JP4780061B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus including a support member between an image forming unit and an image reading unit.

  In general, an image forming unit and an image reading unit provided thereabove are connected by a joint member disposed therebetween, and a mounting space for mounting a recording sheet on which image formation has been completed is provided in the joint member. An in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-86497 (FIG. 1)

  By the way, the joint member of the in-body discharge type image forming apparatus mainly connects the image forming unit and the image reading unit and has a function as a support member for supporting the image reading unit. Therefore, in the conventional in-cylinder discharge type image forming apparatus, the inside of the joint member (supporting member), for example, power supply and wiring for electrically connecting each part, and the recording sheet are discharged to the mounting space. Basically, it was hollow only by providing a conveying roller or the like.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of effectively using an internal space of a support member.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image forming unit that supplies a developer onto a recording sheet to form an image, an image reading unit provided above the image forming unit, A support member that is provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit and supports the image reading unit, and an image is formed in a space surrounded by the image forming unit, the image reading unit, and the support member An image forming apparatus in which the recording sheet is discharged, wherein the support member includes a plurality of developer accommodating members in which the developer is accommodated, and the developer accommodating member is disposed on the support member. It is characterized by being removable .

  According to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, since the developer accommodating member is disposed inside the support member, the internal space of the support member can be used effectively. In addition, by disposing the developer accommodating member inside the support member, it is not necessary to provide a developer accommodating chamber in the process cartridge constituting the image forming unit, so that the process cartridge can be reduced in size.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the internal space of the support member can be used effectively. Further, the process cartridge constituting the image forming unit can be downsized, and the image forming apparatus can be downsized and thinned.

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 side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a color multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.
In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user when using the color multifunction peripheral. That is, the right side of the color MFP shown in FIG. 1 is “front side”, the left side is “back side”, the back side of the paper is “right side”, and the front side of the paper is “left side”. As for the up and down direction, the illustrated direction and the direction of the user when using the color multifunction peripheral coincide with each other, and therefore, the “up and down direction” is used as it is.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the color MFP 1 is provided between a main body 2, a flat bed scanner 20 as an example of an image reading unit provided above the main body 2, and the main body 2 and the flat bed scanner 20. The supporting member 30 is provided.

<Configuration of body 2>
The inside of the main body 2 includes four photosensitive drums 3a to 3d arranged in parallel to the front and back directions (hereinafter referred to as the front-rear direction). After the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3a to 3d are uniformly charged by the scorotron chargers 4a to 4d, laser light is irradiated from the exposure unit 5 to form an electrostatic latent image based on the image data. Each electrostatic latent image is visualized by toner (developer) carried on the developing rollers 6a to 6d, and toner images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 3a to 3d.

  The paper P is housed in a paper feed cassette 7 in the main body 2, and is conveyed to the transport belt 9 by changing the direction from the front side to the back side by various rollers provided in the paper feed unit 8. The conveyor belt 9 is disposed to face the photosensitive drums 3a to 3d. The toner images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drums 3a to 3d are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the paper P transported to the transport belt 9 by the action of the transfer rollers 10a to 10d to which a transfer bias is applied. The sheet P on which the four color toner images are transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 11. After the toner image transferred onto the paper P is thermally fixed by the fixing unit 11, the paper P is discharged to the discharge tray 12 by changing the direction from the back side to the front side by various rollers. The discharge tray 12 is configured by a space S (see FIG. 2) formed between the main body 2, the flat bed scanner 20, and the support member 30.

  The process cartridges 13a to 13d are provided between the paper feed cassette 7 and the exposure unit 5 in the main body 2, and are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The process cartridges 13a to 13d are detachably stored in a frame 14 that is detachably attached to the main body 2, and are disposed in the main body 2.

  The process cartridges 13a to 13d mainly include photosensitive drums 3a to 3d, scorotron chargers 4a to 4d, and developing rollers 6a to 6d. The process cartridges 13a to 13d are different in the color of toner supplied from the toner cartridges 17a to 17d described later to the toner hoppers 16a to 16d, and have the same configuration. The toner supplied from the toner cartridges 17a to 17d is supplied to the developing rollers 6a to 6d via the toner hoppers 16a to 16d and the supply rollers 15a to 15d.

