JP2002283651A - Imaging device and function expanding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an imaging device which shows high reliability and excellent operational property, especially the improved operational property with regard to attachment and detachment of an optional device, and provides an operator with convenience in use. SOLUTION: A printing device is equipped with a front panel on which a paper feed tray attaching/detaching aperture for attaching a paper feed tray to and detaching it from a printing device body, a paper unloading aperture for unloading a printed paper and an optional device attaching/detaching aperture for attaching an optional device 80 to and detaching it from the body, are perforated. The optional device 80 receives a panel 28 to be fitted to the former and is attached to and detached from the body through the optional device attaching/detaching aperture. When the optional device 80 is mounted on the body, the panel 28 is mounted by fitting it into the optional device attaching/detaching aperture and used as an exterior fitting. When the optional device 80 is removed from the body, the panel 28 is pulled out of the optional device attaching/detaching aperture and then is used as a handle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as an ink jet printer, for forming an image on a recording medium, and a function expansion apparatus detachable from the image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the spread of terminal devices such as personal computers in general consumer life, printer devices for printing, as documents, image information including character information created by these terminal devices have become widespread. ing. An image forming apparatus typified by such a printer usually has a structure in which a sheet feeding tray for storing sheets to be fed is detachable. When the image forming apparatus is of a type that performs printing by an ink jet method, the ink tank is detachable so that the ink tank can be replaced. In the image forming apparatus, the printing operation can be performed in a state in which the paper feed tray storing the papers is mounted on the main body, and the printed paper fed from the paper feed tray is punched in a part of the main body. The paper is discharged from the paper discharge port. The user needs an operation of replenishing paper to the paper feed tray and replacing the ink tank as necessary.

[0003]

By the way, as a conventional image forming apparatus, for example, there is one in which a paper feed tray is provided outside a main body. Was not excellent. Further, even when a paper feed tray is provided inside the main body, the image forming apparatus has no airtightness from a paper discharge port to a printing unit such as a recording head.
There was a high possibility that dust and the like would get inside the main body. As a result, the image forming apparatus has a problem in that, due to dust and the like adhering to the inside of the main body, for example, the nozzles of the recording head, printing defects and an increase in the number of maintenances of the nozzles are caused, resulting in a lack of reliability. Was.

In recent years, so-called AV (Audio / Vi
sual) Attempts have been made to build a network connecting devices and personal computers. In view of such circumstances, an image forming apparatus such as a printer used as a peripheral device of a personal computer is also required.
It is desirable to use it in a rack or the like together with other AV equipment. Here, the AV equipment is usually stored in a rack or the like so as to be easily and organized, as can be seen as a typical example of the mounting relationship between a television and a VCR.
Many have a stackable structure.

[0005] However, the image forming apparatus does not have a structure on which an object can be placed on the upper surface, and does not have a structure capable of being stacked and stored like other AV equipment. Therefore, the image forming apparatus requires a large installation area. Further, as described above, the image forming apparatus needs to supply and replace the paper and the ink tank. However, in order to perform the maintenance, when the image forming apparatus is housed in the rack, the image forming apparatus may be removed from the rack. Need to be
The user is required to perform complicated work.

Further, some image forming apparatuses are capable of mounting optional devices for realizing various extended functions, and a mounting port for mounting the optional devices is provided on the back of the main body. I was For this reason, when the image forming apparatus is housed in a rack for attaching and detaching optional devices, the user faces the rear so that the user can take it out of the rack or work on the rear. It has to be moved so that the operability is deteriorated.

[0007] In particular, many of the optional devices expose the metal constituting the housing in a bare state, which visually impairs the beauty. Further, in some image forming apparatuses, after a user has mounted an optional device, a panel also serving as an exterior can be separately attached to a mounting opening, but this panel has often been lost. Further, it is necessary to provide a handle for detaching the optional device from the image forming apparatus, which has a problem that a complicated configuration is required.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has high reliability and excellent operability, and can provide excellent convenience to a user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that improves operability and a function expansion device that is detachable from the image forming apparatus.

[0009]

An image forming apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, and stores a sheet to be fed. The paper tray means for attaching / detaching the paper tray means to / from the main body, the paper discharge port for discharging printed sheets, and the optional device for realizing various extended functions to the main body. An external device panel that has a substantially flat main surface and forms one surface of the outer casing, and an external panel that opens and closes at least the paper discharge port is provided. Attach freely,
A discharge door that is opened to discharge the printed sheet from the discharge port, and the optional device is provided with a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as the optional device attachment / detachment port. The panel is attached to and detached from the main unit through an optional device mounting port that can be opened and opened with a paper discharge door that is openably and closably attached to the exterior panel so as to close the device mounting port. When the optional device is mounted on the main unit, the optional device is mounted on the main unit and then inserted into the optional device mounting / removal slot. It is characterized in that it is pulled out from the attachment / detachment opening and is used as a handle for removing the optional device from the main body.

In such an image forming apparatus according to the present invention, a panel is attached to the optional device, and when the optional device is mounted on the main body, the panel is used as an exterior and when the optional device is removed from the main body, Is used as a handle for removing the optional device from the main body.

Further, the function expansion apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is detachable from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, and realizes various expansion functions. The image forming apparatus includes a paper tray input / detachment opening for attaching / detaching a paper feed tray for accommodating paper to be fed to / from the main body, and discharging the printed paper. A discharge port is formed, and an outer panel having a substantially planar main surface and constituting one surface of an outer casing, and attached to the outer panel to be openable and closable so as to close at least the discharge port, A paper discharge door that is opened to discharge the printed sheet from the paper discharge port, and a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as a detachable hole formed in the exterior panel is attached. Make sure that the paper exit and the The paper ejection door, which can be freely opened and closed on the exterior panel, is attached to and detached from the main body through an attachment / detachment opening that can be opened. Later, when the panel is fitted and mounted in the mounting / dismounting opening and used as an exterior, and is detached from the main body, the panel is pulled out from the mounting and removing opening and used as a handle for removing from the main body.

In the function expansion device according to the present invention, the panel is used as an exterior when the panel is attached and attached to the main body, and when the panel is detached from the main body, it is detached from the main body. Used as a handle for

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is of a type for printing by an ink jet system, and is applied to a printer device having a so-called serial head shorter than the page width of a sheet as a recording medium. is there. As shown in FIG.
Forms a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing, and includes a front panel 20 which is an operation surface that requires user operations such as attachment and detachment of a paper feed tray, removal of paper from a paper ejection outlet, and replacement of an ink tank. An object can be placed on the upper surface by providing it on one surface facing the user and making the upper surface substantially flat. In particular, the printer device 1 is designed to improve the operability of attaching and detaching optional devices.
In the following description, unless otherwise specified, one side of the printer device 1 facing the user is the front side, and the right and left sides when the front panel 20 is viewed from the front are the right side and the left side, respectively. Surface.

As schematically shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 has a cover 10 forming the upper surface and both side surfaces of the printer 1 when one surface facing the user is the front, and a front 10 of the printer 1. , A main body 30 that forms the bottom and back of the printer device 1, a paper feed tray 40 that is a paper feed tray unit for storing paper to be fed, and a paper feed tray 40 that will be described later. A paper discharge door 50 that covers the paper discharge port 22 and an ink replacement door 6 for replacing ink tanks 100a and 100b described below.
0, and at least a paper discharge tray 70 that is a paper discharge tray means for discharging printed paper,
An optional device 80 for realizing various extended functions described later is provided as needed.

The cover 10 forms the upper surface and both side surfaces of the printer device 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and at least the surface forming the upper surface is substantially flat. Cover 10
Is mounted after being positioned with respect to the main body 30 to form an outer casing of the printer device 1.

