JP2018077292A - Opening/closing device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an opening/closing device that can reduce an operation load when closing an opening/closing unit.SOLUTION: A toner bottle cover 200 is openable/closable with respect to an inner cover 300. A shank on the left 201 and a snap fit 301 are engaged with each other with a predetermined reaction force when the toner bottle cover 200 is closed. A shank on the right 202 and a snap fit 302 are engaged with each other with a predetermined reaction force at a different timing from that for the shank on the left 201 and snap fit 301 when the toner bottle cover 200 is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an opening / closing device capable of opening / closing an opening / closing unit with respect to a main unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Image forming apparatuses equipped with an opening / closing device capable of opening / closing an opening / closing unit such as a cover or a door with respect to a main unit are widely used for the purpose of replenishing consumables and replacing parts. When the opening / closing device is moved to the closed position with respect to the main body unit, it is desirable that a reaction force in a direction opposite to the closed position is generated to give an appropriate click feeling associated with fixing at the closed position.

  In Patent Document 1, a display unit that can be opened and closed with respect to a device body of a notebook personal computer is positioned and locked at a closed position with respect to the device body by a pair of left and right hook members provided on both left and right sides of the screen. . Here, the operational feeling of opening and closing the display unit is improved by making the shapes of the pair of left and right hook members different.

JP 2003-140774 A

  The pair of left and right hook members shown in Patent Document 1 is the process of rotating the display unit as the opening / closing unit to the closed position, and after each starts engaging the engaged portion on the apparatus main body side at the same timing, Each completes engagement with the engaged portion. Here, in order to prevent the hook member from being disengaged from the engaged portion due to an impact or the like, the engaging force of each hook member with respect to the engaged portion is set large. For this reason, at the moment of engaging when closing the display unit, the reaction force in the direction opposite to the closed position acts in a superimposed manner by the pair of left and right hook members, increasing the load when closing the display unit, However, the operation feeling is not good.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an opening / closing device that can reduce an operation load when closing an opening / closing unit.

  The opening / closing device of the present invention includes an opening / closing unit that is openable / closable with respect to a main unit, a first engagement portion that engages with a predetermined reaction force when closing the opening / closing unit, and when closing the opening / closing unit. And a second engagement portion that engages with a predetermined reaction force at a timing different from that of the first engagement portion.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the opening / closing apparatus which can reduce the operation load at the time of closing an opening / closing unit can be provided.

1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of an image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a toner bottle cover unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toner bottle cover unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toner bottle cover. It is a perspective view of the inner cover on the apparatus main body side. It is explanatory drawing of the engagement process of a snap fit. In FIG. 7, (a) to (e) are respective stages in the closing process of the toner bottle cover. FIG. 6 is a front view of a state in which the toner bottle cover is moved to a closed position. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of shakiness in the rotation axis direction of the toner bottle cover.

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

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 describes an embodiment of an opening / closing device in a toner bottle cover that is disposed in front of an image forming apparatus and that is opened and closed by a user when replacing a consumable toner bottle.

(Appearance of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, a copying machine 1 as an example of an image forming apparatus is an electrophotographic monochrome copying machine in which an image reading device 3 is arranged on an upper part of an apparatus main body 2. The image reading device 3 is a so-called flatbed scanner equipped with an automatic document feeder 4 and reads an image of a document to be copied to generate image data. The user operates the operation panel 5 disposed on the front side of the copying machine 1 to perform various inputs / settings on the copying machine 1. The front side facing the operation panel 5 in the image forming apparatus 1 is referred to as “front side” of the copying machine 1, and the back side is referred to as “back side”.

(Operation of image forming apparatus)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration when the copying machine 1 of FIG. 1 is viewed from the front side. As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 20 includes a charging roller 22, an exposure device 23, a developing device 24, a transfer roller 25, and a drum cleaning device 26 around the photosensitive drum 21.

  The photosensitive drum 21 has a photosensitive layer formed on the peripheral surface of a metal cylinder and rotates. The charging roller 22 is charged with a charging voltage to charge the photosensitive drum 21 to a uniform potential. The exposure device 23 scans the surface of the photosensitive drum 21 charged to a uniform potential with a laser beam to form an electrostatic latent image of the image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 21. The developing device 24 carries a developer (toner) on the developing roller 24a and develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 21 into a toner image. The transfer roller 25 is applied with a transfer voltage and transfers the toner image on the photosensitive drum 21 to the sheet P passing through the transfer portion N1.

