JP7110912B2 - Image forming device and medium conveying device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a medium conveying device.

A conventional image forming apparatus has a paper feeding unit for feeding a medium in a feeding direction and a medium stacking unit for stacking the fed medium in a main unit. The medium stacking unit includes a medium guide that is slidable in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction, and the medium stacking unit is arranged to be openable and closable with respect to the main unit (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100000).

JP 2013-43737 A

However, in the conventional configuration, when the medium stacking unit is moved from the open position to the closed position, the medium guide may interfere with the paper feeding section.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a main unit, a medium stacking unit movable between an open position and a closed position with respect to the main unit, and a movement of the medium stacking unit. and a paper feed unit that feeds the medium placed on the medium stacking unit in a paper feed direction from the medium stacking unit toward the inside of the main unit; The unit includes a medium stacking plate having a medium stacking surface on which a medium is placed, and is slidably arranged along the medium stacking surface in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction to guide the medium. a medium guide having a guide surface that extends between the medium guide and the medium guide; protrudes on the upstream side in the paper feed direction from the end of the guide surface in the paper feed direction, and the medium guide is positioned closest to the paper feed unit in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. It has a protruding portion that is inserted into the hole when it is opened, and the protruding portion has an inclined surface that is formed on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction and is inclined with respect to the paper feeding direction. when the medium guide is placed at a position closest to the paper feed unit in a direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction, in the process of the medium placement unit transitioning from the open position to the closed position, It is characterized in that, as the inclined surface abuts against the first abutting portion of the interlocking member, the interlocking member slides to a retracted position away from the paper feeding portion.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the medium guide from interfering with the paper feeding section when closing the medium stacking unit.

1 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus when an opening/closing unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention is in a closed state; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus in an open state of an opening/closing unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of an opening/closing unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a body frame of a first embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medium stacking unit, a holding frame, and a lever portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention; (a) is a perspective view showing the lever portion and the medium guide of the first embodiment according to the present invention when they are at the minimum width position. (b) is an enlarged perspective view showing a recess and a medium guide; It is a perspective view which shows the lever part of 1st Example which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a holding frame and a paper feeding section according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the paper feeding unit of the first embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the medium guide and the lever portion in the open state (first state) of the first embodiment according to the present invention; It is a perspective view which shows the lever part and medium stacking unit of 1st Example which concerns on this invention. FIG. 5 is a model diagram for explaining the operations of the protrusion and the hole in the process from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention; . FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing an open state (first state) in the opening/closing unit of the first embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing a second state of the opening/closing unit of the first embodiment according to the present invention; (a) is a side sectional view showing a third state of the opening/closing unit of the first embodiment according to the present invention. (b) is a cross-sectional view showing protrusions and holes when viewed from the vertical direction. (a) is a side cross-sectional view showing an inclined surface and a contact surface in the process of transitioning from the third state to the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (b) is a partial cross-sectional view showing a protrusion formed in the medium guide and a hole formed in the lever when the opening/closing unit is viewed from the vertical direction. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a lever portion of a second embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention in a state where the contact between the inclined surface and the contact surface is released; It is a fragmentary sectional view in the state where the inclined surface and contact part of the 2nd Example which concerns on this invention contact|abut. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention in a state where the contact between the inclined surface and the contact portion is released; FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing a transmission sensor and a light shielding part of a third embodiment according to the present invention; It is a flowchart figure showing the operation|movement of the 3rd Example which concerns on this invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a body frame of a fourth embodiment according to the present invention; FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing an opening/closing unit, a medium guide, and an abutting portion according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end portion and the inclined surface of the fourth embodiment according to the present invention are in contact;

(first embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 of a first embodiment according to the present invention. The X, Y, and Z axes in FIG. 1 take the X axis in the upward direction of the image forming apparatus 1, the Y axis in the direction orthogonal to the X axis, the direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction, and the pickup (to be described later). The Z axis is parallel to the shaft 63 which is the rotation axis of the roller 60a. Here, the Y-axis is orthogonal to the Z-axis. Also, when the X, Y, and Z axes are shown in other drawings to be described later, the directions of these axes are common.

An image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention comprises a main unit 2 having an image forming section 15 for forming an image on a medium, and an opening/closing unit 300 arranged to be openable/closable with respect to the main unit 2 . The main unit 2 includes a paper tray 13 on which recording paper 14a as a medium is placed, a paper feeding unit 8 for feeding the recording paper 14a, a paper transporting unit 3 for transporting the fed recording paper 14a and a recording paper 14b described later, An image forming unit 15 for forming toner images, a fixing unit 20 for fixing the toner images formed on the recording papers 14a and 14b, and the recording papers 14a and 14b on which the toner images are fixed by the fixing unit 20 are discharged to a stacker 23. Therefore, it has a conveying roller 21 and a discharge roller 22 .

As shown in FIG. 1, a paper tray 13 on which recording paper 14a is stacked is arranged in the lower portion of the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 . A paper feeding section 8 for conveying the recording paper 14 a to the image forming section 15 is provided on the paper feeding side of the paper tray 13 . The paper delivery unit 8 is provided with a pickup roller 9 for delivering the recording paper 14a, a feed roller 10 for separating the recording paper 14a delivered to the pickup roller 9 one by one, and a separating piece 11. FIG.

The paper conveying section 3 conveys the recording paper 14 a sent from the paper feeding section 8 to the image forming section 15 via conveying rollers 4 and 5 . A recording paper 14b as a medium is placed on the medium stacking plate 32 that constitutes the opening/closing unit 300, and the recording paper 14b transported from the paper feeding unit 60 is passed through the feed roller 6 and the retard roller 7, and is fed one by one. The separated recording paper 14 b is conveyed to the image forming section 15 by the conveying roller 5 . The main unit 2 also has an input display unit 222 that receives an operation input from the user and displays information, an opening/closing sensor 230 that detects opening/closing of the opening/closing unit 300 , and a control unit 330 that controls the image forming apparatus 1 .

The image forming unit 15 includes four toner image forming units 16K, 16Y, 16M, and 16C from the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction (the toner image forming units are referred to as toner image forming units 16 when not distinguished) and toner images. A transfer unit 17 is provided for transferring the toner image formed by the forming unit 16 onto a sheet.