The front panel 20 forms the front surface of the printer device 1 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has a substantially planar main surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the front panel 20 includes a paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21 for attaching / detaching the paper feeding tray 40 to / from the main body 30, and a paper ejection opening 22 for discharging printed sheets. , Ink tanks 100a, 10
0b, an optional device attachment / detachment port 24 for attaching / detaching the optional device 80 to / from the main body 30, and a switch group 90 as at least one or more operators for various operations. A switch opening 25 for exposing, and a lamp group 9 as at least one or more light emitting elements for informing various states of the printer device 1
At least a lamp opening 26 for exposing the lamp 1 to the outside is provided.

The switch group 90 includes, for example, a power switch of the printer 1 and operation switches for performing various other operations such as mode switching. The lamp group 91 includes, for example, a status lamp indicating that the power is ON, a status lamp indicating that printing is being performed, a notification that a sheet is jammed in the main body 30, and the ink tanks 100a and 100b. It is composed of a warning lamp or the like for notifying that the replacement is necessary. For example, the printer device 1 detects that a paper jam has occurred by a sensor provided inside the main body 30, and controls lighting of a lamp that notifies that the paper has jammed inside the main body 30. At this time, the printer device 1 changes a blinking pattern, a lighting color, or the like to indicate whether a paper jam has occurred during a paper feeding operation or a paper jam has occurred during a paper discharging operation. It has multiple lamps for each situation. Further, the printer device 1 includes an ink tank 100.
a, 100b are electrically counted, and when the counted amount becomes equal to or larger than a predetermined capacity, a lamp is provided to notify that the ink tanks 100a, 100b need to be replaced. Control. At this time, the printer 1 uses a color ink tank 100a and a black-and-white ink tank 100b as lamps for notifying that the ink tanks 100a and 100b need to be replaced.
In order to indicate which of the ink tanks needs to be replaced, a blinking pattern, a lighting color and the like are changed, and a plurality of lamps corresponding to each of the ink tanks 100a and 100b are mounted. The printer device 1 may be provided with a lamp as a lamp group 91 for urging the opened paper discharge door 50 to be closed as needed. In this case, the printer device 1 is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not sheets are stacked on the upper surface of the opened sheet discharging door 50, and turns on a lamp when the sheets are opened without being stacked. Lighting control may be performed.

Such a front panel 20 includes a main body 3
The printer device 1 is mounted after being positioned with respect to 0, and forms an outer casing of the printer device 1. As will be described later, a paper discharge door 50 is attached to the front panel 20 so as to cover the paper discharge port 22, and an ink replacement door 60 is mounted so as to cover the ink exchange port 23.

The main body 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped printer device 1.
To form a bottom surface and a back surface. That is, the printer device 1 forms at least a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing by the cover 10, the front panel 20, and the main body 30. It should be noted that the printer 1 has a cover 1
It goes without saying that the specifications of the cover 10, the front panel 20, and the main body 30 are determined so that no trouble occurs even if the cover 10 is mounted on the upper surface of the main body 30. Body 30
Although details will be described later, the ink tank carriage 111 is used as an internal driving mechanism when performing the printing operation.
A head unit driving mechanism 31 for transporting and driving a head unit 110 configured by mounting ink tanks 100a and 100b in the paper width direction, and an ink tank 1
00a and 100b when replacing the ink tank 100
An ink tank driving mechanism 32 for transporting and driving the sheets a and 100b, and a sheet reversing driving mechanism 33 for reversing the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray 40 and sending it to the printing unit by the head unit 110 are provided. Also, the main body 30
Although not shown here, as an additional mechanism, a paper discharge door opening mechanism for opening the paper discharge door 50 in a state where the paper discharge port 22 is closed is provided therein, A lock mechanism is provided for preventing the user from manually opening the ink replacement door 60 with the ink replacement port 23 closed. Furthermore, the main body 30
Has an electric control unit 34 for supplying and controlling power to at least the switch group 90 and the lamp group 91 described above, and various other electric systems (not shown).

The main body 30 is, as shown in FIG.
Inside, from the front surface where the front panel 20 is mounted to the printing section, the paper feed tray 40 is formed so as to have at least a space where the paper feed tray 40 is mounted and a space where the paper is discharged. That is, in the main body 30, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is disposed on the right side and along the right side inside the main body 30, and the electric control unit 34 is arranged on the left side and along the left side. The head unit driving mechanism 31 and the sheet reversing mechanism 34 are disposed on the rear side and along the rear side, so that a volume capable of feeding and discharging paper at a central portion is provided. Is provided. In the printer device 1, a structure in which the space in which the paper feed tray 40 is mounted communicates with the paper feed tray attaching / detaching port 21 of the front panel 20 and the space in which paper is discharged communicates with the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. Having.

Further, in the printer 1, the space where the paper is discharged is a space where a user inserts his hand to take out the paper when the paper is jammed inside the main body 30. That is, when a paper jam occurs in the process of discharging paper inside the main body 30,
The paper can be removed by inserting a hand through the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. Furthermore, as will be described later, a jammed paper removal opening 35 for removing the paper when the paper jam occurs in the process of feeding the paper is formed in the main body 30 on the rear side. Have been. The main body 30 has a maintenance lamp, which is a light emitting element that emits light when a paper jam occurs, inside the main body 30. That is, the main body 30 illuminates the interior when a paper jam occurs with this lamp so that the user can easily recognize the inside when the user inserts his hand to remove the jammed paper. Note that this lamp can be replaced by light emission of a sensor provided inside the main body 30 such as a sensor (not shown) for detecting the width of a sheet to be printed, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 40 is provided through the paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21 of the front panel 20.
It is attached to the main body 30. Further, the paper feed tray 40 is provided as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), it can be detachably detached from the main body 30 by being pulled out to the front through the paper feed tray attaching / detaching opening 21. As shown in the figure, the paper feed tray 40 has a substantially box shape and stores a plurality of sheets. At this time, the paper is positioned in accordance with the size and stored in the paper feed tray 40. The printer device 1 is in a state in which paper can be replenished by pulling out the paper feed tray 40, and in a state in which printing can be performed by mounting the paper feed tray 40 in the state shown in FIG. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 1, the paper discharge door 50 has a flat plate shape having a substantially planar main surface, and is provided so as to cover the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. Specifically, the paper discharge door 50 is magnetically attracted by a magnet provided inside the main body 30 so as to face the back side (not shown) of the button 51, and comes into contact with the front panel 20,
The paper discharge port 22 is covered. Printer device 1
By providing the paper discharge door 50, the possibility that dust and the like enter the inside of the main body 30 from the paper discharge port 22 can be remarkably reduced, and a sense of quality can be visually felt. . Further, as described later, when the printing operation is started, a driving force in a direction against the magnetic attraction force of the magnet is applied to the paper discharge door 50 by the paper discharge door opening mechanism inside the main body 30, as described later. As shown in FIG.
Is released by its own weight in the direction of arrow a with the fulcrum as a fulcrum. That is, the paper discharge door 50 has the gear portion 52 rotatably attached to the front panel 20 via a pin (not shown), and can be opened and closed about the pin as a rotation center.
When the paper discharge door 50 is opened, the paper discharge port 22 is exposed to the printer device 1. In the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 6, in a state where the paper discharge door 50 is opened, the printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 22 and is released from a paper discharge tray 70 described later. The sheets are stacked over the upper surface of the paper discharge door 50. Therefore, when the sheet discharging door 50 is opened, it also plays a role as an auxiliary sheet discharging tray in cooperation with the sheet discharging tray 70. The opened paper discharge door 50 is manually closed by the user at a desired time after the printing operation is completed, but is automatically closed after confirming that the paper is not placed. Such a configuration may be adopted.

