JP2015151244A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

An image forming apparatus capable of restricting the rotation of a sheet discharge table according to a place where an image forming apparatus main body is installed.
An image forming apparatus main body 2 for forming an image on a recording medium is provided with a paper discharge stand 4, a first position standing along the image forming apparatus main body 2, and a recording medium discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 2. The image forming apparatus 1 is supported so as to rotate between a second position where the sheet can be placed, and includes a lock mechanism 10 that restricts the rotation of the paper discharge table 4. When the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed on the desktop 9, the elevating member 11 includes the elevating member 11 that can be moved up and down relative to the apparatus main body 2 and a coil spring 12 that biases the elevating member 11 downward. And is configured to restrict the rotation of the paper discharge tray 4 from the second position to the first position.
[Selection] Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes an image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a recording medium, a paper discharge tray on which the recording medium after image formation discharged from the image forming apparatus main body, And a support mechanism that rotatably supports the base end portion on the image forming apparatus main body. The support mechanism is configured to rotate between a first position where the paper discharge stand stands along the image forming apparatus main body and a second position where the recording medium discharged from the image forming apparatus main body can be stacked. ing.

  In the image forming apparatus described above, when the main body of the image forming apparatus is installed on the desktop (desktop), when the paper discharge table at the first position is rotated to the second position, There is concern that the fingers may be injured with fingers in between. As a technique for avoiding such a risk, it is conceivable to incorporate a damper mechanism for gradual movement of the sheet discharge table in the support mechanism, or to fix the sheet discharge table in the second position on the image forming apparatus main body. It is done.

  Also, a first position that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body and is folded and stored and held with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, and a second position on which sheets discharged after image formation are stacked. And a discharge position that is displaceable between a first position and a second position that is displaced from the main body of the image forming apparatus and is detached from the image forming apparatus main body, and a base end portion of the discharge position There is known an image forming apparatus provided with a displacement guide means for displacing and guiding a discharge table from a first position to a second position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, when the paper discharge table is displaced and guided in the separation direction so as to occupy the third position by the displacement guide means, the inertia force accompanying the displacement is transmitted to the displacement guide member, thereby the paper discharge table. The image forming apparatus main body side is provided with restricting means for restricting displacement of the base end portion of the image forming apparatus in the detaching direction.

  However, when the damper mechanism is incorporated in the support mechanism, there is a problem that the cost of the image forming apparatus increases. In addition, if the paper discharge stand is fixed at the second position with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, when the image forming apparatus main body is installed on the dedicated table, fingers or the like are sandwiched between the desktop and the paper discharge stand. Although the risk is eliminated, the paper discharge table cannot be set at the first position, and the paper discharge table may be an obstacle to the user's traffic.

  Further, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is intended to prevent the discharge stand from being detached from the image forming apparatus main body. When the image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop, the image forming apparatus discharges paper. When the table is rotated from the first position to the second position, there is a concern that fingers or the like may be damaged between the desktop and the sheet discharge table.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of restricting the rotation of a sheet discharge table in accordance with a place where an image forming apparatus main body is installed.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image forming apparatus main body that forms an image on a recording medium, and a discharge medium that mounts the recording medium after image formation discharged from the image forming apparatus main body. A paper table, and the paper discharge table can be placed on the image forming apparatus main body, the first position standing along the image forming apparatus main body, and the recording medium discharged from the image forming apparatus main body can be placed An image forming apparatus that is supported so as to rotate between a second position and a lock mechanism that restricts rotation of the paper discharge table, and the lock mechanism installs the image forming apparatus main body. Depending on the location, the rotation of the paper discharge table is restricted, or the restriction of the rotation of the paper discharge table is released.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of restricting the rotation of the paper discharge table according to the place where the image forming apparatus main body is installed.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram when an image forming apparatus main body is installed on a dedicated table in an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram when an image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop in an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus main body is installed on a dedicated table, and the sheet discharge table is rotated to a first position. In the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the image forming apparatus main body is installed on a dedicated table, and the sheet discharge table is rotated to a second position. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state in which an image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop and a sheet discharge table is rotated to a first position in an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a schematic configuration showing a state in which the image forming apparatus main body is installed on the desktop and the paper discharge table is being rotated from the first position to the second position. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state in which the image forming apparatus main body is installed on the desktop and the paper discharge table is rotated to the second position in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state in which an elevating member of the image forming apparatus main body is not in contact with an upper surface portion of a desktop. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state in which an image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop and a release mechanism is not operated in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a state in which an image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop and a release mechanism is activated in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

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

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is attached to an image forming apparatus main body 2 that forms an image on a recording medium such as recording paper (not shown), and the image forming apparatus main body 2. A sheet feed table 3, a sheet discharge table 4, a leg 5, a lock mechanism 10 and the like are provided.

