JP4735629B2 - Image forming apparatus and developer cartridge - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a developer cartridge.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a multifunction machine or a facsimile machine, an image reading unit is arranged on the upper part of the apparatus body and reads an image of a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side, and is arranged on the back side of the image reading unit. A document supply unit, a document discharge unit disposed on the front side of the image reading unit, and an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet while conveying the sheet from the back side to the front side are known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-346084 (FIG. 2)

  The image forming apparatus as described above has a document supply unit disposed on the back side of the image reading unit and a document discharge unit disposed on the front side of the image reading unit. The size can be reduced. However, such an image forming apparatus is required to further reduce the vertical size.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to further reduce the vertical size of the image forming apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer cartridge that can further reduce the vertical size of the image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention is arranged on the upper part of the apparatus main body and reads an image of a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side. A document supply unit disposed on the back side, a document discharge unit disposed on the front side of the image reading unit, and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet while conveying the recording sheet from the back side to the front side; The image forming unit includes a photosensitive member, a transfer member disposed opposite to the lower side of the photosensitive member, a developer storage chamber, and is detachable from the main body of the device. and a developer cartridge provided in the developer cartridge, the cartridge-side document supply unit is exposed to the upper side constitutes at least a part of the original supply portion of the apparatus main body is formed, the cartridge The side document supply unit, characterized in that the pick-up roller for conveying the original to the image reading portion is provided.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body, and is disposed on the back side of the image reading unit that reads an image of the document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side. An image forming apparatus having a document supply unit, a document discharge unit disposed on the front side of the image reading unit, and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet while conveying the recording sheet from the back side to the front side. The image forming unit includes a photosensitive member, a transfer member disposed opposite to the lower side of the photosensitive member, and a developer storage chamber, and a developer that is detachably provided in the apparatus main body. A cartridge side document supply unit that is exposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body and forms at least a part of the document supply unit, and the cartridge side document supply unit includes: Duplicate And wherein the separating pad for separating the document one by one is provided.

  According to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, since the transfer member is disposed on the lower side of the photoreceptor, the developer cartridge can be exposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body. Since the developer cartridge is exposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body, it is possible to form a cartridge side document supply unit that constitutes at least a part of the document supply unit in the developer cartridge. By forming the cartridge side document supply section in the developer cartridge, the size of the apparatus main body in the vertical direction can be further reduced as compared with the case where the document supply section is formed in the apparatus main body.

The developer cartridge of the present invention has an image reading unit at the top, is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body that reads a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side, and has a developer storage chamber. A developer cartridge, which is exposed to the outside at the time of mounting and is formed with a cartridge side document supply unit that supplies the document to the image reading unit, and the cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the document. characterized in that was.
The developer cartridge of the present invention has an image reading unit at the top, is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body that reads a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side, and has a developer storage chamber. A developer-side cartridge is provided with a cartridge-side document supply unit that is exposed to the outside when being mounted and supplies a document to the image reading unit. The cartridge-side document supply unit separates a plurality of documents one by one. The separation pad is provided.

  According to the developer cartridge configured as described above, since it is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body when mounted, it is possible to form a cartridge-side original supply section that supplies an original to the image reading section of the apparatus main body. By forming the cartridge side document supply unit in the developer cartridge, the size of the image forming apparatus main body in the vertical direction can be reduced as compared with the case where the mechanism for supplying the document is formed in the image forming apparatus main body.

  According to the present invention, since the cartridge-side document supply unit is formed in the developer cartridge, the vertical size of the apparatus main body can be further reduced, so that the image forming apparatus can be downsized. Become.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the drawings to be referred to, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing how the process unit is attached / detached in the multifunction device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing how the toner cartridge is attached / detached in the multifunction device shown in FIG.

  Here, in the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user when using the multifunction machine. That is, in FIGS. 1 to 3, the right side toward the paper surface is the “front side”, the left side toward the paper surface is the “rear side”, the back side toward the paper surface is the “right side”, and the near side toward the paper surface is the front side. “Left side”. In addition, the vertical direction toward the page is defined as the “vertical direction”. The user operates the laser printer from the “front side”.