  The paper feeding unit 10 is disposed below the image forming unit 20. The sheet feeding unit 10 stacks and stores sheets P on the cassette 11. The pickup roller 12 feeds the sheet P from the cassette 11 and feeds it to the separation unit 13. The separation unit 13 separates the multi-feed sheet, sends the uppermost sheet P to the transport roller 14, and feeds it to the registration roller 15. The registration roller 15 corrects the skew of the sheet P and feeds the sheet P to the transfer unit N1 in synchronization with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21.

  The sheet P on which the toner image is transferred by the transfer unit N1 is conveyed to the fixing device 30, and is heated and pressurized in the process of being conveyed by the nip N2, and the image is fixed on the surface. The sheet P on which the image is fixed in the fixing device 30 is conveyed to the discharge unit 40, sandwiched by the discharge roller 41, discharged to the discharge tray 42, and stacked.

  The manual feed unit 16 can be accommodated on the side surface of the apparatus main body 2, and can stack sheets of an arbitrary size on the manual feed tray 17 and feed the sheet to the image forming unit 20. The feeding roller 18 feeds the sheets P stacked on the manual feed tray 17 to the separation unit 19. The separation unit 19 pushes the double-feed sheet back to the manual feed tray 17, sends the uppermost sheet to the conveyance roller 14, and feeds it to the registration roller 15.

(Double-sided printing)
In double-sided printing, the sheet on which the image on the first side is fixed by the fixing device 30 is switchback-conveyed by the discharge unit 40 and sent to the double-sided conveyance path 45 in a state where the leading edge and trailing edge are switched. The sheet in the duplex conveyance path 45 is conveyed by the conveyance rollers 46, 47, and 48, the second surface is positioned on the photosensitive drum 21 side, abuts against the registration roller 15, and waits. The registration roller 15 feeds the sheet P to the transfer unit N1 in synchronization with the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 21. The sheet P on which the toner image is also transferred to the second surface by the transfer unit N1 is heated and pressed by the fixing device 30 to fix the image on the second surface, and is then sandwiched by the discharge roller 41 and discharged from the discharge tray 42. Is discharged.

(Developer supply unit)
As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 20 and the fixing device 30, which are examples of image forming means, are accommodated in the apparatus main body 2 provided with a toner bottle cover unit 100 which is an example of an opening / closing device. The toner bottle housing unit 28 inserts and removes the toner bottle 400 from the front side and holds it detachably. The toner bottle storage unit 28 replenishes the developer from the toner bottle 400 to the developing device 24 by rotating the toner bottle 400. When the developer is replenished to the developing device 24 and the toner in the toner bottle 400 runs out, the user opens the toner bottle cover 200 and replaces the toner bottle 400 with a new one.

(Toner bottle cover unit)
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view around the toner bottle cover unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the toner bottle cover unit. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toner bottle cover. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inner cover on the apparatus main body side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the toner bottle cover 200, which is an example of an opening / closing unit, is rotatable with respect to an inner cover 300, which is an example of a main body unit, and can be opened and closed to the front side. The toner bottle cover 200 is openable and closable with respect to the apparatus main body 2 to the front side by rotatably supporting the front ends of the rotation arms 220 and 230 provided on the toner bottle cover 200.

  The user opens the toner bottle cover 200 by grasping the handle portion 204 at the left end of the toner bottle cover 200 and rotating the toner bottle cover 200 to the front side. The user can open the toner bottle cover 200 by placing a finger on the handle 204 from the recess 320 of the apparatus main body 2.

  The toner bottle cover 200 is limited in rotation while being rotated to −15 degrees with respect to the horizontal direction, that is, 15 degrees below the horizontal direction, at a position away from the apparatus main body 2 by the rotation arms 220 and 230. Yes. The angle of −15 degrees is an angle at which the toner bottle cover 200 does not hinder operability when the toner bottle 400 is inserted and removed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the toner bottle cover unit 100, the toner bottle cover 200 is assembled to the inner cover 300 so as to be rotatable. The handle portion 204 is resin-molded integrally with the toner bottle cover 200, and a plurality of ribs 214 are molded inside. In the closed position of the toner bottle cover 200, the shaft portion left 201 of the toner bottle cover 200 is engaged with the snap fit 301 of the inner cover 300, and the shaft portion right 202 is engaged with the snap fit 302.

