JP7389965B2 - Lock mechanism and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lock mechanism and an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, a rotating shaft rotatably supported by an opening/closing cover provided to the device main body so as to be freely openable and closable; an engaging member attached to the rotating shaft and engaging with an engaged portion of the device main body; A biasing member that biases the rotating shaft so that the engaging member engages with the engaged portion; and an opening/closing cover that rotates together with the rotating shaft and rotates the rotating shaft by a predetermined angle or more due to the biasing force of the biasing member. A locking mechanism is known that includes a regulating member that regulates by coming into contact with the regulating member.

Patent Document 1 discloses, as the above-mentioned locking mechanism, a locking member as an engaging member that is provided with a regulating portion that comes into contact with the opening/closing cover and restricts rotation of the rotating shaft by a predetermined angle or more due to the biasing force of the biasing member. Are listed.

However, in the locking mechanism described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the contact portion of the opening/closing cover with the regulating member may be damaged.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported by an opening/closing cover that is provided to the device main body so as to be openable and closable; an engaging member that engages with the engaged portion; an urging member that urges the rotating shaft so that the engaging member engages with the engaged portion; and an urging member that rotates together with the rotating shaft and urges the rotating shaft. A locking mechanism comprising: a regulating member that regulates rotation of the rotating shaft by a predetermined angle or more due to a biasing force of a biasing member by contact with the opening/closing cover, wherein the regulating member is in surface contact with the opening/closing cover. It is characterized in that the regulating member is made of a material having higher strength than the material of the engaging member .

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress damage to the contact portion of the opening/closing cover with the regulating member.

1 is a schematic front view transparently showing the overall configuration of a color copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view of the color copying machine seen from the right side (-X direction). FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the opening/closing cover in an open state. A perspective view of the opening/closing cover. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a locking mechanism that locks the opening/closing cover to the apparatus main body and a part of the members included in the opening/closing cover. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of A in FIG. 5; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the opening/closing cover is locked to the main body of the device. The figure which shows the state which removed the first hook member. FIG. 3 is a front view showing a rotating shaft and a regulating member. The figure which shows how one end of a D cut part is in contact with the flat part of a shaft attachment hole. The figure which shows the modification of this embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of a color copying machine as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates an internal paper discharge type color copying machine using an electrophotographic method, which is exemplified as an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The Z direction in the figure is the vertical direction, the Y direction in the figure is the front-rear direction (also the axial direction) of the device, and the X direction in the figure is the left-right direction of the device.

This color copying machine 1 includes an approximately box-shaped device main body 10 with an open top (uppermost surface) that is the housing of the entire image forming device, and an image forming apparatus disposed above the device main body 10 for reading an image of a document. It is equipped with a reading section 2. The color copying machine 1 is disposed within the main body of the apparatus, and records images on paper, which is an example of a sheet, based on image information read by an image reading section 2 or transmitted from an external device such as a personal computer. It has an image forming section 3 for forming an image.

Further, a sheet discharge space 12 is formed between the image reading section 2 and the image forming section 3 as a discharge space for discharging the paper on which an image has been recorded, and a space surrounding the side surfaces of the sheet discharge space 12 in at least two directions is formed. A support 11 for supporting and fixing the image reading section 2 is provided above the image forming section 3. In addition, a sheet (meaning a sheet-like recording medium including copy paper, resin sheet for OHP, cardboard, postcard, etc., hereinafter referred to as "paper") is arranged at the bottom of the apparatus main body 10 and is placed in a paper transport path as a sheet transport path. a paper feed section 4 that supplies paper (described as a representative); a paper discharge section 5 that is provided above the image forming section 3 and discharges paper on which an image has been recorded into a paper discharge space 12; 4 and a paper conveyance path 6 provided between the paper discharge section 5.

The image reading unit 2 includes a contact glass 20 that is attached to the top surface of the support 11 and serves as a document table on which a document is placed, and a light source that is placed directly below the contact glass 20 and illuminates the document while moving. 21, an imaging lens 22 that forms an image of the light reflected from the original, an image sensor 23 such as a CCD, which is placed at the imaging position and serves as a reading means for reading the original image, and an image sensor 23 that forms an image of the light reflected from the original. It is composed of a plurality of mirrors that lead to the imaging lens 22.

Furthermore, a pressure plate 24 is provided at the top of the image reading section 2 to press down the document placed on the contact glass 20 . Note that instead of this pressure plate 24, an automatic document feeder (ADF) that automatically feeds the document to the contact glass 20 may be installed.

