JP2008009160A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to suppress damage to a first gear provided in an image forming apparatus main body and a second gear provided in an image forming unit.
An image forming apparatus main body having a first gear, an image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, a rotatable rotating member, and an image forming unit positioned at a leading end portion in the inserting direction of the image forming unit. When the image forming unit is inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, it falls downward due to gravity and meshes with the first gear, and is driven from the first gear in a state of meshing with the first gear. And an image forming unit having a center of gravity on the rear side of the center in the insertion direction of the image forming unit.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an image forming apparatus main body and an image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body.

Image forming apparatuses such as laser beam printers are already well known. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming apparatus main body having a first gear, an image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, and a rotatable rotating member that meshes with the first gear. And an image forming unit including a second gear for rotating the rotating member in response to a driving force from the first gear.
JP-A-6-317959

  Furthermore, there is an image forming apparatus configured such that when the image forming unit is inserted, the second gear drops downward due to gravity and meshes with the first gear. With such an image forming apparatus, for example, when a new image forming unit is inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus for replacement of the image forming unit, the image forming unit is moved by the excessive force. Even when the image forming unit is pushed into the body, the force for pushing the image forming unit does not reach the second gear when the second gear drops downward. That is, since the second gear drops downward due to gravity, the impact force generated when the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other is stabilized.

  However, in the image forming unit, when the second gear and the position of the center of gravity of the image forming unit are close to each other, the impact force is increased due to the weight balance of the image forming unit. As a result, both gears may be damaged by the impact force.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this subject, The place made into the objective is to suppress damage to both gears.

  A main aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus main body having a first gear, an image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, a rotatable rotating member, and a position at a distal end portion in the insertion direction of the image forming unit. When the image forming unit is inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, the image forming unit falls downward due to gravity and meshes with the first gear. And an image forming unit having a center of gravity behind the center of the image forming unit in the insertion direction. Forming device.

  Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

An image forming apparatus main body having a first gear, an image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body, a rotatable rotating member, and an image forming unit positioned at a distal end portion in the inserting direction of the image forming unit. When the unit is inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, the unit falls downward due to gravity and meshes with the first gear, and receives driving force from the first gear while meshing with the first gear. An image forming apparatus comprising: a second gear for rotating the rotating member; and an image forming unit having a center of gravity on the rear side of the center in the insertion direction of the image forming unit.
According to such an image forming apparatus, it is possible to reduce the impact force generated when the first gear and the second gear are in contact with each other, and to suppress the breakage of both gears.

Further, the rotating member may be a photoconductor on which a developer image is formed on a peripheral surface thereof, and the second gear may be a gear provided on the photoconductor for rotating the photoconductor. Good.
In such a case, damage to the first gear and the second gear is suppressed, so that a driving force for rotating the photoconductor is appropriately transmitted to the photoconductor.

Further, when the image forming unit is inserted, the main body of the image forming apparatus abuts on a distal end portion in the inserting direction of the image forming unit, and the insertion is performed so that the second gear is directed to the first gear. A biasing member that biases the front end of the direction downward, and the second gear may drop downward due to gravity and the biasing force of the biasing member and mesh with the first gear.
In such a case, the first gear and the second gear are appropriately meshed by the biasing force of the biasing member. Furthermore, since the impact force generated between the first gear and the second gear when the first gear and the second gear mesh with each other increases due to the application of the biasing force, the effect of the present invention becomes more significant.

In addition, the image forming unit includes a protrusion provided at a distal end in the insertion direction of the image forming unit and an end in the longitudinal direction of the image forming unit, and the biasing member is the protrusion It is good also as a leaf | plate spring which urges | biases.
In this case, it becomes easy to process the urging member and attach it to the image forming apparatus main body so that the projection is appropriately urged.

The image forming apparatus main body is a guide unit that guides the image forming unit into the image forming apparatus, and the second gear drops downward due to gravity when the image forming unit is inserted. It is good also as having the guide part provided in this way.
In this case, since the image forming unit is appropriately inserted into the image forming apparatus main body by the guide portion, the first gear can be appropriately moved to a position where the first gear meshes with the second gear.

The main body of the image forming apparatus is adjacent to the leading end portion in the guide direction of the guide portion, and when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed, the main body of the image forming apparatus abuts on the protrusion portion and positions the protrusion portion. It has a positioning part, and when the projection part contacts the positioning part, the leaf spring may contact the projection part and urge the projection part downward.
In such a case, when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed, the front end of the image forming unit in the insertion direction is biased downward, while the rear end of the insertion direction is biased downward by its own weight. The image forming unit is appropriately attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

Further, the image forming unit is provided at a rear end portion in the insertion direction of the image forming unit and at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the image forming unit, and when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed, the image forming apparatus It is good also as having a contact part which contacts a main part.
In such a case, backlash in the longitudinal direction of the image forming unit is suppressed, and the image forming unit is more appropriately attached to the image forming apparatus main body.