Here, the paper printed by the printer 1 is discharged based on the right side when the front panel 20 is viewed from the front. In other words, in the printer apparatus 1, although printing is performed on a sheet having a width that is significantly shorter than the width in the longitudinal direction of the paper discharge port 22, such as a postcard-size sheet, although not illustrated, By storing the paper based on the right side of the paper feed tray 40, FIG.
As shown in (1), the printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 22 on the basis of the right side. For this reason, in the printer device 1, when a paper jam occurs in the process of discharging the paper, there is a variation depending on the paper size and other conditions. Expected to be high. Therefore, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the paper discharge port 22 is formed in a shape in which the length of the right side in the height direction is increased. That is, in the printer device 1, the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is provided on the front panel 20.
Is provided not in the right side area of the opening part which is originally a part of the paper discharge port 22 but in the upper left area, so that the volume of the right side part of the paper discharge port 22 is provided large. As described above, in the printer device 1, the maintenance space for removing the jammed paper in the process of discharging the paper can be made larger, and even if the paper having the minimum size is jammed, the user can use it. The paper can be easily taken out.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink replacement door 60 has a substantially planar main surface and is provided so as to cover the ink replacement port 23 of the front panel 20. Specifically, the ink replacement door 60 is configured such that the support portion 62 shown in FIG. 8 is rotatably attached to the front panel 20 via a pin (not shown), and is openable and closable about the pin as a rotation center. When the push button 61 is fitted into the notch 27 provided in the front panel 20, the ink exchange port 23 is covered. FIG. 8 shows a view of the ink replacement door 60 as viewed from the back side. When replacing the ink tanks 100a and 100b, the ink replacement door 60 is opened in the direction of arrow b with the support 62 as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. Specifically, in the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a, 100
When the user presses the push button 61 at the time of replacing b, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 inside the main body 30 is operated as described later, and the ink tanks 100a and 100a are provided inside the main body 30. The ink replacement box 120 on which the ink cartridge 100b is mounted is moved toward the ink replacement port 23. Then, in the printer device 1, the side wall 120 a facing the ink exchange port 23 side of the ink exchange box 120 abuts on the ink exchange door 60 to push the ink exchange door 60 to the outside. And exert a force. Along with this,
In the printer 1, the ink replacement door 60 is opened as shown in FIG.
a is also released from the other side wall of the ink replacement box 120 and opened, and the ink replacement box 120 equipped with the ink tank 100a (and / or the ink tank 100b) is exposed to the outside. In this state, the user can replace a desired ink tank.

The printer device 1 is, for example, CMY
A color ink tank 100a filled with (cyan, magenta, yellow) ink and a black / white ink tank 100b filled with K (black) ink can be mounted in the ink replacement box 120.

In the printer 1, when the replacement of the ink tank 100 a (or the ink tank 100 b) is completed, the user presses the push button 61 to cause the ink tank driving mechanism 3 inside the main body 30 to be described later.
2 is activated, and the ink replacement box 120 is
Ink tank carriage 111 provided inside
, The ink replacement door 60 closes the ink replacement port 23 as shown in FIG. In the printer device 1, when the ink replacement box 120 reaches the ink tank carriage 111 inside the main body 30, the ink tanks 100 a, 1
00b is mounted on the ink tank carriage 111.
The printer 1 has a structure in which the ink exchange door 60 with the ink exchange port 23 closed is not opened even if the user tries to manually open the ink exchange door 23 by a lock mechanism inside the main body 30 described later. .

As shown schematically in FIG. 10, the paper discharge tray 70 is generally disposed above the paper feed tray 40 mounted inside the main body 30 (not shown) so as to cover the main surface thereof. Together with the paper ejection door 50 in the state shown in the figure, the paper ejection path constitutes a paper ejection path for printed sheets sent from the right side in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 11, the sheet ejection tray 70 has an area where the edge on the side where the sheet ejection door 50 is provided overlaps the edge of the opened sheet ejection door 50 in the vertical direction. And the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 70 is disposed above the upper surface of the open paper discharge door 50. As described above, the printer apparatus 1 vertically overlaps the edge of the paper discharge tray 70 and the edge of the opened paper discharge door 50, thereby allowing the paper discharge tray 70 and the paper discharge door 50 to overlap each other. It is possible to prevent a gap from being generated therebetween, and by positioning the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 70 above the upper surface of the open paper discharge door 50, the printed paper can be discharged from the paper discharge tray 70. The step at the boundary of the paper door 50 can be prevented from being blocked as a barrier. Therefore, in the printer device 1, it is possible to smoothly discharge the sheet to the outside. As shown in FIG. 12, the paper discharge tray 70 can be detachably detached from the main body 30 by being pulled out through the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20. In the printer device 1, as shown in the figure, the paper discharge tray 70 is adjusted and mounted so that a part thereof is exposed from the main body 30, so that the length of the paper in the paper discharge direction is long, for example. When performing printing on a sheet, it is possible to prevent the discharged sheet from falling off the printer device 1.

The optional device 80, which will be described later in detail, is attached to the main body 30 as necessary, and is, for example, an extension unit that functions as an interface between the printer device 1 and an external device. The optional device 80 is configured by covering a substrate (not shown) with a metal case having a shielding property. The optional device 80 is, as shown in FIG.
Through an optional device attachment / detachment port 0, the slot is detachably attached to a slot attached to the front panel 20 inside the main body 30 (not shown). Here, as will be described later, a panel 28 having substantially the same shape as the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is attached to the optional device 80, and the panel is used to attach / detach the slot.

As shown in FIG. 14, the printer 1 has a cover 36 on the back of the printer 1 for covering the jammed paper removing port 35 described above.
The lid 36 is detachable from the main body 30.
In the printer device 1, when the lid 36 is removed, as shown in FIG. 15, the above-described paper inversion drive mechanism 33 for sending out the paper fed from the paper feed tray 40 to the paper discharge path is externally provided. It is made visible. If the paper jams inside the main body 30 before the paper is sent to the paper ejection path, the user removes the cover 36 and inserts a hand through the jammed paper removal port 35 to remove the paper. Can be.

Further, the power supply cord insertion portion 37 for inserting the power supply cord is provided on the back surface of the printer device 1.
In the printer device 1, the power cord insertion portion 37
Power is supplied from a household outlet (outlet) via the. Further, the printer device 1 is, for example, a so-called USB (Universal Serial Bus) or IEEE (Inst
IEEE Std. 13 approved by the itute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
94-1995: IEEE Standard for a High Performance seria
l A bus connection unit 38 for connecting a serial bus conforming to IEEE 1394 in which various standards are drafted based on the Bus standard is provided. The printer device 1 can be connected to a host computer or the like via the bus connection unit 38 and can receive image data to be printed and transmit and receive various control signals.

Next, various driving mechanisms inside the main body 30 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, the main body 30 includes a head unit driving mechanism 3 as various internal driving mechanisms.
1, an ink tank driving mechanism 32, and a paper reversing driving mechanism 33.

The head unit driving mechanism 31 includes a main body 30.
The head unit 110 is reciprocated in a direction indicated by an arrow c in FIG. 3 using a drive motor or the like (not shown) as a drive source around a shaft 31a provided on both side surfaces of the head. More specifically, when the printing operation is not performed, the head unit driving mechanism 31 is disposed on the right side of the main body 30 where an ink tank driving mechanism 32 described later is disposed, as shown in FIG. The head unit 110 is moved so that the unit 110 is located. Head unit 11
0 means that the position is the home position. The head unit driving mechanism 31 reciprocates the head carriage 111 in the direction of arrow c in FIG. That is, in the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a, 100a,
The serial head type printing operation is performed by reciprocatingly driving the head unit 110 on which 0b is mounted in the paper width direction. In the printer device 1, the ink tanks 100a and 100b are provided with a main body 30.
Is provided with a driving element (not shown) that is driven under the control of a control section (not shown) provided in the inside of the ink tank. Discharge ink.

