JP3979641B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an image carrier and a part or all of a process apparatus that forms a latent image on the image carrier, visualizes the latent image as a toner image, transfers the toner image to a transfer material, and forms an image. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a plurality of image forming units formed as a unit are detachably supported by a support body that can be pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An image forming apparatus of the above type configured as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having at least two of these functions is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
According to this type of image forming apparatus, since the support that supports the image forming unit can be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus, the replacement operation of the image forming unit can be easily performed. For example, when exchanging a certain image forming unit, after the support is pulled out, the image forming unit to be replaced is removed from the support, and the removed image forming unit is replaced with another image supported by the support. It can be placed on the image forming unit and a new image forming unit can be mounted on the support. It is also possible to work by placing a new image forming unit on the image forming unit supported by the support. As described above, when the image forming unit is exchanged, the image forming unit supported by the support can be used as a mounting table for another image forming unit.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-36346 (page 6, FIG. 3)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in this type of conventional image forming apparatus, when another image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support, the operator puts his hand on the placed image forming unit. If an external force is applied to the image forming unit by touching the image forming unit, the image forming unit may easily fall downward, and the image forming unit may be seriously damaged.
[0006]
The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-described novel recognition, and when the other image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support after the support is pulled out, An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus of the type described at the beginning which can prevent the image forming unit from falling and can place the image forming unit in a stable state.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in the image forming apparatus of the type described at the beginning, when the image forming unit removed from the support is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support, An image forming apparatus characterized in that each image forming unit is provided with a holding unit for holding the mounted image forming unit (claim 1).
[0008]
At that time, when the image forming unit includes an image carrier, and the image forming unit removed from the support is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support with the image carrier facing down It is advantageous to form each image forming unit so that the image carrier of the mounted image forming unit does not come into contact with the image forming unit supported by the support.
[0009]
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, when the image forming unit removed from the support is placed over a plurality of image forming units supported by the support, the image forming unit is placed. It is advantageous if the holding portion is formed so that the image forming unit can be held.
[0010]
Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, it is advantageous that a handle is provided in the holding portion (claim 4).
[0011]
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holding unit can occupy a use position protruding upward and a non-use position moved downward from the use position. Thus, it is advantageous if it is supported movably with respect to the image forming unit.
[0012]
Furthermore, in the image forming apparatus according to claim 5, when the image forming unit supported by the support is loaded in the image forming apparatus main body, the holding unit is pressed by the image forming apparatus main body and is not pressed. When the image forming unit is occupied outside the image forming apparatus main body, the holding unit is supported by the image forming unit so that the restraint by the image forming apparatus main body is released and the image forming unit is occupied. It is advantageous if this is done (claim 6).
[0013]
Further, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, it is advantageous that the upper plate of the image forming unit is detachably attached to another image forming unit portion. Item 7).
[0015]
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier is configured as a member separate from the image forming unit, and the image carrier can be attached to and detached from the support. It is advantageous if it is supported by (Claim 8).
[0016]
In the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, it is advantageous that the holding unit is detachably attached to the image forming unit (claim 9).
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus configured as a printer. The image forming apparatus shown here has four image carriers 3 arranged in the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus, and a yellow toner image, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image, and a black toner image are provided on each image carrier. Each toner image is formed. Here, the image carrier 3 is configured as a drum-shaped photoconductor, but an image carrier made of an endless belt can also be used. In addition, when it is necessary to identify these image carriers, the symbols 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3BK are attached to them, and these are designated as the first, second, third, and fourth image carriers as required. When there is no need to identify them, the image carrier is denoted by reference numeral 3.
[0019]
An intermediate transfer member 4, which is an example of a transfer material, is disposed facing the first to fourth image carriers 3 </ b> Y to 3 </ b> BK. The intermediate transfer member 4 shown here is attached to a plurality of support rollers 12, 13, and 14. It is constituted by an endless belt that is wound and driven to run in the direction of arrow A.