<Overall configuration of MFP>
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 1 includes a main body housing 11 and an upper cover 12 that is provided on an upper portion of the main body housing 11 and rotates up and down with a lower portion on the front side as a fulcrum. Yes. In addition, the multifunction machine 1 includes an image reading unit 2 that reads an image of the document P1 provided in the upper cover 12, a document supply unit 3 provided on the back side of the image reading unit 2, and a front side of the image reading unit. The document discharge section 4 is provided. Further, the multi-function device 1 includes a paper supply unit 5 as an example of a recording sheet supply unit that supplies paper P2 as an example of a recording sheet into the main body housing 11, and an image on the paper P2 in the main body housing 11 is provided. And a sheet discharge section 7 as an example of a recording sheet discharge section for discharging the sheet P2.

<Configuration of Image Reading Unit>
The image reading unit 2 is mainly configured by an image sensor 21 that is disposed in the upper cover 12 above the main body housing 11 and in which a plurality of photodiodes are arranged. The image sensor 21 irradiates the original P1 with light from a photodiode, reads an image, and generates image data.

<Configuration of the document feeder>
The document supply unit 3 includes a document supply tray 120 as an example of a cartridge-side document supply unit, which will be described later, and an apparatus-side document supply unit 30 provided in the upper cover 12.
The apparatus-side document supply unit 30 is disposed on the back side of the image reading unit 2 and mainly includes a pickup roller 31, a separation pad 32, and a document guide member 33 that configures a document supply path.

<Configuration of the document discharge section>
The document discharge unit 4 is disposed in the upper cover 12 on the front side of the image reading unit 2 and mainly includes a document guide member 41 and a discharge roller 42 that constitute a document discharge path.

  In the image reading unit 2, the document supply unit 3, and the document discharge unit 4 configured as described above, the document P1 placed on the document supply tray 120 is first supplied one by one by the pickup roller 31 and the separation pad 32. It is transported to the route. The original P1 conveyed from the original supply path to the image reading unit 2 passes through the image sensor 21 while being conveyed from the back side to the front side, and is irradiated with light from a photodiode to read an image. At this time, the image sensor 21 generates image data and transmits it to the exposure unit 61 described later. Then, the document P1 is conveyed through the document discharge path, and is discharged from the upper cover 12 to the outside by the discharge roller 42.

<Configuration of paper supply unit>
The paper supply unit 5 is disposed on the back side of the image forming unit 6 to be described later, and includes a paper feed tray 51 provided on the back side of the main body housing 11, a paper pressing plate 52 provided on the paper feed tray 51, A paper feed roller 53 provided on the near side below the paper feed tray 51 and a transport roller 54 and a registration roller 55 provided on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 53 in the transport direction of the paper P2 are mainly provided.

  In the paper supply unit 5 configured as described above, the paper P2 placed on the paper feed tray 51 is brought close to the paper feed roller 53 side by the paper pressing plate 52 and sent out one by one by the paper feed roller 53. Then, after passing through the conveying roller 54 and the registration roller 55, it is conveyed from the back side to the image forming unit 6 described later.

<Configuration of image forming unit>
The image forming unit 6 mainly includes an exposure unit 61 as an example of an exposure member, a process unit 62, and a fixing unit 63.

<Configuration of exposure unit>
The exposure unit 61 is disposed so as to face an upper side of a photosensitive drum 621 as an example of a later-described photosensitive member of the process unit 62, and is attached to the lower surface of the upper cover 12. Thereby, the exposure unit 61 can be moved together with the upper cover 12 (see FIG. 2). The exposure unit 61 has light emitting diodes (LEDs) (not shown) as an example of a plurality of light emitting units arranged in the left-right direction.

  The exposure unit 61 configured in this manner selectively emits a plurality of arranged LEDs based on the image data to be formed, and irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 621 of the process unit 62 with the LED light.

