Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To reduce relative positional deviation between adjacent doors in a left-and-right direction in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of doors.SOLUTION: A front upper door 1105 is provided with a positioning part 7000 having a left positioning hole 701 formed, and a front door 1103 is provided with a left positioning shaft 717. When one of the rotatable front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 is closed, with the other being closed, the left positioning shaft 717 enters into the left positioning hole 701 so as to regulate movement in at least a left-and-right direction (rotation axis direction of the front upper door 1105). The relative positional relationship between the two doors, the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103, is thus determined, and the dynamic clearance in the left-and-right direction between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 in a closed state is restricted. Consequently, when one of the front door 1103 and the front upper door 1105 moves in the left-and-right direction, the other follows the movement of the one, which prevents displacement between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile, or a multifunction machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses, a configuration is known in which an openable door is provided for an opening of the main body of the apparatus, and the inside of the main body of the apparatus is accessed by opening the door. Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus in which an exterior cover (door) is provided rotatably with respect to the main body of the apparatus via a hinge part having a rotation shaft. The exterior cover can open and close the opening of the main body of the apparatus, and an operator can access the inside of the main body of the apparatus by opening the exterior cover to perform maintenance work such as replacing and cleaning various units housed in the main body of the apparatus, or jam processing work to remove sheets (recording materials) stuck in the transport path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-191162 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in a door that opens and closes by rotating around a rotation axis as described above, the position of the door relative to the device body when the door is closed may differ from the design value due to misalignment during installation or play in the hinge part having the rotation axis. In a configuration in which multiple rotatable doors are arranged vertically, each of the multiple positions of the multiple doors relative to the device body may differ from the design value when each of the multiple doors is closed. In particular, the relative positional misalignment in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) that occurs between doors adjacent to each other in the vertical direction is easily noticeable by the user, and may impair the appearance quality of the image forming device.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to reduce the relative positional deviation in the left-right direction between adjacent doors in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of doors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising: an apparatus main body having a first opening on the same side and a second opening formed above or below the first opening in a vertical direction; a first door provided to be able to open and close the first opening and pivoting relative to the first opening around a first pivot shaft arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction on the second opening side; a first hinge portion having the first pivot shaft and pivoting relative to the first opening; a second door provided to be able to open and close the second opening and pivoting relative to the second opening around a second pivot shaft arranged in the vertical direction; and a second hinge portion having the second pivot shaft and pivoting relative to the second door. a second hinge portion supporting the first door, a first fitting portion provided on the first door, the first fitting portion being positioned on the second opening side of the first pivot axis in the vertical direction and rotating together with the first door, and a second fitting portion provided on the second door and rotating together with the second door, the second fitting portion fitting with the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is closed, and disengaging from the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is opened, wherein the horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in the fitted state is smaller than the horizontal play of the first hinge portion.

[0007] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, the image forming apparatus comprising: an apparatus main body having a first opening on the same side and a second opening formed below the first opening in a vertical direction; a first door provided to be able to open and close the first opening and pivoting relative to the first opening around a first pivot shaft arranged in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; a first hinge portion having the first pivot shaft and pivoting relative to the first opening; a second door provided to be able to open and close the second opening and pivoting in the same direction as the first door around a second pivot shaft arranged in the horizontal direction; and a second hinge portion having the second pivot shaft and pivoting relative to the second opening in the apparatus main body. and a first fitting portion provided on the first door, the first fitting portion being disposed in an opposing area where the first door and the second door are opposed to each other when the first door and the second door are closed, and rotating together with the first door. The second fitting portion is provided on the second door and rotates together with the second door, the second fitting portion being engaged with the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is closed, and being disengaged from the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is opened, wherein the horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in the engaged state is smaller than the horizontal backlash of the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of doors, it is possible to reduce relative positional deviation in the left-right direction between adjacent doors. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming system including an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming transfer device, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view showing an image forming station. [Figure 4]FIG. 13A is a perspective view showing the state in which the front upper door is open, and FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] (a) An enlarged view showing the right hinge of the front upper door, and (b) an enlarged view showing the left hinge of the front upper door. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] (a) Enlarged view showing the upper hinge of the front door, (b) Enlarged view showing the lower hinge of the front door. [Figure 9] (a) is a front view showing the upper front door, and (b) is a rear view showing the upper front door. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the front upper door and the front door in a closed state. [Figure 11] 1A is a top-bottom cross-sectional view showing the state of the left positioning shaft relative to the left positioning hole, (a) the state just before the left positioning shaft enters the left positioning hole, and (b) the engaged state after the left positioning shaft has entered the left positioning hole. [Figure 12] 1A is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the state of the left positioning shaft relative to the left positioning hole, (a) the state just before the left positioning shaft enters the left positioning hole, and (b) the engaged state after the left positioning shaft enters the left positioning hole. [Figure 13] (a) A cross-sectional view showing the case where an inclined surface is formed on both the tip of the left positioning shaft and the left positioning hole, (b) the case where an inclined surface is formed only on the left positioning hole, and (c) the case where an inclined surface is formed on the peripheral surface at the lower end side of the tip of the left positioning shaft. [Figure 14] 1A is a diagram showing the relationship between the left positioning hole and the left positioning shaft when the upper front door and the front door are closed, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the relationship between the right positioning hole and the right positioning shaft. [Figure 15] 11 is a perspective view showing an image forming and transferring device in which the front upper door and the front door rotate in the same direction. [Figure 16] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing left-right misalignment that occurs between the upper front door and the front door, where (a) is when the upper front door is misaligned and (b) is when the front door is misaligned. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <Image forming system> An image forming system including an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the image forming system 1 includes a large-capacity feeding device 106, an image forming apparatus 2, and a sensing device 107. The image forming apparatus 2 is a tandem-type full-color printer of an electrophotographic system, and includes an image forming / transferring device 500 and a fixing / conveying device 600.