  When the toner bottle cover 200 is closed, the shaft left portion 201 and the snap fit 301 which are examples of the first engaging portion are engaged with each other with a predetermined reaction force. The shaft left portion 201 and the snap fit 301 are engaged so that the inner cover 300 and the toner bottle cover 200 get over the peak of the elastic reaction force in the process of moving the toner bottle cover 200 to the closed position.

  The shaft left portion 201 which is an example of the first engaging means provided in the toner bottle cover 200 and the snap fit 301 which is an example of the first engaged means provided in the inner cover 300 are accompanied by at least one elastic deformation. Can be engaged. Along with the elastic deformation of at least one of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301, a reaction force is generated in a direction (opening direction) in which the toner bottle cover 200 is moved away from the closed position.

  The shaft right 202 and the snap fit 302, which are examples of the second engaging portion, are engaged with a predetermined reaction force at a timing different from that of the shaft left 201 and the snap fit 301 when the toner bottle cover 200 is closed. Match. The shaft right 202 and the snap fit 302 are engaged so that the inner cover 300 and the toner bottle cover 200 overcome the peak of the elastic reaction force at a timing different from the shaft left 201 in the process of moving to the closed position. Match.

  The shaft right 202, which is an example of the second engaging means provided on the toner bottle cover 200, and the snap fit 302, which is an example of the second engaged means provided on the inner cover 300, are accompanied by at least one elastic deformation. Can be engaged. A reaction force in the direction of moving the toner bottle cover 200 away from the closed position (opening direction) is generated with elastic deformation of at least one of the shaft right part 202 and the snap fit 302.

(Rotating structure)
As shown in FIG. 4, a toner bottle cover 200, which is an example of an opening / closing unit, can be opened and closed with respect to an inner cover 300, which is an example of a main unit.

  As shown in FIG. 5 with reference to FIG. 4, the toner bottle cover 200 is rotatable with respect to the inner cover 300 around a rotation center axis A which is an example of a rotation axis. The distance from the rotation center axis A to the engagement position of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301 is different from the distance from the rotation center axis A to the engagement position of the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302. For this reason, the closing angle of the toner bottle cover 200 when the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301 are engaged with each other and the closing angle of the toner bottle cover 200 when the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 are engaged are: Different. The closing angle is an inner angle formed between the inner cover 300 and the toner bottle cover 200 around the rotation center axis A.

  Specifically, the distance from the rotation center axis A to the engagement position of the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 is shorter than the distance from the rotation center axis A to the engagement position of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301. . For this reason, in the process of closing the toner bottle cover 200, the engagement between the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 is started prior to the engagement between the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301.

  The toner bottle cover 200 has a rotation center axis A when the toner bottle cover 200 is rotated with respect to the inner cover 300. The toner bottle cover 200 has a shaft portion left 201 and a shaft portion right 202. The shaft portion left 201 and the shaft portion right 202 are molded to have the same shape and the same dimensions by inverting the direction along the rotation center axis A. The shaft portion left 201 is reinforced in the direction along the rotation center axis A by the rib 211, and the shaft portion right 202 is reinforced in the opposite direction along the rotation center axis A by the rib 212. Therefore, in the process in which the shaft left part 201 and the shaft right part 202 are engaged with the snap fits 301 and 302, the snap part 301 and 302 are pressed by the shaft left part 201 and the shaft right part 202 and bent. The left 201 and the shaft right 202 are not bent. When the distance from the rotation center axis A to the left part 201 is d1, and the distance from the rotation center axis A to the right part 202 is d2, the following relationship is established.

d1> d2 (Formula 1)

  As shown in FIG. 6, the inner cover 300 has a rotation center axis B that rotatably holds the toner bottle cover 200. The inner cover 300 has a snap fit 301 and a snap fit 302. The snap fit 301 and the snap fit 302 are formed in the same shape and the same size by inverting the direction along the rotation center axis B. The snap fits 301 and 302 are bent in the opposing direction along the rotation center axis B in the process of engagement with the shaft left 201 and the shaft right 202 so as to press the shaft left 201 and the shaft right 202 outward. Is formed. When the distance from the rotation center axis B to the snap fit 301 is d3 and the distance from the rotation center axis B to the snap fit 302 is d4, the following relationship is established.

d3> d4 (Formula 2)
d1 = d3 (Formula 3)
d2 = d4 (Formula 4)

  From the relationship between Expression 3 and Expression 4, as shown in FIG. 4, in the process in which the toner bottle cover 200 rotates to the closed position with respect to the inner cover 300, the snap fit 301 is engaged with the shaft portion left 201, and the shaft The snap fit 302 is engaged with the right part 202.

