JP2008135918A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus which is easy for a user in a wheelchair to operate and allows the user to easily take out a sheet of paper. <P>SOLUTION: The front surface of an image reading part 3 is placed behind the front surface of the image forming part 2, and an operation part 4 is vertically and horizontally supported so as to be turnable on an enclosure of the image forming part 2 on the front surface side of the image reading part 3 and at the end side in a direction opposite to the paper ejection direction of the image forming part, and the operation part 4 does not hinder the forward opening of a paper ejection space 6 when turned to the maximum in the paper ejection direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus having a universal design specification that can be easily used by a user on a wheelchair.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image reading unit that reads a document image is positioned above an image forming unit that forms the read image on paper, and an image forming unit that includes a paper discharge space for discharging paper between the image reading unit and the image forming unit. Devices are known. In this image forming apparatus, since the paper discharge space is between the image reading unit and the image forming unit, there is an advantage that the installation space can be reduced as compared with the image forming apparatus in which the paper discharge tray protrudes from the side surface. .

  As an image forming apparatus of this type, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151820 discloses a housing part of an image forming unit positioned below the paper discharge space, with a front end of the housing part of the image reading unit positioned above the paper discharge space. An image forming apparatus is disclosed that is arranged to be shifted rearward from the front end and enhances the visibility of discharged paper.

  In Patent Document 2, a fax function panel part that forms a part of an operation unit located at the front end of an image reading unit is made detachable from a housing of the image reading unit, and a part where the fax function panel unit is attached is attached to the operation unit. An image forming apparatus is disclosed in which a sheet discharged on a sheet discharge tray can be easily visually recognized without being bent by being cut out from the front edge toward the back side.

  In Patent Document 3, a guide rail is provided at the front end of the image reading unit, and an operation unit is provided on the guide rail so as to be movable in a predetermined direction with respect to the paper discharge space. An image forming apparatus that can be taken out is described.

  In Patent Literature 4, the center of the image reading unit is arranged to be shifted rearward from the center of the image forming unit, and the operation unit is arranged in a space that is vacant in front of the image reading unit. An image forming apparatus is described in which the visibility and ease of taking out of the paper are improved so as not to protrude forward.

However, in any of the image forming apparatuses, although the visibility and ease of taking out of the paper discharged into the paper discharge space are improved, the operation unit is at a high position and difficult to see for a user on a wheelchair, There was a problem that it was difficult to operate.
JP 2002-354173 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-160941 JP 2005-234222 A JP-A-8-339106

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that is easy for a user in a wheelchair to operate and to easily take out paper.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
An image reading unit that reads a document image; an image forming unit that forms the read image on a sheet; and an operation unit that performs display and operation necessary for image formation. The image reading unit is located above the image forming unit. Is located between the image reading unit and the image forming unit, and the image reading unit forms the image so that the paper discharging space is opened from the front to the paper discharge direction. In the image forming apparatus supported by the housing of the part,
The front surface of the image reading unit is located behind the front surface of the image forming unit;
The operation unit is supported on the front side of the image reading unit and on the end side of the image forming unit in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction so as to be rotatable up and down and left and right on the housing of the image forming unit.
The operation unit does not prevent the front opening of the paper discharge space when the operation unit is rotated to the maximum in the paper discharge direction.

  The paper discharge tray disposed in the paper discharge space preferably has a shape that is inclined downward on the front side from the maximum width of the paper.

  The operation unit includes a lock mechanism that holds the operation unit at a predetermined angle in the vertical direction, and a lock lever that protrudes below the operation unit and releases the lock by the lock mechanism. It is preferable that the lock lever does not hinder the front opening of the paper discharge space when it is rotated to the maximum in the paper direction.

  The rear surface of the image reading unit is preferably flush with the rear surface of the image forming unit or on the front side of the rear surface of the image forming unit.

  It is preferable that the front end of the operation unit protrudes forward from the front surface of the image forming unit.

According to the present invention, since the front surface of the image reading unit is located behind the front surface of the image forming unit, the front end of the image reading unit does not get in the way when the paper discharged into the paper discharge space is viewed or taken out. The visibility and ease of taking out of the paper are improved.
In addition, since the operation unit is supported on the front side of the image reading unit and on the end side opposite to the paper discharge direction of the image forming unit so as to be rotatable up and down and left and right, the line of sight Accordingly, even if the user is on a wheelchair, the operation unit can be easily operated by rotating the operation unit downward according to the above and by rotating the operation unit to appropriate positions on the left and right.
Further, since the operation unit does not prevent the front opening of the paper discharge space when the operation unit is rotated to the maximum in the paper discharge direction, the operation unit can be easily taken out without being obstructed. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention as seen from the upper left oblique front, and FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are a front view, a left side view, and a plan view. The image forming apparatus 1 generally includes an image forming unit 2, an image reading unit 3, and an operation unit 4.

  The image forming unit 2 forms a toner image on a sheet, forms the main body of the image forming apparatus 1, and is installed on the floor. The internal structure of the image forming unit 2 will be described in detail later.