[0011] The image forming apparatus 2 forms a toner image on a sheet fed from the large-capacity feeding device 106. The fixing and conveying device 600 fixes the toner image formed by the image forming apparatus 2 onto the sheet. The image forming apparatus 2 and the fixing and conveying device 600 are preferably configured in independent housings 500A and 600A, respectively. In such a case, even if the image forming apparatus 2 is large, it is possible to pack and transport the image forming apparatus 2 separated into housings 500A and 600A, improving the workability of logistics from shipping to installation of the large image forming apparatus 2.

[0012] An operation unit 80 having a display (such as a liquid crystal touch panel) capable of displaying various information on the front side and keys capable of inputting various information in response to user operation is disposed on the upper part of the fixing and conveying device 600. The operation unit 80 may be disposed in another location, such as on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 2. In this specification, the side on which the user stands when operating the operation unit 80 is referred to as the "front (or front)" and the opposite side is referred to as the "rear (or rear)". In addition, the left side as viewed from the front is referred to as the "left" and the right side as viewed from the front is referred to as the "right".

[0013] An original reading device 105 equipped with an automatic original feeding unit and an image reading unit is provided on the upper part of the image forming apparatus 2. The automatic original feeding unit feeds originals one by one from a stack of stacked originals to the image reading unit. The image reading unit reads the image of the original fed by the automatic original feeding unit or the image of the original placed on the platen glass. The original reading device 105 is selectively connected to the image forming apparatus 2 as an option.

[0014] The large-capacity feeding device 106 is disposed upstream of the image forming device 2 in the sheet transport direction. The large-capacity feeding device 106 has a plurality of sheet storage units (three in this example) that store sheets S. Instead of the large-capacity feeding device 106, a manual feeding device (not shown) or a long-length feeding device (not shown) capable of storing long sheets may be selectively connected to the image forming device 2. Also, another large-capacity feeding device, a manual feeding device, or a long-length feeding device may be selectively connected further upstream of the large-capacity feeding device 106.

[0015] The sensing device 107 is disposed downstream of the fixing and conveying device 600 in the sheet conveying direction. The sensing device 107 reads the toner image formed on one or both sides of the sheet S and detects the image density and the image position deviation. The image forming device 2 performs feedback correction on the image data transmitted to the image forming device 2 based on the image density and the image position deviation detected by the sensing device 107. Then, a toner image is formed on the sheet S based on the corrected image data.

[0016] The image forming system 1 does not necessarily have to include the sensing device 107, and the sensing device 107 is selectively connected to the fixing and conveying device 600. Therefore, the sheet S on which a toner image has been formed by the image forming device 2 is discharged to the sensing device 107 when the sensing device 107 is connected, and when the sensing device 107 is not connected, the sheet S is discharged to the outside from a discharge tray (not shown) provided in the image forming device 2 or a finisher connected to the image forming device 2.

[0017] Note that one or a combination of post-processing devices (not shown), such as an inserter, a puncher, a case binder, a large-capacity stacker, a folder, a finisher, and a trimmer, may be selectively connected to the image forming system 1 downstream of the fixing and conveying device 600 or the sensing device 107. When a post-processing device is connected, the sheet S on which a toner image has been formed by the image forming device 2 is discharged to a discharge tray or the like provided in the post-processing device.

[0018] As described above, the image forming apparatus 2 of this embodiment can selectively connect to various optional devices to in-line output products that have been subjected to various post-processing processes on various sheets S. This makes it possible to provide an image forming system 1 that is highly productive, has high image quality, is highly stable, and has excellent functionality.

[0019] <Image forming and transferring device> Next, the image forming and transferring device 500 will be described with reference to Fig. 3(a) and Fig. 3(b). The image forming and transferring device 500 is an intermediate transfer type device in which image forming stations 200Y, 200M, 200C, and 200K that form yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images housed in a housing 500A (inside the housing) are arranged facing an intermediate transfer belt 208. The image forming and transferring device 500 forms a toner image on a sheet S based on image data acquired from a document reading device 105 (see Fig. 1) provided above the housing 500A or an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer. The sheet S may be plain paper, thick paper, rough paper, textured paper, coated paper, or other paper, plastic film, or cloth.

[0020] The conveying process of the sheet S in the image forming and transferring device 500 will be described. The sheets S are stored in a stacked form in one or more (here, two) cassettes 212, and are supplied one by one by a supply roller 220 in accordance with the image forming timing. The sheet S supplied by the supply roller 220 is conveyed to a registration roller 213 arranged in the middle of a conveying path 250. Then, the registration roller 213 performs skew correction and timing correction on the sheet S, and the sheet S is sent to a secondary transfer section ST. The secondary transfer section ST is formed by a secondary transfer inner roller 214 and a secondary transfer outer roller 215 that face each other with the intermediate transfer belt 208 in between, and is a transfer nip section that transfers a toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 208 onto the sheet S by applying a predetermined pressure and secondary transfer voltage.

[0021] The process of forming an image sent to the secondary transfer station ST at the same timing as the process of conveying the sheet S to the secondary transfer station ST described above will be described. First, the image forming stations 200Y to 200K will be described. However, since the image forming stations 200Y to 200K are basically the same except for the color of the toner, the following description will be given by taking the black image forming station 200K as an example.

[0022] The image forming station 200K includes a photosensitive drum 201K, a charger 202K, a laser scanner 203K, a developer 204K, and the like. The surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 201K is uniformly charged in advance by the charger 202K, and then an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface by the laser scanner 203K driven based on image data. Next, the developer 204K develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 201K with the toner contained in the developer, forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum 201K. The developer 204K is appropriately replenished with developer from a developer supply container in accordance with consumption of developer accompanying development of the toner image.

[0023] Thereafter, a predetermined pressure and a primary transfer voltage are applied by a primary transfer roller 207K disposed opposite the image forming station 200K with the intermediate transfer belt 208 sandwiched therebetween, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 201K is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 208. Primary transfer residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 201K after the primary transfer is removed by a drum cleaner 209K. The removed primary transfer residual toner is collected in a recovered toner container 211 via a toner recovery path 210.