The image forming unit 3 includes four process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K that correspond to toners of a total of four colors: yellow, cyan, and magenta, which are the three primary color materials, and black, which is an achromatic color, and these four process cartridges. 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K, and accommodates a writing unit 30 that writes a latent image on each photoreceptor drum, which will be described later, and new toner of a color corresponding to each process cartridge 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K. After the toner images formed by the four toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K and the process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are once transferred, the transfer unit 32 transfers the toner images to the paper. It has a fixing unit 33 for fixing.

The process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are arranged in the order of yellow, cyan, magenta, and black from the upstream side along the moving direction (arrow Xa in the figure) of the outer peripheral surface of an intermediate transfer belt 32a, which will be described later. Each of the process cartridges 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K has a photoreceptor drum Y, C, M, and a photoreceptor drum Y, C, M, which is a latent image carrier rotating in a clockwise direction when viewed from the front. . The developing means 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30K that visualize a single color toner image using each color toner, and the transfer residual toner that remains on the outer peripheral surfaces of the photoreceptor drums Y, C, M, and K after the transfer are cleaned. It has a cleaning means for recovering by cleaning, and is configured to be detachable from the main body 10 of the apparatus.

The writing unit 30 includes a polygon mirror, an fθ lens, etc., and scans while emitting laser light from a laser emitting device based on image information input from the image reading unit 2, a personal computer, an external scanner, etc., and uniformly writes the image. The outer peripheral surfaces of the charged photoreceptor drums Y, C, M, and K are selectively exposed to light to lower the surface potential of the irradiated portions and form electrostatic latent images on the photoreceptor drums.

The toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K are each individually filled with new toner of the four colors, and are delivered to the developing means 30Y, 30C, 30M, and 30K of each process cartridge 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K through a conveyance path. It has a mechanism to replenish toner of each color.

The transfer unit 32 includes an intermediate transfer belt 32a, which is an endless belt made of a multilayer structure of elastic resin, as an intermediate transfer body, and supports and stretches (means that it is stretched under tension) this intermediate transfer belt 32a. The four primary transfer rollers 32f, which face the photoreceptor drums Y, C, M, and K with the intermediate transfer belt 32a in between, and the support rollers It includes a secondary transfer roller 32g and the like arranged opposite to 32b.

The support roller 32b is a drive roller connected to a drive means, and has a function of rotationally driving the intermediate transfer belt 32a in the direction of arrow Xa in the figure. A secondary transfer roller 32g is provided at a position facing the support roller 32b (hereinafter referred to as "drive roller 32b") with the intermediate transfer belt 32a in between. meaning (hereinafter the same). A cleaning device 32h is provided near the support roller 32c for cleaning the intermediate transfer belt 32a by scraping off residual toner adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate transfer belt 32a.

In consideration of image deterioration due to gap discharge, each primary transfer roller 32f is moved from a directly facing position where it contacts each photoreceptor drum Y, C, M, K with the intermediate transfer belt 32a in between, with the shortest center-to-center distance. It functions as a contact application type transfer bias (transfer voltage) application means disposed at a position slightly shifted downstream in the conveyance direction of the belt 32a. Each primary transfer roller 32f is connected to a bias power source, and is configured such that a primary transfer bias can be applied (meaning applying a voltage, the same applies hereinafter) from the back surface (inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 32a.

The secondary transfer roller 32g is biased by a biasing means to be pressed against the intermediate transfer belt 32a on the outer periphery of the drive roller 32b, and is configured to form a secondary transfer nip with the drive roller 32b. The drive roller 32b serves as a contact type transfer bias applying means connected to a bias power source. Further, the secondary transfer roller 32g may serve as a transfer bias applying means, in which case a transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner image to be transferred is applied.

The fixing unit 33 includes a fixing belt 33c, which is an endless belt stretched between a fixing roller 33a and a heating roller 33b, and a pressure member that presses (means pressure contact, the same applies hereinafter) the fixing belt 33c. A fixing nip is formed between the paper and the pressure roller 33d, and in this fixing nip, heat and pressure are applied to the paper conveyed through the paper conveyance path 6, which will be described later. The toner image transferred in the transfer nip is fused and adhered to the paper and fixed.

The paper feed section 4 accommodates and stocks predetermined sheets of different sizes and sizes, and includes paper feed cassettes 40 and 41 that can be pulled out from the main body 10 of the apparatus, and a predetermined pressure is applied to the stocked sheets from above. It is provided with paper feed rollers 42, 43, etc. that come into pressure contact with each other. The paper feed section 4 is configured to feed the paper stored in paper feed cassettes 40 and 41, respectively, to a paper transport path 6, which will be described later, using paper feed rollers 42 and 43, based on a control signal from a control means.

Further, the paper feed section 4 is provided with a manual feed tray 44 on which any paper within a predetermined size range that can be transported is placed, and a paper feed roller 45 for feeding out the paper. The paper feed unit 4 is configured to feed the paper placed on the manual feed tray 44 to a paper transport path 6, which will be described later, by rotating a paper feed roller 45.

