JP4838178B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a composite machine using an electrophotographic system.

  In image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and composite machines using electrophotography, a uniformly charged photoconductor is exposed to light modulated by an image signal, and the formed latent image is developed. A toner image is formed by developing with an apparatus. The toner image is transferred to a sheet, and after the fixing process is performed, the sheet is discharged.

  In order to make it easier to take out the discharged paper, for example, as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, there is a printer in which a paper discharge portion is provided on the upper surface of the printer main body. The paper discharge unit is formed so that the side of the paper discharge port is low so that the sheets are aligned on the rear end side in the paper transport direction and are stably stacked on the discharge unit. In addition, in the case of copying machines, facsimiles, and complex machines thereof, it is necessary to install an image reading device (scanner), so the scanner is placed on the top of the main unit, the image forming unit is placed on the bottom, and the paper is in the middle There is a so-called in-cylinder discharge method with a discharge part.

However, in this in-cylinder discharge type, it is necessary to provide a space for in-cylinder discharge, which inevitably increases the image forming apparatus and makes it difficult to use as a desktop. Therefore, for example, as shown in Patent Document 2, a scanner is provided below the image forming unit, and an image forming apparatus is provided with a paper discharge unit formed on a lower surface of the paper discharge port on the upper surface of the main body, like a printer. Has also been proposed.
JP 2006-8270 A JP 2000-2012257 A

  However, when the paper discharge portion is provided on the upper surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and the side of the paper discharge port in the paper discharge portion is formed low, dust is apt to accumulate on the low discharge port side. In some cases, an image formed by dust may be soiled and the paper may be output again. Moreover, even if it is intended to clean up the accumulated dust, it is not easy to clean the corners on the discharge port side formed low, and it is necessary to remove them using, for example, a toothpick.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus in which a paper discharge section is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body so that the paper discharge section can be easily cleaned.

An image forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object includes an apparatus main body that performs an image forming process on paper, a paper receiving member that is provided on an upper surface of the apparatus main body and includes a paper receiving surface, and an image. A paper discharge port that discharges the formed paper toward the paper receiving surface; and a swinging mechanism that allows the paper receiving member to swing, wherein the swinging mechanism includes the paper on the paper receiving surface. The paper receiving member so that the posture of the paper receiving surface is changed between a first state in which the discharge port side is lowered and a second state in which the paper discharge port side is closer to the horizontal than the first state. When the sheet receiving surface is in the first state, the sheet receiving member receives the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port by the sheet receiving surface, while the sheet receiving surface In the second state, the paper discharge port is also blocked. , And the when the paper receiving surface is in the second state, and further comprising a locking member for locking the end of the paper receiving member (claim 1).

By configuring the paper receiving member to be swingable in this manner, the paper receiving member is moved so that the paper receiving surface is in a second state close to horizontal as necessary, and dust on the paper receiving surface is cleaned. can do.

Further , according to this configuration, the sheet receiving surface is set to the second state when the image forming apparatus is not used, and is set to the first state when used, so that the image forming apparatus is not used. The dust on the paper receiving surface can be easily cleaned. Further, when the image forming apparatus is used, if the sheet receiving surface is set to the first state, it is possible to provide a sheet discharge unit that can stably discharge sheets as before. Furthermore, this makes it possible to stably hold the sheet receiving member in the second state.

In the above configuration, the paper receiving member, when the sheet receiving surface of the second condition, it is desirable to substantially flat state an upper surface of the apparatus main body (claim 2). According to this configuration, when the sheet receiving member is in the second state, the upper surface of the image forming apparatus becomes flat and an object can be placed.

The said structure WHEREIN: When the said paper receiving surface is in the said 2nd state, the shielding member which covers the clearance gap produced between the edge part of this paper receiving member and the side wall in which the said paper discharge port was provided is further included. Desirable (Claim 3 ). According to this configuration, even if there is a gap between the paper receiving member and the side wall where the discharge port is formed due to the swinging of the paper receiving member, the gap is closed to prevent dust from entering the image forming apparatus. be able to.

Alternatively, when the paper receiving surface is in the second state, further comprising a shield member for covering the gap caused between the end and the side wall sheet discharge port is provided in the paper receiving member, the locking It is desirable that the portion is provided in the shielding member (claim 4 ). According to this configuration, not only the gap is closed between the sheet receiving member and the side wall, but also the sheet receiving member can be stably held.

In this case, the shielding member, and a locking position for locking said sheet receiving member, the locking is further preferably includes a moving mechanism for moving between a non locking position is released (claim 5 ). According to this configuration, when the image forming apparatus is used, the shielding member can be freely moved between the position where the sheet receiving member is locked and the position where the sheet receiving member is locked.

