JPH0623873B2 - Copying unit attachment / detachment mechanism in copying machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a copy processing unit attachment / detachment mechanism in a copying machine. More specifically, the transfer charger is copied in the main body of the copying machine prior to pulling out the copy processing unit. The present invention relates to a copy processing unit attachment / detachment mechanism that causes the copy processing unit to be detached from the periphery of the processing unit and then to be attached / detached.

<Background and Prior Art> As a typical structure of an electrostatic copying machine, a rotating drum that normally rotates in one direction for each copying operation is provided at the center of the copying machine body. In this structure, a charging charger, an exposure member, a developing device, a transfer charger, a separation charger, and a cleaner are sequentially arranged around the drum. Among these components, the photoconductor drum and the developing device each include consumables having a constant life, so that they must be replaced sequentially in order to maintain a constant copy quality. Further, in order to deal with a paper jam, it is necessary to remove the jammed paper by pushing a hand or the like into the copy paper feeding unit.

In order to satisfy such a requirement, conventionally, the main body of the copying machine is divided into upper and lower parts, one of the upper half parts is pivotally supported, the other is separated from the lower half part, and the copying machine conveyance path is divided. Each of the above components can be removed,
In some cases, the rotating drum, the developing device, the cleaner and the like can be integrally pulled out from the main body of the copying machine.

Of the former, one of the upper half of the copying machine main body is pivotally supported and the other is separated from the lower half of the copying machine, and each component is removed by dividing the copying machine conveyance path. It has an advantage that it can be easily performed, and also has an advantage that the jammed paper can be easily removed even when a paper jam occurs, but in order to perform accurate positioning between the rotating drum and the developing device. Requires a considerably complicated work, and especially in a large electrostatic copying machine, one of the upper half parts is pivotally supported, and the other is separated from the lower half part, so that a great amount of work is required to divide the copy paper conveyance path. This requires labor and makes it difficult to replace each component.

On the other hand, with regard to the latter, there is no defect associated with the work of dividing one side of the copying paper conveyance path by pivoting one of the upper half and separating the other from the lower half. It can be applied for use.

In the latter case, the toner collection container, which has a close relationship with the cleaner, is also attached / detached to the copy processing unit, and the toner collection container is removed from the copy processing unit, and then only the copy processing unit is attached / detached. A method can be considered.

If one of these methods is used, a considerably large part including the toner recovery container will be attached and detached as a unit, and especially for large-sized machines and high-speed machines where the toner collection container has a large capacity, the size of the detached part will increase significantly. Therefore, it is not preferable.
In the case of the method, it is possible to remove the toner recovery container from the copy processing unit, then retract the transfer charger and the separation charger from the copy processing unit, and then attach and detach the copy processing unit for the first time. Is complicated, and if the copying processing unit is installed carelessly while forgetting to attach the toner collecting container, the collected toner may fall into the main body of the copying machine and contaminate the internal mechanism, which is not preferable. .

<Purpose> The present invention has been made in view of the above problems,
An object of the present invention is to provide a copy processing unit attachment / detachment mechanism that allows the toner recovery container to be retracted in conjunction with the retracting operation of a transfer charger or the like, thereby achieving downsizing of the copy processing unit to be attached / detached and simplification of the detachment / attachment operation. .

<Structure> In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the copy processing section attaching / detaching mechanism in the copying machine of the present invention has an opening of a predetermined shape formed in the front surface of the copying machine body, and the opening is formed in the front surface of the copying machine body. A copying machine, in which a front lid that closes the cover is attached so as to be openable and closable, and the front lid is opened so that at least a part of the copying processing section including the photoconductor can be pulled out from the opening. It is provided in front of the switch so that it can be switched between a position that prevents the copy processing unit from being pulled out and a position that allows the copy processing unit to be pulled out. A transfer release lever is provided for retracting the transfer charger from the photoconductor of the copy processing section in the main body of the copying machine when switching to the possible position.

In the copy processing unit attachment / detachment mechanism of the above copying machine, the toner recovery container is housed in a casing which is arranged on the downstream side of the copy processing unit and is movable in a direction intersecting the drawing direction of the copy processing unit. In this case, following the switching operation of the transport release lever to the draw-out position of the copy processing unit, the casing is retracted from the copy processing unit, and the transport release lever is moved to the pull-out prevention position of the copy processing unit. It is preferable to provide a moving means for following the switching operation and returning the casing from the retracted position to the original position close to the copy processing section.

