JPH07302015A - Multi-function image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] For a multifunctional image forming apparatus, to downsize the entire apparatus and improve operability in general. An image recording unit A that conveys a recording sheet 4 to a printing unit N and executes image recording, and an image reading unit that is located above the image recording unit A and moves an original in a sub-scanning direction to read an image. In the multifunctional image forming apparatus integrally equipped with the means B, the printing portion N of the image recording means A is located below the recording sheet conveying path so as to perform image recording on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet 4. In the above, there is provided a common paper feed unit 31, 52 for the recording paper for the image recording unit A and the original for the image reading unit B, and the connection destination of the paper feeding unit is the image recording unit A side. Image reading means B
A multi-functional image forming apparatus characterized in that it can be selected to the side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multifunctional image forming apparatus in which an image recording section and an image reading section are integrated.
It also relates to an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a multi-function image forming apparatus having a plurality of functions such as a printer function, a facsimile function, and a copy function with one device has attracted attention. An example of such a multifunctional image forming apparatus is shown in FIG.

In the apparatus of this example, the right side of the drawing is the front side of the apparatus. A is an image recording unit, and B is an image reading unit disposed near the front side of the image recording unit A. The image recording unit A is a laser beam printing mechanism using a transfer type electrophotographic process in this example. The image reading section B is of a so-called ADF type, which uses a contact image sensor of the same magnification type as a reading element and moves a sheet-like document in the sub-scanning direction for reading.

(A) The image recording section A 1 is a so-called front loading type sheet feeding cassette which is attached to and detached from the lower side of the image recording section from the front side of the apparatus. An intermediate plate 3 which is lifted and biased by a spring 2 is arranged in the paper feed cassette 1, and a print sheet (transfer sheet) 4 as a recording sheet is stacked and stored on the intermediate plate 3. is there. By making the paper feed cassette 1 a front loading type, the installation area of the apparatus can be reduced. Reference numeral 5 is a half-moon type cassette paper feed roller.

When the paper feed cassette 1 is properly installed, the paper feed roller 5 is rotationally driven based on the cassette paper feed start signal, and the uppermost paper surface of the stacked print paper 4 in the paper feed cassette 1 is moved. Upon contact, a feeding force acts on the uppermost sheet, and one sheet of the uppermost sheet is separated by cooperation with a separating means such as a separating claw (not shown), and the sheet feeding cassette 1
It is transported inside in the depth direction of the device. The sheet 4 in the cassette 1 which is separated and conveyed in the depth direction of the apparatus is a U-turn conveyance roller 6 disposed on the back side of the apparatus and the first and second driven rollers pressed by the roller 6. 7.8
Then, the first U-turn conveyance path (reversal sheet path) 10 constituted by the guide 9 and the like enters and is guided upward and is reversed and conveyed in the frontward direction in the apparatus.

The reversely conveyed sheet passes through the pre-transfer guide 11 and serves as an image printing section, that is, the rotating photosensitive drum 1.
2 and the transfer roller 13 into the transfer portion N, which is a pressure contact nip portion, so that the photosensitive drum 12 faces the upward surface.
The transfer (printing) of the carried image on the side is received. Photoconductor drum 1
2 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow at a predetermined process speed (peripheral speed).

The sheet which has entered the transfer section N and has undergone the image transfer is separated from the photosensitive drum 12, passes through the guide 14 and enters the fixing device 15 disposed on the front side of the apparatus, and fixes the transferred image. Receive processing.

The sheet exiting the fixing device 15 has a second U-turn transport path 1 composed of a flapper 16, guides 17 and 18, etc.
9 is guided to the upper side and is reversed and conveyed in the depth direction in the apparatus.
Sheets are discharged downward on the recording image surface (face-down) on a sheet discharge tray 21 provided below the sheet and a top cover 22 of an image recording unit which is connected to the sheet discharge tray 21.

In other words, the paper conveyance path from the paper feed cassette 1 to the paper ejection tray 21 has the first and second paper ejection paths so that the print paper is ejected face down onto the paper ejection tray 21 and the page order is not disturbed. It has an S-shape having U-turn transport paths 10 and 19.