In this case, it is preferable that the moving mechanism includes a first driving force transmission mechanism that applies a driving force to slide the shielding member in both directions between the locking position and the non-locking position of the sheet receiving member ( Claim 6 ). Alternatively, the moving mechanism includes a first urging member that urges the shielding member toward the locking position and the shielding member against the urging force of the first urging member. It is desirable to include a first drive member that moves in the direction (Claim 7 ). According to these, the shielding member can be moved with a simple configuration.

The above configuration further includes a driving source for generating a driving force and a fulcrum for oscillating the sheet receiving member, and the oscillating mechanism includes an oscillating gear provided at the fulcrum and driving from the driving source. it is desirable to include a second driving force transmission mechanism for transmitting a force to the swing gear (claim 8). Alternatively, in the above configuration, the swing mechanism includes a second urging member that urges the paper receiving member in a position direction in which the paper receiving surface is in the second state, and an urging force of the second urging member. It is desirable to include a second drive member that moves the sheet receiving member in a position direction in which the sheet receiving surface is in the first state against the force (Claim 9 ). According to these configurations, the sheet receiving member can be swung with a simple configuration.

In this case, the driving force of the second driving member is greater than the urging force of the second urging member, and the urging force depends on the number of sheets discharged onto the sheet receiving surface. it is preferable the sheet receiving surface is sized to permit the descent of the sheet receiving member in a direction to be the first state (claim 10). According to this configuration, the sheet receiving member is lowered according to the number of sheets discharged thereon, and the uppermost portion of the sheet can be always set at a fixed position, so that the sheet can be taken out very easily. become.

In the above configuration, the shielding member is further desirably comprise a first power switch which operates by moving the unlatched position from the locking position of the sheet receiving member (claim 11). According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the image forming apparatus from being turned on unless the shielding member is moved, and it is possible to prevent the sheet from being discharged while closing the sheet discharge port. Further, when the shielding member moves to the non-locking position, there is no or little portion at the top of the paper discharge opening that prevents the paper from being taken out, so that there is no problem in taking out the discharged paper.

The above configuration further includes a second power switch that operates when the sheet receiving member is moved in a direction in which the sheet receiving surface changes from the second state to the first state (Claim 12 ). A configuration further comprising a third power switch that operates when the member is moved in the direction from the second state to the first state against the urging force of the second urging member. 13 ), and a fulcrum for swinging the paper receiving member, and a fourth power switch that is installed in the vicinity of the fulcrum and operates when the paper receiving member swings around the fulcrum at a specific angle. It is desirable to further provide a configuration (claim 14 ).

  According to these configurations, the power-on of the image forming apparatus can be related to the movement of the paper receiving member, and it is possible to prevent the paper receiving member from forming an image while closing the paper discharge port.

In the above configuration, the sheet receiving member is part of the side of the sheet discharge port may be partially swingably (claim 15).

  According to the image forming apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the sheet receiving member is configured to be swingable so that the sheet receiving surface is in the first state and the second state. Even if the discharge port side is formed low, the sheet receiving surface can be easily cleaned. In addition, by setting the sheet receiving surface to the first state, it is possible to provide a sheet discharge unit that can stably discharge sheets as usual. In addition, by setting the sheet receiving surface to the second state, it is possible to make the upper surface of the image forming apparatus almost flat, and it is also possible to place an object, thereby providing an easy-to-use image forming apparatus. it can.

  Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified, and are merely illustrative examples. Only.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. Image forming apparatus 10
Has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped device body shape covered with an outer casing 11. A concave portion is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body, and this concave portion serves as a paper discharge portion 19. The bottom surface of the upper surface recess is constituted by a sheet receiving member 12 having a sheet receiving surface 12P on the surface. In addition, a paper discharge port 13 is provided on one side wall 15 of the recess to discharge the paper after image formation from the apparatus main body toward the paper receiving surface 12P.

  The sheet receiving surface 12 </ b> P has the lowest shape on the side of the side wall 15 where the sheet discharge port 13 exists, and has an inclined shape that rises with increasing distance from the sheet discharge port 13. This is because the sheets discharged to the sheet discharge unit 19 are aligned on the rear end side in the sheet conveyance (discharge) direction by inclination, and are stably stacked on the sheet receiving surface 12P.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the image forming apparatus 10. The image forming apparatus 10 includes, as an image forming unit, a photoconductor 20 on which a toner image is formed, a charging device 21, an exposure device 22, a developing device 24, a transfer device 27, and a cleaning device 28 arranged around the photoconductor.

