Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing deflection of a paper guide.SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus includes a sheet conveyance path through which a sheet is conveyed, and a conveyance guide constituting the sheet conveyance path. The carrying guide has a fixed guide side 23a fixed to the device body, and a movable guide 40 turnably supported below the fixed guide side 23a with one end in the carrying direction of the paper as a fulcrum. The movable guide 40 includes a fulcrum boss provided at one end portion, a movable end boss provided at the other end portion opposite to the one end portion, and an intermediate boss provided between the fulcrum boss and the movable end boss. The apparatus body includes a fulcrum locking portion that locks the fulcrum boss, a movable end locking portion that locks the movable end boss, and an intermediate locking portion that locks the intermediate boss.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a transport guide that forms a paper transport path. [Background technology]

[0002] In image forming devices, a paper guide is provided along the paper transport path along which the paper is transported. When a paper guide is provided, a configuration in which the paper guide opens and closes is adopted to deal with paper jams and the like. In such a configuration in which an openable paper guide is provided, the distance between the transported paper and the paper guide changes, which can cause paper slippage and other transport problems. Therefore, a method of adjusting the pressure between the paper guides has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-95187 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A conventional image forming apparatus includes a paper feed cassette detachably supported on the apparatus body, and a transport unit above the paper feed cassette in which a transport path for transporting paper in a predetermined direction is formed. The transport unit includes a fixed guide fixed to the apparatus body, a movable guide rotatably supported below the fixed guide around one end in the transport direction, and transport rollers provided on each of the fixed and movable guides for transporting paper. The fixed guide has an engaged portion provided at one end in the paper width direction, the paper feed cassette has pressing portions provided at both ends in the paper width direction, the movable guide has an engaging portion engageable with the engaged portion and a pressed portion abutting the pressing portion, and the pressing portion has an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the pressing force on the pressed portion.

[0005] In conventional image forming devices, the movable guide is supported at both ends in the conveying direction, but the pressure from the driven roller causes the guide to bend, causing the rollers to separate in the center, resulting in insufficient conveying force.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an image forming apparatus that can suppress bending of a paper guide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure is an image forming apparatus including a paper transport path along which paper is transported, and a transport guide that constitutes the paper transport path and guides the paper, the transport guide having a fixed guide fixed to the apparatus body and a movable guide that is supported below the fixed guide so as to be rotatable with one end in the paper transport direction as a fulcrum, the movable guide having a fulcrum boss provided at the one end, a movable end boss provided at the other end opposite to the one end, and an intermediate boss provided between the fulcrum boss and the movable end boss. The device main body has a fulcrum locking portion that locks the fulcrum boss, a movable end locking portion that locks the movable end boss, and an intermediate locking portion that locks the intermediate boss, the fulcrum locking portion has a fulcrum horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction, the movable end locking portion has a movable end horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction and a movable end guide portion extending downward from an end of the movable end horizontal portion, and the intermediate locking portion has an intermediate horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction and an intermediate guide portion extending downward from an end of the intermediate horizontal portion.

[0008] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the fixed guide may have a transport roller for transporting paper, and the movable guide may have a driven roller arranged opposite the transport roller, and the driven roller may be configured to be pressed against the transport roller to form a nip when the movable end boss is positioned on the movable end horizontal portion and the intermediate boss is positioned on the intermediate horizontal portion.

[0009] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the movable guide may have boss holding portions corresponding to the fulcrum boss, the movable end boss, and the intermediate boss, respectively, and the boss holding portions may be configured to have a frame body that protrudes beyond the surrounding area.

[0010] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the driven rollers may be provided at positions facing the boss holding portions in the width direction of the paper.

[0011] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the fulcrum engaging portion may have a fulcrum holding surface that continues from the end of the fulcrum horizontal portion along the conveying direction, and the fulcrum holding surface may be configured to have a surface that is lower than the fulcrum horizontal portion.