Each toner image forming unit 16 forms toner images of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), respectively. In each toner image forming section 16, four photosensitive drums 24K, 24Y, 24M, and 24C provided in each toner image forming section 16 are charged by charging rollers (not shown) and rotated by an optical head (not shown). A toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 24 by exposing the photosensitive drum to light to form an electrostatic latent image and causing toner to adhere to the photosensitive drum 24 from a developing roller (not shown). Hereinafter, the photosensitive drum 24 will be used unless otherwise specified.

The transfer unit 17 includes a transfer belt 18 that conveys the recording paper 14a conveyed from the paper tray 13 or the recording paper 14b conveyed from the opening/closing unit 300 in the direction of arrow A, and the four photosensitive drums of each toner image forming unit 16. Four transfer rollers 19K, 19Y, 19M and 19C are arranged at positions facing 24K, 24Y, 24M and 24C. Here, the transfer roller 19 is used unless otherwise specified. The transfer roller 19 sequentially superimposes and transfers the respective color toner images developed on the photosensitive drum 24 onto the recording paper 14a or 14b by the Coulomb force. The recording paper 14 a or 14 b onto which the toner image has been transferred by the image forming section 15 is conveyed to the fixing section 20 by the transfer belt 18 .

The fixing unit 20 fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording paper 14a or 14b onto the recording paper 14a or 14b with heat and pressure. The recording paper 14a or 14b on which the toner image is fixed is discharged by the conveying roller 21 and the paper discharge roller 22 to the stacker 23 on which the printed paper is stacked.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 when the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment according to the present invention is in the closed state. The image forming apparatus 1 has a main unit 2 and an opening/closing unit 300 that is fixedly arranged with respect to the main unit 2 so as to be rotatable between an open state and a closed state. Further, the input display section 222 described above is arranged on the exterior frame 2a. The position of the opening/closing unit 300 shown in FIG. 2 is the fourth state in the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 when the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment according to the invention is in the open state. Note that the position of the opening/closing unit 300 shown in FIG. 3 is the first state in the present invention.

Next, the configuration of the opening/closing unit 300 will be described. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the opening/closing unit 300. As shown in FIG. In the present invention, the direction indicated by the arrow D is defined as the feeding direction of the recording paper 14b, and will be described as the feeding direction D below. The opening/closing unit 300 includes a medium stacking unit 30 having a medium stacking plate 32 , and a lever portion 70 as an interlocking member for forming a gap for placing the recording paper 14 b on the medium stacking plate 32 . in the vertical direction (X direction). The opening/closing unit 300 also includes a paper feed unit 60 having a pickup roller 60a for feeding the recording paper 14b from the medium stacking unit 30 toward the inside of the main unit 2 (arrow D). It is composed of a feed roller 6 and a retard roller 7 for conveying the recording paper 14b fed by the roller 60a, and a holding frame 50 for holding the paper feeding unit 60. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the medium stacking unit 30 includes a medium stacking plate 32 for placing the recording paper 14b, and a medium guide held by the medium stacking plate 32 and guiding the placed recording paper 14b. 33 , a biasing member 61 that biases the medium stacking plate 32 toward the pickup roller 60 a , and a medium stacking cover 31 that holds the medium stacking plate 32 and the biasing member 61 .

At the upstream end of the medium stacking plate 32 in the paper feed direction D, a shaft portion 252 extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction D (Z direction) is formed. Since the shaft portion 252 is inserted into the elongated hole portion 135 formed in the medium stacking cover 31 , the medium stacking plate 32 moves toward the medium stacking cover 31 with the arrow B and the arrow C centering on the shaft portion 252 . It is rotatable in any direction. Here, the medium stacking cover 31 is rotatably provided with respect to the main unit 2 , and the medium stacking plate 32 rotates together with the medium stacking cover 31 . A stopper portion 501 is provided at the downstream end portion of the medium stacking cover 31 in the paper feeding direction D, and the body frame 150 of the main unit 2 (to be described later) abuts against the stopper portion 501 to prevent the medium from being loaded. The placement unit 30 can be kept open with respect to the main unit 2 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the biasing member 61 is a compression spring arranged between the medium stacking plate 32 and the medium stacking cover 31 . The medium stacking plate 32 receives a force to rotate in the arrow B direction around the shaft portion 252 due to the biasing force of the biasing member 61 . When the medium stacking plate 32 receives the biasing force from the biasing member 61 , the recording paper 14 b on the medium stacking plate 32 contacts the pickup roller 60 a on the medium nipping portion 26 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the body frame 150 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. The body frame 150 is arranged in the main body device 2, is a member that holds the opening/closing unit 300 in the main body device 2, and is arranged in the exterior frame 2a shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the body frame 150 has shaft portions that axially support the medium stacking covers 31 constituting the medium stacking unit 30 on both end sides in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feeding direction D. 250.

Guide surfaces 150a and 150b are formed on the body frame 150 along a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction D (the Z direction). A surface portion 156a is formed at the end of the guide surface 150a in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. A surface portion 156b is arranged to face an end portion of the guide surface 150b in a direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. The guide surfaces 150 a and 150 b guide the recording paper 14 b fed from the pickup roller 60 a into the main device 2 . Here, the surface portions 156a and 156b are arranged in the central region of the body frame 150 in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction.

Further, the body frame 150 is formed with a mounting opening 155 for mounting an upper frame 500 constituting the body device 2, which will be described later. The upper frame 500 is fixedly arranged in the mounting opening 155 so as to close the mounting opening 155 . The holding frame 50 is rotatably held by the upper frame 500 . In addition, the body frame 150 has a pressing arm portion of a lever portion 70 described later on the other end side of the guide surface 150a in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feeding direction D (Z direction). It has a stopper portion 502a that abuts on 110a. Similarly, the other end of the guide surface 150b has 502b that abuts against the pressing arm portion 110b. Here, when the stopper portions 502a and 502b are not particularly distinguished, the stopper portion 502 is used.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the medium stacking unit 30, the holding frame 50, and the lever portion 70 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. A bearing portion 152 into which the shaft portion 250 is inserted is formed in the medium stacking cover 31 . The bearing portion 152 is arranged at the downstream end of the medium stacking cover 31 in the paper feed direction D. As shown in FIG. In addition, the bearings 152 are arranged at two positions, one end side and the other end side, of the medium stacking cover 31 in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D. As shown in FIG. Since the shaft portion 250 is inserted into the bearing portion 152 , the medium stacking cover 31 is rotatable around the shaft portion 250 with respect to the main unit 2 .

