JP5459735B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that includes a toner cartridge and forms a visible image with toner supplied from the toner cartridge.

  In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be printed is formed in a process unit, and the electrostatic latent image is visualized. Specifically, the process unit includes a photoconductor and a developing device, forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor, and develops or visualizes the electrostatic latent image with toner supplied from the developing device. The toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor by development is transferred to, for example, a transfer belt, and further transferred from the transfer belt onto a sheet, and then fixed on the sheet in a fixing device.

  In the image forming apparatus, when the toner of the developing device is consumed by development, the toner is appropriately replenished from the toner cartridge to the developing device. Further, the toner cartridge is replaced with a new one when the toner becomes empty. Similarly, the process unit is replaced with a new one when, for example, a predetermined number of printed sheets is reached.

  Here, conventionally, an image forming apparatus used in a small office or a home office has been promoted to be reduced in size and space. On the other hand, in small offices and home offices, document files, books, bookshelves, cabinets, and the like are often arranged on the side of the image forming apparatus, making it difficult to secure a space on the side of the image forming apparatus. For this reason, in this type of image forming apparatus, a configuration in which an operator can operate from the front surface position of the image forming apparatus in replacement work of a toner cartridge, a process unit, and the like is mainstream.

  In the image forming apparatus, in a configuration in which the front door is opened and the operator operates the toner cartridge, it is necessary to secure a work space for the operator on the front surface of the image forming apparatus. However, in small offices and home offices, even if it is on the front side of the image forming apparatus, sufficient work is performed such that the movement of the operator in the front-rear direction at the front position of the image forming apparatus hinders other people's traffic. There are many cases where space cannot be secured, and it is difficult to proceed smoothly.

  Therefore, a configuration in which a working door is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus so that the operator can operate the toner cartridge or the like from the front surface position of the image forming apparatus can be considered.

  For example, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, an opening / closing cover that opens rearward is provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus. A cartridge holder is provided on the inner surface of the opening / closing cover. The toner cartridge can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge holder obliquely in the front-rear direction with the open / close cover open. Further, the toner cartridge is mounted at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus by closing the opening / closing cover.

  Further, in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, a side cover that opens downward is provided on a side surface of the image forming apparatus, and a cartridge housing portion is provided in the side cover. The toner cartridge can be inserted into and removed from the cartridge housing portion in an obliquely vertical direction with the side cover opened. Further, the toner cartridge is mounted at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus by closing the side cover.

JP 2008-090048 A (published April 17, 2008) JP 2008-216451 A (published September 18, 2008)

  In the configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, if a relatively small space can be secured on the side of the image forming apparatus so that the side door can be opened, the operator can replace the toner cartridge in the image forming apparatus. It is not necessary to move in the front-rear direction at the front position, and it can be performed in a small work space. Therefore, the configurations described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are favorable in that the toner cartridge can be replaced in a small work space.

  However, in the image forming apparatus, it is necessary not only to replace the toner cartridge as a consumable, but also to replenish supplies such as paper and at least replace the process unit (image forming unit).

  Here, the supply frequency of the replenishment item, the replacement frequency of the consumable item, and the replacement frequency of the process unit are different from each other. Therefore, when the work position for replenishment of supplies, replacement of consumables, and replacement of process units is set in the image forming apparatus without considering the replenishment frequency and replacement frequency, The replacement work cannot be performed smoothly, resulting in a device with poor workability.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus with good workability as viewed from the entire operations for an image forming apparatus including a replenishment work, a consumable replacement work, and an image forming unit replacement work. Yes.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a replenishment receiving unit, a replacement required to be replaced, and an image forming unit for forming a toner image. The supply part receiving part, the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the exchangeable parts, and the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the image forming unit are arranged on the front surface and the side surface of the image forming apparatus as the parts, Among each working unit, a high-frequency work unit with a relatively high work frequency of replenishment work or replacement work is arranged on the front surface, and a low-frequency work unit with a relatively low work frequency is arranged on the side surface. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above configuration, the high-frequency work unit having a relatively high frequency of replenishment work or exchange work among the parts of the replenishment receiving part, the replacement part attaching / detaching part, and the image forming unit attaching / detaching part. A low-frequency work unit that is disposed on the front surface of the image forming apparatus and has a relatively low work frequency is disposed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus.

  As a result, the worker can perform a work with a relatively high frequency among the replenishment work for the replenishment receiving part, the replacement work for the replacement parts, and the replacement work for the image forming unit. This is easily performed with a relatively low degree of difficulty with respect to the high-frequency work unit arranged in (1). In addition, among the above-described tasks, the worker performs a task with a relatively low work frequency with a relatively high degree of difficulty with respect to the low-frequency work unit disposed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus. .

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus has good workability when viewed from the entire work including the replenishment work, the consumables replacement work, and the image forming unit replacement work.

  In the image forming apparatus, the side surface of the image forming apparatus includes a first low-frequency work unit in which an operator performs work from a front position of the image forming apparatus, and a work frequency is higher than that of the first low-frequency work unit. A low configuration may be employed in which a second low-frequency work unit that performs work from the side surface position of the image forming apparatus is arranged by an operator.

  According to the above configuration, among the plurality of working units arranged on the side surface of the image forming apparatus, the first low-frequency working unit, for example, the working unit for exchanging the toner cartridge, or for exchanging the waste toner container As for the working unit, the worker can work from the position on the front surface of the image forming apparatus.

  On the other hand, for a second low-frequency work unit having a work frequency lower than that of the first low-frequency work unit, for example, a work unit for exchanging the image forming unit (unit assembly), the worker goes to the side of the image forming apparatus. Work from that position. Alternatively, the operation is performed by rotating the image forming apparatus by 90 ° so that the worker positioned at the front surface position of the image forming apparatus faces the side surface of the image forming apparatus.