  When an image forming instruction is given to the image forming apparatus 10, a control device (not shown) uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 20 with the charging device 21. Then, a signal modulated by the image data is sent to the exposure device 22, and light emitted from the exposure device 22 is irradiated toward the photoconductor 20 through the exposure optical path 23. The surface of the photoreceptor 20 is exposed with this light, and an electrostatic latent image is formed. The latent image is developed by the developing device 24 to become a toner image. This toner image is transferred by the transfer device 27 onto the paper fed from the paper feed cassette 25 through the paper conveyance path in the direction of the arrow 26 and further fixed by the fixing device 29. Thereafter, the paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 13 provided with the paper discharge roller 30 onto the paper receiving surface 12P of the paper discharge unit 19.

  The sheet receiving member 12 having the sheet receiving surface 12P is swingable in the vertical direction with a fulcrum 14 provided on the right side as a rotation fulcrum in the drawing. During normal use, the position of the sheet receiving member 12 is set in a state (first state) in which the sheet receiving surface 12P of the sheet receiving surface 12P is lowered. In this state, the paper discharged from the paper discharge port 13 is stacked on the paper receiving surface 12P so that the rear end side in the transport direction is aligned.

  On the other hand, when cleaning the sheet receiving surface 12P, the sheet receiving member 12 is set in a state (second state) in which the sheet discharge port 13 side of the sheet receiving surface 12P is closer to the horizontal than the first state. The In the present embodiment, the discharge port 13 side of the sheet receiving surface 12P is raised to a height position where the sheet receiving member 12 closes the sheet discharge port 13 in the second state. Therefore, when the sheet receiving surface 12P is in the second state, the sheet receiving surface 12P is present at a height position on the upper surface of the exterior 11 of the apparatus main body, whereby the upper surface of the apparatus main body is substantially flat. It becomes. The swing mechanism described below swings the paper receiving member 12 so that the posture of the paper receiving surface 12P is changed between the first state and the second state.

  3 and 4 are schematic cross-sectional side views showing an example of the swing mechanism. The swing mechanism illustrated here includes a fulcrum 14 provided at the edge of the paper receiving member 12 on the front end side in the paper conveyance direction, and a first gear integrally provided at one end of the shaft of the fulcrum 14. 16 (swinging gear) and a second gear 17 (second driving force transmission mechanism) for transmitting a driving force from a driving source 51 (FIG. 7) included in the image forming apparatus 10. The first gear 16 and the second gear 17 are engaged with each other, and the driving force of the second gear 17 is applied to the first gear 16, and the paper receiving member 12 is swung by the driving force about the fulcrum 14 as a rotating shaft. .

3 shows a state in which the paper receiving member 12 is in a normal use state (the paper receiving surface 12P is in the first state), and FIG. 4 shows that the paper receiving member 12 is raised in the direction of the arrow 31 and the paper receiving member 12 is Each of the drawings shows a state in which the discharge port 13 is closed and the original upper surface of the apparatus is substantially flat (the sheet receiving surface 12P is in the second state). The swing mechanism includes a clutch 52 (FIG. 7). The driving force is transmitted from the second gear 17 to the first gear 16 when the clutch 52 is controlled by the control unit 56 (FIG. 7), so that the sheet receiving surface 12P is changed from the first state to the second state or the second state. This is performed only while moving from the second state to the first state.

  Here, when the paper receiving member 12 swings around the fulcrum 14 as a rotation center, a gap is formed between the end of the paper receiving member 12 and the side wall 15 having the paper discharge port 13. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a cover plate 33 (shielding member; not shown in FIG. 2) that covers such a gap is provided. 5 is a top view when the sheet receiving member 12 is in the raised state of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG.

  The cover plate 33 engages the sheet receiving member 12 when the sheet receiving member 12 is lifted to a position where it closes the sheet discharge port 13 and covers the gap between the end of the sheet receiving member 12 and the side wall 15. It is. That is, as shown by the arrow 36 in FIG. 6, the cover plate 33 can be moved in and out of the space of the paper discharge unit 19. By providing the cover plate 33, even if a gap is formed between the edge of the paper receiving member 12 and the side wall 15 due to the swinging of the paper receiving member 12, dust is put inside the image forming apparatus 10 by closing the gap. Intrusion can be prevented.

  The cover plate 33 is a plate member having a width dimension equivalent to that of the sheet receiving member 12 and is slidably disposed at the upper end position of the side wall 15. On the side of the cover plate 33 facing the paper receiving member 12, a stepped portion 37 for receiving the edge portion of the paper receiving member 12 is provided. By being supported by the stepped portion 37, the sheet receiving member 12 in the raised state is locked so as not to descend.