The paper ejection section 5 includes a paper ejection tray 5a formed with an inclined surface on the apparatus main body 10 below the paper ejection space 12 between the aforementioned toner bottles 31Y, 31C, 31M, and 31K and the image reading section 2, and this ejection tray 5a. The paper tray 5a includes a pair of paper ejection rollers 5b, etc., which ejects (discharges) the paper that has passed through the fixing unit 33 from a paper transport path 6, which will be described later. As described above, the color copying machine 1 of the present embodiment is an internal paper ejection type paper ejection section that has a function of stacking the paper ejected by the paper ejection roller pair 5b onto the paper ejection tray 5a.

The paper transport path 6 uses a vertical transport method (vertical path method) in which the paper is transported from the bottom to the top from the paper feed section 4 provided at the bottom of the device main body 10 to the paper discharge section 5 provided at the top of the device main body 10. It consists of a normal conveyance path 6a, and a reversal conveyance path 6b for reversing the paper for double-sided printing. These conveyance paths can be switched by a switching pawl 6c, and the paper is guided to the reversal conveyance path 6b by the switching pawl 6c, and conveyed to the upper part 6e of the reversal conveyance path 6b by a pair of reversal conveyance rollers 6d. By reversing the pair of reversing conveyance rollers 6d, the sheet is reversed in a switchback manner and conveyed to a normal conveyance path 6a in front of a pair of registration rollers 6f, which will be described later.

A plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers are provided in the normal conveyance path 6a and the reverse conveyance path 6b at intervals according to the minimum paper size, and the paper is conveyed by rotating while sandwiching the paper between these pairs of conveyance rollers. There is. Further, the normal conveyance path 6a is provided with a pair of registration rollers 6f below the secondary transfer nip, and the pair of registration rollers 6f determines the timing for conveying the paper to the secondary transfer nip based on a command from the control means. be adjusted.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the color copying machine 1 viewed from the right side (-X direction), and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the open/close cover 50 in an open state.
An opening/closing cover 50 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10 is provided on the right side (-X side side) of the color copying machine 1. The opening/closing cover 50 has an operating lever 58 as an operating member of a locking mechanism to be described later, and by operating this operating lever 58, the opening/closing cover 50 is unlocked from the apparatus main body 10. By pulling the operating lever 58 in the −X direction in the unlocked state, the opening/closing cover 50 is rotated about its lower end and opened as shown in FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, by opening the open/close cover 50, the paper transport path 6 is opened, and the paper jammed in the paper transport path 6 can be easily removed.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the opening/closing cover 50.
As shown in FIG. 4, the opening/closing cover 50 includes a manual feed guide member 81 that guides the paper fed from the manual feed tray 44, a reversal guide member 82 that guides the paper on the reversal conveyance path 6b, a secondary transfer roller 32g, It includes a registration roller 6f2, which is one of a pair of registration rollers.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a locking mechanism 70 that locks the opening/closing cover 50 to the apparatus main body 10 and some of the members included in the opening/closing cover 50.
As shown in FIG. 5, the locking mechanism 70 includes an operating lever 58, a first hook member 51a as an engaging member that engages with an engaged portion 90 (see FIG. 7) of the device main body 10, and a second hook member 51a. The member 51b is provided. The first hook member 51a is made of a resin material and is attached to the other end (-Y direction end) of a rotating shaft 53 (see FIG. 6) that is rotatably supported by the open/close cover 50. The second hook member 51b is made of a resin material and is attached to one end (+Y direction end) of the rotating shaft 53. A torsion spring 62 as a biasing member is attached to one end of the rotating shaft 53, one arm of the torsion spring 62 is attached to the opening/closing cover 50, and the other arm is attached to the second hook member 51b. As a result, the second hook member 51b is urged in the rotational direction to engage with the engaged portion 90 of the device main body 10. As a result, the integral body consisting of the second hook member 51b, the rotating shaft 53, and the first hook member 51a is assembled, and each hook member is engaged with the engaged portion 90 (see FIG. 7) of the device main body by the torsion spring 62. biased in the matching direction of rotation.

The operating lever 58 is attached to one end (+Y direction end) of the connecting shaft 59. A pulley 60 is attached to the other end of the connecting shaft 59. The connecting shaft 59 is rotatably supported by the opening/closing cover 50. One end of a connecting member 61 made of a flexible material is fixed to a pulley 60 attached to the other end of the connecting shaft 59. One end of the connecting member 61 is wrapped around the pulley 60. The other end of the connecting member 61 is fixed to the first hook member 51a, and the other end of the connecting member 61 is wrapped around the first hook member 51a.