  The image forming unit 2A according to the present embodiment includes the exposure unit 5, the transfer rollers 10a to 10d, the process cartridges 13a to 13d, and the fixing unit 11.

<Configuration of Flatbed Scanner 20>
The flat bed scanner 20 is disposed above the main body 2 via a space S, and mainly includes a document placing table 21 and a document pressing plate 22.
An image sensor in which a plurality of photodiodes are arranged is housed in the document table 21 (not shown). The document pressing plate 22 is attached to the main body 2 so as to be rotatable up and down with one of the left and right ends of the color multifunction device 1 as a fulcrum.

In the flatbed scanner 20 configured as described above, a document having an image is placed between the document placing table 21 and the document pressing plate 22 so that the image surface faces the document placing table 21, and the document is placed on the document. Image data is generated by reading an image by irradiating light from a photodiode.
In addition, by providing a document supply tray and a document discharge tray above the document pressing plate 22 of the flat bed scanner 20, an image may be read without opening and closing the document pressing plate 22.

<Configuration of Support Member 30>
The support member 30 is provided between the main body 2 and the flat bed scanner 20, connects these components, and supports the flat bed scanner 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 30 includes a first support member 31, a second support member 32, and a third support member 33.

The first support member 31 is disposed on the upper left side of the upper portion of the main body 2, and includes four toner cartridges 17 a to 17 d as an example of a developer storage member that stores toner corresponding to each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. It is housed (arranged) inside. More specifically, the first support member 31 accommodates therein a box-shaped case 18 that accommodates the toner cartridges 17a to 17d together. The toner cartridges 17a to 17d are arranged side by side in the same direction as the paper P discharge direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 2; the front-rear direction).
The first support member 31 may have a configuration in which the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are directly accommodated therein, that is, a configuration without the case 18 (see FIGS. 4 to 6).

  The toner in each of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d is supplied into the toner hoppers 16a to 16d of the process cartridges 13a to 13d through the toner supply paths 19a to 19d (see FIG. 1) provided in the main body 2. . In the present embodiment, since the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are provided above the process cartridges 13a to 13d, the toner can be supplied to the toner hoppers 16a to 16d by gravity. In addition, it is possible to supply toner more efficiently by providing a transport mechanism (not shown) such as an auger inside the toner supply paths 19a to 19d.

  The second support member 32 is disposed on the right back side of the upper portion of the main body 2 so as to face the first support member 31 in a direction (left-right direction) orthogonal to the paper P discharge direction (front-back direction). ing. Although not shown in the figure, the power supply cable for supplying power from the main body 2 side to the flat bed scanner 20 side and the flat bed scanner 20 and each part of the main body 2 are electrically connected inside the second support member 32. Are mainly provided (for example, a cable for connecting the flatbed scanner 20 and the exposure unit 5 to perform transmission / reception of image data).

  Note that the front-rear direction dimension (hereinafter referred to as depth dimension) D1 and the left-right direction dimension (hereinafter referred to as width dimension) W1 of the first support member 31 are larger than the depth dimension D2 and width dimension W2 of the second support member 32. Each is formed to be large.

  Thus, by forming the depth dimension D1 of the first support member 31 to be larger than the depth dimension D2 of the second support member 32, a sufficient space for housing the case 18 (the toner cartridges 17a to 17d) is secured. can do. Further, since the depth dimension D2 of the second support member 32 is smaller than the depth dimension D1 of the first support member 31, the paper P placed on the discharge tray 12 can be easily taken out from the right side.

  Further, by forming the width dimension W1 of the first support member 31 larger than the width dimension W2 of the second support member 32, a sufficient space for accommodating the case 18 (each toner cartridge 17a to 17d) is secured. Can do. Further, by reducing the width dimension W2 of the second support member 32 where the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are not disposed, the horizontal dimension of the color multifunction peripheral 1 can be reduced, so that the main body 2 (color multifunction peripheral 1) can be downsized. Can be achieved.

  The third support member 33 is located between the first support member 31 and the second support member 32, and has a substantially U shape together with the first support member 31 and the second support member 32. It is arranged on the back side of the upper part. The third support member 33 is provided with a transport roller 34 that discharges the paper P into the space S.