  Such a stepped portion 37 is not provided, and the cover plate 33 is used as a flat plate so as to receive the edge portion of the paper receiving member 12 or to be locked in such a manner as to sandwich the edge of the paper receiving member 12. You may do it. In order to move the cover plate 33, grooves are provided at both ends in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the cover plate 33 of the apparatus body so that the cover plate 33 can be slid (not shown). .

  The sliding movement of the cover plate 33 is performed by a moving mechanism (first driving force transmission mechanism) including a rack 34 and a pinion 35 that meshes with the rack 34. The pinion 35 is driven by a drive source 51 (FIG. 7) provided in the image forming apparatus 10.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the power transmission system 50 for the second gear 17 and the pinion 35. The power transmission system 50 includes a drive source 51, a first clutch 52, a second clutch 53, a first connection drive unit 54, a second connection drive unit 55, a control unit 56, and the switch 4.

  The drive source 51 is a power generation device such as a motor that is provided to apply driving force to each unit of the image forming apparatus 10. The first clutch 52 is a clutch for transmitting the power of the driving source 51 to the second gear 17 for swinging the paper receiving member 12 or releasing the transmission of the power. The second clutch 53 is a clutch for transmitting the power of the drive source 51 to the pinion 35 for sliding the cover plate 33 or releasing the transmission of the power. The 1st connection drive part 54 and the 2nd connection drive part 55 perform connection / release operation | movement of the 1st clutch 52 and the 2nd clutch 53, respectively.

  The control unit 56 performs drive control of the drive source 51 and gives control signals for clutch connection / release to the first connection drive unit 54 and the second connection drive unit 55. The switch 4 is a power switch of the image forming apparatus 10.

  An example of the operation of the power transmission system 50 shown in FIG. 7 will be described. When the switch 4 is turned on by the user and the image forming apparatus 10 is activated, the control unit 56 drives the drive source 51 and gives a control signal for “clutch connection” to the second connection drive unit 55. As a result, the pinion 35 is driven, and the cover plate 33 slides from the state shown in FIG. 6 to the left of the arrow 36 in the drawing via the rack 34, and retreats from the space of the paper discharge unit 19. As a result, the latching state of the sheet receiving member 12 by the step portion 37 of the cover plate 33 is released, and the sheet receiving member 12 can be lowered as indicated by an arrow 32.

  Thereafter, the control unit 56 gives a control signal of “clutch release” to the second connection drive unit 55, and gives a control signal of “clutch connection” to the first connection drive unit 54. As a result, the drive of the pinion 35 is released, while the second gear 17 drives the sheet receiving member 12 in the direction of lowering. As a result, the sheet receiving member 12 is lowered as shown in FIG. 3, and the sheet receiving surface 12 </ b> P is ready to receive the sheet discharged from the sheet discharge port 13. When the sheet receiving member 12 is lowered to a predetermined position, the control unit 56 gives a control signal of “clutch release” to the first connection driving unit 54 and stops transmission of driving force to the second gear 17. In this state, the operation of the image forming apparatus 10 is continued.

  Further, when an OFF instruction is given from the switch 4, the control unit 56 gives a control signal of “clutch connection” to the first connection drive unit 54 before turning off the power of the image forming apparatus 10, and the second gear 17 The sheet receiving member 12 is driven in the direction of raising. When the sheet receiving member 12 rises to a predetermined position where the sheet receiving member 13 hides the sheet discharge port 13 as indicated by an arrow 31 in FIG. 4, the control unit 56 causes the first coupling drive unit 54 to “release the clutch”. On the other hand, the control signal of “clutch connection” is supplied to the second connection drive unit 55.

  As a result, the pinion 35 is driven, and the cover plate 33 is slid and moved through the rack 34, so that a part of the cover plate 33 protrudes into the space of the paper discharge unit 19, as shown in FIG. The cover plate 33 covers the gap between the end portion of the paper receiving member 12 and the side wall 15 having the paper discharge port 13, and the end edge portion of the paper receiving member 12 is locked by the stepped portion 37. The member 12 is prevented from falling. Thereafter, the control unit 56 completely turns off the power of the image forming apparatus 10.

  Since the control as described above is performed, when the image forming apparatus 10 is not used (when the power is off), the sheet receiving member 12 blocks the sheet discharge port 13 as shown in FIGS. Thus, the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 10 is made substantially flat. For this reason, even if the sheet discharge surface 13 side of the sheet receiving surface 12P is in a low state in use, even if dust accumulates there, the user can easily perform cleaning.

  Further, since the sheet receiving member 12 that flattens the upper surface is locked by the cover plate 33 that covers the gap, the sheet receiving member 12 is prevented from falling, and an object is placed on the flat upper surface of the image forming apparatus 10. You can also do that. Further, since the cover plate 33 is retracted from the space of the paper discharge unit 19 when the image forming apparatus 10 is in use (powered on), the cover plate 33 may hinder the removal of the paper discharged to the paper discharge unit 19. Absent.

