JPH0750768Y2 - Fixing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a fixing roller that is heated by a heater and is driven to rotate in a fixed direction, and a pressure roller that is paired with the fixing roller to rotate while being pressed against each other. An oil impregnating member that applies oil as a release agent to the surface of the fixing roller; a metering blade that presses against the surface of the fixing roller to regulate the amount of oil applied to the surface; and a surface of the fixing roller. The present invention relates to a fixing device that includes a cleaning blade that presses and cleans the surface, and that passes a recording material carrying a toner image between the fixing roller and a pressure roller and fixes the toner image on the recording material. .

[Conventional technology]

A fixing device of the above type used in an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine, a printer or a facsimile is well known in the art.

Since the above-mentioned oil-impregnated member, the metering blade and the cleaning blade deteriorate with time, it is necessary to replace them with new ones as needed.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

Therefore, even in the conventional fixing device, the above-mentioned respective elements are detachably attached and the deteriorated elements are replaced, but the oil adhering to the replacement parts drips during the replacement work, and the floor surface, the carpet, etc. There was a risk that it would get dirty with oil.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fixing device of the type described at the beginning, in which the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks are eliminated by a simple structure.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a fixing device of the type described at the beginning, in which an oil impregnating member, a metering blade and a cleaning blade are integrally assembled to form a unit, and the unit is shut off from the outside. Along with the lower end of the cover, the cover is supported so as to be tiltable in the direction in which the upper end opens, and the unit that opens the cover and takes out the unit from the inside, where the cover can receive the oil dripping from the unit. It proposes a configuration in which a support member for temporarily supporting is provided.

At that time, it is particularly advantageous to connect an oil receiver, which receives the oil dropped from the unit and received by the cover and flowing down, to the cover.

[Action]

When replacing the oil-impregnated member, the metering blade or the cleaning blade, the cover is opened, the unit is taken out from the inside of the cover, the unit is then supported by the support member, and a predetermined replacement operation is performed.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the internal structure of an electronic copying machine equipped with a fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an ADF (automatic document feeder) 10 mounted on the top of a copying machine main body 100, which is an example of an image forming apparatus main body.
From 1, sheet originals or originals such as computer printout papers are sent toward the contact glass 102 and returned to the ADF 101 via the contact glass portion or discharged to the trays 103 and 104.

The original sent on the contact glass 102 is instantly illuminated by the light source 105 via the mirror 106, and the reflected light image accompanying this illumination passes through the mirror 107, the lens 108, and the mirror 109, respectively. Image is projected onto a belt photosensitive member 111 which is an example of a latent image carrier.

The belt photosensitive member 111 is driven to move in the direction of the arrow, and the surface thereof is uniformly charged in advance by the charging charger 112, after which the above-mentioned image projection is performed. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface.

The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 113, and the toner image is fed to the paper feeding unit 114 or the large capacity paper feeding unit 3.
It is transferred by a corona discharge by a transfer charger 110 to a transfer paper sent from 14 through a pair of registration rollers 115. After this transfer, the transfer paper passes through the fixing device 4 and is discharged to the tray 117 above the copying machine main body 100. On the other hand, photoconductor
The surface of 111 is cleaned by the cleaning device 120 to remove residual toner and the like on the surface.

The transfer paper is an example of a recording material, and a recording material made of photosensitive paper may be used depending on the form of the copying machine.

Further, the illustrated copying machine is provided with a re-feeding device 7, and the transfer paper from the fixing device 4 is sent to the re-feeding device 7 by switching the switching claw 305, and the transfer paper is exposed again from here. It is fed to the body 111, a toner image is formed on the back surface of the body 111, and the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 4, so that a transfer paper having images formed on both sides can be obtained.

Further, by switching the switching claw 306, the transfer paper can be conveyed to the sorter 3 via the reversing device 6 and sorted.

As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the fixing device 4 has a heater 2 penetrating inside thereof and a fixing roller heated by the heater 2.
12 and a pressure roller 13 in rolling contact therewith,
Both rollers 12 and 13 are rotationally driven in the directions of the arrows, and the transfer paper P carrying the unfixed toner image is fed between them as shown by the arrow, and the transfer paper P is transferred to the rollers 12 and 13.
Pass between At this time, the transfer paper surface on which the toner image is formed contacts the fixing roller 12, and the toner image is fixed on the transfer paper P by heat and pressure from the roller 12.

Thus, the fixing device 4 is heated by the heater 2,
It has a fixing roller 12 which is rotationally driven in a fixed direction, and a pressure roller 13 which is paired with the fixing roller 12 and rotates while being in pressure contact with the fixing roller 12, and the toner is provided between the fixing roller 12 and the pressure roller 13. The toner image is fixed on the transfer paper through the transfer paper P carrying the image.

To replace the fixing roller 12, open the front cover 1 of the copying machine main body 100 as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, pull out the fixing device 4 toward you as shown by the arrow A, and remove the fixing roller 12 as described later. Take it out.

In the fixing device of this example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the supporting device 200 for supporting the fixing roller 12 is divided into two supporting units 210 and 202, and the lower supporting unit 201 is the main body of the copying machine. Support plate 26 located on the front side with respect to the front side and support plate 26 located on the back side thereof
a and an oil pan 69 that integrally connects these support plates,
It has stays 67, 203, 204, 205 (only part of the stay 204 is shown in FIG. 4). In this way, the oil pan 69 functions not only as a stay that integrally fixes the two support plates 26, 26a, but also as a tray that receives oil as described later. Further, the transfer paper P (the third
A sheet passing hole 307 (FIG. 4) through which the drawing) passes is formed.

The support unit 202 on the upper side also has the support plate 25 on the front side, the support plate 25a on the rear side, and stays 206, 2 for integrally fixedly connecting these.
07, and a slit 20 through which the transfer paper, which passes between the fixing roller 12 and the pressure roller 13, passes between these stays 206 and 207.
8 is open.

In the present specification, as can be seen from the above, when similar members are provided on the front side and the back side,
For the members located on the back side, reference numerals given to the members on the front side are appended with a to identify them, and illustration of the members on the back side may be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, the heat insulating bush 2 is provided on the front journal portion 209 and the rear journal portion 209a of the fixing roller 12.
Through 9,29a a bearing 30, for example a ball bearing,
30a is integrally assembled. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, both support plates 26, 26a of the lower support unit 201 are provided with bearing portions 210, 210a having a substantially semicircular groove shape with an open upper side. , Here bearings 30,3 above
0a are fitted together. Each bearing fitted in this way
The pressing surfaces 211, 211a (FIG. 5) of the support plates 25, 25a of the upper support unit 202 are in contact with the upper peripheral surfaces of the 30, 30a. In this state, each support plate 25, 25a is attached to each lower support plate 26, 2a.
Installed on 6a. That is, the grooves 28, 28a formed in the upper support plates 25, 25a are fitted into the two positioning pins 27, 27a projectingly provided on the lower support plates 26, 26a, respectively, and the upper support The plates 25, 25a are positioned and the supporting plates 25, 2a are
5a is detachably fixed to the lower support plates 26, 26a by screws 212, 212a. In this way, the bearings 30, 30a are sandwiched between the upper support plates 25, 25a and the lower support plates 26, 26a,
As a result, the fixing roller 12 is rotatably supported.