[0024] The intermediate transfer belt 208 is stretched by a plurality of tension rollers and a secondary transfer inner roller 214, and is moved by a motor (not shown) or the like at a speed corresponding to the rotation speed of the photosensitive drums 201Y to 201K. The image forming processes of the respective colors, which are processed in parallel by the image forming stations 200Y to 200K described above, are performed at a timing in which the image forming processes are sequentially superimposed on the toner images of the colors that have been primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 208 upstream in the moving direction. As a result, a full-color toner image is finally formed on the intermediate transfer belt 208, and is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion ST. Secondary transfer residual toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 208 after passing through the secondary transfer portion ST is collected from the intermediate transfer belt 208 by a belt cleaner device 216.

[0025] Through the above-described conveying process and image forming process, the timing of the sheet S and the toner image are synchronized at the secondary transfer portion ST, and the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 208 to the sheet S. Thereafter, the sheet S is conveyed by pre-fixing conveying belts 217a and 217b to the fixing conveying device 600, which fixes the toner image onto the sheet S.

[0026] <Fixing conveying device> Returning to Fig. 2, the fixing and conveying device 600 has a fixing unit 8 and a cooler 302. The fixing unit 8 has a fixing roller 8a heated by a heater (not shown), and a pressure roller 8b that presses the sheet S against the fixing roller 8a. The sheet S on which a toner image is formed and conveyed from the image forming and transferring device 500 is heated and pressurized while being nipped and conveyed in a fixing nip portion formed by the fixing roller 8a and the pressure roller 8b. As a result, the toner image is fixed to the sheet S.

[0027] The sheet S heated by the fixing device 8 is transported toward the cooler 302. The cooler 302 has cooling belts 302a and 302b and a heat sink 303. The cooling belts 302a and 302b come into contact with each other to form a cooling nip portion that sandwiches and transports the sheet S. The heat sink 303 is arranged in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the cooling belt 302a, and the heat sink 303 cools the cooling belt 302a. When the sheet S heated by the fixing device 8 passes through the cooling nip portion, the sheet S is cooled by having heat absorbed by the cooled cooling belt 302a.

[0028] When a toner image is formed on only one side of the sheet S cooled by the cooler 302, the sheet S is discharged to the sensing device 107 via a discharge conveying path 304. When the sheet S is to be discharged upside down, the sheet S is switched back in a discharge reversing section 305 to exchange the leading end and trailing end of the sheet S, and the sheet S is discharged via the discharge conveying path 304 in an inverted state.

[0029] Furthermore, when toner images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S with the toner image formed on the first side is switched back in the double-sided inversion section 306, the leading edge and trailing edge of the sheet S are swapped, and the sheet S is conveyed to the double-sided conveying path 307 in an inverted state. Thereafter, the sheet S is returned to the image forming and transferring device 500 through the double-sided conveying path 307, and a toner image is formed on the second side of the sheet S by the same image forming process as on the first side. Thereafter, the sheet S passes through the fixing device 8 and the cooler 302, and is discharged via the discharge conveying path 304.

[0030] The image forming and transferring device 500 described above can form a full-color image using all the image forming stations 200Y to 200K, as well as a black-and-white image using only the black image forming station 200K. When forming a black-and-white image, the primary transfer rollers 207Y to 207C and the primary transfer auxiliary roller 218 shown in FIG. 3(a) are displaced downward in the vertical direction by a separation mechanism (not shown). As a result, the photosensitive drums 201Y to 201C and the intermediate transfer belt 208 are separated, and the image forming stations 200Y to 200C are stopped. In this way, by stopping the image forming stations 200Y to 200C, it is possible to prevent wear of parts due to unnecessary driving, and thus the life of the image forming stations 200Y to 200C is extended.

[0031] In the image forming station 200K that is not separated from the intermediate transfer belt 208, the photosensitive drum 201K is configured to have a larger diameter suitable for a longer life than the photosensitive drums 201Y to 201C. The charger 202K of the image forming station 200K is a corona charger of a non-contact charging type, and the chargers 202Y to 202C of the image forming stations 200Y to 200C are roller chargers of a contact charging type using a charging roller. As a result, even for a user who frequently uses black-and-white image formation, the maintenance interval of the image forming station 200K that is used frequently is not shorter than the maintenance interval of the image forming stations 200Y to 200C that are used less frequently, and the two are almost the same. In addition, the large-diameter drum configuration using a corona charger can provide a wider charging width in the direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum than the small-diameter drum configuration using a roller charger, and is suitable for high-speed charging, thereby improving productivity when forming black-and-white images.

[0032] In the image forming and transferring device 500 in which the image forming stations 200Y to 200C and the image forming station 200K are partially different from each other, a difference in the amount of toner charge on the photosensitive drums 201Y to 201C and the photosensitive drum 201K may occur due to differences in shape and wear. If a difference in the amount of toner charge occurs, the toner image is not transferred uniformly from the intermediate transfer belt 208 to the sheet S in the secondary transfer process, and transfer failure may occur. Therefore, the photosensitive drum 201K is provided with a pre-transfer charger 219 made of a corona charger in order to equalize the amount of toner charge on the photosensitive drums 201Y to 201C. The pre-transfer charger 219 performs charging control on the photosensitive drum 201K before it reaches the transfer nip portion formed by the photosensitive drum 201K and the primary transfer roller 207K, and equalizes the amount of toner charge on the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 201K.

[0033] The above-described configuration provides an image forming and transferring device 500 that is excellent in terms of high productivity, high image quality, high stability, and long life, not only in full-color image formation but also in black-and-white image formation.