  The above is an example of the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, but the present invention can be modified in various ways. For example, the example in which the moving mechanism of the cover plate 33 and the swing mechanism of the paper receiving member 12 are performed using the driving force from the driving source 51 provided in the image forming apparatus 10 has been described above. However, this movement and swinging can be performed by various methods such as a manual method, a method using an urging member such as an elastic member or an actuator, or a method of combining the driving force of the driving source 51 with the urging member or manual operation. There is.

In the above-described embodiment, the movement of the cover plate 33 and the movement of the sheet receiving member 12 have been described so as to be linked to the power ON / OFF instruction of the image forming apparatus 10. However, the power ON / OFF of the image forming apparatus 10 is described. May be associated with the operation itself of the cover plate 33 and the sheet receiving member 12.

  For example, the cover plate 33 can be moved manually, and the movement of the cover plate 33 can be detected to turn on the image forming apparatus 10. Further, the cover plate 33 can be moved and the paper receiving member 12 can be moved manually, and a switch that is pressed on the back surface of the paper receiving member 12 when the paper receiving surface 12P is lowered to the first state is provided. For example, a method of providing a switch that operates according to the swing angle of the sheet receiving member 12 at the fulcrum 14 of the member 12 may be used.

  Hereinafter, some of these modified embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. First, as shown by an arrow 36 in FIG. 6, the movement of the cover plate 33 between the locking position for supporting the paper receiving member 12 and the non-locking position for retracting from the space of the paper discharge unit 19 is as follows. There are a method in which all are performed automatically, a method in which only movement to either the non-locking position or the locking position is performed manually, and a movement to the other is performed automatically, a method in which all are performed manually, and the like.

  Among them, as a method for moving the cover plate 33 automatically, in addition to a method of driving the rack 34 and the pinion 35 in common with the drive source 51 of the image forming apparatus 10, a separate intrusion operation mechanism is used. The method attached to 33 can be illustrated.

  An example is shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Here, a spring 301 (first urging member) that urges the cover plate 33 toward the locking position of the paper receiving member 12, and the cover plate 33 against the urging force of the spring 301 are used. The moving mechanism provided with the solenoid type actuator 302 (1st drive member) to which it moves to the non-locking position direction is illustrated.

  One end of the spring 301 is attached to the frame 101 of the apparatus main body, and the other end is attached to the rear edge of the cover plate 33. The actuator 302 is disposed at the upper end position of the side wall 15, and the drive unit is in contact with a receiving surface 331 protruding from the lower surface of the cover plate 33. When the actuator 302 does not operate, as shown in FIG. 8A, the cover plate 33 is pressed by the spring 301 and positioned at the locking position. On the other hand, when the actuator 302 is operated, the cover plate 33 is pushed against the urging force of the spring 301 by the actuator 302 as shown in FIG.

  Next, as a method of turning on / off the power supply of the image forming apparatus 10 by moving the cover plate 33, for example, at a position indicated by reference numeral 40 in FIG. A method of providing a switch (first power switch) can be exemplified. For example, the switch 40 is turned on by manually moving the cover plate 33 leftward in the figure, while the switch 40 is turned off by moving the cover plate 33 rightward in the figure. You can do it.

  However, when the power is turned off, as shown in FIG. 6, when the cover plate 33 is provided with the stepped portion 37 to lock the paper receiving member 12, the cover plate 33 is moved to the locking position of the paper receiving member 12. When moved, the sheet receiving member 12 interferes with the cover plate 33. Therefore, in order to obtain the state of FIG. 6, it is necessary to move the cover plate 33 in the left direction in the figure again. Therefore, for example, the cover plate 33 is manually moved to a position where the switch 40 is turned OFF, and after the sheet receiving member 12 is raised by the OFF signal, the cover plate 33 is further moved to the locking position of the sheet receiving member 12. You can do it. Alternatively, the switch 40 is turned off by a slight movement of the cover plate 33 in the direction of the locking position, and then the sheet receiving member 12 is automatically moved to the locking position after the sheet receiving member 12 is lifted. May be.

  Note that the power supply may be turned off by using a power-off switch provided elsewhere. In this case, the raising of the sheet receiving member 12 and the movement of the cover plate 33 to the locking position are automatically performed using the drive source 51 of the image forming apparatus 10 as in the above embodiment. If the switch 40 and the power-off switch are three-way switches, the switch 40 can always be used to turn on the power and the other switches can be turned off.