Around the photosensitive drum 12, a charging device 23, a developing device 24, a cleaning device 25 and the like as image forming process means are arranged. Reference numeral 26 denotes a laser scanner, which outputs laser light L modulated in accordance with time-series electric digital pixel signals of target image information, and the surface of the photoconductor drum 12 is changed by the output laser light L. Scanning exposure is performed via the mirror 27.
That is, the surface of the photoconductor drum 12 that has been uniformly primary-charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 23 is subjected to scanning exposure with the laser light L, so that the surface of the photoconductor drum 12 is exposed with desired image information. An electrostatic latent image is formed, the latent image is developed as a toner image (transferable image) by the developing device 24, and the toner image is transferred to the transport paper at the transfer portion N as described above.

In the apparatus of this example, the photosensitive drum 12 and the charger 2
The four process devices, that is, the developing device 24, the cleaning device 25, the developing device 24, and the cleaning device 25 are collectively attached to and detachable from the image recording unit A.

A sheet conveying path from the second driven roller 8 of the first U-turn conveying path 10 to the pre-transfer guide 11 → transfer portion N → guide 14 → fixing device 15 is located above the sheet feeding cassette 1 inside the apparatus. The process cartridge 28 is a substantially straight transport path extending in the front-rear direction, and the process cartridge 28 is detachably disposed at a predetermined position above the transport path, and the lower surface of the photosensitive drum 12 serves as a transfer process section N. The transfer roller 13 faces the lower surface of the body drum 12.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a manual sheet feeding section opened on the back side of the image recording section A. This manual sheet feeding section 29 is located before the transfer of the nip portion between the U-turn conveying roller 6 and the second driven roller 8. It is located on the extension line of the pre-transfer guide 11 on the side opposite to the guide 11 side, and by inserting a manual paper such as a thick paper from the manual paper feeding unit 29 into the apparatus,
The U-turn conveying roller 6 and the second driven roller 8 are gripped in the nip portion, introduced from the pre-transfer guide 11 to the transfer portion N, and introduced to the fixing device 15 through the guide 14.

In the manual feed mode, the flapper 16 forming a part of the second U-turn conveyance path 19 on the paper exit side of the fixing device 15 is switched to fix the fixing device 15.
When the paper discharge port 30 extending from the paper exit side to the front side of the apparatus is opened, the manually-fed paper that has undergone the image fixing process by the fixing device 15 advances straight from the paper exit of the fixing device 15 to the front side of the device from the paper discharge port 30. The paper is ejected to the outside. If necessary, a manual paper feed tray or a paper discharge tray is attached to the manual paper feed unit 29 or the paper discharge port 30 for use.

(B) Image reading unit B This image reading unit B uses a contact type contact image sensor 36 of the same magnification system as a reading element, and is arranged on the front side above the image recording unit A. That is, it is located above the print paper discharge section 21 of the image recording section A, and the document placing tray 31 is arranged with the side opposite to the front side of the image reading section B serving as the document supply section. A document discharge tray 38 is provided so as to project from the front of the apparatus to the front as a document discharge section on the front side.

The originals are stacked and set on the original tray 31 with the image surface facing down, and the lowermost original is drawn into the image reading section B by the front conveying roller 32, and is fed by the feeding roller 33 and the separation pad 34. A contact image sensor in which the sheets are separated and conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the first and second reading / conveying roller pairs 35 and 37, and in the course of the conveyance, the image reading section is arranged between the roller pairs 35 and 37 with the image reading portion facing upward. The downward image surface is photoelectrically read by 36, and is discharged from the second reading and conveying roller pair 37 to the document discharge tray 38. The document conveyance path from the document stacking tray 31 to the document discharge tray 38 is a straight path,
The read document is discharged face-down to the document discharge tray 38.