[0034] Next, the multiple doors provided on the housings 500A and 600A of the image forming apparatus 2 will be described with reference to Figures 4(a) and 4(b). In the following, the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 provided on the housing 500A will be described as an example. The housing 500A is made of metal and is composed of multiple frames such as a front plate on the front side, a rear plate provided on the rear side and supporting the image forming stations 200Y to 200K together with the front plate, stays connecting the front plate and the rear plate, and pillars supporting the front plate and the rear plate.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4(a), a first opening 5001 is formed in a housing 500A serving as an apparatus main body. A front upper door 1105 is provided rotatably about a lower side (second opening side) of the door so as to be able to open and close the first opening 5001. The front upper door 1105 serving as the first door rotates in the direction of arrow F1 about a hinge pin arranged horizontally (left and right) on the housing 500A as a rotation axis by a front upper door hinge part 700A (see Figs. 5 to 6(b)) described later.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 4(b), on the same side of the housing 500A where the first opening 5001 is formed, the second opening 5002 is formed vertically below the first opening 5001 (below the up-down direction). The front door 1103 is provided rotatably around the right side of the door so that the second opening 5002 can be opened and closed. As shown in the figure, the front door 1103 is arranged below the front upper door 1105 in the up-down direction so as to be adjacent to the front upper door 1105. The front door 1103 as the second door rotates in the direction of the arrow F2 around a hinge pin arranged in the up-down direction at the right end of the housing 500A by a front door hinge part 700B (see FIGS. 7 to 8(b)) described later. The first opening 5001 and the second opening 5002 may be integrally formed openings.

[0037] The upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are formed from, for example, resin, which is easy to decorate on the surface, and when closed, the surfaces of the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 form part of the exterior together with multiple cassette covers 1104 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 2. The cassette covers 1104 are exterior covers provided on the cassettes 212 housed in the housing 500A so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The upper front door 1105, the front door 1103, and the cassette covers 1104 are formed from, for example, PC / ABS resin or polyacetal resin.

[0038] Although not shown in the drawings, magnets may be arranged on the inside of the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103, and metal plate members may be arranged on the housing 500A in positions facing the magnets when the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. This is preferable because when the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, the magnets and the metal plate members are attached to each other by magnetic force, and the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are maintained in a closed state.

[0039] Next, a front upper door hinge portion and a front door hinge portion for respectively providing the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 to the housing 500A so that they can be opened and closed will be described. First, the front upper door hinge portion will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 6(b).

[0040] <Front upper door hinge> 5, the front upper door hinge portion 700A as a first hinge portion has a front upper door left hinge 703, a front upper door right hinge 704, a front upper door right hinge holding member 705, and a front upper door left hinge holding member 706, and rotatably supports the front upper door 1105 to the housing 500A. The front upper door left hinge 703 is fixed to the left end portion of the front upper door 1105, and the front upper door right hinge 704 is fixed to the right end portion of the front upper door 1105. The front upper door left hinge holding member 706 and the front upper door right hinge holding member 705 as first holding portions are respectively provided from the housing 500A to protrude toward the front upper door left hinge 703 and the front upper door right hinge 704 as second holding portions provided on the front upper door 1105.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the front upper door hinge portion 700A has a left hinge pin 707. The front upper door left hinge 703 has hollow cylindrical portions 703a formed at two positions spaced apart in the left-right direction. In addition to the front upper door left hinge 703, a rod-shaped left hinge pin 707 formed in an L-shape here is attached to the left end of the front upper door 1105 in a state of passing through the cylindrical portions 703a. The front upper door left hinge 703 rotatably holds the left hinge pin 707 by a pair of cylindrical portions 703a. On the other hand, the front upper door left hinge holding member 706 has an engagement portion 706a at its tip, and the engagement portion 706a loosely engages with the left hinge pin 707 between the pair of cylindrical portions 703a. As a result, the front upper door left hinge 703 and the front upper door left hinge holding member 706 can rotate about the left hinge pin 707 as a rotation axis with some play (hereinafter referred to as backlash). Therefore, the front upper door left hinge 703 can move relative to the front upper door left hinge holding member 706 in any of the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions.

[0042] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the front upper door hinge part 700A has a right hinge pin 708. The front upper door right hinge 704 has a hollow cylindrical part 704a formed to extend in the left-right direction. In addition to the front upper door right hinge 704, a rod-shaped right hinge pin 708 is attached to the right end part of the front upper door 1105 in a state of passing through the cylindrical part 704a. The right hinge pin 708 and the left hinge pin 707 as the first rotation shaft are arranged coaxially. On the other hand, the front upper door right hinge holding member 705 has a protruding part 705a protruding from the tip, and a through hole is formed in the protruding part 705a. The diameter of the through hole of the protruding part 705a is larger than the diameter of the right hinge pin 708, and therefore the right hinge pin 708 is loosely fitted into the through hole of the protruding part 705a. As a result, the front upper door right hinge 704 and the front upper door right hinge holding member 705 can rotate with some play around the right hinge pin 708. Therefore, the front upper door right hinge 704 can move relative to the front upper door right hinge holding member 705 in any of the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions.

[0043] However, in the case of this embodiment, a larger gap is secured in the left-right direction between the cylindrical portion 703a of the front upper door left hinge 703 and the engaging portion 706a of the front upper door left hinge holding member 706 than in other directions. Also, a larger gap is secured in the left-right direction between the cylindrical portion 704a of the front upper door right hinge 704 and the protruding portion 705a of the front upper door right hinge holding member 705 than in other directions. Therefore, the front upper door 1105 has a larger movable range in the left-right direction (dynamic clearance in the rotation axis direction) than the movable range in the up-down direction and the front-rear direction.

