JP2002365864A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make constantly continue a buffer effect by a buffer material. SOLUTION: When an internal cover 32 is closed, this internal cover 32 is held in the state that the buffer material 45 and the abutting position (or the other end of the internal cover 32) of a main body come into contact or in the state that a spacing is opened. The holding of the internal cover 32 is effected by an arm 40 energized to be turned by a torsion spring 41.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure of an opening / closing body provided to be capable of opening and closing with respect to a main body of an image recording apparatus such as a laser printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a laser printer is disposed inside a multifunction machine, whether it forms part of a multifunction machine or is used alone, and has a developing device and a photosensitive device. A process unit with a body is provided.
The process unit is detachable upward when toner is consumed or when a paper jam occurs in a paper transport path disposed below the process unit. In the above-described apparatus, it is necessary to open the upper part of the process unit in order to make the process unit detachable, and the laser scanner unit has to be arranged near the fixing device.

However, in the case where the fixing device is disposed near the fixing device, the mirror and lens inside the laser scanner unit may be deformed due to the heat generated from the fixing device. Then, there is a problem that a stable print image cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a configuration in which a laser scanner unit is attached to an exterior cover that opens and closes, as a configuration that is separated from the fixing device.

In the configuration in which the laser scanner unit is attached to the openable and closable outer cover, the laser scanner unit and the process unit must always be in the same positional relationship. The outer cover is fixed to the main body of the apparatus by a lock mechanism. Thus, the laser scanner unit and the process unit are positioned. Further, if the outer cover supporting the laser scanner unit is inadvertently closed vigorously, the impact is transmitted to the laser scanner unit, and the mirror of the laser scanner unit is displaced. Then, the reflected beam from the mirror toward the photosensitive member shifts. As a result, the image recorded on the recording paper is also affected. Therefore, on the lower surface of the end opposite to the rotation axis of the outer cover, or on the upper surface of the outer frame of the device main body with which the end of the outer cover abuts,
A cushioning material is attached to absorb and reduce the impact of opening and closing the exterior cover.

[0005]

However, when the outer cover is closed and locked, the cushioning material is pressed by the outer cover and the outer frame of the apparatus main body. The cushioning material is plastically deformed, and permanent deformation occurs, so that the cushioning material becomes thinner than the original thickness.
That is, the cushioning material is deformed into a compressed state, its hardness increases, and the cushioning effect of the cushioning material decreases. Further, when the cushioning material is compressed, the outer cover may come into direct contact with the outer frame of the apparatus body when the outer cover is closed. In this case, the cushioning effect of the cushioning material can no longer be expected, and the shock when opening and closing the outer cover is directly transmitted to the laser scanner unit. Then, in view of this point, it is an object of the present invention to constantly maintain the buffering effect of the buffer material.

[0006]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described. That is, as described in claim 1, in an image recording apparatus provided with a laser optical system in an openable and closable body that can be opened and closed with one end of the apparatus body as a fulcrum, a buffer material is provided at the other end of the openable and closable body. At the time of closing, the cushioning member is held in contact with the cushioning member or with a gap therebetween.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an urging member for urging the opening / closing body in the opening direction is provided on the rotation shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the opening / closing body is cushioned by the urging member. And the main body are held in an abutting state or a state where a gap is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image recording apparatus having a laser optical system in an opening / closing body which can be opened and closed with one end of the apparatus main body as a fulcrum. The opening / closing body is held in a state of being in contact with the cushioning material when closed, or in a state of leaving a gap.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an urging member for urging the opening / closing body in an opening direction is provided on the rotation shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the cushioning material and the opening / closing body are separated by the urging member. Contact state,
Alternatively, it is configured to be held with a gap.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to a facsimile machine 1. FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the facsimile apparatus 1, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the facsimile apparatus 1 showing an outer cover 7 in an open state,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the facsimile machine 1 showing the open state of the outer cover 7 and the inner cover 32, FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing the facsimile machine 1, and FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the process unit 13 and the inner cover 32. 6 is a plan view showing the inner cover 32. FIG. In the following description,
The direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1 is defined as the front (front side) of the facsimile machine 1 and the front / rear and left / right positions of each structure will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a main body of the facsimile machine 1 is mounted and fixed on a paper feeding device 5, and an image reading device 3 and an image recording device 4 are vertically arranged in the main body. ing. In this embodiment, a laser printer is employed as the image recording device 4, and details thereof will be described later.

An automatic document feeder (hereinafter, "ADF") 2 is attached above the image reading device 3, and an outer cover 7 is provided on the right side of the ADF 2 so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body of the facsimile device 1. Have been. The upper surface of the outer cover 7 is used as a document discharge tray 10 and the discharge tray 1
A paper feed tray 9 is provided on the top of the paper tray 0. Then, the originals set on the paper feed tray 9 are separated one by one and
F2 is taken into the inside, and the image is
The image is read by the CD and discharged to the discharge tray 10.

