JP5459502B2 - Upper unit case opening and closing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device for an upper unit case that is attached to a lower unit case so as to be capable of opening and closing, and more specifically, an upper unit that can slow the operation of the upper unit case in the closing direction. The present invention relates to a configuration of a case opening and closing device.

  Conventionally, in image recording apparatuses such as printers, facsimiles, and copiers, one side of the upper unit case on which the document reading unit is mounted is connected via a hinge to the lower unit case on which the paper feeding unit, recording unit, and the like are mounted. Various configurations have been proposed in which the upper unit case is mounted so that it can be opened and closed, and when the upper unit case is closed from a wide open state during maintenance or paper jam handling, the upper unit case is braked in the closing end section. Yes.

  For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the upper unit case and the lower unit case are connected by a gas spring, and a coil spring is disposed downward on the lower surface free end side of the upper unit case to close the upper unit case. A configuration is disclosed in which one end of the coil spring is supported by a receiving portion in the lower unit case in the end section to prevent the upper unit case from closing suddenly.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, an arc-shaped guide member (guide member) projecting downward on the side surface of the upper unit case (cover) is formed with an arc-shaped guide groove, and the lower unit case (housing). The bolt shaft provided on one side is inserted into the guide groove, and the guide member is sandwiched between the head of the bolt and the spring material so that the upper unit case can be held at an arbitrary rotation angle. Furthermore, a technique is disclosed in which the upper unit case is biased upward by a torsion spring provided in the lower unit case when the upper unit case is closed with respect to the lower unit case.

JP-A-11-38714 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-229815 (see FIGS. 3 and 6)

  However, the switchgears disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 require a large number of parts and large parts such as a gas spring. In order to slow down the speed when closing the upper unit case with respect to the lower unit case, it may be possible to provide a linear oil damper instead of the gas spring or add a rotary oil damper to the hinge part. In this case, there is a problem that the configuration of the switchgear becomes more complicated or the ratio of the switchgear to the entire product such as the lower unit case increases, resulting in an increase in the size of the product.

  The first object of the present invention is to simplify and miniaturize the components of the switchgear, and the second object is to lighten the opening operation of the upper unit case.

  In order to achieve the above object, the upper unit case opening and closing device according to the first aspect of the present invention is mounted so that the lower unit case and the upper unit case can be vertically opened and closed through a hinge provided on one side. The lower unit case includes a lower guide member extending from the hinge portion side to the open end portion side, and the upper unit case includes an upper guide member extending from the hinge portion side to the open end portion side. The lower guide member and the upper guide member, one of which is formed in a convex curved shape and the other is formed in a linear shape, and is movably connected to the lower guide member and the upper guide member And the rotating body mounted on the moving body is fitted to the both guide members so as to be able to roll, and as the operation of opening the upper unit case with respect to the lower unit case, As the moving body sequentially moves from the open end portion side to the hinge portion side along the upper and lower members, the moving body is moved to close the upper unit case with respect to the lower unit case. The guide member is configured to sequentially move from the hinge side to the open end side along the guide member, and at least one of the upper and lower guide members can be vertically rotated around the open end side. And is provided with a restricting means for restricting the amount of vertical movement of the hinge portion side of the guide member capable of rotating up and down.

