JPH0235314B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers, and particularly relates to an image forming apparatus that is integrated into a recording paper conveyance section and is detachably mounted on the main body of the machine. .

Conventionally, image forming apparatuses have been constructed so that a part of the machine body can be pulled out as a unit in order to facilitate operations such as inspecting the image forming apparatus, replacing the photoreceptor, or removing jammed recording paper. There is.

However, in general, in this type of image forming apparatus, the unit is pulled out parallel to the support shaft of the photosensitive drum, that is, perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper, so that jammed recording paper tends to get stuck on the photosensitive drum, etc. It was difficult to remove the copy paper, and there was also a risk of damaging the photosensitive drum.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and it forms an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier, develops this electrostatic latent image with toner in a developing device, and sends the image from the recording paper storage section. In an image forming apparatus that transfers a toner image onto a recording paper, fixes the transferred recording paper in a fixing device, and then discharges the recording paper outside the main body of the apparatus, a paper feeder with a recording paper storage section is used. The recording paper conveyance unit that ejects the fixed recording paper from the edge to the output edge is divided into a unit that includes the conveyance path from the paper feed end to the front of the fixing device, and a unit that includes the output edge. The unit is divided into parts, and each unit can be installed so that it can be pulled out in a direction away from the installation position toward the outside of the apparatus main body, parallel to the recording paper conveyance direction, to perform tasks such as removing jammed recording paper. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can be easily formed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electrophotographic copying machine will be described in detail below as an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

In the drawing, the upper part of the machine body 1 is provided with a transparent glass document table 2 on which a document is placed, and a document table cover 3 attached to the document table 2 so as to be openable and closable so as to press the document placed on the document table 2. It is being The image of the original placed on the original platen 2 is projected onto a photosensitive drum 5 as a photosensitive member by an exposure device 4. That is, the light source 6 of the exposure device 4 irradiates the surface of the document. Then, the document table 2 scans in left and right directions, and a light image from the document is formed on the photosensitive drum 5 through a short focus lens array 7 made of a focusing photoconductor in which a large number of rod-shaped lenses are closely arranged. . The photosensitive drum 5 is arranged approximately at the center of the machine body, and around the photosensitive drum 5 are a charging corotron 8, the short focus lens array 7, and a developing device that develops the electrostatic latent image into a visible image using toner. 9, a corotron for transfer 10, a corotron for separation 11, a corotron for charge removal 27 for removing residual charges, and a cleaning device 13 having a blade 12 for scraping off residual toner. On the other hand, copy paper 14 as recording paper is cut to a predetermined size and stored in a paper feed cassette 15. By rotating a paper feed roller 16 clockwise in the figure, the copies are fed one by one. be done. The fed copy paper 14 is sent to the lower part of the photosensitive drum 5 by a pair of register rollers 17 via a paper feed guide 18, and a toner image is transferred by a transfer corotron 10. After the transfer, the copy paper 14 is transferred to the photosensitive drum 5 sequentially from the leading edge by the separating corotron 11.
separated from A conveyor belt 20 has a vacuum unit 19 that sucks the copy paper 14.
Then, the image is sent to the fixing device 21. Fixing device 21
is a heating roller 22 with a built-in electric heater etc.
and a pressure roller 23, both rollers 2
The toner image on the copy paper 14 passing between 2 and 23 is melted and fixed. On the surface of the heating roller 22,
Application member 25 from silicone oil storage container 24
Silicone oil is applied to prevent offset.

After fixing, the copy paper 14 is discharged from the machine body 1 by a pair of paper discharge rollers 26.

In the above-described electrophotographic copying machine, the present invention divides the copy paper transport section from the paper feed end to the paper discharge end where the fixed copy paper is discharged, and separates each unit into two units. The paper feed cassette 15, paper feed roller 16, register roller 1
7. Unit A is a structure including a paper feed guide 18, a transfer corotron 10, a separation corotron 11, and a conveyor belt 20, and a unit B is a fixing section including a fixing device 21 and a paper discharge roller 26. The units A and B are each slidably mounted on a guide rail (not shown), and are configured to be movable in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

Therefore, in operations such as removing jammed copy paper 14, if the paper jam occurs before reaching the fixing section, unit A should be pulled out from its installation position to remove the jammed copy paper. 14
Just remove it. It is preferable that the unit A is configured so that it can be pulled out from the drawer opening 101 of the machine body 1 to a location that is lower than the drawer opening 101, for example, to the vicinity of the transfer section. This is because it is easy to reach the operator's hand through the drawer opening 101 and the operation can be performed more easily.

Furthermore, in the event that a paper jam occurs in the fixing section, it is sufficient to pull out the unit B from its mounting position toward the outside of the machine body 1 and remove the jammed copy paper. Although the above description has been made using an electronic copying machine as an example, the present invention is applicable to various other image forming apparatuses (e.g.
It can also be applied to LED printers, etc.).

As explained above, according to the present invention, the recording paper conveyance path from the paper feeding end to the paper ejection end is divided into two units, and each unit is configured to be able to be pulled out from the main body. This allows you to pull out either one of each unit, or both at the same time if necessary, so even if a paper jam occurs in any part of the recording paper transport path, there is no need to reach into the main body, making it easy to remove. Jam processing can be performed, and the risk of the operator's hand touching the photosensitive drum or damaging the photosensitive drum is completely eliminated. Since the transport path is divided into two units that can be pulled out in directions away from each other, there is no need to make the unit or main body as strong as when the entire transport path is pulled out as one unit, and the weight can be reduced. It can be reduced. Therefore, when pulling out each unit, jams can be easily removed without requiring much force. Furthermore, even when each unit is pulled out, the center of gravity of the device body does not move much, resulting in excellent stability. One of the two units includes the recording paper conveyance path from the paper feed section to the fixing device, and the other includes the fixing device and paper ejection section. If a jam occurs, it is only necessary to pull out that unit out of the two, so not only does the operator not have to worry about the heat generated by the fixing device, but also the fixing device and the conveyance leading to the fixing device can be easily removed. Since the path is divided, the heat generated by the fixing device is transmitted to other parts, and other parts are hardly affected by the heat. When inspection and maintenance are required, only one unit needs to be pulled out, making the work quick and easy. In addition, block design of the recording paper conveyance path becomes possible.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to electrophotographic copying machines but also to printers and the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a schematic sectional view and FIG. 2 being a schematic sectional view showing the unit in a pulled out state. A, B...unit, 1...body, 5...photosensitive drum photoreceptor, 10...corotron for transfer, 11...corotron for separation, 14...copy paper (recording paper), 15...paper feed cassette, 16...paper feed roller, 17...Register roller, 20...Transport belt, 21...Fixing device, 2
2...heating roller, 23...pressing roller, 26...discharging roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An image carrier, a charging device that applies a charge uniformly to the image carrier, an optical device that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image that is applied to toner. a developing device that develops the image, a paper feeding device that transfers the recording paper to the transfer section of the image carrier, a transfer device that transfers the toner image on the image carrier to the recording paper, and a recording paper that transfers the toner image to the recording paper. An image forming apparatus including a conveyance device that transports the toner image to a fixing section, a fixing device that fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording paper, and a cleaning device that removes residual toner on the image carrier, wherein the paper feeding device and the transfer device , the conveyance device, and the fixing device constitute a recording paper conveyance path, and the recording paper conveyance path is divided into a unit including the paper feeding device, the transfer device, and the conveyance device, and a unit including the fixing device. Move the unit in the direction away from its mounting position toward the outside of the device body.
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the image forming apparatus is mounted so that it can be pulled out in parallel to the conveying direction of recording paper.