Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing an exterior cover from becoming an obstacle when it is stored in a container and transported.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes a conveyance part 2 for conveying an image forming medium, an image forming part 3 for forming an image on the image forming medium conveyed by the conveyance part 2, and an exterior cover 31 for covering at least one of a plurality of conveyance frames 11,12 forming at least a part of the conveyance part 2, wherein the exterior cover 31 is freely attachable / detachable to / from the conveyance frame 11,12 or changeable in attitude.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in an inkjet image forming apparatus, the entire apparatus may become quite large because the object of image formation (image forming medium) may be a large piece of fabric or the like. The technology of Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that enables such a large image forming apparatus to be divided into a plurality of parts so that the entire apparatus can be easily stored in a container when being transported.

[0003] By dividing the image forming apparatus in this way so that it can be housed in a smaller number of containers, the cost of transporting the image forming apparatus can be reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-1263 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not mention what to do about the exterior cover to be attached to the image forming device so that it can be stored in a container and easily transported. An exterior cover is a part that is attached to the outer periphery of the image forming device to prevent the inside of the image forming device from being seen and to prevent contact with the internal driving parts, thereby ensuring operational safety of the image forming device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which the exterior cover does not become an obstacle when the image forming apparatus is housed in a container and transported. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) An image forming device comprising: a transport section for transporting an image forming medium; an image forming section for forming an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport section; and an exterior cover for covering at least one of a plurality of transport frames that form at least a part of the transport section, wherein the exterior cover is detachable from the transport frame or capable of changing its position.

[0007] (2) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the exterior cover can be removably fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit by changing its position.

[0008] (3) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the exterior cover is attached to the transport frame via a hinge and is capable of changing its position via the hinge.

[0009] (4) The image forming apparatus according to (3), wherein the exterior cover can be removably fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit by changing its position via the hinge.

[0010] (5) The image forming apparatus described in (1), wherein the outer cover is normally fixed to the transport frame by a magnet by changing its position, and when stored, is fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit.

[0011] (6) The image forming apparatus according to (2), wherein the width is 2438 mm or less when the orientation of the exterior cover is changed and fixed.

[0012] (7) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the exterior cover is provided with casters that enable the exterior cover to move freely.

[0013] (8) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the exterior cover is provided with an adjuster that allows the height of the exterior cover to be adjusted.

[0014] (9) An image forming device comprising a transport section for transporting an image forming medium, an image forming section for forming an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport section, and an exterior cover for covering one or more of a plurality of mutually separable transport frames that form at least a part of the transport section, wherein the exterior cover can be separated from the transport frame while attached to the transport frame.

[0015] (10) An image forming apparatus comprising: a transport section for transporting an image forming medium; an image forming section for forming an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport section; and an exterior cover that can be attached and detached to one or more of a plurality of transport frames that are separable from each other and form at least a part of the transport section, wherein the exterior cover can be detached from the transport frame and loaded within the transport frame.

[0016] (11) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the image forming unit includes a storage section capable of storing the exterior cover, and the exterior cover can be detached from the transport frame and stored in the storage section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which the exterior cover does not become an obstacle when the image forming apparatus is housed in a container and transported. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the image forming apparatus in a retracted state. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an image forming apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing the attachment of the exterior cover to the front of the conveying frame. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 8] 8 is an enlarged plan view showing another example of a fixing method for the exterior cover whose position has been changed in the example of FIG. 7. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an image forming unit. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views of the same, FIG. 4 is a side view of the same apparatus in a retracted state, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the same apparatus. The image forming apparatus 1 is a relatively large commercial model, and is used to form an image on a relatively large medium such as fabric (image forming medium). In this example, the image forming apparatus 1 forms an image using an inkjet method, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming method may be an electrophotographic method, a dye-sublimation thermal transfer method, a direct thermal recording method, a melting thermal transfer method, or the like.

[0020] The image forming apparatus 1 includes a conveying section 2 that conveys an image forming medium (not shown) in the vertical direction (horizontal direction of the image forming apparatus 1) in Fig. 5. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes an image forming section 3 that forms an image on the image forming medium conveyed by the conveying section 2 using an inkjet method or the like.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, the transport unit 2 includes multiple transport frames 11 and 12 (two in this example) that form at least a portion of the transport unit 2. Rollers 13 and 14 are supported on the transport frames 11 and 12, respectively (at least one of which is a drive roller driven by a drive source, not shown). When actually used as a product, the transport frames 11 and 12 are installed facing each other at a predetermined distance (FIGS. 2 and 5). A transport belt 15 is stretched between the rollers 13 and 14 of the transport frames 11 and 12. In this state, when the rollers 13 and 14 are driven, the transport belt 15 moves in one direction, up or down, as shown in FIG. 15. An image-forming medium is placed on the transport belt 15, and the transport unit 2 drives the transport belt 15 to transport the image-forming medium. At this time, there is essentially no space between the transport frames 11 and 12 except for the transport belt 15 and the image-forming unit 3. In the region where only the conveyor belt 15 exists, the image forming unit 3 is disposed so that its longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor unit 2 and the horizontal direction. The image forming unit 3 includes a carriage 21 whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction of the image forming unit 3, and an inkjet head 22 that is driven in the longitudinal direction by the carriage 21. That is, the image forming medium is placed on the conveyor belt 15 and conveyed in the longitudinal direction. The inkjet head 22, which is driven by the carriage 21 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, ejects ink onto the image forming medium to form an image.