[0044] <Front door hinge> Next, the front door hinge part will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 8(b). As shown in Fig. 7, the front door hinge part 700B as a second hinge part has a front door upper hinge 709, a front door lower hinge 710, a front door upper hinge holding member 715, and a front door lower hinge holding member 713, and supports the front door 1103 rotatably on the housing 500A. The front door upper hinge 709 and the front door lower hinge 710 are fixed to the right end part of the front door 1103 with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction. The front door upper hinge holding member 715 and the front door lower hinge holding member 713 as a third holding part are respectively provided from the housing 500A to protrude toward the front door upper hinge 709 and the front door lower hinge 710 as a fourth holding part provided on the front door 1103.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the front door hinge part 700B has an upper hinge pin 714. The front door upper hinge 709 has a hollow cylindrical part 709a extending in the vertical direction, and the front door upper hinge holding member 715 has a hollow cylindrical part 715a extending in the vertical direction. The rod-shaped upper hinge pin 714 is attached to the front door 1103 in a state in which it is passed through the cylindrical part 709a and the cylindrical part 715a. Since the diameters of the cylindrical parts 709a and 715a are larger than the diameter of the upper hinge pin 714, the upper hinge pin 714 is loosely fitted into the cylindrical part 709a and the cylindrical part 715a. As a result, the front door upper hinge 709 and the front door upper hinge holding member 715 can rotate around the upper hinge pin 714 as a rotation axis in a state in which there is backlash. Therefore, the front door upper hinge 709 can move relative to the front door upper hinge holding member 715 in any of the directions of up-down, front-back, and left-right.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8(b), the front door hinge portion 700B has a lower hinge pin 712. The front door lower hinge 710 has a hollow cylindrical portion 710a extending in the vertical direction, and the front door lower hinge holding member 713 has a hollow cylindrical portion 713a extending in the vertical direction. The lower hinge pin 712 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 713a and is fastened by crimping, and the remaining part of the lower hinge pin 712 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 710a. The lower hinge pin 712 and the upper hinge pin 714 as the second pivot shaft are arranged coaxially. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 713a and the diameter of the cylindrical portion 710a are larger than the diameter of the lower hinge pin 712, so that the lower hinge pin 712 is loosely fitted into the cylindrical portion 713a and the cylindrical portion 710a. As a result, the front door lower hinge 710 and the front door lower hinge holding member 713 can rotate around the lower hinge pin 712 as a rotation axis with some backlash. Therefore, the front door lower hinge 710 can move in any of the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions relative to the front door lower hinge holding member 713. In this embodiment, the front door 1103 has a larger range of movement in the up-down direction (dynamic clearance in the direction of the rotation axis) than the range of movement in the front-back and left-right directions.

[0047] In addition, although the above embodiment shows an example in which hinge mechanisms are provided at two locations, one at each of the left-right end and the other at each of the up-down end, the present invention is not limited to this. At least one hinge mechanism may be provided on each of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103, depending on the weight of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103, the specifications of the hinges used, and the like.

[0048] In the case where the above-mentioned upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are arranged side by side in the housing 500A, conventionally, the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 may be misaligned relative to each other due to an error in part accuracy. FIG. 16(a) and FIG. 16(b) show a state where the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are misaligned in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 16(a), if the upper front door 1105 is misaligned to the right with respect to the front door 1103 (misalignment amount Z1), a step may occur in which the right end of the upper front door 1105 protrudes to the right beyond the right end of the front door 1103. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 16(b), if the upper front door 1103 is misaligned to the right with respect to the upper front door 1105 (misalignment amount Z2), a step may occur in which the right end of the front door 1103 protrudes to the right beyond the right end of the upper front door 1105.

[0049] This is because the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are provided on the housing 500A so as to be openable and closable by the above-mentioned upper front door hinge portion and front door hinge portion, respectively. The upper front door hinge portion, whose rotation axis direction is the left-right direction, has a large left-right play (backlash) so that it can move more left-right than the front door hinge portion, whose rotation axis direction is the up-down direction, so that the upper front door 1105 is more likely to become misaligned left-right than the front door 1103. If a misalignment occurs between the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103, the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 constitute part of the exterior on the front side of the image forming apparatus 2 and occupy a large proportion of the surface area on the front side, so that the design quality of the exterior is impaired.

[0050] Therefore, in this embodiment, when both the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, misalignment is unlikely to occur between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103. The configuration of this embodiment that achieves this will be described below with reference to Figures 9(a) to 14(b). Figure 9(a) is a front view showing the front upper door 1105, and Figure 9(b) is a rear view showing the front upper door 1105.

[0051] <Positioning section> As shown in Fig. 9(a) and Fig. 9(b), a plate-shaped positioning portion 7000 is provided at the lower end of the front upper door 1105. The positioning portion 7000 is provided below a straight line H connecting a left hinge pin 707 and a right hinge pin 708 that are arranged coaxially in the up-down direction, and inside a front upper door left hinge 703 and a front upper door right hinge 704 that are arranged at both ends in the left-right direction. A left positioning hole 701 (first positioning hole) and a right positioning hole 702 (second positioning hole) are formed as second fitting portions (or first fitting portions) at both ends in the left-right direction of the positioning portion 7000. The thickness of the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702 is, for example, "1.6 mm or more and 3 mm or less".

[0052] The positioning portion 7000 may be formed integrally with or separately from the upper front door 1105, for example, from PC / ABS resin or polyacetal resin, or may be formed separately from the upper front door 1105 from metal. Here, the positioning portion 7000 is shown as having the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702 on the inside of the upper front door left hinge 703 and the upper front door right hinge 704, but is not limited to this. The positioning portion 7000 may be, for example, one in which the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702 are on the outside of the upper front door left hinge 703 and the upper front door right hinge 704, or one in which either the left positioning hole 701 or the right positioning hole 702 is on the inside of the upper front door left hinge 703 and the upper front door right hinge 704, and the other is on the outside of the upper front door left hinge 703 or the upper front door right hinge 704. Furthermore, the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702 are not limited to through holes, but may be holes that do not penetrate through.

[0053] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a state in which the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. As shown in FIG. 10, the front upper door 1105 is provided with the above-mentioned positioning portion 7000. The positioning portion 7000 is provided so as to face a part of the front door 1103 when viewed from the front-rear direction when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. On the other hand, in an opposing area of ​​the front door 1103 facing the positioning portion 7000, a left positioning shaft 717 (first positioning shaft) that fits loosely into the left positioning hole 701 and a right positioning shaft 718 (second positioning shaft) that fits loosely into the right positioning hole 702 when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed are provided. The left positioning shaft 717 and the right positioning shaft 718 as the first fitting portion (or the second fitting portion) protrude from the rear surface of the front door 1103 in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the rear surface, as shown in FIG. The left positioning shaft 717 and the right positioning shaft 718 have, for example, a rod-shaped shaft portion whose cross section is formed in a circular or cross shape, and face rearward when the front door 1103 is closed.

