JPH07334065A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To reduce the area occupied by the main body of the device and to smoothly perform jam processing of the recording medium. [Structure] Process cartridge 40 for apparatus body 1
The attachment / detachment is performed by opening / closing the first opening / closing member 1A on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 around the hinge 1a. At the rear part of the device body 1 (on the right side in FIG. 1), a second opening and closing centering around a hinge 2a
The opening / closing member 2A is provided. At the time of jamming the recording medium P, the second opening / closing member 2A can be opened to largely expose the transport path 30, so that the jamming process becomes easy. Further, since the first supporting means 10 supports the recording medium P before image formation in the vertical direction via the paper feeding cassette 11, the area occupied by the apparatus main body 1 can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copiers and laser beam printers used in offices, etc., in particular, small desktop type apparatuses, further miniaturization is required.

FIG. 12 shows a conventional small-sized laser beam printer M. This one has a paper feed cassette 110 for accommodating a recording medium P before image formation under a main body of an image forming apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as “apparatus main body”) 101. Further, on the upper part of the apparatus main body 101, there is a paper discharge tray 120 from which the recording medium P after image formation is discharged. The paper feed cassette 110 and the paper discharge tray 120 are connected by an S-shaped transport path 130.

The recording medium P in the paper feed cassette 110 is reversed by the paper feed roller 131 and the transport roller 132 in the reverse path 1.
The paper is fed and conveyed via 33 and is supplied to the photosensitive drum (image carrier) 141 in the conveyance path 130. Photosensitive drum 41
Is integrally incorporated in the process cartridge 140 together with the charging device 142, the developing device 143 having the developing roller 143b, the cleaner 144, and the like. Photosensitive drum 4
A toner image corresponding to image information is formed on the surface of No. 1 by the charger 142, the exposure device 150 having the semiconductor laser 151 and the reflection mirror 152, the developing device 143, and the like. This toner image is transferred onto the surface of the recording medium P that has been conveyed by a transfer roller (transfer device) 160. The recording medium P after the toner image transfer is conveyed to the fixing device 170 along the conveying path 130, and the toner image on the surface thereof is heated and pressed by the fixing roller 171 and the pressure roller 172 to be fixed. Recording medium P after fixing
Is discharged onto the discharge tray 120 by the discharge roller 135 via the reversing path 134.

The printer M having the above-mentioned configuration is the apparatus main body 101.
2), an S-shaped path is adopted as the conveyance path 130 for the recording medium P, and further, the paper feed cassette 110, the process cartridge 140, and the paper discharge tray 120 are arranged so as to overlap with the lower part, the intermediate part, and the upper part of the apparatus main body 101, respectively. By doing so, a compact structure with less wasted space is provided, and the installation area (proprietary area) is reduced.

The process cartridge 140 is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 101 as follows. An upper cover 10 also serving as a paper ejection tray 120 on the upper part of the apparatus main body 101
1A is opened as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 12, and the process cartridge 1 is attached to the opened upper cover 101A.
Install 40. After that, when the upper cover 101A is closed, the process cartridge 140 together with the upper cover 101A, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
It is arranged at a predetermined position inside. In the printer M having such a configuration, when a jam occurs during image formation, the process cartridge 140 is pulled up when the upper cover 101A is opened, and the recording medium P transport path 1 is pulled up.
Since the 30 is largely exposed, the jammed recording medium P can be easily removed.

FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) show an attaching / detaching operation of the process cartridge 140 in another printer M.
The upper cover 101A of the printer M simply opens and closes the attachment / detachment port at the top of the apparatus main body 101 when the process cartridge 140 is attached / detached. The user first opens the upper cover 101A as shown in FIG. 9A, and grasps the grip 145a formed on a part of the cartridge container 145 of the process cartridge 140. Then, the process cartridge 140, as shown in FIG.
It becomes stable when the center of gravity G is below a. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the process cartridge 140 is tilted according to the insertion direction (arrow j direction), and is inserted toward the inside of the apparatus main body 101 in the arrow j direction as shown in FIG. . Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, after disposing the process cartridge 140 at a predetermined position, the upper cover 1
01A is closed to complete the mounting.

If the process cartridge 140 does not have the handle 145a, the end portion f of the process cartridge 140 is grasped as shown in FIG.
The process cartridge 140 is mounted at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 101 in the same manner as in the above case.

[0009]

However, according to the above-described image forming apparatus, since the paper feed cassette 110 and the paper discharge tray 120 are arranged in the lateral direction (horizontal direction) with respect to the apparatus main body 101, The area occupied by the main body 101 becomes larger than the largest area of the recording medium P used, and there is a problem that it is difficult to further reduce the occupied area.

Further, the work of attaching and detaching the process cartridge 140 to and from the apparatus main body 101 is necessary for removing the recording medium P not only at the time of replacement but also when a jam of the recording medium P occurs in the transport path 130. And is complicated. Furthermore, the natural posture of the process cartridge 140 when the grip portion 135a or the end portion f of the process cartridge 140 is grasped with one hand ((a) of FIG. 14).
And the process cartridge 140 is attached to the apparatus main body 101.
Since the posture when attaching / detaching to / from the device ((b) in the same figure) is very different, attachment / detachment work with both hands is required, or the device main body 1
When removed from 01, the process cartridge 14
There is a possibility that 0 may greatly break the balance, which hinders the smooth attachment / detachment work of the process cartridge 140.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the area occupied by the main body of the apparatus is reduced, the process cartridge attaching / detaching operation at the time of jam processing is unnecessary, and the process cartridge attaching / detaching operation at the time of replacement can be smoothly performed. An object is to provide a forming apparatus.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the structure of the present invention is an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, in which a recording medium for feeding is supported in a vertical direction. 1 support means, second support means for supporting a recording medium after image formation, an image carrier arranged in a conveying path from the first support means to the second support means, and an image on the image carrier. Information light emitting means for giving information light according to information, and a toner image formed on the image carrier, which is arranged to face the image carrier via the transport path, and transfers the toner image to a recording medium. A transfer unit, a fixing unit for fixing the toner image transferred on the recording medium to the recording medium, and a first opening / closing member for attaching / detaching the process cartridge having the image carrier to / from the image forming apparatus main body. , Depending on the main body of the image forming apparatus While being supported closed freely, characterized in that it comprises a second closing member which takes an open position exposing the conveying path and a closed position for forming the conveying path.