  The image reading unit 3 is attached above the image forming unit 2 via support units 5 a and 5 b provided on the rear side and the right front side of the upper surface of the image forming unit 2. An automatic document feeder (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the document reading unit 3. The front surface of the document reading unit 3 is located behind the front surface of the image forming unit 2. Both side surfaces of the document reading unit 3 are flush with both side surfaces of the image forming unit 2. The rear surface of the document reading unit 3 is flush with the rear surface of the image forming unit 2, but may be on the front side of the rear surface of the image forming unit 2.

  Between the image forming unit 2 and the image reading unit 3 is a paper discharge space 6 in which a sheet on which an image is formed is discharged toward the left side when viewed from the front. The paper discharge space 6 is opened from the front side to the left side so that the paper can be taken out from the front side and the left side. The upper surface of the image forming unit 2 below the paper discharge space 6 is a paper discharge tray 7 that is gently inclined downward toward the paper discharge port. The paper discharge tray 7 is preferably a dark color because the paper can be easily visually recognized. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper discharge tray 7 has a high central portion in the paper discharge direction and low both sides or the front side, so that the edges of the discharged paper can be easily grasped.

  The operation unit 4 is attached to the housing of the image forming unit 2 on the front side of the image reading unit 3 and on the end side opposite to the paper discharge direction of the image forming unit 2, that is, on the right end. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation unit 4 is attached to a shoulder 8 that protrudes forward from the support unit 5 b that supports the image reading unit 3 and is formed in an arc shape from the upper surface to the front. . The operation unit 4 includes a substantially semicircular horizontal portion 4a as viewed from above where various operation keys such as a print key are disposed, and an inclined portion 4b provided with a display screen extending obliquely upward from the rear end of the horizontal portion 4a. It is made up of. Thus, since the operation keys and the display screen of the operation unit 4 are arranged in the front-rear direction, the width is narrower than that of the conventional operation unit arranged in the left-right direction. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the front end of the operation unit 4 projects forward from the front surface of the image forming unit 2 as viewed from above.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting table 9 of the operation unit 4 is formed in a vertical direction about a horizontal axis 9c on a base 9b that is provided on the shoulder 8 so as to be horizontally turnable about a vertical axis 9a. It is attached to be able to rotate. The horizontal rotation of the mounting table 9 can be arbitrarily stopped at a position within a range of 30 ° to the left from the front position. The vertical rotation of the mounting table 9 can be locked at a predetermined position or an arbitrary position within a range of 22 ° downward from the horizontal state, and is locked by a lock lever 9d protruding downward from the mounting table 9. Can be released. That is, when the lock lever 9d is pulled forward, the pin 10a interlocking with the lock lever 9d is retracted from the plurality of engagement holes 10b formed in the base portion 9d to release the lock, and the operation unit 4 is placed at a desired position. When the table 9 is rotated and released from the lock lever 9d, the pin 10a engages with the engagement hole 10b and is locked at that position.

  FIG. 6 shows the internal structure of the image forming unit 2. The image forming unit 2 includes an intermediate transfer belt 11 as an image carrier at a substantially central portion inside. The intermediate transfer belt 11 is supported on the outer periphery of the rollers 12a and 12b and is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow A. Below the lower horizontal portion of the intermediate transfer belt 11, four image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K respectively corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) colors. Are arranged side by side along the intermediate transfer belt 11. Inside the intermediate transfer belt 11, primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, and 15C facing the photosensitive drums 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K of the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K with the intermediate transfer belt 11 interposed therebetween. , 15K are arranged respectively. The portion of the intermediate transfer belt 11 supported by the drive roller 12 a is pressed against the secondary transfer roller 16, and the nip portion between the secondary transfer roller 16 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 becomes the secondary transfer region 17. ing. A fixing roller 19 and a pressure roller 20 are disposed in the paper passing path 18 on the downstream side of the secondary transfer region 17. A pressure contact portion between the fixing roller 19 and the pressure roller 20 is a fixing nip region 21.

  Below the image forming unit 2, four types of first, second, third, and fourth types of paper feeding units 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are provided. The first paper feeding unit 22a and the second paper feeding unit 22b is arranged up and down, and the third sheet feeding unit 22c and the fourth sheet feeding unit 22d are arranged on the left and right below the second sheet feeding unit 22b. The sheets stacked and accommodated in each of the sheet feeding units 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are sent out one by one from the top to the sheet passing path 23. A circulation path 24 is provided on the side of the image forming unit 2. The single-sided printed paper that is switched back by the paper discharge roller 25 is conveyed downward through the circulation path 24, and the paper passing paths 23 and 18 are moved upward again with the unprinted surface facing the intermediate transfer belt 11 side. It is designed to be transported. A manual paper feeder 26 is provided below the circulation path 24, and the paper supplied from the manual paper feeder 26 joins the paper passage 23 and is conveyed upward. Reference numerals 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K denote toner cartridges that supply the respective color toners to the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K. Reference numeral 28 denotes a control unit that controls the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K.