[0012] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure may be configured to include a locking member that moves between a locked position in which the movable guide is held close to the fixed guide and an unlocked position in which the movable guide is rotated away from the fixed guide.

[0013] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, when the locking member moves from the locked position to the released position, the locking member may move the movable guide along the transport direction, so that the movable end boss moves downward while being guided by the movable end guide portion, and the intermediate boss moves downward while being guided by the intermediate guide portion.

[0014] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the locking member may have a first inclined portion inclined with respect to its movement direction, and when moving from the release position to the locking position, the first inclined portion may abut against the movable end boss and push it upward.

[0015] In the image forming device according to the present disclosure, the locking member may have a second inclined portion provided below the first inclined portion and inclined with respect to the direction of movement of the locking member, and the movable end boss may be configured to abut against the second inclined portion when moving upward along the movable end guide portion, thereby moving the locking member in a direction from the locked position toward the released position.

[0016] In the image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure, the movable end engaging portion may have a connecting inclined portion that connects the movable end horizontal portion and the movable end guide portion, and the boundary between the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion may be configured to be located above the boundary between the movable end guide portion and the connecting inclined portion.

[0017] The image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure may be configured to include a biasing member that biases the locking member in a direction in which the locking member moves from the release position to the locking position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present disclosure, the central portion of the movable guide is supported via the intermediate boss, so that deflection due to deformation when pressure is applied can be avoided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure around a manual feed path. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure around the manual feed path when the movable guide is open. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first support member as seen from the outside. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a first support member as seen from the inside. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of a movable end locking portion. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a second support member as seen from the inside. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a first support member in a state where the movable guide is closed. FIG. [Figure 11]11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a movable end locking portion in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a first support member when the movable guide is open. [Figure 13] 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a movable end locking portion in FIG. 12. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a first support member in a state in which the movable guide is in the middle of opening or closing. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a movable end locking portion in FIG. 14. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] The image forming device 100 is a multifunction device having a copy function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, and a printer function, and transmits an image of a document read by the image reading device 130 to an external device, and forms an image of a document read by the image reading device 130 or an image received from an external device in color or monochrome on a recording medium such as paper.

[0023] An original transport device 110 that is supported so as to be able to open and close freely is provided above the image reading device 130. The original transport device 110 transports one or more originals one by one in sequence. The image reading device 130 scans a scanning optical system to read an original placed on an original placement table 131, or reads an original transported by the original transport device 110 to generate image data.

[0024] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a fixing device, a photosensitive drum 2, a charger 3, a developing device 4, a drum cleaning device 5, an intermediate transfer belt device 7, a secondary transfer roller 11, an optical scanning device 12, a paper feed section 18, and the like.

[0025] Image forming apparatus 100 handles image data corresponding to color images using black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), or monochrome images using a single color (e.g., black). Image forming apparatus 100 is provided with four photosensitive drums 2, four chargers 3, four developing devices 4, and four drum cleaning devices 5 for forming four types of toner images, and four image stations Pa, Pb, Pc, and Pd are configured corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively.

[0026] The charger 3 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to a predetermined potential. The optical scanning device 12 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to light to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing device 4 develops the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 to form a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. The drum cleaning device 5 removes and collects residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2. Through the series of operations described above, a toner image of each color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 2.

[0027] The intermediate transfer belt device 7 includes an intermediate transfer roller 6, an endless intermediate transfer belt 71, an intermediate transfer drive roller 72, an intermediate transfer driven roller 73, and a cleaning device 9. Four intermediate transfer rollers 6 are provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 71 so as to form four types of toner images corresponding to each color. The intermediate transfer rollers 6 transfer the toner images of each color formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 onto the intermediate transfer belt 71, which moves around in a circular motion.

[0028] The intermediate transfer belt 71 is stretched over an intermediate transfer drive roller 72 and an intermediate transfer driven roller 73. In the image forming apparatus 100, the toner images of each color formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum 2 are sequentially transferred and superimposed to form a color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71. The cleaning device 9 removes and collects waste toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 without being transferred to paper.