The ink tank drive mechanism 32 moves the ink replacement box 120 in the direction of arrow d in FIG. 3 using a drive motor (not shown) as a drive source along a rail 32 a extending from the front to the back of the main body 30. Drive back and forth. Specifically, as described above, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 operates when the user presses the push button 61, and operates the ink tanks 100a and 100b mounted on the head unit 110 and requiring replacement. The ink exchange box 120 is mounted on the ink exchange box 120 and is moved toward the ink exchange port 23. At this time, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 can expose the ink replacement box 120 to the outside in about several seconds from the state where the ink replacement box 120 is closest to the head unit 110. When the replacement of the ink tanks 100a and 100b is completed, the user presses the push button 61 again to operate the ink tank drive mechanism 32 to move the ink replacement box 120 toward the head unit 110. When a predetermined load is applied when moving the ink replacement box 120 toward the head unit 110, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 detects the load and detects the load. A mechanism for stopping the movement is provided. Accordingly, in the printer device 1, even if the ink replacement door 60 is about to be closed while the user inserts a finger into the ink replacement port 23, the movement of the ink replacement box 120 is promptly performed. Is stopped, and the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is opened so that the ink replacement door 60 is opened.
Can be activated.

Further, during the printing operation, the ink tank driving mechanism 32 uses the ink replacement box 120 to operate the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, a part of which is shown in FIG. It reciprocates in the direction of arrow d in the figure.
That is, in the printer device 1, as described above, when the printing operation is started, the paper discharge door 50 is opened, and a driving force for this opening is generated by the movement of the ink replacement box 120. . The paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 will be described later.

Further, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 has the above-described lock mechanism, and opens the ink replacement door 60 in accordance with the transport position of the ink replacement box 120. That is, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 prevents the ink replacement door 60 from being opened even when the user manually opens the ink replacement door 60 except when the ink tanks 100a and 100b are replaced. This lock mechanism will also be described later.

When the printing operation is started, the paper reversing drive mechanism 33 uses a drive motor or the like (not shown) as a drive source and a roller 33b supported by a shaft 33a provided on both sides of the main body 30 as a drive source. Rotate in the direction of e. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33 rotates the roller 33b in the direction of arrow f in FIG.
The paper P is turned over by being wound from the lower part of the roller 3b and sent out from the upper part of the roller 33b to the printing part PL by the head unit 110. The paper reversing drive mechanism 33 includes:
The head unit 1 is driven by the head unit driving mechanism 31.
10 is moved, and when the ink droplets ejected from the ink tanks 100a and 100b print one line on the paper P, the rollers 33b are rotated by a predetermined angle. Each time, the roller 33b is sequentially rotated and sent out to the paper discharge path.

Printer device 1 having such components
Performs the printing operation as follows.

First, in the printer device 1, the user operates the switch group 90 exposed from the front panel 20.
Turn on the power by pressing the power switch at
By pulling out the paper feed tray 40 from the paper feed tray attachment / detachment opening 21 of the front panel 20, storing a predetermined number of sheets, and pushing the paper feed tray 40 in, the paper feed tray 40
Is attached to the main body 30. Then, in the printer device 1, one end of the sheet is pressed against the reversing roller 33 b of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33. Further, in the printer device 1, if necessary, the user presses the push button 6
By pressing 1, the ink tank drive mechanism 32 is operated, and the ink tanks 100a and 100b are replaced via the ink replacement door 60 of the opened front panel 20.

In the printing apparatus 1, when the preparation for the printing operation is completed in this way and the printing operation is started,
The sheet discharging door opening mechanism 130 is operated to open the sheet discharging door 50, and the roller 33 b is rotated by the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism 33, so that one sheet is sent out from the sheet feeding tray 40. It is.

Subsequently, in the printer 1, the sheet which has been inverted and sent out by the operation of the sheet inversion drive mechanism 33 is sent out to the printing section. Then, in the printer device 1, the head unit drive mechanism 31 operates at a predetermined timing to move the head unit 110, and ejects ink droplets from nozzles (not shown) of the ink tanks 100a and 100b to land on paper. By doing so, information including characters and / or images is printed on the paper by dots. In the printer device 1, the paper is sequentially sent out by the operation of the paper reversing drive mechanism 33, discharged from the paper discharge port 22 of the front panel 20, and the upper surface of the paper discharge door 50 opened from the paper discharge tray 70. Stacked over.

The printer 1 performs such an operation to generate a print. As described above, since the printer device 1 can perform all main operations via the front panel 20, the printer device 1 can freely use the upper surface which is a flat surface. Can be. That is, the printer device 1 can be stored in a stack with other AV devices.

Next, the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 for opening the paper discharge door 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 18, the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 includes a support 131 fixed to a side wall 39 provided inside the main body 30 and a pin 1 with respect to the support 131.
Rotating lever 1 rotatably mounted via 31a
32, a rotating member 133 that is rotatably attached to the support 131 via a pin 131a, and that rotates with the rotation of the rotation lever 132. A latching piece 134 and a latching piece 13 that is rotatably attached to the support portion 131 via a pin 131a and that rotates with the rotation of the rotation lever 132.
1b and the hook 134, and the hook 13
The tension coil spring 135 that urges the rotation lever 1b in the direction of arrow g in the figure and the lower end of the rotation lever 132 that is not attached to the support portion 131 are provided so as to be in contact with each other. A leaf spring 136 biasing in the direction of arrow h, and a pin 133a
And a connecting arm 137 for converting the turning operation of the turning member 133 into a linear operation, and a button 54 connected to the connecting arm 137 and provided on the sheet discharging door 50. And a latch member 138 for holding and releasing engagement with a notch hole 139b provided in a support plate 139 described later, and a support plate 139 for supporting the closed sheet discharging door 50.

In such a paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, the rotation lever 132 is attached not at right angles to the support 131 but at a predetermined angle. Here, the rotation lever 132 is attached such that the lower end is inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction toward the front panel 20. In this state, the rotating lever 132 is in a steady state by the urging force acting in the direction of the arrow g in the figure by the tension coil spring 135 and the urging force acting in the direction of the arrow h in the figure by the leaf spring 136. It is said. The paper discharge door opening mechanism 130 rotates the rotation lever 132 attached to the support 131 in the direction of the arrow i in FIG.
The connecting arm 137 is pulled in the direction of arrow g in FIG.
A driving force for releasing the engagement with 39b is generated. Specifically, in the sheet discharge door opening mechanism 130, when the rotation lever 132 is rotated leftward in the drawing, the rotation member 133 also rotates leftward in the drawing. As a result, the connecting arm 137 is pulled, so that the
Driving force is applied to 38. On the other hand, in the sheet discharging door opening mechanism 130, when the rotating lever 132 is rotated rightward in the drawing, the rotating member 133 also rotates rightward in the drawing. When the connection arm 137 is pulled, a driving force is applied to the latch member 138. Here, in the paper discharge door opening mechanism 130, the driving force applied to the latch member 138 is adjusted by adjusting the distance that the connecting arm 137 is pulled according to the turning operation of the turning lever 132. Then, it is possible to switch between holding and releasing the engagement between the button 54 and the cutout portion 139b.