[0020]
Since the operation of forming the toner image on each of the first to fourth image carriers 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3BK is substantially the same, the toner image is applied to the first image carrier 3Y. Only the structure to be formed will be described. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the image carrier 3Y and process devices arranged around the image carrier 3Y. The image carrier 3Y is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIGS. At this time, the surface of the image carrier is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging device 7. The charging device 7 shown here includes a charging roller 15 that is disposed opposite to the image carrier 3Y and rotates, and a case 16 that supports the charging roller 15.
[0021]
As described above, the charging surface of the image carrier 3Y charged by the charging device 7 is irradiated with writing light (in this example, a laser beam) L emitted from the exposure device 8 shown in FIG. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier 3Y, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a yellow toner image by the developing device 9. The developing device 9 shown here has a developing case 17 and a developing roller 18 that is driven and rotated by the developing case 17, and an electrostatic latent image is generated by a dry developer carried on the developing roller 18. Visualized as a toner image.
[0022]
A first transfer device 10 composed of a transfer roller is disposed at a position substantially opposite to the first image carrier 3Y across the intermediate transfer member 4 formed of an endless belt. Then, the yellow toner image on the image carrier 3Y is transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 4. The residual transfer toner that is not transferred to the intermediate transfer member 4 and remains on the first image carrier 3Y is removed by the cleaning device 11. The cleaning device shown here has a cleaning case 19, and a cleaning brush 20 and a cleaning blade 21 supported by the case. The brush 20 and the blade 21 abut against the surface of the image carrier 3Y, and the brush The transfer residual toner on the image carrier 3Y is removed by the cooperative action of the blade 20 and the blade 21, and the surface of the image carrier 3Y is cleaned. The surface of the image carrier 3Y that has passed through the cleaning device 11 is irradiated with light from the static eliminator 22 to initialize its surface potential.
[0023]
In exactly the same manner, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image, and a black toner image are formed on the second to fourth image carriers 3M, 3C, and 3BK shown in FIG. The image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 4 on which the image has been transferred in a superimposed manner. In this way, a four-color superimposed toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 4.
[0024]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a second transfer device 23 is disposed so as to face the support roller 14 with the intermediate transfer body 4 formed of an endless belt interposed therebetween. A sheet feeding device 5 is disposed below the image forming apparatus main body 1, and a recording material P as a final transfer material made of, for example, transfer paper or a resin film is provided in the direction indicated by an arrow B from the sheet feeding device 5. The recording material P is fed to the transfer area between the second transfer device 23 and the intermediate transfer body 4 and formed on the intermediate transfer body 4 by the action of the second transfer device 23. The toner image is transferred onto the recording material P. The recording material P carrying the toner image thus transferred is sent to the fixing device 2 and passes through the fixing device 2. At this time, the toner image is fixed on the recording material P by the action of heat and pressure, and a full-color image is formed on the recording material P. The recording material that has passed through the fixing device 2 is discharged onto the paper discharge unit 6 as indicated by the arrow C direction. Further, the transfer residual toner adhering to the intermediate transfer member after the toner image is transferred is removed by the cleaning device 50.
[0025]
As described above and shown in FIG. 2, process devices such as the charging device 7, the developing device 9, the transfer device 10, the cleaning device 11, and the charge eliminating device 22 are arranged around the first image carrier 3 </ b> Y. ing. In exactly the same manner, the above-described process devices are also arranged around the second to fourth image carriers 3M, 3C, 3BK, and the process devices form a latent image on each image carrier 3, The latent image is visualized as a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to a transfer material to form an image. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each toner image formed on each image carrier 3 is transferred to a transfer material composed of an intermediate transfer body 4, and then the toner image on the intermediate transfer body 4 is finally transferred. However, the intermediate transfer member 4 is omitted, and the toner image on each image carrier 3 is directly transferred onto the transfer material made of the recording material. The full toner image can be fixed by a fixing device to obtain a full color image.