(Snap-fit engagement process)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a snap-fit engagement process. In FIG. 7, (a) to (e) are respective stages in the closing process of the toner bottle cover. As shown in FIG. 4, in the process of moving to the closed position, the engagement of the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 starts at the position of the toner bottle cover 200 where the engagement of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301 starts. Closer than closed position. For this reason, compared with the case where the engagement of the shaft portion left 201 and the engagement of the shaft portion right 202 proceed simultaneously, the reaction force directed in the opposite direction of the closed position with the closing operation acts in a superimposed manner from both. do not do.

  Further, in the process of moving to the closed position, the position of the toner bottle cover 200 at which the reaction force acting on the left shaft portion 201 peaks is closer to the closed position than the position at which the reaction force acting on the right shaft portion 202 peaks. close. For this reason, the peak of the reaction force acting on the shaft portion left 201 and the peak of the reaction force acting on the shaft portion right 202 do not act at the same time.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A to 7E, in the process of moving to the closed position with respect to the inner cover 300, the snap fit 301 is first engaged with the shaft left part 201, and then the shaft right part 202 is engaged. The snap fit 302 engages. Due to the relationship of the above-described formulas 1 and 2, the shaft portion right 202 enters and engages with the snap fit 302 before the shaft portion left 201 enters and engages with the snap fit 301.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, when the shaft right portion 202 starts to climb the slope of the snap fit 302 and starts to bend the snap fit 302, the shaft left portion 201 has not yet bent the snap fit 301. .

  As shown in FIG. 7C, when the shaft right portion 202 is positioned on the top flat portion of the snap fit 302, the shaft left portion 201 starts to rise up the slope of the snap fit 301 and the snap fit 301 begins to bend. Since the shaft left portion 201 starts to climb the slope portion of the snap fit 301 after the shaft portion right 202 has finished climbing the slope portion of the snap fit 302, the force required to move the toner bottle cover 200 to the closed position does not increase. . The shaft portion right 202 first deflects and engages with the snap fit 302, and then the shaft portion left 201 deflects and engages with the snap fit 301 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7D, in the process of moving the toner bottle cover 200 to the closed position, at the position of the toner bottle cover 200 where the reaction force acting on the shaft left portion 201 peaks, The reaction force that acts is a pull-in force U toward the closed position. When the shaft portion right 202 starts to descend the slope portion of the snap fit 302, the pulling force U acts on the shaft portion right 202. That is, the reaction force at the engagement position of one of the engagement portions of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301 and the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 that has an early engagement timing is the other engagement portion. The pulling force U toward the closing position of the cover 200 is obtained. The pull-in force U biases the toner bottle cover 200 toward the closed position. For this reason, the force required for the closing operation of the toner bottle cover 200 to get over the position where the reaction force acting on the shaft portion left 201 reaches a peak is reduced.

  In addition, the pulling force that moves the toner bottle cover 200 toward the closed position acts to assist the force that causes the left shaft portion 201 to bend the snap fit 301, and the toner bottle cover 200 can be moved with a smaller operating force than usual. It can be moved to the closed position. When the toner bottle cover 200 is closed by the assist force, the shaft portion right 202 is engaged with the snap fit 302 and the shaft portion left 201 is not engaged with the snap fit 301. It is hard to become.

(Correction of closed position rattling)
As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 205 of the toner bottle cover 200 then abuts against the abutting portion 304 of the inner cover 300 to restrict the rotation of the toner bottle cover 200, so that the toner bottle cover 200 is brought into the closed position. Positioned. At this time, in the closed position of the toner bottle cover 200, the reaction force of at least one of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301, the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 becomes a pulling force toward the closing position of the toner bottle cover 200. . With the toner bottle cover 200 in contact with the inner cover 300, at least one of the snap fit 301 and the snap fit 302 acts on the toner bottle cover 200 with a pulling force toward the closed position.

