JPH04107480A - Color image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and surely load and unload a process cartridge by meshing gears respectively provided in plural developing devices with respective driving gears disposed in plural strings on a device main body side in parallel when the process cartridge is loaded on the device main body. CONSTITUTION:The respective developing devices are arranged along the circumferential surface of a photosensitive belt and the respective gears 8GB - 11GB thereof are arranged in a circular arc state. Therefore, in the case that a slide surface used when the process cartridge 30 is inserted is regarded as a reference, the respective gears can be disposed so that a highest position is occupied by the gear 11GB by successively providing proper level difference S by arranging the gear 9GB at the lowest position, for example. That means, the gear string on the cartridge 30 side is made to correspond to the gear string of a driving system on the main body side by setting the gear G1A meshed with the gear 8GB at the position whose shaft direction is different and arranging the other gears 9GB - 11GB and similarly the gears G2A - G4A on the device main body in a row. Thus, the gears on the process cartridge side to not interfere with the respective gears on the main body side at all and the engagement or the disengagement thereof is smoothly and properly executed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an electrophotographic color image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer material such as a copying machine or a printer.

[Background of the invention]

In image forming devices such as monochrome analog copying machines using electrophotography, copying machines and printers using semiconductor laser and LED scanning systems, various photoreceptors, developer carriers, cleaning members, and developers that have a long service life are used. A part of the image forming means is made into a cartridge for replenishment and replacement when toner is consumed, and a member integrating the main parts of these image forming means is taken out of the apparatus for maintenance or replacement. The following are proposed. Furthermore, various configurations have been proposed in which the conveyance path of the transfer 41 on which the image is formed by the image forming means is opened to make it easier to take out the transfer material during jam removal.

A typical configuration of these is as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-54392, in which the photoreceptor drum, developer, cleaner, etc. are integrally attached to a support member, and can be pulled out from the main body of the apparatus, and each unit is Proposals have been made to make replacement and repair easier, and the next step was to integrate the main parts of these image forming means and make them disposable.
4255, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 1.47366 discloses a printer configuration that uses a similar disposable cartridge and forms a latent image on a photoreceptor drum by dot exposure scanning writing using a semiconductor laser. has been done.

Furthermore, these publications disclose a configuration in which the upper housing of the split structure is opened to open the transfer material conveyance path and take out the transfer section in the event of a jam, and the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-154255 A structure is adopted in which a disposable process cartridge is replaceably disposed in an upper housing having a two-part structure, and the workability of replacing the cartridge and the ridge is improved and the ease of handling jams is attempted to be solved. In addition, with emphasis on the ease of replacing process cartridges, mainly replenishment toner cartridges and linting cartridges for recovered toner, we have created a two-part AM design, and in particular, we have placed the process cartridge in the lower casing for maintenance. JP-A-58-1161 discloses a method aimed at improving workability.

In addition, the above structure is made vertical, and JP-A-63-2
No. 44058, No. 63-244059, No. 63-24
No. 4064, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-1.79168, etc., are proposed to improve same-direction operation and jam handling.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, when attaching and detaching the process cartridge to and from the main body of the apparatus, as mentioned above, instead of making the apparatus into two parts, the cartridge insertion/ejection opening can be opened and closed, and at the same time, the drive system that connects to the photoreceptor and developer that constitute the cartridge is required. It is necessary to easily and reliably engage and disengage the gears as the cartridge is inserted and removed, which makes the main body structure complicated and the handling operations difficult.

The present invention solves and improves this point, and as a result, the process car can be used without having to open the lid as much as in a two-part structure.
- The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which the ridge can be easily and reliably attached and detached.