[0026]
Here, each image carrier 3 and part or all of the above-described process equipment arranged around the image carrier 3 are configured as a unitized image forming unit 24. In this example, four image forming units 24 are provided. Yes. When it is necessary to identify these image forming units, reference numerals 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24BK are assigned to the respective image forming units, and these are referred to as first to fourth image forming units as necessary. The number of image forming units can be set as appropriate and may be two or more.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the first image forming unit 24Y is removed from the support 31 described later. As is apparent from the first image forming unit 24Y shown in FIGS. In the example image forming apparatus, the front plate 25 positioned on the near side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the back side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 with the image forming unit 24Y mounted in the image forming apparatus main body. A unit frame 29 composed of a rear side plate 26 located at the first side and first and second stays 27, 28 that integrally connect these side plates 25, 26, a charging device 7, a developing device 9, a cleaning device 11, and The static eliminator 22 is assembled, and an integrated image forming unit 24Y is constituted by these. The image carrier 3 is rotatably supported by the front side plate 25 and the back side plate 26, and the image carrier 3 is provided on the image forming apparatus main body side in a state where the image forming unit 24Y is mounted in the image forming apparatus main body. It is rotationally driven by the drive device. The charging device 7 is positioned between the first and second stays 27 and 28, and writing light L is generated from the light incident port 30 formed in the first stay 27 during image formation. The light enters the image unit 24. The second to fourth image forming units 24M, 24C, and 24BK are also configured in substantially the same manner as the first image forming unit 24Y, except that the color of the developer stored in the developing device is different.
[0028]
FIG. 3 shows a state where a front door (not shown) of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is opened and the support 31 is pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus main body. As can be seen from FIG. 2 and FIG. 2, the plurality of image forming units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24BK are detachably supported by a support body 31 that can be pulled out toward the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 1. Yes. In the example shown here, the support 31 is formed in a frame shape having four mounting ports 32 for holding the respective image forming units 24, and the respective image forming units 24 are fitted into the respective mounting ports 32 to By engaging the step portion 33 formed on the image unit 24 with the edge portion of each attachment port 32, each image forming unit 24 can be positioned and supported on the support 31.
[0029]
A pair of guide rails (only one of which is shown in FIG. 3) 34 is fixed in the image forming apparatus main body 1, and the support 31 is fitted to each of the guide rails 34. When the pair of movable rails 35 that slide in the longitudinal direction are fixed, the front door of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is opened, and the support 31 is pulled toward the front side of the image forming apparatus main body as indicated by an arrow X, the movable rail 35. While sliding relative to the guide rail 34, the support 31 is pulled out of the image forming apparatus main body as shown in FIG. Therefore, if the desired image forming unit is lifted upward, the image forming unit can be detached from the support 31, and the image forming unit can be attached to the support 31 by the reverse operation. FIG. 3 shows a state when the first image forming unit 24Y is detached from the support 31. When four image forming units 24 are attached to the support 31 and the support 31 is pushed into the back side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 as indicated by an arrow Y, each image forming unit 24 is positioned at a predetermined position. . In this state, the front door is closed and the image forming apparatus can be used.
[0030]
By the way, when the image forming unit 24 reaches the end of its life, the image forming unit is replaced with a new image forming unit by a service person or a user. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the support 31 is pulled out toward the front side of the image forming apparatus main body 1, the image forming unit whose life has expired is removed from the attachment port 32 of the support 31, and the attachment port 32 is newly installed. A suitable image forming unit is installed. At this time, since the removed image forming unit or a new image forming unit can be placed on another image forming unit supported by the support 31, the image forming unit can be exchanged easily. . If the image forming unit is placed on the floor and the work is performed, the operator has to bend his body greatly, which is very troublesome, but the life has been reached on the image forming unit supported by the support 31. If an image forming unit or a new image forming unit is placed, an operator can easily perform work with an easy posture. At that time, when an external force is applied to the image forming unit placed on the image forming unit supported by the support 31 by hand or the like, the image forming unit can be easily If it falls, the dropped image forming unit is damaged, which is not preferable.
[0031]
Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of this example, when the image forming unit removed from the support 31 is placed on another image forming unit supported by the support 31, the placed image forming unit. Is held in each image forming unit 24. 2 and 3 is a frame that is disposed on the upper surface of the image forming unit 24 along the edge thereof, and is fixed to the image forming unit 24 by, for example, a screw or an adhesive. It is formed in a shape.