The invention according to claim 2 is the opening and closing device for the upper unit case according to claim 1, wherein the lower guide member is linear, and the upper guide member is formed in a downward convex curve,
In the moving body, one rotating body is provided to be movable along the upper guide member, and two rotating bodies are provided to be movable along the lower guide member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the upper unit case opening and closing device according to the first aspect, the upper guide member is linear, and the lower guide member is formed in an upward convex curved shape,
In the moving body, one rotating body is provided to be movable along the lower guide member, and two rotating bodies are provided to be movable along the upper guide member.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the upper unit case opening and closing device according to the second aspect, the movable body is formed in a triangular shape connecting the axial centers of the three rotary bodies, and the single rotary body Is configured such that the direction of the force received at the contact point with the upper guide member is between the two rotating bodies.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the upper unit case opening / closing device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the upper and lower guide members are configured such that the rotating bodies cannot be detached in the central axis direction. The guard piece to be formed is formed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the closed state of the upper and lower unit cases, part of the lower guide member and the upper guide member is a height of the unit case as viewed from the extending direction of the both guide members. It overlaps in the direction.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a load (load) is applied in a direction in which the upper unit case is closed, the rotating body mounted on the moving body rolls in a state in which the rotating body is fitted to both guide members. Then, the moving body moves in a direction away from the hinge portion, and the moving speed does not increase, so that the moving body can be closed slowly. On the other hand, since at least one guide member of the upper and lower guide members is configured to be rotatable up and down around the open end, the upper unit case is attached to the movable body at least when it is opened. The component force for moving the moving body in the direction approaching the hinge portion at the contact point between the rotating body and each of the upper and lower guide members when the rotating body is rolled while being fitted to both guide members is It becomes larger than the case where the guide member is fixed to the unit case, and the upper unit case can be opened easily. And the structure for that is only the moving body connected so that either one of a lower guide member or an upper guide member is formed in a convex curve shape, and the other is formed in a linear shape, and these two guide members are movable. Therefore, there is an effect that the structure is simple and can be miniaturized.

  Furthermore, since a restricting means for restricting the vertical movement amount of the hinge part side of the guide member that can be turned up and down is provided, the moving body mounting relationship with respect to the upper and lower guide members when the upper unit case is opened and closed becomes unstable. The effect of not becoming.

  According to invention of Claim 2 and Claim 4, one rotary body is provided so that a movement along the said upper guide member is carried out, The said 1 rotary body of the force which it receives at the contact with the said upper guide member Since the direction is between the two rotating bodies that move along the lower guide member, the posture of the moving body is maintained and moved along both guide members stably. Becomes easy.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the upper guide member is linear, the height of the upper unit case can be reduced as compared with the case where the upper guide member is curved. Therefore, there is an effect that the entire apparatus can be formed compactly.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the upper and lower guide members are each formed with a guard piece that prevents the rotary bodies from dropping off in the direction of the central axis thereof, the moving body is inadvertently detached. There is an effect that there is no safety.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the upper unit case is closed with respect to the lower unit case, the lower guide member and the upper guide member are partially separated from the extending direction of the both guide members. Since they overlap in the height direction of the unit case in a projected view, the height of the entire apparatus can be reduced, and the effect of being able to be formed compactly is achieved.

(A) is a perspective view which shows the state in the middle of the upper unit case opening with respect to the lower unit case of 1st Example, (B) is a perspective view of the state which closed the upper unit case. (A) is a schematic side view which shows the state in the middle of the operation | movement which an upper unit case closes with respect to the lower unit case of 1st Example, (B) is a schematic side view of the state which closed the upper unit case completely. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. It is a schematic side view which shows the state in the middle of the operation | movement which an upper unit case opens with respect to the lower unit case of 1st Example. (A) shows a second embodiment of the restricting means, and (B) is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the restricting means. The lower guide member has an upward convex curved shape, and the upper guide member shows a horizontal and linear second embodiment. (A) is a state in which the upper unit case is being opened with respect to the lower unit case of the first embodiment. (B) is a schematic side view of the state in which the upper unit case is completely closed.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The image recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an application of the present invention to a multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) having a printer function, a copy function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. As shown, the upper unit case 3 is connected to one side of the synthetic resin lower unit case 2 in the image recording apparatus 1 via a hinge part 4 so as to be vertically rotatable.

  Although not shown, an ink jet type recording unit is disposed above the paper feed cassette in the lower unit case 2, and the paper (recorded medium) fed from the paper feed cassette is placed on the rear side. The paper is transported to the recording section through a U-turn-shaped transport path body that is detachably disposed, and the recorded paper is discharged from an opening that opens above the paper feed cassette and on the side surface of the lower unit case 2. It is comprised so that. The paper feed cassette is also arranged so that it can be inserted from the opening.

  The upper unit case 3 includes an automatic document feeder and an image reading device for reading a document in a copy function and a facsimile function, a document placement glass plate and a document cover that covers the upper surface, various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display. An operation panel unit provided with a display unit or the like is provided (both not shown).

