Image forming device

Abstract

To solve the problem in which: when performing the work of reattaching a drawer unit 1 removed from an image forming device 100, a user has to operate a lock member, which requires time and effort.SOLUTION: The present invention is constructed in such a way that when a drawer unit removed from an image forming device is slid toward a drawing position, a rotary member restricting the removal of the drawer unit rides over a ridden-over part provided in an accommodation part in which the drawer unit is accommodated and rotates.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer that forms an image on a recording sheet using an electrophotographic method. [Background technology]

[0002] Some image forming apparatuses are equipped with a drawer unit that can be pulled out from the front side of the main body of the apparatus and that houses multiple photoconductors. With the drawer unit pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, a user can perform operations such as replacing the photoconductors from above the drawer unit. Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus equipped with such a drawer unit.

[0003] 9 shows the operation of removing remaining paper P stopped on the sheet conveying belt 102 in such an image forming apparatus. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the drawer unit 1 is pulled out to the front of the image forming apparatus 100, and then the drawer unit 1 is further pulled out and removed from the image forming apparatus 100, thereby removing the remaining paper P on the sheet conveying belt 102.

[0004] In this way, in a configuration that includes the drawer unit 1, there is a non-negligible possibility that when a user pulls out the drawer unit 1, the drawer unit 1 may unintentionally come completely out of the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, a configuration is used in which a locking member is used to prevent the drawer unit 1 from falling out. As shown in FIG. 5, the user rotates the locking member 4 provided above one side of the drawer unit rail 6 in the release direction, then removes the drawer unit 1 and removes the remaining paper P that has stopped on the sheet conveying belt 102. When attaching the drawer unit 1 to the image forming apparatus 100, the storage procedure is performed in reverse order. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-253121 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, when returning the drawer unit 1 removed from the image forming apparatus 100 to the position from which it was pulled out in order to attach it to the image forming apparatus 100, the user must return the locking member 4 to its original position, which was released when the drawer unit was removed from the image forming apparatus 100. In other words, the user must operate the locking member 4 twice during the series of removal and attachment operations of removing the drawer unit 1 from the image forming apparatus 100 and then reinstalling it. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes: a plurality of photosensitive elements; a drawer unit having the plurality of photosensitive elements, the drawer unit being slidable between a storage position where the photosensitive elements are stored in a storage section provided in the image forming apparatus and a storage position where the photosensitive elements are pulled out from the image forming apparatus, and being removable by sliding in a first direction that is a direction from the storage position toward the opposite side of the storage position; a rotating member provided in the drawer unit, the rotating member having a rotation axis that extends in a direction along the rotation axis of the photosensitive elements stored in the drawer unit, and rotating about the rotation axis; a first abutted portion provided in the storage section, the first abutted portion against which the rotating member abuts in the first direction; and a rotating member provided in the drawer unit, the drawer unit being slidable between a storage position where the photosensitive elements are stored in a storage section provided in the image forming apparatus and a storage position where the rotating member is pulled out from the image forming apparatus, the drawing unit being removable by sliding in a first direction that is a direction from the storage position toward the opposite side of the storage position As part of the top surface ofa second abutment portion that restricts rotation of the rotating member in the predetermined rotation direction, and that abuts against the rotating member in a predetermined rotation direction, the second abutment portion restricting rotation of the rotating member in the predetermined rotation direction when the rotating member abuts against the first abutment portion, in order to restrict further movement of the drawer unit from the pull-out position toward the first direction; and a riding-up portion that a riding-up portion provided on the rotating member rides up on during movement of the drawer unit in a second direction, from a state in which the drawer unit has been removed from the image forming apparatus, toward the pull-out position, which is the opposite direction to the first direction; wherein the rotating member rotates in the direction opposite to the predetermined rotation direction as the riding-up portion rides up on the riding-up portion, the riding-up portion rides up on the riding-up portion, the drawer unit moves further toward the second direction, and the riding-up portion separates from the riding-up portion, and then rotates in the predetermined rotation direction and abuts against the second abutment portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, when a user performs the work of reattaching the drawer unit 1 after removing it from the image forming apparatus 100, the time and effort required to operate the locking member can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus embodying the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a printer unit of an image forming apparatus embodying the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus with a conventional mechanism, with a front cover 2 open; [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of CRG tray 1 locked in an image forming device with a conventional mechanism [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of CRG tray 1 unlocked in conventional image forming device [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with a front cover 2 open; [Figure 7]1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus in which the present invention is implemented, showing a state where the CRG tray 1 is locked; [Figure 8] A side view of the CRG tray 1 when the present invention is implemented [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus embodying the present invention when removing residual paper; [Figure 10] 1 is a perspective view of a CRG tray 1 according to the present invention; [Figure 11] A side view of the CRG tray 1 according to the present invention when it is inserted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the following embodiments may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to those alone.