  The image forming apparatus main body 2 includes a scanner unit that reads document information, a writing unit that performs image processing and writes the image on a photosensitive drum, an image forming unit that holds the toner image on the photosensitive drum, and that transfers the toner image to the recording paper. And a fixing unit for fixing the toner image. The image forming apparatus main body 2 is configured to discharge the recording paper on which the toner image is fixed in the fixing unit to the outside of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  The paper feed table 3 has a base end portion at one end portion of the image forming apparatus main body 2 by a pin 6 extending horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the paper passing direction of the recording medium (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 1 and 2). It is rotatably supported. The pin 6 constitutes a support mechanism that rotatably supports the base end portion of the paper feed table 3 on one end portion of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  The paper feed table 3 has a first position standing along the image forming apparatus main body 2 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2 around the pin 6 and an image indicated by a solid line in FIGS. It is configured to rotate between a second position where the recording medium can be manually fed to the forming apparatus main body 2. Further, the sheet feed table 3 is locked to the image forming apparatus main body 2 by an engagement member (not shown) at the first position.

  The paper discharge table 4 is rotatably supported by a bracket 7 a having a base end provided at the other end of the image forming apparatus main body 2 by a pin 7 parallel to the pin 6 described above. The bracket 2 a and the pin 7 constitute a support mechanism that rotatably supports the base end portion of the paper discharge table 4 on the other end portion of the image forming apparatus main body 2.

  The discharge table 4 has a first position standing around the pin 7 along the image forming apparatus main body 2 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2, and an image indicated by a solid line in FIGS. It rotates between a second position where a recording medium ejected from the forming apparatus main body 2 can be placed. Further, the paper discharge table 4 is locked to the image forming apparatus main body 2 by an engaging member (not shown) at the first position.

  The leg portions 5 are attached to four locations on the bottom plate 2b of the image forming apparatus main body 2, and the upper surface portion 8a of the dedicated table 8 on which the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed or the desktop 9 on which the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed. It comes in contact with the upper surface portion 9a.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 to 7, the lock mechanism 10 includes an elevating member 11 for restricting the rotation of the paper discharge tray 4 and an elastic member for urging the elevating member 11 downward. Coil spring 12.

  The elevating member 11 has a first member 11 a and a second member 11 b extending in the vertical direction, and is inserted through an insertion hole 2 c formed in the bottom plate 2 b of the image forming apparatus main body 2 so as to be able to be raised and lowered. The insertion hole 2c is located closer to the paper discharge platform 4 than the leg 5 closest to the paper discharge tray 4 in a plan view of the bottom plate 2b.

  The upper end portion of the first member 11a and the lower end portion of the second member 11b are rotatably supported by the pins 11c parallel to the pins 6 and 7 described above. Further, the first member 11a and the second member 11b are attached by a torsion spring (not shown) so that the first member 11a and the second member 11b are linearly connected as shown in FIGS. It is energized.

  The first member 11 a has a pressure receiving portion 11 d that can contact the upper surface portion 8 a of the dedicated table 8 or the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9 at the lower end. The second member 11b has a stopper 11e that can contact the upper surface of the bottom plate 2b of the image forming apparatus main body 2 at the upper end. The stopper 11e is for preventing the elevating member 11 from falling off the bottom plate 2b.

  The coil spring 12 is disposed so as to surround the elevating member 11 in the circumferential direction, and is interposed between the pressure receiving portion 11d and the bottom plate 2b to urge the elevating member 11 downward.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dedicated table 8 has a concave portion 8 b that is recessed downward from the upper surface portion 8 a. The dedicated table 8 accommodates the pressure receiving portion 11d of the elevating member 11 and the first member 11a in the recess 8b when the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed so that the leg portion 5 comes into contact with a predetermined portion of the upper surface portion 8a. It is configured.