Here, as shown by a broken line in the figure, the discharge door 50 is provided with a magnet 1 provided on a support plate 139.
The metal piece 53 provided on the back side of the button 51 is magnetically attracted by the 39a, and the metal piece 53 is arranged in parallel with the metal piece 53 on the back side of the button 51 with respect to the notch hole 139b provided on the support plate 139. When the button 54 is fitted, it comes into contact with the support plate 139 and covers the paper discharge port 22. In this state, as shown in FIG. 19A, the rotation lever 132 is rotated by a predetermined angle α from the perpendicular shown by the chain line in FIG. When the rotating lever 132 is rotated so as to be in a state, the rotating lever 132 is actually attached to the support portion 131 at a predetermined angle β. The angle of rotation is α-β, the distance by which the connecting arm 137 is pulled is small, and the engagement between the button 54 and the notch hole 139b is released by the driving force applied to the latch member 138. Absent. On the other hand, in this state, the discharge lever opening mechanism 130 causes the rotation lever 132 to rotate from the vertical line by a predetermined angle α to the right in the figure, as shown in FIG. And the rotating lever 13
2 is rotated, the angle at which the rotation lever 132 is actually rotated is α + β, the distance by which the connecting arm 137 is pulled is large, and the driving force applied to the latch member 138 causes the button 54 and the button 54 to rotate. The engagement with the notch 139b is released. As a result, the paper discharge door 50 is opened by its own weight in the direction of arrow j in FIG.

Now, in order to generate a driving force for opening such a paper discharge door 50, it is necessary to rotate the rotation lever 132. Therefore, the printer device 1
, The reciprocating drive of the ink replacement box 120 by the ink tank drive mechanism 32 is used as a drive source for rotating the rotation lever 132. That is, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 18, the contact claw member 121 is protruded from a part of the side wall of the ink replacement box 120. The pivot lever 132 is pivoted by passing over and contacting the pivot lever 132.

For a more specific explanation, FIG.
As shown in (A), the rotating lever 132 which is brought into a steady state by the urging force acting in the right direction in the figure by the tension coil spring 135 (not shown) and the urging force acting in the thickness direction by the leaf spring 136 is shown here. On the other hand, it is assumed that the contact claw member 121 moves from the right side in the direction of arrow k in FIG. In this case, in the printer device 1, as shown in FIG. 4B, the contact claw member 121 contacts and pushes the rotating lever 132 so that the rotating lever 132 is moved in the direction of the arrow l in FIG. Rotate. However, in the printer device 1, as described above, since the rotation lever 132 is attached to the support portion 131 at a predetermined angle, the connecting arm 137 is pulled only a small distance, and the latch member The engagement between the button 54 and the notch 139b is not released by the driving force applied to the 138. Therefore, in this case, the discharge door 50 does not open, and remains in a state of covering the discharge port 22. In the printer device 1, when the contact claw member 121 passes through the rotation lever 132, the rotation lever 132 returns to the steady state position by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 135 described above.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7C, it is assumed that the contact claw member 121 moves from the left side to the rotating lever 132 in the steady state in the direction of arrow m in FIG. I do. In this case, in the printer 1, as shown in FIG.
By pressing the contact 32, the rotation lever 132 is rotated in the direction of arrow n in FIG. Then, in the printer device 1, as described above, the connecting arm 13
7 is long, and the button 54 and the notch 1 are driven by the driving force applied to the latch member 138.
The engagement with 39b is released. As a result, the discharge door 5
0 is released by its own weight so that the printed sheet can be discharged to the outside. At this time, in the printer device 1, the leaf spring 136 bends downward due to the rotation of the rotation lever 132. In the printer device 1, when the contact claw member 121 passes through the rotation lever 132, the rotation lever 132 returns to the steady state position by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 135 and the restoring force of the leaf spring 136.

As described above, in the printer device 1,
When the printing operation is started, the ink-exchange box 120 is reciprocally driven by the ink-tank drive mechanism 32, so that the paper-discharge door opening mechanism 130 is operated, and the paper-discharge door 50 can be opened. With such a mechanism, in the printer device 1, the discharge door 50 is always opened when the printing operation is started.
The user does not have to worry about the open / close state of the paper discharge door 50 before the printing operation. In the printer 1, while the printing operation is being performed, the ink exchange box 120 is not used.
May be continuously driven, but it is only necessary to perform the reciprocating drive at least once before the printed sheet is discharged.

Next, a lock mechanism for locking the ink replacement door 60 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 21, the lock mechanism 140
Is provided along an ink tank drive mechanism 32 (not shown) and is connected to the ink replacement door 60.
The lock mechanism 140 has a link member 141 whose one end is rotatably attached to the support portion 63 of the ink replacement door 60 via a pin (not shown), and one end with respect to the other end of the connection arm 141. Is rotatably mounted via a pin 141a, an operation piece 143 is rotatably mounted on the operation arm 142 via a pin 141a, and an operation piece 143.
Are rotatably mounted via a rotation support shaft 144a, and the arrows o and p in FIG.
Operating member 144 that rotates in the direction of
A hooking piece 145 provided on an extension of the other end side of 2;
Hook 142a formed at the other end of operation arm 142
And the operation arm 14
2 has a tension coil spring 146 for urging the coil spring 2 in the direction of arrow q in FIG.

In such a lock mechanism 140, the operating arm 142 and the connecting arm 141 are pulled in the direction of the arrow q in the drawing by the urging force of the tension coil spring 146, and accordingly, the ink replacement door 60 is not opened. It has a configuration. In the lock mechanism 140, the distal end portion of the operating member 144 is bent at a substantially right angle to form the lock claw member 144b, and a part of the operation arm 142 in the longitudinal direction is projected in a T-shape. An engagement claw member 142b that engages with the lock claw member 144b is formed. Further, the locking mechanism 140
Although not shown, for example, a torsion coil spring or the like is attached to the rotation support shaft 144a to urge the operating member 144 in the direction of the arrow o in FIG. The pawl member 142b is configured to be engaged.

As described above, the lock mechanism 140 can lock the ink exchange door 60 with the ink exchange port 23 closed by the engagement between the lock claw member 144b and the engagement claw member 142. .

On the other hand, when replacing the ink tanks 100a and 100b, the lock mechanism 140 must release the lock and open the ink replacement door 60. Therefore, in the printer device 1, the lock is released by using the contact claw member 122 projecting from the bottom surface of the ink replacement box 120 toward the ink replacement door 60. That is, in the printer 1, the slope portion 143a is provided on the upper surface of the operation piece 143 of the lock mechanism 140, and the ink exchange box 120 is moved by the ink tank driving mechanism 32 in the direction of arrow r in FIG. The lock is released by the lower surface of the contact claw member 122 abutting on the slope portion 143a.

More specifically, in the lock mechanism 140, the lower surface of the contact claw member 122 contacts the slope portion 143a, and the ink replacement box 120 is connected to the slope portion 143a.
By moving along the direction 3a, the operating piece 143 is rotated about the pin 141a in the direction of the arrow p in FIG. Accordingly, in the lock mechanism 140,
The operating member 144 also rotates about the rotation support shaft 144a in the direction of the arrow p in the drawing, and the engagement between the lock claw member 144b and the engagement claw member 142b is released.

In the printer device 1, when the lock is released in this manner, the side wall 120a of the ink replacement box 120 comes into contact with the ink replacement door 60 as described above, so that the ink replacement door 60 is moved. Is released. On the other hand, in the printer device 1, the ink exchange box 120 is
Starts moving in the direction of the arrow q in the drawing, the operating arm 142 and the connecting arm 141 are pulled in the direction of the arrow q in the drawing by the restoring force of the tension coil spring 146, and accordingly, the ink replacement door 60 is moved. Is closed.
At this time, as the lower surface of the abutment claw member 122 passes through the slope portion 143a, the lock member 140 is urged again in the direction of arrow o in FIG. The state returns to the state where the engagement claw member 142b is engaged.