[0022] At least one of the multiple transport frames 11, 12 that form at least a part of the transport unit 2 is provided with an exterior cover 31 that covers it. The exterior cover 31 is attached to the outer periphery of the image forming apparatus 1 (of the transport frames 11, 12) and is a component that prevents the interior of the image forming apparatus 1 from being seen and prevents contact with the drive units therein, thereby ensuring operational safety of the image forming apparatus 1. In this example, the exterior covers 31 are attached to both sides of each of the transport frames 11, 12.

[0023] Loading and transporting an image forming apparatus 1 having such a general configuration into a 20-foot or 40-foot ISO-standard container C (FIG. 5) poses the following problem. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1, installed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, is too large to be carried in through the opening C1 of the container C. In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 would protrude beyond the width of the opening C1 by the distance indicated by arrow a in FIG. 5, causing it to get stuck. Therefore, the transport frames 11 and 12 are moved closer to each other (FIGS. 3 and 4) to narrow the longitudinal gap between them, so that the transport frames 11 and 12 are contained within the width of the image forming unit 3. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the transport belt 15 is released from its tensioned state, and the remaining transport belt 15 is preferably folded and stored.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 5, when moving the transport frames 11 and 12 closer to each other to achieve the state shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the exterior covers 31 can get in the way. Therefore, the exterior covers 31 are configured to be detachable from the transport frames 11 and 12, or to allow their positions to be changed. This will be explained in detail below. Although not shown, an exterior cover 31 is fixed to the side of the transport frame 11 by, for example, bolts 42 (FIG. 6). The exterior cover 31 can be removed from the transport frames 11, 12 by loosening the bolts 42.

[0025] 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the attachment of the exterior cover to the front of the transport frame. A plurality of brackets 45 are provided on the front of the transport frame 11, and the exterior cover 31 removed as described above is fastened to the brackets 45 with bolts 42. In this way, the exterior cover 31 is detachable from the transport frames 11 and 12. When storing the image forming apparatus 1 in the container C, the attachment position of the exterior cover 31 is changed. This prevents the exterior cover 31 from interfering with storage in the container C.

[0026] The exterior cover 31 may be fixed to the image forming unit 3 (FIG. 12). The fixing means for the exterior cover 31 is not limited to bolt fastening, and various means can be used as long as they can be fixed with sufficient strength.

[0027] Fig. 7 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus. Fig. 7 shows another example of changing the position of the exterior cover 31. That is, in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 7, the exterior cover 31 is attached to the transport frame 11 (12) via a hinge 51. This allows the exterior cover 31 to be rotated around the hinge 51 and stored on the transport frame 11 (12) side. That is, the position of the exterior cover 31 can be changed via the hinge 51.

[0028] In this case, after changing the position of the exterior cover 31, the exterior cover 31 can be fixed to the transport frame 11 (12) and the image forming unit 3 by the same means as described above with reference to Figure 6. This fixing is detachable.

[0029] Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view showing another example of a method for fixing the exterior cover after changing the position in the example of Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 8, for example, the exterior cover 31 is normally fixed to the transport frames 11 and 12 by a magnet 61 attached to the exterior cover 31. Furthermore, when storing the exterior cover 31, the magnet 61 fixes the exterior cover 31 to the transport frames 11 and 12 or the image forming unit 3. In Fig. 8, the exterior cover 31 may be fixed to the image forming unit 3. Note that the magnet 61 may be not only a natural magnet but also an electromagnet or the like.

[0030] 9 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus 1. As described above, it is preferable that the width of the image forming apparatus 1 in the vertical direction in FIG. 11 be 2438 mm or less when the orientation of the exterior cover 31 is changed and fixed as described above.

[0031] 10 is a front view of the exterior cover. As shown in the figure, casters 71 that enable the exterior cover 31 to move freely are preferably provided at the bottom of the exterior cover 31. These casters 71 are preferably configured to be able to rotate 360° clockwise and counterclockwise in a plan view.

[0032] 11 is a front view of the exterior cover. As shown in the figure, it is preferable to provide one or more adjusters 81 on the bottom of the exterior cover 31. It is preferable that these adjusters 81 have male threads formed on the outer periphery of their legs 82, and are attached to the bottom of the exterior cover 31 so that the height can be freely adjusted by screw action.

[0033] Fig. 12 is a see-through perspective view of the image forming unit. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the image forming unit. As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, a storage section 91 capable of storing the exterior cover 31 is formed within the image forming unit 3. One or more exterior covers 31 detached from the transport frames 11, 12 as described above may be stored in the space formed by the storage section 91.

[0034] According to the image forming apparatus 1 described above, each exterior cover 31 is detachable or capable of changing its position relative to the transport frames 11 and 12. Therefore, each exterior cover 31 does not become an obstacle when the image forming apparatus 1 is stored in the container C and transported.