By operating the operating lever 58 in the direction of arrow W in the figure, the connecting shaft 59 rotates, and the pulley 60 winds up the connecting member 61. As a result, the tip of the first hook member 51a, to which the other end of the connecting member 61 is fixed, rotates against the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 so as to move downward (-Z direction), and the engaged 90 (see FIG. 7) is disengaged. Further, the rotating shaft 53 (see FIG. 6) rotates together with the first hook member 51a, and the second hook member 51b attached to one end of the rotating shaft 53 also rotates in the same manner as the first hook member 51a. The engagement with the joint portion 90 is disengaged. As a result, the opening/closing cover 50 is unlocked from the main body of the apparatus, and the opening/closing cover 50 can be rotated to the open position shown in FIG. 3.

In order to ensure that the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 32a, which is an elastic member, is transferred well to the paper, the contact pressure of the secondary transfer roller 32g against the intermediate transfer belt 32a is controlled by a conveyance roller such as a pair of registration rollers 6f. The contact pressure is higher than that of the pair. Therefore, when the open/close cover 50 is locked to the apparatus main body 10, a large reaction force from the intermediate transfer belt 32a is applied to the vicinity of the secondary transfer roller 32g. Therefore, there is a possibility that the area around the secondary transfer roller of the opening/closing cover 50 may be bent outward.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first hook member 51a and the second hook member 51b are arranged near the secondary transfer roller 32g, and lock the open/close cover 50 to the apparatus main body 10 near the secondary transfer roller 32g. That's what I do. In this way, by locking the device body 10 near the secondary transfer roller 32g, the device can prevent the opening/closing cover 50 near the secondary transfer roller from deflecting outward due to the reaction force from the intermediate transfer belt 32a. It can be restricted by each hook member 51a, 51b that engages with the engaged portion 90 of the main body 10. Thereby, it is possible to suppress deflection in the vicinity of the secondary transfer roller when the open/close cover 50 is locked to the apparatus main body 10.

As described above, each hook member 51a, 51b is preferably provided near the center in the vertical direction of the opening/closing cover 50 where the secondary transfer roller 32g is disposed, but considering operability, the operating lever 58 is not suitable for opening/closing. It is preferable to provide it on the upper part of the cover 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, each hook member and the operating lever 58 are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and the operation of the operating lever 58 is transmitted to each hook member 51a, 51b via the connecting member 61.

In this embodiment, the connecting member 61 is made of a flexible material, one end of the connecting member 61 is wrapped around the pulley 60, and the other end is wrapped around the first hook member 51a. Thereby, the rotational movement of the connecting shaft 59 by the operation lever 58 can be converted via the connecting member 61 into the rotating movement of an integral body consisting of the first hook member 51a, the rotating shaft 53, and the second hook member 51b. Further, the rotation amount by which the rotational movement of the connecting shaft 59 by the operating lever 58 can be converted into the rotational movement of the integral body can be increased compared to the case where the connecting member 61 is made of a hard material.
Furthermore, by configuring the connecting member 61 with a flexible material, even if the distance between the connecting shaft 59 and the rotating shaft 53 deviates from the specified distance due to manufacturing errors, the connection can be easily made as follows. The member 61 can be fixed to the pulley 60 and the first hook member 51a. That is, by changing the fixing position with respect to the pulley 60, the amount of winding of the connecting member 61 around the pulley 60 is changed.

6 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of A in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the apparatus main body 10.
As shown in FIG. 6, a regulating member 52 made of metal is attached to the other end (-Y direction side end) of the rotating shaft 53. As shown in FIG. In the regulating member 52, when the opening/closing cover 50 is opened, the surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 comes into contact with the contact surface 54 of the opening/closing cover 50, thereby regulating the rotation of the rotating shaft 53 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. do. When the first hook member 51a and the second hook member 51b are respectively engaged with the engaged portions 90 of the device main body 10 and the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the device main body 10, as shown in FIG. The surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 is spaced apart from the contact surface 54 by a distance λmm. At this time, the rotation of the engaged portion 90 engaged with the hook member is restricted by the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. In other words, the regulating position of the regulating member 52 is at a position rotated by a predetermined angle from the regulating position by the engaged portion 90 in the rotational direction due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 . In this way, when the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the device main body 10, the regulating member 52 is configured to be spaced apart from the contact surface 54, thereby ensuring that the engaged portion 90 is connected to the hook member. can be engaged.

Further, the top surface of the first hook member 51a on the distal end side is an inclined surface 151a whose height decreases toward the distal end. Further, the first hook member 51a has a hook portion 151b that is one step lower than the top of the inclined surface 151a on which the engaged portion 90 is hooked. Note that the second hook member 51b has a hook portion similar to that of the first hook member 51a, but does not have an inclined surface. , is shorter than the first hook member 51a.