Also, the third support is attached to both support plates 26, 26a of the lower support unit 201.
A guide rail device shown in the drawing and not shown in FIG.
One rail 215,216 of 213,214 is fixed, and the other rail 217,218 is fixed to the machine frame of the copying machine main body 100 (FIG. 2).

The heat insulating bushes 29, 29a function to prevent the heat of the fixing roller 12 heated by the heater 2 from being directly transferred to the bearings 30, 30a and protect the bearings 30, 30a.

As described above, in the fixing device 4 shown as an example in the drawing, the supporting device 200 that supports the bearings 30 and 30a attached to the respective journal portions 209 and 290a of the fixing roller 12 is divided into supporting units 201 and 202 that can be separated from each other. The bearings 30 and 30a are sandwiched and supported by the support units 201 and 200.

When removing the fixing roller 12, the fixing device 4 is first pulled out to the front side as described above.
201 moves toward the front side, that is, in the direction of arrow A (FIGS. 2 and 4) while being guided by the guide rail devices 213 and 214, and together with this, the upper support unit 202, and the fixing roller 12 and the heater 2 attached to them. , And each element described later move integrally to the front side.

In this way, after the entire fixing device 4 is pulled out as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, the screws 212 and 212a are removed to lift the upper support unit 202 upward and separate it from the lower support unit 201. As a result, the upper side of the fixing roller 12 is opened, and the bearings 30 and 30a of the fixing roller 12 are located at the lower support unit 201.
Since it is supported by the groove-shaped bearing portions 210, 210a having an open upper portion, the fixing roller 12 can be removed from the support unit 201 by lifting the fixing roller 12 upward.

The new fixing roller can be supported by the upper and lower support units 201 and 202 in the reverse order of the above-mentioned procedure, and then the entire fixing unit is pushed into the back side opposite to the arrow A, and the front cover 1
The fixing roller replacement work is completed by closing.

As described above, the fixing roller 12 is normally attached to both support units 20.
When the fixing roller 12 is removed by sandwiching it between the support units 201 and 202, it is only necessary to separate the support units 201 and 202 from each other, and therefore the removal work can be performed very easily. Moreover, immediately after the fixing device 4 has stopped operating, the fixing roller 12
Even if the bearings 30 and 30a are still heated to a high temperature and the bearings 30 and 30a are thermally expanded, the bearings 210 and
Since it is only necessary to remove the fixing roller from 0a, the fixing roller can be easily removed. The fixing roller 12 that is still hot can be immediately removed.

The fixing roller 12 is designated by reference numeral 219 in FIG.
Is a drive gear fixed to the journal portion 209a on the back side of the copying machine. The gear 219 is driven by a drive motor provided on the copying machine main body side when the fixing device 4 is pushed in and set as described above. When the fixing device 4 is operated, it is driven by this motor and the fixing roller 12 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. In the illustrated example, the fixing roller 12
, The gear 219, the above-mentioned heat insulating bushes 29, 29a, the bearing 30,
All of the fixing roller units 30a are integrally assembled, and when the fixing roller 12 is attached to or detached from the support units 201 and 202 as described above, the entire fixing roller unit is attached and detached integrally.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer paper P on which the toner image is transferred from the photoconductor is the paper passage hole 307 (fourth transfer hole) of the oil pan 69 described above.
Fixing roller 12 which is driven to rotate counterclockwise through
And a pressure roller that comes into contact with this and rotates in a clockwise direction.
The transfer paper P is fed into the nip portion 220 which is in contact with the space 13, that is, these are in contact with each other. At this time, the transfer paper P is fixedly supported by the oil pan 69, and the left and right inlet guide portions 10, 11 (not shown in FIG. 4). Guided by.

At that time, the tip shape of the right inlet guide plate 10 is formed in a mountain shape in which the central portion C in the longitudinal direction thereof projects toward the fixing roller 12 as shown in FIG. 7, and is exaggerated in FIG. If the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12 is formed in a zigzag shape with the diameter of the central portion in the longitudinal direction reduced as shown in FIG. 5, the transfer paper P fed to the nip portion 220 while being guided by the inlet guide plate 10 is From the center P1 to the fixing roller
Since the sheet of paper 12 comes into contact with the sheet 12, the sheet of transfer paper P is gripped by the nip portion 220 so as to be pulled toward the side edges P2. As a result, the vertical wrinkles in the transfer paper P are less likely to occur.

Further, as described above, in order to prevent the occurrence of vertical wrinkles on the transfer paper P, the front end of the inlet guide plate 10 on the right side is fixed to the fixing roller 12.
It is desirable to dispose it in the vicinity of the peripheral surface of and at a distance from the nip portion 220. On the other hand, when the transfer paper P is thick, in order to improve its transportability, the tip of the right inlet guide plate 10 should be largely separated from the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12 and should not interfere with the transport path. Nip 220
It is desirable to be located near. As described above, in order to prevent vertical wrinkles on the transfer paper P and to improve the transportability of the thick paper, mutually opposite conditions are required for the tip position of the right inlet guide plate 10. In order to satisfy these two requirements at the same time, the right inlet guide plate
The distance L1 from the tip of 10 to the nip 220 is 18 to 3
It is advantageous to set 2 mm and the distance L2 to the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12 to 2 to 5 mm.

On the other hand, on the left side entrance guide plate 11, the transfer paper P has the nip portion 22.
When being conveyed by being held in 0, the rear end of the transfer paper P may be sufficiently separated from the tangent line T of the fixing roller surface in the nip portion 220 as indicated by L3 so as not to come into contact with the entrance guide plate 11. desirable. This is because the transfer paper P is the nip part.
When the trailing edge of the transfer paper P hits the entrance guide plate 11 due to the trailing edge of the transfer paper P being conveyed by being gripped by the 220, the unfixed toner on the surface of the transfer paper P adheres to the entrance guide plate 11 and is heated by the heat. This is to prevent the toner from sticking to the guide plate 11 and growing into a large toner mass. If a large toner mass is formed on the entrance guide plate 11, the leading edge of the transfer paper in the middle of conveyance is caught by the toner mass, which causes a jam of the transfer paper. For the same reason, no sharp edge or unevenness is formed on the tip of the left inlet guide plate 11,
It is advantageous that it is formed flat as shown in FIG. If there are such edges or irregularities, the transfer paper P
This is because the toner transferred from is likely to adhere and a toner lump is formed here.

The left inlet guide plate 11 functions to prevent the leading end of the transfer sheet P from moving to the left side of this guide plate in FIG. 3 and guide it so as to send it to the nip portion 220. is there.

