JPH066370Y2 - Housing opening / closing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a housing opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes a part of a housing of an image forming apparatus, for example.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, for example, in an electrostatic copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus, a lower support frame and an upper support frame rotatably mounted on the lower support frame between an open position and a closed position. Those having a support structure composed of a body are widely used in practice. In this type of electrostatic copying machine, a torsion bar is interposed between the lower support frame and the upper support frame, and when the upper support frame is opened, the action of the torsion bar causes the upper support frame to move to the open position. It is designed to be held at.

On the other hand, for example, in an image forming apparatus, a housing having a relatively weak strength (including a cover member) formed of a synthetic resin and configured to be openable and closable in the apparatus main body has been put into practical use. However, when a relatively weak housing is used as the opening / closing housing, if the above-mentioned torsion bar is interposed between the housing and the main body of the apparatus in order to hold the housing in the opened state, the housing is closed. At this time, the housing may be deformed or damaged by the biasing force of the spring member incorporated in the torsion bar.

<Purpose of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and its main purpose is to be able to hold an open / close housing having a relatively weak strength in an open position as desired and to place it in a closed position. It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent housing opening / closing mechanism in which adverse effects such as deformation do not substantially occur.

<Summary of Invention> According to the present invention, in an opening / closing mechanism of an opening / closing housing which is mounted on the main body of the apparatus so as to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position, a pinion member which rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the opening / closing housing, A rack movably mounted on the apparatus main body, meshed with the pinion member, and moved with rotation of the pinion member; and a rack and the pinion member arranged between the rack and the apparatus main body. A biasing means for exerting a biasing force on the opening / closing housing toward the open position via the opening / closing housing is provided.

<Preferred Specific Example of the Invention> A specific example of a housing opening / closing mechanism configured according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1 showing a laser beam printer as an example of an image forming apparatus, a printer shown in the drawing is a lower main body housing 2 and an upper main body disposed in an upper left portion (left portion in FIG. 1) of the lower main body housing 2. The apparatus main body 6 is provided with a housing 4, and the opening / closing housing 8 is attached to the apparatus main body 6 (specifically, the upper main body housing 4) so as to be openable and closable. In the interior defined by the apparatus main body 6 and the opening / closing housing 8, various known units constituting a laser beam printer, that is, a rotary drum equipped with an electrostatic photoconductor, a charging corona discharger, a developing device, A process unit having a transfer corona discharger, a cleaning device, etc., an optical unit having a laser light source, a rotating polygon mirror, an imaging lens, a reflecting mirror, etc., and a conveyance mechanism for conveying recording paper are arranged.

In a specific example, a housing opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention is applied to open / close the opening / closing housing 8. Second with Figure 1
A description will be given with reference to the drawings and FIG. A support shaft 12 extending in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the left-right direction in FIG. 3) is attached to the device body 6 (specifically, the upper right end portion of the upper body housing 4). ing. A pair of mounting protrusions 14 projecting leftward are provided at the upper left end of the opening / closing housing 8 along the support shaft 12 at intervals in the front-rear direction (in the drawing, one mounting protrusion is shown). 14 and related elements only). The pair of mounting protrusions 14 have pinion portions 1 on their lower surfaces, respectively.
A connecting tool 18 integrally formed with 6 is attached. In the specific example, projections 20a and 20b are provided at both ends of the connector 18, and the mounting screw 22 is screwed to the mounting projection 14 through holes (not shown) formed in the projections 20a and 20b. By squeezing, the connector 18 is attached to the lower surface of the mounting protrusion 14. Furthermore, in the illustrated specific example, a semicircular recess is formed on the lower surface of the mounting projection 14, and the connecting portion 1
A semicircular recess is also formed on the upper surface of 8, and the support shaft 12 is positioned between the two recesses, and the connecting tool 18 is mounted on the mounting projection 14 as described above. The mounting protrusion 14 provided is rotatably mounted on the support shaft 12. Therefore, the opening / closing housing 8 is
A support shaft 12 attached to the apparatus body 6 and extending in the front-rear direction is rotated in the directions shown by arrows 24 and 26 between a closed position shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 and an open position shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. You are free. In the specific example, the connecting tool 18 including the mounting projection 14 and the pinion portion 16 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the support shaft 12, and the opening / closing housing 8 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 6. However, instead of this, The support shaft 12 is rotatably mounted on the mounting body 6, and the support shaft 12 and the connector 18 including the mounting projection 14 and the pinion portion 16 are integrally configured, and the opening / closing housing 8 is swung to the apparatus body 6. It can also be configured freely.