  When the elevating member 11 is housed in the pressure receiving portion 11d and the first member 11a in the concave portion 8b of the dedicated table 8, most of the second member 11b is located below the bottom plate 2b, and the pin 7 is the center. The second member 11b is configured not to enter the rotation range of the base end portion of the paper discharge tray 4 to be moved.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the elevating member 11 is pushed up against the coil spring 12 when the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed so that the pressure receiving portion 11 d contacts the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9. It has become.

  When the pressure receiving portion 11d comes into contact with the upper surface portion 9a of the desktop 9 and is pushed up, the elevating member 11 is discharged most of the second member 11b above the bottom plate 2b and centered on the pin 7. The second member 11 b is configured to enter the rotation range at the base end portion of the base 4.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed so that the pressure receiving portion 11 d does not contact the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9, the elevating member 11 is pushed downward by the coil spring 12. . The image forming apparatus main body 2 can be installed so that the pressure receiving portion 11d does not come into contact with the upper surface portion 9a of the desktop 9, as described above, as compared with the leg portion 5 closest to the paper discharge table 4 in the plan view of the bottom plate 2b. This is because the insertion hole 2c is positioned on the paper table 4 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the leg portion 5 of the image forming apparatus main body 2 comes into contact with a predetermined position of the upper surface portion 8a of the dedicated table 8, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is brought into the recess 8b. The pressure receiving portion 11d of the elevating member 11 and the first member 11a are accommodated.

  As a result, the elevating member 11 remains pressed down by the coil spring 12, most of the second member 11 b is positioned below the bottom plate 2 b, and the base end portion of the paper discharge tray 4 centering on the pin 7 is located. The second member 11b does not enter the rotation range. For this reason, the paper discharge tray 4 can be rotated between the first position shown in FIG. 3 and the second position shown in FIG. 4 without interfering with the second member 11b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the pressure receiving portion 11 d of the elevating member 11 contacts the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9, the elevating member 11 resists the coil spring 12. And pushed up.

  As a result, the lifting member 11 has the second member 11b in the rotation range at the base end of the paper discharge table 4 with the pin 7 as the center, with most of the second member 11b positioned above the bottom plate 2b. Entered state. For this reason, when the paper discharge tray 4 is rotated from the first position shown in FIG. 5 to the second position shown in FIG. 7, the base end portion contacts the second member 11b as shown in FIG. In contact therewith, the second member 11b is tilted toward the center side of the image forming apparatus main body 2 (the right side in FIGS. 5 to 7).

  Further, when the paper discharge table 4 reaches the second position, the elevating member 11 returns to the state in which the first member 11a and the second member 11b are linearly connected by the restoring force of the torsion spring, and the second member 11b The upper end portion of the member 11b comes into contact with the paper discharge table 4 from below. For this reason, once the paper discharge table 4 reaches the second position, the rotation to the first position is restricted.

  In the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the elevating member 11 is configured such that the pressure receiving portion 11 d is not in contact with the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9 and the paper discharge table 4 centering on the pin 7. It will be in the state where the 2nd member 11b does not enter into the rotation range of the base end part. For this reason, the paper discharge table 4 can be rotated between the first position and the second position described above without interfering with the second member 11b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the pressure receiving portion 11 d comes into contact with the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9, the discharge table 4 is moved to the second position by the elevating member 11. Rotation from to the first position is restricted. Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment cannot repeatedly rotate the sheet discharge table 4 between the first position and the second position, and the upper surface portion 9a of the desktop 9 and the sheet discharge. The possibility that a finger or the like is sandwiched between the table 4 and the table 4 becomes extremely low.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is in the first position when the pressure receiving portion 11 d and the first member 11 a are accommodated in the concave portion 8 b of the dedicated table 8. And the second position are allowed to rotate. Therefore, when the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed on the dedicated table 8, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment sets the paper discharge table 4 to the first position that does not obstruct the user's passage. Can do.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment is between the first position and the second position unless the pressure receiving portion 11 d contacts the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9. Is allowed to rotate. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the image forming apparatus main body 2 is installed so that the paper discharge tray 4 protrudes from the desktop 9, the paper discharge tray 4 does not obstruct the user's passage. Can be set to the position.