<Replacement mode of toner cartridges 17a to 17d>
Here, a replacement mode of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d of the color multifunction peripheral 1 configured as described above will be described. 3 to 6 are perspective views for explaining specific examples of the toner cartridge replacement mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first example of replacement of the toner cartridges 17 a to 17 d is configured such that the case 18 in which the toner cartridges 17 a to 17 d are accommodated can be pulled out from the first support member 31 to the front side. The toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be replaced by being removed from the case 18.

  According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily replace the toner cartridges 17a to 17d from the front side of the color multifunction peripheral 1. The side walls 35 and 36 of the first support member 31 after the case 18 is pulled out have sufficient strength to support the flat bed scanner 20.

Hereinafter, the second to fourth examples to be described are forms that can be adopted even when the case 18 is not provided.
As shown in FIG. 4, the second example of the replacement form of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d is that the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are moved from the first support member 31 to the side opposite to the space S (see FIG. 2), that is, It is the form which enables the replacement | exchange by comprising so that it can pull out on the left side. In this case, it is desirable that a part of the side wall of the first support member 31 (a dimension sufficient to cover at least the four toner cartridges 17a to 17d) be the side cover 37 that can be freely opened and closed.

  According to this embodiment, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be easily replaced from the left side (side surface portion) of the color multifunction peripheral 1. In addition, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d corresponding to each color can be individually replaced. Further, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be replaced without moving the flat bed scanner 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the third example of replacement of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d, the flat bed scanner 20 is configured to rotate up and down with the back end as a fulcrum. The toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be exchanged from the upper surface of the first support member 31 that is rotated upward and exposed at that time. In order to fix the flatbed scanner 20 rotated upward at that position, for example, it is desirable to provide a member such as a support bar on the second support member 32 or the third support member 33.

  According to this embodiment, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be easily replaced from above the color multifunction peripheral 1. In particular, this is an effective replacement mode when a space cannot be secured in the left-right direction (side surface portion) of the color MFP 1. In addition, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d corresponding to each color can be individually replaced.

  In addition to the replacement of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d, by rotating the flat bed scanner 20, for example, cables and other members disposed in the second support member 32 and the third support member 33, for example. Maintenance and removal of paper jammed in the third support member 33 can be easily performed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the fourth example of the replacement form of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d, the flat bed scanner 20 is slid in the left-right direction by providing a slide rail 38 or the like on the upper surface of the support member 30. The toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be replaced from the upper surface of the first support member 31 exposed to the surface.

  According to this embodiment, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be easily replaced from above the color multifunction peripheral 1. In addition, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d corresponding to each color can be individually replaced. Further, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be replaced without lifting the flat bed scanner 20.

  The distance that the flatbed scanner 20 slides and moves may be a distance that is sufficient to expose the toner cartridges 17a to 17d disposed in the first support member 31 so that the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be pulled out upward. As shown in FIG. 6B, even if the flat bed scanner 20 is moved by the maximum distance, a part of the first support member 31 (the part of the width dimension W5) supports the flat bed scanner 20. It is desirable.

  According to this, for example, even when a force is applied to the upper surface on the near side when the flat bed scanner 20 is slid, the flat bed scanner 20 can be stably supported, and damage or the like can be prevented. In this case, the width dimension W3 of the first support member 31 at this time is set to W1 (see FIG. 2) + W5, and the width dimension W4 of the second support member 32 is set to W2 (see FIG. 2) −W5. It is possible to stably support the flatbed scanner 20 at the time of sliding without changing the horizontal dimension of 1.

According to the above, the following effects can be obtained in the present embodiment.
Since the color multifunction peripheral 1 accommodates the plurality of toner cartridges 17a to 17d in the first support member 31, the internal space of the support member 30 that has been generally hollow can be used effectively.

  Since the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are accommodated in the first support member 31, it is not necessary to provide a separate toner storage chamber for the process cartridges 13a to 13d, and the process cartridges 13a to 13d can be reduced in size ( For example, the vertical dimension can be reduced). Accordingly, the main body 2 can be miniaturized as much as the process cartridges 13a to 13d are miniaturized. Therefore, the color complex machine 1 as a whole can be miniaturized (for example, the vertical dimension is reduced to reduce the thickness). be able to.