The image information of the document read by the contact image sensor 36 in the document reading section B is
In the facsimile transmission mode, it is transmitted to the facsimile machine of the other party. In the copy mode, the image recording section A operates and the read image information is reproduced as a copy. In the facsimile reception mode, the image recording section A operates and reception recording is executed. Image information is input to the image recording unit A from an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer or a word processor, so that the image recording unit A functions as a printer. That is, this device has a facsimile transmission / reception function.
The multifunctional image forming apparatus has a copy function, a printer function, and the like.

[0018]

In the conventional multifunctional image forming apparatus as in the above example, the functions of each part of the apparatus, the image recording section A, and the image reading section B are comparable to those of a single-function device. In order to prevent it from happening, it was shaped like a simple stack of each. Therefore, the size of the entire device tends to be large.

Further, since the photosensitive drum 12 as a printing body of the printing unit is provided on the upper side of the print sheet conveying path and an image is formed on the upper surface of the print sheet, the page order of the discharged print sheet is adjusted. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to reverse the printed paper, and the print paper transport path from the paper feed cassette 1 to the paper discharge tray 21 must be S-shaped as in the above-mentioned device, which is also large in size. It was connected to.

Further, in the case of printing by manual paper feeding, preparations such as switching of the flapper 16 which is an operation for changing the conveying path for discharging paper and setting of a discharge tray are made before actual printing. Was necessary and involved.

Further, regarding the entire apparatus, if the sheet feeding cassette 1 is also considered as a sheet feeding port, there are three sheet feeding ports 1.29.
・ 31 and three paper discharge ports 21 ・ 30 ・ 38 were also present, and the operability was not good either. Particularly in terms of paper feeding, when the paper feeding unit of the image recording unit and the paper feeding unit of the image reading unit are provided close to each other, the paper feeding unit of the image recording unit located on the lower side is The operation is difficult because the paper is blocked by the paper feeding unit of the image reading unit located on the upper side when viewed.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the size of the multifunctional image forming apparatus of this type as a whole and improve the operability.

[0023]

The present invention is a multifunctional image forming apparatus characterized by the following constitutions.

(1) A multifunctional device integrally provided with image recording means for carrying a recording sheet by conveying a recording sheet to a printing section and image reading means located above the image recording means for reading a document image. In the image forming apparatus, the printing unit of the image recording unit is arranged upward on the lower side of the recording sheet conveying path so as to record an image on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet, A multifunctional image having a common paper feed unit for recording paper and a document for the image reading unit, and the connection destination of the paper feed unit can be selected between the image recording unit side and the image reading unit side. Forming equipment.

(2) The printing section of the image recording means is an image carrier and an image forming process means for forming and carrying a transferable image on the image carrier, and an upper part of the image carrier is a transfer process section. The image bearing member is arranged below the recording paper feeding path so that the transferable image formed and carried on the image bearing member is transferred to the feeding recording paper side to perform image recording. The multifunctional image forming apparatus described in (1).

(3) The image carrier is a photoconductor, and a transferable image is formed by applying image forming process means including exposure to the photoconductor. The multifunctional image forming apparatus described.

(4) A multifunctional device integrally provided with an image recording means for carrying the image recording by conveying the recording paper to the printing section and an image reading means which is located above the image recording means and reads the original image. The image forming apparatus has a common paper feed unit for recording paper for the image recording unit and a document for the image reading unit, and the connection destination of the paper feeding unit can be selected from the image recording unit or the image reading unit. A multifunctional image forming apparatus characterized by the above.

(5) It has an image recording means for forming an image on the conveyed recording paper, and the printing section of the image recording means is
The recording sheet is arranged upward in the lower side of the recording sheet conveying path so as to perform image recording on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet, and the recording sheet is accommodated in the image recording means and is fed from the accommodating means. An image forming apparatus comprising: a sheet reversing / conveying path for reversing and conveying a recording sheet to a printing section of an image recording means; and a recording sheet discharging section for ejecting the recording sheet from the printing section.