[0032]
FIG. 4 shows a state where the first image forming unit 24Y is removed from the support 31, and the first image forming unit 24Y is placed on the second image forming unit 24M supported by the support 31. It shows a state. The first image forming unit 24Y located on the upper side engages with the holding portion 36 provided in the second image forming unit 24M located on the lower side, and the second image forming unit 24M. Is positioned and held. In this way, any image forming unit can be stably held on the image forming unit supported by the support 31. Further, even when another image forming unit is placed on the upper image forming unit 24Y shown in FIG. 4, the image formed on the image forming unit 24Y is placed on the image forming unit 24Y. The unit can be held in a stable state.
[0033]
As described above, when another image forming unit is placed on the upper image forming unit supported by the support 31, the upper image forming unit is stabilized with respect to the lower image forming unit. Therefore, even if an operator inadvertently touches the placed upper imaging unit, the upper imaging unit can be easily removed from the lower imaging unit. It will not fall.
[0034]
Incidentally, the image forming unit 24 of the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 has the image carrier 3, but as shown in FIG. 4, the image forming unit 24Y is added to the lower image forming unit 24M. If the image carrier 3Y of the upper image forming unit 24Y comes into contact with the upper surface of the lower unit 24M when placed, the image carrier 3Y may be damaged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, when the image forming unit 24Y removed from the support 31 is placed on the image forming unit 24M supported by the support 31 with the image carrier 3Y facing down, Each image forming unit is formed so that the image carrier 3Y of the mounted image forming unit 24Y does not contact the image forming unit 24M supported by the support 31. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the height H of the holding unit 36 is set so that the image carrier 3Y of the upper image forming unit 24Y does not contact the lower image forming unit 24M. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a problem that the image carrier 3Y of the upper image forming unit 24Y is damaged.
[0035]
On the other hand, the image forming unit 24 shown in FIG. 5 has a concave portion 37 formed in the lower side on the upper surface, and a holding portion 36 made of a pair of plate members is fixed on the upper surface of the image forming unit 24. Yes. As shown in FIG. 5, the image forming unit 24Y is placed on the image forming unit 24M supported by the support 31, and the step portion 33 of the image forming unit 24Y is placed on the holding unit of the lower image forming unit 24M. 36, the upper image forming unit 24Y can be mounted on the lower image forming unit 24M in a stable state. At this time, the image carrier 3Y of the upper image forming unit 24Y is moved to the lower image forming unit 24Y. The image unit 24M enters the concave portion 37, and the image carrier 3Y is prevented from coming into contact with the lower unit 24M. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 4, in order to prevent the image carrier 3Y of the upper image forming unit 24Y from coming into contact with the lower image forming unit 24M, the height H of the holding portion 36 is considerably increased. In the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the image carrier 3Y is prevented from contacting the lower image forming unit 24M even if the height H of the holding portion 36 is set to be relatively small. it can.
[0036]
The holding part 36 can be formed in various forms other than the examples shown in FIGS. The holding unit 36 shown in FIG. 6 is configured by a plate material fixed to each end region in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of the image forming unit 24. Also in this case, the upper image forming unit can be engaged with each holding portion 36 to place the image forming unit in a stable state, and the image carrier of the upper image forming unit is mounted on the lower side. The image forming unit can be configured not to contact the image forming unit.
[0037]
As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming unit 24Y removed from the support 31 can be placed over a plurality of image forming units 24M, 24C, 24BK supported by the support 31, In order to cope with such a case, the holding unit 36 provided in each image forming unit 24 can be formed to hold the mounted image forming unit 24Y in a stable state. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the pair of holding portions 36 provided on each image forming unit 24 extends in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the image carrier 3 and is supported by the support 31. The image forming unit 24Y is mounted on a holding portion 36 provided in 24M, 24C, and 24BK, and the step portion 33 is engaged with each holding portion 36 to hold the image forming unit 24Y. Also in this example, it is preferable that the mounted image carrier 3Y of the image forming unit 24Y is not in contact with the lower image forming units 24M, 24C, and 24BK.