As described above, the heater 2 is inserted into the hollow portion of the fixing roller 12 to heat the fixing roller 12, but the heater 2 has a large amount of heat generation in the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and heat is generated at both ends. The calorific value distribution is set so that the amount becomes small. If the amount of heat generated by the heater 2 is set to be equal over its entire length, the transfer paper P with a narrow paper width is set.
When the paper is continuously passed through, the fixing roller part through which the transfer paper passes is
Since heat is taken by the transfer paper, it is kept at an appropriate temperature, but the temperature of the end portion area of the fixing roller cannot be carried by heat, and the temperature becomes higher than necessary. that time,
The surface of the fixing roller 12 is coated with, for example, Teflon as a release material for preventing the adhesion of toner, but if the temperature of this surface becomes too high, the Teflon coat will be destroyed. In particular, since a large capacity heater 2 is used in a high-speed copying machine, the temperature of both end regions of the fixing roller tends to be high. For example, when a 2 kW heater 2 is used, the surface temperature of both ends of the fixing roller is about 230 ° C. It can be expensive.

In order to prevent such a problem, as described above, the heat generation amount at both ends of the heater 2 is made smaller than the heat generation amount at the central portion thereof. In addition to adjusting the calorific value distribution of the heater 2 as described above, the calorific value distribution is made constant, and the thickness of both end regions of the fixing roller 12 is made thicker than the central part so that the surface temperature at both end parts of the fixing roller is Although it may be configured to be lower than that in the central portion, if the thickness of the fixing roller 12 is increased, a problem that the temperature rising time of the fixing roller at the start of use of the fixing device becomes long occurs. Therefore, in the illustrated configuration, the heat generation amount distribution of the heater 2 is adjusted as described above.

Each end of the heater 2 is supported by brackets 221 and 221a shown in FIG. 6, and these brackets are fixed to a front support plate 26 and a rear support plate 26a of the lower support unit 201, respectively. (The brackets 221 and 221a are omitted in FIGS. 4 and 5).

As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure roller 13 includes a shaft 225, a core member 222 made of, for example, metal rotatably supported on the shaft via a bearing (not shown), and laminated around the core member 222. Low-friction member having a flexible elastic body 223 and a Teflon tube having a surface roughness of about 1 μ on the outside thereof.
224 are stacked. By providing the low-friction member 224 on the surface in this manner, the outer peripheral surface of the pressure roller 13 can be made smooth and the coefficient of friction with respect to the transfer paper P can be lowered.
The reason for configuring in this way is as follows.

As described above, the fixing roller 12 is formed in a hook shape. At that time, as shown in FIG. 7, the maximum diameter D1
If the difference between the minimum diameter D2 and the minimum diameter D2 is referred to as a stapling amount, the greater the staggering amount, the more effectively the generation of vertical wrinkles on the transfer paper P can be prevented.

On the other hand, the low friction member is not provided on the surface of the pressure roller, the elastic body is exposed on the surface, and the surface roughness is about 8
Assuming that the transfer paper P is rough, the transfer paper P exiting the nip portion 220 will have the vertical wrinkle Differently, rib-like waviness extending in the lateral direction of the transfer paper P occurs.

Therefore, if the surface of the pressure roller is rough, the amount of jam is 0.
Although it is unavoidable to suppress the occurrence of rib-like waviness by suppressing the wrinkle amount to about 06 to 0.1 mm, the effect of preventing vertical wrinkles from occurring on the transfer paper P cannot be enhanced by reducing the amount of stapling.

Therefore, in the illustrated pressure roller 13, the low friction member 224 is provided on the surface thereof as described above to reduce the surface friction coefficient of the roller 13. With this configuration, the nip part
The transfer paper P sandwiched by the 220 is slippery with respect to the pressure roller 13, and the restraining force applied from the pressure roller 13 to the transfer paper P is weakened.
Even if it is set to a large value of about 0.1 to 0.25 mm, it is possible to prevent the problem that the transfer paper P is wavy like ribs, and the fixing roller
The effect of forming 12 in a loop shape can be obtained without any trouble.

As the fixing roller 12, it is possible to use, for example, a core member made of a rigid body such as a metal and having the outer peripheral surface coated with Teflon as described above.

Next, the structure related to the support of the pressure roller 13 will be clarified.

On the inner surface of the lower support plates 26, 26a shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, that is, the surface of the pressure roller 13 facing the core member 222, as shown in FIG. Projections 15 and 15a are provided (the rear side pins and the members related thereto are not shown).
Pressurizing members 20, 20a and fixing members 17, 17a are pivotally supported by these fulcrum pins 15, 15a so as to be swingable in the arrow direction.

Blocks 16 and 16a are fixed to the inner surfaces of the support plates 26 and 26a by screws 227 and 227a, and the upper ends of the fixing members 17 and 17a are fixed to the blocks 16 and 16a by screws 23 and 23a. It is fixed.

Bearing portions 228 and 228a are formed on the pressure members 20 and 20a, respectively, and the end portions 21 and 21a of the pressure roller shaft 225 are supported by the bearing portions 228 and 228a, respectively. In this way, the pressure roller 13 is supported by the pair of pressure members 20, 20a on the front side and the back side.

Adjustment screws 18 and 18a are screwed to the fixing members 17 and 17a, and spring receiving members 229 and 229a, which are members different from the fixing members 17 and 17a, are attached to the tip ends of the screws 18 and 18a. . Between the spring receiving members 229, 229a and the respective pressure members 20, 20a, pressure springs 19 and 19a formed of compression coil springs are respectively mounted by pressure.
As a result, the pressure members 20, 20a are biased around the fulcrum pins 15, 15a in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. As a result, the shaft 225 of the pressure roller 13 is pressed, and the surface of the roller 13 comes into pressure contact with the surface of the fixing roller 12.

In order to adjust the pressure contact force of the pressure roller 13 with respect to the fixing roller 12, the adjusting screws 18, 18a are rotated to move the spring receiving members 229, 229a.
Is moved to the left or right in FIG. 3 to adjust the force applied to the pressure springs 19 and 19a. This allows the pressure member
The spring force applied to 20, 20a, that is, the spring force applied to the shaft 225 is adjusted, and the pressure roller against the fixing roller 12 is adjusted.
13 pressure contact force is adjusted. In this way, the nip 220
The width of can be set to an appropriate size. After the adjustment is completed, the nuts 22 and 22a screwed to the adjusting screws 18 and 18a are tightened to fix the adjusting screws 18 and 18a to the fixing members 17 and 17a.

When replacing the fixing roller 12 as described above, it is necessary to release the pressure of the pressure roller 13 against the fixing roller 12. In such a case, before removing the fixing roller 12, the screws 23, 23a are removed from the blocks 16, 16a and the fixing members 17, 17a are removed from the blocks 16, 16a. In this way, the pressing member supporting the fixing members 17 and 17a and the pressing roller 13
20 and 20a are rotated clockwise about the fulcrum pins 15 and 15a in FIG. 3 to separate the pressure roller 13 from the fixing roller 12.

Further, the tip end portions of the stopper screws 24, 24a are fixed to the pressurizing members 20, 20a, and these screws penetrate the fixing members 17, 17a. When the pressure members 20, 20a and the fixing members 17, 17a are assembled as shown in FIG. 3, each stopper screw
A space indicated by δ is provided between the heads of 24 and 24a and the fixing members 17 and 17a.