[0029]

The printing section of the image recording means is introduced to the printing section by arranging it upward on the lower side of the recording sheet conveying path so as to perform image recording on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet. The image is recorded on the downward side of the sheet, and the sheet can be discharged face down to the sheet discharge section. That is, in order to adjust the page order of the recorded sheets, a second sheet is provided on the sheet outlet side of the fixing device as in the apparatus shown in FIG.
Since it is not necessary to provide the U-turn transport path for the print paper transport path from the paper feed cassette to the paper discharge tray to have an S-shape, the paper transport path of the image recording unit can be a U-turn shape with only one reversal. Since the volume occupied by the image recording unit is compressed in the height direction, the overall size of the device can be reduced.

Further, a common paper feed unit for recording paper for the image recording unit and a document for the image reading unit is provided, and the connection destination of the paper feeding unit can be selected from the image recording unit side or the image reading unit side. As a result, only one set of parts for the paper feed unit is needed, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, although a space for switching must be secured, it can be realized in a space saving rather than simply arranging two paper feeding units, which leads to downsizing of the apparatus. Further, since the same operability can be obtained in the paper feeding unit of the image recording unit and the paper feeding unit of the image reading unit, the operability is improved as a whole.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the configuration of a multifunctional image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part thereof. (A) shows a state in which a paper feeding unit is switched to a first switching position, (B) ) Indicates a state in which the state is switched to the second switching position.

Similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus of this example uses an image recording section A using a laser beam printing mechanism utilizing an electrophotographic process and a contact type contact image sensor of the same magnification system as a reading element, and uses a sheet. It consists of an ADF type image reading unit B that scans the original document by moving it in the sub-scanning direction.
The multifunctional image forming apparatus has a copy function, a printer function, and the like.

The same components and functional parts as those of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their repetitive description will be omitted.

(A) Image recording section A The paper feed cassette 1 is of the front loading type as in the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and the spring 2 has a desired pressing force even when the maximum number of print sheets 4 is set in the cassette. Has a spring pressure that can be secured between the upper surface of the stacked set sheets and the sheet feeding roller 5.

A sheet separating claw 1a is attached to an edge of the cassette 1 on the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction so as to be movable in the vertical direction so as to reach a corner of the print sheet 4.

The cassette paper feed roller 5 is retracted from the upper surface of the print paper 4 in the cassette when the paper feed operation is not performed. The drive of the paper feed roller 5 is controlled by a drive motor (not shown) and a plunger O (not shown).
It is performed with N / OFF.

Based on the cassette paper feed start signal, the print paper 4 separated and conveyed one sheet in the depth direction of the apparatus by the cassette paper feed roller 5 and the separation tab 1a has a U-turn like the apparatus of FIG. The pressure contact nip portion between the rotating photoconductor drum 12 and the transfer roller 13 as an image printing portion is introduced into the conveying path 10 and guided upward, and is reversely conveyed in the apparatus toward the front side and passes through the pre-transfer guide 11. To the transfer portion N.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 12
The process cartridge 28 including the above is arranged so that the photoconductor drum 12 faces upward under the sheet conveying path from the pre-transfer guide 11 to the fixing unit 15 via the transfer portion N / guide 14. , The photosensitive drum 1 facing upward
The transfer roller 13 faces the upper surface of the sheet 2 to form a transfer portion N, and therefore, an image is recorded on the downward surface of the sheet introduced into the transfer portion N.

The sheet having entered the transfer portion N and having the image transferred on its downward surface is separated from the photosensitive drum 12, passes through the guide 14 and enters the fixing device 15 to undergo the fixing processing of the transferred image. In the fixing device 15, 15a is a heating roller,
Reference numeral 15b is a pressure roller, and since the image is transferred to the downward surface of the paper, the lower roller 15a is a heating roller and the upper roller 15b is a pressure roller.

Since the sheet exiting the fixing device 15 faces downward on the image surface, the sheet is ejected from the fixing device 15 without being reversed and conveyed again unlike the apparatus shown in FIG. The sheets are sequentially discharged and stacked face-down with the image surface facing downward.