As shown in FIG. 6, two medium guides 33 (33a, 33b) are arranged on the medium stacking plate 32 along the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. The medium guide 33a has a guide surface 80a and the medium guide 33b has a guide surface 80b. The two guide surfaces 80a and 80b extend parallel to the paper feed direction D and are arranged to face each other. Here, the medium guides 33a and 33b are referred to as the medium guide 33 when the medium guides 33a and 33b are not particularly distinguished.

In addition, a rack (not shown) is provided in the medium guide 33 on the lower surface of the medium stacking plate 32 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction). The guides 33a and 33b are interlocked and slidable in a direction orthogonal to the paper feed direction D (Z direction). The structure of the rack and pinion gear is similar to that of the embodiment described in JP-A-2013-43737.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the shaft portion 251 formed on the holding frame 50 is inserted into the bearing portion 153 formed on the upper frame 500 forming the main unit 2 . The same applies to the other end side in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D. Therefore, the holding frame 50 is rotatable with respect to the bearing portion 153 .

Groove portions 90a extending along the paper feed direction D are formed at both side end portions of the medium stacking cover 31 in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D, and groove portions 90b are formed at the other end side. . A protrusion 254 formed on the interlocking arm portion 51 of the holding frame 50 is loosely fitted in the grooves 90a and 90b. Therefore, when the user opens and closes the opening/closing unit 300 , the projecting portion 254 of the interlocking arm portion 51 slides along the grooves 90 a and 90 b of the medium stacking cover 31 in the holding frame 50 . Therefore, the holding frame 50 rotates around the shaft portion 251 in conjunction with the rotation of the medium stacking cover 31 of the medium stacking unit 30 .

As shown in FIG. 6, a gripping portion 70a extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction D (Z direction) is formed on the upstream side of the lever portion 70 in the paper feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. Further, the pressing arm portion 110 is arranged at the downstream end portion of the gripping portion 70a in the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. Two pressing arm portions 110 are arranged on one end side and the other end side in a direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. When the medium stacking unit 30 is in the open state, the pressing arm portion 110 contacts the stopper portion 502 formed on the body frame 150 . Further, the lever portion 70 will be described in detail later.

FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view showing the lever portion 70 and the medium guide 33 of the first embodiment according to the present invention when they are at the minimum width position. FIG. 7(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the recess 72 and the medium guide 33 of FIG. 7(a).

As shown in FIG. 7A, the medium stacking plate 32 has a medium stacking surface 32a on which the recording paper 14b is placed. The concave portion 72 is formed in the center of the lever portion 70 in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D, and is located at the minimum width position where the guide surfaces 80a and 80b are closest to the paper feed portion 60. At one time, it is located above the area between the guide surfaces 80a and 80b. Further, it restricts upward movement of the recording paper 14b placed on the above-described area of the medium placement surface 32a.

For example, if the center of the recording paper 14b is bent along the paper feed direction D, the paper may not be held properly only by the later-described protrusion 34 of the medium guide 33. FIG. In order to improve this, the concave portion 72 presses the center of the recording paper 14b in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction). Here, the minimum width position refers to the position of the medium guide 33 when guiding the recording paper 14b with the minimum paper width.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the medium stacking plate 32 has a contacted portion 81 that contacts when the medium guide 33 slides to the minimum width position. In addition, the medium guide 33a has a medium placement portion 40a that abuts against the abutted portion 81 when slid to the minimum width position. The medium stacking portion 40a extends from the guide surface 80a in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction). Similarly, the medium guide 33b has a medium loading portion 40b. The concave portion 72 includes a guide portion 78 for holding the recording paper 14b, a wall portion 72a extending parallel to the vertical direction (X direction) from one end side of the guide portion 78 in a direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D, and a paper feeder. A wall portion 72b, which will be described later, extends parallel to the vertical direction (X direction) from the other end side in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the direction D. As shown in FIG.

A hole portion 73a is formed from the guide portion 78 to the wall portion 72a. A contact surface 74a serving as a first contact portion that contacts a protrusion 34a described later is formed at the downstream end of the hole 73a in the sheet feeding direction D in the wall portion 72a. A side surface portion 76a is arranged at the upstream end of the hole portion 73a. Further, in the hole portion 73a, a hole upper surface portion 75a extending from above the contact surface 74a to above the side surface portion 76a is formed. At one end side of the guide portion 78 in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (the Z direction), an escape portion 77a forming the hole portion 73a is formed.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the lever portion 70 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. As described above, the hole portion 73b is formed from the guide portion 78 to the wall portion 72b. In the wall portion 72b, a contact surface 74b is formed at the downstream end portion of the hole portion 73b in the sheet feeding direction D so as to contact a later-described projection portion 34b. A side surface portion 76b is arranged at the upstream end of the hole portion 73b. A hole upper surface portion 75b extending from above the contact surface 74b to above the side surface portion 76b is formed in the hole portion 73b. Here, the hole portions 73a and 73b are referred to as the hole portion 73 when the holes 73a and 73b are not particularly distinguished.

The guide portion 78 in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (the Z direction) is formed with an escape portion 77b forming the hole portion 73b. Here, the contact surfaces 74a and 74b are referred to as the contact surface 74 unless otherwise distinguished.

As described above, the lever portion 70 extends in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (the Z direction), and includes a grip portion 70a that receives a user operation, and a pressing arm portion that is arranged downstream of the grip portion 70a in the paper feed direction D. 110a and 110b. Furthermore, holes 71a and 71b are formed between the pressing arm portions 110a and 110b and the grip portion 70a in the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the pressing arm portions 110a and 110b will be referred to as the pressing arm portion 110 unless otherwise specified. A shaft portion 253 formed in the holding frame 50 is fitted into the holes 71a and 71b, and is rotatably supported on the holding frame 50 about the shaft portion 253. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the holding frame 50 and the paper feeding section 60 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. The paper feeding unit 60 includes a pickup roller 60a, a gear 60b that rotates the pickup roller 60a by driving a motor (not shown), and a support member 60c that fixes the pickup roller 60a and the gear 60b to the holding frame 50. FIG.