<Process unit configuration>
The process unit 62 includes a hollow frame 620 that is provided below the upper cover 12, specifically the image reading unit 2 and the document supply unit 3, and forms an outer frame. The process unit 62 further includes a photosensitive drum 621, a scorotron charger 622, a transfer roller 623 as an example of a transfer member, a developing roller 624, a layer thickness regulating blade 625, a supply roller 626, and a toner container 627 in the frame 620. It is mainly equipped with.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the process unit 62 is detachable from the upper surface of the main body housing 11 exposed when the upper cover 12 is rotated upward. Thereby, the process unit 62 can be easily replaced. Further, since the exposure unit 61 is attached to the upper cover 12 as described above, the process unit 62 can be attached / detached only by rotating the upper cover 12, thereby improving the operability of the multifunction machine 1. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the process unit 62 has a toner cartridge 100 as an example of a developer cartridge. In the toner cartridge 100, the image reading unit 2, the toner cartridge 100, and the paper supply unit 5 are arranged in this order between the image reading unit 2 and the paper supply unit 5, specifically, from the front side to the back side. Has been placed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the toner cartridge 100 is detachably mounted on the frame 620 of the process unit 62 from above. That is, the toner cartridge 100 is configured to be detachably mounted on the main body housing 11 from above. The detailed configuration of the toner cartridge 100 will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 1, the photosensitive drum 621 is rotatably supported by the frame 620. The photosensitive drum 621 has a drum main body grounded and a surface portion formed of a positively chargeable photosensitive layer.
The transfer roller 623 is rotatably supported by the frame 620 and is disposed so as to face and contact the photosensitive drum 621 below the photosensitive drum 621. A transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 623 during transfer.

  Toner as an example of a developer is supplied from the toner cartridge 100 and stored in the toner storage unit 627. The toner in the toner container 627 is supplied to the developing roller 624 by the rotation of the supply roller 626. At this time, the toner is frictionally charged between the supply roller 626 and the developing roller 624. The toner supplied onto the developing roller 624 enters between the layer thickness regulating blade 625 and the developing roller 624 by the rotation of the developing roller 624 and is carried on the developing roller 624 as a thin layer having a constant thickness.

  In the process unit 62 configured as described above, the surface of the photosensitive drum 621 is uniformly positively charged by the scorotron charger 622 and then exposed by the LED light emitted from the exposure unit 61. Thereby, the potential of the exposed part is lowered, and an electrostatic latent image based on the image data is formed. Next, when the photosensitive drum 621 and the developing roller 624 come into contact with each other due to the rotation of the developing roller 624, the toner carried on the developing roller 624 causes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 621. Supplied to the image. As described above, the toner is selectively carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 621, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized and a toner image is formed by reversal development. Then, the photosensitive drum 621 and the transfer roller 623 rotate so as to sandwich and convey the paper P2 therebetween, and the paper P2 is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 621 and the transfer roller 623 from the back side to the front side. As a result, the toner image carried on the surface of the photosensitive drum 621 is transferred onto the paper P2.

<Configuration of fixing unit>
The fixing unit 63 is provided on the front side of the process unit 62 (on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper P2), and is disposed to face the heating roller 631 and the heating roller 631, and sandwich the paper P2 between the heating roller 631. The pressure roller 632 is mainly provided.

<Configuration of paper discharge unit>
The paper discharge unit 7 is disposed on the front side of the image forming unit 6, more specifically, on the front side of the fixing unit 63 (downstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper P 2), and receives the paper P 2 conveyed from the fixing unit 63. A paper discharge roller 71 for discharging to the outside of the body 11 is mainly provided.

  In the fixing unit 63 and the paper discharge unit 7 configured as described above, the toner image transferred onto the paper P <b> 2 is thermally fixed while the paper P <b> 2 passes between the heating roller 631 and the pressure roller 632. Thereafter, the paper P2 is discharged from the main body housing 11 to the outside by the paper discharge roller 71.

<Detailed configuration of toner cartridge>
Next, a detailed configuration of the toner cartridge 100 will be described. In the drawings to be referred to, FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the toner cartridge and the document supply unit, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the toner cartridge according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the toner cartridge 100 includes a frame 110 that forms a toner storage chamber 111 as an example of a developer storage chamber, and a document supply tray 120. In the toner cartridge 100, a frame 110 is detachably attached to the frame 620 from above. When the toner cartridge 100 is attached, the document supply tray 120 is exposed on the upper side of the main body housing 11 and the document P1 is placed thereon.

  The frame 110 is made of, for example, polystyrene (PS) or the like, and communicates with a supply port 620A formed in the frame 620 when the process unit 62 (frame 620) is attached to the lower portion of the toner in the toner storage chamber 111. Is supplied to the toner storage portion 627 of the process unit 62.

  Although not shown, the frame 110 is provided with a shutter that closes the supply port 112 when the toner cartridge 100 is detached from the frame 620 (see FIG. 3). Similarly, the frame 620 is also provided with a shutter that closes the supply port 620 </ b> A when the toner cartridge 100 is detached from the frame 620. When the toner cartridge 100 is mounted on the frame 620 (main body casing 11), these shutters are rotated manually or electrically by a known configuration to connect the supply port 112 and the supply port 620A.