The laser scanner 26 is arranged between the print discharge tray 21 and the paper feed cassette 1. 41.
Reference numeral 42 denotes a sheet conveyance path from the nip portion between the U-turn conveyance roller 6 and the second driven roller 8 of the U-turn conveyance path 10 to the transfer section N, that is, a sheet leading edge detection lever arranged in the middle of the pre-transfer guide 11. And a photo interrupter, which is conveyed from the paper feed cassette 1 and reversely conveyed in the U-turn conveyance path 10 and guided by the pre-transfer guide 11 to the transfer portion N before the leading edge of the paper reaches the transfer portion N. The leading edge of the sheet is kicked and the optical path of the photo interrupter 42 is opened to detect the leading edge of the sheet.

Based on the detection signal, the laser scanner 26 starts laser beam scanning exposure on the photosensitive drum 12, and image formation is executed on the photosensitive drum 12. The lever 41 cooperates with the photo interrupter 42 to detect that the paper has been conveyed to a predetermined position, and the leading edge of the paper formed on the photoconductor drum 12 is aligned with the paper.

(B) Image reading unit B The image reading unit B is connected to and integrated with a frame (not shown) forming the image recording unit A.

When the print discharge port side of the image recording section A is the front side of the apparatus, the document feed port of the image reading section B is located on the rear side of the apparatus. Document tray 3 for placing documents
1 is a fulcrum of the frame at an angle that stands at the back of the device.
1 is attached. Reference numeral 52 denotes a paper feeding unit, and the paper feeding unit 52 is similarly attached to the fulcrum 51 of the frame so as to be vertically rotatable.

The paper feeding unit 52 is provided with a chassis 53 which is rotatable up and down around a fulcrum 51, a front conveying roller 32,
The front conveying arm 32a, the feeding roller 33,
The separation pad 34 facing this is integrally assembled. The front transfer arm 32a is pressed against the front transfer roller 32 by its own weight, and the separation pad 34 is pressed against the supply roller 33 with a predetermined pressing force by a spring (not shown).

Then, the paper feeding unit 52 is raised around a fulcrum 51 to a predetermined pull-up position as shown in FIG. The first switching position state in which the exit side is positioned corresponding to the first reading / conveying roller pair 35 on the image reading section B side and the lower pulling position as shown in FIG. Operation of a manual lever (not shown) into a second switching position state in which the document outlet side of the pressure contact portion of the roller 33 and the separation pad 34 is positioned corresponding to the branch conveyance path (merging path) 54 provided on the image recording unit A side. Or by a power switching mechanism (not shown) operated by a changeover switch.

The branch conveyance path 54 is located in the middle of the paper conveyance path from the nip portion between the U-turn conveyance roller 6 of the U-turn conveyance path 10 and the second driven roller 8 to the transfer section N. The sheet is a sheet that is merged from the upper side on the upstream side of the sheet leading edge detection lever 41 in the sheet conveying direction.

The first or second switching position of the paper feeding unit 52 is positioned and held at a predetermined switching position by a unit pushing force or a unit pushing force of a positioning spring (not shown). The paper feeding unit 52
Is in a first or second switching position state is detected by a sheet feeding unit position detection microswitch (not shown) and input to a control circuit (not shown).

A) At the time of executing image reading At this time, the paper feeding unit 52 is switched to and held at the first switching position as shown in FIG. The switching of the paper feeding unit 52 to the first switching position is detected by the micro switch (not shown) and is input to the control circuit.

Then, the original to be read is placed and set on the original placing tray 31 with the image side facing down (face down). The leading end portion of the placed set original is provided with the front conveying roller 32 and the front conveying arm 32a of the paper feeding unit 52.
It hits the nip part of.

Then, based on the reading start signal, the front conveying roller 32 rotates and the lowermost original of the set originals is sent out to the nip portion between the feeding roller 33 and the separation pad 34 and separated from the feeding roller 33. Only the lowermost original of the set originals is separated by the pad 34 and sent to the first reading roller pair 35. A leading edge detection sensor (not shown) located immediately after the first reading roller pair 35 positions the leading edge of the read document, and the contact image sensor 36 reads. The originals from which the image has been read are sequentially stacked and discharged to the original discharge tray 38 via the second reading roller pair (paper discharge roller pair) 37. At this time, since the originals are stacked and discharged in order from the first page with the reading surface facing downward, the same page order as that set in the original stack tray 31 can be maintained.