The image forming unit includes a memory electrically connectable to the image forming apparatus main body side, and the memory provided at a rear end portion in the insertion direction of the image forming unit is connected to the image forming apparatus main body side. The image forming apparatus main body may have a second contact that contacts the first contact when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed.
In such a case, since the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the image forming unit is biased downward, the first contact and the second contact can be appropriately contacted, and the configuration of the present invention is more meaningful. Become.

 Furthermore, when the image forming unit is inserted, the second gear has a central axis that passes through a virtual plane that includes the central axis of the first gear and whose normal direction is a horizontal direction. The two gears may drop downward.

=== Overview of Image Forming Apparatus ===
Next, a configuration example and an operation example will be described using FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as an example of a monochrome laser beam printer (hereinafter also referred to as a printer 10) as an image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating main components constituting the printer 10. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control unit 100 of the printer 10. In FIG. 1, the up and down direction (vertical direction) is indicated by an arrow. For example, the paper feed cassette 92 is arranged at the lower part of the printer 10, and the exposure unit 40 is arranged at the upper part of the printer 10. Has been.

<<< Configuration Example of Printer 10 >>>
The printer 10 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus that forms an image on a medium such as paper, cloth, or film using toner as an example of a developer. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 10 includes a toner image forming unit 20 as an example of an image forming unit, an exposure unit 40, a transfer unit 70, a fixing unit 80, and a display unit (not shown) serving as a notification unit for a user. The control unit 100 (FIG. 2) and the like for controlling these units and controlling the operation as a printer.

 The toner image forming unit 20 has a function of containing the toner and forming a toner image as an example of a developer image using the toner. Further, the toner image forming unit 20 includes a photoconductor 31 as an example of a rotating member provided in the toner image forming unit 20. The photoreceptor 31 has the toner image formed on the peripheral surface thereof, and is rotatably supported in the toner image forming unit 20. In the present embodiment, it rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. The photosensitive member 31 is charged while being rotated and exposed in the toner image forming unit 20, and the latent image formed on the peripheral surface thereof is visualized as a toner image by the toner.

 The toner image forming unit 20 can be inserted into a printer main body 12 as an example of an image forming apparatus main body, that is, can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 12 (FIGS. 7 and 8). reference). The toner image forming unit 20 is attached to the printer main body 12 when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed. Here, the printer main body 12 is a base body into which the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, and a part of the printer 10 other than the toner image forming unit 20 (in other words, the toner image forming unit 20 is removed). The printer 10 in the state corresponds to this (see FIG. 6). Details regarding the toner image forming unit 20 and the printer main body 12 will be described later.

  The exposure unit 40 is for forming a latent image on the photoreceptor 31 charged by irradiating a laser. The exposure unit 40 includes a semiconductor laser, a polygon mirror, an F-θ lens, and the like, and a photosensitive laser charged with a modulated laser based on an image signal input from a computer (not shown) such as a personal computer or a word processor. Irradiate onto the body 31.

The transfer unit 70 has a transfer roller 72 and is for transferring a toner image formed on the photoreceptor 31 to a medium.
The fixing unit 80 includes a fixing roller 80a and a pressure roller 80b, and is used to heat and press the toner image transferred onto the medium and fuse it to the medium to obtain a permanent image.
When an image signal and a control signal are input, the control unit 100 is for controlling the units and the like according to a command based on the image signal and the control signal.

  Next, the operation of the printer 10 configured as described above will be described. First, when an image signal and a control signal from a computer (not shown) are input to the main controller 101 of the printer 10 via the interface (I / F) 112, the control of the unit controller 102 based on a command from the main controller 101 is performed. As a result, the photoreceptor 31 and the like rotate. Then, the photoconductor 31 is charged at a charging position in the toner image forming unit 20 in a rotated state. The charged area of the photoconductor 31 reaches the exposure position as the photoconductor 31 rotates, and the exposure unit 40 forms a latent image corresponding to the image information in the area. The latent image formed on the photosensitive member 31 reaches the developing position in the toner image forming unit 20 as the photosensitive member 31 rotates, and is developed with toner. As a result, a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor 31. The toner image formed on the photoconductor 31 reaches the transfer position as the photoconductor 31 rotates, and is transferred to the medium by the transfer unit 70. The medium is transported from the paper feed cassette 92 to the transfer unit 70 via the paper feed roller 94. The toner image transferred to the medium is heated and pressed by the fixing unit 80 and fused to the medium. The medium on which the toner image is fused is conveyed to a paper discharge tray 98 via a pair of conveyance rollers 95 and a pair of paper discharge rollers 96.

=== Regarding Toner Image Forming Unit 20 ===
Next, a configuration example of the toner image forming unit 20 according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the toner image forming unit 20 (hereinafter, the toner image forming unit 20 in a state in which the toner cartridge 68 is accommodated unless otherwise specified in the text). FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a side surface of the toner image forming unit 20 on one end side in the longitudinal direction. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the back surface of the toner image forming unit 20 from below the toner image forming unit 20.