  Next, a schematic operation of the image forming unit 2 having the above configuration will be described. The color print data obtained by reading the image by the image reading unit 3 or the image data output from a personal computer or the like is subjected to predetermined signal processing by the control unit 28, and then yellow (Y), magenta (M ), Cyan (C), and black (K) image signals are supplied to the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K. In each of the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K, a laser beam modulated by an image signal is projected onto each of the photosensitive drums 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent images formed on the photosensitive drums 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K are developed by the corresponding developing units, and yellow, magenta, and cyan are respectively developed on the photosensitive drums 14Y, 14M, 14C, and 14K. A black toner image is formed. The formed yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images are primarily transferred onto the moving intermediate transfer belt 11 in sequence by the action of the primary transfer rollers 15Y, 15M, 15C, and 15K. The superimposed toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 11 in this way reaches the secondary transfer region 17 as the intermediate transfer belt 11 moves. In the secondary transfer region 17, the superimposed toner images are collectively applied to the paper supplied from the paper supply units 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d or the manual paper supply device 26 by the action of the secondary transfer roller 16. Secondary transferred. Next, the sheet on which the toner image is secondarily transferred reaches the fixing nip region 21. In the fixing nip region 21, the toner image is fixed on the paper P by the action of the fixing roller 19 and the pressure roller 20. The paper P on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 7 via the paper discharge roller 25.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 described above, the operation unit 4 is separated from the image reading unit 3, and the front surface of the image reading unit 3 is located behind the front surface of the image forming unit 2. For this reason, as shown in the figure, since the front surface of the image reading unit 3 is formed between the front surface of the image forming unit 2 and a vast space for viewing the paper discharge space 6 is formed, the paper discharged into the paper discharge space 6 When the P is viewed or taken out, the front end of the image reading unit 3 does not get in the way, and the visibility and ease of taking out the paper P are improved.

  The operation unit 4 is supported by the housing of the image forming unit 2 so as to be vertically and horizontally rotatable on the front side of the image reading unit 3 and on the end side opposite to the paper discharge direction of the image forming unit 2. Therefore, if the operation unit 4 is rotated downward according to the line of sight and is rotated to an appropriate position on the left and right, even a user on a wheelchair can easily operate the operation unit 4. Furthermore, since the front end of the operation unit 4 protrudes forward from the front surface of the image forming unit 2, operability is good.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, even if the operation unit 4 is rotated to the left in the discharge direction to the maximum and the operation unit 4 is rotated to the maximum downward, the front of the discharge space 6 is opened. Since the area is not covered by the operation unit 4, the sheet P can be easily taken out without the operation unit 4, particularly the lock lever 9d being in the way. In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the maximum movable range W from the rotation center C to the left of the operation unit 4 is 108 mm, and the lower surface of the operation unit 4 when the operation unit 4 is fully rotated downward (the lock lever). The height H from the lower end of 9d) to the upper surface of the image forming unit 2 is 63 mm. For this reason, a take-out space is secured in which the height h of the stacked sheets P is up to 50 mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, since the space between the front end of the image reading unit 3 and the front end of the image forming unit 2 is not covered by the operation unit 4, the paper P discharged into the paper discharge space 6 can be easily obtained. It can be visually recognized. In the embodiment, the dimension D1 from the sheet discharge direction center line S of the image forming unit 2 to the front end of the image reading unit 3 as viewed from above is 177.7 mm, and the front end of the image reading unit 3 is A space of 152.7 mm from the dimension D2 to the front end is secured.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation unit 4 is attached to the shoulder 8 extending from the support unit 5b on the upper surface of the image forming unit 2, but may be directly attached to the upper surface of the image forming unit 2 or the image reading unit. 3 may be attached.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. The side view which shows the rotation mechanism of an operation part. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 1. The front view which shows the relationship between discharge space and an operation part. The top view which shows the relationship between discharge space and an operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus 2 Image forming part 3 Image reading part 4 Operation part 5a, 5b Support part 6 Paper discharge space 7 Paper discharge tray 9d Lock lever 10a Pin 10b Engagement hole

Claims (5)

An image reading unit that reads a document image; an image forming unit that forms the read image on a sheet; and an operation unit that performs display and operation necessary for image formation. The image reading unit is located above the image forming unit. Is located between the image reading unit and the image forming unit, and the image reading unit forms the image so that the paper discharging space is opened from the front to the paper discharge direction. In the image forming apparatus supported by the housing of the part,
The front surface of the image reading unit is located behind the front surface of the image forming unit;
The operation unit is supported on the front side of the image reading unit and on the end side of the image forming unit in the direction opposite to the paper discharge direction so as to be rotatable up and down and left and right on the housing of the image forming unit.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit does not prevent the front opening of the paper discharge space when the operation unit is rotated to the maximum in the paper discharge direction.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper discharge tray disposed in the paper discharge space has a shape inclined downward on the front side from the maximum width of the paper.   The operation unit includes a lock mechanism that holds the operation unit at a predetermined angle in the vertical direction, and a lock lever that protrudes below the operation unit and releases the lock by the lock mechanism. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lock lever does not prevent the front opening of the paper discharge space when the paper sheet is rotated to the maximum in the paper direction.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rear surface of the image reading unit is flush with a rear surface of the image forming unit or on a front side of the rear surface of the image forming unit. 5.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the operation unit protrudes forward from a front surface of the image forming unit.

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