JPS58190960A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the loading of a process kit into the main body of an image forming device in case a part or whole of an image forming means is not loaded and to avoid the unloading of the image forming device, by providing a loading preventing mechanism for the process kit which can be loaded and unloaded. CONSTITUTION:The mechanism which is loaded to and unloaded from a kit housing 15 of a process kit (cleaner 9) includes a rotary shaft 23, a stopper arm 20, a touch lever 21, etc. When the cleaner 9 is loaded into the housing 15, the arm 20 has oblique revolutions with its upper end part 20a drawn into a rear face plate of the housing 15. Thus the process kit can be loaded into the main body of an image forming device. If the cleaner 9 is not loaded into the housing 15, the arm 20 is kept erect and the part 20a has an interference to the inlet 26 of the housing 15 to prevent the second loading of the housing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine or a recording machine.

In particular, in order to facilitate maintenance, inspection, cleaning, or repair work, there is a process kit in which part or all of the photoreceptor and the image forming means arranged around it are integrated and removable from the main body of the apparatus. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

Hereinafter, an explanation will be given using an electronic copying machine as an example.

Conventional 9 image forming apparatuses, such as electronic copying machines, require replacing the photoreceptor as a special carrier, replenishing developer, disposing of waste toner, cleaning charging wires, or maintaining the imager. Most of these tasks were done by professional service personnel.

However, with electronic copying machines that are small and designed for very simple purposes, the number of machines installed is larger than in the past, and the copy volume by users becomes more and more uneven, so specialized service personnel are required to perform maintenance, etc. It becomes difficult to do.

Therefore, a copying machine configuration has been proposed in which, for example, a photosensitive drum, a charger, a 9-ner, etc. are integrated into a process kit that can be attached to, detached from, and pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, thereby making maintenance easier. There is.

Similarly, in order to facilitate maintenance, inspection, cleaning, and repair work of the copying machine, a copying machine configuration in which the nine main bodies can be divided into upper and lower parts has also been considered.

This includes the exposure mechanism, charger, photoreceptor, and
This is a product in which the upper frame, which is equipped with a vacuum cleaner, cleaner, etc., is rotatably mounted on one end of the frame as a fulcrum; this is a general mechanism, but the drum-proximity members (such as transfer electrodes, etc.) included in the lower frame are attached to the upper frame. In some cases, it is rotatably pivoted to the frame.

In the case of maintenance, inspection, repair, etc. within one main body, the upper frame should be opened wide upwards relative to the lower frame.
Alternatively, the drum proximal member included in the lower frame is opened from the upper frame.

In this way, the process kit is configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body, and the process kit includes a charger and a photoreceptor, which are constituent members of the process kit.

In the present kit-in-kit copying machine in which a scrubber, a cleaner, etc. are detachably installed, the above-mentioned maintenance can be performed relatively easily.

However, after the component parts such as the charger, photoreceptor, developer, cleaner, etc., which are the image forming means in the process kit, are individually installed and removed and maintenance, inspection, and repairs are completed, they are reinstalled into the process kit. When a process kit is inserted into the main body, all of its constituent members must be installed, but it is often the case that all the constituent members are not installed and the process kit is inserted into the main body as is. In this case, not only the first main body cannot function as an image forming apparatus, but also the nine main bodies and their constituent members may be damaged and may become unstable.

There are also safety issues. Also, in terms of labor, the process kit must be reinstalled, which results in wasted time. Therefore, improvement in this point is required.

In view of the problems of the prior art described above, the present invention provides a process kit type image forming apparatus in which a photoreceptor and a part or all of an image forming means disposed around the photoreceptor are integrated and detachable from the apparatus main body. 9 When reloading the process kit after maintenance and repair of paper jams 9, etc., or maintenance of process kit components, such as replacing the photoconductor, replenishing developer, disposing of waste toner, and cleaning charging wires. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the process kit cannot be attached to the main body if all or some of its constituent members are not properly installed, and the apparatus is strictly prevented from operating in an incomplete state. The purpose is to provide equipment.

Embodiments of a copying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is directed. Reference numeral 1 denotes a document mounting table made of a transparent member, which moves back and forth in the direction of the arrow. Reference numeral 2 denotes a short and small diameter imaging element array, and the original placed on the original placing table 1 is slit-exposed to the rotating photosensitive drum 2. 4 is a charger;
Uniformly charges the photosensitive drum. The uniformly charged drum 6 is subjected to image exposure by the element array 2 to form an electrostatic image. Next, the electrostatic image is transferred to the visualization device 5.
It is visualized by On the other hand, the transfer paper P is connected to a paper feed roller 6,
The drum 3 is moved by a registration roller 7 that rotates at the right timing to register the image on the photosensitive drum 6.
The toner image on the photosensitive drum 6 is transferred onto the transfer paper P by the transfer charger 8.

The transfer paper P on which the image has been transferred is then separated from the drum 6, guided by a guide 11 to a fixing device 12, where the image is fixed, and then transferred to a tray 14 outside the machine by a paper discharge roller 16 as a copy.
is discharged.

On the other hand, after passing through the transfer section, the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 is cleaned to remove residual toner images by a rubber blade 10 of a cleaning device 9, and is repeatedly used for copying.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a process kit housing, and the photosensitive drum 6, charger 4, imager 5, and cleaner 9 are assembled and held in this housing as a process kit.

