JP2008000907A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An opening / closing detection switch structure of a cover member of an image forming apparatus is simplified, a space required for installation is reduced, and an opening / closing operation of the cover member is enabled with a small force.
A protrusion 62 projecting inward is provided in the vicinity of the upper end portion of the cover member 60 on the front surface of the housing 6, and a roller 63 rotatably supported near the tip end portion of the protrusion 62 is provided on the circuit board 51. The switch 54 is mounted in the vicinity of the front surface of the motor, and the turning lever 56 is connected to the operation member 55. In the closed state of the cover member 60, the roller 63 comes into contact with the second portion 56b of the turning lever 56, the operation member 55 of the switch 54 is pushed into the circuit board 51 side, and the switch 54 is turned on or off. In the open state of the cover member 60, the roller 63 is separated from the second portion 56 b of the turning lever 56, and the operating member 55 is pushed up in a direction away from the circuit board 51 by the spring of the switch 54, so that the switch 54 is turned off or on. The control unit 50 detects the open / closed state of the cover member 60.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an open / close detection switch structure of a cover member thereof.

  In general, in an image forming apparatus such as an ink jet printer or a laser beam printer, various cover members can be opened and closed in order to replace consumables such as ink cartridges and toner and to eliminate paper jams. ing. In order to disable the operation of the image forming apparatus when the user opens any cover, the housing is provided with a switch for detecting opening and closing of the cover member.

  In Patent Document 1, a protrusion is provided on a cover member that can be opened and closed with respect to a housing, and when the paper supply / discharge unit is displaced to eliminate paper jam, the paper supply / discharge unit pushes the protrusion outward, The structure which makes a cover member a half-open state is shown. The opening / closing of the cover member is detected by turning on / off a detector (switch) in conjunction with the displacement of the paper supply / discharge unit. However, in such a structure, since the opening and closing of the cover member is indirectly detected, the structure is complicated and the space required for installation increases. As a result, the image forming apparatus is contrary to the demand for reduction in size and weight and cost.

  In Patent Document 2, even if a plurality of contact portions are provided on a lever member interlocked with a switch and a cover member having a different shape is attached, the cover member can be used in common for a plurality of models having different cover opening and closing directions. The structure of the cover open / close detection switch configured to be able to perform the same operation is shown. According to such a configuration, the lever member interlocked with the switch becomes unnecessarily large, which is contrary to the demand for reduction in size and weight and cost of the image forming apparatus.

  By the way, with the spread of digital still cameras in recent years, a photo printer that forms an image using digital image data by connecting a digital camera directly or mounting a removable memory without using a personal computer (for home use) Image forming apparatus) has been put into practical use. Such a photo printer is designed to be very compact so that it can be carried by the user, although the size of paper that can be printed is limited. A switch structure for detecting opening and closing of the cover member is also required to be designed simply and compactly. In addition, since the selling price of the photo printer is low, cost reduction is also required. Furthermore, since it may be used by various users from children to the elderly, it must be possible to open and close the cover member with a small force. Therefore, the switch structure for detecting the opening / closing of the cover member in the photo printer needs to be designed from a viewpoint different from the conventional switch structure.