  Therefore, even the low-frequency work unit arranged on the side surface of the image forming apparatus can easily work on the first low-frequency work unit having a relatively high work frequency.

  In the image forming apparatus, a side opening / closing door that can be opened to a small opening position having a relatively small opening angle and a large opening position having a relatively large opening angle is formed on the side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus. The work for the first low-frequency work unit is performed by opening the side opening / closing door to the small open position, and the work for the second low-frequency work unit is set to the large open position. It is good also as a structure which opens and is performed.

  According to the above configuration, the work on the first low-frequency work unit is performed by the operator by opening the side opening / closing door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the small opening position. Further, the work on the second low-frequency work unit is performed by the operator opening the side opening / closing door to the large open position from the side position of the image forming apparatus, that is, in a state where the operator faces the side face of the image forming apparatus. Done. On the other hand, work on the high-frequency work unit arranged on the front surface of the image forming apparatus is performed without opening the side opening / closing door.

  As a result, the work on the replenishment receiving part, the attaching / detaching part for exchanging necessary replacement parts, and the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the image forming unit can be efficiently performed with lower difficulty as the work frequency increases. .

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the high-frequency work unit is a paper discharge unit that discharges printed paper and a paper feed unit in which printing paper is arranged, and the first low-frequency work unit includes: The toner cartridge mounting unit may be configured such that the second low-frequency working unit is an image forming unit mounting unit.

  According to the above configuration, work on the paper discharge unit that discharges printed paper and the paper supply unit on which printing paper is arranged, that is, a high-frequency work unit, that is, printed paper from the paper discharge unit. The collection operation and the replenishment operation of the printing paper to the paper feeding unit are performed by the operator on the front surface of the image forming apparatus at the front surface position of the image forming apparatus.

  Also, the operation for the toner cartridge mounting portion, which is the first low-frequency operation portion, that is, the toner cartridge replacement operation, is performed by the operator by opening the side opening door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the small open position. Is called.

  Further, the work for the mounting portion of the image forming unit, which is the second low-frequency work section, that is, the replacement operation of the image forming unit is performed by the operator from the side position of the image forming apparatus, that is, the operator In a state of facing, the side opening / closing door is opened to the large open position.

  As a result, the higher the work frequency, the lower the difficulty of collecting printed paper from the paper discharge unit, supplying paper for printing to the paper supply unit, replacing the toner cartridge, and replacing the image forming unit. Can be performed efficiently at a degree.

  In the image forming apparatus, the side surface of the image forming apparatus includes a first low-frequency work unit in which an operator performs work from a front position of the image forming apparatus, and a work frequency is higher than that of the first low-frequency work unit. A second low-frequency work unit that is operated by the operator from the side surface position of the image forming apparatus, and a work frequency is lower than the first low-frequency work unit and higher than the second low-frequency work unit. A third low-frequency work unit that is operated by the worker from the side surface position of the image forming apparatus is disposed, and the side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus has a small opening position and a small opening position with a relatively small opening angle. A side opening door that can be opened to a middle opening position having a large opening position with a relatively large angle and an opening angle larger than the small opening position and smaller than the large opening position is formed. Work on The side opening / closing door is opened to the small opening position, and the operation for the second low-frequency operation unit is performed by opening the side opening / closing door to the large opening position, and the third low-frequency operation unit is performed. It is good also as a structure which opens the said side opening-and-closing door to the said middle open position, and is performed with respect to.

  According to the above configuration, the work on the first low-frequency work unit is performed by the operator by opening the side opening / closing door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the small opening position.

  Further, the work on the second low-frequency work unit is performed by the operator opening the side opening / closing door to the large open position from the side position of the image forming apparatus, that is, in a state where the operator faces the side face of the image forming apparatus. Done.

  In addition, the work on the third low-frequency work unit is performed by the operator by opening the side opening / closing door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the middle open position. On the other hand, work on the high-frequency work unit arranged on the front surface of the image forming apparatus is performed without opening the side opening / closing door.

  As a result, the work on the replenishment receiving part, the attaching / detaching part for exchanging necessary replacement parts, and the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the image forming unit can be efficiently performed with lower difficulty as the work frequency increases. .

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the high-frequency work unit is a paper discharge unit that discharges printed paper and a paper feed unit in which printing paper is arranged, and the first low-frequency work unit includes: The toner cartridge mounting unit may be configured such that the second low frequency working unit is an image forming unit mounting unit and the third low frequency working unit is a waste toner container mounting unit.

  According to the above configuration, work on the paper discharge unit that discharges printed paper and the paper supply unit on which printing paper is arranged, that is, a high-frequency work unit, that is, printed paper from the paper discharge unit. The collection operation and the replenishment operation of the printing paper to the paper feeding unit are performed by the operator on the front surface of the image forming apparatus at the front surface position of the image forming apparatus.

  Also, the operation for the toner cartridge mounting portion, which is the first low-frequency operation portion, that is, the toner cartridge replacement operation, is performed by the operator by opening the side opening door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the small open position. Is called.

  Further, the work on the mounting portion of the image forming unit, which is the second low-frequency work portion, that is, the replacement operation of the image forming unit, is performed by the worker from the side position of the image forming apparatus, that is, In a state of facing, the side opening / closing door is opened to the large open position.

  Further, in the work on the waste toner container mounting portion, which is the third low-frequency work section, that is, the waste toner container replacement work, the operator opens the side opening / closing door from the front position of the image forming apparatus to the middle open position. Done.