[0038]
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, if the holding portion 36 is provided with a handle 38, the image forming unit 24 can be carried by holding the handle 38. The replacement operation of the image forming unit 24 can be performed more easily. Of course, a handle can also be provided in the holding portion 36 shown in FIG.
[0039]
In the embodiment described above, the holding unit 36 is configured by a member different from the image forming unit 24, and the holding unit 36 is fixed to the image forming unit 24. It is also possible to integrally form them in advance. For example, the front side plate 25 and the back side plate of the image forming unit 24Y shown in FIG. 3 and the holding unit 36 may be formed as a single molded product. Alternatively, the developing case 17 or the cleaning case 19 and the holding portion 36 can be configured as a single molded product.
[0040]
Incidentally, since the holding portion 36 protrudes above the image forming unit 24, when the support 31 supporting the image forming unit 24 is pushed into the back side of the image forming apparatus main body 1 as indicated by an arrow Y in FIG. The height h of the space S in the image forming apparatus main body 1 in which the support 31 and the image forming unit 24 are stored must be set large so that the holding unit 36 does not interfere with the image forming apparatus main body 1. However, when the image forming apparatus main body 1 is configured in this way, the overall height is increased, and the disadvantage that the size of the image forming apparatus is increased is unavoidable.
[0041]
9 and 10 show a specific example of an image forming apparatus that can prevent the above-described problems. In these drawings, the image forming unit 24 is simplified and only its outer contour is shown (the same applies to FIGS. 11 and 12). A pair of holding portions 36A and 36B is supported by the image forming unit 24 so as to be swingable via pins 39A and 39B, and a disk-like rotation is provided on the portion of the image forming unit 24 between the holding portions 36A and 36B. A body 40 is rotatably supported about its central axis 41. Further, the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the connecting rods 42A and 42B are rotatably connected to the holding portions 36A and 36B and the rotating body 40. Further, the end portions of the tension springs 43A and 43B are locked between the holding portions 36A and 36B and the image forming unit 24.
[0042]
When the image forming unit 24 is pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body 1 as shown in FIG. 9 together with the support 31 that is not shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the holding portions 36A and 36B are held by the tension springs 43A and 43B. It is pulled and abuts against a stopper (not shown) provided in the image forming unit 24 to occupy a standing posture. Thus, the positions where the holding portions 36A and 36B protrude upward are the use positions of the holding portions, and the other portions (not shown) placed on the image forming unit 24 by the holding portions 36A and 36B. The image forming unit can be held in a stable state.
[0043]
FIG. 10 shows a state where the image forming unit 24 is pushed into the image forming apparatus main body 1 together with the support. At this time, the holding portion 36A hits the upper wall 1A partitioning the space S in the image forming apparatus main body and rotates counterclockwise to occupy the non-use position moved downward from the use position shown in FIG. When the holding portion 36A rotates, the rotating body 40 connected thereto via the connecting rod 42A rotates counterclockwise, and the holding portion 36B connected to the rotating body 40 via the connecting rod 42B rotates clockwise. Occupies the non-use position moved downward from the use position shown in FIG.
[0044]
As described above, the holding portions 36A and 36B are movably supported with respect to the image forming unit 24 so that they can occupy a use position protruding upward and a non-use position moved downward from the use position. In addition, when the image forming unit 24 supported by the support 31 is loaded into the image forming apparatus main body 1, the holding portions 36A and 36B are pressed by the image forming apparatus main body 1, and the height is reduced. Occupies a non-use position. Accordingly, the height h of the space S in the main body of the image forming apparatus that accommodates the image forming unit 24 and the support 31 can be reduced, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the image forming unit 24 is moved out of the image forming apparatus main body, the holding portions 36A and 36B are released from the restriction by the image forming apparatus main body 1 and protrude greatly upward. Therefore, other image forming units placed thereon can be securely held without any trouble.