  Since the discharge direction of the paper P and the arrangement direction of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are the same (see FIG. 2), the toner supply path from the toner cartridges 17a to 17d to the toner hoppers 16a to 16d (each toner supply path) 19a to 19d) can be simplified.

  Further, according to the specific example of the replacement form of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d can be easily replaced even if the flat bed scanner 20 is provided above the main body 2 having the image forming unit 2A. Can be done.

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 paper P such as plain paper, thick paper, and postcard is used as an example of the recording sheet. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, an OHP sheet or cloth.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are arranged on the left side of the main body 2 (inside the first support member 31) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. The toner cartridges 17a to 17d may be disposed inside the support member 32).
Further, the toner cartridges 17a to 17d may be disposed inside both the first support member 31 and the second support member 32. In this case, two toner cartridges may be arranged on each of the supporting members, or three on one side and one on the other side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the depth dimension D1 and the width dimension W1 of the first support member 31 are formed to be larger than the depth dimension D2 and the width dimension W2 of the second support member 32, respectively. Is not to be done. For example, the depth dimension D2 and the width dimension W2 may be formed to be larger than the depth dimension D1 and the width dimension W1, respectively. Further, the first support member 31 and the second support member 32 may be formed so that only the depth dimension (or only the width dimension) is different. Furthermore, the first support member 31 and the second support member 32 may be formed to have the same dimensions.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration including the third support member 33 provided with the transport roller 34 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the main body 2 is provided with a conveyance roller for discharging the paper P to the space S, the third support member may not be provided.

  In the above-described embodiment, the support member 30 is composed of three members, the first support member 31, the second support member 32, and the third support member 33. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may comprise as one supporting member which makes a shape.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case 18 is formed in a box shape (see FIG. 3), but the shape is not particularly limited. That is, the case may have a frame shape or the like as long as the toner cartridges are accommodated in the support member and can be pulled out as a single unit. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the discharge direction of the paper P and the arrangement direction of the toner cartridges 17a to 17d are the same is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is good also as a structure where a direction orthogonally crosses.

1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a color multifunction peripheral as an example of an image forming apparatus. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a first example of a toner cartridge replacement mode. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a second example of a toner cartridge replacement mode. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a third example of a toner cartridge replacement mode. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a fourth example of a toner cartridge replacement mode.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color compound machine 2A Image formation part 17a-17d Toner cartridge 18 Case 20 Flatbed scanner 30 Support member 31 1st support member 32 2nd support member P Paper S Space part

Claims (8)

An image forming unit that forms an image by supplying a developer on the recording sheet;
An image reading unit provided above the image forming unit;
A support member provided between the image forming unit and the image reading unit and supporting the image reading unit;
An image forming apparatus for discharging the recording sheet on which an image is formed in a space surrounded by the image forming unit, the image reading unit, and the support member,
The support member includes a plurality of developer accommodating members in which the developer is accommodated ,
The image forming apparatus , wherein the developer containing member is detachable from the support member .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of developer accommodating members are arranged side by side in the same direction as a discharge direction of the recording sheet. The support member includes a first support member and a second support member provided to face each other in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction,
The first support member is
A plurality of the developer accommodating members are disposed inside;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a dimension in the discharge direction is formed to be larger than a dimension in the discharge direction of the second support member . The support member includes a first support member and a second support member provided to face each other in a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction,
The first support member is
A plurality of the developer accommodating members are disposed inside;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a dimension in the orthogonal direction is formed to be larger than a dimension in the orthogonal direction of the second support member . A case in which a plurality of the developer accommodating members are combined into one;
5. The image according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of developer accommodating members are configured to be able to be pulled out together with the case along the arrangement direction from the support member. 6. Forming equipment.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the developer containing member is detachable from the support member on a side opposite to the space. The image reading unit is configured to rotate up and down with one end side as a fulcrum,
5. The developer developer according to claim 2, wherein the developer accommodating member is detachable in a vertical direction from an upper surface of the support member exposed by rotating the image reading unit. The image forming apparatus described in the item. The image reading unit is configured to translate horizontally,
5. The developer developer according to claim 2, wherein the developer containing member is detachable in a vertical direction from an upper surface of the support member exposed by the parallel movement of the image reading unit. Image forming apparatus.

Images