A rack 28 is further arranged in the apparatus body 6 (specifically, the upper right end portion of the upper body housing 4). A pair of protrusions 30 are provided on the lower surface of the rack 28, and the pair of protrusions 30 are formed in a part of the upper main body housing 4 in the lateral direction (the horizontal direction in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the paper surface in FIG. 3). It is movably received in an elongated opening 32 formed in the vertical direction). The rack 28 meshes with the pinion portion 16 provided on the mounting projection 14, and therefore, when the opening / closing housing 8 is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow 24 (or 26), the rack 34 is rotated through the pinion portion 16 through the arrow 34 (or 36). ) Is moved in the direction indicated by () (see also FIG. 4). The rack 28 has a first position shown in FIG. 2 (one of the pair of protrusions 30 at the first position, and one protrusion on the left side in FIG. 2 has one end of the opening 32, that is, in FIG. 2). It is located at the left end) and the second position shown in FIG. 4 (at the second position, the other of the pair of projections 30 and the projection located at the right in FIG. Four
(Located at the right end in the figure).

A coil spring 38 that constitutes a biasing means is disposed between the rack 28 and the apparatus body 6. One end of the coil spring 38 is locked in a hole formed in the rack 28,
The other end is a locking portion 40 provided in a part of the device body 6.
Is fixed to the rack 2 and therefore the coil spring 38 is
8 is biased in the direction indicated by arrow 34 (FIG. 4). That is, the coil spring 38 is attached to the opening / closing housing 8 via the connecting member 18 having the rack 28 and the pinion portion 16 that meshes with the rack 28, and the support shaft 12 is used as the center of rotation for the arrow 24.
(Fig. 1) A biasing force is applied to urge it in the direction toward the open position.

The device main body 6 (more specifically, the lower main body housing 2) and the opening / closing housing 8 are provided with a locking means 42. The illustrated locking means 42 is rotatably mounted in the lower right portion of the opening / closing housing 8 between a locked position (position shown by solid line in FIG. 1) and an unlocked position (position shown by chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1). Locking member 44 and a locking opening 48 formed in a part of the wall 46 of the lower main body housing 2, and the claw portion 50 of the locking member 44 engages with the locking opening 48. Is ready to go. Although not shown, a biasing spring that biases the locking member 44 toward the lock position is provided. The locking means 42 is configured as described above, the locking member 44 is normally in the locked position, and the operating portion 52 is operated to pivot in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 to operate in the unlocked position. Be punished.

In order to operate the opening / closing housing 8 to the open position, the operating portion 52 of the locking member 44 is operated through the opening formed in the right wall of the opening / closing housing 8 to move from the locked position shown by the solid line in FIG. Operate in the unlocked position indicated by the chain double-dashed line. When the locking member 44 is actuated to the unlocked position, it comes into contact with the protruding portion 46a provided on the wall 46 to prevent the swinging motion beyond the unlocked position. In this way, when the locking member 44 is actuated to the unlocked position, the claw portion 50 of the locking member 44 is disengaged from the locking opening 48 formed in the wall 46, thus allowing the swinging movement of the opening / closing housing 8. To be done.

Next, the opening / closing housing 8 is swung in the direction indicated by the arrow 24. When swung in this way, as can be understood from FIG. 4, the pinion portion 16 is also rotated integrally with the opening / closing housing 8 about the support shaft 12, and the rack 28 meshing with the pinion portion 16 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 34. Be moved to.
When the opening / closing housing 8 is swung in the direction of the arrow 24, the coil spring 38 always biases the rack 28 in the direction indicated by the arrow 34, so that the biasing force of the coil spring 38 causes the rack 28 and the pinion to move. It acts on the opening / closing housing 8 via the portion 16, and the opening / closing housing 8 is moved to
Since it is biased to be biased in the direction indicated by 4, the opening / closing housing 8 can be swung smoothly toward the open position.