As described above, when the screws 23, 23a are removed and the fixing members 17, 17a and the pressure members 20, 20a are rotated counterclockwise, the pressure springs 19, 19a act to press the fixing members 17, 17a. The members 20 and 20a move about the fulcrum pins 15 and 1a in the directions of expanding and expanding, but when they are opened by the above δ, the fixing members 17 and 1a
7a hits the heads of the stopper screws 24, 24a and is prevented from expanding further. Therefore, the pressure springs 19,19a
Does not jump out from between the fixing members 17 and 17a and the pressing members 20 and 20a. If the stopper screws 24 and 24a are not provided,
When removing 23,23a from the blocks 16,16a, the fixing members 17,1
7a and pressure member 20,20a wide open, pressure spring 19,1
9a jumps out. Therefore, when the pressure roller 13 is again brought into pressure contact with the fixing roller 72, the pressure springs 19 and 19a are assembled between the fixing members 17 and 17a and the pressure members 20 and 20a, and then screwed.
23, 23a must be fastened to the blocks 16, 16a, and the assembling work becomes complicated. By providing the stopper screws 24 and 24a, such a problem can be prevented.

By the way, the front end of the transfer paper P that has passed through the nip portion 220 is conveyed while adhering to the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12 or the pressure roller 13 depending on the paper quality, the form of the fixed toner image, etc., and then transferred. By the waist of the paper itself or each roller 12,1
Roller 12 or 13 by peeling claws 32, 40 pressed against the peripheral surface of 3
Peeled from the peripheral surface of the left and right outlet guide plates 33, 4
The sheet is ejected from the fixing device 4 while being guided by 2 and being conveyed by the pair of conveying rollers 34, 35.

A plurality of, for example, 10 peeling claws 32 on the fixing roller 12 side are arranged at intervals in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. These peeling claws 32 are swingably supported by a support shaft 230 fixed to respective support brackets 37, 37a (the rear side is not shown) provided on the front side and the rear side. In addition, the plate 231 fixed to both support brackets 37, 37a and each peeling claw 32
Each end portion of a tension spring 38 is locked to this, whereby each peeling claw 32 is given a habit of rotating clockwise around the support shaft 230 in FIG. 3, and the tip of each claw 32 is fixed to the fixing roller. Press the 12 surface.

Both support brackets 37, 37a are integrated by a connecting plate 239. When the tip of the transfer paper attached to the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12 reaches the tip of the peeling claw 32, the transfer paper is peeled off.
It is peeled from the fixing roller 12 by 32, then guided by the outlet guide plate 33 on the left side, and fed to the conveying rollers 34, 35 as shown by arrow A1.

Support pins 36, 36a and stopper pins 232, 232a are provided on the inner surfaces of the support plates 25, 25a on the front side and the back side of the upper support unit 202.
(The back side is not shown) are provided in a protruding manner, and the support brackets 37, 37a described above are swingably supported by these support pins 36, 36a. Both support brackets 37, 37a abut the stopper pins 232, 232a.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned stay 206 that fixedly connects both support plates 25 and 25a.
A plurality of mounting brackets 233 are fixed to the, and one or a plurality of magnets 234 are fixedly supported on these.

Normally, the upper ends of the connecting plates 239 of the support brackets 37, 37a are attracted to the magnets 234, 234a, and the support brackets 37, 3a are
7a is held in the position shown in FIG.

Here, when the transfer paper that has reached the tip of the peeling claw 32 is jammed and the paper is sandwiched between the fixing roller 12 and the peeling claw 32, the force applied by this causes the peeling claw 32 to move.
The support brackets 37 and 37a thereof rotate around the support pins 36 and 36a in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 against the attraction force of the magnet 234. Along with this, the connecting plate 239 of the support brackets 37, 37a separates from the magnet 234, and the peeling claw 32 separates from the fixing roller 12. This prevents an excessive load from being applied to the peeling claw 32.

When the transfer paper P is jammed as described above, the fixing device 4 is pulled out as shown by a chain line in FIG. 2 to remove the jammed paper. An appropriate number of leaf springs 39 supported by the support unit 201.
The connecting plate 239 and the support brackets 37, 37a are pushed in the clockwise direction in FIG.
The connecting plate 239 of 37, 37a is attracted and held by the magnet 234, and the tip of the peeling claw 32 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the fixing roller 12. When the jammed paper is removed in this way, the peeling claw 32 is automatically set at a predetermined position.

The position of the tip of the peeling claw 32 in contact with the surface of the fixing roller 12 is preferably separated from the nip portion 220 as much as possible within the range where the peeling function for the transfer paper is not hindered.
This is to promote the transfer paper to separate from the fixing roller 12 by its own waist, and to prevent the transfer paper from coming into contact with the peeling claw 32 as much as possible. This is because if the transfer paper strongly hits the peeling claw 32, the toner image immediately after fixing may be disturbed.

Further, it is desirable that the transfer paper guide surface 236 of the peeling claw 32 be as close as possible to the tangent line of the fixing roller surface that passes through the tip of the claw 32. In this way, the transfer paper attached to the fixing roller 12 can be smoothly peeled off without applying a large external force.

Since the transfer paper on which the unfixed toner image is formed passes through the guide surface 236 of the peeling claw 32, it is necessary to configure the peeling claw 32 so that the toner does not adhere thereto. To achieve this purpose, the surface of the peeling claw 32 may be coated with a release material made of, for example, Teflon. However, in order to coat such a release material by baking, the peeling claw 32 must be made of a resin having a high heat resistance, for example, a heat resistance of about 280 ° C. or higher, and such a resin is generally expensive. .

Therefore, in the example shown in the figure, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the peeling claw 32 is divided into a portion 237 near the guide surface 236 and another portion 238, which are made of different resins. is there. That is, the former is composed of a resin with excellent heat resistance,
The latter is composed of a resin which is slightly inferior in heat resistance but is low-priced, these are integrated, and only the former part 237 is coated with a release material. By doing this, the guide surface 23
6 is coated with a release material to prevent toner from adhering, and the other part 238 where toner does not adhere easily or does not pose a problem even if adhered can be made of an inexpensive resin, and cost reduction can be achieved. .

When the leading edge of the transfer paper exiting the nip portion 220 adheres to the surface of the pressure roller 13 and is conveyed, the leading edge of the transfer paper 40 is removed.
Is separated from the roller 13 by the guide roller 41, and then guided by the guide plate 41 supporting the peeling claw 40 and the right outlet guide plate 42, and fed between the conveying rollers 34, 35 (arrow A2).

The guide plate 41 is fixed to a guide plate bracket 44, and the bracket 44 is rotatably supported by the stay 203 via a pin 240 in the arrow B direction or the opposite direction. When the guide plate bracket 44 is closed as shown in FIG. 3, the guide plate 41 integrated with the guide plate bracket 44 becomes stoppers 241 and 241a (not shown at the back side) protruding from the inner surface of the upper support plates 25 and 25a. Positioned by hitting.