[0011] (Overall configuration of image forming apparatus) 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment. An openable front cover 2 is provided in front of an apparatus main body 100. As will be described in detail later, a user can pull out a drawer unit 1 from the apparatus main body 100 with the front cover 2 open. The drawer unit 1 houses multiple photoconductors 30y, 30m, 30c, and 30k.

[0012] 1, the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment has a reading device disposed above the apparatus main body 100. A paper discharge space into which paper sheets on which images have been formed are discharged is formed between the reading device and the apparatus main body 100. The bottom of the paper discharge space is paper discharge unit 101. In the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment, paper sheets are discharged from the rear side of the apparatus main body 100 to the front side.

[0013] In the explanation so far, the terms "front" and "rear" have been used, and the definitions of these directions are as shown in FIG. 1. That is, the side having the front cover 2 is defined as the "front," and the opposite side is defined as the "rear." When looking at the front of the device main body 100 from the front, the right side is defined as the "right," and the left side is defined as the "left." An operation screen that the user uses to perform copy and print operations is provided on the front side of the device main body 100. That is, the user stands in front of the device main body 100 and operates the operation screen provided on the front of the device main body 100. In other words, the side on which the operation screen of the image forming device is provided is the "front" of the image forming device.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The path indicated by a thick black line indicates the path along which paper P is transported. Since the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is a color image forming apparatus, it has process cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k corresponding to the colors yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as process cartridges 50). Each process cartridge 50 is equipped with a known developing means, which is one means of the electrophotographic process. Also, above each process cartridge 50, a laser scanner (exposure means) 110 is disposed, which emits light to expose the photoconductor 30. The laser scanner 110 exposes each photoconductor 30 from above, forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 30.

[0015] The electrostatic latent images formed on the photoconductors 30 are then developed by developing means provided in the process cartridge 50, and toner images are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductors 30. Then, by applying a voltage to transfer rollers provided inside the sheet conveying belt 102, the toner images of each color formed on the photoconductors 30 are sequentially transferred onto the sheet P conveyed on the sheet conveying belt 102 in synchronization with the toner images of each color formed on the photoconductors 30. Thereafter, the toner images are fixed on the sheet P by a known fixing means composed of, for example, a fixing roller and a pressure roller incorporating a heater. Thereafter, the sheet P with the fixed toner images is discharged to the paper discharge section 101 by a pair of discharge rollers.

[0016] (Overall structure of the process cartridge) Next, the process cartridge 50 will be described in more detail.

[0017] Each process cartridge 50 includes a photoconductor 30 and process means acting on the photoconductor 30. The process means include a charging roller as charging means for charging the photoconductor 30, a developing roller as developing means for developing the latent image formed on the photoconductor 30, and a blade as cleaning means for removing residual toner from the surface of the photoconductor 30. The process cartridge 50 according to this embodiment integrates these process means into a cartridge. This means that the user can replace these process means as a unit, one process cartridge 50 at a time. It is also possible to configure the process cartridge 50 so that the developing means and photoconductor 30 can be separated from the process cartridge 50. This configuration allows, for example, the photoconductor 30 to be replaced independently from the process cartridge 50.