In this case, the image carrier is integrally formed as a cartridge in which the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier and at least one of the charging means, the developing means and the cleaning means are integrated into a main body of the image forming apparatus. Provided in a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image carrier, or the image carrier is an electrophotographic photoreceptor as the image carrier,
The charging unit, the developing unit, or the cleaning unit are integrally provided in a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.
Alternatively, the image carrier may be provided in a process cartridge in which at least a developing unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier are integrally made into a cartridge so as to be attachable to and detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. You may

Further, with respect to the mounting and demounting direction of the process cartridge with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus, a straight line connecting the grip portion of the process cartridge and the center of gravity of the process cartridge when the process cartridge is supported by the grip portion. It is preferable that the difference with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the process cartridge is within 30 °.

The mounting portion of the process cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus can be a fixed portion that cannot be moved or changed.

Further, the process cartridge has a developing means arranged above the image carrier in a mounted state with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the developing means comprises:
A developer carrying member for adhering toner to the electrostatic latent image on the image carrying member in the lower opening, and a regulating member for contacting the developer carrying member to regulate the amount of toner on the developer carrying body. The regulating member has an abutting portion that abuts on the developer carrying member in an intermediate portion, a fixed end on the downstream side in the moving direction of the developer carrying body, and a free end on the upstream side. However, the free end may be arranged upstream of the vertical line passing through the center of the developer carrying member.

It is also possible to have a cover member that covers the upper side of the regulating member and prevents the developer in the developing means from pressing the regulating member against the developer carrying member.

Next, in an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, first supporting means for vertically supporting the recording medium for feeding and second supporting means for supporting the recording medium after image formation. An image carrier arranged in a conveying path from the first supporting means to the second supporting means, an information light emitting means for giving information light corresponding to image information to the image carrier, and the information. A developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier by a light emitting unit as a toner image, and the image carrier is disposed to face the image carrier via the transport path;
A transfer unit for transferring the toner image formed on the image carrier to a recording medium, a fixing unit for fixing the toner image transferred on the recording medium to the recording medium, and an image forming apparatus main body. A first opening / closing member for attaching / detaching the developing means, a first opening / closing member supported by the image forming apparatus main body so as to be openable / closable, and having a closed position forming the transport path and an open position exposing the transport path. 2 opening / closing members are provided.

In the above-mentioned image forming apparatus, a feeding position for feeding the recording medium supported by the first supporting means, which is arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conveying path, and the transfer means for transferring the recording medium. The position and the fixing position by the fixing unit can be sequentially arranged at lower positions in this order.

The information light emitting means may emit a laser beam or may have an LED array arranged so as to face the image carrier.

[0021]

According to the above construction, the first supporting means supports the recording medium in the vertical direction, so that the area occupied by the main body of the apparatus can be reduced.

In addition to the first opening / closing member for attaching / detaching the process cartridge to / from the apparatus main body, a second opening / closing member is provided. By arranging the second opening / closing member at the open position, the conveyance path can be exposed, so that the jammed recording medium can be removed without attaching or detaching the process cartridge.

Further, by setting the difference between the straight line connecting the gripping portion and the center of gravity when the process cartridge is gripped and the mounting / dismounting direction of the process cartridge within 30 °, the mounting / dismounting work of the process cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body can be performed. It can be done smoothly.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer M using a process cartridge as an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In addition, in each of the following drawings including the drawing, the left side of each is "front",
The right side is "rear".

A laser beam printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a "printer") M shown in FIG. 1 has a first supporting means 10 at the rear portion of the apparatus main body 1, a second supporting means 20 at the front portion, and a conveying path 30 connecting them. A process cartridge 40 having a photosensitive drum (image carrier) 41, an information light emitting unit 50, a transfer unit 60, and a fixing unit 70 are main components. Hereinafter, the first supporting means 10 will be described in order.

The first supporting means 10 is arranged at the rear portion of the apparatus main body 1 and detachably supports the paper feeding cassette 11 in the vertical direction. The paper feed cassette 11 stores a large number of recording media P such as papers before image formation in a stacked state in a stacked state. Assuming that the angle formed by the recording medium P supported by the first supporting means 10 via the paper feeding cassette 11 and the horizontal plane is the first supporting angle, the first supporting angle is 60 ° to 9 °.
It may be set to 0 °, more preferably 70 ° to 75 °. The first supporting means 10 will be further described later when the second opening / closing member 2A is described.

The second supporting means 20 is arranged at the front part of the apparatus main body 1 and supports the recording medium P after image formation. The recording medium P discharged onto the second supporting means 20 after image formation is
The sheet is discharged in a so-called face-up state with the image forming surface of the surface facing upward. If the angle formed by the recording medium P discharged onto the second supporting means 20 and the horizontal plane is the second supporting angle, this second supporting angle is the second supporting means 20.
It is possible to change the angle by appropriately setting the tilt angle.