The support member 60c is fixed by a screw 62 in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction D of the holding frame 50 (Z direction). Here, the pickup roller 60a is supported by the holding frame 50 so as to be arranged in the center of the opening/closing unit 300 in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction D (Z direction).

The holding frame 50 includes a shaft portion 251 that serves as a rotation shaft of the holding frame 50 , a shaft portion 253 that holds the lever portion 70 , an interlocking arm portion 51 that extends away from the shaft portion 251 , and an interlocking arm portion 51 . has a projection 254 formed at the opposite end of the shaft 251 of the . In the paper feed direction D, the shaft portion 251 is provided at the downstream end of the holding frame 50, and the protrusion 254 is provided at the upstream end. The shaft portion 253 is arranged between the shaft portion 251 and the projection portion 254 .

Here, the shaft portions 251 and 253, the interlocking arm portion 51, and the projection portion 254 are arranged at two positions, one end side and the other end side, of the holding frame 50 in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D. .

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the paper feeding section 60 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. As described above, the paper feeding section 60 is composed of the pickup roller 60a, the gear 60b, and the support member 60c. The pickup roller 60a and the gear 60b are integrally formed, and have a through hole 64 into which a shaft 63 constituting the support member 60c is inserted. The support member 60 c is composed of a holder portion 65 and a shaft 63 fixed to a fixing portion 66 of the holder portion 65 . As a result, when the drive of the motor (not shown) is transmitted to the gear 60b, the pickup roller 60a integrally formed with the gear 60b rotates around the shaft 63. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the medium guides 33a and 33b and the lever portion 70 in the open state (first state) of the first embodiment according to the present invention. The medium guide 33a has a projection 34a projecting from the guide surface 80a in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction). , are formed with each other. Further, the projections 34a and 34b restrict the movement of the recording paper 14b in the vertical upward direction (X direction). Here, the projections 34a and 34b are referred to as the projections 34 when the projections 34a and 34b are not distinguished.

An inclined surface 36a is formed on the downstream side of the protrusion 34a in the sheet feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. The inclined surface 36 a is a contact surface formed in the concave portion 72 of the lever portion 70 in the process of switching the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) with respect to the main unit 2 . 74a. Similarly, an inclined surface 36b is formed on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction D of the projecting portion 34b. The inclined surface 36b is a contact surface formed in the concave portion 72 of the lever portion 70 in the process of switching the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) with respect to the main unit 2. 74b. Here, the inclined surfaces 36a and 36b are referred to as an inclined surface 36 unless otherwise distinguished.

Here, a straight line S parallel to the paper feed direction D that passes through the centers of the guide surfaces 80a and 80b in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D corresponds to the pickup in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D. It passes through the center of roller 60a.

As shown in FIG. 11, the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a are arranged so as to have overlapping regions in the direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction D (the Z direction). Here, the distance between the fixed portion 66 and the straight line S in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D is W1. When the medium guides 33a and 33b are at the minimum width position, the distance from the straight line S in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction) to the guide surface 80a is W2, and the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction) is W2. ), the amount of overlap between the protrusion 34a and the wall portion 72a is W3. At this time, the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a are not in contact with each other.

The operation of setting the recording paper 14b in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention in the above configuration will be described.

The user slides the medium guide 33a to the minimum width position in order to set the recording paper 14b with the minimum paper width on the medium stacking plate 32. FIG. In this embodiment, the minimum sheet width that can be fed by the image forming apparatus 1 is assumed to be 50 mm.

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the user slides the medium guide 33a toward the paper feed unit 60 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (the Z direction), the medium is placed on the medium guide 33a. The contact portion 81 of the medium stacking plate 32 contacts the portion 40a. As a result, the medium guide 33 stops at the minimum width position. Further, as described above, the medium guides 33a and 33b slide in conjunction with each other. In addition, the medium stacking portion 40b abuts on the abutted portion 81 in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D. As shown in FIG. As a result, the medium guide 33b stops at a position symmetrical to the medium guide 33a.

As shown in FIGS. 7B and 11, when the medium guides 33a and 33b are at the minimum width position, the protrusion 34a formed on the medium guide 33a is inserted into the hole 73a of the lever section 70. Become.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the lever portion 70 and medium stacking unit 30 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. When the user grips the grip portion 70a of the lever portion 70 and lifts the grip portion 70a in the vertical direction (X direction), the lever portion 70 rotates around the shaft portion 253 formed in the holding frame 50. . At this time, the pressing arm portion 110 presses the medium stacking plate 32 against the biasing force applied to the medium stacking plate 32 . The medium stacking plate 32 rotates about the shaft portion 252 in the direction of arrow C, and a gap is formed between the paper feeding portion 60 and the medium stacking plate 32 for placing the recording paper 14b.

At this time, the groove 220 formed on the downstream side of the medium stacking plate 32 in the paper feeding direction D and the pressing arm 110 are engaged with each other, so that the state in which the lever 70 presses the medium stacking plate 32 is maintained. . As shown in FIG. 6, the user grips the grip portion 70a and lowers the grip portion 70a vertically downward (−X direction), so that the pressing arm portion 110 moves toward the stopper portion 502 arranged on the body frame 150. The angular relationship between the medium stacking plate 32 and the lever portion 70 is maintained.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the guide portion 78 is formed with escape portions 77a and 77b, so that the medium guide 33 is at the minimum width position and the protrusion 34 is inserted into the hole portion 73. Even in this case, the grip portion 70a of the lever portion 70 is lifted in the vertical direction (X direction) by the user's operation. Then, the user sets the recording paper 14 b on the medium stacking plate 32 .

After setting the recording paper 14b, the user pushes down the grip portion 70a from the state shown in FIG. Then start printing. The recording paper 14 b set on the medium stacking plate 32 is fed into the main unit 2 by the paper feeding unit 60 . A toner image is formed on the recording paper 14b by the image forming unit 15 shown in FIG. After that, the recording paper 14 b is conveyed to the fixing section 20 by the transfer belt 18 . Further, the toner image formed by the image forming section 15 is fixed by the fixing section 20 on the recording paper 14b. Finally, the recording paper 14 b is discharged to the stacker 23 by the transport roller 21 and the discharge roller 22 .