 In FIG. 3, arrows indicate the up and down direction, the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20, and the insertion direction when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12. Yes. In FIG. 4, the vertical direction and the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 are respectively indicated by arrows. In FIG. 5, the longitudinal direction and the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 are indicated by arrows.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the toner image forming unit 20 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes, as main components, a photoreceptor 31, a charger 32, a developing unit 50, a photoreceptor driven roller 39, a casing 22, and a toner. A cartridge 68 is provided. When the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12, as shown in FIG. 1, the toner image forming unit 20 enters under the exposure unit 40 and is positioned above the transfer unit 70.

 The photoreceptor 31 is a cylindrical member, has a photosensitive layer formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and carries a latent image on the surface of the photosensitive layer. As shown in FIG. 5, the photosensitive member 31 according to the present embodiment is provided at the front end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction, and the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive member 31 is the toner image forming unit. Along the longitudinal direction of the unit 20. Further, the photoreceptor 31 is accommodated in the casing 22 in a state where a part of the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 31 is exposed from the casing 22 described later on the back surface of the toner image forming unit 20. Further, a photosensitive gear 200 as an example of a second gear is provided at one end of the rotating shaft of the photosensitive member 31 in the axial direction. The photoconductor gear 200 transmits a driving force from the main body side gear 210 to the photoconductor 31 by meshing with a main body side gear 210 (see FIG. 6) as an example of a first gear included in the printer main body 12. It rotates integrally with the photoreceptor 31.

 Further, a transfer roller driving gear 220 for transmitting a driving force to the transfer roller 72 (see FIG. 6) is provided at the other end portion of the photoconductor 31 in the axial direction.

 The developing unit 50 has a function of developing a latent image on the photoconductor 31 with toner, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the toner storage unit 51, the developing roller 52, the supply roller 53, the regulating blade 54, And an agitator 60. The toner storage unit 51 is for storing toner. The developing roller 52 carries the toner on its surface and rotates to convey the toner to a developing position facing the photoconductor 31. The developing roller 52 is in contact with the photoconductor 31 and visualizes the latent image carried on the photoconductor 31 with the toner conveyed to the developing position as a toner image (that is, develops in a contact state). The supply roller 53 is a rotatable member that contacts the developing roller 52, and has a function of supplying the toner stored in the toner storage portion 51 to the developing roller 52 and the toner remaining on the developing roller 52 after development. It has a function to peel off from. The regulating blade 54 abuts the developing roller 52 along the axial direction thereof, regulates the layer thickness of the toner carried on the developing roller 52, and imparts an electric charge to the toner carried on the developing roller 52. The agitator 60 has a function of stirring the toner by rotating and a function of feeding the toner in the toner storage unit 51 to the supply roller 53.

The charger 32 is for charging the photoconductor 31.
The photoconductor driven roller 39 is driven in contact with the photoconductor 31 to uniformly disperse the toner on the photoconductor 31 that has not been transferred to the medium.

  The casing 22 is a housing for accommodating the photoreceptor 31, the developing unit 50, and the charger 32 therein. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the casing 22 according to the present embodiment has a light irradiation hole 22a, a gripping portion 22b, a toner cartridge housing portion 22c, a protruding portion 22d, and a contact portion 22e. is doing.

The light irradiation hole 22a is formed at the upper portion of the distal end portion of the casing 22 in the insertion direction so that the laser light (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1) irradiated from the exposure unit 40 reaches the peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 31. It is a short hole provided.
The grip portion 22b is provided at the center of the casing 22 in the longitudinal direction at the rear end of the casing 22 in the insertion direction, and is a portion that a user or the like grips when inserting the toner image forming unit 20 into the printer main body 12. is there.
The toner cartridge accommodating portion 22c is provided at a rear end portion in the insertion direction of the casing 22 and is a recess for accommodating a toner cartridge 68 described later.
The protrusion 22 d is a columnar protrusion that is provided at the tip of the casing 22 and protrudes outward from both longitudinal end faces of the casing 22. When the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12, the protrusion 22 d is placed on a guide portion 300 provided in the printer main body 12, which will be described later, and moves along the guide direction of the guide portion 300. (See FIG. 7).
The contact portion 22e is a columnar protrusion provided at the rear end portion of the casing 22 and protruding outward from both longitudinal end surfaces of the casing 22. The contact portion 22e contacts the guide portion 300 when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed (see FIG. 8).

  The toner cartridge 68 is filled with toner, and has a function of transporting and replenishing the filled toner to the toner containing portion 51 provided in the developing portion 50 in the toner cartridge containing portion 22c. Yes.

 Further, the toner cartridge 68 has a cartridge memory 600 (FIG. 2) as an example of a memory. The cartridge memory 600 serves to store various types of information (for example, toner remaining amount information) regarding the toner cartridge 68. In addition, a cartridge side contact 602 as an example of a first contact is provided at the rear end of the toner image forming unit 20 containing the toner cartridge 68 in the insertion direction. The cartridge memory 600 includes the cartridge side contact 602. It can be electrically connected to the printer body 12 via More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge-side contact 602 is provided on the other end in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20 and on the back surface of the rear end in the inserting direction of the toner image forming unit 20. ing. Then, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the cartridge side contact 602 comes into contact with a main body side contact 14 (see FIG. 6) as an example of a second contact provided on the printer main body 12. When the cartridge side contact 602 and the main body side contact 14 come into contact with each other, the cartridge memory 600 is electrically connected to the printer main body 12 and can communicate with the printer main body 12 side.