[0029] The secondary transfer roller 11 sandwiches and transports the paper transported through the paper transport path 21 in the transfer nip between the secondary transfer roller 11 and the intermediate transfer belt 71. When the paper passes through the transfer nip, the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 71 is transferred onto the paper, and the paper is transported to the fixing device.

[0030] The fixing device includes a fixing roller 31 that rotates around an axis and a pressure roller 32. The fixing device sandwiches a sheet of paper with a transferred toner image in the nip between the fixing roller 31 and the pressure roller 32, and applies heat and pressure to fix the toner image to the sheet of paper.

[0031] The paper feed unit 18 includes a paper feed cassette that holds recording media (paper) used for image formation, and is provided below the optical scanning device 12. The paper is pulled out of the paper feed unit 18 by a pickup roller 16 and transported to a paper transport path 21. The paper transported to the paper transport path 21 passes through a secondary transfer roller 11 and a fixing device, and is then discharged to a paper output tray 19 by a discharge roller 17.

[0032] Registration rollers 14 and discharge rollers 17 are arranged on paper transport path 21. Registration rollers 14 transport paper at a speed equal to the process speed at which an image is formed on the paper. Registration rollers 14 are provided between paper feeder 18 and secondary transfer roller 11, and adjust the timing of paper transport so that the toner image is transferred to the paper by secondary transfer roller 11. For example, registration rollers 14 wait (temporarily stop) while nipping the transported paper, and then start transporting the paper at a constant speed in synchronization with secondary transfer roller 11.

[0033] When an image is to be formed on the back side of the paper in addition to the front side, the conveying direction of the paper is changed by discharge rollers 17, and the paper is conveyed to reversing conveying path 22. In reversing conveying path 22, the paper is guided up to registration rollers 14 in a reversed state by reversing conveying rollers 15. Image forming apparatus 100 forms an image on the back side of the paper guided to registration rollers 14 in the same manner as on the front side, and discharges the paper to discharge tray 19.

[0034] A manual feed tray 150 is attached to the front surface (apparatus front surface 101) of the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be able to open and close freely, and an opening / closing door 160 is attached to the rear surface (apparatus rear surface 102) of the image forming apparatus 100 so as to be able to open and close freely. Paper loaded on the open manual feed tray 150 is supplied to a manual feed path 23 (corresponding to the paper feed path in claim 1) near the apparatus front surface 101. The manual feed path 23 merges with a paper feed path 21 near the apparatus rear surface 102 just before the registration rollers 14, and the paper is conveyed to the registration rollers 14 by manual feed rollers 13 arranged on the manual feed path 23. When the opening / closing door 160 is opened, the reversing feed path 22 is exposed, allowing jammed paper and the like to be collected.

[0035] Paper feed unit 18 is provided below manual feed path 23 and is configured so that it can be pulled out to the outside through front face 101 of the device; when paper feed unit 18 is pulled out, a space is created below manual feed path 23. As shown in FIG. 2, which will be described later, manual feed path 23 is configured so that fixed guide 23a located above and movable guide 40 located below face each other with a narrow gap between them, and paper is transported so as to pass through this gap.

[0036] In this embodiment, the movable guide 40 rotates to move toward and away from the fixed guide 23a, and the movable guide 40 rotates to move in and out of the space that previously housed the paper feed unit 18. Next, the structure around the manual feed path 23 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure around the manual feed path.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a portion of the housing (an example of the apparatus main body) of the image forming apparatus 100, illustrating components surrounding the manual feed path 23. As described above, the image forming apparatus 100 has a fixed guide 23a and a movable guide 40 as conveyance guides that constitute the manual feed path 23, and the fixed guide 23a is fixed to a support member 50 (an example of the apparatus main body). Specifically, both ends of the fixed guide 23a in the width direction W of the paper are fixed to support members 50 (first support member 50a and second support member 50b). Also, both ends of the movable guide 40 in the width direction W are supported by the support member 50. The first support member 50a and the second support member 50b are bilaterally symmetrical and have substantially the same shape, except that a locking member 60 is attached only to the first support member 50a. The locking member 60 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