[0013] The read image is converted into a digital signal (image information) and transmitted to the other side via a telephone line. The image information received from the other party is processed by the image recording device 4 and is transferred to a sheet taken in from the sheet feeding device 5. Alternatively, the image read by the image reading device 3 can be directly transferred to a sheet by the image recording device 4 without transmission (a so-called copy function).

Next, the image recording apparatus 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, a process unit 13 is disposed above the sheet cassette 11. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the process unit 13 is configured by combining a developing unit 14 and a photoconductor unit 15.

The photosensitive unit 15 includes a photosensitive drum 16 for transferring toner in contact with a sheet, and a photosensitive drum 16.
And a charger 18 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 16 to a positive potential. Further, the photoconductor unit 15 is urged downward (toward the sheet feeding path) by a pressing member provided on the inner cover 32, is prevented from dropping downward by a stopper (not shown), and is fixed and held at the operating position. I have to.

The developing unit 14 includes a toner chamber 19 for storing toner, a developing roller 20 for supplying toner to the photosensitive drum 16, and a supply roller 21 for supplying toner to the developing roller 20. Then, in the process unit 13, toner is attached to an electrostatic latent image (described later) on the photosensitive drum 16 to form a toner image, and a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device 5 to the image recording device 4 is printed. The toner images are sequentially transferred.

A fixing unit 22 is provided to the left of the process unit 13 (downstream in the sheet feeding direction). The fixing unit 22 includes a heating roller 23 and a pressing roller 24 arranged to face the heating roller 23. Then, the fed paper is pressed toward the heating roller 23 by the pressing roller 24, and the toner transferred onto the paper in the process unit 13 is heated by the heating roller 2.
3 to fix by heating and melting.

Above the process unit 13, as shown in FIG. 4, a laser scanner unit 25 is supported and fixed on an inner cover 32 which is a fixed position.
The laser scanner unit 25 includes the image reading device 3.
The image information (in the case of using the facsimile function) or the received image information (in the case of using the facsimile function) is converted into a laser beam and emitted toward the photosensitive drum 16, and 16, an electrostatic latent image is formed.

As described above, the fixing unit 22 is disposed on the left side of the process unit 13 so that the laser scanner unit 25 and the fixing unit 22 have a layout separated from each other. This is to prevent the heat generated in the fixing unit 22 from being transmitted to the laser scanner unit 25 as much as possible in order to prevent the performance of the laser scanner unit 25 from being deteriorated by the influence of heat.

Next, the inner cover 32 for supporting and fixing the laser scanner unit 25 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the internal cover 32 is configured to be openable and closable with respect to the main body of the facsimile apparatus 1, and a rotation fulcrum shaft 33 is provided at the left end of the internal cover 32. It is pivoted at. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the inner cover 32 is rotated upward, the upper part of the process unit 13 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 3, a cushioning material 45 is attached to the upper surface of the outer frame on the side of the apparatus main body which forms the open space. As shown in FIG. 5, the cushioning member 45 is located at a position where the tip (right end) of the cushioning member 45 comes into contact when the inner cover 32 is closed. The impact on the laser scanner unit 25 is reduced. Note that the cushioning member 45 may be attached to the front end side of the upper surface of the inner cover 32 instead of the apparatus body side. In this case, the lower surface of the cushioning member 45 comes into contact with the corresponding position (contact position) of the main body, so that the cushioning effect is performed.

Further, a cushioning material 46 is also attached to the lower surface of the inner cover 32, and the collision between the lower surface of the inner cover 32 and the upper surface of the process unit 13 is reduced by the cushioning material 46.
The impact on the laser scanner unit 25 is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 5, lock levers 34 are provided at the front and rear end portions of the inner cover 32, and the lock levers 34 are engaged with the engagement projections 37 on the apparatus body side. Then, the internal cover 32 is locked.

The lock lever 34 is formed in a hook shape, has a hook portion 34b at a lower portion thereof, and has a lower end formed on an inclined surface 34c. And the front and rear lock levers 3
The upper and lower centers of the pivots 4 and 34 are connected by a rotation fulcrum shaft 35, and the rotation fulcrum shaft 35 is pivotally supported at the tip of the inner cover 32. In this way, the front and rear lock levers 34 are integrally rotated so as to rotate together, and the main body of the torsion spring 36 is fitted into the distal end of the rotation fulcrum shaft 35 so that one of the distal ends of the torsion spring 36 Is the lock lever 34
And the other is attached to the front (or rear) surface of the inner cover 32 and normally holds the lock lever 34 in a vertical position. On the other hand, on the inner surface of the apparatus main body forming an open space above the process unit 13, engagement projections 37, which engage the hooks 34b of the lock lever 34, are protruded.