[0054] The left positioning shaft 717 and the right positioning shaft 718 do not necessarily have to be formed integrally with the front door 1103, but may be formed separately from the front door 1103. However, it is preferable to mold the left positioning shaft 717 and the right positioning shaft 718 from the same material as the front door 1103 and provide them integrally, because this allows them to be disposed with high precision at predetermined positions of the front door 1103 corresponding to the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702 of the positioning portion 7000.

[0055] 11(a) and 11(b) are vertical cross-sectional views showing the state of the left positioning shaft 717 with respect to the left positioning hole 701 when the upper front door 1105 is closed on the closed front door 1103. Also, Fig. 12(a) and 12(b) are horizontal cross-sectional views showing the state of the left positioning shaft 717 with respect to the left positioning hole 701 when the front door 1103 is closed on the closed upper front door 1105. Fig. 11(a) and Fig. 12(a) show the state immediately before the left positioning shaft 717 enters the left positioning hole 701, and Fig. 11(b) and Fig. 12(b) show the fitted state in which the left positioning shaft 717 enters the left positioning hole 701.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 11(a) and Fig. 11(b), the upper front door 1105 is provided rotatably with respect to the front door 1103 in the closed state by the above-mentioned upper front door hinge portion (see Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b), only the upper front door left hinge 703 and the left hinge pin 707 are shown here). When the upper front door 1105 is closed with the front door 1103 in the closed state, the positioning portion 7000 rotates together with the upper front door 1105, and the left positioning shaft 717 of the front door 1103 enters and fits into the left positioning hole 701 of the positioning portion 7000. At the same time, although not shown here, the right positioning shaft 718 of the front door 1103 enters and fits into the right positioning hole 702 of the positioning portion 7000 (see Fig. 10). Conversely, when the upper front door 1105 is opened while the front door 1103 and the upper front door 1105 are closed, the positioning part 7000 rotates together with the upper front door 1105, and the left positioning shaft 717 comes out of the left positioning hole 701, and the engagement is released. At the same time, the right positioning shaft 718 comes out of the right positioning hole 702, and the engagement is released.

[0057] The front door 1103 is provided rotatably with respect to the upper front door 1105 in the closed state, as shown in FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b), by the front door hinge portion (see FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b)). When the front door 1103 is closed with the upper front door 1105 closed, the left positioning shaft 717 of the front door 1103 rotates and enters and fits into the left positioning hole 701 of the positioning portion 7000. At the same time, although not shown here, the right positioning shaft 718 of the front door 1103 enters and fits into the right positioning hole 702 of the positioning portion 7000 (see FIG. 10). Conversely, when the front door 1103 is opened with the front door 1103 and the upper front door 1105 closed, the positioning shaft 717 rotates together with the front door 1103, and the left positioning shaft 717 comes out of the left positioning hole 701, and the fitting is released. At the same time, the right positioning shaft 718 comes out of the right positioning hole 702 and the fitting is released.

[0058] In this manner, when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, the shaft portion of the left positioning shaft 717 is inserted into the left positioning hole 701, and the tip of the shaft portion of the left positioning shaft 717 protrudes from the left positioning hole 701 (see FIGS. 11(b) and 12(b)). Although not shown, the shaft portion of the right positioning shaft 718 is inserted into the right positioning hole 702, and the tip of the shaft portion of the right positioning shaft 718 protrudes from the right positioning hole 702. The amount of protrusion of the left positioning shaft 717 from the left positioning hole 701 and the amount of protrusion of the right positioning shaft 718 from the right positioning hole 702 may be, for example, about 1 mm when the thickness of the positioning portion 7000 (more specifically, the thickness of the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning hole 702) is "1.6 mm or more and 3 mm or less."

[0059] In this embodiment, as described above, when one of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 is closed and the other is closed, the left positioning shaft 717 enters the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning shaft 718 enters the right positioning hole 702. Therefore, in order to make it easier for the left positioning shaft 717 to enter the left positioning hole 701 and the right positioning shaft 718 to enter the right positioning hole 702, inclined surfaces as shown in Figures 13(a) to 13(c) are provided.

[0060] Fig. 13(a) shows a case where an inclined surface is formed on both the left positioning shaft 717 and the left positioning hole 701, Fig. 13(b) shows a case where an inclined surface is formed only on the left positioning hole 701, and Fig. 13(c) shows a case where an inclined surface is formed on part of the left positioning shaft 717. Note that the right positioning shaft 718 and the right positioning hole 702 may have the same configuration as the left positioning shaft 717 and the left positioning hole 701 described below, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 13(a), an inclined surface 701a is formed on the inner circumference of the left positioning hole 701 so that the opening area on the side closer to the left positioning shaft 717 is larger than the opening area on the side farther away. The inclined surface 701a as a guide surface guides the tip of the left positioning shaft 717 with the closing operation of closing one of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 while the other is closed. On the other hand, the tip of the left positioning shaft 717 is formed with an inclined surface 717a around the circumference, which inclines from upstream to downstream in the insertion direction into the left positioning hole 701 toward the axial center of the left positioning shaft 717. In this way, the inclined surface 701a is formed on the left positioning hole 701, and the inclined surface 717a is formed on the left positioning shaft 717, making it easier for the left positioning shaft 717 to enter the left positioning hole 701.

[0062] 13(b), the inclined surface 701a may be formed only in the left positioning hole 701, and the inclined surface 717a described above may not be formed on the left positioning shaft 717. Also, as shown in Fig. 13(c), the inclined surface 701a may be formed in the left positioning hole 701, and the inclined surface 717b may be formed on a part of the lower end side of the left positioning shaft 717, rather than around the entire circumference.

[0063] <Positioning shaft and positioning hole> Fig. 14(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the left positioning hole 701 and the left positioning shaft 717 when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. Fig. 14(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the right positioning hole 702 and the right positioning shaft 718 when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. In Fig. 14(a) and Fig. 14(b), the upper part shows the state before the left positioning shaft 717 enters the left positioning hole 701, and the lower part shows the state after the left positioning shaft 717 enters the left positioning hole 701.