The conveying path 30 has a reversing path 32 in the upper portion and a pre-fixing guide 33 in the lower portion, and the upper end portion 10a of the first supporting means 10 and the lower end portion of the second supporting means 20 are arranged substantially vertically. It is connected. The recording medium P is conveyed in the arrow K direction along the conveying path 30. On the upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium P, the recording medium P from the first supporting means 10 is provided.
A sheet feeding roller 31 and a reversing path 32 for feeding the sheet are provided, a photosensitive drum 41, a transfer roller (transfer means) 60, which will be described later, and a transfer means 70 on the downstream side.
Are arranged. Here, when the recording medium P is fed by the paper feed roller 31, the position of the leading end of the recording medium P is the feeding position A1, the position where the photosensitive drum 41 and the transfer roller 60 contact each other is the transfer position A2, and the fixing roller described later. When the position where 71 and the pressure roller 72 contact each other is the fixing position A3, the positions A1, A2, and A3 arranged in order from the upstream side are
In this order, they are arranged from a high position to a low position.
Therefore, at the time of image formation, the leading end of the recording medium P sequentially passes through these positions A1, A2, A3, and when it is introduced into the transfer position A2 and the fixing position A3, it smoothly follows the gravity. be introduced. Therefore, the recording medium P is smoothly transported from the first supporting unit 10 to the second supporting unit 20 along the transport path 30.

The process cartridge 40 includes a charging member (charging means) in addition to the photosensitive drum (electrophotographic photosensitive member) 41.
42, a developing device (developing means) 43, and a cleaning device (cleaning means) 44, a cartridge container 45.
It is configured to be integrally incorporated into. Photosensitive drum 41
Has a photosensitive layer made of, for example, OPC (organic photoconductor) on its surface, and is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R41 by a driving unit (not shown) on the apparatus main body 1 side. The charging member 42 is a roller-shaped charging roller, is pressed against the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 with a predetermined pressing force, and is driven to rotate as the photosensitive drum 41 rotates in the direction of arrow R41. A high voltage is applied to the charging roller, so that the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is uniformly subjected to the primary charging process to a predetermined polarity (negative polarity in this embodiment) and a predetermined potential. The developing device 43 incorporated in the process cartridge 40 includes a toner container 43a that stores toner as a developer, a developing roller 43b that attaches the toner in the toner container 43a to the photosensitive drum 41, and a developing roller 43b.
It has a regulation blade 43c that regulates the amount of toner (toner layer thickness) on the surface. The toner, which is carried on the surface of the developing roller 43b and whose layer thickness is regulated by the regulating blade 43c, is negatively charged and attached to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 41 by the information light emitting means 50 described later. It is like this. Further, the cleaning device 44 has a cleaning blade 44a for removing the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 after the toner image transfer, and a cleaning container 44b for collecting the removed waste toner. Further, a part of the cartridge container 45 is formed with a through hole 45b through which the laser light L for exposure is transmitted.

The information light emitting means 50 has a semiconductor laser 51 that oscillates the laser light L based on image information, a polygon mirror, a lens, a reflection mirror 52, and the like. It is configured to scan the surface and remove the negative charges in the portion irradiated with the laser beam L to form an electrostatic latent image. This electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image with negative polarity toner attached by the developing roller 43b of the developing device 43 described above.

The transfer roller 60 is disposed so as to face the photosensitive drum 41 via the conveying path 30, and contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to form the above-mentioned transfer position A2. The transfer roller 60 is connected to the photosensitive drum 4 by a power source (not shown).
The toner image on the photosensitive drum 41 is transferred at the transfer position A to the recording medium P fed from the first supporting unit 10 by applying a positive voltage opposite to that of the toner image on 1. It is like this.

The fixing means 70 has a fixing roller 71 having a heater (not shown) incorporated therein, and a pressure roller 72 arranged to face the fixing roller 71. The pressure roller 72 is
The fixing roller 71 is contacted with a predetermined contact force to form the fixing position A3. At the fixing position A3, the recording medium P on which the toner image is transferred on the surface at the above-mentioned transfer position A2.
The toner image is heated and pressed at this time to be fixed on the surface of the recording medium P. In addition to the fixing roller 71 and the pressure roller 72, the fixing unit 70 has a paper discharge roller 73 for discharging the recording medium P after fixing onto the second supporting unit 20, and constitutes a fixing unit as a whole. ing.

Next, the image forming operation of the printer M having the above configuration will be briefly described.

First, the photosensitive drum 41 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R41, and a voltage is applied to the charging roller 42 to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to a predetermined negative polarity potential. Next, the semiconductor laser 51 of the information light emitting means 50 oscillates a laser beam L according to image information, irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 with this laser beam L, removes negative charges in the irradiated portion, and electrostatic latent. Form an image. The electrostatic latent image is developed as a toner image by attaching toner by the developing roller 43 of the developing device 43. On the other hand, the recording medium P to which the toner image is transferred is first fed upward from the paper feeding cassette 11 by the paper feeding roller 31 and inverted downward by the reversing path 32, and then the conveyance path 3 is conveyed.
It is supplied to the transfer position A2 along 0. The recording medium P supplied to the transfer position A2 is transferred from the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to the surface of the recording medium P by the transfer roller 60 to which a positive voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image on the photosensitive drum 41 is applied. The recording medium P after the transfer of the toner image is subjected to fixing of the toner image by pressure and heating by the fixing roller 71 and the pressure roller 72 of the fixing means 70, and then is discharged onto the second supporting means 20 by the paper discharge roller 73. Is discharged. On the other hand, on the photosensitive drum 41 after the toner image is fixed, the residual toner adhering to the surface is removed by the cleaning blade 44a,
It is used for the next image formation.