 When the toner image forming unit 20 configured as described above is inserted into the printer main body 12 and the insertion is completed, the printer 10 becomes operable. In the present embodiment, as described above, since the toner cartridge 68 is accommodated at the rear end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction, the center of gravity of the toner image forming unit 20 is the insertion direction. It is located behind the center.

=== Regarding Printer Main Body 12 ===
Next, a configuration example of the printer main body 12 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 together with FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the printer main body 12. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining how the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a state where the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed (that is, a state where the toner image forming unit 20 is attached to the printer main body 12). 7 and 8 are views of the printer main body 12 as seen from the II cross section in FIG. In addition, in the II section, the bottom surface 412 and the main body side contact 14 of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 are not visible, but for convenience, the bottom surface 412 and the main body side contact 14 are shown in FIGS. It was decided.

 In FIG. 6, the vertical direction, the width direction, and the depth direction of the printer main body 12 are indicated by arrows. 7 and 8 indicate the vertical direction and the depth direction of the printer main body 12 by arrows.

 As described above, the printer main body 12 according to the present embodiment corresponds to a portion of the printer 10 other than the toner image forming unit 20, and includes the exposure unit 40, the transfer unit 70, the fixing unit 80, and The control unit 100 and the like are included. Further, in the present embodiment, the transfer roller 72 provided in the transfer unit 70 has the other end in the axial direction (that is, the other end in the width direction of the printer main body 12) as shown in FIG. A transfer roller side gear 230 for transmitting a driving force to the roller 72 is provided. When the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the transfer roller side gear 230 meshes with a transfer roller drive gear 220 (see FIG. 5) provided on the photoconductor 31, and the transfer roller drive gear 220 receives the transfer roller side gear 230. The driving force is transmitted to the transfer roller side gear 230, and the transfer roller side gear 230 and the transfer roller 72 rotate integrally.

 The printer main body 12 includes a main body frame 400 and a printer cover 18.

 The main body frame 400 is a housing for accommodating the transfer unit 70, the fixing unit 80, the control unit 100, and the like therein. The depth direction, the width direction, and the vertical direction of the main body frame 400 are respectively the printer main body. 12 depth directions, width directions, and vertical directions.

 The printer cover 18 is an exterior cover for covering the main body frame 400, and has a main body frame 400, an exposure unit 40 fixed to the main body frame 400, and a toner image attached to the toner image forming unit attachment portion 410. The forming unit 20 (that is, the toner image forming unit 20 that has been inserted into the printer main body 12) is stored. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, an openable / closable door 18 a is provided at the front side of the upper surface of the printer cover 18 in the depth direction. When the opening / closing door 18a is opened, an opening 16 for inserting the toner image forming unit 20 into the printer main body 12 is formed. In the present embodiment, the length of the opening 16 in the width direction and the length of the opening 16 in the depth direction are determined by the printer cover 18 when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted. The length does not hit the image forming unit 20. That is, in this embodiment, the toner image forming unit 20 can be inserted into the printer main body 12 without removing the printer cover 18 from the main body frame 400.

 In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 and the guide portion 300 are formed inside the printer main body 12 with the printer cover 18 placed on the main body frame 400. The

 The toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 is a recess for mounting the toner image forming unit 20 provided in the depth direction front portion of the printer main body 12. That is, when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12, the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 is moved in the direction from the front side to the back side in the depth direction of the printer main body 12 (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7). Move in the direction shown). Further, the bottom surface 412 of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 is inclined downward toward the back side of the bottom surface 412 in the depth direction, as shown in FIG.

 Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a main body side gear 210 is provided at the depth in the depth direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 and at one end in the width direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. Yes. Then, as described above, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the main body side gear 210 meshes with the photosensitive gear 200 included in the photosensitive member 31 provided in the toner image forming unit 20.

 Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a main body side contact 14 that contacts the cartridge side contact 602 is provided at the other end in the width direction of the bottom surface 412. The main body side contact 14 has a spring property and is movable in the vertical direction. The main body side contact 14 is biased upward by the spring property. That is, when the toner image forming unit 20 is not inserted in the printer main body 12, the main body side contact 14 protrudes upward from the bottom surface 412. On the other hand, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, The main body side contact 14 contacts with the cartridge side contact 602 and is accommodated in the main body frame 400.