Further, the copy processing unit attaching / detaching mechanism in the above copying machine is provided with a restricting means that allows the front cover to be closed only when the toner recovery container is stored in the casing and the casing is returned to the original position. Is preferred.

<Example> Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view clearly showing the internal mechanism of the electrostatic copying machine. Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a copying machine main body, and an original placing table 11 having an original pressing plate is provided on the upper surface thereof. Two cassettes 12 and 13 for paper feeding are detachably attached to the lower portion of the right side surface of the main body 1. Further, at a predetermined position on the left side surface of the main body 1, there is provided a tray 14 for supporting the copy paper P which has been copied.

By providing a partition plate 15 at a predetermined position inside the copying machine main body 1, it is partitioned into an upper chamber 16 and a lower chamber 17. In the upper chamber 16, the reciprocating optical part 2 is provided.
The lower chamber 17 is provided with a copy processing section 4 and a copy paper transport section 3.

The optical unit 2 includes a light source 21, a first reflecting mirror 22 having a curved reflecting surface, a second reflecting mirror 23, a third reflecting mirror 24, and a fourth reflecting mirror.
The reflecting mirror 25, a condenser 26 including a lens and the like, and a fifth reflecting mirror 27. Among these, the light source 21, the first reflecting mirror 22, and the second reflecting mirror 23 reciprocate once for each copying operation, whereby the original document on the original document table 11 can be sequentially scanned and exposed. Further, the reflected light from the original moves along with the movement of the light source 21, the first reflecting mirror 22 and the second reflecting mirror 23, and the third reflecting mirror 24, the fourth reflecting mirror 25, the condenser 26, Fifth reflecting mirror 27 and partition plate 1
The surface of the photosensitive drum 41, which will be described later, is irradiated with the light through a slit 28 formed at a predetermined position of 5.

The copy paper transport unit 3 copies the copy paper P from the registration rollers 34 and the paper feed rollers 31 and 32 that take out one copy paper P from the respective cassettes 12 and 13 and feed it to the registration rollers 33 and 34. Paper feed roller 35 that feeds the processing unit 4
A belt 36 for conveying the copy paper P separated from the copy processing unit 4, a heat fixing roller 37 for heating and fixing the toner image on the copy paper P, and a tray 1 for receiving the copy paper P after heating and fixing.
4 and a discharge roller 38 that sends the sheet toward the position 4. Then, the copy paper transport unit 3 includes the paper feed rollers 31, 3.
The desired cassette 1 by selectively driving 2
One copy sheet P in 2 or 13 can be delivered.

The copy processing section 4 is provided with a photosensitive drum 41. The photoconductor drum 41 is provided at the substantially central portion of the lower chamber 17,
It is provided so as to rotate in the direction of arrow A1 in the figure for each copy operation. Around the photosensitive drum 41, a charging charger 42, a developing device 43, a transfer charger 44, a separation charger 45, and a cleaner 46 are sequentially arranged along the rotation direction of the drum 41.

The photoconductor layer of the photoconductor drum 41 is uniformly charged by the charging charger 42. After that, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the original is formed on the photoconductor layer of the photoconductor drum 41 by the light emitted through the slit 28. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by attracting toner by the developing device 43. Then, by the transfer charger 44,
The toner image is transferred to the copy paper P fed from the conveying roller 35, and the copy charger P separates the copy paper P from the photosensitive drum 41. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 41 is scraped off by the cleaner 46. The residual toner scraped by the cleaner 46 is transferred by the conveyor 47, guided to the front side of the copying machine main body 1, dropped into the toner collecting container 48, and collected.

Reference numeral 5 in the figure denotes a support frame mounted in the lower chamber 17 of the copying machine main body 1 so as to be drawn out through a vertical front plate 18 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The support frame 5 holds and supports the photoconductor drum 41, the developing device 43, and the cleaner 46 at accurate relative positions.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the front lid is opened, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the copy processing section is pulled out. With reference to these drawings, an opening 55 having the same shape as that of the support frame 5 is formed in the vertical front plate 18 of the copying machine main body 1. A front lid 19 that closes the opening 55 is attached to the vertical front plate 18 of the copying machine main body 1 so as to be opened and closed.