  As shown in FIG. 7E, the shaft portion left 201 is separated from the snap fit 301. However, since the shaft portion right 202 is in a state where the snap fit 302 is bent, a pulling force is applied to the toner bottle cover 200, and the protruding portion 205 of the toner bottle cover 200 and the abutting portion 304 of the inner cover 300 are The rattling between is absorbed.

(Correction of rotation in the direction of the rotation axis)
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a state in which the toner bottle cover is moved to the closed position. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of shakiness in the rotation axis direction of the toner bottle cover.

  The toner bottle cover 200 as the opening / closing unit is rotated from the open position shown in FIG. 3 to the closed position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the toner bottle cover 200 has a backlash of a distance d5 in the rotation axis direction with respect to the inner cover 300 as the main body unit.

  However, when the toner bottle cover 200 is stopped at the closed position, at least one of the snap fits 301 and 302 applies a force in one direction along the rotation axis to the toner bottle cover 200. As shown in FIG. 7E, the snap fit 302 generates an urging force in one direction along the rotation axis of the toner bottle cover 200, and urges the shaft portion right 202 in the arrow R direction. That is, at the closed position of the toner bottle cover 200, the reaction force of at least one of the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301, the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 is one with respect to the toner bottle cover 200 along the rotation axis. Directional force is acting.

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, a force in the direction of arrow C is applied to the toner bottle cover 200, and the toner bottle cover 200 is biased in the direction of arrow C. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the right end surface of the rotation shaft holding portion 203 of the toner bottle cover 200 abuts against the restriction portion 303 of the inner cover 300, and the position of the toner bottle cover 200 in the rotation axis direction is restricted. Has been. That is, the snap fit 302 absorbs shakiness of the toner bottle cover 200 in the rotation axis direction.

(Handle part)
As shown in FIG. 4, the toner bottle cover 200 is arranged in the order of the handle portion 204, the shaft portion left 201, and the shaft portion right 202. For this reason, when the handle portion 204 is grasped and the toner bottle cover 200 is closed, the shaft portion right 202 and the snap fit 302 are engaged first, and then the shaft portion left 201 and the snap fit 301 are engaged by the assisting force. To do. For this reason, the toner bottle cover 200 is not fixed while only one of the shaft portion left 201 or the shaft portion right 202 is engaged with the snap fits 301 and 302.

(Effect of Embodiment 1)
In the first embodiment, it is possible to suppress an operation load when the toner bottle cover 200 is closed. The toner bottle cover 200 can be reliably positioned when the toner bottle cover 200 is closed.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the embodiment of the opening / closing device in the toner bottle cover of the image forming apparatus has been described. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, an embodiment of an opening / closing device in a display unit rotatably attached to a main body of a notebook personal computer will be described.

(Display part)
In the notebook computer according to the second embodiment, a display unit provided with a liquid crystal display screen is rotatably attached by a rotation shaft arranged on the back side of the main body having a keyboard and a touch pad arranged on the upper surface. A braking member is provided between the display unit and the main body, and the user can position and stop the display unit at an arbitrary opening angle with respect to the main body.

(Engagement structure)
A pair of engaging members similar to the shaft left 201 and the shaft right 202 shown in FIG. 5 are arranged at different distances from the rotation shaft on both the left and right sides of the liquid crystal display screen of the display unit. Then, a recess is provided at a position where the pair of engaging members engage with the display unit closing operation in the main body, and engaged members similar to the snap fits 301 and 302 shown in FIG. Arranged.

  As a result, in the process in which the user rotates and closes the display unit with respect to the main body, one engagement member of the pair of engagement members precedes and starts engagement with the other member to be engaged. Then, the other engaging member starts engaging with the other member to be engaged. During the closing operation, after the peak of the reaction force acting on one of the engaging members has passed, the display unit is positioned and stopped at the closed position with respect to the main body after passing the peak of the reaction force acting on the other engaging member. .

<Other embodiments>
The opening / closing device and the image forming apparatus of the present invention are not limited to the specific configurations described in the first and second embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in another embodiment in which a part or all of the configuration and control in the first embodiment are replaced with equivalent alternative means. For example, the image forming apparatus is not limited to a monochrome copying machine, and may be implemented by another image forming apparatus such as a printer, a fax machine, a multifunction machine, a full color printer, or the like. The present invention can be implemented not only in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus but also in other image forming apparatuses such as an ink jet system, an offset printing system, and a thermal transfer system.