 The guide unit 300 is for guiding the toner image forming unit 20 to the inside of the printer main body 12 (more precisely, the back of the toner image forming unit mounting unit 410 in the depth direction). Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide unit 300 according to the present embodiment is rails provided symmetrically on both end surfaces in the width direction of the toner image forming unit mounting unit 410, and the both ends of the printer main body 12. It extends from the surface toward the center in the depth direction. When the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the protrusions 22d provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20 move along the guide portion 300. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide portion 300 includes an inclined portion 300d inclined downward in the guide direction, a horizontal portion 300c continuous to the inclined portion 300d, and the horizontal portion via a step 300b. It has the guide direction front-end | tip part 300a which continues to 300c. That is, the guide direction front end portion 300a is located at a position lower than the horizontal portion 300c by the height of the step 300b. The guide direction front end portion 300a extends horizontally in the guide direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a positioning portion 320 is provided at the leading end of the guiding direction so as to be adjacent to the guiding direction leading end portion 300a and extend so as to intersect the guiding direction leading end portion 300a. . The positioning portion 320 is for positioning the protruding portion 22d by contacting the protruding portion 22d of the toner image forming unit 20 when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed. Further, like the guide unit 300, the positioning unit 320 extends from the both end surfaces of the printer main body 12 toward the center in the depth direction.

 On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a leaf spring 310 is provided above the guide direction front end portion 300a and the step 300b of the guide portion 300 on one end side in the width direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. Is provided. When the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the leaf spring 310 is a member that comes into contact with the protrusion 22d and biases the protrusion 22d downward. Further, the leaf spring 310 projects toward the center in the width direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 and is bent in a direction along the depth direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the portion of the leaf spring 310 that faces the guide-direction tip portion 300 a of the guide portion 300 is the guide-direction tip in the depth direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. It extends in the horizontal direction along the part 300a. In the present embodiment, the plate spring 310 is fixed to the outer surface on one end side in the width direction of the main body frame 400. Furthermore, a through hole 401 is provided in a side wall on one end side in the width direction of the main body frame 400 so that the leaf spring 310 penetrates into the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 from the outer surface. A part of the leaf spring 310 (more specifically, a portion of the leaf spring 310 that comes into contact with the protruding portion 22d) is located in the through hole 401.

<< Insertion of Toner Image Forming Unit 20 >>
Next, the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 into the printer main body 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B together with FIGS. FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are diagrams for explaining how the photoconductor gear 200 falls downward and meshes with the main body side gear 210. 9A shows a state immediately before the photoconductor gear 200 is dropped, and FIG. 9B shows a state where the photoconductor gear 200 is dropped and meshed with the main body side gear 210. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the toner image forming unit 20 is configured such that the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20 is aligned with the width direction of the printer main body 12 in a state where the gripping portion 22b of the casing 22 is gripped. 12 is inserted. As described above, when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the protrusion 22 d of the casing 22 moves along the guide portion 300 to a position where it abuts on the positioning portion 320. In the present exemplary embodiment, the guide unit 300 is inclined downward toward the depth side of the toner image forming unit mounting unit 410 in the depth direction. Therefore, the toner image forming unit 20 is mounted on the toner image forming unit. The portion 410 is inserted in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the photosensitive gear 200 provided in the toner image forming unit 20 is in contact with the toner image forming unit while the protruding portion 22d moves along the horizontal portion 300c of the guide portion 300. It moves above the main body side gear 210 toward the depth in the depth direction of the mounting portion 410. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, before the protrusion 22d reaches the step 300b, the central shaft 200a of the photosensitive gear 200 includes the central shaft 210a of the main body side gear 210, The normal line passes through a virtual plane (the cross section indicated by the symbol AA in FIG. 9A and intersecting the paper surface) that is the horizontal direction.

 When the toner image forming unit 20 is further inserted in the depth direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410, the protrusion 22d passes through the step 300b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9A, the protrusion 22d contacts the portion of the leaf spring 310 that faces the step 300b of the guide portion 300, and is lowered by the leaf spring 310. Be energized by. Thereby, the protrusion 22d receives the resultant force (the resultant force indicated by the symbol F in FIG. 9A) of the gravity and the urging force of the leaf spring 310, and falls downward on the step 300b. The entire toner image forming unit 20 also falls downward. Further, the photoconductor gear 200 also drops downwardly toward the main body side gear 210 by the resultant force F. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, the photosensitive gear 200 meshes with a portion of the main body side gear 210 that is located on the far side from the virtual plane in the depth direction. In the present embodiment, when the protrusion 22d passes through the step 300b, the leading end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction is lifted upward, and as shown in FIG. 9A, the protrusion 22d It will be in the state which floated from the guide part 300 top.

 When the toner image forming unit 20 is further inserted in the depth direction and the protrusion 22d comes into contact with the positioning portion 320, the positioning portion 320 positions the protrusion 22d. As a result, the toner image forming unit 20 is prevented from being inserted further into the back side than the position where the protruding portion 22d contacts the positioning portion 320. In other words, the positioning unit 320 also positions the toner image forming unit 20 together with the protrusion 22d. When the toner image forming unit 20 is positioned by the positioning unit 320, the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, and the toner image forming unit 20 is mounted in the toner image forming unit mounting unit 410. The Rukoto. It should be noted that the main body side gear 210 according to the present embodiment rotates in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. For this reason, the main body side gear 210 meshed with the photoconductor gear 200 draws the photoconductor gear 200 to the back side in the depth direction of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 with respect to the photoconductor gear 200. Exerts rotational force. As a result, even when the toner image forming unit 20 is not sufficiently inserted, if the photosensitive gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 are engaged with each other, the toner image forming unit 20 is also moved into the back by the rotational force. It will be pushed to the side. As a result, the toner image forming unit 20 is completely inserted.