A mounting cover 45 is integrally fixed to the upper side of the guide plate bracket 44, and when the transfer paper jams between the fixing roller 12 and the pressure roller 13, the handle 242 of the handle cover 45 holds the Cover 45 and guide plate bracket 44 and guide plate 41
Is rotated in the direction of arrow B, and the fixing roller 12 and the pressure roller 13
Open the top of the to handle the jammed paper. Handle cover 45
Is to prevent the bracket 44 heated to a high temperature from being directly touched.

The handle cover 45 and the guide plate bracket 44 normally occupy the closed position in FIG. 3, and the fixing operation is performed in this state. At this time, the upper region of the fixing roller 12 and the pressure roller 13 is located at the handle cover 45 and the bracket 44. If it is sealed by, the following problems will occur.

That is, when the transfer paper P passes through the nip portion 220, water is evaporated, and when a large number of transfer papers are continuously passed, a large amount of water is evaporated. At this time, if the upper region of the nip portion 220 is sealed, the vicinity of the nip portion 220 is filled with saturated steam. Therefore, the water vapor is again rapidly absorbed by the transfer paper from which the water has been evaporated, and the water adheres. As a result, undulation occurs on the transfer paper, and if such undulation occurs, the transferability of the transfer paper deteriorates, causing jams. In particular, in order to perform double-sided copying, the transfer paper is fed to the paper refeeding device 7 (first
If the paper is fed into the paper and re-fed, the wrinkles are likely to occur on the transfer paper.

Therefore, in the illustrated fixing device 4, one or a plurality of steam escape holes 243 are formed in the handle cover 45, the guide plate bracket 44, and the guide plate 41, and the steam is allowed to escape through the steam escape holes 243 so that a large amount of steam is generated on the transfer paper. Prevents the problem of sudden re-absorption. Relief hole 2 in the area directly above the nip 220
It is desirable to form 43 in a concentrated manner to enhance the vapor escape effect.

The left and right outlet guide plates 33 and 42 are the upper support unit 2 and
It is fixed to stays 206 and 207 of 02, respectively.

Further, one of the conveying rollers 34 is supported by the supporting plates 25 and 25a of the upper supporting unit 202, and is rotationally driven by the driving device on the copying machine main body side.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned plurality of mounting brackets 233 fixed to the stay 206 are formed with a notch-shaped support portion 244, and the shaft 245 of the driven-side transport roller 35 is rotatably supported via a bearing here. . In this way, the shaft 245 of the transport roller 35 is
The free end side of an appropriate number of leaf springs 48, which are supported so as to be close to or away from the pair of conveying rollers 34 and whose one end is fixed to the mounting bracket 233, comes into pressure contact with the shaft 245, whereby the conveying rollers 35 are formed. It is pressed against the transport roller 34 of the other party.

The tangent line t passing through the contact portions of the pair of conveying rollers 34, 35 is determined from the contact point between the tip of the peeling claw 32 and the fixing roller 12.
The positions of both rollers 34, 35 are set so as to pass the right side in FIG. This is the fixing roller 12 as described later.
Since silicone oil as a release agent is applied to the surface of, the silicone oil is accumulated at the portion where the peeling claw 32 comes into contact with the surface of the fixing roller 12. This is a measure to prevent the edges from touching. That is, when the trailing edge of the transfer sheet sandwiched between the two transport rollers 34 and 35 is free from the nip 220, if the oil sump O is near the tangent line t, The rear end of the paper comes into contact with the oil sump O, and the transfer paper is soiled with oil. In order to prevent this, the tangent line t, which is the direction in which the transfer paper is pulled by the transport rollers 34, 35, is the contact point between the peeling claw 32 and the fixing roller, that is,
It was designed to pass on the right side away from the oil sump O part.

The drive-side transport roller 34 is made of a heat-resistant elastic material, and a low-friction member such as a Teflon tube is laminated on the surface of the driven-side transport roller 35.

By reducing the surface frictional force of the transport roller 35 as described above, the following advantages can be obtained. That is, the nip
When the leading edge of the transfer paper exiting 220 is fed between the two conveying rollers 34, 35, the leading edge may hit the peripheral surface of the conveying roller 35. At this time, the peripheral surface is formed smoothly. Therefore, the front end of the transfer paper which hits the transport roller 35 can slip smoothly between the transport rollers 34, 35 along the peripheral surface thereof. If the surface of the transport roller 35 is rough and the coefficient of friction with respect to the transfer paper is large, the leading end of the transfer paper that hits the roller 35 may temporarily stop and the leading end may be broken at this time.

As described briefly above, the surface of the fixing roller 12 is
Silicone oil is applied as a release agent to prevent toner from adhering, and the structure related to this is clarified next.

As shown in FIG. 1, an oil tank 8 containing silicone oil is arranged in the copying machine main body 100, and the oil in this tank is supplied by a pump (not shown) to a supply conduit.
Pumped through 247.

The supply conduit 247 extends to the fixing device 4 as shown by the chain line in FIG. 5, and silicone oil flows down from the supply port 49 thereof.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower support unit
A trough-shaped oil guide 50 is fixed to the support plate 26 on the front side of 201, and oil flowing down from the supply port 49 is an oil guide.
Handed over to one end of 50. The other end of the oil guide 50 penetrates the support plate 26, projects into the region between the support plates 26, 26a, and below the oil sump 52 (the first one located between the support plates 26, 26a). 3) is provided (the oil guide 50 is not shown in FIG. 3).

The silicone oil delivered to the oil guide 50 flows to the other end side of the guide 50 and flows down to the oil sump 52 from the hole 248 formed in the bottom surface of the other end side (FIGS. 5 and 8). The oil sump 52 extends long in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3 and is located facing the fixing roller 12. An oil impregnation member 53 made of felt or the like is provided around the oil sump 52.
There is no impregnating member 53 in the portion of the 50 facing the hole 248, and therefore the silicone oil flowing down from the hole 248 flows into the oil sump 52 as it is.

A predetermined amount of silicone oil is stored in the oil sump 52 and is supplied to the oil impregnating member 53 from a plurality of oil supply holes 249 (FIG. 8) formed in the wall portion of the sample 52 facing the fixing roller 12. It The impregnating member 53 is a fixing roller.
The surface of the fixing roller 12 is pressed against the surface of the fixing roller 12, and the silicone oil impregnated in the member 53 is applied to the surface of the fixing roller 12.

As can be seen from FIG. 8, the silicone oil is supplied from the oil guide 50 to the oil sump 52 by the oil sump 52.
The silicone oil supplied to the sump 52 in the region on the front side of FIG. 8 flows out through the oil supply hole 249 while flowing to the back side which is slightly lowered as shown by an arrow Y in FIG. At that time, the oil supply hole 249 formed on the front side
The size of the oil supply hole 249 formed on the inner side is sequentially increased, and a uniform amount of silicone oil is applied along the longitudinal direction of the fixing roller 12.

As shown in FIG. 3, a relay oil impregnating member 54 made of felt or the like is arranged in the oil sump 52. The impregnating member 54 is immersed in the oil in the oil sump 52, and the upper portion thereof is the above-mentioned oil. It is in contact with the impregnation member 53.