Next, the operation of moving the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) by the user will be described. Hereinafter, the relationship between the protrusion 34a and the hole 73a will be described in detail. Unless otherwise specified, the relationship between the protrusion 34b and the hole 73b is the same.

13A and 13B are model diagrams for explaining the operations of the protrusion 34 and the hole 73 in the process from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit 300. FIG. As will be described later, in the process of moving the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), the relative positional relationship between the holding frame 50 and the lever portion 70 does not substantially change. A virtual rotation center 251</b>G of the lever portion 70 at this time is substantially the same as the shaft portion 251 that is the rotation center of the holding frame 50 .

The solid line portion shown in FIG. 13 indicates the positional relationship between the contact surface 74a forming the hole portion 73a and the inclined surface 36a forming the projection 34a in the open state (first state) of the opening/closing unit 300. . Here, the point P indicates the point within the inclined surface 36a that first contacts the contact surface 74a, and the point Q indicates the point within the contact surface 74a that first contacts the inclined surface 36a. Also, in order to explain the opening/closing operation using the model diagram of FIG. 13, the point P is shown at the end of the inclined surface 36a in the sheet feeding direction D, but in this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. The vicinity of the end of the inclined surface 36a is the first contact point.

Further, a rotation trajectory L1 indicates a rotation trajectory of the point Q when the user transitions the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). 251 is the arc passing through the point Q. A rotation trajectory L2 indicates a rotation trajectory of the point P when the user transitions the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). It is an arc passing through the point P as the center. Also, the radius of L1 is indicated by R1, and the radius of L2 is indicated by R2.

A dotted line portion shown in FIG. 13 indicates a protrusion upper surface portion 37a that constitutes the protrusion 34a in the process in which the user transitions the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). indicates a state in which it begins to come into contact with the hole upper surface portion 75a that constitutes the hole portion 73a. The state of the opening/closing unit 300 is hereinafter referred to as a second state.

The one-dot chain line shown in FIG. 13 indicates that the point P and the point Q correspond to the rotation trajectory L1 in the process in which the user transitions the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). It shows the positional relationship between the contact surface 74a and the inclined surface 36a at the same position as the intersection 111 with the rotation locus L2. At this time, the point P of the inclined surface 36a and the point Q of the contact surface 74a are in contact with each other. The state of the opening/closing unit 300 is hereinafter referred to as a third state.

A two-dot chain line shown in FIG. 13 indicates the positional relationship between the contact surface 74a and the inclined surface 36a when the opening/closing unit 300 is in the closed state (fourth state).

In this embodiment, the shaft portion 250 is separated from the shaft portion 251 by a distance d1, and the shaft portions 250 and 251 are not positioned at the same position. Furthermore, these positional relationships are
R1+R2>d1
The positional relationship is set so that As a result, in the process of transition of the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), the rotational trajectory L1 and the rotational trajectory L2 intersect each other, thereby causing contact with the inclined surface 36a. The planes 74a will completely intersect.

In addition, in the process of transition of the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), an intersection 111, which is the contact position between the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a, is formed. , the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a are arranged. In this model, the intersection 111 is the position where the rotation trajectory L1 and the rotation trajectory L2 intersect.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing the open state (first state) of the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. As described above, the protrusion 34a formed on the medium guide 33a is in a state of being inserted into the hole 73a of the lever portion 70. As shown in FIG. When the opening/closing unit 300 is viewed from the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction D, the protrusion 34a is formed by a contact surface 74a at the downstream end of the hole 73a in the sheet feeding direction D, and an upstream end of the hole 73a. It is located between the side portions 76a at the . Further, the protrusion upper surface portion 37a and the hole upper surface portion 75a are not in contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 6, the pressing arm portion 110 of the lever portion 70 is in contact with the stopper portion 502 of the main unit 2, and the lever portion 70 is stopped at the positions shown in FIGS.

The user shifts the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) from the state in which the protrusion 34a shown in FIG. 14 is inserted into the hole 73a. In order to switch from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), when an external force is applied by the user's operation, the medium stacking unit 30 constituting the opening/closing unit 300 moves in the direction of the arrow J. to start rotating.

At this time, as the medium stacking unit 30 rotates, the holding frame 50 starts rotating in the arrow J direction around the shaft portion 251 . In addition, the medium stacking plate 32 and the medium guide 33 together with the media stacking unit 30 start rotating in the arrow J direction about the shaft portion 250 . At this time, since the hole upper surface portion 75a and the projection upper surface portion 37a remain separated, the pressing arm portion 110 of the lever portion 70 and the stopper portion 502 formed on the main frame 150 of the main unit 2 shown in FIG. They remain in contact with each other.

FIG. 15 is a side sectional view showing the second state of the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. When the user applies an external force to the opening/closing unit 300 to move the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) with respect to the main unit 2, the open state (fourth state) shown in FIG. 1) to the second state shown in FIG. In the second state, the projection upper surface portion 37a and the hole upper surface portion 75a are in contact with each other.

At this time, the contact between the pressing arm portion 110 of the lever portion 70 and the stopper portion 502 of the main unit 2 shown in FIG. 6 is released. At this time, since the lever portion 70 rotates while maintaining the relative positional relationship with the holding frame 50 as described above, the lever portion 70 substantially starts to rotate about the shaft portion 251 in the J direction.

Subsequently, when an external force is applied by the operation of closing the opening/closing unit 300 by the user, the medium stacking unit 30 rotates around the shaft 250 and the lever portion 70 rotates around the shaft 251 . The medium stacking unit 30 and the lever portion 70 rotate in the J direction while maintaining the state in which the protrusion upper surface portion 37a and the hole portion upper surface portion 75a formed in the lever portion 70 are in contact with each other. At this time, contact between the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a has not yet started.

Furthermore, when an external force is applied to the opening/closing unit 300 by the user, the opening/closing unit 300 transitions from the second state to the third state.

FIG. 16(a) is a side sectional view showing the third state of the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment according to the present invention. At the intersection 111 shown in FIG. 13, contact between the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a is started as shown in FIG. 16(a). The contact state between the projection upper surface portion 37a and the hole upper surface portion 75a is maintained.