 Further, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the protrusion 22d is formed on the leading end portion 300a of the guiding portion 300 in the guiding direction of the leaf spring 310 as shown in FIG. It abuts against a portion facing the tip portion 300a. The protrusion 22d is urged downward by the urging force of the leaf spring 310 (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8). That is, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the leading end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction is urged downward by the urging force of the leaf spring 310. On the other hand, since the center of gravity of the toner image forming unit 20 is located behind the center in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20, the toner image formation is performed from the weight balance in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20. A force (force indicated by an arrow in FIG. 8) that urges the rear end of the unit 20 in the insertion direction downward is generated. As a result, the toner image forming unit 20 is appropriately mounted in the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410.

 Further, when the toner image forming unit 20 is mounted in the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 (in other words, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed), the toner image forming unit 20 is provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The contact portion 22e contacts the guide portion 300, as shown in FIG. The contact portion 22e is provided at the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20, and the rear end portion in the insertion direction is biased downward. It will abut against the guide part 300 in a state where it is urged by.

 Further, the cartridge-side contact 602 exposed from the rear surface of the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 is urged downward in the same manner as the contact portion 22e. The main body side contact 14 provided on the bottom 412 comes into contact.

=== About Control Unit 100 ===
Next, the configuration of the control unit 100 will be described again with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 100 includes a main controller 101 and a unit controller 102. The main controller 101 is electrically connected to a computer via an interface 112 and includes an image memory 113 for storing an image signal input from the computer. The unit controller 102 is electrically connected to each unit (toner image forming unit 20, exposure unit 40, transfer unit 70, fixing unit 80, display unit, etc.) of the apparatus main body, and receives signals from sensors included in the units. Thus, each unit is controlled based on a signal input from the main controller 101 while detecting the state of each unit.

 The CPU 120 included in the unit controller 102 is electrically connected to a nonvolatile storage element such as an EEPROM (hereinafter referred to as a main body side memory 115). Further, the CPU 120 is electrically connected to the cartridge memory 600 in a state where the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed (that is, the state where the toner image forming unit 20 is mounted on the printer main body 12). The main body side memory 115 and the cartridge memory 600 can communicate with each other. That is, transfer of information recorded in the main body side memory 115 to the cartridge memory 600 and transfer of information recorded in the cartridge memory 600 to the main body side memory 115 are realized.

=== Effectiveness of Printer 10 According to the Present Embodiment ===
As described above, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes the printer main body 12 having the main body side gear 210, the toner image forming unit 20 that can be inserted into the printer main body 12, and the rotatable photosensitive member 31. The toner image forming unit 20 is positioned at the leading end of the toner image forming unit 20 and when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12, the toner image forming unit 20 falls downward due to gravity and meshes with the main body side gear 210. And a photoconductor gear 200 for rotating the photoconductor 31 by receiving a driving force from the main body side gear 210 in a state of meshing with the main body side gear 210, and an insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 A toner image forming unit 20 having a center of gravity on the rear side of the center. As a result, the impact force generated when the photosensitive gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 are engaged with each other can be reduced, and damage to both gears can be suppressed.

 That is, as described in the problem to be solved by the invention, the photosensitive gear 200 provided in the toner image forming unit 20 falls downward due to gravity when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted. Conventionally, the printer 10 that meshes with the main body side gear 210 of the printer main body 12 exists. In addition, with this configuration, when a new toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into the printer main body 12 for replacement of the toner image forming unit 20 or the like, the user or the like causes the toner image forming unit 20 to be moved by excessive force. Even when the toner image forming unit 20 is pushed into the printer main body 12, the force for pushing the toner image forming unit 20 does not reach the photoconductor gear 200 when the photoconductor gear 200 drops downward. Become. In other words, when the photosensitive gear 200 falls downward toward the main body side gear 210, the photosensitive gear 200 falls downward due to a force that does not depend on a force exerted by a user or the like, that is, gravity. Become. For this reason, when the photosensitive gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 mesh with each other, the impact force generated between the two gears is stabilized.

  However, in the toner image forming unit 20, when the photosensitive gear 200 and the position of the center of gravity of the toner image forming unit 20 are close to each other, the weight balance of the toner image forming unit 20 (particularly, the toner image forming unit 20). Due to the influence of the weight balance in the insertion direction, the force exerted on the photosensitive gear 200 increases when the photosensitive gear 200 drops downward. For this reason, the impact force generated when the photosensitive gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 are engaged with each other is increased, and there is a possibility that both gears are damaged by the impact force.

 On the other hand, according to the present invention, the photosensitive gear 200 is provided at the front end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction, while the center of gravity is located behind the center in the insertion direction. In other words, since the position of the photoconductor gear 200 is separated from the position of the center of gravity, the force exerted on the photoconductor gear 200 when the photoconductor gear 200 falls downward can be further reduced. As a result, an impact force generated when the photosensitive gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 are engaged with each other is reduced, and damage to both gears is suppressed.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The image forming apparatus and the like according to the present invention have been described above based on the above embodiment. However, the above embodiment of the present invention is for facilitating understanding of the present invention and limits the present invention. is not. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes the equivalents thereof.