  As a result, the operation of collecting printed paper from the paper discharge unit, the operation of supplying printing paper to the paper supply unit, the operation of replacing the toner cartridge, the operation of replacing the image forming unit, and the operation of replacing the waste toner container are performed. The higher the work frequency, the more efficiently it can be performed with a lower difficulty level.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, it is possible to improve workability from the viewpoint of the entire work including the replenishment work, the replacement work of the consumables, and the replacement work of the image forming unit.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an internal structure of the image forming main body device when the image forming main body device in the embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the right side. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus with an automatic document feeder and a housing removed according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus illustrating a state in which a toner cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a front view of the image forming main body apparatus as viewed from the right side showing a state in which a toner cartridge is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 4 in a simplified manner. FIG. 6 is a front view of the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 3 is a front view schematically showing a cartridge mounting portion shown in FIG. 2. It is AA arrow sectional drawing in FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the toner cartridge shown in FIG. 5 is moved obliquely downward from above and the fitting convex portion is inserted into the fitting concave portion of the cartridge mounting portion. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the mounting of the toner cartridge illustrated in FIG. 5 to the cartridge mounting unit is completed. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the unit assembly shown in FIG. 3. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the unit assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an open / close state of a side opening / closing door in the image forming main body apparatus shown in FIG. 4. 14A is an explanatory view showing another example of the side opening / closing door shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 14B shows a state where the upper part of the side opening / closing door shown in FIG. 14A is opened. It is explanatory drawing shown. In the image forming main body apparatus of other embodiment of this invention, it is explanatory drawing which shows the state of an open angle adjustment mechanism part in case a side surface opening / closing door is a closed position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the opening angle adjustment mechanism part in case the side surface opening / closing door shown in FIG. 15 is open | released to the 1st open position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of the opening angle adjustment mechanism part in case the side surface opening / closing door shown in FIG. 15 is open | released to the 2nd open position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state of an opening angle adjustment mechanism part in case the side surface opening / closing door shown in FIG. 15 is open | released to the 3rd open position. In the case where the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the side opening / closing door of the first example and the side opening / closing door of the second example, each replacement or replenishment work object, and image It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the operator's work position with respect to a forming apparatus, the opening amount of a side surface opening / closing door, and the difficulty of work. When the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the side opening / closing door of the third example, each replacement or replenishment work target, the operator's work position with respect to the image forming apparatus, and the opening of the side opening / closing door It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between quantity and the difficulty of work.

[Embodiment 1]
(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the right side facing the image forming apparatus is called the right side of the image forming apparatus, and the left side facing the image forming apparatus is called the left side of the image forming apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an automatic document feeder on an image forming main unit. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the image forming main body device 2 when the image forming main body device 2 is viewed from the right side. In FIG. 1, the left side is the front side of the image forming main body apparatus 2, and the right side is the back side.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming main body device 2 is a full-color printer. Therefore, the image forming main body device 2 prints a color image on a sheet (sheet-like recording medium) according to image data transmitted from the outside. Here, the image forming main unit 2 is exemplified as a printer, but it may be a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine having these functions. In this case, the image forming main body device 2 prints a multicolor or single color image on a sheet according to image data transmitted from the outside and / or image data read from a document by a scanner.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming main body device 2 is provided with a unit assembly (required replacement) 11 at the center in the vertical direction. A laser optical system unit 12 and a paper feed cassette (a paper feed unit, a replenishment product receiving unit) 13 are provided at a lower position of the unit assembly 11 sequentially from the top. In addition, a transfer unit 14 is provided at a position on the back side with respect to the unit assembly 11, and a fixing unit 15 is provided above the transfer unit 14. An upper surface of the housing of the image forming main body 2 above the unit assembly 11 is a paper discharge tray (paper discharge unit) 16.

  A paper transport path 17 is formed in the path from the paper feed cassette 13 to the paper discharge tray 16, and the paper transport path 17 has a paper feed roller 18, A timing roller 19, the transfer unit 14, the fixing unit 15, and a paper discharge roller 20 are provided.

  The first to fourth image forming units 31 to 34 included in the unit aggregate 11 are for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively.

  The first image forming unit 31 includes a photoreceptor drum 41a, a charger 42a, a developing device 43a, an intermediate transfer roller 44a, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45a.

  The charger 42a charges the surface of each photosensitive drum 41a to a predetermined potential. The developing device 43a develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41a with toner by exposing the photosensitive drum 41a to the laser light from the laser optical system unit 12. The intermediate transfer roller 44 a is disposed on the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51, and transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 a by development onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 61 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35. The photoconductor cleaning device 45a removes and collects residual toner and paper dust on the surface of the photoconductor drum 41a after development and image transfer.

  Similarly, the second image forming unit 32 includes a photoreceptor drum 41b, a charger 42b, a developing device 43b, an intermediate transfer roller 44b, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45a. The third image forming unit 33 includes a photoreceptor drum 41c, a charger 42c, a developing device 43c, an intermediate transfer roller 44c, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45c. The fourth image forming unit 34 includes a photoreceptor drum 41d, a charger 42d, a developing device 43d, an intermediate transfer roller 44d, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45d.

  The intermediate transfer belt unit 35 includes an intermediate transfer belt 51, a driving roller 52 that supports the intermediate transfer belt 51, a driven roller 53, and tension rollers 54 and 55.

  The transfer belt cleaning device 36 removes residual toner and paper dust from the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  The laser optical system unit 12 includes laser light sources 12a to 12d corresponding to the photosensitive drums 41a to 41d, and irradiates the photosensitive drums 41a to 41d with laser light from the laser light sources 12a to 12d. The electrostatic latent images corresponding to the image to be printed are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41a to 41d.

  The transfer unit 14 includes a transfer roller 14 a that is pressed against the drive roller 52 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35 via the intermediate transfer belt 51, and a sheet on which the toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 51 is supplied from the paper feed cassette 13. Transcript to.

  The fixing unit 15 includes a fixing roller 15a and a pressure roller 15b, and melts and fixes the toner image on the paper to the paper.