The above-described printer M shown in FIG. 1 has a first opening / closing member 1 for attaching / detaching the process cartridge 40.
A, and in addition to this, a second opening / closing member 2A for jam clearance is provided.

The first opening / closing member 1A is supported on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 so as to be openable and closable around the hinge 1a, and has a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. When replacing the process cartridge 40, for example, the toner container 4
When the toner in 3a is exhausted, as shown in FIG. 2, the first opening / closing member 1A is opened to the open position, the upper part of the apparatus main body is opened, and the upper end of the process cartridge 40 is opened from above through this opening. (Upper end in the posture of FIG. 2)
Grasp f and pull it upward as it is, as shown by the dotted line in the figure. The process cartridge 4 is provided in the apparatus main body 1.
A guide rail (not shown) that guides the vertical movement of the process cartridge 40 in the apparatus main body 1 when the process cartridge 0 is attached or detached is provided. It is possible to carry out smoothly along. In this way, the process cartridge 40 which is depleted of toner can be taken out from the inside of the apparatus main body 1. When mounting a new process cartridge 40, the procedure is almost the reverse of the above-described removal. That is, the new process cartridge 4
The upper end f of 0 is grasped, and from the opening in the upper part of the apparatus main body 1,
The process cartridge 40 is arranged at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 1 along the guide rail so as to be lowered. Then, the first opening / closing member 1A is closed to complete the mounting of the process cartridge 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, the second opening / closing member 2A is arranged at the rear portion of the apparatus main body 1. In this embodiment, a part of the second opening / closing member 2A also serves as the first supporting means 10. ing. The second opening / closing member 2A corresponds to the above-mentioned paper feed cassette 11
In addition to detachably supporting the sheet feeding roller 31, a part of the reversing path 32, the transfer roller 36, and the pre-fixing guide 33, the whole is supported so as to be openable and closable around the hinge 2a at the lower end. Has been done. When the second opening / closing member 2A is arranged at the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the second opening / closing member 2A supports the recording medium P before image formation in the vertical direction via the above-described paper feeding cassette 11, and also supports the recording medium P. The transport path 30 is configured to be transported, and the transfer roller 60 is arranged at a predetermined position. On the other hand, when the transfer roller 60 is arranged in the open position shown in FIG. 2, the transfer roller 60 is separated from the photosensitive drum 41, and the conveyance path 30 from the reverse path 32 to the fixing unit 70 is largely exposed. Let Therefore, even if a jam of the recording medium P occurs in the transport path 30, the jammed recording medium P can be easily removed by disposing the second opening / closing member 2A at the open position without removing the process cartridge 40. can do. Further, at the open position of the second opening / closing member 2A, the paper feeding cassette 11 is supported substantially horizontally, so in this state, the paper feeding cassette 11 is slid laterally and pulled out from the opening / closing member 2A to easily perform recording. The medium P can be replenished. Even when the second opening / closing member 2A is opened as shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 40 is supported by the above-mentioned guide rails in the apparatus main body 1 and therefore does not lose its posture.

In the printer M having the above-described structure, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording medium P before image formation is supported in the vertical direction by the first supporting means 10, so that the area occupied by the apparatus main body 1 can be reduced. It is possible. <Second Embodiment> FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is to be noted that, of the members and the like illustrated in the following drawings including FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, those having the same reference numerals indicate the same members having the same configurations and functions, and the duplicate description thereof will be omitted. I shall.

In this embodiment, the first opening / closing member 1B is used.
Is provided in the front portion of the apparatus main body 1, and the second opening / closing member 2B disposed in the rear portion of the apparatus main body 1 is provided separately from the paper feeding cassette 11. Further, in the first embodiment, it is set above the paper feeding cassette 11. Instead, the feeding position A1 is set to the lower portion of the paper feed cassette 11.

The first opening / closing member 1B has a hinge 1b at the lower end.
It is supported so as to be openable and closable via a through hole and has a closed position shown in FIG. 3 and an open position shown in FIG. When attaching / detaching the process cartridge 40, as shown in FIG. 4, the first opening / closing member 1B is opened, an opening is formed in the front surface of the apparatus main body 1, and the apparatus main body is opened through this opening as shown in FIG. 1
Then, the process cartridge 40 is removed (dotted line in the figure), and the process cartridge 40 is attached to a predetermined position of the apparatus main body 1 (solid line in the figure). In the present embodiment as well, an oblique guide rail (not shown) for guiding the attachment / detachment operation of the process cartridge 40 is provided inside the apparatus main body 1, along which a smooth attachment / detachment operation is performed. Be seen.

The second opening / closing member 2B has a hinge 2b at the lower end.
It is supported to be openable and closable via the, and opens and closes the lower half of the rear part of the apparatus body 1. The second opening / closing member 2B takes the closed position shown in FIG. 3 and the open position shown in FIG. The sheet feeding cassette 11 in this embodiment is arranged above the second opening / closing member 2B in the closed position without being affected by the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member 2B. The transfer roller 60 and the pre-fixing guide 33 are integrally arranged on the second opening / closing member 2B.
In the closed position, the transfer roller 60 is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 41 to form the transfer position A2, and the pre-fixing guide 33 is arranged at a predetermined position to convey the recording medium P. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the opening / closing member 2B is placed at the open position, the transfer roller 60 is separated from the photosensitive drum 41, and the pre-fixing guide 33 is opened.
The portion of the recording medium P that was the transport path 30 is largely exposed. Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the transport path 30
The jammed recording medium P can be easily removed by opening the second opening / closing member 2B without removing the process cartridge 40.