When the open/close cover 50 is moved from the open position shown in FIG. 3 to the closed position shown in FIG. 2, the engaged portion 90 comes into contact with the inclined surface 151a of the first hook member 51a. In this embodiment, when the opening/closing cover 50 is not locked, the regulating member 52 contacts the contact surface 54 to regulate the rotation of the rotating shaft 53 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. Therefore, when the opening/closing cover 50 is not locked, the first hook member 51a is maintained in a position where the engaged portion 90 is in contact with the inclined surface 151a. Thereby, when the open/close cover 50 is closed, the engaged portion 90 can be reliably brought into contact with the inclined surface 151a of the first hook member 51a.

When the open/close cover 50 is further closed from the state where the engaged part 90 is in contact with the inclined surface 151a, the first hook member 51a is pushed by the engaged part 90, and the first hook member 51a 53, rotates clockwise in FIG. 7 together with the second hook member 51b and the regulating member 52 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. As a result, the engaged portion 90 relatively climbs up the inclined surface 151a of the first hook member 51a. In addition, as the first hook member 51a rotates, the second hook member 51b rotates counterclockwise in FIG. evacuate. Then, when the engaged portion 90 climbs over the inclined surface 151a of the first hook member 51a, the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 causes the first hook member 51a, the rotating shaft 53, the second hook member 51b, and the regulating member 52 to The monolith rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the engaged portions 90 provided on both sides of the device main body 10 in the front-back direction fit into the hook portions of the hook member, respectively, and the engaged portions 90 engage with the hook member. Thereby, the open/close cover 50 is locked in the closed position.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the first hook member 51a is removed.
The other end side of the rotating shaft 53 has a D-cut shaped portion 153 consisting of a planar D-cut portion 153a and a circular circular portion 153b. The regulating member 52 is provided with a shaft attachment hole 55 having a D-cut cross section through which the D-cut portion 153 of the rotating shaft 53 passes. The regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to be rotatable together with the rotating shaft 53 by passing the D-cut portion 153 of the rotating shaft 53 through the shaft attachment hole 55 .

In this embodiment, as described above, since the contact pressure of the secondary transfer roller 32g against the intermediate transfer belt 32a is high, the reaction force from the intermediate transfer belt 32a when the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the apparatus main body 10 is is large. Therefore, the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 is increased so that the engaged portion 90 does not easily come off the hook member. Therefore, when the regulating member 52 contacts the contact surface 54, a large biasing force of the torsion spring 62 is applied to the contact surface 54. In order to prevent the contact surface 54 from being damaged even if such a large biasing force is applied to the contact surface 54, the regulating member 52 of this embodiment is provided with a surface contact portion 57 to prevent the contact surface 54 from being damaged. The contact pressure with the contact surface 54 is reduced by widening the contact area.

Conventionally, the cross-sectional shape of the shaft attachment hole 55 of the regulating member 52 is made almost the same as the D-cut shaped portion 153 of the rotating shaft 53, and the posture of the regulating member 52 when the regulating member 52 abuts against the contact surface 54 is adjusted. was determined by the rotating shaft 53. As described above, since the posture of the regulating member 52 when the regulating member 52 abuts the contact surface 54 is determined by the rotating shaft 53, due to variations in the shape and dimensions of the regulating member 52 due to manufacturing errors, the regulating member 52 may In some cases, the contact surface 54 was in line contact with the contact surface 54. For example, if the angle of the flat portion 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55 with respect to the surface contact portion 57 is smaller than the specified angle due to a manufacturing error, the rotational direction downstream end of the surface contact portion 57 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 may be It comes into contact with the contact surface 54 to restrict rotation and form a line contact. As a result, a large contact pressure is applied to the contact surface 54 of the openable/closeable cover 50, and there is a risk that the openable/closeable cover 50 may be damaged. Alternatively, the rotational direction downstream end of the surface contact portion 57 may slide on the abutment surface 54, and the abutment surface 54 may be scratched.

Contrary to the above, if the angle of the plane part 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55 with respect to the surface contact part 57 is larger than the specified angle due to manufacturing error, the direction of rotation of the surface contact part 57 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 The upstream end comes into contact with the contact surface 54 to restrict rotation and create a line contact, which may cause damage to the open/close cover 50.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the regulating member 52 is made rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53 in order to suppress scraping of the contact surface 54 and damage to the opening/closing cover 50 due to the above-mentioned manufacturing errors.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the rotating shaft 53 and the regulating member 52.
As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, the shaft mounting hole 55 is configured to have a gap α between the shaft mounting hole 55 of the regulating member 52 and the D-cut portion 153a of the rotating shaft 53. Thereby, the regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotating shaft 53 within the specified range ω. In this embodiment, the regulating member 52 is rotatable with respect to the rotation shaft 53 up to a rotation angle of 2.5° with respect to the rotation shaft 53. Further, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the circular section 55b of the shaft mounting hole 55 is approximately the same as the diameter of the circular section 153b of the D-cut shaped section 153 of the rotating shaft 53, and and the circular portion 153b of the D-cut shaped portion 153 are in surface contact.