The main body of the copying machine has two parts, an upper frame 17 and a lower frame 18.
Since it is divided, the upper frame 17 can be opened up from the lower frame 18 at any angle about the shaft 16. Copying is performed by placing the upper frame 17 in the first position relative to the lower frame 18.
As shown in the figure, it is fully closed and locked with an appropriate locking mechanism 25, and then executed. Work such as maintenance and inspection is performed by releasing the lock mechanism 25 and opening the upper frame 17 about the shaft 16. The process kit housing 15 is held by the upper frame 17 and can be freely inserted into and removed from the upper frame 17 toward the front of the apparatus (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing).

Although the details are omitted, the copying machine of this example has the first stage opening ( ) - flocked state) in which the upper frame 17 is opened at a small opening angle, and the upper frame 17 at a larger opening angle as shown in Fig. 2. The locking mechanism 25 is configured so that the second stage can be opened wide to open the upper frame 17 as shown in FIG. Do it in a state. When inspecting, repairing, replacing, etc. the equipment assembled as a process kit, leave the first stage open and move the process kit housing 15 to the upper frame 17.
Pull it out from within. However, in the present invention, it is not a requirement that the main body of the device has a split open configuration as described above, but as long as all or part of the one-image forming means is configured as a kit to be freely inserted into and removed from the main body. good.

6 and 4 show an example of a mechanism for preventing the process kit from being inserted into the main body of the apparatus, and this example is an example of a mechanism related to the cleaner 9 that is inserted into and removed from the kit housing 15. Reference numeral 26 denotes a rotating shaft which is protruded inwardly and outwardly from the rear plate of the kit housing 15 and is supported by a rotary shaft, 20 is a stopper arm whose base is fixed to and supported by the end of the shaft 23 projecting outward from the housing, and 21 is a shaft 26 The abutment lever 22 has its base fixed to the inwardly projecting end of the housing and is attached in an abbreviated relationship with the stopper arm 20. Reference numeral 22 is a spring that constantly biases the shaft 26 to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing. When the cleaner 9 is installed in the process kit housing 15, the upper surface of the abutting lever 21 is pressed by the cleaner 9, and the entire lever 21, shaft 23, and stopper arm 20 moves clockwise against the spring 22. and is held in the posture shown in the sixth figure. For convenience, the cleaner 9 attached to the process kit housing 15 and pressing the lever 21 as described above is omitted in the figure. In this rotating position, the stopper arm 20 is in an obliquely tilted position as shown in the figure, and the upper end 20a is hidden within the plane of the rear plate of the process kit housing 15. On the other hand, when the cleaner 9 is removed from the kit housing 15, the upper surface of the lever 21 is released from the forward and reverse directions, and as a result, the lever 21, shaft 23, stopper arm 20
The whole rotates counterclockwise by the force of the knob 22, and the stopper arm 20 becomes an upright part as shown in FIG. will rotate until it is stopped. In this rotational posture, the upper end 20a of the stopper arm 20 projects upward from the upper part of the rear plate of the process kit housing 15.

The process kit housing 15 is then pulled out from the apparatus main body and maintenance, inspection, repair, and other work is performed.

When inserting the casing 15 into the main body of the apparatus again, be sure to insert the casing 15 into the casing 15. When the cleaner 9 is installed, the stopper arm 20 is in an obliquely rotating position as shown in the third figure, and the upper end is Since the portion 20a is retracted into the rear surface of the casing 15, the casing 15 can be inserted and reinstalled into the main body of the apparatus without any problem. However, when the case 15 is inserted and reinstalled into the main body of the apparatus without having forgotten to attach the cleaner into the case 15, the stopper arm 20 is in the upright position as shown in the fourth figure, and the upper end 20a is Since the stopper arm protrudes from the upper edge of the rear plate of the housing 15, when the housing 15 is inserted into the apparatus main body, the upper end 20a of the stopper arm interferes with the edge of the housing insertion opening 26 of the apparatus main body, causing damage to the housing. It becomes impossible to reinstall.

Therefore, the operator realizes that he/she has forgotten to install the necessary equipment into the housing 15.

Although the above example has been explained in relation to the cleaner 9, the charging prevention part 1f420 of the process kit case 15 is installed in some or all of the process component members, and the number However, after maintenance/maintenance of the process kit, the components *; 4 are again attached to the process kit and inserted into the main body. It has become possible.

As described above, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a process kit in which a part or all of an image forming means is integrally attached and detachable from the apparatus main body.

If part or all of the image forming means is not attached, the process kit can be prevented from being inserted into the main body, which has the effect of preventing forgetting to attach the image forming means.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional front view of an example of an image forming apparatus with a built-in process kit and an upper and lower half-divided opening/closing type image forming apparatus in a closed state, Fig. 2 is the same view in an open state, and Fig. 3 is a process kit housing insertion prevention member. FIG. 4 is a slope view when the barrel stopper arm is in a diagonally fallen state, and FIG. 4 is a slope view when it is in an upright position. 1... Document placement table, 15... Process kit housing. 17... Upper frame, 18... Lower frame *
20...S) 7 Pa, 21...Abutting lever, 22...Crimp screw panel Patent applicant: Canon Co., Ltd. Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure A

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an image forming apparatus equipped with a process kit in which part or all of the photoreceptor and the image forming means disposed around it are integrated and removable from the main body of the apparatus, a part or all of the image forming means is An image forming apparatus comprising a member that performs a locking operation to prevent the process kit from being inserted into the main body.