[0064] The left positioning shaft 717 has its shaft portion inserted into the left positioning hole 701 so that the movement of at least the above-mentioned front upper door hinge part 700A in the rotation axis direction (here, the left-right direction) is restricted when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. The left positioning shaft 717 and the left positioning hole 701 are formed so that the left-right gap between the shaft portion of the left positioning shaft 717 in the fitted state and the left positioning hole 701 is smaller than the above-mentioned left-right backlash of the front upper door hinge part 700A, as shown in Fig. 14(a). In this way, the left-right movement restriction range of the left positioning shaft 717 by the left positioning hole 701 can be made smaller than the left-right movable range of the front upper door hinge part 700A (dynamic clearance in the rotation axis direction).

[0065] The left positioning hole 701 may be, for example, a circular hole, in which case, when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, the movement of the left positioning shaft 717 in the up-down direction as well as the left-right direction is restricted by the left positioning hole 701. Alternatively, the left positioning hole 701 is not limited to a circular hole, and may have any shape that can restrict at least the left-right movement of the left positioning shaft 717 within the above-mentioned movement restriction range, and may be, for example, a vertically elongated hole that is long in the up-down direction.

[0066] On the other hand, the shaft portion of the right positioning shaft 718 is inserted into the right positioning hole 702 so that the movement in at least the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the front upper door hinge part 700A (here, the vertical direction) is restricted when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed. The right positioning shaft 718 and the right positioning hole 702 are formed so that the vertical gap between the shaft portion of the right positioning shaft 718 in the fitted state and the right positioning hole 702 is smaller than the vertical backlash of the front door hinge part 700B described above, as shown in FIG. 14(b). In this way, the vertical movement restriction range of the right positioning shaft 718 by the right positioning hole 702 can be made smaller than the vertical movement range of the front door hinge part 700B (dynamic clearance in the rotation axis direction). The right positioning hole 702 may be, for example, a round hole, or a horizontally elongated hole formed such that the left-right length is longer than the up-down length. Therefore, when the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, the right positioning shaft 718 is restricted from moving in the up and down direction by the right positioning hole 702 .

[0067] As described above, when one of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 is closed while the other is closed, the left positioning shaft 717 of the front door 1103 enters the left positioning hole 701 of the positioning portion 7000. As a result, the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are positioned in the left-right direction with respect to one in the closed state. Then, the dynamic clearance in the left-right direction between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 in the positioned state is limited within the range of the gap between the left positioning shaft 717 and the left positioning hole 701. This is smaller than the dynamic clearance in the left-right direction by the front upper door hinge portion. Therefore, even if the front upper door 1105 moves in the left-right direction due to the front upper door hinge portion, the front door 1103 follows the movement of the front upper door 1105 within a range smaller than the left-right dynamic clearance caused by the front upper door hinge portion, so misalignment is unlikely to occur between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 in the left-right direction.

[0068] In addition, when one of the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 is closed while the other is closed, the right positioning shaft 718 of the front door 1103 enters the right positioning hole 702 of the positioning portion 7000. As a result, the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 are positioned in the vertical direction with respect to one in the closed state. Then, the dynamic clearance in the vertical direction between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 in the positioned state is limited within the range of the gap between the right positioning shaft 718 and the right positioning hole 702. This is smaller than the dynamic clearance in the vertical direction by the front door hinge portion. Therefore, even if the front door 1103 moves in the vertical direction by the front door hinge portion, the front upper door 1105 follows the movement of the front door 1103 within a range smaller than the dynamic clearance in the vertical direction by the front door hinge portion, so that misalignment between the front upper door 1105 and the front door 1103 in the vertical direction is unlikely to occur.

[0069] As described above, in this embodiment, the positioning portion 7000 in which the positioning holes (701, 702) are formed is provided in the upper front door 1105, and the positioning shafts (717, 718) that enter the positioning holes (701, 702) are provided in the front door 1103. When either the upper front door 1105 or the front door 1103 is closed and the other is closed, the relative positional relationship between the two doors, the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103, is determined by the positioning holes (701, 702) and the positioning shafts (717, 718). When the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103 are closed, the dynamic clearance in the left-right and up-down directions is limited by the positioning holes (701, 702) and the positioning shafts (717, 718). Therefore, even if either the front door 1103 or the upper front door 1105 moves due to the hinge portion, the other follows the movement of the other, making it difficult for misalignment to occur between the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103. This reduces relative positional misalignment in the left-right direction between the two adjacent doors, particularly the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103.

[0070] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the positioning holes (701, 702) are provided in the upper front door 1105, and the positioning shafts (717, 718) are provided in the front door 1103. However, this is not limiting. For example, the positioning holes (701, 702) may be provided in the front door 1103, and the positioning shafts (717, 718) may be provided in the upper front door 1105.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b), the upper front door 1105 rotates in the direction of the arrow F1, and the front door 1103 rotates in the direction of the arrow F2, but this is not limiting. For example, the front door 1103 may rotate in the direction of the arrow F1 like the upper front door 1105. Fig. 15 shows an image forming and transferring device 550 in which the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103A rotate in the same direction (arrow F1).

[0072] 15, the front door 1103A, like the upper front door 1105, rotates in the direction of the arrow F1 around a hinge pin arranged horizontally (left-right) on the housing 500A as a rotation axis. Even in this case, as described above, the relative positional relationship between the two doors, the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103A, is determined by providing the positioning portion 7000 on the upper front door 1105 and the positioning axes (717, 718) on the front door 1103A. Even if either the front door 1103A or the upper front door 1105 moves, the other follows the movement of the other, so that misalignment is unlikely to occur between the upper front door 1105 and the front door 1103A.