[0039] The manual feed conveying rollers 13 are a pair of rollers made up of a conveying roller 13a and a driven roller 13b (see FIG. 3), which are pressed together to form a nip to sandwich and convey the paper. The conveying roller 13a is attached to a fixed guide 23a, and the driven roller 13b is attached to a movable guide 40. In this embodiment, three pairs of manual feed conveying rollers 13 are provided, and the conveying rollers 13a and the driven rollers 13b are arranged at three locations spaced apart in the paper conveying direction H.

[0040] The movable guide 40 is supported by a support member 50 so as to be positioned below the fixed guide 23a, and rotates around one end in the paper transport direction H as a fulcrum. The movable guide 40 moves toward and away from the fixed guide 23a as it rotates. For the sake of explanation, the state in which the movable guide 40 is close to the fixed guide 23a will be referred to as the closed state, and the state in which the movable guide 40 is spaced apart from the fixed guide 23a will be referred to as the open state. Next, the state in which the movable guide 40 is open will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0041] 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure around the manual feed path with the movable guide open, with the fixed guide 23a removed for ease of viewing.

[0042] As described above, the movable guide 40 has one end (upper right in FIG. 3) in the conveying direction H as a fulcrum, and the other end (lower left in FIG. 3) rotates downward. In this embodiment, the end of the movable guide 40 on the fulcrum side is located on the rear surface 102 side of the device, and the rotating end is located on the front surface 101 side of the device. For ease of explanation, in the following, with regard to the positions in the conveying direction H, the front surface 101 side of the device may be simply referred to as the front side, and the rear surface 102 side of the device may be simply referred to as the rear side.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the movable guide.

[0044] The movable guide 40 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, and boss holders having bosses protruding outward are provided on both sides along the conveying direction H. Specifically, the movable guide 40 has three pairs of bosses and boss holders, and in the conveying direction H, the movable guide 40 has a fulcrum boss 41a and fulcrum holder 41 provided at one end (the upper end in FIG. 4), an intermediate boss 42a and intermediate holder 42 provided in the center, and a movable end boss 43a and movable end holder 43 provided at the other end (the lower end in FIG. 4). For ease of explanation, hereinafter, the fulcrum boss 41a, the intermediate boss 42a, and the movable end boss 43a may be collectively referred to simply as bosses, and the fulcrum holder 41, the intermediate holder 42, and the movable end holder 43 may be collectively referred to simply as boss holders.

[0045] The boss holding portion is a box-shaped frame that protrudes in the width direction W beyond its surroundings, and has a highly rigid structure in which orthogonal (intersecting) surfaces are connected. The boss is a columnar protrusion that protrudes outward from the boss holding portion and is locked into a corresponding locking portion provided on the support member 50.

[0046] As described above, the driven rollers 13b are attached to the movable guide 40 at three locations, facing the respective boss holders in the width direction W. That is, the driven rollers 13b are provided at the rear end facing the fulcrum holder 41, at the center in the conveying direction H facing the intermediate holder 42, and at the front end facing the movable end holder 43. The conveying roller 13a is provided at a location facing the driven roller 13b when the movable guide 40 is closed. In this embodiment, a load is applied to the movable guide 40 via the driven roller 13b, so reinforcing the portion receiving the load can effectively suppress deflection of the movable guide 40. Furthermore, a frame is provided at the portion connected to the boss, which receives a heavy load, thereby increasing rigidity and suppressing deflection of the movable guide 40.

[0047] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the first support member as seen from the outside, Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the first support member as seen from the inside, and Figure 7 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of the movable end locking portion.