In the present embodiment, the positions of the semiconductor laser 51, the reflection mirror 52, etc. of the information light generating means 50 are set in correspondence with the provision of the first opening / closing member 1B at the front part of the apparatus body 1. It is changed to a position that is not affected by the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing member 1B. <Third Embodiment> FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The printer M of this embodiment is different from the printers of the above-described first and second embodiments in that the residual toner removed from the photosensitive drum 41 is collected and reused, and when the toner is used up, the development is performed. The agent supply container 44e is replenished.
The other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The structure and operation for reusing the residual toner will be described below.

The cleaning device 44 includes the photosensitive drum 4
A cleaning roller 44c for removing the residual toner adhering to the surface 1 is provided. The cleaning roller 44c has a diameter of 10 mm, for example, by dispersing conductive carbon black in expandable polyurethane rubber.
The volume resistance value is 106 Ω · cm. On the other hand, the developing roller 43d is also formed in a roller shape by dispersing conductive carbon black in foamable polyurethane rubber. However, the volume resistance value and the diameter are set to 105 Ω · cm and 18 mm, respectively.

At the transfer position A2 between the photosensitive drum 41 and the transfer roller 60, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 41 is transferred onto the surface of the recording medium P fed, but at this time, a part of the toner is removed. It is not transferred to the recording medium P and remains as a residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41. Further, even at the time of jamming, the untransferred toner also adheres to the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 as residual toner. In this embodiment, a negatively charged one-component non-magnetic toner is used. The above-mentioned residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is removed by the cleaning roller 44c as waste toner. This residual toner is removed by the cleaning roller 44c.
+ 400V of opposite polarity to residual toner by power supply (not shown)
Is applied to transfer and attract the residual toner on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to the cleaning roller 44c. Therefore, the residual toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 does not reach the charger 42 or the exposure section A, so that the electrostatic latent image can be prevented from being disturbed due to charging failure or exposure failure due to the residual toner. . After that, at the time of non-exposure, a DC voltage of −400 V is applied to the cleaning roller 44c by the power source, and thereby the negatively charged waste toner is returned from the cleaning roller 44c to the photosensitive drum 41 again. During this operation, since there is no exposure, no electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41. The waste toner returned onto the photosensitive drum 41 passes through the charger 42 and the exposure unit A, and the developing roller 43d.
To reach. A DC voltage of +300 V is applied to the developing roller 43d, and the negative waste toner on the photosensitive drum 41 is adsorbed by the developing roller 43b and collected in the developing device 43. Thus, the toner collected as the waste toner by the developing device 43 is reused for the subsequent image formation.

At the time of image formation, the above-mentioned cleaning roller 44c cleans the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 by removing the adhered contaminants such as residual toner and paper dust from the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 after the toner image is transferred. By repeating the operation, the waste toner is accumulated on the surface of itself. On the other hand, at the time of non-image formation, the waste toner accumulated on the surface is removed from the photosensitive drum 41.
It operates so as to return to the developing roller 43d via.

Further, unlike the first and second embodiments, the printer M of the present embodiment does not use the process cartridge 40 and employs a developer replenishment system that replenishes the toner when it runs out. ing. Photosensitive drum 4
1, the charger 42, the developing roller 43d, and the cleaning roller 44c are arranged on the apparatus main body 1 side, and the developer supply container 43e is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 1. When replenishing the toner, the first opening / closing member 1A on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 is opened as shown in FIG. 5, the empty developer replenishing container 43e is taken out upward, and new developer replenishing is performed instead. The container 43e is mounted at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body 1 from above. A new developer supply container 4
3e is mounted in a predetermined position, the developer supply container 43e
The opening / closing lid 43f at the bottom of the developing device 43 is opened as shown in the figure, and the toner in the developer replenishing container 43e drops and is replenished in the developing device 43.

The structure and operation of the second opening / closing member 2A are the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. That is, when placed in the closed position shown by the dotted line in the figure,
The recording medium P is supported in the vertical direction via the paper feed cassette 11, and thus the area occupied by the apparatus main body 1 is reduced. On the other hand, when it is arranged at the open position shown by the solid line in the figure, the conveyance path 30 is largely exposed to facilitate the jam processing. <Fourth Embodiment> FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a handle 45a as a gripping portion is provided on the upper portion of the process cartridge 40 in the state of being attached to the apparatus main body 1, and the posture when the process cartridge 40 is attached / detached is substantially in the attaching / detaching direction. Configured to match. The configuration and operation for forming an image as the printer M as a whole are almost the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. In the following, the process cartridge 40 is smoothly attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1. A detailed description will be given of the structure for the operation and the attaching / detaching operation thereof.

As shown in FIG. 7, prior to the attachment / detachment of the process cartridge 40, the first opening / closing member 1A on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1 is opened in the direction of arrow K1 about the hinge 1a. The process cartridge 40, as shown in FIG.
A grip 45a is provided at the end of the cartridge container 45 on the side of the developing device 43. If the fulcrum of this handle 45a when it is gripped is B, the process cartridge 40a
The most stable posture is for a straight line L2 connecting the fulcrum B and the center of gravity G of the process cartridge 40 as shown in FIG.
Is the same as the vertical line L1. Therefore, when the process cartridge 40 is lowered in the direction of the arrow K3 at the time of mounting, and pulled up in the direction opposite to the arrow K3 at the time of taking out, the mounting and demounting operation can be performed in the most stable posture. On the other hand, when the process cartridge 40 is used as a reference, the actual mounting direction is the arrow K4 direction in FIG. 8, and the removal direction is the opposite direction.