With this configuration, when closing the inner cover 32, first, the inclined surface 34 c of the lock lever 34 is guided by the engagement projection 37 while the lock lever 34 is closed.
Rotates counterclockwise in the front view shown in FIG. Further, when the lock lever 34 is pushed down, the hook 34b is engaged with the engagement convex portion 37. At this time, the lock lever 34 rotates clockwise by the restoring force of the torsion spring 36, and returns to the original vertical position. Held in state. Thus, the inner cover 32 is locked in the closed state.

To release the locked state, push the handle 34a on the upper part of the lock lever 34 to the left, rotate the lock lever 34 in the counterclockwise direction,
The internal cover 32 may be pulled up while releasing the engagement between the b and the engagement convex portion 37.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, damper housings 38, 38 formed by bending a plate-like member into a "convex" shape are attached to the front and rear ends of the upper surface of the inner cover. The support shaft 39 is loosely inserted into the housing 38 with the axial direction being the front-back direction.

The arm 4 is attached to the outer end of the support shaft 39.
0, and a torsion spring 41 as an urging member is externally fitted to the support shaft 39. One end of the torsion spring 41 is connected to the damper housing 38.
In addition, the other ends are respectively locked to the arms 40,
The torsion spring 41 causes the arm 40 to pivot downward (the tip of the arm 40 is
(In the direction away from the bottom of the bottom).

On the upper surface of the outer frame of the apparatus body outside the damper housings 38, left and right horizontal guide surfaces 42 are formed to extend forward and backward. At the tip (right end) of the arm 40, a columnar member 40a whose axial direction is the front-back direction is integrally formed.
“a” presses the guide surface 42 under the bias of the torsion spring 41.

Accordingly, when the lock lever 34 is released from the state where the inner cover 32 is locked and closed, the inner cover 32 becomes free to rotate, and the torsion spring 41 is released.
The cylindrical member 40a of the arm 40, which has pressed the guide surface 42 by the urging, slides leftward along the guide surface 42, and the arm 40 rotates clockwise in the side view of FIG. As a result of the arm 40 trying to stand while pressing the guide surface 42, the inner cover 32 is slightly lifted.

As described above, when the lock lever 34 is released, the inner cover 32 is in a half-open state, so that the user can easily grasp the front end (right end) of the inner cover 32, and the opening operation thereafter becomes easy. .

When the inner cover 32 is vigorously closed from the fully opened state, the cylindrical member 40a is
The arm 40 pivots in the counterclockwise direction by sliding to the left along, and the torsion spring 41 opposes the rotation of the arm 40, that is, the arm 40 is urged downward by the torsion spring 41. Arm 40 has a guide surface 42 to reduce the closing moment of the inner cover 32.
Press down.

As a result, the rotational bias of the arm 40 by the torsion spring 41 increases as the opening angle of the inner cover 32 decreases, and the closing force (falling speed) of the inner cover 32 is attenuated. 32 is gently closed. Even if the inner cover 32 collides with the apparatus main body due to excessive momentum, the shock is absorbed by the cushioning members 45 and 46. As described above, since the laser scanner unit 25 attached to the inner cover 32 is a precision instrument, measures are taken to mitigate the impact twice.

When the inner cover 32 is closed and locked, the cylindrical member 40a of the arm 40 presses the guide surface 42 by the urging of the torsion spring 41.
A force to lift the inner cover 32 in the opening direction acts on the inner cover 32 so that the lock lever 34 is within a range of a slight vertical play with respect to the engaging protrusion 37 provided on the hook 34b of the lock lever 34. Rises, and the engaging projection 37
However, the inner cover 32 is stopped in a state where the inner cover 32 is in contact with the lower edge of the hook 34b.

In the state of the inner cover 32, the cushioning material 45 is formed so that the tip of the inner cover 32 and the cushioning material 45 of the outer frame of the apparatus main body are in light contact with each other, or a gap is provided therebetween. Have been. In this specification, “contacting” the cushioning material means a state where the cushioning material 45 is touched but not applied with enough force to deform the cushioning material 45.

Further, the inner cover 32 which is locked and closed
The outer cover 7 is closed from above. At this time, the outer cover 7 presses the inner cover 32, and the pressing causes the inner cover 32 to move within the range of play of the hook portion 34b of the lock lever 34 against the engaging convex portion 37. The cover 32 is slightly displaced, whereby the final positioning of the laser scanner unit 25 and the process unit 13 is performed. Even in this state, the tip of the inner cover 32 and the cushioning material 45 of the outer frame of the apparatus main body are in a state of light contact or a state where a gap is provided.