[Means for solving problems]

The above object is to provide a color image forming apparatus in which a process car 1-ring including at least an image bearing member and a plurality of developing devices is removably installed. The process cartridge can be taken out, and when the process cartridge is installed in the main body of the apparatus, the gears provided in each of the plurality of developing units mesh with respective drive gears arranged in parallel in a plurality of rows on the main body side. This is accomplished by a color image forming device.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the color image forming apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

In FIG. 1, ■ indicates a flexible photoreceptor belt serving as a belt-like image carrier, and the photoreceptor belt 1 is installed between rotating rollers 2 and 3, and is rotated clockwise by the rotational roller 2. transported to.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a support member, that is, a tunoid member fixed to the main body of the apparatus so as to be inscribed in the photoreceptor belt 1, and the photoreceptor belt 1 is brought into a tensioned state by the outward force (=j) of the rotating roller 3. The inner circumferential surface of the above-mentioned chi)
Part of it is rubbed against Shrine 4.

Therefore, the photoreceptors on the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt 1 are always maintained in a fixed position relative to the surface of the kite member 4 even during conveyance, making it possible to form a stable image forming surface.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a Scoro I/Ron charger as a charging means, 7 a laser writing system unit as an image exposure means, and 8 to 11 a plurality of developing means, that is, developing devices each containing a developer of a specific color. Each image forming means is disposed facing the outer circumferential surface of the photoreceptor bell l- with the guide portion 4 as its back surface.

The laser writing system unit 7 is housed in a holding casing 7o having a slit-shaped exposure opening 70A on its upper surface, and is incorporated into the main body of the apparatus.

In addition to the optical system shown in the drawings, an optical system that integrates a light emitting section and a convergent light transmitting body is also used for the laser writing system unit I.7.

Each of the developing units 8, 9.10.1] respectively accommodates yellow macenta, cyan, and black developers, and is equipped with developing sleeves that maintain a predetermined gap between the photosensitive belt 1 and the photosensitive belt 1. It has a function of making a latent image on the body belt 1 visible by a non-contact development method. Unlike contact development, this non-contact development has the advantage of not interfering with the movement of the photoreceptor heald.

2 is a transfer device, 12A is a static elimination bar, 13 is a cleaning device, and the plate F13A and toner conveying roller 13B of the cleaning device 13 are connected to the photoconductor bell l-1 during image formation.
It is kept in a position apart from the surface of the photoreceptor heald 1, and is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor heald 1, as shown, only during cleaning after image transfer.

The process of forming a color image by the color image forming apparatus is performed as follows.

First, the formation of a multicolor image according to this embodiment is performed according to the following image forming system. That is, data obtained by a color image data input section that scans an original image with an image sensor is processed by an image data processing section to create image data, which is stored in a star image memory. The image memory is then taken out during recording and input to a recording section, for example, the color image forming apparatus shown in the embodiment of FIG.

That is, when a color signal output from an image reading device separate from the printer is input to the laser writing unit 7, the laser writing unit 7 outputs a laser beam generated by a semiconductor laser (not shown). is rotated and scanned by a polygon mirror 7B rotated by a drive motor 7A, and passes through an fθ lens 7C to mirrors 7D and 7E.
, 7F, the optical path is bent, and the light is projected onto the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt 1, which has been charged in advance by the charger 6, which is a charging means, to form a bright line.

On the other hand, when scanning is started, the beam is detected by the index sensor, modulation of the beam by the first color signal is started, and the modulated beam scans the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor bell 11. Therefore, by the main scanning by the laser beam and the sub-scanning by conveying the photoconductor bells 1 to 1,
A latent image corresponding to the first color is formed on the peripheral surface of the first color. This latent image is created using yellow (Y) toner (
A toner image is formed on the tram surface by being developed by a developing device 8 loaded with a developing medium (developing medium). The obtained toner image, while being held on the drum surface, passes under a cleaning device 13, which is a cleaning means, which is separated from the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor bells 1 to 1, and enters the next copy cycle.

That is, the photoreceptor belt 1 is charged again by the charger 6, and then the second color signal output from the signal processing section is input to the writing system unit 7, and in the case of the first color signal described above, Writing is performed on the drum surface in the same manner as described above, and a latent image is formed. The latent image is developed by a developer 9 loaded with magenta (M) as a second color.

This magenta (M) toner image is formed in the presence of the previously formed yellow (Y) toner image.