When the handle 45a is gripped in this way,
Since the direction in which the attitude of the process cartridge 40 is most stable (arrow K3 direction) and the actual mounting direction of the process cartridge 40 with respect to the apparatus main body 1 (arrow K4 direction) are substantially the same, mounting is performed in the process cartridge 4
All that is required is to grasp the 0 handle 45a and lower it as it is. On the other hand, when the process cartridge 40 is taken out from the apparatus main body 1, the handle 45a is grasped,
All you have to do is pull up. That is, since the attitude of the process cartridge 40 does not greatly change from the most stable state during attachment / detachment, it is possible to handle both mounting and taking out with one hand. A complicated operation of forcibly correcting the attitude of the process cartridge 40 with both hands in order to prevent the attitude of the process cartridge from being greatly deformed at the time of attachment / detachment becomes unnecessary, and a smooth attachment / detachment operation can be realized. .

It is desirable that the arrow K3 direction and the arrow K4 direction in FIG. 8 are ideally coincident with each other, but if the difference between them can be suppressed within a range of about ± 30 °, it is almost the same as described above. The same effect can be obtained.

After mounting the process cartridge 40 at a predetermined position in the apparatus main body 1, the first opening / closing member 1A is opened as shown in FIG.
By closing in the direction of the arrow K2, the replacement work of the process cartridge 40 is completed.

FIG. 9 shows a case where the process cartridge 40 does not have the handle 45a. In this case, the grip portion f at the upper end of the process cartridge 40 can be gripped, and then the process cartridge 40 can be attached and detached in the same manner as when the handle 45a is provided. <Fifth Embodiment> FIG. 10 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The figure is an enlarged sectional view of the process cartridge 40. The process cartridge 40 shown in FIG.
Like the process cartridge 40 of FIG.
0 (not shown) is detachably attached. When mounted, the process cartridge 40 has a developing device 43,
A photosensitive drum 41 and a charger 42 are arranged in the central portion, and a cleaning device 44 is arranged in the lower portion. A through hole 45b for exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is formed in a part of the cartridge container 45 on the front side of the photosensitive drum 41 (on the left side of the same figure), and the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is on the rear side (the same figure). In the right side), the transfer roller 6 on the apparatus main body side
The transfer position A2 for transferring the toner image onto the recording medium P is formed by abutting on 0. When the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 41 (direction of arrow R41) is used as a reference and the position of the charger 42 is the starting point, the charger 4 is sequentially arranged from the upstream side.
2, the through hole 45b, the developing device 43, the transfer roller 60, and the cleaning device 44 are arranged.

The charger 42 is composed of a contact type charging roller that contacts the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 to charge it, but instead of this, a non-contact type corona charger may be used. it can.

The developing device 43 has a toner container 43a for containing a magnetic toner T as a one-component developer, for example. The toner container 43a has an opening 43a ₁ at the bottom thereof, and the developing roller 43b is rotatably supported in the opening 43a ₁ in the direction of arrow R43. Developing roller 4
A magnet 43g serving as a magnetic field generating means is provided inside 3b.
Is provided. Further, the surface of the developing roller 43b is formed with appropriate unevenness so as to increase the probability of sliding contact with the toner T and to favorably convey the toner T. The surface of the developing roller 43b forms a developing portion in the lower part so as to face the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 with a minute gap therebetween.
An elastic blade (regulating member) 43c is brought into contact with the upper portion to form an abutting portion 43c ₁ . The elastic blade 43c can be made of urethane, silicon rubber, SUS thin plate, or the like. The elastic blade 43
c will be described in detail later.

The cleaning device 44 includes the photosensitive drum 41.
It has a cleaning blade 44a that contacts the surface to remove the residual toner, and a cleaning container 44b that stores the removed residual toner. The cleaning blade 43a is
For example, urethane, silicon rubber, or the like is formed in a plate shape, and its base end is fixed to the cleaning container 44b and its tip is brought into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 41.

The image forming operation of the process cartridge 41 having the above structure will be briefly described. The surface of the photosensitive drum 41, which is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow R41, is uniformly charged by the charging roller 42 and is then irradiated with laser light corresponding to image information to form an electrostatic latent image. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 43 as follows. The toner T in the toner container 43a is sent to the lower developing roller 43b by gravity and held on the surface of the developing roller 43b by the magnetic force of the magnet 43g in the developing roller 43b. After that, the arrow R43 of the developing roller 43b
As it rotates in the direction, it is sent to the contact portion 43c ₁ , where appropriate tribo (triboelectric charge amount) is given and is applied in a thin layer on the developing roller 43b. The applied toner T is carried and conveyed to the developing unit facing the photosensitive drum 41, and is attached to the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 41 there. In this developing section, the latent image on the photosensitive drum 41 is developed as a toner image by applying an alternating voltage (developing bias) in which a direct current is superposed between the developing roller 43b and the photosensitive drum 41. Next, the toner image is transferred onto the surface of the recording medium P fed at the transfer position A2 by the transfer roller 60 to which a predetermined voltage is applied. After the transfer of the toner image, the recording medium P separated from the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 is conveyed to a fixing device (not shown) to fix the toner image on the surface, the image forming operation is completed, and the recording medium P is discharged to the outside of the apparatus main body 1. To be done. On the other hand, the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 after the transfer of the toner image is cleaned by a cleaning blade 44a of the cleaning device 44 to wipe away residual toner and other adhering substances, and is used for the next image formation.