  Next, the swinging between the normal position of the sheet receiving member 12 (the sheet receiving surface 12P is in the first state) and the raised position (the sheet receiving surface 12P is in the second state) is also performed automatically. Further, there is a method of manually moving from the normal position or the raised position to the other and automatically moving in the opposite direction. Various aspects of the mechanism for swinging the sheet receiving member 12 between the normal position and the raised position and the configuration for turning on / off the power of the image forming apparatus 10 by swinging the sheet receiving member 12 are shown in FIG. 9 to 12.

  Regarding the configuration for turning on / off the power of the image forming apparatus 10, FIGS. 9 to 11 show a switch 41 (second power switch) that is turned on / off by pressing the paper receiving member 12 at the normal position of the paper receiving member 12. A mode in which the power supply of the image forming apparatus 10 is installed and turned on / off is shown. FIG. 12 shows a case where a switch 46 that is turned ON / OFF according to the swing angle of the paper receiving member 12 is installed at the fulcrum 14 of the paper receiving member 12.

  Further, regarding a mechanism for swinging the sheet receiving member 12 between the normal position and the raised position, FIG. 9 shows an aspect in which the sheet receiving member 12 is swung by a driving force from a driving source of the image forming apparatus 10. Yes. FIG. 10 shows a mode in which a spring 42 is incorporated into the fulcrum 14 of the paper receiving member 12 and biased toward the raised position, and the actuator 43 moves down to the normal position, and FIG. 11 shows the bias toward the raised position toward the coil spring 44. The mode performed in is shown. Although the swing mechanism is not shown in FIG. 12, any swing mechanism of FIGS. 9 to 11 may be applied.

  First, in the embodiment of FIG. 9, the swing mechanism of the sheet receiving member 12 is as described above with reference to FIG. Further, a switch 41 that can be turned on / off by pressing the paper receiving member 12 at a normal position of the paper receiving member 12 is provided for power ON / OFF of the image forming apparatus 10. According to this configuration, the switch 41 can be operated by manually pushing the sheet receiving member 12 in the direction of the arrow 45 and lowering it to the position of the switch 41. In this case, since the power of the image forming apparatus 10 is not turned on until the switch 41 is pressed by the paper receiving member 12, even if the first gear 16 is engaged with the second gear 17, the paper receiving member 12 is manually switched to the switch 41. It is possible to descend to the position.

  Therefore, to turn on the power of the image forming apparatus 10, when the cover plate 33 is provided, the cover plate 33 is manually moved to the non-locking position, and the sheet receiving member 12 is manually lowered to operate the switch 41. . When the power of the image forming apparatus 10 is turned off, the switch 41 is pressed again by the paper receiving member 12, thereby sending a power off signal from the switch 41 to the control unit 56 (FIG. 7). In this case, “switch 4” in the block diagram of FIG. 7 is replaced with “switch 41”.

  Thereafter, as described above, the control unit 56 controls the first connection driving unit 54 and the second connection driving unit 55 to sequentially drive the second gear 17 and the pinion 35, and moves the sheet receiving member 12 to the raised position. And the cover plate 33 is moved to the locking position.

  The power-off operation may be performed by a power-off switch provided elsewhere. In this case, similarly to the above, if these are provided as three-way switches, the switch 41 can always be used for turning on the power and the other switches can be used for turning off.

  When a large number of sheets are stacked on the sheet receiving surface 12P, there is a concern that the switch 41 is pressed with the weight and an instruction to turn off the power is issued. For this purpose, an elastic member that urges the paper receiving member 12 in the upward position direction may be provided so that a gap is maintained between the paper receiving member 12 and the switch 41.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 10, an elastic member composed of a torsion coil spring 42 (second urging member) is incorporated into the fulcrum 14 of the paper receiving member 12 to urge the paper receiving member 12 in the upward position direction. The solenoid type actuator 43 (second drive member) is used to lower the actuator to the normal position. The spring 42 is provided with one end of the exterior 11 and a part of the casing of the image forming apparatus 10 and the other end of the sheet receiving member 12, and biases the sheet receiving member 12 about the fulcrum 14 in the upward position direction. If it exists, an elastic member other than the torsion coil spring may be used. The actuator 43 may be attached to the upper surface of the exposure apparatus 22 (FIG. 2), for example.

  The operation of the mechanism shown in FIG. 10 is the same as that of FIG. 9 except that the drive source is the spring 42 and the actuator 43. First, the cover plate 33 is manually moved to the non-locking position, and the sheet receiving member 12 is manually lowered to operate the switch 41 (third power switch). Then, the actuator 43 restrains the sheet receiving member 12 at the normal position against the urging force of the spring 42 in the upward position direction.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus 10 is turned off, the switch 41 is pressed again by the paper receiving member 12. Accordingly, a power OFF signal is sent from the switch 41 to the same control unit as in FIG. 7, the actuator 43 is de-energized, and the paper receiving member 12 is raised by the biasing force of the spring 42. Then, the cover plate 33 is moved to the locking position of the paper receiving member 12 manually or automatically.