1.0 is a developing device having cyan (C) toner, which forms a cyan (C) toner image on the drum surface based on a control signal generated by a signal processing section.

Further, numeral 11 denotes a developing device containing black toner, which forms a black 1.sup.1 image on the belt surface by the same process as shown in FIG. These developing units 8, 9°] 0 and 11
A direct current or even alternating current bias is applied to each of the three 7, and jumping development is performed using a two-component developer as a developing means, and the photoreceptor bell l-] whose base is grounded
Development is now performed without contact. Note that as the development, non-contact development using component developers can also be used.

The color toner image thus formed on the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor bell l~ is transferred from the paper feed center 14 to the transfer device via the paper feed center 15 in the transfer section.

In other words, the transfer material housed in the paper feed roller 4 is transported out by the rotation of the paper feed roller 6, and the top layer of the transfer material is carried out via the timing roller 17 in synchronization with the image formation on the photoreceptor belt 1. and is supplied to the transfer device 12.

The transfer device that has transferred the image and removed the static electricity is connected to the rotating roller 2.
It is reliably separated from the photoconductor belt I, which suddenly changes direction along It is discharged onto the I-lay formed on the upper lid 20.

On the other hand, the photoreceptor heald 1 that has completed the transfer to the transfer material continues to be conveyed to the blade 13A and the toner conveying roller 13B.
The remaining toner was removed in the cleaning device 13 which was brought into pressure contact with the blade F13A, and the blade 13A was removed again after the cleaning was completed. A little later, the toner conveying roller 13B smoothed out the toner accumulated on the tip of the play F13A. Afterwards, the conveyance roller 13B is separated and a new image forming process begins.

The photoreceptor belt 1, the charger 6, and each developing device 89, 1
0.14 and the cleaning device 13 are integrated into an independent floss cartridge 3o, and are inserted and installed into the device by sliding from the direction indicated by the dotted chain line.

That is, the process cartridge 3o has a rail member 3 having a convex cross-sectional shape on both sides thereof as shown in FIG.
1, and is attached to the device by being inserted into and engaged with a kite member 32 having a concave cross-sectional shape built inside the device.

The mounting position of the process cartridge 3o is determined by the contact of the end portion 31A of the rail member 31 with the kite member 32, and at the same time, the top portion 33A of the locking plate 33 provided on the main body side in the cutout portion 31B of the rail member 31 is determined. are engaged and secured to set each of the process materials contained therein in a position that enables respective image formation.

Furthermore, at the same time that the process cartridge 30 is installed inside the apparatus, each group of gears connected to each developing unit, including the photoreceptor belt 1, meshes with each gear of the drive system of the main body of the apparatus and becomes operational. Ru.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of each gear group as seen from the back of the device, and FIG. 4 shows the main parts thereof as viewed from arrow A.

In the figure, 8GA, 9GA, l0GA and ]lG
A denotes developing sleeves 8A and 9A1 built in each of the developing devices.
Gears of equal diameter on the same axis of OA and IIA, also 8G
B and 8 GC, 9Gl 9 GC, l0GB and l0GG
And IIGB and 11GC are a pair of stirring screws 8B and 8C, 9B and 9C, IOB and IOC built in each developing device.
and gears IIB and 11C, both of which have the same diameter, are coaxially provided.

The gears 8GA to IIGA and the gears 8GO to IIGC are located at different positions in the axial direction and do not mesh with each other, but mesh only with the gears 8GB to IIGB.

Meanwhile, CIA, G2A, G3A and G4A as well as G5
are gears for outputting the drive system provided on the main body side of the apparatus, and when the process cartridge 30 is attached to the main body, the gears 8GA to IIGA and the rotation roller 2 for rotating the photoreceptor belt 1 are integrated. The gears 2G are brought into mesh and the power can be transmitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the gears GIA to G4A is connected to each gear G of the same diameter via an electromagnetic clutch C on the same axis.
It integrates IB, G2B, G3B and G4B.

Each of the gears GIB to G4B is an intermediate gear 11 with the same diameter.
, ■ A motor M which is connected in series via 2 and I3 and is connected to a drive gear DC coaxially operated with the intermediate gear I2.
are rotated all at once in the same direction by the rotation of the pinions P.

