JPH03182450A - image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (a) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and more specifically, it relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and more specifically, it relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer. The present invention relates to a recording paper conveyance device that conveys recording paper.

(B) Conventional technology An example of an image forming apparatus equipped with a conventional manual paper feeder is as follows.
This will be explained using FIGS. 5 and 6.

In FIG. 5, an optical system 29 consisting of a lamp 25 for scanning a document on a platen (not shown), a plurality of mirrors 26, a lens 27, etc. is arranged on the top of the main body 2 of the copying machine (image forming apparatus) 1. The light reflected from the document by scanning by the optical system 29 is irradiated onto the photosensitive drum (image forming section) 3 rotating in the direction of the arrow, thereby forming a latent image on the photosensitive drum 3.

Around the photosensitive drum 3, there is a charger 31 that uniformly charges the photosensitive drum 3, and a developing device 32 that attaches toner to the latent image formed by the optical system 29 to form a toner image.
, a transfer charger 33 that transfers this toner image onto a recording paper being conveyed as described later, a conveyor belt 35 that conveys the recording paper after the transfer, a cleaner 36 that cleans the photosensitive drum 3 after the transfer, and the like. ing.

A paper feed cassette 5 storing recording paper S, a paper feed roller 37, and the like are arranged below the photosensitive drum 3. The recording paper S in the paper feed cassette 5 fed by the paper feed roller 37 is conveyed to the registration rollers 40 via the conveyance guide 39, and is fed to the photosensitive drum 3 at a predetermined timing to transfer the toner image. be done. After the toner image has been transferred, the recording paper S is conveyed to the fixing device 41 by the conveyor belt 35, the toner image is transferred thereto, and is further discharged onto the paper discharge tray 42.

A manual feed tray 45 is disposed in a manual paper feed port 43 formed on one side (right side in the figure) of the apparatus main body 2, and the manual feed recording paper S fed from the manual feed tray 45 is The photosensitive drum 3 is conveyed to the registration roller 40 by the conveyance roller 46, and is attached to the photosensitive drum 3 by predetermined tying.
The toner image is transferred by the fixing device 41, and the toner image is further transferred by the fixing device 41 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 42. The conveyance direction of the manual recording paper S, that is, the longitudinal direction of movement of the manual recording paper S is a constant direction, and in FIG. 5, it is configured to move from the right side to the left side of the main body 2 of the apparatus.

In the image forming apparatus described above, the manual paper feed port 43 is located on the right side of the apparatus main body 2. Therefore, in order for the operator to set the manual feed recording paper S onto the manual feed tray 45, the operator must clear the space on the right side of the apparatus main body 2. If there is not enough space, it will be difficult to set.

Furthermore, since the cassette loading port for attaching and detaching the paper feed cassette 5 to and from the device main body 2 is also located on the side of the device body, it is necessary to provide sufficient space for attaching and detaching the paper feed cassette 5. There is a problem.

On the other hand, recent image forming apparatuses are equipped with front-loading type recording paper storage devices (hereinafter referred to as front-loading type recording paper storage devices) as shown in Fig. A copying machine 1 equipped with a cassette (referred to as a cassette) 6 has been provided, and in this copying machine 1, the front loading cassette 6 can be inserted into and taken out of the apparatus body 2 from the operation surface side (that is, the operator side) of the apparatus body 2. It has become.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since the copying machine 1 explained in FIG. This is contrary to the design concept based on the copying machine 1 of FIG. 6, which aimed at the above, and has the drawback that the installation space of the copying machine 1 cannot be reduced even if the front loading cassette is optimized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that allows a manual paper feeder to be attached and detached from the operation surface side of the apparatus main body of an image forming apparatus, and that also provides compatibility between the paper feed cassette and the manual paper feeder when they are attached to and removed from the apparatus main body. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which the installation space of the image forming apparatus is reduced.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances. For example, as shown in FIGS. an image forming unit (3) that forms an image, a manual paper feed slot (7) formed on the operation surface side (2A) of the device main body (2) that houses this image forming unit (3), and a manual paper feed port (7) that forms an image. It has a manual paper feeder (9) capable of feeding recording paper (S) from a paper feed port (7), and the paper feed direction in the manual paper feed port (7) and the image on the image forming unit are aligned in the front direction. In the image forming section W(1) where the recording paper transport direction when recording on the north recording paper (S) is approximately perpendicular, the manual paper feeder (
9) is detachably attached to the device main body (2).

Further, the present invention provides compatibility with the front loading cassette (6) which is configured to be detachably attached to the device main body (2) and stores recording paper (S).
) can be attached and detached at will.