JP 2003-266875 A JP 10-269882 A

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the conventional example, and has a simple structure, requires a small space for installation, and can open and close the cover member with a small force. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus having a switch structure.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1
A paper feed tray provided on the back side of the housing and loaded with recording paper;
Paper feeding means for transporting the recording paper held in the paper feeding tray into the housing;
Image forming means for forming an image on the recording paper conveyed by the paper feeding means;
A paper discharge means for conveying the recording paper on which the image is formed by the image forming means to the outside of the apparatus;
A paper discharge tray provided at the front side end of the housing, conveyed by the paper discharge means, and for receiving the recording paper discharged to the outside of the housing;
A card connector to which a removable memory is mounted;
A USB connector to which other electronic devices are connected directly or via a cable;
In an image forming apparatus comprising a circuit board on which a control unit for controlling at least the paper feeding unit, the image forming unit, and the paper discharging unit is mounted.
The housing has an openable / closable cover member provided on the front side thereof, and a lower end portion of the cover member is rotatable with respect to the housing by a hinge structure,
The circuit board is held substantially horizontally in the upper part of the housing,
On the circuit board and in the vicinity of the front surface of the housing, a switch is mounted with an operating member protruding vertically upward with respect to the circuit board.
The operation member of the switch extends downward from a first portion substantially parallel to the circuit board and a front end of the first portion in a state where the operation member is pushed into the circuit board side. And a revolving lever that is revolved in a plane perpendicular to the circuit board is connected,
In the vicinity of the upper end of the cover member, a projection protruding inward of the housing so as to contact the second portion of the swivel lever in a closed state, and a rotation horizontally near the tip of the projection There is a roller supported by
When the cover member is closed, the roller abuts against the second portion of the swivel lever, the switch operating member is pushed into the circuit board side, and the switch is turned on or off, thereby controlling the control. Means detects that the cover member is closed;
In a state where the cover member is opened, the roller is separated from the second portion of the turning lever, and the operation member is pushed up in a direction away from the circuit board by a spring of the switch, so that the switch is turned off or on. Thereby, the control means detects that the cover member is opened,
By directly turning on and off the switch by opening and closing the lever member via the protrusion, the roller and the turning lever, the structure is simple, the space required for installation is small, and the cost is low. A cover member opening / closing detection switch structure that reduces the load required for the opening / closing operation of the cover member is provided.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray is taken into the housing one by one, and the image is formed on the recording paper using the digital image data input from the outside. In the image forming apparatus for discharging the recorded paper onto the paper discharge tray,
The housing has a cover member that can be opened and closed,
In the vicinity of the cover member of the housing, a switch from which an operation member protrudes is mounted,
The operation member of the switch is connected to a turning lever that turns in a vertical plane,
In the vicinity of the upper end of the cover member, a protrusion protruding inward of the housing so as to abut on the swivel lever in a closed state, and a roller rotatably supported near the tip of the protrusion Is provided.

The invention of claim 3 is the image forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The switch is mounted on a circuit board held substantially horizontally above the switch inside the housing, and the operating member protrudes vertically upward with respect to the circuit board,
The swivel lever includes a first portion that is substantially parallel to the circuit board in a state where the operation member is pushed into the circuit board side, and a second part that extends downward from a front end of the first part. Having a portion, swiveling in a plane perpendicular to the circuit board,
When the cover member is closed, the roller abuts against the second portion of the swivel lever, the switch operating member is pushed into the circuit board side, and the switch is turned on or off, thereby the cover. Detect that the member is closed,
In a state where the cover member is opened, the roller is separated from the second portion of the turning lever, and the operation member is pushed up in a direction away from the circuit board by the spring of the switch, so that the switch is turned off or on. Thereby, it is detected that the cover member is opened.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the cover member is provided with the protrusion and the roller, the switch and the turning lever are provided on the circuit board, and the protrusion, the roller and the turning lever are connected via the opening and closing of the cover member. Since the switch is directly turned on / off, an open / close detection switch structure with a simple structure, a small space required for installation, and a low cost can be obtained. Furthermore, the contact position of the roller and the second portion of the swivel lever is displaced with the opening and closing operation of the cover member, but the friction between the roller and the swivel lever is reduced by the rotation of the roller, and the load required to open and close the cover member Can be reduced. As a result, the image forming apparatus such as a photo printer can be reduced in size and weight and the cost can be reduced, and the cover member can be easily opened and closed, so that it can be used by a wide range of users from children to the elderly.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a switch having an operating member protruding is mounted in the vicinity of the front surface of the housing, and a turning lever that rotates in a plane perpendicular to the operating member of the switch is connected. Protrusions projecting inside the housing so as to abut the swivel lever in a closed state and rollers rotatably supported near the tip of the projections are provided in the vicinity. In conjunction with this, the switch can be directly turned on / off via the protrusion, the roller and the turning lever. As a result, a cover member open / close detection switch structure having a simple structure, a small space required for installation, and a low cost can be obtained.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the switch can be mounted on the circuit board held substantially horizontally above the housing inside the housing, the switch can be easily mounted and can be easily assembled and inspected. Thus, the cost can be reduced.