FIG. 16(b) is a sectional view showing the protrusion 34 and the hole 73 when the opening/closing unit 300 of FIG. 16(a) of the first embodiment according to the present invention is viewed from the vertical direction (X direction). . An external force is applied to the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a and to the inclined surface 36b and the contact surface 74b by the user's operation of closing the opening/closing unit 300. FIG. As a result, an external force F acts on the inclined surfaces 36 a and 36 b in the direction in which the medium guide 33 slides and in the direction away from the paper feeder 60 . As a result, the medium guides 33a and 33b are slid toward the retracted position away from the paper feeding unit 60 by a distance equivalent to the length W3 of the overlap between the projection 34a and the wall 72b shown in FIG. Here, in this embodiment, the inclined surface 36a and the contact surface 74a and the inclined surface 36b and the contact surface 74b are in contact with each other. Either one of the surface 36b and the contact surface 74b may be brought into contact.

Furthermore, when an external force is applied to the opening/closing unit 300 by the user, the opening/closing unit 300 transitions from the third state to the closed state (fourth state). Here, in the process of transitioning from the third state to the closed state (fourth state), the medium guide 33 moves from the position for feeding the recording paper 14b with the minimum paper width to the retracted position.

The angle θ of the inclined surface 36 of the projection 34 shown in FIG. 16(b) is preferably 30° to 60°. For example, if the angle of inclination is less than 30°, contact between the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 occurs during the transition of the switchgear unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). The contact distance increases, and there is a possibility that the medium guide 33 and the paper feed unit 60 will contact each other before the medium guide 33 is properly retracted from the paper feed unit 60 . If the angle θ of the inclined surface 36 is greater than 60°, the friction between the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 increases, and the medium guide 33 may not be sufficiently retracted from the paper feeding unit 60 . .

FIG. 17(a) shows the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 in the process in which the opening/closing unit 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention transitions from the third state to the closed state (fourth state). It is a cross-sectional view. At this time, the inclined surface 36 a and the contact surface 74 a are released from the contact, and the medium guide 33 a is separated from the paper feeding unit 60 .

FIG. 17(b) shows the projecting portion 34 and the lever portion formed on the medium guide 33 when the opening/closing unit 300 of FIG. 17(a) of the first embodiment according to the present invention is viewed from the vertical direction (X direction). 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a hole 73 formed in 70. FIG. When the contact between the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 is released, the medium guide 33 stops at the retracted position.

At this time, the distance from the fixing portion 66 to the straight line S in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feeding direction D shown in FIG. to the guide surface 80a when the medium guides 33a and 33b are at the minimum width position is W2, and the overlap amount between the protrusion 34b and the wall portion 72b when the medium guides 33a and 33b are at the minimum width position is W3. , from a straight line S passing through the centers of the guide surfaces 80a and 80b in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D when the medium guides 33a and 33b shown in FIG. When the distance of is W4,
W4=W2+W3>W1
It is set to have a relationship of Therefore, the medium guides 33a and 33b can be moved to the retracted positions in the process of the opening/closing unit 300 transitioning from the third state to the closed state (fourth state).

As described above, the medium guide 33b moves away from the paper feeding unit 60 by a distance equivalent to the length W3 of overlap between the projection 34a formed on the medium guide 33a and the wall 72a of the recess 72. . As a result, the width W4 from the straight line S to the guide surface 80a of the medium guide 33a at the retracted position is greater than the distance W1 from the fixed portion 66 to the straight line S. Therefore, at the retracted position, the medium guide 33 and the paper feed section 60 do not come into contact with each other.

Although the inclined surface 36 of the present invention has been described using a chamfered shape, the same effect can be obtained by using an R-shaped inclined surface.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, the opening/closing unit 300 and the medium stacking unit 30, which are movable between the open state (first state) and the closed state (fourth state) with respect to the main unit 2, can be moved to the open state ( In the process of transitioning from the first state) to the closed state (fourth state), even when the medium guide 33 arranged on the medium stacking plate 32 is arranged in the minimum width, the projection 34 By coming into contact with the contact surface 74 as the contact portion, the medium guide 33 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction) and away from the paper feed unit 60 . . Therefore, even when the opening/closing unit 300 is changed from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) when the medium guide 33 is at the minimum width position, the medium guide 33 and the paper feed The opening/closing unit 300 can be closed without the portion 60 interfering.
(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the image forming apparatus 1 and the medium placement device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the configuration and operation are the same as those of the image forming apparatus 1 and the opening/closing unit 300 of the first embodiment, the configuration of the second embodiment will be mainly described with respect to the differences from the first embodiment.

The second embodiment is characterized in that, in addition to the contact surface 74 of the hole 73, protrusions 170a and 170b, which will be described later, are provided. Here, the projections 170a and 170b are referred to as the projections 170 unless otherwise distinguished.

The protrusion 170 formed in the concave portion 72 of the lever portion 270 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the lever portion 270 in the second embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 18, the protrusion 170b projecting from the wall portion 72b forming the recess 72 contacts the inclined surface 36b after the contact surface 74b of the hole 73b is released from contact with the inclined surface 36b. It has a contact portion 174b as a second contact portion that makes contact. In the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D, the protrusion 170b protrudes from the wall 72b by a distance W5, as shown in FIG. 20, which will be described later. Further, the contact portion 174b is arranged so as to be positioned between the contact surface 74b and the rotation center 251 (251G) of the contact surface 74b. A protrusion 170a having a contact portion 174a is also formed on the wall portion 72a. Here, the contact portions 174a and 174b are referred to as the contact portion 174 when the contact portions 174a and 174b are not particularly distinguished.

FIG. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment according to the present invention when the contact between the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 is released. Also, FIG. 19 is a diagram in which the state when the contact between the inclined surface 36 and the contact surface 74 in the first embodiment is released is replaced with the configuration of the second embodiment. After the contact between the inclined surfaces 36a and 36b and the contact surfaces 74a and 74b shown in FIG. 36a and the contact portion 174a of the projection 170a and the contact portion 174b of the inclined surface 36b and the projection 170b are in contact.