[0048] The first support member 50a is part of the housing of the image forming apparatus 100, extends long in the conveying direction H, and is shaped like a thick, generally flat plate. The first support member 50a is provided with locking portions into which the bosses of the movable guide 40 are inserted by forming grooves, recesses, etc. The first support member 50a has locking portions at three locations corresponding to the bosses: a fulcrum locking portion 51 provided at the rear end for locking the fulcrum boss 41a, an intermediate locking portion 52 provided in the center in the conveying direction H for locking the intermediate boss 42a, and a movable end locking portion 53 provided at the front end for locking the movable end boss 43a.

[0049] The fulcrum locking portion 51 has a horizontal fulcrum portion 51a extending along the conveying direction H, and a fulcrum holding surface 51b extending further from the front end of the horizontal fulcrum portion 51a, and the fulcrum holding surface 51b is provided with a surface that is lower than the horizontal fulcrum portion 51a. The connecting portion between the horizontal fulcrum portion 51a and the fulcrum holding surface 51b is an inclined surface whose height gradually changes.

[0050] The intermediate locking portion 52 has an intermediate horizontal portion 52a extending along the conveying direction H, and an intermediate guide portion 52b extending downward from the front end of the intermediate horizontal portion 52a.

[0051] The movable end locking portion 53 has a movable end horizontal portion 53a extending along the conveying direction H, and a movable end guide portion 53b extending downward from the front end of the movable end horizontal portion 53a. As shown in Figure 7, a connecting inclined portion 53c that connects the movable end horizontal portion 53a and the movable end guide portion 53b is provided at the joint between them. The connecting inclined portion 53c is provided at the corner between the movable end horizontal portion 53a and the movable end guide portion 53b, and is inclined to smooth the corner and become higher toward the rear side.

[0052] A locking member 60 is attached to the front end of the first support member 50a. The locking member 60 is composed of a lever 61, a sliding portion 62, and a biasing member 63, and moves between a locked position where the movable guide 40 is held close to the fixed guide 23a and a released position where the movable guide 40 is rotated and separated from the fixed guide 23a. The lever 61 is a member that is operated by a user to open the movable guide 40. The sliding portion 62 has one end connected to the lever 61 and the other end connected to the biasing member 63. The sliding portion 62 is attached at a position that overlaps with the movable end locking portion 53 in the conveying direction H. The sliding portion 62 will be described later with reference to FIG. 8. The biasing member 63 is, for example, a spring, and biases the sliding portion 62 toward the rear side (biasing direction F1). When the movable guide 40 is opened, the lever 61 and the slide portion 62 are pulled in a direction opposite to the biasing direction F1 (operation direction F2) so as to resist the biasing force of the biasing member 63.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a side view showing the slide portion.

[0054] The slide portion 62 has a lever connecting portion 62a, which connects to the lever 61, at its front end, and a biasing connecting portion 62b, which connects to the biasing member 63, at its rear end. A recess (boss accommodating portion 62e), which is cut out upward, is provided on the underside of the central portion of the slide portion 62. As shown in FIG. 11 , which will be described later, the movable-end boss 43a fits into the boss accommodating portion 62e. The rear side of the boss accommodating portion 62e is a release pressing portion 62c that presses the inserted movable-end boss 43a in the operation direction F2, and the front side of the boss accommodating portion 62e is a first inclined portion 62d that presses the inserted movable-end boss 43a in the biasing direction F1. The release pressing portion 62c may be inclined to prevent the movable-end boss 43a from getting caught when it abuts against it. In this embodiment, the release pressing portion 62c is inclined so that it gradually rises toward the front side. The first inclined portion 62d is inclined so as to gradually increase in height toward the front side.