B) From the document placing tray 31 to the image recording section A
Paper feeding to the document placing tray 31 and the paper feeding unit 52 in the image recording unit A
Can be used as a manual paper feeding unit.

At this time, the paper feeding unit 52 is switched to and held at the second switching position as shown in FIG. The switching of the paper feeding unit 52 to the second switching position is detected by the micro switch (not shown) and is input to the control circuit.

Then, a print sheet for manual feeding is placed and set on the document placing tray 31. The leading end of the placed set sheet comes into contact with the nip portion between the front transport roller 32 of the paper feeding unit 52 and the front transport arm 32a.

The front conveying roller 32 rotates in response to the print start signal, and the lowermost sheet of the set set sheets is sent to the nip portion between the feeding roller 33 and the separation pad 34.
By the feeding roller 33 and the separation pad 34, only the lowermost sheet of the set sheets to be set is separated and fed into the branch conveyance path 54 of the image recording section A.

The paper fed into the branch conveyance path 54 is guided by the pre-transfer guide 11 to the transfer section N, and the front end of the transfer section N is detected by the lever 41 and the photo interrupter 42, and the transfer section N is detected. In the same manner as in the case of the above-mentioned cassette paper feeding, the image transfer and image fixing are performed on the paper, and the printed manual paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 21.
The paper is discharged face down.

The front conveying roller 32 and the feeding roller 33 of the paper feeding unit 52 are driven by a feeding gear (separation gear) (not shown) provided on the shaft of the feeding roller 33 and by the paper feeding unit 52 by the first. When the sheet is switched and held at the switching position, it is connected to a drive gear (not shown) on the image reading unit B side to receive power transmission, and when the sheet feeding unit 52 is switched and held at the second switching position. Is performed by receiving power transmission by being connected to a drive gear (not shown) on the image recording unit A side. This drive switching is performed in conjunction with the operation of selecting the first or second switching position of the paper feeding unit 52.

As described above, the driving of the sheet feeding unit 52 is engaged with the drive system on the image reading section B side when the document is fed to the image reading section B, and the image is fed when the print sheet is fed to the image recording section. Engages with the drive system on the recording unit A side,
That is, since the drive systems of the portions used respectively are connected, even if the sheet / document conveying speeds of the image recording unit A and the image reading unit B are different, it is possible to cope with both conveying speeds.

Therefore, even when the reading speed fluctuates extremely by fax or the like, or when the reading speed is temporarily stopped, the paper feeding unit is engaged with the drive system on the image reading section B side, and therefore it can be dealt with without any problem. Further, even when the image recording unit A is temporarily stopped due to the image processing time or the like, since the paper feeding unit is engaged with the drive system of the image recording unit A, no special control is required and mechanical connection (driving) is performed. Can be handled only by (engagement of).

Thus, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the printing section of the image recording section A is arranged upward on the lower side of the recording sheet conveying path so as to record an image on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet. That is, the process cartridge 28 including the photoconductor drum 12 moves from the pre-transfer guide 11 to the transfer portion N.
The photoconductor drum 12 is arranged below the sheet conveying path to the fixing device 15 via the guide 14, and is transferred to the upper surface of the photoconductor drum 12 facing upward. A transfer unit N as a printing unit is configured so that the rollers 13 face each other, and an image is recorded on the downward surface of the sheet introduced into the transfer unit N, and the sheet is discharged face down to the sheet discharge unit. You can

That is, in order to adjust the page order of the discharged print paper, a second U-turn transport path 19 is provided on the paper exit side of the fixing device 15 as in the apparatus shown in FIG. It is not necessary to make the print paper conveyance path reaching 21 into an S-shape, and the paper conveyance path of the image recording unit A can be a U-turn shape with only one reversal, so the volume occupied by the image recording unit A in the height direction. Being compressed allows for overall miniaturization of the device.

Further, both the print paper fed from the paper feed cassette 1 and the print paper fed from the original placing tray 31 are discharged to the same paper discharge tray 21, and the image recording unit A
Since the paper discharge unit is common, the operability can be improved.