(Image forming operation)
In the image forming main body 2, when printing a color image, laser light is irradiated from the laser optical system unit 12 to the photosensitive drums 41 a to 41 d according to the input image data, and the photosensitive drums 41 a to 41 d. An electrostatic latent image is formed at 41d. These electrostatic latent images are developed with toner supplied from developing devices 43a to 43d, and yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 41a to 41d, respectively. These toner images are transferred to the same position on the intermediate transfer belt 51 of the intermediate transfer belt unit 35 so as to overlap each other, and further transferred onto the paper in the transfer unit 14.

  The sheet is fed from the sheet feeding cassette 13 to the sheet conveying path 17 by the sheet feeding roller 18, and is supplied to the transfer unit 14 by the timing roller 19 at a timing coincident with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 51.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred in the transfer unit 14 is conveyed to the fixing unit 15, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet in the fixing unit 15. Thereafter, the paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 16 by the paper discharge roller 20.

  In the image forming apparatus 1, since the fixing unit 15 is located on the back side, the heat (hot air) generated in the fixing unit 15 is transmitted to the user located on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. Will never feel uncomfortable.

(Paper cassette)
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 in a state where the automatic document feeder 3 is provided and the housing is removed according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The paper feed cassette 13 shown in FIG. 2 can be pulled out to the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 (image forming main body apparatus 2) by pulling the handle 13a. In addition, the image forming apparatus 1 includes an operation panel 21 at the upper part of the position on the front side.

(Toner cartridge)
As shown in FIG. 2, four cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 are provided in the upper portion of the right side position of the image forming main body apparatus 2 with respect to the unit assembly 11, and a waste toner container (replacement required) is provided in the lower portion. 69 is provided. The cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 have a vertically long shape in the vertical direction, and are arranged in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 1 at the same height position. The cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 have a structure in which adjacent ones are connected and integrated, and are provided corresponding to the developing devices 43a to 43d, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, toner cartridges (required replacement parts) 71 to 74 are mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, respectively. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 1 showing a state in which the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the image forming main body device 2 as viewed from the right side showing a state in which the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 shown in FIG.

  The toner cartridges 71 to 74 contain yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners, respectively. When the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted in the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, the toner can be supplied to the corresponding developing devices 43a to 43d. The group of toner cartridges 71 to 74 are arranged on the right side of the image forming main body device 2 at a position closer to the front side with respect to the center position in the front-rear direction of the image forming main body device 2.

(Detailed structure of toner cartridge and cartridge mounting part)
Next, the structure of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 will be described. Hereinafter, the toner cartridge 71 and the cartridge mounting portion 65 will be described as an example. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the toner cartridge 71 shown in FIG. 4 in a simplified manner. 6 is a front view of the toner cartridge 71 shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a front view schematically showing the cartridge mounting portion 65 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the toner cartridge 71 is formed in a vertically long shape that is long in the vertical direction, and includes a toner accommodating portion 71 a that accommodates toner therein. A toner supply port 71b is formed at the lower end of the toner storage portion 71a, and a shutter 71c that opens and closes the toner supply port 71b is provided. The lower end surface where the toner supply port 71b is formed is curved in an arc shape, and the shutter 71c is formed in an arc shape correspondingly. The shutter 71c is closed by the action of a spring (not shown) in a normal state where the toner cartridge 71 is not mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 65.

  On both side surfaces of the toner containing portion 71a, fitting convex portions 71d are provided on the toner supply port 71b and at positions below the toner cartridge 71 near the position of the toner supply port 71b. That is, one fitting convex portion 71 d projects in the front direction of the image forming main body device 2, and the other fitting convex portion 71 d projects in the rear direction of the image forming main body device 2.

  In the fitting convex portion 71d, the upper and lower surfaces are arcuate curved surfaces 71d1, and the space between the upper and lower curved surfaces 71d1 is a straight portion 71d2 having a width narrower than the width between both curved surfaces 71d1.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cartridge mounting portion 65 has a cartridge facing portion 65 c arranged vertically along the right surface of the image forming main body device 2. In addition, convex wall portions 65a are provided at the left and right positions near the lower end portion of the cartridge facing portion 65c (the front direction position and the back direction position with respect to the image forming main body device 2).

  The both convex wall portions 65a are formed with fitting concave portions 65b on the inner surfaces facing each other. The fitting recess 65b has a straight recess 65b2 at the introduction portion and a circular recess 65b1 at the end of the fitting recess 65b. The straight concave portion 65b2 is slightly wider than the straight portion 71d2 in the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71, and the circular concave portion 65b1 is between the curved surfaces 71d1 in the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71. The diameter is slightly wider than the width. The straight recess 65b2 is inclined to the right surface side of the image forming main body device 2 with respect to the vertical vertical direction.

  Therefore, when the toner cartridge 71 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 65, the operator first moves the toner cartridge 71 obliquely downward from above with respect to the cartridge mounting portion 65, and the straight shape of the fitting convex portion 71d. The portion 71d2 is inserted into the straight recess 65b2 of the fitting recess 65b. Further, the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward until the fitting convex portion 71d reaches the circular concave portion 65b1 of the fitting concave portion 65b. Thereafter, the toner cartridge 71 is rotated until the toner cartridge 71 contacts the cartridge facing portion 65c of the cartridge mounting portion 65. In this case, the rotation of the toner cartridge 71 can be smoothly performed because the fitting convex portion 71d is rotatably held in the circular concave portion 65b1 of the fitting concave portion 65b.

(Supplying toner from the toner cartridge to the developing device)
As shown in FIG. 4, toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79 are respectively arranged below the toner cartridges 71 to 74 mounted on the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68. Under the toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79, end portions of toner take-in portions 43a1 to 43d1 of the developing devices 43a to 43d are arranged, respectively. Accordingly, the toner in the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is supplied to the corresponding developing devices 43a to 43d via the toner intermediate receiving members 76 to 79, respectively.