[0073] Furthermore, although not shown, the front upper door 1105 may rotate in the direction of the arrow F2 (see FIG. 4(a)), and the front door 1103 may rotate in the direction of the arrow F1 (see FIG. 4(a)). [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 2...image forming apparatus, 500A...apparatus main body (housing), 700A...first hinge portion (upper front door hinge portion), 700B...second hinge portion (front door hinge portion), 701...first fitting portion (positioning hole, first positioning hole, left positioning hole), 701a...guide surface (inclined surface), 702...first fitting portion (positioning hole, second positioning hole, right positioning hole), 703, 704...second holding portion (upper front door left hinge, upper front door right hinge), 705, 706...first holding portion (upper front door right hinge holding member, upper front door left hinge holding member), 707, 708...first rotating shaft (left hinge pin, right hinge pin), 709, 710...fourth holding portion (front door upper hinge, front door lower hinge), 712, 714...second pivot shaft (lower hinge pin, upper hinge pin), 713, 715...third holding portion (front door lower hinge holding member, front door upper hinge holding member), 717...second fitting portion (positioning shaft, first positioning shaft, left positioning shaft), 718...second fitting portion (positioning shaft, second positioning shaft, right positioning shaft), 1103...second door (front door), 1105...first door (front upper door), 5001...first opening, 5002...second opening, 7000...positioning portion, S...recording material (sheet)

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, A device body having a first opening on the same side and a second opening above or below the first opening in the vertical direction; a first door that is provided to be capable of opening and closing the first opening and that rotates relative to the first opening around a first rotation axis that is disposed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction on the second opening side; a first hinge portion having the first rotation shaft and rotatably supporting the first door on the device body; a second door that is provided to be capable of opening and closing the second opening and that rotates relative to the second opening around a second rotation axis that is disposed in the vertical direction; a second hinge portion having the second rotation shaft and rotatably supporting the second door on the device body; a first fitting portion provided on the first door, the first fitting portion being disposed closer to the second opening than the first rotation shaft in the vertical direction and rotating together with the first door; a second fitting portion that is provided on the second door and rotates together with the second door, the second fitting portion fitting with the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is closed, and the second fitting portion is released from the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is opened, a horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in a fitted state is smaller than a horizontal play of the first hinge portion; 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. the first hinge portion includes the first rotation shaft, a first holding portion that is provided on the device body and rotatably holds the first rotation shaft, and a second holding portion that is provided on the first door and rotatably holds the first rotation shaft with a gap between the first holding portion and the first door and in the horizontal direction, a horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in a fitted state is smaller than a horizontal gap between the first holding portion and the second holding portion; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a positioning axis formed to protrude from one of the first door and the second door toward the other in an opposing region where the first door and the second door face each other in a closed state, the other of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a positioning hole formed in the opposing region at a position where the positioning shaft is fitted thereto, the horizontal gap between the positioning shaft and the positioning hole in a fitted state is smaller than the horizontal play of the first hinge portion; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

4. the positioning axis is a first positioning axis, The positioning hole is a first positioning hole, one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion has a second positioning axis formed so as to protrude from one of the first door and the second door toward the other at a position horizontally separated from the first positioning axis in the opposing region when the first door and the second door are closed, the other of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion has a second positioning hole formed at a position separated in the horizontal direction from the first positioning hole so as to fit onto the second positioning shaft in the opposing region when the first door and the second door are closed, a vertical gap between the second positioning shaft and the second positioning hole in a fitted state is smaller than a vertical play of the first hinge portion; 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The positioning hole has a guide surface that guides a tip of the positioning shaft in association with a closing operation of closing one of the first door and the second door while the other door is closed.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

6. The peripheral surface of the tip of the positioning shaft is inclined toward the axis center from the upstream to the downstream in the insertion direction into the positioning hole.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

7. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, A device body having a first opening on the same side and a second opening below the first opening in the vertical direction; a first door that is provided to be capable of opening and closing the first opening and that rotates relative to the first opening around a first rotation axis that is disposed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction; a first hinge portion having the first rotation shaft and rotatably supporting the first door on the device body; a second door that is provided to be capable of opening and closing the second opening and that rotates in the same direction as the first door with respect to the second opening about a second rotation axis that is disposed in the horizontal direction; a second hinge portion having the second rotation shaft and rotatably supporting the second door on the device body; A first fitting portion provided on the first door, the first fitting portion being disposed in an opposing area where the first door and the second door are opposed to each other in a closed state, and rotating together with the first door; a second fitting portion that is provided on the second door and rotates together with the second door, the second fitting portion fitting with the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is closed, and the second fitting portion is released from the first fitting portion when one of the first door and the second door is closed and the other is opened, a horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in a fitted state is smaller than a horizontal play between the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion; 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

8. the first hinge portion includes the first rotation shaft, a first holding portion that is provided on the device body and rotatably holds the first rotation shaft, and a second holding portion that is provided on the first door and rotatably holds the first rotation shaft with a gap between the first holding portion and the first door and in the horizontal direction, a horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in a fitted state is smaller than a horizontal gap between the first holding portion and the second holding portion; 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. the second hinge portion includes the second rotation shaft, a third holding portion that is provided on the device body and rotatably holds the second rotation shaft, and a fourth holding portion that is provided on the second door and rotatably holds the second rotation shaft with a gap between the third holding portion and the fourth holding portion in the horizontal direction, a horizontal gap between the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion in a fitted state is smaller than a horizontal gap between the third holding portion and the fourth holding portion; 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a positioning axis formed to protrude from one of the first door and the second door toward the other in the opposing region, the other of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion is a positioning hole formed in the opposing region at a position where the positioning shaft is fitted thereto, the horizontal gap between the positioning shaft and the positioning hole in a fitted state is smaller than the horizontal play between the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion; 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

11. the positioning axis is a first positioning axis, The positioning hole is a first positioning hole, one of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion has a second positioning axis formed so as to protrude from one of the first door and the second door toward the other at a position horizontally separated from the first positioning axis in the opposing region when the first door and the second door are closed, the other of the first fitting portion and the second fitting portion has a second positioning hole formed at a position separated in the horizontal direction from the first positioning hole so as to fit onto the second positioning shaft in the opposing region when the first door and the second door are closed, a vertical gap between the second positioning shaft and the second positioning hole in a fitted state is smaller than a vertical backlash between the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion; 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

12. The positioning hole has a guide surface that guides a tip of the positioning shaft in association with a closing operation of closing one of the first door and the second door while the other door is closed.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

13. The peripheral surface of the tip of the positioning shaft is inclined toward the axis center from the upstream to the downstream in the insertion direction into the positioning hole.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

Images