  The power-off operation may be performed by a power-off switch provided elsewhere. In this case, similarly to the above, if these are provided as three-way switches, the switch 41 can always be used for turning on the power and the other switches can be used for turning off.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 11, a coil spring 44 is used to urge the sheet receiving member 12 in the upward position direction. The point that the actuator 43 is used to lower the sheet receiving member 12 to the normal position is the same as in FIG.

  The embodiment of FIG. 12 illustrates the case where a switch 46 (fourth power switch) that is turned on / off according to the swing angle of the paper receiving member 12 is installed at the fulcrum 14 of the paper receiving member 12. The mechanism for moving the sheet receiving member 12 from the raised position to the normal position, and conversely from the normal position to the raised position, uses the driving force from the drive source of the image forming apparatus 10 of FIG. Any method may be used, such as a method in which the spring 42 is incorporated into the fulcrum 14 of the ten paper receiving members 12 and the actuator 43 is used, or a method in which the coil spring 44 and the actuator 43 are used in the paper receiving member 12 in FIG.

  The switch 46 may be of any type as long as it is turned on / off when the paper receiving member 12 is swung more than a certain angle from the raised position. For example, a limit switch or a magnetically operated switch is used. be able to. For example, in the case of a switch that operates magnetically, a protrusion 47 made of a magnetic material is provided on the fulcrum 14, and the paper receiving member 12 is manually swung from the first position indicated by the solid line to the second position indicated by the broken line. When moved, the protrusion 47 also swings to the position indicated by reference numeral 47 'so that the switch 46 is turned on.

Then, it is desirable to keep the distance between the protrusion 47 and the switch 46 with an elastic member so that the protrusion 47 does not move to the OFF position due to the weight of the discharged paper. When the power is turned off, the sheet receiving member 12 is lowered again to turn it off. Since the operation after turning OFF is the same as that described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the description thereof will be omitted.

  In this way, by associating the operation of the cover plate 33 and the sheet receiving member 12 with the power ON / OFF of the image forming apparatus 10, the image forming apparatus is turned on unless the cover plate 33 and the sheet receiving member 12 are moved. Can be prevented. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being discharged while the sheet discharge port 13 is closed, and further, the cover plate 33 moves to the non-locking position, so that a portion that prevents the sheet from being taken out is provided above the sheet discharge port 13. Since it is eliminated or reduced, there is no problem in taking out the discharged paper.

  For example, the urging force of the actuator 43 that moves the paper receiving member 12 to the normal position is made larger than the urging force of, for example, the spring 42 and the coil spring 44 that urges the paper receiving member 12 in the upward position direction, and the spring. It is desirable that the urging force of the coil spring 44, the coil spring 44, and the like is such that the sheet receiving member 12 is further lowered in the normal position direction according to the number of sheets discharged onto the sheet receiving member 12. In this way, the sheet receiving member 12 is lowered according to the number of sheets discharged on the sheet receiving surface 12P, and the uppermost portion of the sheet can always be set at a fixed position. You can do it easily.

  If the spring 42, the coil spring 44, the actuator 43, or the like is used, a transmission mechanism for transmitting the driving force from the driving source of the image forming apparatus 10 to the fulcrum 14 of the sheet receiving member 12 is not required, and the structure can be simply configured accordingly.

  Yet another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. In the image forming apparatus 10 ′ shown in FIG. 13, the sheet receiving surface 120 </ b> P includes an inclined surface 121 </ b> P that is inclined downward toward the sheet discharge port 13, and a flat portion 122 </ b> P that is located on the side far from the sheet discharge port 13. An example is shown. Only the sheet receiving member 121 constituting the portion of the inclined surface 121P swings in the vertical direction with the fulcrum 140 as a rotation fulcrum. In this embodiment, the paper discharge port 13 is not blocked even when the paper receiving member 121 is in the raised position. Thus, unlike the above-described embodiment, a mode in which the paper receiving member is partially swung or a mode in which the paper discharge port 13 is not blocked may be employed.

  The image forming apparatus 10 ″ shown in FIG. 14 shows an example in which a triangular sheet receiving member 123 is employed in a side view. The sheet receiving member 123 swings in the vertical direction with the fulcrum 141 as a rotation fulcrum. Accordingly, the sheet receiving surface 123P as a whole is inclined forward and downward toward the sheet discharge port 13 in the normal position. According to this image forming apparatus 10 ″, the rear end 123B of the sheet receiving member 123 is arranged. This makes it easier to support the sheet receiving member 123 and stabilize the posture when in the raised position.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention described above, even when the paper discharge portion 19 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body and the side of the paper discharge port 13 of the paper receiving surface 12P is lowered, the lower portion is formed. It is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can be easily cleaned and does not stain paper with dust.