  Here, the configuration for replenishing toner from the toner cartridge 71 to the developing device 43a will be described taking the case of the toner cartridge 71, the cartridge mounting portion 65, the toner intermediate receiving member 76, and the developing device 43a as an example.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward from above and the fitting convex portion 71 d of the toner cartridge 71 is inserted into the fitting concave portion 65 b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a state where the mounting of the toner cartridge 71 to the cartridge mounting portion 65 is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the toner intermediate receiving member 76 has a toner intake port 76a. The position of the toner intake port 76a is a position facing the toner supply port 71b of the toner cartridge 71 in a state where the toner cartridge 71 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 65.

  9, the shutter 71c of the toner cartridge 71 is formed with an engaging convex portion 71e, and the toner intermediate receiving member 76 has an engaging receiving portion 76b that engages with the engaging convex portion 71e. Is formed.

  When the toner cartridge 71 is moved obliquely downward from above and the fitting convex portion 71d of the toner cartridge 71 is inserted into the fitting concave portion 65b of the cartridge mounting portion 65, the engaging convex portion 76b 71e is engaged.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 10, when the toner cartridge 71 is rotated so as to come into contact with the cartridge facing portion 65c of the cartridge mounting portion 65, the shutter 71c is opened and the toner supply port 71b is opened. As a result, the toner in the toner cartridge 71 is supplied to the toner supply port 71b, the toner intake port 76a of the toner intermediate receiving member 76, the toner intermediate receiving member 76, the toner supply port 76c of the toner intermediate receiving member 76, and the toner intake. The toner is supplied to the developing device 43a through the toner intake 43a2 of the portion 43a1.

(Waste toner container)
The waste toner container 69 has a thin rectangular box shape and can be easily attached to and detached from the image forming main body device 2. The waste toner container 69 stores waste toner and paper powder collected by each cleaning device of the unit assembly 11.
(Unit assembly)
The unit aggregate 11 has a configuration shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 in the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the unit assembly 11, and FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the unit assembly 11 shown in FIG.

  In the unit assembly 11, as shown in FIG. 11, waste toner transport pipes 36a connected to the transfer belt cleaning device 36 and waste toner transport pipes 45a1 to 45d1 connected to the photoconductor cleaning devices 45a to 45d are formed. Projecting to the right side of the main unit 2. These waste toner conveyance pipes 36a, 45a1 to 45d are connected to the waste toner container 69 when the waste toner container 69 is attached to the image forming main body apparatus 2.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the unit assembly 11 includes first to fourth image forming units 31 to 34, an intermediate transfer belt unit 35, and a transfer belt cleaning device 36.

  The first image forming unit 31 includes a developing device 43a and a first process unit 201a, the second image forming unit 32 includes a developing device 43b and a second process unit 201b, and the third image forming unit 33 includes a developing device 43c and a first process unit 201b. The fourth image forming unit 34 includes a developing device 43d and a fourth process unit 201d.

  The first to fourth process units 201a to 201d include at least a photosensitive drum. In the present embodiment, the first process unit 201a includes a photoreceptor drum 41a, a charger 42a, an intermediate transfer roller 44a, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45a. The second process unit 201b includes a photoconductor drum 41b, a charger 42b, an intermediate transfer roller 44b, and a photoconductor cleaning device 45b. The third process unit 201c includes a photoreceptor drum 41c, a charger 42c, an intermediate transfer roller 44c, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45c. The fourth process unit 201d includes a photoreceptor drum 41d, a charger 42d, an intermediate transfer roller 44d, and a photoreceptor cleaning device 45d.

  The unit assembly 11 is exchanged for a new one after a predetermined number of prints, for example. In this case, the unit assembly 11 can be removed from and inserted into the right side of the image forming main body device 2 (the front side in FIG. 1) with respect to the image forming main body device 2.

  The unit assembly 11 may have the following configurations (1) to (4).

(1) An image forming unit configured by connecting a plurality of process units (image forming units) including at least a photosensitive drum and an intermediate transfer unit (for example, an intermediate transfer belt unit 35) integrally connected In this case, the image forming unit constituting the unit aggregate 11 in combination with the intermediate transfer unit is not limited to one using two color toners, and may use three color or four color toners. .

(2) An apparatus including an intermediate transfer unit and a process unit This includes, for example, an intermediate transfer unit and an image forming unit configured by connecting a process unit that uses toner of at least two colors. is there. In this case, the image forming unit is not limited to one using two color toners, and may use three or four color toners.

(3) An apparatus including an intermediate transfer unit, a process unit, and a developing unit. This includes, for example, an intermediate transfer unit, a process unit that uses toner of at least two colors, and a developing unit (developing device). In this case, the pair of the developing unit and the process unit is not limited to one using two color toners, and may use three color or four color toners.

(4) An intermediate transfer unit, a process unit, a developing unit, and an exposure unit. This includes, for example, an intermediate transfer unit, a process unit that uses toner of at least two colors, a developing unit, and an exposure unit (for example, a laser optical system unit). 12). In this case, the combination of the development unit, the process unit, and the image exposure unit is not limited to one using two color toners, and may use three or four color toners.

(First example of side opening / closing door)
As shown in FIG. 13, a side opening / closing door 101 is formed on the right surface of the image forming main body device 2 in the casing of the image forming main body device 2. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing an open / closed state of the side opening / closing door 101. The side opening / closing door 101 covers the arrangement area of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 and the waste toner container 69 so as to be openable and closable. The side opening / closing door 101 has a handle 101a and can be opened / closed in the vertical direction around the rotation fulcrum shaft 102 at the lower end.