As described above, in the printer device 1,
The lock mechanism 140 locks the ink replacement door 60 in a state where the ink replacement port 23 is closed, so that even if the user tries to open it manually, it can be prevented from being opened. Therefore, in the printer device 1, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the user unnecessarily opens the ink replacement door 60, and dust and the like can be removed from the ink replacement port 23 through the main body 30.
It is also possible to reduce the possibility of being mixed into the inside.

Next, the optional device 80 will be described.

The optional device 80 is a unit for expanding the functions of the printer device 1 and, for example, a USB
An interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device through wired communication such as IEEE 1394 or IEEE 1394 or wireless communication such as infrared or Bluetooth is conceivable. Further, the optional device 80 may be a drive device that allows a recording medium such as a memory card to be detachable.
The printer device 1 can also perform a process of converting data supplied from an external device or data recorded on a recording medium via the optional device 80 into a format suitable for printing. Here, the explanation will be made assuming that the optional device 80 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data by wire communication.

Specifically, the optional device 80 is
As shown in FIG.
1 and a lower half 83 and a substrate 82.

The board 82 is provided with a bus connecting portion 82a for connecting a bus and a connector portion 82b for electrically connecting to the main body 30. When the optional device 80 is an interface for transmitting and receiving data by wireless communication, the substrate 82 is provided with a light receiving unit for receiving a signal instead of the bus connection unit 82a.

On the side wall of the lower half 83, a notch 83a for exposing the bus connection portion 82a of the substrate 82 to the outside of the lower half 83, and a connector portion 82b of the substrate 82 to the outside of the lower half 83. And a notch 83b for causing the notch 83b to be provided. Also, lower half 83
Are provided with openings 83c and 83d for mounting a panel 28 described later.

The optional device 80 as described above includes the substrate 8
2 is screwed inside the lower half 83, and the upper half 81 covers the lower half 83.
As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 82 is sandwiched between the upper half 81 and the lower half 83 to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing. Thus, the option device 80 has high resistance to static electricity, noise, and the like, and can be hardly broken.

Further, the panel 28 shown in FIG. As described above, the panel 28 has a main surface having substantially the same shape as the optional device attachment / detachment port 24 of the front panel 20. On the main surface of the panel 28, when the optional device 80 is attached to the main body 30, the bus connection portion 8 facing from the cutout portion 83a is provided.
An opening 28a for exposing 2a to the outside is formed. The panel 28 has flexible mounting members 28b and 28c on the back surface. Panel 2
8, as shown in FIG. 24, these mounting members 28b,
28c are attached to the optional device 80 by being inserted into the openings 83c and 83d of the optional device 80, respectively. Here, the mounting member 28b,
Each of the optional devices 80c has a generally T-shaped cross section with a wide end portion.
The tip has a function as a stopper so that it does not come off easily when inserted into the openings 83c and 83d. Further, the panel 28 has claw members 28 d and 28 e which have a substantially L-shaped cross section at both ends on the back surface and which are fitted into the optional device attachment / detachment opening 24 of the front panel 20.

Since such a panel 28 is provided with play between the flexible mounting members 28b and 28c and the openings 83c and 83d in the optional device 80 as shown in FIG. It is attached to the device 80 with a degree of freedom. The optional device 80 to which the panel 28 is attached is detachable from the main body 30 via the optional device opening 24 of the front panel 20. At this time, when the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30, the panel 28 is mounted on the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 after the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30. 20 and used as an exterior. When the optional device 80 is to be removed from the main body 30, the panel 28 is pulled out from the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 and is used as a handle for removing the optional device 80 from the main body 30.

Such an optional device 80 is detachable from a slot 150 shown in FIG. 25 through the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 of the front panel 20.
The slot 150 is attached to the main body 30 in communication with the optional device attachment / detachment port 24, and biases and stores the optional device 80 by spring members 151 and 152 provided on the upper surface and both side surfaces. The slot 150 is provided for the spring member 15.
When the optional device 80 is urged by the components 152, the upper half 81 and the lower half 83 of the optional device 80 can be brought into close contact with each other, so that the ground can be surely grounded. Further, the slot 150 is provided with a connector portion 153 on the inner side wall into which the optional device 80 is inserted. The main body 30 is electrically connected to the optional device 80 by inserting the connector portion 82b of the optional device 80 into the connector portion 153.

As described above, by attaching the panel 28 to the optional apparatus 80, the operability of the printer apparatus 1 is greatly improved, and the printer apparatus 1 visually gives a sense of quality. Further, in the printer device 1, by integrating the optional device 80 and the panel 28 with an easy configuration, the risk of losing each single component can be avoided, and the cost can be reduced. The panel 28 is attached to the main body 30 by the optional device 8.
When 0 is not attached, the optional device can be attached to the optional device attachment / detachment port 24 independently, and can also serve as an exterior together with the front panel 20. As a result, the printer device 1 allows dust or the like
In addition to reducing the possibility of being mixed in the inside of 0, it gives a sense of high-grade appearance visually.

The panel 28 is attached to the optional device 80 with a degree of freedom as described above, and is movable with respect to the optional device 80. This is for easily and reliably mounting the optional device 80 in the slot 150. That is, in consideration of mass production of the optional device 80 and the slot 150, individual differences usually occur between the optional device 80 and the slot 150 due to variations in production. In other words, the optional device 8
0 and the slot 150 have a predetermined dimensional tolerance. Here, when the panel 28 is not movable but integrated with the optional device 80, the positional relationship between the panel 28 and the optional device attaching / detaching port 24 is uniquely determined. , Optional equipment 8
0, the installation position of the connector portion 82b and the slot 1
It is conceivable that the position of the connector portion 153 in the position 50 is shifted and the optional device 80 cannot be mounted in the slot 150. Therefore, in the printer device 1, the panel 28 is attached to the optional device 80 with a degree of freedom, and the connector portion 82b and the connector portion 153 are securely inserted. It is moved and adjusted to match the optional device attachment / detachment opening 24.

The printer device 1 has such a panel 28
Is attached to the main body 30, the image data transmitted from the external device can be received, and the image data can be printed. Specifically, after the optional device 80 is mounted on the main body 30, the printer 1
Bus connection part 8 which can be seen through opening 28a
By connecting the cable 201 to which the digital still camera 200 is connected to 2a, image data shot and recorded by the digital still camera 200 is directly received without a host computer or the like, and printing is performed. can do.

That is, as described above, the printer device 1 can receive image data through the bus connection unit 38 provided in the main body 30, but can also use the optional device 80 mounted on the main body 30. Image data can be received. Therefore, the printer device 1
Each time an external device is connected, it is not necessary to perform wiring to the rear surface of the main body 30 provided with the bus connection portion 38, and the connection can be performed from the front surface. Convenience can be provided. Needless to say, the printer device 1 is always connected to a stationary external device such as a computer via the bus connection unit 38, so that the convenience can be further improved.