In this embodiment, the regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to be rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53, and by assembling the regulating member 52 in the following manner, the regulating member 52 can be fixed due to manufacturing errors. Even if there are variations in shape and dimensions, the entire surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 can be brought into contact with the contact surface 54. That is, after the regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 that is not biased by the torsion spring 62, the regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so that the entire surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 contacts the contact surface 54. The attitude of the regulating member 52 when the regulating member 52 contacts the contact surface 54 is determined by rotating the regulating member 52 relative to the contact surface 54 . Thereafter, a torsion spring 62 is attached to the rotating shaft 53. As a result, the rotating shaft 53 rotates relative to the regulating member 52, and as shown in FIG. It comes into contact with the flat part 55a. Thereby, the regulating member 52 is attached to the rotating shaft 53 so as to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 53.

In this way, in the present embodiment, the regulating member 52 is made rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53, so that even if there is a manufacturing error, the regulating member 52 can contact the contact surface 54. The regulating member 52 can be attached to the rotating shaft 53 so that the entire surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 is in contact with the contact surface 54. Thereby, damage to the opening/closing cover 50 and scraping of the contact surface 54 can be suppressed.

Note that in this embodiment, when the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the device main body 10, the regulating member 52 rotates relative to the rotating shaft 53 due to its own weight, and unlike the state shown in FIG. 52 may be in contact with the contact surface 54. At this time, one end of the D-cut portion 153a (the right end in FIG. 9) is spaced apart from the flat portion 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55, and the regulating member 52 prevents the rotation of the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 of the rotating shaft 53. It's not regulated. Therefore, even if the regulating member 52 is in contact with the contact surface 54, the hook member can maintain a good engagement relationship with the engaged portion 90 of the device main body.

Note that the static friction force at the contact point between the circular portion 153b of the D-cut shaped portion 153 and the circular cross-sectional portion 55b of the shaft mounting hole 55 is made larger than the own weight of the regulating member 52, so that the opening/closing cover 50 is attached to the main body of the device. When locked, the regulating member 52 may be configured to be prevented from rotating relative to the rotating shaft due to its own weight, and the regulating member 52 may be spaced apart from the contact surface 54, as shown in FIG.

When the operating lever 58 is operated to unlock the opening/closing cover 50, the rotating shaft 53 rotates clockwise in FIG. 9 relative to the regulating member 52 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. Then, the other end of the D-cut portion 153a (the left end in FIG. 9) comes into contact with the flat part 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55, and the regulating member 52 rotates clockwise in FIG. It is separated from the contact surface 54. When the opening/closing cover 50 is unlocked and the operation of the operating lever 58 is stopped, the rotating shaft 53 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 relative to the regulating member 52 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62. Rotate to. Then, the other end of the D-cut portion 153a (the left end in FIG. 9) is separated from the flat portion 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55, and one end of the D-cut portion 153a (the right end in FIG. 9) is connected to the flat portion 55a of the shaft mounting hole 55. As a result, the regulating member 52 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 together with the rotating shaft 53. The entire surface of the surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 comes into contact with the abutting surface 54, thereby regulating rotation of the rotating shaft 53 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62.

In this way, even if the regulating member 52 is configured to be rotatably attached to the rotating shaft 53 within a predetermined range, the regulating member 52 prevents the rotating shaft 53 from rotating due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 at a predetermined rotational position. Can be regulated.

Further, in this embodiment, the regulating member 52 is made of metal, and is made of a material having higher strength than the hook members 51a, 51b made of resin. The hook members 51a and 51b receive a large reaction force from the engaged portion 90 of the device main body, which receives the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 when the open/close cover 50 is locked. However, the hook members 51a and 51b have a certain thickness so that the engaged portion 90 can engage with the hook portion 151b, and even if they are made of resin, which has lower strength than metal, there is sufficient thickness. You can gain strength. Therefore, deformation due to receiving a large reaction force from the engaged portion 90 can be suppressed. Further, by forming the hook members 51a and 51b from a resin material, the hook members can be formed at low cost. Further, by forming the hook members 51a and 51b from a resin material, the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