FIG. 20 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment according to the present invention in which the inclined surface 36 and the contact portion 174 are in contact with each other. After the abutting portion 174 of the protrusion 170 formed on the wall portion 72 abuts against the inclined surface 36, the opening/closing unit 300 is changed from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) by the user. When an external force is applied to the inclined surface 36 and the contact portion 174 by the closing operation of the 300 , the external force F acts on the inclined surface 36 in the direction in which the medium guide 33 slides and in the direction away from the paper feeding unit 60 .

As a result, the medium guides 33a and 33b are slid in the direction away from the paper feeding unit 60 by a distance equal to W5.

FIG. 21 is a partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention when the contact between the inclined surface 36 and the contact portion 174 is released. Here, when the distance from the straight line S to the guide surface 80a is W6 in the direction (Z direction) orthogonal to the paper feed direction D when the medium guides 33a and 33b are in the retracted position, W6=W2+W3+W5>W1. Set to be related.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 21, the contact between the inclined surface 36a, the contact portions 174a and 174b, and the inclined surface 36b is released, and the medium guides 33a and 33b are retracted from the paper feed section 60. FIG.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, the contact portion 174 of the protrusion 170 is positioned between the contact surface 74 of the hole 73 and the rotation center 251 of the contact surface 74. After the contact between the contact surface 74 and the inclined surface 36 is released on the rotation locus L2 of the inclined surface 36, the inclined surface 36 and the contact portion 174 come into contact with each other. Therefore, the medium guide 33 can be more reliably moved to the retracted position in the process of the opening/closing unit 300 transitioning from the third state shown in FIG. 13 to the closed state (fourth state).

Although the inclined surface 36 of the present invention has been described using a chamfered shape, the same effect can be obtained by using an R-shaped inclined surface. Further, the shape of the contact portion 171 of the present invention may be inclined or rounded. In that case, the same effect can be obtained by making the shape of the projection 34 a right angle.
(Third embodiment)
After the opening/closing unit 300 transitions from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), when the opening/closing unit 300 is opened again (first state), the user operates the medium guide. 33 may not notice that it has moved to the retracted position.

In order to prevent the above problem, in the third embodiment, the input display unit 222 for receiving the user's operation input and displaying the main unit information and the opening/closing unit 300 shown in FIG. An open/close sensor 230 that detects the state (fourth state), a medium guide 133b that constitutes the medium stacking unit 30 described later and has a light shielding portion 41 as a light shielding member, and a medium stacking cover 131 that includes The transmission sensor 200, the input display unit 222 and the open/close sensor 230 shown in FIG.

The input display unit 222 displays a message prompting the user to check the internal information of the image forming apparatus 1, such as paper jams, the amount of toner, and the position of the medium guide 133b in this embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a side cross-sectional view showing a transmission sensor 200 and a light blocking portion 41 of a third embodiment according to the invention. The transmission sensor 200 has a light emitting portion 201 and a light receiving portion 202 . The transmission sensor 200 is arranged downstream of the medium stacking cover 131 in the paper feeding direction D. As shown in FIG. Further, the transmission sensor 200 is arranged at a position where light traveling from the light emitting unit 201 to the light receiving unit 202 is blocked by the light blocking unit 41 when the medium guide 133b is at the retracted position. The medium guide 133b has a light shielding portion 41 as a light shielding member. The light blocking portion 41 protrudes vertically downward (−X direction) toward the medium stacking cover 131 from the lower surface of the medium guide 133b on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction D. As shown in FIG.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is a flow chart diagram of the third embodiment according to the present invention. In this embodiment, when the power (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on, the flow of FIG. 23 is started. In step S<b>1 , the user uses the input display section 222 to set the width of the medium to be placed on the opening/closing unit 300 .

In step S2, the controller 330 determines whether or not the opening/closing sensor 230 detects both the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit 300 and the open state (first state) of the opening/closing unit 300. do. When both the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit 300 and the detection of the open state (first state) of the opening/closing unit 300 are detected, that is, the user pushes the opening/closing unit 300 to the main unit 2. If the opening/closing unit 300 is opened after closing, the process proceeds to step S3 (step S2, Yes) to detect the closed state (fourth state) of the opening/closing unit 300 and the open state (first state) of the opening/closing unit 300. state) is not detected, the process is terminated (step S2, No).

In step S3, the control unit 330 determines whether or not the setting of the medium width set by the user in step S1 has been changed by the user's input to the input display unit 222 after step S2. If the paper width setting has not been changed, the process proceeds to step S4 (step S3, Yes), and if the paper width setting has been changed, the process ends (step S3, No).

In step S4, control unit 330 determines whether the paper width setting value set in step S1 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Here, the predetermined value is set to be the same as the guide width of the medium guide 133 at the retracted position. If the paper width is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S5 (step S4, Yes), and if the paper width is greater than the predetermined value, the process ends (step S4, No).

In step S5, the control unit 330 determines whether or not the light from the light emitting unit 201 of the transmission sensor 200 is blocked by the light blocking unit 41 for a predetermined time. If the light remains shielded for a predetermined time, that is, if the medium guide 133b remains at the retracted position, the process proceeds to step S6 (step S5, Yes), and the light from the light emitting unit 201 is received within the predetermined time. If the light is received by the unit 202, the process ends (step S5, No).

In step S<b>6 , the control unit 330 displays an alarm such as “Please check the position of the medium guide” on the input display unit 222 .

According to this embodiment, it is possible to prompt the user for confirmation at the timing when the medium guide 133b is retracted to the retracted position.

Further, in this embodiment, in step S5, the control unit 330 determines whether or not the light shielding unit 41 of the medium guide 133b shields the transmission sensor 200, but step S5 can be omitted. , the light shielding part 41, and the transmission sensor 200, a certain effect can be obtained.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, the user is instructed to switch the opening/closing unit 300 from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state) and then open the opening/closing unit 300 again (first state). , it can be notified that the medium guide 133b has moved to the retracted position.
(Fourth embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments, the protrusion 34 formed on the medium guide 33 constituting the opening/closing unit 300 and the hole 73 or protrusion 170 formed on the lever 70 are brought into contact with each other so that the medium guide 33 is is spaced apart from the paper feeding unit 60. As shown in FIG. In the fourth embodiment, an image forming apparatus characterized by forming a contact portion 151 on a body frame 350 instead of the hole portion 73 to separate the medium guide 33 from the paper feeding portion 60 will be described.