If the above-mentioned relay oil impregnation member 54 is not provided, the silicone oil is not supplied to the oil sump 52 when the copying machine is left unused for a long time, and the oil impregnation member 53
Since the oil contained in the
Almost no silicone oil is present in the portion of the oil impregnated member 53 facing the. Therefore, if the copying operation is started in this state, the so-called offset phenomenon in which the oil is not applied to the fixing roller 12 and the toner adheres to the surface thereof becomes remarkable.

Therefore, the relay oil impregnating member 54 is provided as described above, the silicone oil accumulated in the oil sump 52 is sucked up by this impregnating member 54, and this is constantly supplied to the oil impregnating member 53 to always start the copying operation. Instant fixing roller
12 surfaces can be oiled.

As clearly shown in FIG. 3 and schematically shown in FIG. 9, on the left side of the oil sump 52, a lower support unit is provided in a manner described later.
A support plate 55 fixed to 201 is located, and arms 58 and 58a are swingably supported on the front and rear ears 250 and 250a via pins 57 and 57a, respectively. The oil sump 52 is fixed to the bottom. The base ends of the pair of leaf springs 56, 56a are fixed to the support plate 55, and the free ends thereof are in pressure contact with the sump bracket 251 fixed to the oil sump 52. Therefore, the oil sump 52 supported by the pair of arms 58, 58a is urged toward the fixing roller 12 by the leaf springs 56, 56a, and the oil impregnating member 53 is pressed against the surface of the fixing roller 12, and as described above. Silicone oil is applied to the surface 12 of the fixing roller.

Blade holders 61, 61a are swingably supported by pins 60, 60a on the lower ears 252, 252a of the support plate 55 (the rear side is not shown), as shown in FIG. These holders 6
A metering blade 59 is fixed to 1,61a.
Each blade holder 61, 61a and support member 52 has a tension spring 62
Each end of the is locked, which allows the metering blade
59 is pressed against the surface of the fixing roller 12.

The metering blade 59 is located on the downstream side of the oil sump 52 in the rotation direction of the fixing roller 12, and regulates the amount of silicone oil applied to the surface of the fixing roller 12 by the oil impregnation member 53 to an appropriate amount.

The fixing roller 12 coated with an appropriate amount of silicone oil by the regulating action of the metering blade 59 is
At 0, the toner image on the transfer paper is fixed as described above, and at this time, the offset phenomenon in which the toner moves to the fixing roller 12 side is suppressed by the action of the applied silicone oil. However, it is generally unavoidable that a small amount of toner and paper dust adhere to the surface of the fixing roller 12 after the transfer paper has passed, and therefore, on the surface of the fixing roller 12 at a position downstream of the nip 220. The cleaning blade 63 that is in pressure contact removes the toner and paper dust that have adhered to the surface of the fixing roller 12. Ie cleaning blade
Reference numeral 63 is for pressing the surface of the fixing roller 12 to clean the surface.

The cleaning blade 63 is provided on the upper edge 250, 25 of the support plate 55.
The cleaning blade 63 is fixed to the holder 64 fixed to 0a, and the amount of biting of the cleaning blade 63 with respect to the fixing roller 12 is 0.5 to
It is set in the range of 1.5 mm. The bite amount referred to here is the amount by which the blade 63 interferes with the fixing roller 12 when it is determined that the fixing roller 12 cannot apply an external force.

When the cleaning blade 63 removes the toner and paper dust on the surface of the fixing roller 12, the silicone oil on the surface of the fixing roller is also scraped off at this time, and this oil is removed from the front and back ends of the cleaning blade 63 by the blade. Leave 63 and run down. At this time, if this oil falls on the oil impregnating member 53, the toner and the paper powder are mixed in this oil, so that the oil impregnating member 53 is contaminated by the oil and clogging, and the fixing roller is caused. 12 can not supply oil stably.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, side blades 65 and 65a are provided in pressure contact with the front side portion and the rear side portion of the fixing roller surface, and the silicone oil flowing down from both ends of the cleaning blade 63 is fixed. The roller 12 is made to flow to both journal portions 209, 209a side, and this is received by an oil receiver 68 supported in a manner described later. In this way, the side blades 65, 65a guide the silicone oil toward the front side and the back side, whereby the oil can be prevented from flowing down onto the oil impregnating member 53.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, each side blade 65, 65a is fixed to the above-mentioned cleaning blade holder 64 via a support piece.

The silicone oil collected in the oil receiver 68, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 10, is an outflow hole formed in the bottom wall of the oil receiver.
From 253, it flows down to the above-mentioned oil pan 69 disposed below it, and this oil is then discharged from the outflow hole of the oil pan 69.
A recovery oil pan 70 located further below 254
And then through the discharge hole 72, the main body of the copier
It flows to the receiving member 71 provided in 100, and is returned to the above-mentioned oil tank 8 (FIG. 1) through the discharge conduit 256 connected to this member 71.

The recovery oil pan 70, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11,
Bracket 2 on the support plate 26 on the front side of the lower support unit 201
It is fixed integrally via 57.

As described above, since the receiving member 71 is fixed to the main body of the copying machine, when the fixing device 4 is pulled toward the front side as shown by the chain line in FIG. If there is nothing to receive the oil and the hole 72 is left open, the oil will flow down from the discharge hole 72 to the lower floor surface and will be contaminated.

Therefore, in the fixing device 4 shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a seal member 73 is rotatably supported by a recovery oil pan 70 via a pin 258. The seal member 73 is given a turning tendency in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 by a spring (not shown). However, when the fixing device is pushed inward and set, the main body of the copying machine 10 is pressed.
The release member 76 supported on the 0 side hits the upper portion of the seal member 73 and holds it against the spring force at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Therefore, the lower seal portion 259 of the seal member 73
Is separated from the discharge hole 72 of the recovery oil pan 70, and this hole 72 is opened. Therefore, the oil in the recovered oil pan 70 flows down to the receiving member 71 through the discharge hole 72 as described above.

When the fixing device 4 is pulled out to the front side, the sealing member 73
Since this also moves to the front side, this member 73 is disengaged from the release member 76. Therefore, the seal member 73 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 3 by the action of the above-mentioned spring to be in the state shown by the broken line, and the seal portion 259 closes the discharge hole 72. Therefore, the oil is prevented from flowing down from the hole 72.

If the fixing device is pressed in again and set, the seal member
73 is pressed by the release member 76 and returns to the position indicated by the solid line,
The discharge hole 72 is opened.

As the releasing member 76, a roller, a ball bearing or the like can be advantageously used.

By the way, the amount of silicone oil applied to the fixing roller 12 is regulated by the metering blade 59,
Excess oil wraps around the surface of the fixing roller from the front and back ends of the metering blade 59, which is the pressure roller.
Transition to the edge region of the surface of 13. Then, the pressure roller 13
Slips on the transfer paper, or pressure roller 13
Due to the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of, the oil drops may be scattered outside the fixing device.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 12, weir members 83, 83a whose upper end surfaces are inclined outward are brought into pressure contact with the front and rear end regions of the pressure roller surface, whereby the pressure roller is pressed. By scraping off the oil adhering to the end region of 13 and receiving the scraped oil in the oil pan 69, the above-mentioned problems are prevented from occurring. Weir member 83,8
3a is fixed to the oil pan 69 via a fixing member.