[0045]
In the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the holding portions 36 </ b> C and 36 </ b> D are formed in a pin shape, and the lower portions thereof are not detached from the mounting holes 44 </ b> A and 44 </ b> B formed in the image forming unit 24 and can move up and down. And is biased upward by compression springs 45A and 45B accommodated in the mounting holes 44A and 44B. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, when the image forming unit 24 is outside the image forming apparatus main body, the holding portions 36C and 36D are pressed by the compression springs 45A and 45B and occupy the use positions protruding upward. When the image forming unit 24 is moved out of the image forming apparatus main body, the holding portions 36C and 36D are released from the restraint by the image forming apparatus main body 1 and occupy a use position protruding upward. Therefore, the other image forming unit placed on the image forming unit 24 can be reliably held by the holding portions 36C and 36D. At this time, since the holding portions 36C and 36D of this example are formed in a pin shape, when another image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit 24 as shown by a one-dot chain line, an image on the upper side thereof is formed. The upper image forming unit can be held by fitting the holes 51A and 51B formed in the unit with the holding portions 36C and 36D.
[0046]
On the other hand, when the image forming unit 24 is loaded into the image forming apparatus main body as shown in FIG. 12, the holding portions 36C and 36D are pressurized by the image forming apparatus main body 1 and act on the compression springs 45A and 45B. In contrast, it occupies a non-use position moved downward from the use position. Therefore, also in this case, the height h of the space S in the main body of the image forming apparatus that accommodates the image forming unit 24 and the support can be reduced.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 4, when another image forming unit 24Y is placed on the image forming unit 24M supported by the support 31, if the toner spills from the upper image forming unit 24Y, the toner is spilled. Adheres on the lower image forming unit 24M. Such toner can be removed by wiping, but in order to facilitate the cleaning operation, an upper plate 47 of the image forming unit 24 is separated from other image forming unit 24 portions as shown in FIG. The upper plate 47 can be detachably attached to other image forming unit 24 parts. When cleaning the toner adhering to the upper plate 47, the handle 48 provided on the upper plate 47 can be grasped and removed as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The upper plate 47 can be cleaned by easily removing the toner that has been removed, and the upper plate 47 can be mounted on the other part of the image forming unit again after the cleaning.
[0048]
Like the image forming unit 24 shown in FIG. 2, the developing device 9 that visualizes the latent image formed on the image carrier 3 as a toner image, and the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred When at least two process devices of the cleaning device 11 to be cleaned are provided, when the image forming unit 24 is vertically stacked as shown in FIG. 4, as shown by the arrow D, the upper image forming unit 24Y. The toner may fall from the developing device 9 and the cleaning device 11. At this time, if the toner enters the lower image forming unit 24M through the light incident port 30 of the lower image forming unit 24M, there is a risk that the image forming unit 24M is contaminated with toner. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the light incident port 30 through which the writing light for forming a latent image on the charged image carrier 3 enters the image forming unit 24 is developed by the developing device 9 facing the image carrier 3. It is preferably disposed above a region W between the opening of the case 17 and the opening of the cleaning case 19 of the cleaning device 11 facing the image carrier 3. If the position of the light incident port 30 is set in this way, the toner dropped from the developing device 9 and the cleaning device 11 of the image forming unit 24Y located on the upper side causes the light incident port 30 of the image forming unit 24M located on the lower side. Therefore, the toner can be prevented from entering the image forming unit 24M from the light incident port 30.
[0049]
The configuration of the detachable upper plate 47 described with reference to FIG. 6 and the configuration related to the arrangement position of the light incident port 30 described above can be applied to any of the above-described image forming apparatuses.
[0050]
By the way, in the image forming apparatus described above, the image carrier 3 is configured as one element of the image forming unit 24. However, the image carrier 3 is configured as a separate member from the image forming unit 24, and The image carrier 3 can also be detachably supported on the support 31. FIG. 13 shows an example thereof, and shows a state in which the image forming unit 24 not including the image carrier is removed from the support 31. The image carrier 3 is rotatably supported by brackets 49A and 49B provided on the support 31. In order to remove the image carrier 3, the image carrier 3 is slid in the direction of arrow E, and the end on the back side is removed from the bracket 49A on the back side, and then the portion on the back side of the image carrier 3 is removed. By lifting upward as indicated by the arrow F, the front end of the image carrier 3 can be detached from the front bracket 49B. The image carrier 3 can be attached to the support 31 by the reverse operation. As described above, the above-described configurations can also be adopted for an image forming apparatus in which the image carrier 3 is configured as a separate member from the image forming unit 24. At this time, if the image forming unit 24 does not have the image carrier 3, when another image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support 31, the image carrier of the upper image forming unit is supported. Since the body does not come into contact with the lower image forming unit, the height H (FIG. 4) of the holding portion can be lowered.