The support frame 5 has a front support wall 51 and a rear support wall 52, and is formed by connecting both support walls 51, 52 with horizontal members 53, 53. The support frame 5 can be pulled out and attached to the copying machine main body 1 by slidably engaging the horizontal members 53, 53 with the guide rails 54, 54. That is, the support frame body 5 is pulled out from the opening 55 by opening the front lid 19. On the other hand, when the support frame 5 is mounted on the copying machine main body 1, it is pushed into the opening 55 to a position where the front support wall 51 and the vertical front plate 18 are flush with each other.

The guide rails 54, 54 are provided in the lower chamber 1 of the copying machine body 1.
It is slidably engaged with a guide rail (not shown) mounted in the guide 7. Further, reference numeral 56 in the drawing denotes a grip portion provided on the front support wall 51.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a main part, showing a state in which the transfer charger, the separation charger and the toner collecting container are not retracted, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the same state in which they are retracted. A mechanism for retracting the toner collecting container 48 in conjunction with the retracting operations of the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

As is apparent from the drawing, the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 45 are integrated with each other, and are detachably attached to the transfer guide base 61. The transfer guide base 61 is attached rotatably around a predetermined position of the copying machine body 1. The lower end edge of the transfer guide base 61 is engaged with a roller 63 of a conveyance release lever 62 that rotates around a predetermined position of the copying machine body 1. As a result, the transport release lever 62 can be switched between a position (see FIG. 4) that prevents the copy processing unit 4 from being pulled out and a position (see FIG. 5) that allows the copy processing unit 4 to be pulled out. ing.

When the conveyance release lever 62 is rotated in the A2 direction from the pull-out preventing position of the copy processing unit 4 shown in FIG. 4 to switch to the pull-out possible position of the copy processing unit, the transfer guide follows the rotation operation of the lever 62. The base 61 rotates downward, and the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 45 retract from the photosensitive drum 41 (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, the conveyance release lever 62
When the pull-out position of the copy processing unit 4 shown in FIG. 5 is switched to the pull-out blocking position of the copy processing unit 4, the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 4 follow the rotation operation of the lever 62.
5 approaches the photosensitive drum 41 (see FIG. 4).

As described above, when the front lid 19 is opened and the copy processing unit 4 is detached, the transport release lever 62 is switched from the pull-out blocking position of the copy processing unit 4 to the pull-out possible position of the copy processing unit 4, and the transfer charger 44, The separation charger 45 is attached to the photosensitive drum 4
The copy processing unit 4 cannot be pulled out until the copy processing unit 4 is retracted from 1. Therefore, the detaching operation when detaching the copy processing unit 4 from the copying machine main body 1 is simplified, and the photosensitive drum 41 is pulled out when the copy processing unit 4 is pulled out.
Will not hurt.

Further, the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 45 are retracted from the photoconductor drum 41 by switching the transport release lever 62 prior to the pulling out of the copy processing unit 4, so that they are detached from the copying machine main body 1. Copy processing unit 4
Can be miniaturized.

By the way, to the left of the conveyance release lever 62, the support base plate 6
4 is arranged, and a casing 65 for housing the toner collecting container 48 is provided on the support base plate 61.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting structure of the casing. Referring to the figure, the long hole 6 is provided on the upper surface of the support base plate 64.
7 and 67 are formed, and pins 66 and 66 hanging from the casing 65 are engaged with the long holes 67 and 67. A return spring 69 is interposed between one pin 66 on the casing 65 side and a fixed pin 68 provided at a predetermined position of the copying machine main body 1. With this spring 69,
The casing 65 is constantly urged toward the transport lever 62. Further, the back plate 70 of the casing 65 is formed with an arcuate portion 70 ′ that engages with a roller 71 provided at the tip of the transport release lever 62.

Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 5, the conveyance release lever 6
When 2 is rotated in the direction of arrow A2, the roller 71 of the lever 62 and the arcuate portion 70 'of the casing 65 are engaged with each other, and the casing 63 together with the toner collecting container 48 resists the urging force of the spring 69 and the arrow A3. Move in the direction. On the other hand, when the conveyance release lever 62 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow A2 direction, the engagement between the roller 71 of the lever 62 and the arcuate portion 70 'of the casing 65 is released, and the biasing force of the spring 69 causes the toner recovery container to be released. With 48, the casing 63 returns to the original position.

In this way, by rotating the transport release lever 62 in the direction of arrow A2, the transfer charger 44 and the separation charger 45 are retracted, and at the same time, the casing 65 together with the toner collection container 48 is moved in the direction of arrow A3. As a result, the front portion corresponding to the copy paper transport path can be opened to a large extent, and when a paper jam occurs, it is possible to easily remove the paper jam by putting a hand through this opening.

7 and 8 are views showing the relationship between the front lid and the conveyor. FIG. 7 shows the toner collecting container set state, and FIG. 8 shows the toner collecting container non-set state.
First, referring to FIG. 7, the conveyor 47 is provided with a screw conveyor 46c. The screw conveyor 46c is built in a cylindrical portion 46b formed so as to project from the casing 46a of the cleaner 46. An opening 46d for dropping the toner is formed on the lower surface of the tip of the tubular portion 46b, and a sheath tube 46e for opening and closing the opening 46d is slidable in the axial direction by a predetermined distance. Is fitted on.

Further, the sheath 46e is always opened 46d by the spring 46f.
Is urged in the direction to close the.

On the other hand, on the rear surface of the front lid 19, when closing the front lid 19,
A rearward-facing projection 19a is provided which presses the sheath cylinder 46e in a direction of opening the toner dropping opening 46d.

When the front lid 19 is opened, the sheath cylinder 46e of the protrusion 19a of the front lid 19 is opened.
Is released, and the urging force of the spring 46f causes
As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 7, the sheath cylinder 46e is pushed forward to close the opening 46d for dropping the toner. On the other hand, when the front lid 19 is closed, the sheath cylinder 46e causes the projection 19a of the front lid 19 to move.
Is pushed rearward to open the toner drop opening 46d.

In this way, in order to attach and detach the copy processing unit 4, the front lid 19
When opened, the toner is automatically prevented from falling. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
By rotating in two directions, the transfer charger 44,
Even if the separation charger 45 is retracted downward from the photoconductor drum 41 and at the same time the casing 65 is slid together with the toner collection container 48 in the direction of arrow A3, there is no risk of the toner falling, and the copy processing unit 4 can be simply and easily operated. Desorption can be performed.

Further, in this embodiment, when the casing 65 is not returned or the toner recovery container 68 is not stored in the casing 65, the front cover 19 is prevented from being closed so that the toner is recovered. It is designed so as not to fall to a place other than the container 48.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a perforated plate 65a is bent outward from the front end edge of the casing 65. On the other hand, at a predetermined position on the rear surface of the front lid 19, as shown in FIG. 8, an engaging plate 19b engageable with the perforated plate 65a of the casing is formed so as to project rearward. Then, when the casing 65 is returned by the spring 69 (see FIG. 6), the engagement plate 19b of the front lid 19 engages with the hole 65b of the perforated plate 65a of the casing 65 to close the front lid 19. It is possible to cover.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, on the front surface of the support base plate 64,
In the returned state of the casing 65, the perforated plate 65
A stopper 65c capable of covering the front of the hole 65b of a is attached so as to be rotatable around a shaft 65d. The stopper 65c is constantly urged by a spring 65e in a direction to cover the hole 65b of the perforated plate 65a. Further, the stopper 65c is provided with a detector 65f that rotates together with the stopper 65c and detects that the toner recovery container 48 is stored in the casing 65.
The detection portion 65f is formed so as to be able to project upward through a through hole 65g provided in the bottom plate of the casing 65.