As the dam members 83, 83a, for example, an elastic synthetic resin sheet such as Mylar (trade name) can be used.

As described above, the illustrated fixing device 4 includes the oil impregnating member for applying the oil as the release agent to the surface of the fixing roller 12.
53, a metering blade 59 that presses against the surface of the fixing roller 12 to regulate the amount of oil applied to the surface, and a cleaning blade 63 that presses against the surface of the fixing roller 12 to clean the surface. I am doing
As described above in the section of the prior art, since these members deteriorate with time, it is necessary to replace them with new ones as needed.

Such replacement work is usually performed by a service person by pulling the fixing device 4 toward the front side as shown by the chain line in FIG. At that time, in the conventional fixing device, there is a possibility that oil may be spilled during this work and stain the floor surface, the carpet laid on the floor surface, or the like. It is also known to combine a plurality of replacement parts into one unit and remove the unit from the fixing device, or remove the entire fixing device from the main body of the copying machine to perform a predetermined replacement work. When the unit or the fixing device is removed, there is no space for placing the unit or the fixing device, and it may be difficult to perform the work.

Therefore, in the illustrated fixing device 4, as described below, the oil impregnating member 53, the metering blade 59, and the cleaning blade 63, which need to be replaced as described above, are integrally assembled into a unit (hereinafter, referred to as necessary). (Referred to as an oil application unit) 84 (FIG. 3), and even if the fixing device 4 is simply pulled out as shown by a chain line in FIG. It is configured so that predetermined replacement work can be performed without worrying about dripping.

In FIG. 3 and FIG. 9, concentric pivot pins 66, 66a are projectingly provided on inner surfaces of the front and rear support plates 26, 26a of the lower support unit 201. The lower ears 260, 260a of the cover 90 located on the left side of the fixing device 4 are rotatably supported on the cover 90, and the oil receiver 68 described above is attached to the cover 90.
Are integrally fixedly connected by screws 261 and 261a. Also, the upper portion of the cover 90 is fixed by the screw 262 to the stay 6 described above.
It is fixed at 7. Thus, the cover 90 is usually fixed to the lower support unit 201.

An oil application unit 84 is located inside the cover 90, and the unit 84 is composed of the support plate 55 described above and the above-described various elements attached to the support plate 55. That is, the oil application unit 84 in this example is a support plate.
55, the oil sump 52 supported via the arms 58, 58a, the oil impregnation member 53, the relay oil impregnation member 54, the leaf springs 56, 56a, the cleaning blade 63, the holder 64 holding this, and the holder 64 supported by this. In addition to the side blades 65 and 65a, the metering blade 59, the holders 61 and 61a supporting the same, and the spring 62, the spring 39 is supported by the support plate 55 via the bracket 263, and the like. The support plate 55 is integrally assembled and is fixed to the cover 90 by screws 264 and 264a. In this way, the oil application unit 84
It is detachably supported by the cover 90.

When replacing the metering blade 59 or other parts, after pulling out the fixing device 4 to the front side as shown by the chain line in FIG. 2, the screw 262 fixing the upper part of the cover 90 is removed. As a result, the cover 90 is released from its fixed state, and the cover 90 is rotated counterclockwise about the pivot pins 66, 66a to the position shown by the chain line in FIG.

Next, the screws 264 and 264a are removed to release the fixed state of the oil application unit 84 from the cover 90, the unit 84 is removed from the cover 90, and this is lifted upward. Then, the left and right sides of the unit 84 are reversed, and the fork portion 265 formed on the lower portion of the support plate 55 is attached to the stay 67 as shown in FIG.
To support the unit 84 on the stay 67. In this way, the cleaning blade 63, the metering blade 59, the oil-impregnated member 53, etc. are exposed to the outside, and moreover, these elements can be supported in a stable state on the stay 67, so work to replace them with new ones Can be done easily.

As described above, the fixing device 4 can be replaced without removing the entire fixing device 4 from the copying machine main body 100, and the replacement work of the parts can be performed without pulling the fixing device 4 toward the front side, and a large space for this work is not required. . Moreover, as can be seen from FIG. 13, since the open cover 90 is located below the oil application unit 84 supported by the stay 67, even if silicone oil drips from the unit 84 when parts are replaced. This can be received by the cover 90 and made to flow down to the oil receiver 68. Therefore, there is no fear of soiling the floor where the copying machine is installed, the carpet, etc. with oil.

As described above, the illustrated fixing device 4 includes the oil impregnation member 53, the metering blade 59, and the cleaning blade 63 which are integrally assembled to each other.
From the unit 84, a cover 90 is supported which is tiltable around the lower end side in a direction in which the upper end side is opened while the 84 is cut off from the outside and the cover 90 is opened and taken out from the inside. Cover the dropped oil
A support member, which is a stay 67 in the illustrated example, is provided to temporarily support the 90 at a position where it can be received.

Further, in this example, since the oil receiver 68 that receives the oil that has been dripped from the unit 84 and received by the cover 90 and flowing down is connected to the cover 90, it is possible to more reliably remove the problem of soiling the periphery of the copying machine with oil. it can.

By the way, when the fixing device 4 is pushed inward,
When set to 100, the fixing device 4 must not be unintentionally slid toward the front side and pulled out by slight vibration or the like.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the locking device 266 shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is provided.

A pin 267 and a shaft 79 projecting to the front side are fixedly provided on the lower portion of the front side support plate 26 of the lower side support unit 201, and the pin 267 and the shaft 79 are slidable in a horizontal direction by a slide member 81.
It is fitted in the long holes 268 and 269, which are bored in, so that they can slide relative to each other. Further, each end of the tension spring 270 is locked to the pin 267 and the slide member 81, whereby the slide member 81 is urged to the right in the figure, and the pin 267 comes into contact with the left end of the elongated hole 268 to slide the slide member. 81 has stopped at the position shown.

The slide member 81 has a horizontal tongue portion 271 and a latch 78 is fixed to the tongue portion 271 such that its position can be adjusted.

The operating lever 80 is fixed to the shaft 79, and the protrusion 272
Touches a pressure piece 82 composed of a roller supported by the slide member 81, a ball bearing, or the like.

On the other hand, a lock member 77 made of, for example, a ball bearing is fixedly supported on the main body 100 of the copying machine.

When the fixing device 4 is pushed inward and set in the copying machine main body 100, the lock groove 273 formed at the tip of the above-mentioned latch 78 engages with the locking member 77 on the copying machine main body side. Therefore, even if a force toward the front side indicated by the arrow A acts on the fixing device 4, the device 4 is set to a predetermined position without being pulled out to the front side. That is,
The fixing device 4 is locked.

