FIG. 2) on the manual feed tray 5, so that sheets that are generally difficult to separate (such as large-sized coated paper) can be continuously fed by blowing the separating air. Since the blower fans 15a and 15b make the manual feed tray 5 larger, the tray rotation shaft 501 is protruded to the right side (outside in the first direction) of the device main body 201A beyond the door rotation shaft 601, so that the arrangement space and rotation space of the manual feed tray 5 are secured. In addition, while there is a concern that parts may be damaged due to the difference in the rotation trajectory of the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5, the door operation section 600 is covered by the manual feed tray 5 when the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5 are closed, so that the possibility of erroneous operation can be reduced.

[0066] Conventionally, when handling large-sized sheets with the manual feed tray 5, an extension tray that can be pulled out from the manual feed tray 5 is often used. In this embodiment, the blowing nozzles 16a to 16d are provided on the side end regulating plates 14a and 14b as a blowing path for the separating air, and the length of the manual feed tray 5 is set to a length that allows large-sized sheets to be placed thereon without using an extension tray. Specifically, the length of the manual feed tray 5 in the direction along the sheet feeding direction of the pickup roller 502 is wider than the width of the recess 6c of the door 6 in the up-down direction when the door 6 is closed. As described above, by projecting the tray rotation shaft 501 to the right side of the device main body 201A beyond the door rotation shaft 601, it is easy to secure the arrangement space and rotation space of the manual feed tray 5 that is larger than the recess 6c.

[0067] (Other embodiments) In the present embodiment, the rotation center of the door 6 (center line of the door rotation shaft 601) and the rotation center of the manual feed tray 5 (center line of the tray rotation shaft 501) are parallel to each other and are located at different positions when viewed in the axial direction (when viewed from the front of the image forming apparatus 201). The relationship between the door rotation shaft 601 and the tray rotation shaft 501 can be changed according to the specific configuration of the door 6 and the manual feed tray 5. For example, if the sizes of the side end regulating plates 14a, 14b and the blow nozzles 16a to 16d are small, the tray rotation shaft 501 may be brought closer to the door rotation shaft 601. A coaxial configuration in which the door rotation shaft 601 and the tray rotation shaft 501 overlap when viewed in the axial direction may be used. Also, the door rotation shaft 601 may be disposed at the upper end of the door 6, for example. Also, a configuration in which the angles of the door rotation shaft 601 and the tray rotation shaft 501 are different may be used.

[0068] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the blower fans 15a and 15b are mounted on the manual feed tray 5 has been exemplified, but the manual feed tray 5 may be configured not to have the blower fans 15a and 15b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 5...sheet support means (manual feed tray) / 6...opening / closing unit (door) / 201A...apparatus body / 201B...image forming means (image forming section) / 502...feeding means (pickup roller) / 600...gripping section (door operating section)

Claims

1. An image forming means having a transfer nip for transferring an image onto a sheet, and forming an image on the sheet; an apparatus body that houses the image forming means; an opening / closing unit disposed on a side surface of the device body, the opening / closing unit being openable and closable with respect to the device body between a first closed position where the opening / closing unit is closed with respect to the device body and the transfer nip is formed, and a first open position where the opening / closing unit is opened from the device body and the transfer nip is released; a seat support means provided so as to be openable and closable between a second closed position in which the seat support means is closed relative to the opening / closing unit and a second open position in which the seat support means is open so as to be able to support a seat; Equipped with When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the seat support means is in the second closed position, at least a portion of the seat support means protrudes outward from the opening / closing unit in a first direction that is perpendicular to the side surface of the device body and extends from the side surface to the outside of the device body, the opening / closing unit has a grip portion that is gripped to move the opening / closing unit from the first closed position to the first open position, When viewed in a second direction opposite to the first direction with the opening / closing unit in the first closed position and the seat support means in the second closed position, a part of the opening / closing unit is not covered by the seat support means, and the grip portion of the opening / closing unit is covered by the seat support means. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The opening / closing unit rotates about a first axis, The seat support means rotates around a second axis different from the first axis.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. The first axis and the second axis are parallel.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. The second axis is located outward of the first axis in the first direction.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. the opening / closing unit has an outer surface facing the first direction when the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position, and a recessed portion recessed relative to the outer surface, The gripping portion is disposed on the outer surface.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. The gripping portion is disposed above the recessed portion, The seat support means rotates around an axis below the recess, When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the seat support means is in the second closed position, the seat support means extends above an upper edge of the recess.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. a side edge regulating member supported by the sheet supporting means for regulating the position of the sheet in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the sheet supporting means is in the second closed position, at least a portion of the side edge regulating member is accommodated in the recess.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

8. The sheet support means has a support surface that supports the sheet, a length of the support surface in the sheet feeding direction is longer than a width of the recess in the up-down direction when the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position; 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

9. The sheet support means has a support surface that supports the sheet, When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the seat support means is in the second closed position, the support surface protrudes outward beyond the opening / closing unit in the first direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

10. The sheet conveying device further includes a blower fan supported by the sheet supporting means for blowing air onto the sheets stacked on the sheet supporting means to separate the sheets from each other.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

11. When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the seat support means is in the second closed position, the blower fan is positioned outside the opening / closing unit in the first direction.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

12. the opening / closing unit rotates around a first axis passing through a lower end of the opening / closing unit when the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position; the seat support means rotates about a second axis passing through a lower end of the seat support means when the seat support means is in the second closed position; The second axis is located outward of the first axis in the first direction.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

13. a side edge regulating member supported by the sheet supporting means for regulating the position of the sheet in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction, The side end regulating member is provided with an opening through which air from the blower fan is blown toward the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

14. the opening / closing unit has an outer surface facing the first direction when the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position, and a recessed portion recessed relative to the outer surface, When the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position and the sheet support means is in the second closed position, at least a portion of the side end regulating member is accommodated in the recess, a length of the sheet support means in the sheet feeding direction is longer than a width of the recess in the up-down direction when the opening / closing unit is in the first closed position; 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13.

15. The coated paper is continuously fed while blowing air with the blower fan.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

16. the opening / closing unit includes a plurality of transport guides that form a transport path for a sheet on which an image is formed by the image forming unit, and a plurality of transport rollers that transport the sheet along the transport path; an area of ​​the opening / closing unit is larger than an area of ​​the seat support means when viewed in the second direction with the opening / closing unit in the first closed position and the seat support means in the second closed position; 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

17. the sheet support means is a manual feed tray on which a sheet can be placed from outside the image forming apparatus; 16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

Images