  An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a photo printer (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus 1) which is an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a paper feed tray 2 in which recording paper P is loaded and held, a transport mechanism 3 that transports the recording paper P held in the paper feed tray 2, and a transport mechanism. 3, an image forming unit (image forming unit) 4 that forms an image on the recording paper P conveyed by 3, a paper discharge tray 5 on which the recording paper P on which an image has been formed by the image forming unit 4 is discharged and deposited, A housing 6 that accommodates the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4 and a control unit 50 that controls the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4 are configured.

  In the transport mechanism 3, an image is formed by the first transport mechanism (paper feed unit) 3 a that transports the recording paper P held on the paper feed tray 2 to an image forming position by the image forming unit 4 and the image forming unit 4. A second transport mechanism (paper discharge means) 3b for transporting the recording paper to the paper discharge tray 5 and a feed motor (roller drive means) 30 for driving the first transport mechanism 3a and the second transport mechanism 3b are included. The

  The image forming unit 4 reciprocates in the main scanning direction B (see FIG. 3) orthogonal to the conveyance direction A (sub-scanning direction) of the recording paper P while supporting the ink cartridge 40 filled with ink and the ink cartridge 40. A moving carrier 41, a carrier driving motor (carrier driving means) 42 for driving the carrier 41, and the like are configured. A print head 43 that ejects ink onto the recording paper P is provided on the lower surface of the ink cartridge 40. The carrier 41 is supported by a shaft 44 disposed in parallel to the main scanning direction so as to be reciprocally movable, and is driven by the carrier drive motor 42 to move. The output of the carrier drive motor 42 is transmitted to the carrier 41 via a belt or the like. An image is formed on the recording paper P by ejecting ink from the print head 43 in synchronization with the drive of the feed motor 30 and the carrier drive motor 42 under the control of the control unit.

  The first transport mechanism 3 a is provided on the upstream side of the print roller 43 and the pickup roller 31 that sends the recording paper P placed on the paper feed tray 2 to the inside of the apparatus main body, and the recording that is sent by the pickup roller 31. A paper feed roller 32 that feeds the paper P to the print head 43 side, a pressure roller 33 that presses the recording paper P against the paper feed roller 32, and the like. The second transport mechanism 3b includes a paper discharge roller 38 that transports the recording paper P on which an image is formed to the paper discharge tray 5, a star wheel 39 that presses the recording paper P against the paper discharge roller 38, and the like. Yes. A handle 7 that is gripped when the image forming apparatus 1 is carried is rotatably provided on the upper surface of the housing 6.

  Inside the housing 6, a circuit board 51 on which the control unit 50 and the like are mounted is horizontally held by a frame (not shown). The circuit board 51 is mounted with a card connector 52 to which a removable memory is attached, a USB connector 53 to which other electronic devices are connected directly or via a cable. Note that the card connector 52 and the USB connector 53 do not necessarily have to be mounted on the circuit board 51 due to design or the like. Furthermore, on the circuit board 51, a keypad (not shown) for starting and stopping printing, selecting an image to be printed, and setting the number of sheets to be printed may be provided.

  Next, the opening / closing detection switch structure of the cover member in this embodiment will be described. 2 is a perspective view showing a cover member open / close detection switch structure of the image forming apparatus 1, FIG. 3A is a side view showing an open state of the cover member, and FIG. 3B is a closed state thereof. FIG.