Further, the recording sheet for the image recording unit A and the common paper feeding unit 31, 52 for the original document for the image reading unit B are provided, and the connection destination of the paper feeding unit 31, 52 is the image recording unit A side or the image reading unit. By making it possible to select the side of the section B, that is, the sheet feeding sections 31 and 52 of the image recording section A and the image reading section B.
The paper feed unit 31.5
Cost reduction can be achieved because only one set of 2 parts is required. In addition, although a space for switching must be secured, it can be realized in a space saving rather than simply arranging two paper feeding units, which leads to downsizing of the apparatus. Further, since the same operability can be obtained in the paper feeding unit of the image recording unit A and the paper feeding unit of the image reading unit, the operability is improved as a whole.

In the present embodiment, the image recording section A is a U-turn-shaped sheet conveying path having the sheet feeding cassette 1. However, the sheet feeding cassette may be omitted, and the sheet feeding path to be realized as a multi-functional image forming apparatus. It is obvious that the effects of the present invention can be obtained with or without a paper cassette. It is also apparent that the effect of the present invention can be obtained even when the sheet cassette is arranged regardless of the configuration of the U-turn path.

The printing section of the image recording section A does not have to be the electrophotographic process mechanism of the apparatus of this embodiment, but may be another image forming mechanism such as an electrostatic recording process mechanism or a magnetic recording process mechanism. A printing mechanism using various print recording heads such as an inkjet type and a thermal transfer type may be used.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, in a multifunctional image forming apparatus, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire apparatus and improve the operability in general.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multifunctional image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are enlarged views of a main part of the apparatus of FIG. 1, where FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet feeding unit is switched to a first switching position, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a state in which the sheet feeding unit is switched to a second switching position. Illustration

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a conventional apparatus of a multifunctional image forming apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A image recording unit B image reading unit 1 paper feed cassette 10/19 U-turn transport path (reversal sheet path) 12 photoconductor drum N transfer unit (printing unit) 15 fixing device 21 paper ejection tray 28 process cartridge 31 document placement Tray 36 Contact image sensor 38 Original paper ejection tray 52 Paper feeding unit 54 Branching and conveying path

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A multi-function image integrally provided with an image recording unit that conveys a recording sheet to a printing unit to record an image and an image reading unit that is located above the image recording unit and reads a document image. In the forming apparatus, the printing unit of the image recording unit is disposed upward on the lower side of the recording paper conveyance path so as to perform image recording on the downward surface of the conveyed recording paper, A multifunctional image forming apparatus having a common paper feed unit for a sheet and a document for the image reading unit, and the connection destination of the paper feed unit can be selected between the image recording unit side and the image reading unit side. apparatus. 2. A printing unit of the image recording unit is an image carrier and an image forming process unit for forming and carrying a transferable image on the image carrier, and an upper side of the image carrier is a transfer process unit. As described above, the image carrier is disposed below the recording paper transport path, and the transferable image formed and carried by the image carrier is transferred to the transport recording paper to perform image recording. The multifunctional image forming apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The image bearing member is a photosensitive member, and an image forming process means including exposure is applied to the photosensitive member to form a transferable image. Multifunction image forming apparatus. 4. A multi-function image integrally provided with image recording means for carrying a recording sheet by conveying a recording sheet to a printing part and image reading means located above the image recording means and reading a document image. It is a forming device, and has a common paper feed unit for recording paper for the image recording unit and a document for the image reading unit, and the connection destination of the paper feeding unit can be selected from the image recording unit or the image reading unit. A multi-functional image forming apparatus characterized by the above. 5. An image recording unit for forming an image on a conveyed recording sheet, wherein the printing unit of the image recording unit forms an image on the downward surface of the conveyed recording sheet. Storage means for storing the recording paper in the image recording means, which is arranged upward on the lower side of the transportation path, and a paper reversal transportation path for reversing and transporting the recording paper fed from the storage means to the printing section of the image recording means, An image forming apparatus, comprising: a recording paper discharge unit that exits a printing unit.