When the opening / closing housing 8 pivots to the open position shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1, the rack 28 moves to the second position, and the other of the pair of protrusions 30 has the other end of the opening 32, as shown in FIG. And the other of the pair of protrusions 30 defines the other end of the opening 32 (the portion acts as a blocking means).
The abutment of the rack 28 prevents the rack 28 from moving beyond the second position. Therefore, the opening / closing housing 8 that is interlocked with the rack 28 via the pinion portion 16 is surely prevented from pivoting beyond the open position, while the opening / closing housing 8 receives the biasing force of the coil spring 38 from the rack 2.
8 and the pinion portion 16, the open / close housing 8 is held in the open position. When the opening / closing housing 8 is positioned at the open position, the lower body housing 2 and the opening / closing housing 8 are opened as required, and a process unit (not shown) can be attached and detached through the opened space. it can.

On the other hand, to move the opening / closing housing 8 to the closed position,
It suffices to press the open / close housing 8 and swivel it in the direction indicated by the arrow 26. When the opening / closing housing 8 is swung to the closed position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 against the biasing force of the coil spring 38, the claw portion 50 of the locking member 44 engages with the locking opening 48 formed in the wall 46. Thus, the opening / closing housing 8 is releasably held in the closed position.

The opening / closing mechanism of the specific example further has the following features.
That is, the biasing force of the coil spring 38 that biases the open / close housing 8 toward the open position acts on the rack 28, and is transmitted to the open / close housing 8 via the rack 28 and the pinion portion 16 meshing with the rack 28. As described above, the opening / closing housing 8 does not act directly. Therefore, even if the strength (rigidity, etc.) of the opening / closing housing 8 is made relatively weak, it is unlikely to be affected by the above-mentioned biasing force, and even if it is applied to an opening / closing housing made of synthetic resin or the like, it causes deformation or damage. Never be.

The specific example of the housing opening / closing mechanism configured according to the present invention has been described so far by applying it to the laser beam printer as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other image forming apparatuses. Further, it can be similarly applied to general machines and devices.

Further, in the specific example, the invention is applied to the housing that defines a part of the exterior of the device, but in addition to this, the invention can be applied to a cover member that covers the components and the like in the device in an openable and closable manner. The housing is a concept including such a cover member.

<Effect of the Invention> The housing opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention includes a pinion member that rotates in association with the rotation of the opening / closing housing, and a rack that is movably mounted on the apparatus body and meshes with the pinion member.
The biasing means is arranged between the rack and the apparatus main body, and the biasing force of the biasing means acts to bias the opening / closing housing toward the open position via the rack and the pinion member. When the opening / closing housing is operated to the open position, the operating force can be reduced by the biasing force, the turning can be performed smoothly, and the opening / closing housing can be securely held. Further, since the biasing force of the biasing means acts on the opening / closing housing via the rack and the pinion member and does not directly act on the opening / closing housing, even if the strength (rigidity, etc.) of the opening / closing housing is relatively weakened, the influence of the biasing force is exerted. It is less likely to be damaged and does not cause deformation or damage even when applied to an opening / closing housing formed of synthetic resin or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a laser beam printer provided with a specific example of a housing opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention in a partially cutaway view. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a section of a connecting portion between the upper main body housing and the opening / closing housing in the laser beam printer of FIG. 1 in a state in which the opening / closing housing is in a closed position with a part cut away. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a state in which the opening / closing housing is in the open position in a partially cutaway view. 2 …… Lower body housing 4 …… Upper body housing 6 …… Device body 8 …… Opening / closing housing 12 …… Support shaft 16 …… Pinion part 18 …… Coupling tool 28 …… Rack 38 …… Coil spring

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An opening / closing mechanism for an opening / closing housing, which is mounted on a main body of the apparatus so as to be rotatable between an open position and a closed position, and a pinion member which rotates in association with the rotation of the opening / closing housing.
A rack movably mounted on the apparatus main body, meshed with the pinion member, and moved along with the rotation of the pinion member; and a rack and the pinion member arranged between the rack and the apparatus main body. A biasing means for exerting a biasing force on the opening / closing housing toward the open position via the housing opening / closing mechanism. 2. The housing opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the pinion member is rotatably mounted on a support shaft arranged in the apparatus body. 3. The rack is in a first position when the open / close housing is in the closed position, and is positioned in a second position when the open / close housing is actuated to the open position.
The housing opening / closing according to claim 1 or 2 in the utility model registration claim, wherein the blocking means provided in the main body of the apparatus at the second position prevents movement beyond the second position. mechanism.