[0035] In this case, the exterior cover 31 can be removed or its position can be changed, and then fixed as described above to the transport frames 11, 12 and the image forming unit 3. This makes it difficult for the exterior cover 31 to come off inside the container C. Furthermore, as described above, when the position of the exterior cover 31 is changed via the hinge 51, the position of the exterior cover 31 can be easily changed. Furthermore, the exterior cover 31 whose position has been changed is fixed to the transport frames 11, 12, etc. using the hinge 51. At this time, the exterior cover 31 can be made less likely to come off inside the container C.

[0036] Furthermore, when the magnet 61 is used as described above, the exterior cover 31 can be easily fixed by the magnet 61, and the fixing can also be released relatively easily. Furthermore, it is preferable that the width of image forming apparatus 1 after compacting and removing exterior cover 31 as described above be 2,438 mm or less. That is, the width of the opening C1 of a 20-foot or 40-foot ISO standard container C is 2,440 mm. Therefore, if the width of image forming apparatus 1 is 2,438 mm or less, image forming apparatus 1 can be stored in container C as is.

[0037] As described above, the use of casters 71 makes it easy to change the position of exterior cover 31. This therefore simplifies the above-described task of making image forming apparatus 1 compact. As described above, by using the adjuster 81, it is possible to easily level the exterior cover 31 when installing the image forming apparatus 1. The exterior cover 31 is generally heavy and prone to tilting, which can lead to poor appearance. However, by using the adjuster 81, it is possible to improve the appearance of the exterior cover 31 when installing the image forming apparatus 1.

[0038] Furthermore, if a storage section 91 capable of storing the exterior cover 31 is formed inside the image forming unit 3, the exterior cover 31 can be stored without taking up much space. Therefore, it becomes easier to further store the image forming apparatus 1 in the container C.

[0039] [Second embodiment] In each of the following embodiments, the same components as those in the previous embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] 14 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. In the image forming apparatus 1 described above, only the image forming unit 3 and the conveyor belt 15 are present between the conveyor frame 11 and the conveyor frame 12 when the image forming apparatus 1 is installed. However, the image forming apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment has a conveyor frame 101 between the conveyor frame 11 and the conveyor frame 12. Although details of the conveyor frame 101 are omitted, the conveyor frame 101 is equipped with a driven roller that supports the conveyor belt 15 and the like. The conveyor frames 11, 12, and 101 can be separated from each other with the exterior cover 31 attached.

[0041] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1a can be divided into three parts even though the transport unit 2 has the transport frame 101 in its central part. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1a can be easily housed in the container C by dividing it into three parts.

[0042] [Third embodiment] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment. In the image forming apparatus 1b according to the second embodiment, the transport frames 11, 12, and 101 are configured to be separable from one another with the exterior cover 31 attached. In the third embodiment, the exterior cover 31 can be attached and detached by the same means as in the first embodiment. The removed exterior cover 31 can be loaded inside the transport frames 11, 12, and 101. In FIG. 15, the exterior cover 31 is loaded on the transport frame 11, but it may also be loaded on the transport frames 12 and 101.

[0043] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1b can be loaded onto the transport frames 11, 12, and 101 with the exterior cover 31 removed. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1b can be made more compact than the image forming apparatus 1a, and can be easily housed in the container C. It should be noted that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and various other modifications can be implemented as the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1,1a,1b Image forming device 2. Conveyor section 3 Image forming unit 11,12,101 Transport frame 31 Exterior cover 51 Hinge 61 Magnet 71 Caster 81 Adjuster

Claims

1. a conveying unit that conveys an image forming medium; an image forming unit that forms an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport unit; an exterior cover that covers at least one of the plurality of transport frames that form at least a part of the transport unit, The exterior cover is detachable from the transport frame, or the position of the exterior cover is changeable.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is removably fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit by changing its position.

3. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is attached to the transport frame via a hinge, and the position of the exterior cover can be changed via the hinge.

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exterior cover is removably fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit by changing its position via the hinge.

5. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is normally fixed to the transport frame by a magnet by changing its position, and is fixed to the transport frame or the image forming unit when stored.

6. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the width of the exterior cover is 2438 mm or less when the exterior cover is in a position that has been changed and fixed.

7. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is provided with casters that enable the exterior cover to move freely.

8. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is provided with an adjuster that allows the height of the exterior cover to be adjusted.

9. a conveying unit that conveys an image forming medium; an image forming unit that forms an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport unit; an exterior cover that covers one or more of a plurality of separable transport frames that form at least a part of the transport unit, The image forming apparatus, wherein the exterior cover can be separated from the transport frame while being attached to the transport frame.

10. a conveying unit that conveys an image forming medium; an image forming unit that forms an image on the image forming medium transported by the transport unit; an exterior cover that is detachable from one or more of a plurality of mutually separable transport frames that form at least a part of the transport unit; The exterior cover is detachable from the transport frame and can be loaded inside the transport frame.

11. the image forming unit includes a storage unit capable of storing the exterior cover, The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exterior cover is detachable from the transport frame and can be stored in the storage section.

Images