When the toner collecting container 48 is stored in the casing 65, the detecting portion 65f is pushed by the bottom surface of the toner collecting container 48, and the stopper 65e rotates downward. As a result, the hole 65b of the perforated plate 65a of the casing 65 is exposed.
Then, after rotating the conveyance release lever 62 from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. 4, the front lid 19 is closed. At this time, if the casing 65 is completely returned to the original position, the engaging plate 19b of the front lid 19 engages with the hole 65b of the perforated plate 65a of the casing 65, so that the front lid 19 can be closed. Becomes On the other hand, the toner collecting container 48 is the casing 6
When the conveyance release lever 62 is switched and the front lid 19 is closed in a state where the casing 65 is not stored in the inside 5, the hole 65b of the perforated plate 65a is covered by the stopper 65e even if the casing 65 is returned to the original position. Therefore, the engagement plate 19b of the front lid 19 contacts the stopper 65, and the closing of the front lid 19 is blocked. Further, the toner collecting container 4 is provided in the casing 65.
8 is stored but the casing 65 is not completely returned to the original position, the engaging plate 19b of the front lid 19
Comes into contact with the toner collecting container 48, so that the front lid 19 cannot be closed.

As described above, only when the toner collecting container 48 is stored in the casing 65, the casing 65 is completely returned to the original position, and the toner collecting container 48 is located below the toner dropping opening 46d, Since the lid 19 can be closed, the toner can be reliably dropped into the toner collecting container 48 when the front lid 19 is closed. Therefore, the copying machine main body 1
It is possible to reliably prevent the inside of the vehicle from being contaminated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example, the casing 65 has a size that does not prevent the detaching operation of the copy processing unit 4, and the toner recovery container 48 and the roller of the conveyance release lever 62 are rollers. 71 can be directly engaged, and the original placing table 11 can be moved instead of moving the optical part 2 to perform scanning exposure, and otherwise the gist of the present invention is not changed. Various design changes can be made within the range.

<Effect> As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the detaching operation of the copy processing unit can be simplified, and inspection, maintenance, jam processing, toner replenishment and the like can be easily performed, and the toner recovery container is removed. Since the attachment / detachment operation is performed in this state, the copy processing section to be attached / detached has a unique effect such as being compact.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view clearly showing the internal mechanism of the electrostatic copying machine, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a front lid is opened, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a copy processing section is pulled out. FIG. 4 is a front view of a main part, showing a state in which the transfer charger and the toner recovery container are not retracted, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the same retracted state, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a casing mounting structure. Figure,
7 and 8 are views showing the relationship between the front lid and the conveyor. FIG. 7 shows the toner collecting container set state, and FIG. 8 shows the toner collecting container non-set state. (41) ... photosensitive drum as a photoconductor, (44) ... transfer charger, (48) ... toner collection container, (62) ... transport release lever, (65) ... casing.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP 56-121053 (JP, A) JP 56-155952 (JP, A) JP 58-31367 (JP, A) JP 55- 105274 (JP, A) Actual opening Sho 58-126460 (JP, U) Actual opening Sho 56-88243 (JP, U) Actual opening Sho 54-38048 (JP, U)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An opening having a predetermined shape is opened on the front surface of the copying machine body, and a front lid for closing the opening is attached to the front surface of the copying machine body so as to be openable and closable. In a copying machine configured such that at least a part of the copy processing unit including the photoconductor can be pulled out from the opening, a position for preventing the copy processing unit from being pulled out and a position where the copy processing unit is pulled out in front of the copy processing unit. The transfer charger is provided in the copying machine main body when the copy processing unit is switched to the withdrawable position prior to the copy processing unit being pulled out. A copy processing section attaching / detaching mechanism in a copying machine, which is provided with a conveyance release lever for retracting from the photoconductor. 2. A toner recovery container is housed in a casing which is arranged on the downstream side of the copy processing section and is movable in a direction intersecting the drawing direction of the copy processing section. Following the switching operation of the copy processing unit to the draw-out position, the casing is retracted from the copy processing unit, and the casing is tracked according to the transfer release lever switching operation to the draw-out blocking position of the copy processing unit. The copy processing part attaching / detaching mechanism in the copying machine according to claim 1, further comprising a moving means for returning the above-mentioned retreat position to the original position close to the copy processing part. 3. Only when the toner collecting container is stored in the casing and the casing is returned to its original position,
The copy processing unit attaching / detaching mechanism in the copying machine according to claim 2, further comprising a restricting unit that allows the front cover to be closed.