  Next, an opening / closing device capable of opening and closing the lower unit case 2 and the upper unit case 3 of the present invention will be described. Both unit cases 2 and 3 are respectively provided with a lower guide member 6 and an upper guide member 7 extending from the hinge portion 4 side to the open end portion side (referred to as a side far from the hinge portion 4, hereinafter the same). The movable body 10 arranged over the lower guide member 6 and the upper guide member 7 includes a first rotary body 12 (one rotary body as claimed in the claims) movable along the upper guide member 7, and the lower guide member 6. A second rotating body 13 and a third rotating body 14 (two rotating bodies referred to in the claims) that are movable along the frame 11 are rotatably mounted on a frame 11 having a triangular shape or other arbitrary shape when viewed from the side. is there. The first to third rotating bodies 12, 13, and 14 are each formed in a roller shape.

  In the first embodiment, the first rotating body 12 is arranged on the surface side of the upper top portion of the frame 11 that is triangular when viewed from the side, and the second rotating body 13 and the third rotating body 14 are both lower side corners (lower side) of the frame 11. It is arrange | positioned at the back side among each (top part).

  As the user opens the upper unit case 3 with respect to the lower unit case 2, the moving body 10 sequentially moves along the upper and lower members 7 and 6 in a direction approaching the hinge portion 4 side from the open end side. It is configured as follows. Further, as the upper unit case 3 is closed with respect to the lower unit case 2, the moving body 10 sequentially moves along the upper and lower members 7 and 6 in the direction approaching the open end side from the hinge portion 4 side. It is configured.

  In the first embodiment, the lower guide member 6 is formed so as to extend substantially horizontally and linearly from the hinge portion 4 side toward the open end portion side. On the other hand, the upper guide member 7 is formed so as to extend downwardly in a convex curved line shape from the hinge portion 4 toward the open end portion (FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A) and FIG. 2 (B)). In the present invention, being formed horizontally means that the lower guide member or the upper guide member is horizontally disposed in a state where the upper unit case 3 is completely closed with respect to the lower unit case 2. Say.

  In the present invention, at least one of the upper and lower guide members 7 and 6 is configured to be pivotable up and down around the open end side, and the hinge member 4 side of the guide member that can pivot up and down. There is a restricting means for restricting the amount of vertical movement of the. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), the lower guide member 6 is pivoted up and down around the pivot shaft 22 on the open end side with respect to the lower unit case 2. It is configured to be possible. The upper guide member 7 is configured to be rotatable up and down around the rotation shaft 23 on the open end side with respect to the upper unit case 3.

  And the restriction | limiting means 24 and 25 for restricting the amount of vertical movements by the side of the hinge part 4 in each of the upper and lower guide members 7 and 6 are provided in the corresponding unit case. In the first embodiment of the regulating means 24, 25, it is a U-shaped frame member in a side view, and the end portions of the upper and lower guide members 7, 6 can be moved up and down by an appropriate amount between the upper end piece and the lower end piece. It is fitted to become. As shown in FIG. 5 (A), the second embodiment of the restricting means includes a U-shaped frame member 26 provided in the upper or lower unit case, and a space between the upper end piece and the lower end piece. In this configuration, the protruding pieces 27 protruding from the ends of the upper and lower guide members 7 and 6 are fitted so as to be movable up and down by a predetermined amount. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, a vertical guide groove 29 is formed in a bracket 28 provided in the upper or lower unit case. The guide pins 30 at the ends of the members 7 and 6 are fitted so as to be movable up and down by a predetermined amount. Note that only one of the lower guide member 6 and the upper guide member 7 can be rotated, and the restricting means may be associated with the rotatable guide member.

  The lower guide member 6 and the upper guide member 7 are both formed in a U-shaped cross section, and the first to third rotating bodies 12, 13, and 14 are configured to roll along the rail grooves 15 and 16 of the respective guide members. Has been. The lower guide member 6 is provided on the upper surface 2 a (or side surface) of the lower unit case 2, and the groove 15 is disposed so as to open toward the lateral outer surface of the lower unit case 2. The upper guide member 7 is disposed such that the groove 16 opens inward on the inner surface of the side plate 3a of the upper unit case 3 (see FIG. 3). When the upper unit case 3 opens and closes with respect to the lower unit case 2, the side plate 3 a and the upper guide member 7 are arranged so that the middle part of the downwardly convex curved upper guide member 7 does not interfere with the lower unit case 2. It is located outside the side plate 2b of the case 2 (see FIG. 3). At this time, a part of the lower edge 3a1 of the side plate 3a overlaps with the side plate 2b of the lower unit case 2 in a projected view (see the solid line in FIG. 1A and the two-dot chain line state in FIG. 2B). ).