[0055] The lower surface of the slide portion 62, which is closer to the front side than the boss accommodating portion 62e, extends obliquely downward, and a second inclined portion 62f is provided below the first inclined portion 62d, inclining so as to gradually decrease toward the front side. The lower end of the first inclined portion 62d protrudes further toward the rear than the upper end, and the upper end of the second inclined portion 62f protrudes further toward the rear than the lower end, so that the boundary (boundary protrusion 62g) between the first inclined portion 62d and the second inclined portion 62f protrudes further toward the rear than the surrounding area. The positional relationship between the movable end boss 43a and the slide portion 62 when the movable guide 40 is moved will be described later with reference to Figures 10 to 15.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the second support member as seen from the inside.

[0057] The second support member 50b has substantially the same shape as the first support member 50a, and is provided with a fulcrum locking portion 51, an intermediate locking portion 52, and a movable end locking portion 53 at corresponding positions. In the present embodiment, the locking member 60 is attached only to the first support member 50a, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the locking member 60 may also be attached to the second support member 50b.

[0058] In this embodiment, the movable guide 40 is configured to open and close relative to the fixed guide 23a, and the operation of each part when the movable guide 40 is opened and closed will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 15. Note that, in consideration of ease of viewing the drawings, Figures 10 to 15 show a schematic cross section of a portion along the first support member 50a, with some parts extracted.

[0059] 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the first support member when the movable guide is closed, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the movable end locking portion in FIG.

[0060] When the movable guide 40 is closed, the fulcrum boss 41a is supported on the fulcrum horizontal portion 51a, the intermediate boss 42a is supported on the intermediate horizontal portion 52a, and the movable end boss 43a is supported on the movable end horizontal portion 53a. In this state, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable guide 40 is supported in an upwardly raised position, and the conveying roller 13a and the driven roller 13b are in pressure contact. In this way, because the center of the movable guide 40 is supported via the intermediate boss 42a, bending due to deformation when pressure is applied is avoided. Furthermore, by engaging the movable guide 40 so that it is aligned with the fixed guide 23a and forming a nip between the conveying roller 13a and the driven roller 13b, paper can be conveyed stably.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11, the movable-end boss 43a is inserted into the boss accommodating portion 62e. The sliding portion 62 is biased rearward (biasing direction F1) by the biasing member 63, pressing the movable-end boss 43a rearward via the first inclined portion 62d. FIGS. 10 and 11 show the state in which the locking member 60 is in the locked position, in which the locking member 60 holds the movable-end boss 43a so that the movable-end boss 43a does not move downward through the movable-end guide portion 53b. By biasing the locking member 60 in this way, the movable guide 40 can be maintained in proximity to the fixed guide 23a without the user applying force.

[0062] 10 and 11, when the user operates the lever 61 to move the slide portion 62 toward the front (operation direction F2), the slide portion 62 presses the movable-end boss 43a toward the front via the release pressing portion 62c. Then, when the locking member 60 moves to the release position and the movable-end boss 43a moves from above the movable-end horizontal portion 53a into the movable-end guide portion 53b, it falls out of the boss accommodating portion 62e and moves downward along the movable-end guide portion 53b. At this time, the locking member 60 moves the entire movable guide 40 toward the front via the slide portion 62, and the fulcrum boss 41a and intermediate boss 42a also move toward the front.

[0063] 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the first support member when the movable guide is open, and FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the movable end locking portion in FIG. 12 in an enlarged manner.

[0064] When the movable guide 40 is in the open state, the fulcrum boss 41a is held on the fulcrum holding surface 51b, the intermediate boss 42a moves downward below the intermediate horizontal portion 52a via the intermediate guide portion 52b, and the movable end boss 43a moves downward below the movable end horizontal portion 53a via the movable end guide portion 53b. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3, the front side of the movable guide 40 rotates downward with the fulcrum boss 41a as the fulcrum, and the driven roller 13b is separated from the conveying roller 13a. In this way, by supporting the movable guide 40 on the fulcrum holding surface 51b and slightly separating it from the fixed guide 23a, the rotated movable guide 40 is prevented from contacting the fixed guide 23a.

