Patent Application
20220128945
This application claims priority based on 35 USC 119 from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-179104 filed on Oct. 26, 2020, entitled “IMAGE FORMATION APPARATUS”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The disclosure may relate to an image formation apparatus.
An electrophotographic image formation apparatus, such as a photocopier, a printer, and a fax machine, is configured to form a developer image by electrophotography, and transfer the developer image to a medium, and then fixes the developer image transferred to the medium to the medium by a fixation device.
In a related art, such an image formation apparatus is provided with: an apparatus housing having, at an outer periphery thereof, a stacker to which a medium having a fixed image is discharged; and a fixation device that can be removably attached to the apparatus housing through an opening provided at the stacker, wherein when the fixation device is attached to the apparatus housing, a portion of the fixation device is exposed from the opening of the stacker so as to form a portion of the stacker (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the image formation apparatus described above, the fixation device can be directly attached to and removed from the apparatus housing without opening the cover of the apparatus housing, which facilitates the attachment and removal of the fixation device. However, there may be a problem that if, when the fixation device is inserted through the opening of the apparatus housing, the force of the insertion is insufficient, a connector of the fixation device fails to be mated to a connector of the apparatus housing, so that the attachment of the fixation device is incomplete.
An object of an embodiment of the disclosure may be to provide an image formation apparatus that allows reliable attachment of a fixation device.
An aspect of the disclosure may be an image formation apparatus that may include: an apparatus housing that includes, at an outer peripheral portion thereof, a stacker, an opening being provided at the stacker; an image formation unit that is provided in the apparatus housing and configured to form an image on a medium; and a fixation device that is removably attached to the apparatus housing through the opening, and is configured to fix the image formed on the medium by the image formation unit to the medium. In a state where the fixation device is attached to the apparatus housing, a portion of the fixation device that is exposed from the opening provided at the stacker forms a portion of the stacker, and a connector of the fixation device is mated to a connector of the apparatus housing. The fixation device includes, at the exposed portion thereof exposed from the opening, a handle that is allowed to transition between an upright position in which the handle stands with respect to the exposed portion and a laid-flat position in which the handle is laid flat with respect to the exposed portion. The image formation apparatus may further include a laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism that, when at least a predetermined force is applied to the handle in order to transition the handle from the upright position to the laid-flat position, allows the handle to transition to the laid-flat position and keeps the handle in the laid-flat position.
According to the aspect described above, for example, after the handle of the fixation device is grasped in the upright position and the fixation device is inserted through the opening, at least a predetermined force set for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism is applied to the handle in order to cause the handle to transition from the upright position to the laid-flat position. By this force, the connector of the fixation device can be reliably mated to the connector of the apparatus housing.
Thus, according to the aspect described above, an image formation apparatus can be implemented in which a fixation device can be reliably attached thereto.
Descriptions are provided hereinbelow for embodiments based on the drawings. In the respective drawings referenced herein, the same constituents are designated by the same reference numerals and duplicate explanation concerning the same constituents is omitted. All of the drawings are provided to illustrate the respective examples only.
Firstly, an appearance or external configuration of the image formation apparatus 1 is described. As illustrated in
The apparatus housing 2 includes a housing body 2m that is generally in the shape of a box whose upper side (opening 3) is open (see a perspective view illustrated in
A state of the apparatus cover 2c in which the body opening 3 is covered and completely closed by the apparatus cover 2c as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The apparatus cover 2c is also provided with a cover opening 7 at a rear portion of the stacker 5. The cover opening 7 is a hole that is elongated in the leftward/rightward direction and opens the rear portion of the stacker 5 and portions (hereinafter referred to as “left and right outer portions flanking the stacker 5”) of the apparatus cover 2c that are located on both left and right sides of (i.e., outward of) the rear portion of the stacker 5.