  Further, the first rotating body 12 does not fall off from the rail groove 16 of the upper guide member 7 in the direction in which the axis extends, and the second and third rotating bodies 13 and 14 are guided in the lower direction in the direction in which the axis extends. Upper and lower guard pieces 18 and 19 are integrally formed on the rail grooves 15 and 16 so as not to drop off from the rail grooves 15 of the member 6 so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of each rotating body (see FIG. 3). .

  In the present invention, in order to open the upper unit case 3 with respect to the lower unit case 2, the user applies an upward force to the free end or the like of the upper unit case 3. At this time, if the upper guide member 7 is fixed to the upper unit case 3 and the lower guide member 6 is fixed to the lower unit case 2, the rail groove of the upper guide member 7 is opened when the upper unit case 3 is opened with force. 16, the rolling of the first rotating body 12 with respect to 16 is delayed, and the rolling of the second rotating body 13 and the third rotating body 14 with respect to the rail groove 15 of the lower guide member 6 is delayed. As a result, the pulling force acts vertically at the contact point of the first rotating body 12 with respect to the upper guide member 7 and the contact point of the second rotating body 13 and the third rotating body 14 with respect to the lower guide member 6. The component force for moving in the direction of the hinge part 4 is small, and the moving body 10 cannot move easily in the direction of the hinge part 4.

  In this embodiment, the upper and lower guide members 7 and 6 are configured to be rotatable up and down around the side (open end side) far from the hinge portion 4 with respect to the unit case, and on the side close to the hinge portion 4. Since the vertical movement amount of the upper and lower guide members 7 and 6 is restricted to an appropriate value (about 2 to 5 mm) by the restriction means 25 and 24, the component force for moving the moving body 10 in the direction of the hinge part 4 is The upper and lower guide members are larger than those fixed to the unit case, and the upper unit case 3 can be opened easily. When the user stops the action of the upward force on the free end or the like of the upper unit case 3, the moving body 10 stops at that position, and the opening angle of the upper unit case 3 can be maintained.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B), a lower guide member 31 having an upward convex curve is arranged in the lower unit case 2 so as to extend from the hinge part 4 side to the open end part side, In the upper unit case 3, a linear and horizontal upper guide member 32 is disposed so as to extend from the hinge portion 4 side to the open end portion side in a closed state. The moving body 33 has a downward triangular frame 34. A first rotating body 35 is rotatably mounted on the lower end of the frame 34, and a second rotating body 36 and a third rotating body 37 are rotatably mounted on the upper side of the frame 34, respectively. As the user opens the upper unit case 3 with respect to the lower unit case 2, the moving body 33 sequentially moves along the upper and lower guide members 32, 31 in the direction approaching the hinge portion 4 from the open end side. It is configured as follows. Further, as the upper unit case 3 is closed with respect to the lower unit case 2, the moving body 33 is sequentially moved along the upper and lower members 32 and 31 in the direction approaching the open end portion from the hinge portion 4 side. Has been.

  The lower guide member 31 is fixed to the lower unit case 2, but the upper guide member 32 can be turned up and down around the rotation shaft 23 on the open end side with respect to the upper unit case 3. It is configured. Furthermore, a restricting means 25 for restricting the amount of vertical movement of the upper guide member 32 on the hinge part 4 side is provided. Various regulating means can be applied as described above.