[0065] 13, when the movable end boss 43a falls out of the boss housing portion 62e, there is nothing to support it below, and so it moves to the lower end of the movable end guide portion 53b. When the user stops operating the lever 61, the sliding portion 62 is biased by the biasing member 63 and moves toward the rear side.

[0066] To close the open movable guide 40, the front side of the movable guide 40 is pushed up to rotate it upward. In a side view, the second inclined portion 62f overlaps with the movable end guide portion 53b and is located above the movable end boss 43a. In other words, when the movable guide 40 is pushed up, the second inclined portion 62f blocks the path along which the movable end boss 43a moves.

[0067] 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the first support member in a state where the movable guide is in the middle of opening or closing, and FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the movable end locking portion in FIG.

[0068] Figure 14 shows the movable guide 40 in the middle of opening or closing, with the fulcrum boss 41a located at the boundary between the fulcrum horizontal portion 51a and the fulcrum holding surface 51b, the intermediate boss 42a located at the boundary between the intermediate horizontal portion 52a and the intermediate guide portion 52b, and the movable end boss 43a located at the boundary between the movable end horizontal portion 53a and the movable end guide portion 53b.

[0069] As described above, when the opened movable guide 40 is closed, the movable end boss 43a moves upward and abuts against the second inclined portion 62f, and when the movable end boss 43a is further pushed upward, the slide portion 62 is pressed toward the front side via the second inclined portion 62f. In this way, even if the locking member 60 is provided at a position where it interferes with the movable end boss 43a, the locking member 60 can be moved smoothly via the second inclined portion 62f.

[0070] When the slide portion 62 moves to the front side and the boss accommodating portion 62e is positioned above the movable-end boss 43a, the movable-end boss 43a enters the boss accommodating portion 62e. At this time, as shown in Fig. 15, the movable-end boss 43a climbs over the boundary protrusion 62g, and its front side abuts against the first inclined portion 62d and its rear side abuts against the connecting inclined portion 53c.

[0071] When the movable-end boss 43a is moved upward while abutting against the second inclined portion 62f, it presses the slide portion 62 toward the front side against the biasing force of the biasing member 63. Then, when the movable-end boss 43a overcomes the boundary protrusion 62g and abuts against the first inclined portion 62d, the slide portion 62 is biased by the biasing member 63 and moves toward the rear side. At this time, the first inclined portion 62d presses the movable-end boss 43a, and the inclination acts to pull up the movable-end boss 43a. In this embodiment, the boundary (boundary protrusion 62g) between the first inclined portion 62d and the second inclined portion 62f is located above the boundary between the movable-end guide portion 53b and the connecting inclined portion 53c. In other words, the boundary protrusion 62g is located in the range in the height direction where the connecting inclined portion 53c is provided. When the movable-end boss 43a abuts against the boundary protrusion 62g, the movable-end boss 43a also abuts against the connecting inclined portion 53c. At this time, the sliding portion 62 is displaced most toward the front by the movable-end boss 43a against the biasing force of the biasing member 63, pressing the movable-end boss 43a against the connecting inclined portion 53c with the greatest biasing force. In other words, the greatest biasing force acts to push the movable-end boss 43a upward. Thus, by providing the first inclined portion 62d that abuts against the movable-end boss 43a when the locking member 60 moves, the movable guide 40 can be smoothly guided to a state close to the fixed guide 23a. Furthermore, when the movable-end boss 43a moves upward and passes the boundary protrusion 62g, the movable-end boss 43a is located above the boundary between the movable-end guide portion 53b and the connecting inclined portion 53c, allowing it to be smoothly retracted into the movable-end horizontal portion 53a.

[0072] As described above, the movable guide 40 can be easily rotated by operating the locking member 60, improving workability. In addition, since the boss is guided by the locking portion to rotate the movable guide 40, the movement direction of the locking member 60 can be freely set.