  The document supply tray 120 is formed of a material different from that of the frame 110, for example, polyacetal (POM), and is attached to the upper portion of the frame 110. By forming the frame 110 and the document supply tray 120 from different materials, it is possible to select an optimum configuration and material for transporting the document P1, particularly for the document supply tray 120. For example, in the case of the present embodiment, the frame 110 can be configured with an inexpensive PS, and the document supply tray 120 can be configured with a POM having excellent wear resistance.

  The document supply tray 120 extends upward from the pickup roller 31 on the back side of the pickup roller 31 of the apparatus-side document supply unit 30. More specifically, the document supply tray 120 is inclined upward as it goes from the front side to the back side. As a result, by placing the document P1 on the document supply tray 120, the leading end in the transport direction of the document P1 and the pickup roller 31 come into contact with each other, so that the document P1 is smoothly transferred to the image reading unit 2 by the rotation of the pickup roller 31. Can be transported.

  A tray-side connection portion 121 having a cross-sectional shape and unevenness is formed at the front side end portion of the document supply tray 120 so as to extend in the left-right direction of the toner cartridge 100. Further, a device-side connection portion 34 having protrusions and recesses that engage with the protrusions and recesses of the tray-side connection portion 121 is formed at the rear end portion of the device-side document supply portion 30 so as to extend in the left-right direction of the upper cover 12. Yes. Thus, when the toner cartridge 100 is mounted, the unevenness of the tray-side connecting portion 121 and the unevenness of the device-side connecting portion 34 are engaged with each other, so that the inside of the main body housing 11 from the outside, specifically, the exposure unit 61 and the like. Intrusion of light (external light) to a position facing the photosensitive drum 621 can be suppressed. Then, it is possible to suppress a decrease in image quality due to external light being applied to the photosensitive drum 621.

  Further, the upper end surface of the tray side connecting portion 121 is configured to be higher than the upper end surface of the apparatus side connecting portion 34 when the toner cartridge 100 is mounted. Here, when the upper end surface of the apparatus side connection unit 34 is higher than the upper end surface of the tray side connection unit 121, or when the upper end surfaces of the device side connection unit 34 are substantially equal in height, the document P1 placed on the document supply tray 120 is The device side connection unit 34 may be caught on the upper end surface (the back side of the upper end) and may not be conveyed to the image reading unit 2. In the present embodiment, by raising the upper end surface of the tray-side connection unit 121, the document P1 can be prevented from being caught and the document P1 can be smoothly conveyed to the image reading unit 2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of guide ribs 122 extending from the back side toward the front side are provided side by side on the upper surface of the document supply tray 120, that is, the surface on which the document P1 is placed. Yes. As a result, the contact area with the document P1 passing on the guide rib 122 can be reduced, so that the wear of the document supply tray 120 is suppressed and the document P1 is smoothly conveyed toward the apparatus-side document supply unit 30. be able to.

  In addition, a plurality of semi-cylindrical intersecting ribs 123 extending in the left-right direction so as to intersect with the guide ribs 122 are formed in the document supply tray 120 in a line from the front to the back. Yes. The user can easily attach and detach the toner cartridge 100 by gripping a grip portion constituted by the cross rib 123 and the back surface portion 110 </ b> A (see FIG. 4) of the frame 110.

According to the above, the following effects can be obtained in the present embodiment.
The toner cartridge 100 is exposed to the upper side of the main body casing 11 when the toner cartridge 100 is mounted, and the exposed portion is used as a document supply tray 120 (a part of the document supply unit 3). Compared with the case where it is formed on the apparatus main body side, the size in the vertical direction can be reduced. As a result, the multifunction device 1 can be reduced in size.

  Further, by exposing the toner cartridge 100 to the upper side of the main body casing 11 when the toner cartridge 100 is mounted, the toner cartridge 100 can be detached from the upper side of the main body casing 11 (frame 620) as shown in FIG. Can do. According to this, since the toner cartridge 100 having a high replacement frequency can be easily replaced, the operability of the multifunction device 1 can be improved.

  Since the paper supply unit 5 is arranged on the back side of the image forming unit 6 and the paper discharge unit 7 is arranged on the front side, it is compared with a configuration in which the paper supply unit, the image forming unit, and the paper discharge unit are arranged in this order from below. Thus, the vertical size can be reduced. Thereby, further miniaturization of the whole multifunction device 1 can be achieved.