  In the present embodiment, the side opening / closing door 101 can be opened from a closed position 101a0 to a first open position (small open position) 101a1 and a second open position (large open position) 101a2. The toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be exchanged at the first opening position 101a1, and the waste toner container 69 and the unit assembly 11 can be exchanged at the second opening position 101a2. Yes. The opening angle (first opening angle) of the first opening position 101a1 with respect to the closing position 101a0 is, for example, 30 ° to 45 °, and the opening angle (second opening angle) of the second opening position 101a2 is, for example, 90 ° to 110. °.

(Second example of side opening / closing door)
The image forming apparatus 1 may include a side door 131 shown in FIGS. 14A to 14B instead of the side door 101 shown in FIG. 14A is an explanatory view showing another example of the side opening / closing door 101 shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 14B is a view showing that the door upper part 132 of the side opening / closing door 131 shown in FIG. 14A is opened. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state performed.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the side opening / closing door 131 includes a door upper part 132 and a door lower part 133, and the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 are connected to an opening / closing auxiliary member (connection member) 134 and a hinge (connection member). 135). A handle 131a is formed on the door upper portion 132. The material of the opening / closing auxiliary member 134 may be, for example, an elastic rubber such as NBR (Nitrile butadiene rubber) or a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) film having a thickness of about 0.3 mm.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14B, the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 are connected by an opening / closing auxiliary member 134 on the inner surface side and are connected by a hinge 135 on the outer surface side. The opening / closing auxiliary member 134 is attached to the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 by screws 135. When the opening / closing auxiliary member 134 is formed of a PET film, a long hole 134 a may be formed in a portion of the opening / closing auxiliary member 134 attached to the door upper part 132 or the door lower part 133. This is because when the door upper part 132 is opened, the opening / closing auxiliary member 134 can be moved relative to the screw 135 so that the door upper part 132 can be opened smoothly.

  In the configuration including the side opening / closing door 131, when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are replaced, only the door upper portion 132 is opened (small open position), and when the waste toner container 69 and the unit assembly 11 are replaced. The door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 are opened (large open position). The opening angle of the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 in this case is 90 ° to 110 °, as in the case where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101a2.

  The opening angle of the door upper portion 132 when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are replaced may be, for example, 60 ° to 70 °. In this case, the opening angle of the door upper portion 132 can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the elongated hole 134a of the opening / closing auxiliary member 134.

  In the configuration including the side opening / closing door 131 as described above, the side opening / closing door 131 is opened when the side opening / closing door 131 (door upper portion 132) is opened in order to attach / detach the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to / from the image forming apparatus 1. The rotation area can be reduced. As a result, the working space on the side of the image forming apparatus 1 required when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached and detached can be further reduced.

(Third example of side opening / closing door)
As shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, the side surface opening / closing door 101 may be opened at three stages of first to third opening angles. For this purpose, the image forming main body 2 opens the side opening / closing door 101 at three angles, that is, from the closed position 101b0 to the first open position (small open position) 101b1, the second open position (medium open position) 101b2, and the third. An opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 that opens to an opening position (large opening position) 101b3 is provided.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of the opening angle adjustment mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is in the closed position 101b0. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of the opening angle adjustment mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101b1. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101b2. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 when the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the third opening position 101b3.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 includes an opening angle adjusting member 152 having a long and thin plate shape. The material of the opening angle adjusting member 152 is, for example, a metal such as PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), iron, or SUS. The opening angle adjusting mechanism 151 is disposed in the front-rear direction of the image forming main body 2 inside the image forming main body 2, and the rear end is rotatably connected to the side surface of the side opening / closing door 101 by the shaft member 153. Has been.

  A guide hole 152a extending in the left-right direction of the image forming main body device 2 is formed in the opening angle adjusting member 152, and a guide pin 154 fixed to the image forming main body device 2 is inserted into the guide hole 152a. The lower side of the opening angle adjusting member 152 around the guide hole 152a has a linear shape. On the other hand, the upper side of the guide hole 152a is directed from the right end portion (end portion on the side surface opening / closing door 101 side) of the guide hole 152a toward the left end portion, the first guide portion 152a1, the first locking portion 152a2, and the second guide portion 152a3. And the 2nd latching | locking part 152a4 is formed. Further, the left end portion (terminal portion) of the guide hole 152a that is further leftward than the second locking portion 152a4 is a third locking portion 152a5.

  The first guide part 152a1 and the second guide part 152a3 are horizontal after being inclined obliquely upward. The first locking portion 152a2 and the second locking portion 152a4 extend downward from the terminal ends of the first guide portion 152a1 and the second guide portion 152a3. A guide pin 154 is engaged with the first locking portion 152a2, the second locking portion 152a4, and the second guiding portion 152a3, and the opening angle adjustment to the right side of the image forming main body device 2 with the opening of the side opening / closing door 101 is adjusted. The movement of the member 152 is prevented.

  In the above-described configuration, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are used when the toner stored therein is empty, the waste toner container 69 is used when the collected waste toner is full, and the unit assembly 11 is For example, when the number of printed sheets reaches a predetermined number, each is replaced with a new one based on the display on the operation panel 21, for example.

Here, the replacement cycle of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner container 69, and the unit assembly 11 is approximately when converted to the number of printed sheets.
Toner cartridges 71 to 74: Every 4000 sheets Waste toner container 69: Every 10,000 sheets Unit assembly 11: Every 60,000 sheets
(Toner cartridge replacement work)
When replacing the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the operator reaches for the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 at the position on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, pulls the handle 101 a of the side opening / closing door 101, and opens the side opening / closing door 101. Open to the first opening position 101a1.

  Next, in a state where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening position 101a1, the operator replaces the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to be replaced with the right hand.

  For example, when the toner cartridge 71 is replaced, as shown in FIG. 10, the operator starts from the position where the toner cartridge 71 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 65 (installation completed state) as illustrated in FIG. 9. Then, the toner cartridge 71 is rotated rightward (clockwise) around the fitting convex portion 71d.