The regulating member 52 also receives a reaction force of the biasing force of the torsion spring 62 from the abutting surface 54 when the opening/closing cover 50 is opened and the regulating member 52 is in contact with the abutting surface 54 . Therefore, like the hook member, the regulating member 52 can also be made of resin and, like the hook member, can obtain sufficient strength by giving it sufficient thickness in the direction of the rotation axis. There is a risk that this may occur. Therefore, the regulating member 52 is made of a metal having higher strength than resin, so that sufficient strength can be obtained even if the thickness in the axial direction is not very thick. As a result, the device can be made smaller in the axial direction, and when the regulating member 52 is in contact with the contact surface 54 and regulating the rotation of the rotating shaft 53 due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 62, the regulating member 52 can be prevented from deforming. Thereby, the entire surface of the surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 can be satisfactorily brought into contact with the contact surface 54.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a rotating shaft 53 and a regulating member 52 showing a modification of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 11, in this modification, the diameter D of the circular section 55b of the inner peripheral surface of the shaft mounting hole 55 is larger than the diameter d of the circular section 153b of the D-cut section 153 of the rotating shaft 53. ing. As a result, a predetermined gap α is formed between the circular cross-sectional portion 55b of the inner peripheral surface of the shaft attachment hole 55 and the circular portion 153b of the D-cut shaped portion 153 of the rotating shaft 53.
Even with such a configuration, the regulating member 52 can rotate within a predetermined range ω with respect to the rotating shaft 53. Therefore, in the modified example shown in FIG. 10 as well, the posture when the regulating member 52 abuts the abutting surface 54 is such that the entire surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 abuts the abutting surface 54. The regulating member 52 can be attached to the rotating shaft 53. Thereby, damage to the opening/closing cover 50 and scraping of the contact surface 54 can be suppressed.

Further, in this modification, the regulating member 52 can be made movable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53 in a direction perpendicular to the D-cut portion 153a and in a direction parallel to the D-cut portion 153a. As a result, for example, if the contact surface 54 is located closer to the rotating shaft than the specified position due to manufacturing error, the regulating member 52 is moved upward relative to the rotating shaft 53, and the regulating member 52 is moved upward relative to the rotating shaft 53. The entire surface contact portion 57 can be brought into contact with the contact surface 54.

What has been described above is just an example, and each of the following aspects has its own unique effects.
(Aspect 1)
A rotating shaft 53 rotatably supported by an opening/closing cover 50 that is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the device main body 10, and a hook that is attached to the rotating shaft 53 and engages with the engaged portion 90 of the device main body 10. An engaging member such as members 51a and 51b, a biasing member such as a torsion spring 62 that biases the rotating shaft 53 so that the engaging member engages with the engaged portion 90, and a rotating shaft 53 that rotates together with the rotating shaft 53, In a locking mechanism 70 including a regulating member 52 that regulates rotation of the rotating shaft 53 by a predetermined angle or more by contact with the opening/closing cover 50 due to the biasing force of the biasing member, the regulating member 52 is in surface contact with the opening/closing cover 50. It has a surface contact portion 57 that is configured to be rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53.
According to this, since the regulating member 52 has the surface contact portion 57 that makes surface contact with the opening/closing cover 50, the contact area with the opening/closing cover is larger than that in the case where the regulating member 52 makes line contact with the opening/closing cover 50. is wide, and the contact pressure with the opening/closing cover 50 is reduced. Thereby, damage to the contact portion of the opening/closing cover 50 with the regulating member 52 can be suppressed.
Furthermore, since the regulating member 52 is rotatable in the rotational direction within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53, the regulating member 52 can be rotated relative to the rotating shaft 53, so that the surface contact portion of the regulating member 52 can be rotated relative to the rotating shaft 53. The attitude of the regulating member 52 when it comes into contact with the opening/closing cover 50 can be adjusted so that the entirety of the regulating member 57 comes into contact with the opening/closing cover 50. Therefore, even if there are some variations in the size and shape of the regulating member 52 due to manufacturing errors, the entire surface contact portion 57 of the regulating member 52 can be brought into contact with the opening/closing cover 50, and the contact pressure with the opening/closing cover 50 can be reduced. Therefore, damage to the contact portion of the opening/closing cover 50 with the regulating member 52 can be suppressed.

(Aspect 2)
In the first embodiment, the regulating member 52 is attached to the D-cut portion 153 with a gap from the D-cut portion 153a of the D-cut portion 153 in which a portion of the outer shape of the rotating shaft 53 is a straight line.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, the regulating member 52 can be made rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53.

(Aspect 3)
In aspect 1, the regulating member 52 is attached to the D-cut portion with a gap from the circular portion 153b of the D-cut portion 153 of the rotating shaft 53 whose outer shape is partially straight. For example, as described in Modification 1, the regulating member 52 can be made rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotating shaft 53.