[0018] (Drawer unit) Next, the drawer unit 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 4 and 6. FIG.

[0019] 3, the drawer unit 1 is provided so as to be slidable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the apparatus main body 100. Specifically, the drawer unit 1 can slide between a storage position where it is stored in the apparatus main body 100 so that image formation is possible, and a pulled-out position where all of the process cartridges 50 are accessible from above the drawer unit 1. The drawer unit 1 can be removed from the apparatus main body 100 by sliding it further from the pulled-out position toward the outside of the image forming apparatus.

[0020] The process cartridges 50 are aligned along the sliding direction of the drawer unit 1, with their longitudinal direction (also the direction along the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 30) perpendicular to the sliding direction. As shown in FIG. 6, when the drawer unit 1 is in the pulled-out position, the process cartridges 50y, 50m, 50c, and 50k can be moved upward from the drawer unit 1 and replaced. Each process cartridge 50, housed in the drawer unit 1, enters the apparatus main body 100 together with the drawer unit 1. At this time, each process cartridge 50 moves while maintaining a gap between the sheet conveying belt 102 provided below and the photosensitive drum 30. As the drawer unit 1 moves to the housed position, it also moves downward, bringing the photosensitive drum 30 into contact with the sheet conveying belt 102. When the front cover 2 is closed, a drive unit is connected to each process cartridge 50. This allows the user to mount each process cartridge 50 in the apparatus main body 100 simply by storing the drawer unit 1 in the apparatus main body 100 and closing the front cover 2.

[0021] (Procedure for removing residual paper from the sheet transport belt) Next, the procedure for removing paper remaining on the sheet conveying belt 102 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11. First, as shown in FIG. 7, when removing the remaining paper P, the user opens the front cover 2, pulls the handle 1a provided at the center of the front of the drawer unit 1, and pulls the drawer unit 1 out of the device main body 100. At this time, the contact surface 7 of the handle 1b (rotating member) contacts the device main body contact surface 8 (first abutted portion), preventing the drawer unit 1 from falling out of the device main body 100. As shown in FIG. 10, which will be described later, a portion of the handle 1b abuts against a portion of the upper surface of the drawer unit 1 (second abutted portion) from above downward (the direction opposite to the rotation direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 8; an example of a "predetermined rotation direction"). Because a portion of the handle 1b abuts against the second abutted portion provided on the drawer unit 1, the handle 1b does not rotate even if the drawer unit 1 is further pulled out in this state. That is, a part of the handle 1b abuts against the second abutted portion of the drawer unit 1, thereby restricting further rotation thereof.

[0022] Next, as shown in Fig. 8(a), by grasping the handle surface 11 of the handle portion 1b in Fig. 8(a) and pulling it up in the upward direction C, the handle 1b rotates in the direction A (opposite to the predetermined rotation direction) around the rotation center 10 as shown in Fig. 8(b). After that, as shown in Fig. 8(c), the contact surface 7 of the handle 1b rises above the contact surface 8 of the device main body, and the drawer unit 1 is no longer restricted in the drawer direction (first direction).

[0023] 9, while holding the handle portions 1a and 1b in the above-described state, the drawer unit 1 can be further pulled out in the first direction (or pulled up toward the user) to remove the drawer unit 1 from the device main body 100. After removing the drawer unit 1 from the device main body 100, the entire storage space (storage section) where the drawer unit 100 was stored can be used as a user's work area. The user can access the remaining paper P on the sheet conveying belt 102 from this storage space.

[0024] Figure 10(a) shows the state when the drawer unit 1 is removed from the device main body 100. As shown in Figure 10(a), the handle 1b of the removed drawer unit 1 is temporarily placed on a flat surface such as a table with the contact surface 7 facing upward. At this time, there is no restriction on the up and down direction of the handle 1b of the CRG tray 1, and the contact surface 7 can also move downward as shown in Figure 10(b).

[0025] After removing the residual paper P, the drawer unit 1 is attached to the device main body 100 as shown in Fig. 11. When attaching the drawer unit 1 to the device main body 100, the drawer unit 1 is slid in a second direction, which is the direction in which the drawer unit 1 slides and is opposite to the first direction, and the drawer unit 1 is attached to the drawer position.