  Next, the operator moves the toner cartridge 71 obliquely upward in the state shown in FIG. As a result, the fitting convex portion 71 d of the toner cartridge 71 is removed from the fitting concave portion 65 b of the cartridge mounting portion 65. In this case, the shutter 71c is closed and the toner supply port 71b is closed.

  On the other hand, when a new toner cartridge 71 is mounted, the operator may perform the operation opposite to the above-described operation for removing the toner cartridge 71 to bring the toner cartridge 71 into the mounting completion state shown in FIG.

(Waste toner container replacement)
When exchanging the waste toner container 69, the operator opens the side opening / closing door 101 to the second opening position 101a2. Next, in a state where the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the second opening position 101a2, the operator pulls out the waste toner container 69 with the right hand to the left side of the image forming main body apparatus 2 and replaces it with a new one.

(Unit assembly replacement work)
When replacing the unit assembly 11, the operator opens the side opening / closing door 101 to the second opening position 101 a 2 in the same manner as the replacement operation of the waste toner container 69.

  Next, the operator removes the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68, the waste toner container 69 and the like existing on the right side of the unit assembly 11 from the image forming main body 2, and then the unit assembly 11. Is pulled out from the image forming main unit 2 and replaced with a new one.

  In this case, the worker may perform work on the right side when the work space can be secured on the right side of the image forming main body device 2. Alternatively, the image forming main body device 2 may be rotated 90 degrees horizontally so that the right side of the image forming main body device 2 is on the front (front) side.

(Work frequency and workability of each work)
FIG. 19 shows the replacement or replenishment work target when the image forming apparatus 1 includes the side opening / closing door 101 of the first example and when the image forming apparatus 1 includes the side opening / closing door 131 of the second side example. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship among a worker's work position with respect to the image forming apparatus 1, a side door opening amount, and a work difficulty level. FIG. 20 shows each replacement or replenishment work target, the operator's work position with respect to the image forming apparatus 1, and the side opening / closing door when the image forming apparatus 1 includes the side opening / closing door 101 of the third example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the amount of open | releases, and the difficulty of work.

  Note that the difference between the “front position” and the “front side position” is that the operator can work on the front side while being positioned on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1 as the “front position”. A case where the work is performed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1 while being positioned on the front surface of the image forming apparatus 1 is referred to as a “front surface side position”.

  In FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the replacement or replenishment work targets are arranged in the order of high work frequency (replenishment or replacement frequency) from top to bottom. However, depending on how the image forming apparatus 1 is used, there may be cases where the same frequency of work is arranged next to each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, when the image forming apparatus 1 is used, the operation frequency of “paper supply” is relatively high. In this operation, the operator can perform the operation by pulling out the paper feed cassette 13 forward, replenishing paper, and pushing back the paper feed cassette 13 at the front position of the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, the difficulty level of the “paper supply” operation is low.

  The operation frequency of “collection of printed paper” is relatively high, and is equal to or around the operation frequency of “paper supply” depending on the usage state of the image forming apparatus 1. In this operation, the operator can collect printed sheets discharged from the back side of the image forming apparatus 1 onto the discharge tray 16 at the front position of the image forming apparatus 1. Therefore, the difficulty level of the “collection of printed paper” is low.

  The work frequency of exchanging the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is medium among the work objects listed in FIGS. 19 and 20. In this operation, the worker reaches for the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 at the position on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, opens the side opening / closing door 101 or the side opening / closing door 131, and replaces the toner cartridges 71 to 74. can do.

  In this case, the side opening / closing door 101 (first example, third example) is opened to the first opening positions 101a1, 101b1 (small opening position), and the side opening / closing door 131 (second example) is the door. Only the upper part 132 is opened. That is, the side opening doors of the first to third examples all have a small opening amount. Therefore, if a relatively small space can be secured on the side of the image forming apparatus 1 so that the side opening / closing door 101 or the side opening / closing door 131 can be opened to a small opening amount, the operator does not move to the right side of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 can be replaced.

  Further, the side opening / closing doors 101 and 131 may be formed on the left side of the image forming apparatus 1. However, since the side opening / closing doors 101 and 131 are formed on the right side of the image forming apparatus 1, a right-handed person who is said to have a population ratio of about 70% needs to replace the toner cartridges 71 to 74. It can be done easily with the dominant hand. From the above points, the difficulty level of the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is medium.

  The replacement frequency of the waste toner container 69 is lower than the replacement frequency of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, but is medium among the operation targets listed in FIGS. In this operation, the operator reaches for the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 at the position on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, opens the side opening / closing door 101 or the side opening / closing door 131, and replaces the waste toner container 69. be able to.

  In this case, the side opening / closing door 101 of the first example opens to the second opening position 101a2 (large opening position), and the side opening / closing door 131 of the second example opens the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 ( The side opening / closing door 101 of the third example is opened to the second opening position 101b2 (medium opening position). That is, the side opening doors of the first and second examples both have a large opening amount, and the side opening door of the third example has a middle opening amount. Accordingly, if a space can be secured on the side of the image forming apparatus 1 so that the side opening / closing door 101 or the side opening / closing door 131 can be opened to the middle opening position or the large opening position, the operator does not move to the right side of the image forming apparatus 1. Even in this case, the waste toner container 69 can be replaced.

  Further, since the side opening / closing doors 101 and 131 are formed on the right side of the image forming apparatus 1, a right-handed person who is said to have a population ratio of about 70% is a dominant hand for replacing the waste toner container 69. Can be easily performed. From the above points, the difficulty of replacing the waste toner container 69 is medium.

  The operation frequency of exchanging the unit assembly 11 is relatively high. In this work, the operator turns around the right surface of the image forming apparatus 1 or rotates the image forming apparatus 1 by 90 ° so that the right surface of the image forming apparatus 1 is in front. The unit assembly 11 can be exchanged by opening the side opening / closing door 101 or the side opening / closing door 131.