1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an image forming apparatus. It is a typical sectional side view which shows an example of a rocking | fluctuation mechanism. It is a typical sectional side view which shows an example of a rocking | fluctuation mechanism. FIG. 5 is a top view when the sheet receiving member is in the raised state of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. It is a block diagram which shows simply the power transmission system with respect to a 2nd gear and a pinion. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of the moving mechanism of a cover board. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member. It is a typical sectional side view which shows other embodiment of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a paper receiving member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Paper receiving member 12P Paper receiving surface 13 Paper discharge port 14 Support point 16 1st gear (oscillation mechanism; oscillation gear)
17 Second gear (swing mechanism; second driving force transmission mechanism)
19 Paper discharge part 33 Cover plate (shielding member)
34 rack (first driving force transmission mechanism)
35 pinion (first driving force transmission mechanism)
37 Stepped part (locking part)
301 Spring (first biasing member)
302 Actuator (first drive member)
40 switches (first power switch)
41 switch (second power switch; third power switch)
42 Torsion coil spring (second biasing member)
43 Actuator (second drive member)
46 switch (4th power switch)

Claims (15)

An apparatus main body that performs image forming processing on paper;
A paper receiving member provided on an upper surface of the apparatus main body and including a paper receiving surface;
A paper discharge port for discharging the paper after image formation toward the paper receiving surface;
A swing mechanism capable of swinging the paper receiving member,
The swing mechanism is configured such that the sheet is between a first state in which the sheet discharge port side of the sheet receiving surface is lowered and a second state in which the sheet discharge port side is more horizontal than the first state. Enabling the sheet receiving member to swing so that the posture of the receiving surface is changed ,
The paper receiving member receives the paper discharged from the paper discharge port when the paper receiving surface is in the first state, and receives the paper when the paper receiving surface is in the second state. Which closes the exit,
An image forming apparatus , further comprising: a locking member that locks an end of the paper receiving member when the paper receiving surface is in the second state .   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet receiving member has a substantially flat upper surface of the apparatus main body when the sheet receiving surface is in the second state. And a shielding member that covers a gap formed between an end portion of the sheet receiving member and a side wall provided with the sheet discharge port when the sheet receiving surface is in the second state. Item 3. The image forming apparatus according to Item 1 or 2 . A shielding member that covers a gap formed between an end of the paper receiving member and a side wall provided with the paper discharge port when the paper receiving surface is in the second state;
The locking portion includes an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that provided on the shield member. 5. The moving mechanism according to claim 4 , further comprising a moving mechanism that moves the shielding member between a locking position for locking the paper receiving member and a non-locking position for releasing the locking. Image forming apparatus. The moving mechanism includes a first driving force transmission mechanism that applies a driving force for sliding the shielding member in both directions between a locking position and a non-locking position of the sheet receiving member. The image forming apparatus according to 5 . The moving mechanism includes a first urging member that urges the shielding member toward the locking position, and the urging force of the first urging member against the urging force toward the unlocking position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a first driving member that is moved. A driving source for generating a driving force;
A fulcrum for swinging the paper receiving member,
The swing mechanism includes a swing gear provided at the fulcrum and a second drive force transmission mechanism that transmits a drive force from the drive source to the swing gear. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 . The swing mechanism is configured to resist a biasing force of the second biasing member, a second biasing member that biases the sheet receiving member in a position direction in which the sheet receiving surface is in the second state. the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the sheet receiving surface and a second drive member for moving said sheet receiving member to position the direction to be the first state. The driving force of the second driving member is greater than the biasing force of the second biasing member, and
The biasing force has a magnitude that allows the sheet receiving member to descend in a direction in which the sheet receiving surface is in the first state in accordance with the number of sheets discharged onto the sheet receiving surface. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising a first power switch that operates when the shielding member moves from a locking position of the sheet receiving member to a non-locking position.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second power switch that operates when the sheet receiving member is moved in a direction in which the sheet receiving surface changes from the second state to the first state. . A third power switch that operates when the paper receiving surface is moved in the direction from the second state to the first state against the urging force of the second urging member; The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 . A fulcrum for swinging the paper receiving member;
A fourth power switch that is installed in the vicinity of the fulcrum and operates when the paper receiving member swings around the fulcrum at a specific angle;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The paper receiving member, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, part of the side of the paper outlet, characterized in that it is partially swingably.

Images