(Second Embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus main body 2, a sheet feed table (not shown) attached to the image forming apparatus main body 2, a paper discharge table 4, and leg portions 5. The locking mechanism 10 and the release mechanism 20 are provided. 9 and 10, the parts denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 3 to 8 have the same configuration, and the description thereof is omitted.

  The release mechanism 20 includes a pin 21 extending horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the paper passing direction of the recording medium (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIGS. 9 and 10), a lever 22 having a base end fixed to the pin 21, and Arm 23.

  The pin 21 is rotatably supported by the bottom plate 2b so as to be positioned closer to the center side (right side in FIGS. 9 and 10) of the image forming apparatus body 2 than the elevating member 11. The lever 22 extends upward from the pin 21, and is configured such that the distal end portion is positioned closer to the center side of the image forming apparatus body 2 than the pin 21. The arm 23 extends upward from the pin 21, bends so that its tip is parallel to the pin 21, and faces the second member 11 b of the elevating member 11 from the other end side of the image forming apparatus main body 2. It is configured as follows.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the release mechanism 20, the distal end portion of the arm 23 is separated from the second member 11 b of the elevating member 11 when the distal end portion of the lever 22 is not pushed down. As shown in FIG. 10, when the release mechanism 20 pushes down the tip of the lever 22, the tip of the arm 23 is moved to the second member 11 b of the lifting member 11 according to the rotation of the pin 21. It comes into contact with the other end side of the main body 2.

  That is, in the release mechanism 20, when the user raises the tip of the lever 22, the tip of the arm 23 moves away from the second member 11b, and when the user lowers the tip of the lever 22, the tip of the arm 23 is released. The part comes close to the second member 11b.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment pushes down the distal end portion of the lever 22 in a state where the upper end portion of the second member 11 b is in contact with the discharge table 4 from below. As shown in FIG. 10, the tip of the arm 23 comes into contact with the second member 11b. As a result, the second member 11 b tilts toward the center of the image forming apparatus main body 2, and the upper end portion of the second member 11 b is detached from the paper discharge table 4.

  Therefore, the image forming apparatus 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment cancels the restriction of the rotation of the sheet discharge table 4 by the lifting member 11 even if the pressure receiving portion 11 d of the lifting member 11 is in contact with the upper surface portion 9 a of the desktop 9. Thus, the paper discharge table 4 can be rotated from the second position to the first position.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Further, the present invention can be applied to various image forming apparatuses.

1, 1A Image forming apparatus 2 Image forming apparatus body 2b Bottom plate (bottom)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Discharge stand 5 Leg part 8 Dedicated table 8a Upper surface part 9 Desktop 9a Upper surface part 10 Lock mechanism 11 Lifting member 12 Coil spring 20 Release mechanism

JP 2004-18231 A

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a recording medium; and a paper discharge table on which the recording medium after image formation discharged from the image forming apparatus main body is placed.
A first position where the sheet discharge stand stands on the image forming apparatus main body and a second position where the recording medium discharged from the image forming apparatus main body can be placed. An image forming apparatus supported to rotate between,
A lock mechanism for restricting the rotation of the paper discharge table, and the lock mechanism restricts the rotation of the paper discharge table in accordance with a place where the image forming apparatus main body is installed; An image forming apparatus configured to release the restriction of rotation.   The lock mechanism restricts rotation of the paper discharge table when the image forming apparatus main body is installed on a desktop, and restricts rotation of the paper discharge table when the image forming apparatus main body is installed on a dedicated table. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to release the function.   The lock mechanism includes an elevating member that can be raised and lowered with respect to the image forming apparatus main body, and an elastic member that urges the elevating member downward, and when the image forming apparatus main body is installed on the desktop, When the elevating member is pushed up by the desktop to restrict the rotation of the discharge table, and when the image forming apparatus main body is installed on the dedicated table, the elastic member pushes down the elevating member to rotate the discharge table. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured to cancel the restriction of movement.   The lock mechanism allows the discharge table to rotate from the first position to the second position, and allows the discharge table to rotate from the second position to the first position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is configured not to permit.   The image forming apparatus main body has a leg portion that can contact an upper surface portion of an object on which the image forming apparatus main body is installed at a bottom portion, and the locking mechanism is closest to the paper discharge table in a plan view. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is located closer to the sheet discharge platform than a leg portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a release mechanism capable of releasing the restriction of the rotation of the sheet discharge table by the lock mechanism.

Images