When pulling out the fixing device 4, the operator pulls the lever 80
Grasping the knob portion 274 of the lever, the lever 80 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Then, the protrusion 272 of the lever 80 presses the pressing piece 82 to the left in the drawing. As a result, the slide member 81 slides leftward together with the latch 78 against the action of the spring 270, and the lock groove 273 at the tip of the latch 78 as shown by the broken line in FIG. Get out of. Therefore, if the fixing device 4 is pulled toward the front side (direction of arrow A), the fixing device 4 can be pulled out without trouble.

It is not necessary to operate the lever 80 when pushing the fixing device 4 inward. That is, as the fixing device 4 is pushed in, the cam surface 275 of the latch 78 hits the lock member 77,
As a result, the latch 78 and the slide member 81 are retracted to the left in the figure, and when the cam surface 275 crosses over the lock member 77, the slide member 81 and the latch 78 return to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. Automatically engages with the lock member 77 to lock the fixing device 4.

When the fixing device 4 is set by pushing it inward, it is necessary to connect the connector on the fixing device 4 side to the connector on the main body of the copying machine to supply electric power to the fixing device 4 side and supply power to the heater 2 and the like. On the other hand, when the fixing device 4 is pulled out to the front side, both connectors are separated from each other. When the fixing attachment 4 is pulled out in this way, the operator can put his / her hand on the main body of the copying machine, which may touch the connector on the main body of the copying machine, which is very dangerous.

Therefore, in the fixing device 4 shown in the figure, when the fixing device 4 is pulled out to the front side, the connector on the main body side of the copying machine is automatically closed by the shield, so that there is no fear of directly touching the connector.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the fixing device 4 is pushed inward and set, and FIG. 17 shows a state in which the fixing device 4 has been set.

The rail 215 of the guide rail device 213 described above projects further to the inner side of the lower support unit 201 than the support plate 26a, and the guide member 86 is fixed thereon. The guide member 86 has a guide groove 276 that is open toward the rear side in a substantially hopper shape. Reference numeral 280 denotes a connector on the fixing device 4 side fixed to the back side support plate 26a.

On the other hand, the copying machine body 1 is located further back than the support plate 26a on the back side.
A frame side plate 278 of 00 is located, and a connector 277 on the body side of the copying machine is fixedly mounted on the side plate 278, and the connector 277 is opposed to a window hole 279 formed in the frame side plate 278.

A plate-shaped shield 92 is rotatably supported by the copier body 100 via a pivot pin 281, and the shield 92 is biased counterclockwise by a spring (not shown). A guide pin 87 is provided on the shield 92 in a protruding manner.

When the fixing device 4 is pulled out to the front side, or when the fixing device 4 is not completely set as shown in FIG. 16, that is, when the guide member 86 does not touch the guide pin 87 of the shield 92, the shield 92 Contacts the connector 277 on the copying machine main body side by the above-mentioned spring and closes the connector 277. Therefore, even if the operator puts his / her hand behind the main body of the copying machine, the operator does not directly touch the connector 277 and the safety is ensured.

When the fixing device 4 is pushed inward as shown in FIG. 16, the guide pin 87 of the shield 92 enters the guide groove 276 of the guide member 86, and 87-1, 87-2, 87-3, 87- As indicated by reference numeral 4, the guide groove 276 is moved on the inclined guide surface 282.
This causes the shield 92 to rotate clockwise about the pivot pin 281 and open the connector 277. Then, when the connector 277 is completely opened as shown in FIG. 17, the connector 280 on the fixing device side is fitted into the connector 277 on the copying machine main body side, and both are connected.

When the fixing device is pulled out again, the shield 92 is guided by the guide member 86.
The restraint by (1) is sequentially released, and the connector 277 is closed as shown in FIG. 16 by the action of the above-mentioned spring.

The guide member 86 may be provided on a portion of an appropriate fixing device other than the rail 215, and similarly, the connector 280 can be fixed at a proper position other than the support plate 26a.

In addition, in FIG. 3, a connector 277, a guide pin 87, and a pivot pin 2 are shown.
Only the outline of the positional relationship between 81 and the shield 92 is shown by a chain line.

Although the embodiment of the fixing device mounted in the electronic copying machine has been described above, the present invention can be applied to the fixing device in various image forming apparatuses other than the copying machine.

[Effect of device]

According to the structure of claim 1, the unit is constructed by integrally assembling the oil impregnating member, the metering blade and the cleaning blade, and when the respective elements are replaced, the unit is taken out from the inside of the cover, Since the support member can be supported in a stable state, the replacement work of each element can be performed very easily, and a large space is not required for this replacement work. Moreover, even if oil drips from the unit during the replacement work, the oil can be received by the cover, so that the problem of soiling the periphery of the image forming apparatus with oil can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the oil receiver that receives the oil that is received by the cover and flows down is connected to the cover, it is possible to more reliably prevent the problem that the periphery of the image forming apparatus is soiled by the oil.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the electronic copying machine, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the electronic copying machine shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front and back support plate of a supporting device removed. , And the lock device and oil guide are omitted, and a part is shown in cross section.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the fixing device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the relative relationship between the oil guide, the supporting device, and the fixing roller, with other elements omitted for the sake of clarity. 5
FIG. 7 is a front view of the fixing device, in which the locking device shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is omitted, FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view showing a supporting mode of the fixing roller, and FIG. FIG. 8 shows the relative relationship with the inlet guide plate and shows the fixing roller in a staggered state. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the oil sump. FIG. 9 is a simplified view of the oil application unit and its related structure. Shown in plan view, FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing in simplified form each member that receives the silicone oil removed from the fixing roller, FIG. 11 is a plan view of the recovery oil pan, and FIG. FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a simplified structure for removing the adhered silicone oil, FIG. 13 shows a state in which the oil application unit is removed and supported by a stay, the same as FIG. 3, FIG. Is a partial sectional plan view showing the locking device, and FIG. FIGS. 16 and 17 are partial cross-sectional plan views for explaining the operation of the shield of the connector shield. 2 …… Heater, 4 …… Fixing device 12 …… Fixing roller, 13 …… Pressure roller 53 …… Oil impregnation member, 59 …… Metering blade 63 …… Cleaning blade, 68 …… Oil receiver 84 …… Unit , 90 …… Cover

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A fixing roller which is heated by a heater and is driven to rotate in a fixed direction, a pressure roller which is paired with the fixing roller and rotates while being in pressure contact with the fixing roller, and an oil as a releasing agent on the surface of the fixing roller. An oil-impregnated member for applying the oil, a metering blade that presses against the surface of the fixing roller to regulate the amount of oil applied to the surface, and a cleaning blade that presses against the surface of the fixing roller to clean the surface. Then, in a fixing device for passing a recording material carrying a toner image between the fixing roller and the pressure roller and fixing the toner image on the recording material, the oil impregnating member, the metering blade and the cleaning blade are provided. Assembled integrally to form a unit,
The unit is cut off from the outside, and a cover is supported so that the upper end side can be tilted so that the upper end side opens with the lower end side as the center, and the unit taken out from the inside by opening the cover is the oil dropped from the unit. A fixing device, which is provided with a support member for temporarily supporting the cover at a position where it can be received. 2. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein an oil receiver for receiving the oil dropped from the unit and received by the cover and flowing down is connected to the cover.