[0073] In the present embodiment, a configuration in which one pair of intermediate bosses 42 a is provided has been shown, but this is not limiting, and a configuration in which two or more pairs of intermediate bosses 42 a are provided may also be used. When changing the number of intermediate bosses 42 a, it is sufficient to appropriately adjust the position in the conveying direction H according to the number, and to appropriately provide intermediate locking portions 52 accordingly.

[0074] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 23 Manual feed path 23a Fixed guide 40 Movable guide 41a Fulcrum boss 42a Mid-boss 43a Movable end boss 50 Support member 51 Fulcrum locking part 51a Fulcrum horizontal part 51b Fulcrum holding surface 52 Intermediate locking portion 52a Intermediate horizontal section 52b Intermediate guide section 53 Movable end locking part 53a Movable end horizontal part 53b Movable end guide part 60 Locking member 100 Image forming device H Conveying direction W width direction

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus including a paper transport path along which paper is transported, and a transport guide that constitutes the paper transport path and guides the paper, The conveying guide includes a fixed guide fixed to the device body and a movable guide supported below the fixed guide so as to be rotatable about one end in the conveying direction of the paper as a fulcrum; the movable guide has a fulcrum boss provided at the one end, a movable end boss provided at the other end opposite to the one end, and an intermediate boss provided between the fulcrum boss and the movable end boss, the device body has a fulcrum locking portion that locks the fulcrum boss, a movable end locking portion that locks the movable end boss, and an intermediate locking portion that locks the intermediate boss, the fulcrum locking portion has a fulcrum horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction, the movable end locking portion has a movable end horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction and a movable end guide portion extending downward from an end of the movable end horizontal portion, The intermediate locking portion has an intermediate horizontal portion extending along the conveying direction and an intermediate guide portion extending downward from an end of the intermediate horizontal portion. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the fixed guide has a transport roller for transporting paper; the movable guide has a driven roller provided opposite the conveying roller, When the movable end boss is positioned on the movable end horizontal portion and the intermediate boss is positioned on the intermediate horizontal portion, the driven roller is pressed against the conveying roller to form a nip. An image forming apparatus comprising:

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, the movable guide has boss holding portions corresponding to the fulcrum boss, the movable end boss, and the intermediate boss, The boss holding portion has a frame body that protrudes from the surrounding area. An image forming apparatus comprising:

4. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, The driven rollers are provided at positions facing the boss holding portions in the width direction of the paper. An image forming apparatus comprising:

5. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, the fulcrum locking portion has a fulcrum holding surface that continues from an end of the fulcrum horizontal portion along the conveying direction, The fulcrum holding surface is provided with a surface that is lower than the fulcrum horizontal portion. An image forming apparatus comprising:

6. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, A locking member is provided that moves between a locked position where the movable guide is held close to the fixed guide and a released position where the movable guide is rotated and separated from the fixed guide. An image forming apparatus comprising:

7. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, When the locking member moves from the lock position to the release position, the locking member moves the movable guide along the conveying direction, and the movable end boss moves downward while being guided by the movable end guide portion, and the intermediate boss moves downward while being guided by the intermediate guide portion. An image forming apparatus comprising:

8. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, The locking member has a first inclined portion inclined with respect to its moving direction, and when the locking member moves from the release position to the locking position, the first inclined portion abuts against the movable end boss and pushes it upward. An image forming apparatus comprising:

9. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, the locking member has a second inclined portion provided below the first inclined portion and inclined with respect to the moving direction of the locking member; When the movable end boss moves upward along the movable end guide portion, the movable end boss abuts against the second inclined portion to move the locking member in a direction from the lock position toward the release position. An image forming apparatus comprising:

10. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, the movable end locking portion has a connecting inclined portion that connects the movable end horizontal portion and the movable end guide portion, The boundary between the first inclined portion and the second inclined portion is located above the boundary between the movable end guide portion and the connecting inclined portion. An image forming apparatus comprising:

11. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, a biasing member that biases the locking member in a direction in which the locking member moves from the release position to the locking position; An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images