(E) Function Based on the above configuration, the manual paper feed slot (7) is connected to the device main body (2).
) on the operator's side (2A), and by making the manual paper feeder (9) removable from the operator's side (2A) of the device body (2>), it can be manually fed in the same way as the front loading cassette (6). Even in the paper feeder (9), the device body (2)
The recording paper (S) can be fed from the operator side (2A) of the image forming apparatus (1), and the space provided by the protrusion provided on the side of the main body (2) of the image forming apparatus (2) is no longer required. ) installation space is reduced.

In addition, by making the manual paper feeder (9) and front loading cassette (6) interchangeably attachable and detachable to the main body of the device (2), when the manual paper feeder (9) is not in use, the manual feed It is also possible to attach and detach another front loading cassette (6) to the opening (7).

Note that the above-mentioned symbols in parentheses are shown for reference to the drawings, and do not limit the structure of the present invention in any way.

(F) Example Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Components having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 5 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main body of a copying machine (image forming apparatus) equipped with a manual paper feeder of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal side view thereof.

In the figure, a manual paper feed lower is formed on the operator's side 2A of the main body 2 of the copying machine 1, and a manual paper feed cassette 9 or a part thereof is protruded from the manual paper feed lower. It is attached in a removable manner. Therefore, on the right side of the copying machine 1 in this embodiment, there is no protrusion such as the manual feed tray 45 as shown in FIG. 5. The recording paper S that is manually fed from the manual paper feed cassette 9 is guided by a pair of guide plates 49 and 50 provided on the manual feed tray 9a, which is the upper surface of the manual paper feed cassette 9, and then transported by the conveyor belt 11, which will be described later. It is designed to be transported into the apparatus main body 2.

In FIG. 2, a fron 1 to a loading cassette 6 are installed in the main body 2 of the copying machine 1 and are detachable from the operator side 2A of the main body 2, guided by a guide means (not shown). The manual paper feeding cassette 9 is removably disposed below the manual paper feeding cassette 9 guided by a similar guide means. The recording paper S on the front loading cassette 6 is fed by the semicircular paper feed roller 37, and then fed to the registration rollers 40 by the conveyance roller 52 and the conveyance guide 53, and then transferred to the copying machine shown in FIG. 5 described above. An image is recorded in the same manner as in 1 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 421.

Below the paper feed roller 37, a lower half-moon-shaped paper feed roller 10 is disposed as will be described later, and the recording paper S conveyed into the apparatus main body 2 by the E conveyance belt 11 is The paper is fed from the manual feed tray 9a by the paper feed roller 10, and is transported to the registration rollers 40 by the transport rollers 55, 56 and the transport guide 53, and an image is recorded in the same manner as described above.

The manual paper feed cassette 9 and the front loading cassette 6 can be exchanged with each other, and are interchangeable when attached to and removed from the storage section of the device main body 2. If this is not necessary, another front loading cassette can be attached to the lower manual paper feed lower. The external dimensions of the cassette 9 are the same as those of the cassette 6 in depth, width, and height.

Next, details of the manual paper feeding cassette 9 will be explained based on FIG.

In the same figure, a guide plate 50 is fixed to the end of the manual tray 9a, which is the upper surface of the manual paper feed cassette 9, on the operator side, and guides the recording paper S to be manually fed. The guide plate 49 paired with the plate 50 is held by a holding member (not shown) and is movable in the directions of arrows 57 and 59. Near the guide plate 50,
A sensor 12 is disposed extending upward from a hole drilled in the manual tray 9a.
At the same time, it is detected that the recording paper S is manually inserted.

Inside the manual paper feed cassette 9, a pair of rotatably supported drive pulley 13 and driven pulley 15 are disposed, respectively. The upper side slightly protrudes from the hole 9b formed in the manual tray 9a or is in the same plane as the manual tray 9a. Shaft 13a integrated with the drive pulley 13
A gear 17 fixed to the motor 19 meshes with a drive gear 20 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 19. The drive gear 20 is rotated by a sensor 12 that is turned ON when recording paper S is manually inserted.

A pair of guide plates 60 and 61 and a sensor 21 disposed in the middle thereof are disposed at the end of the manual tray 9a opposite to the operator side.

The guide plates 60 and 61 correct the skew of the manually fed recording paper S and also position it, and the sensor 21 detects that the manually fed recording paper S is on the manual feed tray 9a.
is set at a predetermined position.

On the paper feeding end side of the manual feed tray 9a, there is a roller 2 whose upper peripheral surface is located in a plurality of holes drilled in the manual feed tray 9a.
2 are arranged rotatably. Further, a plurality of half-moon-shaped paper feed rollers 10 are each fixed to a shaft 10a supported by a support member (not shown) in the apparatus main body 2, and are opposed to the rollers 22, respectively. The sensors 12, 21, motor 19, etc. are connected to a control board (not shown) of the apparatus main body 2 (DC controller) via a connector 23 fixed to the side of the manual paper feed cassette 9.
It is connected to the.

Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

When the manual feed recording paper S is inserted onto the manual feed tray 9a along the guide plates 49 and 50, this recording paper S is inserted into the sensor 12.
is detected and the motor 19 rotates. This motor 19
As the drive pulley 13 rotates in the direction of the arrow 65, the upper side of the conveyor belt 16 rotates in the direction of the arrow 65 to convey the manually fed recording paper S in the same direction.

When the conveyed recording paper S contacts the guide plates 60 and 61 and is detected by the sensor 21, the motor 1
The rotation of 9 is stopped. Next, as the shaft 10a and the paper feed roller 10 rotate in the direction of the arrow 66, the manually fed recording paper S located between the paper feed roller 10 and the roller 22 is moved by the paper feed roller 10 and the roller 22 in the direction of the arrow 66. Paper is fed in 67 directions. The fed recording paper S is fed to the photosensitive drum 3 at a predetermined timing by a registration roller 40 and has a toner image transferred thereto, and then the toner image is fixed by a fixing device 41 and then discharged onto a paper output tray 42. be done.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 4.

In the first embodiment described above, the manually fed recording paper S was conveyed into the apparatus main body 2 by the conveyor belt 16, but in this embodiment, the recording paper S was placed inside the manual paper feeding cassette 9. The recording paper S is conveyed by a plurality of half-moon rollers 71.

That is, a plurality of half-moon rollers 71 are fixed to a shaft 70 that is rotatably disposed in the manual paper feed cassette 9, and the half-moon rollers 71 have their notches bored into the manual paper tray 9a. It is in a state where it is located in a plurality of holes 9c. Above each of the half-moon rollers 71, rollers 73 are respectively fixed to a shaft 72 which is rotatably supported by a support member (not shown) in the main body 2 of the apparatus.

In the manual paper feed cassette 9 configured as described above, when the recording paper S is inserted into the manual paper feed tray 9a, the sensor 1
2 detects the recording paper S, and this detection signal starts the motor 19 (see FIG. 1) to rotate the half-moon roller 71 in the direction of the arrow 75. By this rotation of the half-moon roller 71, the inserted recording paper S is moved between the half-moon roller 71 and the roller 73.
The recording paper S is held between the recording paper S and conveyed in the direction of the arrow 65, and the subsequent operation of the recording paper S is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Note that when the manual paper feed cassette 9 is attached to the main body 2 of the device, the manual paper feed cassette 9 is connected via the connector 23.
As mentioned above, is connected to the control board of the apparatus main body 2, or may be connected to the same position as other front loading cassettes 6 inserted into the apparatus main body 2 instead of the manual paper feed cassette 9 as necessary. A connector 23 is provided at the front loading cassette 6 to enable electrical connection of the front loading cassette 6.

(G) As described in detail, according to the present invention, a manual paper feed port is provided on the operator side of the main body of the apparatus, and the manual paper feed device is made detachable from the operator side of the main body of the apparatus. As a result, the presence of a protrusion such as a manual paper feeder on the side surface of the apparatus main body is eliminated, so that the installation space for the image forming apparatus can be reduced.

In addition, by making it possible to interchangeably attach and detach the manual paper feeder and the front loading cassette from the main body of the device, for example, the manual paper feeder can be made optional, allowing only users who need the manual paper feeder to use the manual feeder. A paper feeding device can be used. In addition, if the image forming apparatus is configured to allow paper feeding using a two-stage cassette,
If the manual paper feeder is fixed to the main body of the device, space for three cassettes is required, but if the manual paper feeder is made removable and compatible as in the present invention, , it is possible to feed paper ten times through a two-stage cassette in the space of a two-stage cassette, which is advantageous for downsizing the main body of the apparatus.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a manual paper feeder section of an image forming apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 3 is a vertical side view, and FIG. The figure is a perspective view of a manual paper feeder showing a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a vertical side view showing an example of a conventional image forming apparatus, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another conventional image forming apparatus. FIG. S...Recording paper l...Copy machine (image forming device)
2... Apparatus body 3... Photosensitive drum (image forming section), 6... Front loading cassette 7... Manual paper feed slot 9... Manual paper feed cassette (manual paper feed device) 9a. ...Manual feed tray, 10...Paper feed roller, 16...Transport belt 23...Connector 71...Half-moon roller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image forming section that forms an image on fed recording paper;
The apparatus includes a manual paper feed port formed on the operation surface side of the main body of the apparatus that houses the image forming section, and a manual paper feed device capable of feeding recording paper from the manual paper feed port, and the manual paper feed In an image forming apparatus in which the recording paper conveyance direction at the mouth and the recording paper conveyance direction when an image of the image forming section is recorded on the recording paper are substantially perpendicular, the manual paper feeder is connected to the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the image forming apparatus is detachable. 2. The paper feeding device is configured to be detachably attached to the apparatus main body, and is compatible with a front loading cassette that stores recording paper, and is detachable from the apparatus main body. image forming device.