  Since an exposure unit having a plurality of LEDs arranged in the left-right direction is employed, the exposure member can be reduced in size. Thereby, since the arrangement space of the exposure member above the photosensitive drum 621 can be reduced, the vertical size can be further reduced. Thereby, further miniaturization of the multifunction device 1 can be achieved.

  Since the image reading unit 2, the toner cartridge 100, and the paper supply unit 5 are arranged in this order from the front side to the back side, the image reading unit, the developer cartridge, and the paper supply unit are arranged in order from above. Compared with the structure to perform, the size of an up-down direction can be made small. Thereby, further miniaturization of the multifunction device 1 can be achieved.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the document supply tray 120 is adopted as an example of the cartridge-side document supply unit is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The structure provided with a guide member may be sufficient. Further, as will be described later, the configuration of the apparatus side document supply unit 30 (pickup roller 31, separation pad 32, etc.) may be provided on the developer cartridge side, or all document supply units may be provided on the developer cartridge side. .

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the separation pad 32 is provided in the apparatus-side document supply unit 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the separation pad 32 is disposed on the front side of the document supply tray 120 as illustrated in FIG. You may provide in an upper surface part. Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the pickup roller 31 is provided in the apparatus-side document supply unit 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the pickup roller 31 may be provided on the document supply tray 120 (cartridge-side document supply unit) side. Good (not shown). According to this, since the separation pad and the pickup roller can be replaced with new parts by exchanging the developer cartridge, the original can be transported satisfactorily without being affected by wear or deterioration of the separation pad or the pickup roller. It can be carried out. Further, by providing a separation pad and a pickup roller on the developer cartridge side, these parts can be easily replaced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the unevenness of the tray-side connection portion 121 and the unevenness of the device-side connection portion 34 are engaged with each other to suppress intrusion of external light into the main body housing 11 has been described. It is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a convex portion 620 </ b> B is provided along the left-right direction on the frame 620 of the process unit 62, and a concave portion 12 </ b> A that engages with the convex portion 620 </ b> B is provided along the left-right direction on the lower surface of the upper cover 12. Also good. Also with such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of external light into the main body housing 11.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the paper supply unit 5 is arranged on the back side of the image forming unit 6 and the paper discharge unit 7 is arranged on the back side is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. A paper supply unit may be disposed below, and a paper discharge unit may be disposed above the image forming unit.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the exposure unit 61 having a plurality of LEDs (an example of a light emitting unit) arranged in the left-right direction is adopted as an example of the exposure member, but is not limited thereto. For example, an exposure member that has a laser light emitting unit, an optical deflector (polygon mirror, galvano mirror, etc.), a lens, a reflecting mirror, etc., and forms an electrostatic latent image by scanning the photosensitive member with laser light. Good. The light emitting unit is not limited to an LED as long as it is arranged in a plurality and can selectively emit light according to image data. For example, an electroluminescence element (EL element) or a phosphor may be used. . Furthermore, an exposure member that arranges a plurality of optical shutters (for example, liquid crystal elements, PLZT elements, etc.) that control light from one or a plurality of light emitting units, and selectively controls the opening / closing time of the optical shutter according to image data. There may be.

  In the above-described embodiment, as an example of the gripping portion for easily attaching and detaching the toner cartridge 100, an example in which the gripping portion configured by the cross rib 123 and the back surface portion 110 </ b> A of the frame 110 is employed has been described. It is not limited to. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a handle 124 as a grip portion may be provided on the document supply tray 120, and the toner cartridge 100 may be attached and detached by gripping the handle 124.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, the handle 124 includes a grip portion 124A, a leg portion 124B, and a rotation support shaft 124C. For example, a resin or the like is formed so as to form a substantially C shape. Are integrally molded.
The grip portion 124A has a columnar shape, and the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) is formed to have a length larger than the interval between the two guide ribs 122 arranged on both sides among the three guide ribs 122 that are continuously arranged in the left-right direction. Has been.
The leg portion 124B extends from both ends of the grip portion 124A, and has a substantially U shape together with the grip portion 124A.
The rotation support shaft 124C is formed in a columnar shape and extends inward in the left-right direction from the end of the leg portion 124B. Further, each of the rotation support shafts 124C is inserted into a through hole (reference numeral omitted) formed in the side surface of the guide rib 122 at the same position (fifth in FIG. 7) counting from the left end or the right end. It is inserted so as to be able to rotate. Thereby, the grip part 124A and the leg part 124B are rotatable at least on the front side.