  In the above embodiment, a so-called non-intermediate transfer type monochrome laser beam printer has been described as an example of the image forming apparatus. However, the present invention is an intermediate transfer type monochrome laser beam printer, a color laser beam printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine. The present invention can be applied to various image forming apparatuses.

  In the above embodiment, the image forming unit includes the photosensitive member 31 as an example of a rotating member, and the second gear is provided on the photosensitive member 31 and is a photosensitive member for rotating the photosensitive member. The case of the body gear 200 has been described. In such a case, damage to the photoconductor gear 200 is reduced, so that a driving force for rotating the photoconductor 31 is appropriately transmitted. However, the second gear is not limited to the photoconductor gear 200. For example, the rotating member is the developing roller 52, and the second gear is a gear for rotating the developing roller 52. Also good.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the printer main body 12 has a leaf spring 310 as an example of an urging member, and when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the photosensitive gear 200 is separated from the gravity and the gravity. It falls down by the resultant force F with the urging force of the leaf spring 310 and meshes with the main body side gear 210. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printer main body 12 may not include an urging member such as the leaf spring 310, and the photosensitive gear 200 may fall downward only by gravity. However, when the printer main body 12 has the urging member, the photosensitive gear 200 appropriately falls toward the main body side gear 210 by the urging force of the urging member. As a result, the photoconductor gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 can appropriately mesh with each other. Further, since the photoconductor gear 200 falls downward due to the resultant force F, the impact force generated when the photoconductor gear 200 and the main body side gear 210 mesh with each other is compared with the case where the photoconductor gear 200 falls only by gravity. And get bigger. For this reason, the effect of the present invention that reduces the impact force becomes more significant. In the above points, the above embodiment is more desirable.

  On the other hand, in the said embodiment, the case where the said biasing member was the leaf | plate spring 310 was demonstrated. However, the biasing member is not limited to the leaf spring 310, and may be another elastic body such as a spring, for example. However, when the leaf spring 310 is used as the urging member, it is easier to process the urging member and attach it to the printer main body 12 so as to urge the protrusion 22d appropriately. In this respect, the above embodiment is preferable.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the printer main body 12 has the guide part 300 for guiding the toner image forming unit 20 into the printer main body 12, and the guide part 300 has the photosensitive gear 200 lowered by gravity. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the printer main body 12 may not include the guide unit 300. However, by providing the guide unit 300, the toner image forming unit 20 is smoothly inserted into the printer main body 12. Further, since the guide portion 300 is inclined downward toward the depth direction depth of the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410, when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the photosensitive gear 200 is dropped by gravity. It becomes possible to mesh with the main body side gear 210. In this respect, the above embodiment is preferable.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the protrusion 22 d comes into contact with the positioning unit 320 and also comes into contact with the leaf spring 310 and is caused by the leaf spring 310. It was decided to be urged downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the protrusion 22d that is in contact with the positioning part 320 may not be biased downward. However, when the protrusion 22d is urged downward, the leading end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction is urged downward. On the other hand, the rear end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction is also urged downward as described above. Thus, the toner image forming unit 20 is fixed in the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410 by the urging force of the leaf spring 310 and its own weight, and is appropriately mounted on the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. In this respect, the above embodiment is preferable.

  In the above embodiment, the contact portion 22e is provided at the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 and at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the toner image formation unit 20, and the contact portion 22e. When the insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed, the printer body 12 (more precisely, the guide unit 300) is brought into contact. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the toner image forming unit 20 may not include the contact portion 22e. However, when the abutting portions 22e are provided at the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20 and at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20, the abutting portion is provided in the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. The part 22e is in contact with the guide part 300 in a state of being biased downward. As a result, both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20 are difficult to move up and down, and the backlash in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20 is suppressed. As a result, the toner image forming unit 20 is more appropriately mounted in the toner image forming unit mounting portion 410. In this respect, the above embodiment is preferable.

  In the above embodiment, the toner image forming unit 20 is provided in the cartridge memory 600 that can be electrically connected to the printer main body 12 side, and the rear end portion in the insertion direction of the toner image forming unit 20. The case of having the cartridge side contact 602 for connecting the memory 600 to the printer main body 12 side has been described. The cartridge memory 600 is communicable when the cartridge side contact 602 comes into contact with the main body side contact 14 provided in the printer main body 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the memory provided in the toner image forming unit 20 is a memory for non-contact communication, and a transmission / reception unit for performing non-contact communication with the memory includes a printer main body 12. It is good also as being provided in. However, when the cartridge side contact 602 and the main body side contact 14 come into contact with each other for communication, the cartridge side contact 602 and the main body side contact 14 need to be in proper contact with each other. In the above embodiment, the cartridge side contact 602 is provided at the rear end of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction (more precisely, it is exposed from the back surface of the rear end of the insertion direction). In addition, the rear end portion in the insertion direction is urged downward. As a result, the cartridge side contact 602 is also attached downward, so that the cartridge side contact 14 can be appropriately contacted. Therefore, the configuration of the present invention in which the center of gravity of the toner image forming unit 20 is located behind the center of the toner image forming unit 20 in the insertion direction becomes more meaningful. In this respect, the above embodiment is preferable.