The above is the description of the cushioning member 45 according to the present embodiment. To summarize, first, the cushioning material 45 is
When the inner cover 32 is closed tightly, the collision between the inner cover 32 and the apparatus main body is reduced, and the impact on the laser scanner unit 25 is reduced. Also, in order to maintain this effect, even when the inner cover 32 and the outer cover 7 are closed, the inner cover 32 is urged in the opening direction by the arm 40 which is rotationally urged by the torsion spring 41. The tip of the inner cover 32 and the cushioning material 45 of the outer frame of the apparatus main body are held in a state of light contact with each other or with a gap therebetween.

This latter is based on the following reasons.
Conventionally, the inner cover 32 is closed and the lock lever 3 is closed.
At the time of locking with 4, the cushioning material 45 was pressed by the inner cover 32 and the outer frame of the apparatus main body. If this pressing is continued for a long time, the cushioning material 45 is plastically deformed, and permanent deformation occurs, and the thickness is smaller than the original thickness. The cushioning effect of the cushioning material 45 was reduced because the hardness of the cushioning material 45 thus compressed increased. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the configuration is as described above, whereby
Even when the inner cover 34 is closed, the cushioning material 45 is not continuously pressed, so that the cushioning material 45 is not plastically deformed, and the cushioning effect of the cushioning material 45 can be constantly maintained.

[0039]

As described above, the present invention has the following advantages. First, as in claim 1,
In an image recording apparatus provided with a laser optical system on an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with one end serving as a fulcrum in the apparatus body, a buffer material is provided at the other end of the opening / closing body. The impact of the opening / closing member on the laser optical system is reduced by the material. In addition, the opening / closing body is configured to be in contact with the cushioning material when closed or to be held in a state where a gap is provided, so that the cushioning material is not continuously pressed by the opening / closing body and the apparatus main body, so that the plastic body is plastic. There is no permanent deformation due to deformation, and the buffer effect of the buffer material can be constantly maintained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a biasing member for biasing the opening / closing body in the opening direction is provided on the rotation shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the biasing member buffers the opening / closing body. The cushioning material is not pressed continuously by the opening and closing body and the device main body by the configuration in which the material and the main body are held in a contact state or with a gap therebetween. Does not occur, and the buffer effect of the buffer material can be constantly maintained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus provided with a laser optical system in an opening / closing body which can be opened and closed with one end of the apparatus main body as a fulcrum, a buffer material is provided at a position where the other end abuts on the main body. Even when the opening / closing member is closed vigorously, the shock of the opening / closing member to the laser optical system is reduced by the buffer material. In addition, the opening / closing body is configured to be in contact with the cushioning material when closed or to be held in a state where a gap is provided, so that the cushioning material is not continuously pressed by the opening / closing body and the apparatus main body, so that the plastic body is plastic. There is no permanent deformation due to deformation, and the buffer effect of the buffer material can be constantly maintained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, an urging member for urging the opening / closing body in the opening direction is provided on the rotating shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the cushioning material and the opening / closing body are separated by the urging member. Contact state,
Alternatively, since the cushioning material is not continuously pressed by the opening / closing body and the device main body by being configured to be held with a gap therebetween, there is no permanent deformation due to plastic deformation, and the cushioning material is used. The buffer effect can be constantly maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus 1. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the facsimile machine 1 showing an open state of an exterior cover 7;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the facsimile machine 1 showing an open state of an outer cover 7 and an inner cover 32.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing the facsimile machine 1;

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing a configuration of a process unit 13 and an internal cover 32.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the inner cover 32.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile machine 6 Laser printer 7 Exterior cover 13 Process unit 25 Laser scanner unit 32 Inner cover 33 Rotation fulcrum axis (rotation axis) 40 Arm 41 Torsion spring (biasing member) 45 Buffer material

Claims (4)

[Claims] An image recording apparatus having a laser optical system in an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with one end of the apparatus body as a fulcrum,
An image recording apparatus, wherein a cushioning material is provided at the other end of the opening / closing body, and the opening / closing body is held in a state of contacting the cushioning material when closed or with a gap therebetween. 2. An urging member for urging the opening / closing body in an opening direction is provided on a rotation shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the opening / closing body is in a state where the cushioning material and the main body are in contact with each other by the urging member. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is held in a state where a gap is provided. 3. An image recording apparatus having a laser optical system in an opening / closing body that can be opened and closed with one end serving as a fulcrum in an apparatus main body.
An image recording apparatus, wherein a buffer is provided at a position where the other end abuts on the main body, and the opening / closing body is held in a state of contact with the buffer when closed or a state where a gap is provided. 4. An urging member for urging the opening / closing body in an opening direction is provided on a rotation shaft side of the opening / closing body, and the cushioning material and the opening / closing body are in a contact state or a gap by the urging member. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image recording apparatus is held in a state where the image recording apparatus is opened.