As described above, the printer apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with the operation surfaces for performing all the main operations collectively on the front panel 20, so that the operation is performed via the front panel 20. It is possible to perform all main operations. Therefore, the printer device 1 is excellent in operability and can place an object on the upper surface. Therefore, when the printer device 1 is stored together with other AV devices, the printer device 1 can be stacked and stored. It is possible to provide high convenience without complicated work for the user. In addition, the printer device 1 can greatly reduce the possibility that dust or the like gets into the inside of the main body 30 and is excellent in the storability of paper, so that it can provide the user with high reliability. As described above, the printer device 1 is highly reliable, excellent in operability, and provides excellent convenience. In particular, the printer 1 has an optional device attaching / detaching port 24 with respect to the front panel 20.
The optional device 80 is attached to and detached from the main body 30 through the optional device attachment / detachment opening 24, which is formed in an upper region of the sheet ejection port 22 and other than a region where the sheet having the minimum size is ejected. It is possible to do. Further, since the printer device 1 is provided with the panel 28 which is movable with respect to the optional device 80, the optional device 80 can be easily and reliably attached to and detached from the main body 30. It is excellent in operability.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in order to open the paper discharge door 50, the ink exchange by the ink tank driving mechanism 32 is performed. It has been described that the paper ejection door opening mechanism 130 that is operated by the movement of the ink box 120 is provided. However, the paper ejection door 50 may be opened by another mechanism that does not use the movement of the ink replacement box 120. Good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the contact claw member 122 of the ink replacement box 120 is used to release the lock of the ink replacement door 60. You may make it cancel without using it.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printer device 1 has been described as forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer casing. However, the present invention is, for example, shown in FIG. The printer device may have a shape formed by cutting down a straight line connecting the two points in the height direction. In such a printer device, the user can perform a main operation from the front by giving a function equivalent to that of the above-described front panel to the substantially flat surface S formed by cutting down. That is, the present invention can be applied to any shape of the outer casing as long as one surface facing the user is a substantially flat surface and this one surface is an operation surface.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printer device 1 has been described as having a serial head and performing printing by an ink jet method. However, the present invention is not limited to the serial head, but in the paper feeding direction. It can be applied to a printer device having a line head in which a plurality of driving elements are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the printer, and is also applicable to a type that prints by thermal transfer instead of printing by an ink jet method. It is possible. When the present invention is applied to a type in which printing is performed by thermal transfer, each unit for replacing an ink ribbon is provided instead of each unit for replacing an ink tank.

As described above, it goes without saying that the present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0080]

As described above in detail, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, and is a sheet feeding apparatus for storing a sheet to be fed. Paper tray attachment / detachment port for attaching / detaching the tray unit to / from the main unit, paper ejection port for discharging printed paper, and optional devices for implementing various extended functions. And an exterior panel which has a substantially planar main surface and constitutes one surface of the outer casing, and which can be opened and closed on the exterior panel so as to close at least the paper discharge port. A paper discharge door which is attached and is opened to discharge the printed paper from the paper discharge port, and the optional device is provided with a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as that of the optional device attachment / detachment port. Port and optional device attachment / detachment port The paper ejection door, which is attached to the exterior panel so that it can be opened and closed so as to be closed, is attached to and detached from the main unit through the optional device attachment / exit opening that can be accessed with the door open. When the optional device is attached to the main body, the optional device is inserted into the optional device attaching / detaching opening and attached.
Used as an exterior, when the optional device is detached from the main body, it is pulled out from the optional device attaching / detaching opening and used as a handle for detaching the optional device from the main body.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the panel is attached to the optional device, the panel is used as an exterior when the optional device is mounted on the main body, and when the optional device is removed from the main body. By using the optional device as a handle for removing the optional device from the main body, the optional device can be attached to and detached from the main body with excellent operability. In addition, since the image forming apparatus can perform main operations via the exterior panel, the upper surface of the outer casing can be freely used, and when the image forming apparatus is stored together with other devices, the image forming apparatus can be stacked. It can be stored, space saving of an installation place can be achieved, and a user can be provided with high convenience without complicated work. Further, the image forming apparatus can greatly reduce the possibility that dust or the like gets into the inside of the main body, and is excellent in the storability of paper, so that high reliability can be provided to the user.

Further, the function expansion device according to the present invention is a function expansion device which is detachable from an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording sheet, and realizes various expansion functions. In the image forming apparatus, a paper feed tray means attaching / detaching opening for attaching / detaching the paper feed tray means for accommodating paper to be fed to / from the main body, and a paper ejection outlet for ejecting printed paper are provided. An outer panel having a substantially flat main surface and constituting one surface of an outer casing; and an openable and closably attached to the outer panel so as to close at least a paper discharge opening, and discharge printed paper. A discharge door that is opened to discharge the paper from the paper exit, and a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as the attachment / detachment opening formed in the exterior panel is attached, and Can be opened and closed freely on the exterior panel so as to close the opening The panel is attached / detached to / from the main unit via the attachment / detachment opening with the paper ejection door to be opened. When the panel is inserted into and used as an exterior and is detached from the main body, the panel is pulled out from the opening and is used as a handle for detaching from the main body.

Therefore, in the function expansion device according to the present invention, the panel is used as an exterior when the panel is attached and attached to the main body, and when the panel is detached from the main body, the panel is used for removing from the main body. By being used as a handle, it can be attached to and detached from the main body with excellent operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of the printer device.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration of a front panel provided in the printer device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, and is a diagram illustrating a state in which a paper feed tray included in the printer device can be detachably detached from a main body.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which a paper discharge door provided in the printer device is opened.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, illustrating a state in which a printed sheet is discharged from a discharge port with a discharge door opened. is there.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, in which when printing is performed on a sheet having a width that is significantly shorter than the width of the paper discharge port in the longitudinal direction, the printed sheet is FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a state in which paper is discharged from a paper discharge port.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink replacement door provided in the printer apparatus, and is a view of the ink replacement door as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, illustrating a state in which an ink replacement door is opened and an ink replacement box in which an ink tank is mounted is exposed to the outside. .

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of the printer, illustrating a paper discharge tray provided in the printer.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the printer device, illustrating a paper discharge tray.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view for explaining an appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which a sheet discharge tray can be detachably detached from a main body.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view for explaining an external appearance of the printer device, and for explaining a state in which an optional device is detachable from a main body.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of the printer device, as viewed from the back side of the printer device.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the printer device, in which a cover is removed and a sheet reversing drive mechanism provided inside the main body is made visible from the outside. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating an internal configuration of a main body of the printer.

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of a main part of the printer device, for explaining the operation of the sheet reversing drive mechanism.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a paper discharge door opening mechanism included in the main body of the printer apparatus.

FIGS. 19A and 19B are cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the paper discharge door opening mechanism. FIG. 19A is a diagram illustrating a state in which a rotation lever is rotated to the left. (B) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rotating lever is rotated rightward,

FIGS. 20A and 20B are cross-sectional views illustrating the operation of the paper discharge door opening mechanism, in which a contact claw member moves from the right side with respect to a rotating lever in a steady state; FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rotating lever is rotated by the contact claw member pressing the rotating lever from the state illustrated in FIG. And (C)
(D) is a diagram for explaining how the contact claw member moves from the left side with respect to the rotating lever that is in a steady state.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the rotating lever is rotated by the contact claw member abutting and pressing the rotating lever from the state illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a lock mechanism provided in the main body of the printer device.

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of an optional device.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an optional device and a panel attached to the optional device.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an optional device and a panel attached to the optional device, and is a diagram illustrating a state where the panel is attached to the optional device.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view of a main part of the printer, illustrating a configuration of a slot in which an optional device is mounted.

FIG. 26 is a diagram for describing a usage example of an optional device.