(Aspect 4)
In any of the first to third embodiments, the material of the regulating member 52 is made of a material having higher strength than the material of the engaging members such as the hook members 51a, 51b.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, even if the thickness of the regulating member 52 is thinner than the thickness of the engaging member such as the hook member, sufficient strength can be obtained. This makes it possible to reduce the size in the axial direction and to suppress deformation of the regulating member 52.

(Aspect 5)
In the fourth embodiment, the regulating member 52 is made of metal, and the engaging members such as hook members 51a and 51b are made of resin.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, by using resin for the engaging members such as the hook members 51a and 51b, the engaging members can be manufactured at low cost, and the cost of the device can be reduced. Moreover, compared to metal, the degree of freedom in design can be increased. Moreover, by making the regulating member 52 of metal, the strength of the regulating member 52 can be increased at low cost, and the cost of the device can be reduced.

(Aspect 6)
In any one of aspects 1 to 5, the rotating shaft 53 includes an operating portion such as an operating lever 58 that operates the rotating shaft 53 so that the rotating shaft 53 rotates in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation due to the urging force of the urging member such as the torsion spring 62, and the rotating shaft 53. It has a connecting member 61 that connects the and the operating section, and the connecting member 61 has flexibility.
According to this, as explained in the embodiment, compared to the case where the connecting member 61 is made of a hard material, the rotational movement that can be converted into the rotational movement of the rotating shaft 53 by operating the operating part such as the operating lever 58 The amount can be increased.

(Aspect 7)
In any of aspects 1 to 6, in the vicinity of a transfer roller such as the secondary transfer roller 32g held by the openable cover 50 that comes into contact with a transfer member such as the intermediate transfer belt 32a of the apparatus main body 10 when the openable cover 50 is closed. Engaging members such as hook members 51a and 51b are provided.
According to this, as described in the embodiment, it is possible to suppress the bending of the opening/closing cover 50 near the secondary transfer roller when the opening/closing cover 50 is locked to the apparatus main body.

(Aspect 8)
In an image forming apparatus including an apparatus main body 10, an open/close cover 50 that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 10, and a lock mechanism 70 that locks the open/close cover 50 to the apparatus main body, any of Aspects 1 to 7 may be used as the lock mechanism 70. This locking mechanism was used.
According to this, damage to the opening/closing cover 50 can be suppressed.

10: Apparatus main body 32: Transfer unit 32a: Intermediate transfer belt 50: Open/close cover 51a: Hook member 51b: Second hook member 52: Regulating member 53: Rotating shaft 54: Contact surface 55: Shaft attachment hole 55a: Plane portion 55b : Circular section 57 : Surface contact part 58 : Operation lever 59 : Connection shaft 60 : Pulley 61 : Connection member 62 : Torsion spring 70 : Lock mechanism 90 : Engaged part 151a : Inclined surface 151b : Hook part 153 : D cut Shaped portion 153a: D-cut portion 153b: Circular portion

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-199175

Claims (7)

a rotating shaft rotatably supported by an opening/closing cover provided to the device main body so as to be freely openable and closable;
an engagement member attached to the rotation shaft and engaged with an engaged portion of the device main body;
a biasing member that biases the rotating shaft so that the engaging member engages the engaged portion;
A locking mechanism comprising: a regulating member that rotates together with the rotating shaft and restricts rotation of the rotating shaft by a predetermined angle or more due to the urging force of the urging member by contacting the opening/closing cover;
The regulating member has a surface contact portion that makes surface contact with the opening/closing cover, and is rotatable within a predetermined range with respect to the rotation axis,
A locking mechanism characterized in that the regulating member is made of a material having higher strength than the material of the engaging member . The locking mechanism according to claim 1,
The locking mechanism is characterized in that the regulating member is attached to the D-cut portion of the rotating shaft having a part of a straight line with a gap therebetween. . The locking mechanism according to claim 1,
The locking mechanism is characterized in that the regulating member is attached to the D-cut portion with a gap from a circular portion of the D-cut portion of the rotating shaft, the outer shape of which is partially straight . The locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The locking mechanism is characterized in that the regulating member is made of metal, and the engaging member is made of resin. The locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
an operating section that operates the rotating shaft so that the rotating shaft rotates in a direction opposite to a rotation direction caused by the urging force of the urging member;
a connecting member connecting the rotating shaft and the operating section;
The locking mechanism is characterized in that the connecting member has flexibility. The locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The locking mechanism is characterized in that the opening/closing cover holds a transfer roller that comes into contact with a transfer member of the apparatus main body when the opening/closing cover is closed, and the engaging member is provided near the transfer roller. . The device body,
an opening/closing cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the device main body;
An image forming apparatus including a locking mechanism that locks the opening/closing cover to the apparatus main body,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the locking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used as the locking mechanism.

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