[0026] First, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the drawer unit 1 guide 3 of the drawer unit 1 is set on the drawer unit 1 rail 6 of the device 100, and the handle 1b is released.

[0027] Next, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the drawer unit 1 is slid along the insertion direction D (second direction). This causes the contact surface 7 (an example of a riding portion) of the handle 1b to ride on the device body contact surface 8 (an example of a portion to be ridden). In other words, with the drawer unit 1 removed from the device body 100, the riding portion rides on the portion to be ridden while the drawer unit 1 is moving toward the drawer position. The handle 1b rides on the device body contact surface 8 while rotating in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow B (predetermined rotation direction). In this embodiment, the handle 1b has an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the sliding direction of the drawer unit 1. This allows the inclined surface to smoothly ride on the device body contact surface 8, so the user does not feel much strain when sliding the drawer unit 1. Such an inclined surface may be formed only on the device body contact surface 8 side, or on both the handle 1b and the device body contact surface 8.

[0028] When the drawer unit 1 further advances in direction D, the abutment member 9 rotates the handle 1b in direction B, as shown in Figure 11(c). The abutment member 9 is provided in a part of the storage section in which the drawer unit 1 is stored.

[0029] As described above, when attaching the drawer unit 1 to the apparatus main body 100, the handle 1b rotates while riding on the apparatus main body abutment surface 8, so the user does not need to directly operate the handle 1b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1 drawer unit 1a Handle 1b Handle part (rotating member) 2 Front cover 3 Drawer unit guide 4 Locking member 5 Side Panel 6 Drawer unit rails 7 Contact surface 8 Device body contact surface 9 Contact member 10 Rotation center of handle 1b 30y, 30m, 30c, 30k photoreceptor 50y, 50m, 50c, 50k photoconductor cartridges 100 Image forming device (device body) 110 Laser scanner (exposure means) 101 Discharge section 102 Sheet conveyor belt P-sheet A Rotation direction opposite to the specified direction B Prescribed rotation direction C Direction for user to remove the drawer unit

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, A plurality of photoreceptors; a drawer unit having the plurality of photosensitive bodies, slidable between a storage position where the drawer unit is stored in a storage section provided in the image forming apparatus and a drawer position where the drawer unit is pulled out from the image forming apparatus, and removable by sliding in a first direction that is a direction from the drawer position toward an opposite side to the storage position in the sliding direction; a rotating member provided in the drawer unit, having a rotation axis extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive body accommodated in the drawer unit, and rotating about the rotation axis; a first abutted portion provided in the accommodation portion, against which the rotating member abuts in the first direction; a second abutted portion provided as a part of the upper surface of the drawer unit, against which the rotating member abuts in a predetermined rotation direction, the second abutted portion restricting rotation of the rotating member in the predetermined rotation direction in order to restrict further movement of the drawer unit from the drawn-out position toward the first direction when the rotating member abuts against the first abutted portion; a riding-up portion on which a riding-up portion provided on the rotating member rides up during movement of the drawer unit from a state in which the drawer unit is detached from the image forming apparatus toward the drawer position in a second direction opposite to the first direction, The rotating member is When the riding portion rides on the riding-on portion, the riding portion rotates in a direction opposite to the predetermined rotation direction, an image forming apparatus characterized in that the riding portion rides on the riding-up portion, the drawer unit moves further in the second direction, the riding portion separates from the riding-up portion, and then rotates in the specified rotation direction and hits the second hitting portion.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the riding portion is an inclined surface inclined with respect to the sliding direction.

3. an exposure unit that emits light for exposing the photosensitive member; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said exposure means exposes said photosensitive member from above.

4. Further comprising an abutting member provided in the accommodation portion, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawer unit further moves in the second direction and the riding portion separates from the riding-on portion, and then the rotating member abuts against the abutting member, thereby rotating in the predetermined rotation direction.

Images