  As shown in each figure, a cover member 60 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front side of the housing 6, and an end 61 on the lower side of the cover member 60 is rotatable with respect to the housing 6 by a hinge structure. is there. On the circuit board 51 and in the vicinity of the front surface of the housing 6, a switch 54 in which an operation member 55 protrudes vertically upward with respect to the circuit board is mounted. A turning lever 56 is connected to the operation member 55 of the switch 54. The swivel lever 56 includes a first portion 56a that is substantially parallel to the circuit board 51 and a second portion that extends downward from the front end of the first part in a state where the operation member 55 is pushed toward the circuit board 51. It has a portion 56 b and swivels in a plane perpendicular to the circuit board 51. In the vicinity of the upper end portion of the cover member 60, the projection 62 projecting inward of the housing 6 so as to contact the second portion 56 b of the turning lever 56 in a closed state, and rotatable near the tip end portion of the projection 62. A roller 63 supported horizontally is provided.

  When the cover member 60 is closed, the roller 63 comes into contact with the second portion 56b of the turning lever 56, the operation member 55 of the switch 54 is pushed into the circuit board 51, and the switch 54 is turned on or off. Thereby, the control unit 50 detects that the cover member 60 is closed. In a state where the cover member 60 is closed, the control unit 50 puts the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4 into an operable state. An image can be formed on the recording paper P by controlling the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4 using digital image data input from the outside. On the other hand, in the state in which the cover member 60 is opened, the roller 63 is separated from the second portion 56b of the turning lever 56, and the operating member 55 is pushed up in the direction away from the circuit board 51 by the spring of the switch 54. Turn on. Thereby, the control unit 50 detects that the cover member 60 is opened. In a state where the cover member 60 is opened, the user is trying to remove the jammed recording paper P or to replace the ink cartridge 40, so the control unit 50 operates the transport mechanism 3 and the image forming unit 4. Disable.

  Thus, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the projection 62 and the roller 63 are provided on the cover member 60, and the switch 54 and the turning lever 56 are provided on the circuit board 51. Since the switch 54 is directly turned on / off via the protrusion 62, the roller 63, and the turning lever 56, the structure is simpler than that of the conventional one, the space required for installation is small, and the cover member can be opened and closed at low cost. A detection switch structure is obtained. Further, the contact position of the roller 63 and the second portion 56b of the turning lever 56 is displaced with the opening / closing operation of the cover member 60, but the friction between the roller 63 and the turning lever 56 is reduced by the rotation of the roller 63. Thus, the load required to open and close the cover member 60 can be reduced. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 such as a photo printer can be reduced in size and weight and the cost can be reduced, and the cover member can be easily opened and closed, so that a wide range of users from children to elderly people can be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and can be applied to laser printers and other image forming apparatuses. Further, the cover member is not limited to the one provided on the front surface of the housing, and may be provided at other places such as the back surface and the upper surface of the housing. Furthermore, the switch does not necessarily have to be mounted on the circuit board, and may be attached to the inner wall or frame of the housing.

  That is, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention takes recording sheets loaded on the sheet feeding tray one by one into the housing, forms an image on the recording sheet using digital image data input from the outside, In the image forming apparatus that discharges the recording paper on which the image is formed onto a paper discharge tray, the housing has a cover member that can be opened and closed, and a switch from which an operation member protrudes is provided in the vicinity of the cover member of the housing. A swiveling lever that is swiveled in a vertical plane is connected to the operating member of the switch. The swiveling lever is in contact with the swiveling lever in a closed state near the upper end of the cover member. It is only necessary that a protrusion protruding inside the housing and a roller rotatably supported near the tip of the protrusion are provided.