  As described in the second embodiment, the present invention can be implemented not only in the image forming apparatus but also in an opening / closing cover and an opening / closing structure of a general electronic device such as a notebook computer.

  In the first embodiment, the shaft portion left 201 and the shaft portion right 202 are different in distance from the rotation center axis, and the engagement timing of the shaft portion left 201 and the shaft portion right 202 with respect to the snap fits 301 and 302 is adjusted. did. However, the adjustment of the engagement timing of the shaft portion left 201 and the shaft portion right 202 with respect to the snap fits 301 and 302 is not limited to the adjustment of the rotation radius from the rotation center axis. The engagement timing may be adjusted by changing the length, size, and mounting height of the shaft portion left 201 and the shaft portion right 202.

  In the first embodiment, the shaft portion left 201 and the engagement portion of the snap fit 301 and the shaft portion right 202 and the engagement portion of the snap fit 302 are arranged by shifting the position in the rotation axis direction. However, the shaft left portion 201 and the engaging portion of the snap fit 301 and the shaft portion right 202 and the engaging portion of the snap fit 302 have different turning radii at the same position in the rotational axis direction of the toner bottle cover 200. May be arranged.

  In the first embodiment, the toner bottle cover 200 is rotated with respect to the inner cover 300. However, the toner bottle cover 200 may be slid along the predetermined guide with respect to the inner cover 300. The toner bottle cover 200 may be configured to rotate in parallel with the surface of the inner cover 300.

  In the first embodiment, the reaction force in the direction opposite to the closing position when the toner bottle cover 200 is moved is generated by bending deformation of the snap fits 301 and 302. However, as shown in Patent Document 1, a slider hook that is spring-biased in the sliding direction may be engaged. It is good also as a structure which inserts and engages with a valve-shaped processus | protrusion in the space | interval which made the curved leaf | plate spring facing and narrowed.

1: image forming apparatus, 2: apparatus main body, 10: paper feeding unit, 20: image forming unit (image forming unit), 28: toner bottle housing unit, 30: fixing device (image forming unit), 40: discharge unit, 100: Toner bottle cover unit (opening / closing device), 200: Toner bottle cover (opening / closing unit), 201: Shaft portion left (first engaging portion, first engaging means), 202: Shaft portion right (second engaging) Part, second engaging means), 203: rotating shaft holding part, 204: handle part, 205: protruding part, 300: inner cover (main body unit), 301: snap fit (first engaging part, first cover) Engaging means), 302: snap fit (second engaging part, second engaged means), 303: restricting part, 304: abutting part, 400: toner bottle

Claims (8)

An open / close unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the main unit,
A first engaging portion that engages with a predetermined reaction force when closing the opening and closing unit;
A second engagement portion that engages with a predetermined reaction force at a timing different from that of the first engagement portion when closing the opening / closing unit;
A switchgear characterized by that. The closing angle of the opening / closing unit when the first engaging portion is engaged is different from the closing angle of the opening / closing unit when the second engaging portion is engaged,
The opening / closing device according to claim 1. The reaction force at the engagement position of one of the first engagement portions and the second engagement portion with the earlier engagement timing is directed toward the closing position of the opening / closing unit. It will be a pulling force,
The switchgear according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that At the closed position of the opening / closing unit, the reaction force of at least one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion becomes a pulling force toward the closed position.
The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the switchgear is provided. The opening / closing unit is rotatable with respect to the main unit,
At the closed position of the opening / closing unit, the reaction force of at least one of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion applies a unidirectional force along the rotation axis of the opening / closing unit to the opening / closing unit. Acting,
The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switchgear is characterized in that The opening / closing unit is rotatable with respect to the main unit,
The distance from the rotation axis of the opening / closing unit to the engagement position of the first engagement portion is different from the distance from the rotation axis of the opening / closing unit to the engagement position of the second engagement portion,
The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The first engagement portion can be engaged with at least one elastic deformation of a first engagement means provided in the opening / closing unit and a first engaged means provided in the main body unit. ,
The second engaging portion is engageable with at least one elastic deformation of second engaging means provided in the opening / closing unit and second engaged means provided in the main body unit.
The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the switchgear is provided. The switchgear according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Image forming means accommodated in an apparatus main body provided with the opening / closing device,
An image forming apparatus.

Images