Therefore, by switching the electromagnetic clutch C from the OFF state to the ON state, the gears GIA, G2A,
By rotating either G3Δ or G4A and sequentially operating the specified developing devices that are in mesh with them, the above-mentioned color image development process can be performed.

Here, each of the above-mentioned developing units is arranged along the circumferential surface of the photoreceptor belt, and therefore, each of the above-mentioned gears 8GB to IIGB is arranged in an arc shape, so that the sliding surface for inserting the process cartridge 30 is When used as a standard,
For example, it is possible to set the gear 9GE at the lowest position, sequentially provide appropriate steps S, and arrange the gear 9GE so that it occupies the highest position.

In this case, even if the gears 9GB to IIGB are arranged in a straight line as shown in FIG. Without interfering with each of the gears GIA to G4A at all, and in the mounting position, gear 8GB and gear G], A gear G9E and gear G2A, gear 10GB and gear G3A, gear], I
It is possible to smoothly and accurately engage or disengage GB and gear G4A.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, of the gears 8GB to IIGB of the process cartridge 30, only the gear 8GB is arranged at a different position in the axial direction, the gear CIA meshing with the gear 8GB is arranged at a different position in the axial direction, and the other gears are arranged at different positions in the axial direction. 9GB,
10CB and LIGB are arranged in one row, and the gears G2A, G3A, and G4A on the device main body are also arranged in one row, so that the gear train on the process cartridge 30 side corresponds to the gear train in the drive system on the main body side. For each gear CIA to G4A on the main body side, process car 1
~The gears 8GB to 11GB on the side of the ridge 30 can be engaged or disengaged smoothly and accurately without any interference.

In the above embodiment, the gear train is arranged in two rows with the gear 9GB at the lowest position, but when the gear 10GB is at the lowest position, it meshes with the gears arranged parallel to the three rows on the main body side. By doing so, smooth engagement or disengagement can be achieved.

On the other hand, when removing the process cartridge 30, the locking plate 33 has a part thereof as a release lever 33B that protrudes to the side of the cartridge 7, and by pushing down the release lever 33B, the locking plate 33 is pulled. It can be retracted downward against the bias of the spring 34.

Therefore, the process cartridge 30 can be easily removed from the apparatus by opening the cover 35, pushing down the release lever 33B, and pulling the handle 30A toward the side opposite to the image transfer section.

Note that once the process cartridge 30 is removed, the transfer material conveyance path and the upper part of the apparatus are both opened by simply opening the relatively small upper cover 20, making it easy to perform jam removal and other tasks. .

Furthermore, replenishing toner in the toner replenishing section 21 can be done by simply opening the small top cover 22, making the task extremely simple.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention makes it possible to easily attach and detach the process cartridge while making the structure of the device extremely simple.As a result, maintenance of process materials and removal of jams in transfer materials can be performed simply and quickly. As a result, a color image forming apparatus that is easy to handle and that consistently produces high quality images has been provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1Q is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of the color image forming apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts thereof, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are arrangement diagrams of drive system gears and side views of the main parts thereof. 1... Photoreceptor belt 6... Charger 8-11...
Developing units 8A to IIA...Developing sleeves 8B to IIB, 8C to 11C River stirring screw 13...Cleaning device 30...Process cartridge 3■...Rail member 32/Guide member 33...
Locking plate 35...Cover 8 GA-11G
A, 8 (iB-11GB, 8 GC-11GC
...(Process cartridge side) Gear GIA-G4A, GIB-G4B, G5...(Device main body side) Gear

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A color image forming apparatus in which a process cartridge including at least an image carrier and a plurality of developing units is removably provided, wherein the process cartridge is removable on the side opposite to the transfer section, and the process cartridge A color image forming apparatus characterized in that when the cartridge is installed in the apparatus main body, the gears provided in each of the plurality of developing devices mesh with respective driving gears arranged in parallel in a plurality of rows on the main body side.