1 is a side sectional view showing a configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an open / close detection switch structure of a cover member of the image forming apparatus. (A) is a side view which shows the open state of the cover member in the opening / closing detection switch structure of the said cover member, (b) is a side view which shows the closed state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Paper feed tray 3 Conveyance mechanism 3a 1st conveyance mechanism (paper feed means)
3b Second transport mechanism (paper discharge means)
4 Image forming unit (image forming means)
5 Discharge tray 6 Housing 50 Control section (control means)
51 Circuit board 52 Card connector 53 USB connector 54 Switch 55 (Switch) operation member 56 Swivel lever 56a (Swivel lever) first part 56b (Swivel lever) second part 60 Cover member 61 (Cover member) under Side end 62 Protrusion 63 Roller

Claims (3)

A paper feed tray provided on the back side of the housing and loaded with recording paper;
Paper feeding means for transporting the recording paper held in the paper feeding tray into the housing;
Image forming means for forming an image on the recording paper conveyed by the paper feeding means;
A paper discharge means for conveying the recording paper on which the image is formed by the image forming means to the outside of the apparatus;
A paper discharge tray provided at the front side end of the housing, conveyed by the paper discharge means, and for receiving the recording paper discharged to the outside of the housing;
A card connector to which a removable memory is mounted;
A USB connector to which other electronic devices are connected directly or via a cable;
In an image forming apparatus comprising a circuit board on which a control unit for controlling at least the sheet feeding unit, the image forming unit, and the sheet discharging unit is mounted.
The housing has an openable / closable cover member provided on the front side thereof, and a lower end portion of the cover member is rotatable with respect to the housing by a hinge structure,
The circuit board is held substantially horizontally in the upper part of the housing,
On the circuit board and in the vicinity of the front surface of the housing, a switch is mounted with an operating member protruding vertically upward with respect to the circuit board.
The operating member of the switch extends downward from a first portion substantially parallel to the circuit board and a front end of the first portion in a state where the operating member is pushed into the circuit board. And a revolving lever that is revolved in a plane perpendicular to the circuit board is connected,
In the vicinity of the upper end of the cover member, a projection protruding inward of the housing so as to contact the second portion of the swivel lever in a closed state, and a rotation horizontally near the tip of the projection There is a roller supported by
When the cover member is closed, the roller abuts against the second portion of the swivel lever, the switch operating member is pushed into the circuit board side, and the switch is turned on or off, thereby the control. Means detects that the cover member is closed;
In a state where the cover member is opened, the roller is separated from the second portion of the turning lever, and the operation member is pushed up in a direction away from the circuit board by the spring of the switch, so that the switch is turned off or on. Thereby, the control means detects that the cover member is opened,
By directly turning on and off the switch by opening and closing the lever member via the protrusion, the roller and the turning lever, the structure is simple, the space required for installation is small, the cost is low, and the roller is used to An image forming apparatus comprising a cover member open / close detection switch structure that reduces a load required for opening and closing the cover member. The recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray is taken into the housing one by one, and an image is formed on the recording paper using digital image data input from the outside. In the image forming apparatus that discharges above,
The housing has a cover member that can be opened and closed,
In the vicinity of the cover member of the housing, a switch from which an operation member protrudes is mounted,
The operation member of the switch is connected to a turning lever that turns in a vertical plane,
In the vicinity of the upper end of the cover member, a protrusion protruding inward of the housing so as to abut on the swivel lever in a closed state, and a roller rotatably supported near the tip of the protrusion An image forming apparatus comprising: The switch is mounted on a circuit board held substantially horizontally above the switch inside the housing, and the operating member protrudes vertically upward with respect to the circuit board,
The swivel lever includes a first portion that is substantially parallel to the circuit board in a state where the operation member is pushed into the circuit board side, and a second part that extends downward from a front end of the first part. Having a portion, swiveling in a plane perpendicular to the circuit board,
When the cover member is closed, the roller abuts against the second portion of the swivel lever, the switch operating member is pushed into the circuit board side, and the switch is turned on or off, thereby the cover. Detect that the member is closed,
In a state where the cover member is opened, the roller is separated from the second portion of the turning lever, and the operation member is pushed up in a direction away from the circuit board by the spring of the switch, so that the switch is turned off or on. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein it is detected that the cover member is opened.

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