The configuration of the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described. Regarding the configuration of this embodiment, only the points that differ from the above-described embodiment will be described with respect to the inside of the main unit 2 and the configuration of the opening/closing unit 300 .

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a body frame 350 of a fourth embodiment according to the invention. Also, only differences between the body frame 150 used in the first embodiment and the body frame 350 according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 24, the body frame 350 has a contact portion 151 on a surface portion 156a formed on the guide surface 150a. The contact portion 151 has an inclined surface 161 that protrudes from the surface portion 156a in the direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the paper feed direction D and contacts the medium guide 33a. Here, the inclined surface 161 acts as a contact portion in place of the contact surface 74 of the hole portion 73 as the first contact portion.

The inclined surface 161 is inclined with respect to the guide surface 150a and approaches the guide surface 150a as it separates from the surface portion 156a. The inclined surface 161 is formed on the downstream side of the medium guide 33a in the paper feed direction D in the process of the opening/closing unit 300 transitioning from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state), as will be described later. It abuts the edge 234 .

Note that the invention of this embodiment does not have the lever portion 70 used in the first and second embodiments, or the image forming apparatus in which the hole portion 73 and the protrusion 170 are not formed in the lever portion 70, for example. It is also applicable to

Next, operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. FIG. FIG. 25 is a side sectional view showing the opening/closing unit 300, the medium guide 33a, and the contact portion 151 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

After sliding the medium guide 33a to the minimum width position, the user rotates the opening/closing unit 300 in the direction of arrow J to change it from the open state (first state) to the closed state (fourth state). The medium placement unit 30 having the medium guide 33a rotates about the shaft portion 250 as in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 26 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end portion 234 and the inclined surface 161 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention are in contact with each other. Further, when the user performs an operation to shift the opening/closing unit 300 to the closed state (fourth state), the end portion 234 arranged downstream in the paper feeding direction D of the medium guide 33a from the state shown in FIG. and the inclined surface 161 are in contact with each other. As a result, the medium guide 33a receives an external force from the inclined surface 161 in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction), slides away from the paper feed unit 60, and stops at the retracted position. Similarly, the medium guide 33b slides in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction D (Z direction) in conjunction with the movement of the medium guide 33a away from the paper feed 60, and stops at the retracted position.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the body frame 350 of the main device 2 is provided with the inclined surface 161 as a contact surface that contacts the medium guide 33a. Interference between the paper feed unit 60 and the medium guide 33a can be prevented in the process of closing the cover.

In the first to fourth embodiments, the image forming apparatus 1 has been described above. may be used. Also, the first to fourth embodiments may be combined in any way.

1 Image forming apparatus 2 Main unit 3 Paper conveying units 4 and 5 Conveying rollers 6 and 10 Feed roller 7 Retard roller 8 Paper feeding unit 9 and 60a Pickup roller 11 Separation piece 13 Paper trays 14a and 14b Recording paper 15 Image forming unit 17 Transfer Section 18 Transfer Belt 19 Transfer Roller 20 Fixing Section 21 Conveying Roller 22 Discharge Roller 23 Stacker 24 Photosensitive Drum 30 Medium Mounting Units 31, 131 Medium Mounting Cover 32 Medium Mounting Plate 32a Medium Mounting Surfaces 33, 133b Medium Guide 34, 151, 170, 254 protrusions 36, 161 inclined surface 41 light shielding portion 50 holding frame 60 paper feeding portion 60b gear 60c support members 70, 270 lever portion 72 recesses 72a, 72b wall portion 73 hole portion 74 contact surface 75 hole upper surface Portion 76 Side portion 77 Relief portion 78 Guide portions 80a, 80b Guide surface 110 Pushing arm portion 111 Intersection points 150, 350 Body frames 152, 153 Bearing portion 200 Transmission sensor 234 Ends 250, 251 Shaft portion 251G Rotation center 300 Opening/closing unit

Claims (7)

a main unit;
a medium placement unit movable between an open position and a closed position with respect to the main unit;
an interlocking member that interlocks with the movement of the medium placement unit;
a paper feed unit that supplies the medium placed on the medium placement unit in a paper feed direction from the medium placement unit toward the inside of the main unit;
and
The medium placement unit is
a medium placement plate having a medium placement surface on which the medium is placed;
a medium guide provided with a guide surface that guides the medium and is slidably disposed along the medium placement surface in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction;
The interlocking member is
a hole;
a first contact portion formed at the downstream end of the hole;
has
The medium guide includes:
The medium guide protrudes upstream in the paper feed direction from an end of the guide surface in the paper feed direction, and the medium guide is positioned closest to the paper feed unit in a direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction. sometimes having a protrusion that is inserted into the hole,
the protruding portion has an inclined surface formed on the downstream side in the paper feed direction and inclined with respect to the paper feed direction;
The medium guide includes:
In the process of the medium placement unit transitioning from the open position to the closed position when placed at the position closest to the paper feed unit in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction,
A medium conveying device , wherein the inclined surface contacts the first contact portion of the interlocking member and slides to a retracted position away from the paper feeding unit. The interlocking member is
a guide portion that holds the medium placed on the medium placement surface;
a wall portion formed in a direction orthogonal to the medium mounting surface from one end of the guide portion in the width direction of the medium;
has
2. The medium conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the hole is formed in the wall. The first contact portion is
together with the interlocking member that rotates about the first rotation axis, rotates about the first rotation axis on a first rotation trajectory with a first radius;
The inclined surface, together with the medium stacking unit that rotates around a second rotation axis different from the first rotation axis, has a second rotation trajectory with a second radius around the second rotation axis. rotate up,
During the transition of the medium placement unit from the open position to the closed position,
3. The medium conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the first locus of rotation and the second locus of rotation intersect. The angle at which the inclined surface extends with respect to the paper feed direction is 30° or more and 60° or less.
4. The medium conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The interlocking member is
In the process of the medium placement unit transitioning from the open position to the closed position,
5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second contact portion that contacts the inclined surface after the contact between the first contact portion and the inclined surface is released. media transport device. 6. The medium conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the interlocking member is a lever portion that separates and contacts the medium stacking plate with respect to the paper feeding portion . a medium conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ;
an image forming unit that forms an image on a medium fed from the paper feeding unit;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images