  On the front side of the guide rib 122 arranged between the two leg portions 124B, a notch portion 122A that engages with the grip portion 124A that is rotated is formed. With such a configuration, the handle 124 can be changed from the grippable state shown in FIG. 7A to the retracted state shown in FIG. 7B by tilting the grip part 124A and the leg part 124B to the front side. It has become.

  Note that the upper surface of the grip portion 124 </ b> A in the stored state is formed in a shape that follows the inclination formed on the upper surface of the guide rib 122. At this time, as shown in FIG.7 (c), the back side upper end part of the grip part 124A is comprised so that it may become lower than the front side upper end part of the guide rib 122 in the back side of the notch part 122A. Moreover, the front side upper end part of the grip part 124A is configured to be higher than the rear side upper end part of the guide rib 122 on the front side of the notch part 122A. Accordingly, the document P1 conveyed on the guide rib 122 can be prevented from being caught, and the document P1 can be smoothly conveyed to the image reading unit 2.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, a bridging member 125 spanned in the left-right direction along the upper surfaces of the plurality of guide ribs 122 (the conveyance surface of the document P1) may be used as the gripping portion. As shown in b), a bridging member 126 spanned below the upper surfaces of the plurality of guide ribs 122 may be used as the grip portion. Furthermore, a rubber sheet or the like may be attached to the bottom surface portion between the plurality of guide ribs 122 to prevent slipping, and a grip portion that grips this portion and the back surface portion 110A (see FIG. 4) of the frame 110 may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the process unit 62 is attached to and detached from the upper surface of the main body casing 11 exposed when the upper cover 12 is rotated upward is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. A cover may be provided on the left (or right) side surface of 11, and the process unit may be attached and detached with the cover open.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the process unit 62 that mainly includes the photosensitive drum 621 and the developing roller 624 and in which the toner cartridge 100 is detachably attached to the frame 620 from the upper side is illustrated has been described. It is not a thing. For example, a drum unit including a photosensitive drum (photosensitive member) and a developing unit that is detachably attached to the frame of the drum unit and includes a developing roller are provided, and the developer cartridge is detachably attached to the frame of the developing unit from above. It may be a process unit.

  In the embodiment described above, an example in which the frame 110 and the document supply tray 120 are formed of different materials has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the frame 110 and the document supply tray 120 may be formed of the same material. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the multifunction peripheral 1 is shown as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to, for example, a copying machine or a facsimile machine. Further, as an example of the recording sheet, the paper P2 including the plain paper, the thick paper, the postcard, and the like is adopted. However, the recording sheet is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an OHP sheet. Furthermore, although the example which employ | adopted the photosensitive drum 621 as an example of a photoconductor and the transfer roller 623 as an example of a transfer member was shown, it is not limited to this, A material, a structure, etc. are changed suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. Is possible.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an overall configuration of a multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the attachment or detachment state of a process unit in the multifunctional machine shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a toner cartridge is attached and detached in the multifunction machine illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating configurations of a toner cartridge and a document supply unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a toner cartridge according to the embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state at the time of mounting | wearing of the toner cartridge which concerns on another modification, (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state which removed the toner cartridge shown to (a). (A) is a perspective view showing a toner cartridge according to a modified example, (b) is a perspective view showing a usage state of the toner cartridge shown in (a), and (c) is an XX arrow in (b). FIG. (A) And (b) is a perspective view which shows the toner cartridge which concerns on a modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Multifunctional device 2 Image reading part 3 Original supply part 4 Original discharge part 5 Paper supply part 6 Image formation part 7 Paper discharge part 11 Main body housing | casing 12 Upper cover 31 Pickup roller 32 Separation pad 34 Apparatus side connection part 61 Exposure unit 62 Process Unit 100 Toner cartridge 110 Frame 111 Toner storage chamber 120 Document supply tray 121 Tray side connection part 122 Guide rib 123 Crossing rib 124 Handle 621 Photosensitive drum 623 Transfer roller P1 Document P2 Paper

Claims (25)