Each component of the developing device 43 in this embodiment will be described more specifically.

The developing roller 43b has a surface roughness Rz of about 4 μm obtained by subjecting the surface of an aluminum sleeve having a diameter of 16 mm to a regular blast treatment with glass beads (# 600).
The peripheral speed of the photosensitive drum 41 is 50 mm / s.
It was rotated at a constant speed. Toner T is a magnetic one-component developer as described above, and 1.5 parts by weight of hydrophobized silica is added to toner powder having an average particle size of 9 μm in which a magnetic substance and a charge control agent are dispersed in styrene / acrylic resin. What was added externally was used.

The elastic blade 43c is made of urethane rubber having a thickness of 1.2 mm. Elastic blade 4
3c has an abutting portion 43c ₁ that abuts on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 at its intermediate portion, a fixed portion on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 41, and a free end D on the upstream side. The fixed end is adhered to the blade support 43d of the toner container 43a.

Further, in this embodiment, the free end D of the elastic blade 43c is arranged on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing roller 43b with respect to the vertical line H1 passing through the rotation center of the developing roller 43b. . By adopting such a configuration, when forming a thin layer of toner on the surface of the developing roller 43b, a wedge portion that is a toner intake port (the surface of the developing roller 43b on the upstream side of the contact portion 43c ₁ and the elastic blade). Since the wedge-shaped portion E surrounded by the free end D of 43c) is formed rearward (right side in the figure) or downward, unlike when it is upwardly directed,
The toner in the wedge portion E is not directly affected by the pressure of the toner T in the toner container 43a due to the gravity. Therefore, the toner carried on the developing roller 43b and invading the wedge portion E is coated with proper tribo at this point, and is appropriately coated on the developing roller 43b at the contact portion 43c ₁ in a state where the layer thickness is regulated. To be done.

As a result, the toner T in the toner container 43a is
Even when the amount of toner changes, the amount of toner taken in from the wedge portion E becomes constant, resulting in excessive coating (insufficient tribo).
It is possible to perform stable and good development by eliminating the image fog caused by the above and the low density due to the insufficient coating.

Next, the process cartridge 40 having the developing device 43 described above is mounted on the main body of the device, and the developing bias power source has a frequency of 1800 Hz and a peak-to-peak voltage of 120.
A latent image potential on the photosensitive drum 41 is set to -600V in the non-exposed portion of the dark portion and -150V in the exposed portion of the light portion by using the one obtained by superposing the direct current of -400V on the alternating voltage of 0V, and further developing. The gap between the roller 43b and the photosensitive drum 41 was set to 300 μm, and about 3000 sheets of images were formed by reversal development. As a result, a good coating having an average tribo amount of 12 μC / g was obtained on the developing roller 43b, and it was possible to obtain an image having no image fog and a reflection density of 1.4 or more. <Sixth Embodiment> FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the developing device 43 of the process cartridge 40. The difference from the fifth embodiment is that a cover member (developer drop prevention member) is provided above the elastic blade 43c.
43h is provided.

Since the toner T used in this embodiment is a fine particle toner having an average particle diameter of 6 μm, the degree of cohesion tends to increase especially in a high temperature and high humidity environment. For this reason, if the process cartridge 40 is left for a long time in the vertical arrangement configuration as in the present invention, the entire elastic blade 43c is pressed against the developing roller 43b by the pressure from the toner T unless the cover member 43h is provided. . Then, the contact pressure of the elastic blade 43c with the developing roller 43b becomes excessively large, which causes a low image density due to charge-up (to give excessive tribo). Therefore, in this embodiment, the cover member 43h is provided so as to cover the entire elastic blade 43c from the fixed end F to the free end D from above. As a result, the toner T in the toner container 43a is covered with the cover member 43.
The pressure of the toner T is supported by the elastic blade 43c.
To prevent direct participation in. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a good image for a long period of time even when the image forming operation is performed in a high temperature and high humidity environment using the fine particle toner T. <Embodiment 7> In the above embodiments, the information light emitting means 5 is used.
As 0, instead of emitting a laser beam, L
It is also possible to use an ED array. Photosensitive drum 41
By arranging a large number of LEDs along the generatrix of the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 and rotating the charged photosensitive drum 41, ON / OFF of each LED is selected on the basis of an image signal. It forms an electrostatic latent image on it. According to this, the configuration can be further downsized and simplified. <Embodiment 8> Embodiments of the members constituting the process cartridge 40 are not limited to those shown in FIG. For example, an electrophotographic photosensitive member as an image carrier and at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit as a process unit are integrally made into a cartridge and detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus. May be.

Further, the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier and the charging means, the developing means, or the cleaning means as the process means are integrally made into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. Alternatively, at least the developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member may be integrally formed into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, the recording medium for feeding (before the image formation) is vertically supported by the first supporting means, so that the area occupied by the image forming apparatus main body is increased. Can be reduced.

Further, in addition to the first opening / closing member for attaching / detaching the process cartridge or the developer supply container, a second opening / closing member for exposing the conveying path of the recording medium is provided to prevent jamming. It is possible to easily remove the recording medium.