  In the above embodiment, when the toner image forming unit 20 is inserted, the central axis 200a of the photoconductor gear 200 includes the central axis 210a of the main body side gear 210, and the normal direction thereof is the horizontal direction. After passing through a certain virtual plane, the photoconductor gear 200 falls downward. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the photoreceptor gear 200 may fall downward and mesh with the main body side gear 210 before the central shaft 200a passes through the virtual plane.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating main components constituting the printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit 100 of the printer 10 in FIG. 1. 2 is a perspective view showing a toner image forming unit 20. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a side surface of one end side in the longitudinal direction of the toner image forming unit 20. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the back surface of the toner image forming unit 20 from below the toner image forming unit 20. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a printer body 12. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a toner image forming unit 20 is inserted into a printer main body 12. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where insertion of the toner image forming unit 20 is completed (that is, a state where the toner image forming unit 20 is mounted on the printer main body 12). FIG. It is a figure explaining a mode that photoconductor gear 200 falls below and it meshes with main part side gear 210, and shows a state just before photoconductor gear 200 falls. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining how the photosensitive gear 200 drops downward and meshes with the main body side gear 210, and shows a state where the photosensitive gear 200 drops and meshes with the main body side gear 210.

Explanation of symbols

10 printer, 12 printer body, 14 body side contact, 16 opening,
18 Printer cover, 18a Open / close door, 20 Toner image forming unit,
22 casing, 22a light irradiation hole, 22b gripping part,
22c toner cartridge housing portion, 22d protrusion, 22e contact portion,
31 photoconductor, 32 charger, 39 roller, 40 exposure unit,
50 developing unit, 51 toner storage unit, 52 developing roller,
53 supply roller, 54 regulating blade, 60 agitator,
68 toner cartridge, 70 transfer unit, 72 transfer roller,
80 fixing unit, 80a fixing roller, 80b pressure roller,
92 paper feed cassette, 94 paper feed roller, 95 transport roller,
96 paper discharge roller, 98 paper discharge tray, 100 control unit,
101 main controller, 102 unit controller,
112 interface, 113 image memory, 115 main unit side memory,
120 CPU, 200 photoconductor gear, 200a central axis,
210 main body side gear, 210a central shaft, 220 transfer roller driving gear,
230 Transfer roller side gear, 300 guide part, 300a guide direction tip part,
300b step, 300c horizontal part, 300d inclined part, 310 leaf spring,
320 positioning part, 400 body frame, 401 through hole,
410 toner image forming unit mounting portion, 412 bottom surface,
600 Cartridge memory, 602 Cartridge side contact

Claims (9)

An image forming apparatus main body having a first gear;
An image forming unit that can be inserted into the image forming apparatus main body,
A rotatable rotating member;
Located at the leading end of the image forming unit in the insertion direction,
When the image forming unit is inserted into the main body of the image forming apparatus, it falls downward due to gravity and meshes with the first gear, and the driving force from the first gear while meshed with the first gear. A second gear for receiving and rotating the rotating member;
With
An image forming unit having a center of gravity behind the center of the image forming unit in the insertion direction;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The rotating member is a photoreceptor on which a developer image is formed on the peripheral surface thereof,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second gear is a gear provided on the photoconductor for rotating the photoconductor. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2.
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
When the image forming unit is inserted, the image forming unit abuts the image forming unit in the inserting direction, and the image forming unit is urged downward so that the second gear moves toward the first gear. Biasing member,
Have
The image forming apparatus, wherein the second gear drops downward due to gravity and the urging force of the urging member and meshes with the first gear. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.
The image forming unit includes:
A projection provided at the leading end of the image forming unit in the insertion direction and the longitudinal end of the image forming unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is a leaf spring that biases the protrusion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
A guide unit for guiding the image forming unit to the inside of the image forming apparatus, the guide unit provided so that the second gear drops downward by gravity when the image forming unit is inserted;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to claim 5.
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
A positioning portion adjacent to the guide direction tip portion of the guide portion, and in contact with the projection portion when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed, to position the projection portion;
Have
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the protrusion comes into contact with the positioning part, the leaf spring comes into contact with the protrusion and biases the protrusion downward. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The image forming unit includes:
A contact portion that is provided at a rear end portion in the insertion direction of the image forming unit and at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the image forming unit, and contacts the image forming apparatus main body when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The image forming unit includes:
A memory electrically connectable to the image forming apparatus main body side;
A first contact provided at the rear end of the image forming unit in the insertion direction for connecting the memory to the image forming apparatus main body;
Have
The image forming apparatus main body includes:
A second contact that contacts the first contact when the insertion of the image forming unit is completed;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
When the image forming unit is inserted, the central axis of the second gear is
A virtual plane including the central axis of the first gear, the normal direction of which is a horizontal direction,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after passing through the second gear, the second gear drops downward.

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