FIG. 27 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a printer device different from the printer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer device, 10 cover, 20 front panel, 21 paper tray insertion / detachment port, 22 paper output port,
23 ink exchange port, 24 optional device attachment / detachment port, 25 switch opening, 26 lamp opening, 28 panel, 28a, 83c, 83d opening, 28b, 28c mounting member, 28d, 28e
Claw member, 30 main body, 31 head unit driving mechanism, 32 ink tank driving mechanism, 33 paper inversion driving mechanism, 34 electric control section, 35 jammed paper removing port,
36 lid, 37 power cord insertion part, 38 bus connection part, 40 paper feed tray, 50 paper discharge door,
60 Ink replacement door, 70 paper output tray, 80 optional device, 81 upper half, 82 substrate, 8
2a bus connection part, 82b, 153 connector part,
83 lower half, 83a, 83b notch, 90
Switch group, 91 lamp group, 100a, 100b
Ink tank, 110 Head unit, 111
Ink tank carriage, 120 Ink replacement box, 130 Paper ejection door opening mechanism, 140 Lock mechanism, 150 slot, 151, 152 Spring member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C061 AQ05 BB02 BB10 BB30 BB35 CD24 CE01 CF06 CF14 2H071 AA35 AA42 AA48 AA52 BA02 BA03 DA22 DA24 EA04 3F054 AA01 AB01 AC01 BA02 BC05 BC09 BJ02 DA12 DA22 3F343 FA02 FA03

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet as a recording medium, comprising a sheet feeding tray means for attaching and detaching a sheet feeding tray means for storing the sheet to be fed to a main body. An outlet, an outlet for discharging the printed sheet, and an optional device attaching / detaching opening for attaching / detaching an optional device for realizing various extended functions to / from the main body are formed. An exterior panel having a main surface in the shape of an outer casing and forming one surface of an outer housing; and a paper discharge port attached to the exterior panel so as to close at least the paper discharge port so that the printed sheet can be opened and closed. A discharge door that is opened to discharge paper from the storage device, the optional device is provided with a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as the optional device attachment / detachment port, To block The panel is attached to and detached from the main body through the optional device attaching / detaching opening in which the paper discharge door attached to the exterior panel so as to be openable and closable is open. When the optional device is attached to the main body, the optional device is inserted and attached to the optional device attaching / detaching opening, used as an exterior, and when the optional device is removed from the main body. An image forming apparatus, which is drawn out from the optional device attaching / detaching opening and used as a handle for removing the optional device from the main body. 2. The panel is provided with a flexible mounting member, and the optional device is provided with an opening through which the mounting member is inserted into a housing. 2. An image according to claim 1, wherein said optional device is attached to said optional device by play provided between said mounting member and said opening, and is movable with respect to said optional device. Forming equipment. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a stopper for preventing the attachment member from coming off when inserted into the opening is formed. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optional device is configured such that a substrate is covered with a metal case having a shielding property. 5. The board is provided with a connector portion for electrically connecting to the main body, and the connector portion is exposed to the outside through a cutout provided in the housing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said main body includes a slot member which is attached in communication with said optional device attaching / detaching port and accommodates said optional device. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the optional device is urged by a spring member provided in the slot member, and the housing is housed in close contact with the slot member. apparatus. 8. The optional device is a communication unit for performing wired communication with an external device. The board is provided with a bus connection unit for connecting the external device, and An opening for further exposing the bus connection portion, which is exposed to the outside via a cutout provided in the housing when attached to the optional device, to the outside. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 9. The optional device is a communication unit for performing wireless communication with an external device, and the substrate is provided with a light receiving unit for receiving a signal from the external device, The panel is provided with an opening for further exposing the light-receiving portion exposed to the outside through a cutout provided in the housing when the panel is attached to the optional device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: 10. The optional device attachment / detachment opening is formed in an area above the sheet ejection port with respect to the exterior panel and in an area other than an area where the sheet having the minimum size is ejected. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 11. The paper discharge door, when opened, functions as auxiliary paper discharge tray means, and stacks the printed paper discharged from the paper discharge port on the upper surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 12. An ink tank in which an ink droplet is ejected and landed on the paper, thereby printing an image with dots on the paper. In order to replace the ink tank through the ink exchange port, an ink exchange port for exchanging the ink tank is provided. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an ink replacement door that is opened. 13. A paper discharge tray means for forming a paper discharge path for the printed sheet inside the main body, wherein the paper discharge door is sent out from the paper discharge tray means in an open state. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printed sheets discharged from the discharge port are stacked on an upper surface. 14. The paper discharge tray means, wherein the edge on the side where the paper discharge door is provided has an area vertically overlapping with the edge of the opened paper discharge door, 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the upper surface of the paper discharge tray is disposed above the upper surface of the open paper discharge door. 15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said paper discharge tray means is detachable from said main body through said paper discharge port. 16. The exterior panel has an operator opening for exposing at least one or more operators for various operations to the outside, and at least one or more light emitting elements for reporting various states to the outside. 2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a light emitting element opening is provided. 17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the paper is jammed inside the main body, the jammed paper can be removed from the paper discharge port. 18. The discharge port is provided such that the volume of the area where the paper having the minimum size is discharged is larger than the volume of the area other than the area where the paper having the minimum size is discharged. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein: 19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the main body has a light emitting element that emits light when the paper is jammed, and the light emitting element illuminates the inside of the main body. 20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior panel forms one surface facing a user of the outer casing. 21. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the outer casing is substantially flat. 22. A function expansion device that is detachable from an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet serving as a recording medium and realizes various expansion functions. A paper feed tray means attaching / detaching opening for attaching / detaching the paper feed tray means for accommodating the paper to be printed to / from the main body and a paper ejection outlet for ejecting the printed paper are perforated. An outer panel having one main surface and forming one surface of an outer casing, and attached to the outer panel so as to close at least the paper discharge port so as to be openable and closable, and the printed sheet is transferred from the paper discharge port through the paper discharge port. A sheet discharging door that is opened to discharge the sheet, a panel having a main surface having substantially the same shape as an attaching / detaching port formed in the exterior panel is attached, and the sheet discharging port and the loading port are provided. Close the outlet and close to the exterior panel The paper ejection door is attached to and detached from the main body through the attachment / detachment opening in which the paper ejection door is attached in an open state, and is attached to the main body when attached to the main body. After that, the panel is fitted into and attached to the attachment / detachment opening, used as an exterior, and when detached from the main body, the panel is pulled out from the attachment / detachment opening and used as a handle for detaching from the main body. Function expansion device characterized by being able to be. 23. An opening through which a flexible mounting member provided in the panel is inserted is formed in the housing, and the panel is provided between the mounting member and the opening. 23. The function expansion device according to claim 22, wherein the function expansion device is mounted with a degree of freedom by the provided play and is movable. 24. The function expansion device according to claim 23, wherein a stopper for preventing the attachment member from being detached when inserted into the opening is formed on the attachment member. 25. The substrate according to claim 22, wherein the substrate is covered with a metal case having a shielding property.
Functional expansion device as described. 26. A connector for electrically connecting to the main body of the image forming apparatus on the substrate, wherein the connector is provided through a notch provided in the housing. The function expansion device according to claim 25, wherein the function expansion device is exposed to the outside. 27. The image forming apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the main body of the image forming apparatus is attached to the main body in communication with the attachment / detachment port, housed in a slot member, and mounted on the main body. Function expansion device. 28. The function expansion device according to claim 27, wherein the housing is urged by a spring member provided in the slot member and the housing is housed in close contact with the slot member. 29. A communication means for performing wired communication with an external device, wherein the board is provided with a bus connection portion for connecting the external device, and the panel is provided with the housing 26. The function expansion device according to claim 25, wherein an opening is further provided for exposing the bus connection portion exposed to the outside through a cutout provided in the body. 30. A communication unit for performing wireless communication with an external device, wherein the substrate is provided with a light receiving unit for receiving a signal from the external device, and the panel includes: 26. The function expansion device according to claim 25, wherein an opening is further provided for exposing the light-receiving portion exposed to the outside through a cutout provided in the housing.