Further, with respect to the attaching / detaching direction of the process cartridge with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus, the difference between the above-mentioned attaching / detaching direction and the straight line connecting the holding portion and the center of gravity when the holding portion of the process cartridge is held and supported is within 30 °. By setting the mounting / dismounting direction so that the mounting / dismounting direction of the process cartridge can be smoothly performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a view showing how the process cartridge is attached and detached by opening the first opening / closing member in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second opening / closing member is opened to expose the recording medium conveyance path.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a state in which the first opening / closing member is opened and the process cartridge is attached / detached in the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the second opening / closing member is opened to expose the recording medium conveyance path.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first opening / closing member is opened and the developer supply container is attached / detached, and the second opening / closing member is opened to expose the recording medium conveyance path in the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus of Example 4.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing how the process cartridge is attached and detached by opening the first opening / closing member in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the attitude of the process cartridge when the handle of the process cartridge is held and the attaching / detaching direction of the process cartridge in the image forming apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which a process cartridge without a handle is attached to the image forming apparatus main body in the image forming apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a mounted process cartridge according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the developing device of the process cartridge in the mounted state according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 13A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing how a process cartridge having a handle is mounted in a conventional image forming apparatus. FIG. 6B is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a state after the process cartridge having the handle is mounted in the conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 14A is a view showing the posture of the process cartridge when the handle of the conventional process cartridge is held and supported. (B) is a figure which shows the attachment / detachment direction of the conventional process cartridge.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing how a conventional process cartridge without a handle is mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image Forming Apparatus Main Body (Printer Main Body) 1A First Opening / Closing Member 2A Second Opening / Closing Member 10 First Support Means 11 Paper Feed Cassette 20 Second Support Means 30 Conveyance Path 31 Paper Feed Rollers 32 Reverse Path 33 Pre-Fixing Guide 40 Process cartridge 41 Image carrier (photosensitive drum) 42 Charging means (charging roller) 43 Developing means (developing device) 43a Toner container 43b Developer carrier (developing roller) 43c Regulation member (elastic blade) 43c ₁ Contact part 43e Development Agent supply container 43h Developer falling prevention member (cover member) 44 Cleaning means (cleaning device) 44a Cleaning blade 44b Cleaning container 45 Cartridge container 45a Grip (handle) 50 Information light emitting means 51 Semiconductor laser 52 Reflection mirror 60 Transfer means ( Transfer roller) 70 constant Means 71 fixing roller 72 a pressure roller 73 discharge rollers A1 feed position A2 transfer position A3 fixing position D the free end E wedge portion F fixed end f the gripping portion G centroid M image forming apparatus (printer) P recording medium

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising: first supporting means for longitudinally supporting the recording medium for feeding; second supporting means for supporting the recording medium after image formation. An image carrier arranged in a conveying path from the first supporting means to the second supporting means, an information light emitting means for giving information light according to image information to the image carrier, the conveying path A transfer unit that is disposed to face the image carrier via the transfer unit and transfers the toner image formed on the image carrier to the recording medium; and to fix the toner image transferred to the recording medium on the recording medium. Fixing means, a first opening / closing member for attaching / detaching the process cartridge having the image bearing member to / from the image forming apparatus main body, the opening / closing member supported by the image forming apparatus main body, and the conveyance path. Make up closure And a second closing member which takes an open position exposing the conveying path and location, the image forming apparatus characterized by. 2. The image carrier comprises an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier, and at least one of a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit, which are integrally formed into a cartridge to form a main body of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided in a process cartridge that is detachable. 3. The image carrier can be attached to and detached from an image forming apparatus main body by integrally forming an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image carrier and a charging unit, a developing unit, or a cleaning unit into a cartridge. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is provided in the process cartridge. 4. The image bearing member is provided in a process cartridge in which at least a developing unit and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as the image bearing member are integrally made into a cartridge so as to be attachable to and detachable from an image forming apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 5. A straight line connecting the grip portion and the center of gravity of the process cartridge when the grip portion of the process cartridge is held and the process cartridge is supported with respect to the mounting and demounting direction of the process cartridge with respect to the main body of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the difference between the process cartridge and the mounting / removing direction is within 30 °. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the mounting portion of the process cartridge in the main body of the image forming apparatus is a fixed portion that cannot be moved or changed. 7. The process cartridge has a developing means arranged above the image carrier in a mounted state with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, and the developing means has a lower opening on the image carrier. The electrostatic latent image has a developer carrier that adheres toner to the electrostatic latent image, and a regulation member that contacts the developer carrier to regulate the amount of toner on the developer carrier. An abutting portion that comes into contact with the developer carrying member, a fixed end on the downstream side in the moving direction of the developer carrying member, and a free end on the upstream side, and the free end is the developer carrying member. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image forming apparatus is arranged on an upstream side of a vertical line passing through a center of a body. 8. A developer fall prevention member which covers the upper side of the regulation member and prevents the developer in the developing means from pressing the regulation member against the developer carrying member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7. 9. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, comprising: first supporting means for longitudinally supporting the recording medium for feeding; second supporting means for supporting the recording medium after image formation. An image carrier arranged in a conveying path from the first supporting means to the second supporting means, an information light emitting means for giving information light according to image information to the image carrier, and the information light A developing unit for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier by a projecting unit as a toner image; and a developing unit disposed opposite to the image carrier via the transport path and formed on the image carrier. Transfer means for transferring the formed toner image to a recording medium, fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred on the recording medium to the recording medium, and attaching / detaching the developing means to / from the image forming apparatus main body. A first opening / closing member of the An image forming apparatus, comprising: a second opening / closing member that is supported by the main body of the forming apparatus so as to be openable and closable and has a closed position that configures the transport path and an open position that exposes the transport path. 10. A feeding position for feeding the recording medium supported by the first supporting means, a feeding position for feeding the recording medium supported by the first supporting means, a transfer position by the transferring means, and the fixing means, which are arranged in order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the conveying path. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the fixing position by the means is arranged at a lower position in this order. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information light emitting means emits a laser beam. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information light emitting unit has an LED array arranged to face the image carrier.