An image reading unit arranged on the upper part of the apparatus body for reading an image of a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side, a document supply unit arranged on the back side of the image reading unit, and an image reading unit An image forming apparatus having a document discharge unit disposed on the front side and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet while conveying the recording sheet from the back side to the front side,
The image forming unit includes:
A photoreceptor,
A transfer member disposed opposite to the lower side of the photoreceptor;
Having a developer storage chamber and a developer cartridge detachably provided in the apparatus main body,
The developer cartridge has a cartridge-side document supply unit that is exposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body and forms at least a part of the document supply unit ,
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a pickup roller for conveying the document to the image reading unit . An image reading unit arranged on the upper part of the apparatus body for reading an image of a document while conveying the document from the back side to the front side, a document supply unit arranged on the back side of the image reading unit, and an image reading unit An image forming apparatus having a document discharge unit disposed on the front side and an image forming unit that forms an image on the recording sheet while conveying the recording sheet from the back side to the front side,
The image forming unit includes:
A photoreceptor,
A transfer member disposed opposite to the lower side of the photoreceptor;
Having a developer storage chamber and a developer cartridge detachably provided in the apparatus main body,
The developer cartridge has a cartridge-side document supply unit that is exposed on the upper side of the apparatus main body and forms at least a part of the document supply unit,
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a separation pad for separating a plurality of documents one by one. A recording sheet supply unit disposed on the back side of the image forming unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that a said recording sheet discharge unit disposed on the front side of the image forming unit. An exposure member disposed above the photoreceptor,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the exposure member has a plurality of light emitting units arranged. Wherein the cartridge-side document supply unit, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of guide ribs extending along the rear side to the front side is provided. The developer cartridge, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is removable from above the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the developer cartridge is provided with a grip portion that is gripped when the developer cartridge is attached or detached. The cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a plurality of guide ribs extending from the back side along the front side,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein at least a part of the grip portion is a cross rib extending so as to cross the guide rib. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the grip unit is a handle provided in the cartridge side document supply unit. The document supply unit on the apparatus main body side includes a pickup roller that conveys the document to the image reading unit,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the cartridge-side document supply unit extends above the pickup roller on a back side of the pickup roller.   11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge-side document supply unit is inclined upward from the front side toward the back side.   The connecting portion between the cartridge side document supply unit and the document supply unit on the apparatus main body is provided with a step which is higher than the document supply unit on the apparatus body side. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   2. A concavity and convexity are provided at a connection portion between the cartridge side document supply unit and the document supply unit on the apparatus main body so as to be engaged with each other and prevent light from entering the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12. An exposure member disposed above the photoreceptor,
The image reading unit constitutes an upper cover of the device body that can be freely opened and closed,
The exposure member, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 13 claim 1, characterized in that mounted on said cover. A process unit having the photoreceptor and the developer cartridge;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the process unit is detachable from above the apparatus main body with the upper cover open. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image reading unit, the developer cartridge, and the recording sheet supply unit are arranged so as to overlap in this order from the front side to the back side. Frame forming the developer accommodating chamber and the cartridge-side document supply unit, an image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 16 claim 1, characterized in that it is formed by another material. It has an image reading unit at the top and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body for reading while conveying the document from the back side to the front side.
A developer cartridge having a developer storage chamber,
A cartridge-side document supply unit that is exposed to the outside when mounted and supplies a document to the image reading unit ;
2. A developer cartridge according to claim 1, wherein a pickup roller for conveying the original is provided in the cartridge side original supply unit . It has an image reading unit at the top and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body for reading while conveying the document from the back side to the front side.
A developer cartridge having a developer storage chamber,
A cartridge-side document supply unit that is exposed to the outside when mounted and supplies a document to the image reading unit;
2. A developer cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge side document supply section is provided with a separation pad for separating a plurality of documents one by one. 20. The developer cartridge according to claim 18, wherein the cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a plurality of guide ribs extending from the back side to the front side. 21. The developer cartridge according to claim 18, further comprising a grip portion that is gripped at the time of attachment / detachment. The cartridge side document supply unit is provided with a plurality of guide ribs extending from the back side along the front side,
The developer cartridge according to claim 21, wherein at least a part of the grip portion is a cross rib extending so as to cross the guide rib.   The developer cartridge according to claim 21, wherein the gripping part is a handle provided in the cartridge side document supply part. The developer cartridge according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the cartridge-side document supply unit is inclined upward in a use state from the front side toward the back side. The developer cartridge according to any one of claims 18 to 24 , wherein the cartridge-side document supply section and the frame forming the developer storage chamber are formed of different materials.

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