  In this case, the side opening / closing door 101 of the first example opens to the second opening position 101a2 (large opening position), and the side opening / closing door 131 of the second example opens the door upper part 132 and the door lower part 133 ( The side opening / closing door 101 of the third example is opened to the third opening position 101b3 (large opening position). That is, the side opening doors of the first to third examples all have a large opening amount. From the above points, the difficulty of exchanging the unit assembly 11 is high.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1, the arrangement position of the work object is set according to the work frequency of the work object to be replaced or replenished. Specifically, replacement or replenishment work objects are arranged such that the higher the work frequency, the lower the work difficulty. Thus, the workability of the image forming apparatus 1 including the replenishment work, the consumables replacement work, and the unit assembly replacement work is improved.

(Other advantages of the image forming apparatus)
In the image forming apparatus 1, the replacement work of the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner container 69 and the unit assembly 11 can be performed by opening the same side opening / closing door 101. Therefore, these operations can be easily performed. it can. In addition, since the number of doors required for the image forming apparatus 1 can be reduced, the structure of the image forming apparatus 1 can be simplified.

  The toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached to the image forming apparatus 1 in a state in which the side opening / closing door 101 is opened to the first opening positions 101a1 and 101b1, or the door upper portion 132 of the side opening / closing door 131 is opened obliquely. Then, after the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are inserted into the image forming apparatus 1 by moving obliquely downward from above, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are rotated in the direction of the image forming apparatus 1 (counterclockwise). It is like that. That is, the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are attached to the image forming apparatus 1 by attaching the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to the side opening / closing door 101 and then closing the side opening / closing door 101 to bring the toner cartridges 71 to 74 to a predetermined mounting position. It is not something to wear. Therefore, when the side opening / closing door 101 is deformed with the passage of time and the side opening / closing door 101 is closed, there is no problem that the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are not easily mounted at the predetermined mounting positions.

  Further, when the toner cartridges 71 to 74 are mounted on the image forming apparatus 1, the side opening / closing doors 101 and 131 are opened, and the cartridge mounting portions 65 to 68 are not rotated to a position where the insertion of the toner cartridges 71 to 74 is received. The opening angle of the side opening / closing doors 101 and 131 can be reduced, and this also enables work in a narrow work area.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can easily replace the toner cartridges 71 to 74, the waste toner container 69, and the unit assembly 11, and suppresses the number of necessary opening / closing doors. The structure can be simplified.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Image forming main body apparatus 11 Unit assembly (replacement required)
13 Paper feed cassette (paper feed, supply receiving part)
14 Transfer section 15 Fixing section 16 Paper discharge tray (paper discharge section)
21 Operation panel
31 to 34 First to fourth image forming portions 35 Intermediate transfer belt unit 36 Transfer belt cleaning device 36a Waste toner transport pipe
41a to 41d photoconductor drum
43a to 43d Developing device 51 Intermediate transfer belt
65 to 68 Cartridge mounting part 69 Waste toner container (replacement required)
71-74 Toner cartridge (replacement required)
71a Toner accommodating portion 71b Toner replenishing port 71c Shutter 71d Fitting convex portion 71d1 Curved surface 71d2 Straight portion 101 Side opening / closing door 101a Handle 101a0 Closed position 101a1 First open position (small open position)
101a2 Second open position (large open position)
101b0 Closed position 101b1 First open position (small open position)
101b2 second open position (medium open position)
101b3 third open position (large open position)
201a First process unit (imaging unit)
201b Second process unit (imaging unit)
201c Third process unit (imaging unit)
201d Fourth process unit (imaging unit)
131 Side open / close door 132 Upper door 133 Lower door

Claims (4)

A replenishment receiving part, a first replacement product that is a replacement product that needs to be replaced, and an exchange unit that is a replacement product other than the first replacement product and that forms a toner image. In the image forming apparatus
As the working section, the supply part receiving part, the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the first replacement parts, and the attaching / detaching part for exchanging the image forming unit are distributed to the front surface and the side surface of the image forming apparatus. Arranged,
Among the working parts, a high-frequency work part with a relatively high work frequency of replenishment work or replacement work is arranged on the front surface, and a low-frequency work part with a relatively low work frequency is arranged on the side surface ,
On the side surface of the image forming apparatus, a first low-frequency work unit in which work is performed from the front position of the image forming apparatus by an operator, and the work frequency is lower than that of the first low-frequency work unit. A second infrequent working unit that performs work from the side position of the device is disposed,
A side opening / closing door that can be opened to a small opening position having a relatively small opening angle and a large opening position having a relatively large opening angle is formed on the side surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus.
The work on the first low-frequency work unit is performed by opening the side opening / closing door to the small opening position, and the work on the second low-frequency operation unit is opening the side opening / closing door to the large opening position. an image forming apparatus characterized in that it is made as to take place Te. The high-frequency work unit is a paper discharge unit for discharging printed paper and a paper supply unit for arranging printing paper,
The first low-frequency working unit is a toner cartridge mounting unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second low-frequency work unit is a mounting unit for an image forming unit. Wherein the side lower than the working frequency is the first low-frequency working portion, and the second low-frequency working unit higher than, the line work from the side position of the image forming apparatus by an operator of the image forming apparatus A third low-frequency work section is arranged,
The side opening / closing door can be opened to a middle opening position having an opening angle larger than the small opening position and smaller than the large opening position ,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work on the third low-frequency work unit is performed by opening the side opening / closing door to the middle opening position. The high-frequency work unit is a paper discharge unit for discharging printed paper and a paper supply unit for arranging printing paper,
The first low-frequency working unit is a toner cartridge mounting unit;
The second low-frequency working unit is a mounting unit of an image forming unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the third low-frequency work unit is a waste toner container mounting unit.