  Also in the present embodiment, when the upper unit case 3 is closed, the first rotating body 35 rolls in contact with the lower surface of the rail groove of the lower guide member 31, and the second rotating body 36 and the third rotating body 37 are in the upper part. Rolls in contact with the upper surface of the rail groove of the guide member 32. The configurations of the rotating bodies 35 to 37 and the upper and lower guide members 31 and 32 are the same as those in the first embodiment. In a state where the upper unit case 3 is closed with respect to the lower unit case 2, a part of the lower guide member and the upper guide member is in the height direction of the unit case as viewed from the extending direction of the both guide members. overlapping. Moreover, since the structure of the moving body 10 etc. is the same as 1st Example, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Also in this embodiment, the upper guide member 32 is configured to be rotatable up and down around the side farther from the hinge portion 4 (open end side) than the unit case as a rotation center, and the regulating means 25 on the side closer to the hinge portion 4. Since the vertical movement amount of the upper guide member 32 is regulated to an appropriate value (about 2 to 5 mm), the component force for the moving body 10 to move in the direction of the hinge part 4 is the unit case of the upper and lower guide members. Therefore, the upper unit case 3 can be opened easily. When the user stops the action of the upward force on the free end or the like of the upper unit case 3, the moving body 10 stops at that position, and the opening angle of the upper unit case 3 can be maintained. In the present invention, one or both of the upper and lower guide members 32 and 31 are configured so as to be pivotable up and down around the open end side, and the hinge of the guide member capable of pivoting up and down. It suffices if a restricting means for restricting the amount of vertical movement on the part 4 side is provided, and the same effect as the first embodiment can be achieved.

  In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention can employ various embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention. That is, when the upper guide member and the lower guide member are linear, it is not necessary to be horizontal when the upper unit case is in a closed state, and it is inclined downward or upward toward the open end side. Also good. In addition to the image recording apparatus, the upper and lower unit cases can be applied to the main body of a fixture such as an electric product or furniture and its lid.

1 image recording device 2 lower unit case 3 upper unit case 4 hinge section 6, 31 lower guide member 7, 32 upper guide member 10 moving body 11 frame 12, 35 first rotating body 13, 36 second rotating body 14, 37 3 Rotating body 15 Rail groove 16 of lower guide member Rail groove 22, 23 of upper guide member Rotating shafts 24, 25 Restricting means

Claims (6)

A lower unit case and an upper unit case are mounted so as to be vertically openable and closable via a hinge provided on one side,
The lower unit case includes a lower guide member extending from the hinge side to the open end side,
The upper unit case is provided with an upper guide member so as to extend from the hinge side to the open end side,
One of the lower guide member and the upper guide member is formed in a convex curve shape, and the other is formed in a linear shape,
A movable body connected to the lower guide member and the upper guide member so as to be movable;
The rotating body mounted on the moving body is fitted so as to be able to roll with respect to the both guide members,
As the operation of opening the upper unit case with respect to the lower unit case, the moving body sequentially moves from the open end side to the hinge side along the upper and lower members,
Along with the operation of closing the upper unit case with respect to the lower unit case, the moving body is configured to sequentially move from the hinge part side to the open end part side along the upper and lower guide members,
At least one guide member of the upper and lower guide members is configured to be vertically rotatable around the open end side,
An opening / closing device for an upper unit case, characterized in that there is provided a restricting means for restricting the amount of vertical movement of the hinge member side of the guide member capable of rotating up and down. The lower guide member is linear, and the upper guide member is formed in a downward convex curve,
2. The moving body is provided such that one rotating body is movable along the upper guide member, and two rotating bodies are provided movable along the lower guide member. Opening and closing device for the upper unit case described in 1. The upper guide member is linear, and the lower guide member is formed in an upward convex curved shape,
2. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein one rotating body is provided so as to be movable along the lower guide member, and two rotating bodies are provided so as to be movable along the upper guide member. Opening and closing device for the upper unit case described in 1. The moving body is formed in a triangular shape connecting the axial centers of the three rotating bodies,
3. The upper unit case opening and closing according to claim 2, wherein a direction of a force that the one rotating body receives at a contact point with the upper guide member is between the two rotating bodies. apparatus.   The upper unit case according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each of the upper and lower guide members is formed with a guard piece that prevents each of the rotating bodies from falling off in the central axis direction. Switchgear.   In the closed state of the upper and lower unit cases, a part of the lower guide member and the upper guide member overlap in the height direction of the unit case in a projection view from the extending direction of the both guide members. Item 6. The upper unit case opening and closing device according to any one of Items 2 to 5.

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