[0051]
In addition, the process devices and image carriers of the image forming unit 24 described above can be assembled so as to be separable from each other. For example, the charging device 7, the developing device 9, the cleaning device 11, and the image carrier 3 of the image forming unit 24 shown in FIG. At this time, if the holding unit 36 is fixed to the image forming unit 24 so as not to be detached, it is difficult to separate the process devices from the unit frame 29. Therefore, it is preferable that the holding unit 36 is detachably attached to the image forming unit 24 by, for example, screwing. In this way, the holding unit 36 can be detached from the image forming unit 24, and then each process device and the image carrier 3 can be separated from the unit frame 29.
[0052]
The present invention can be widely applied not only to a printer but also to an image forming apparatus including a copying machine, a facsimile, or a complex machine thereof.
[0053]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, another image forming unit can be placed in a stable state on the image forming unit supported by the drawn-out support.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an image forming unit.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state when the support is pulled out from the image forming apparatus main body.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view when another image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state when another image forming unit is placed on the image forming unit having a recess.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an image forming unit to which a holding unit of another form is fixed.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state where another image forming unit is placed across a plurality of image forming units supported by a support.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a height relationship between an image forming apparatus main body, an image forming unit, and a support.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an image forming unit provided with a movable holding unit is taken out of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the holding unit occupies a use position.
10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a support that supports the image forming unit shown in FIG. 9 is pushed into the main body of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram when an image forming unit to which a pin-shaped holding unit is assembled is located outside the image forming apparatus main body.
12 is an explanatory diagram when the image forming unit shown in FIG. 11 is housed in the image forming apparatus main body.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an image carrier that is detachably supported by the support.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Image forming device
3 Image carrier
3Y image carrier
3M image carrier
3C image carrier
3BK image carrier
24 Image creation unit
24Y imaging unit
24M imaging unit
24C imaging unit
24BK imaging unit
31 Support
36 Holding part
36A holder
36B holder
36C holder
36D holder
38 Handle
47 Upper plate

Claims (9)

  A part or all of an image carrier and a process device that forms a latent image on the image carrier, visualizes the latent image as a toner image, transfers the toner image to a transfer material, and forms an image are unitized. An image forming apparatus in which a plurality of image forming units are detachably supported on a support that can be pulled out with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, and the image forming unit that is removed from the support is supported by the support. An image forming apparatus, wherein each image forming unit is provided with a holding unit that holds the image forming unit mounted on the unit.   The image forming unit includes an image carrier, and the image forming unit removed from the support is placed on the image forming unit supported by the support with the image carrier facing down. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each image forming unit is formed so that the image carrier of the placed image forming unit does not contact the image forming unit supported by the support.   When the image forming unit removed from the support is placed over a plurality of image forming units supported by the support, the holding portion is formed so that the placed image forming unit can be held. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a handle is provided in the holding portion.   The said holding | maintenance part is movably supported with respect to the image formation unit so that it can occupy the use position which protruded upwards, and the non-use position which moved below the use position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.   When the image forming unit supported by the support is loaded into the image forming apparatus main body, the holding unit is pressed by the image forming apparatus main body to occupy a non-use position, and the image forming unit is placed outside the image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the holding unit is supported by the image forming unit so that the holding unit is released from being restrained by the main body of the image forming apparatus and occupies a use position.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper plate of the image forming unit is detachably attached to another image forming unit portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image carrier is configured as a member separate from the image forming unit, and the image carrier is detachably supported by the support. .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit is detachably attached to the image forming unit.

Images