In the image formation apparatus 1, when a fixation device 8 is removably attached to the housing body 2m, an upper surface of the fixation device 8 is exposed to the outside from the cover opening 7. The fixation device 8 is described in detail later. The upper surface of the fixation device 8 is shaped so as to block the cover opening 7, and to form the rear portion of the stacker 5 (i.e., a rear portion of the stack surface 5s of the stacker 5 and rear portions of a left and a right side wall surface 5w of the stacker 5) and the left and right outer portions flanking the stacker 5. The rear wall surface 5b of the stacker 5 is a portion of the housing body 2m. Thus, the stack surface 5s and the side wall surfaces 5w of the stacker 5 are formed by the apparatus cover 2c and the fixation device 8, and the rear wall surface 5b of the stacker 5 is formed by the housing body 2m.
Furthermore, handles 9 are provided on the upper surface of the fixation device 8 at the left and right outer portions flanking the stacker 5. As illustrated in a perspective view of
A control unit 10 that controls the entire image formation apparatus 1 is also provided at a predetermined position in the housing body 2m. Although not illustrated in
Next, an internal configuration of the image formation apparatus 1 is described. As illustrated in
Each image formation unit 20 (20K, 20Y, 20M, 20C) includes an LED head 21 (21K, 21Y, 21M, 21C), a photosensitive drum 22 (22K, 22Y, 22M, 22C), and a toner container 23 (23K, 23Y, 23M, 23C). Each image formation unit 20 is a hardware device in which a surface of the photosensitive drum 22 is exposed to light emitted by the LED head 21 so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22, and thereafter, toner supplied from the toner container 23 is caused to adhere to the electrostatic latent image, whereby a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 22.
In the apparatus housing 2, a transfer unit 24 is also provided below the four image formation units 20. The transfer unit 24 has a loop of conveyance belt 25 that is movable along the conveyance path R in the forward/backward direction, and transfer rollers 26 (26K, 26Y, 26M, 26C) that are provided below the photosensitive drums 22 (22K, 22Y, 22M, 22C), facing the photosensitive drums 22 (22K, 22Y, 22M, 22C) with the conveyance belt 25 interposed therebetween.
Each transfer roller 26 is a member that electrostatically charges paper M to the polarity opposite to that of the toner while the paper M is being passed between the photosensitive drum 22 and the conveyance belt 25 so that a toner image of the corresponding color formed on the photosensitive drum 22 is transferred to the paper M.
In the apparatus housing 2, a paper tray 27 that contains paper M is also provided below the transfer unit 24 (i.e., at a lower portion of the apparatus housing 2). In the apparatus housing 2, a pair of transfer rollers that convey paper M, and the like, are also provided on the conveyance path R between the paper tray 27 and the transfer unit 24.
In the apparatus housing 2, the fixation device 8 is also provided downstream of (i.e., at the back of) the transfer unit 24 in a paper conveyance direction. The fixation device 8 includes a hot roller 28, and a backup roller 29 that is provided below the hot roller 28, facing the hot roller 28 with the conveyance path R interposed therebetween. The fixation device 8 fixes a toner image transferred to paper M by the transfer unit 24 to the paper M by heating and pressurization using the hot roller 28 and the backup roller 29.
In the apparatus housing 2, a pair of discharge rollers that discharges paper M to the stacker 5 through the paper discharge opening 6 is provided on the conveyance path R between the fixation device 8 and the paper discharge opening 6. The image formation apparatus 1 has the internal configuration described above.
As illustrated in
Next, configurations of the fixation device 8 and surrounding parts are described in greater detail. Here, of the configurations of the fixation device 8 and surrounding parts, only configurations of parts involved in attachment and removal of the fixation device 8 are described.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The fixation device housing 40 has an upper surface that is elongated in the leftward/rightward direction and serves as an exposed portion. The upper surface is formed by a fixation device cover 40c. The fixation device cover 40c is recessed at a middle portion thereof in the leftward/rightward direction. This recessed portion forms a rear portion of the stacker 5 (i.e., rear portions of the stack surface 5s and the left and right side wall surfaces 5w).
A portion 40s of the entire fixation device cover 40c that forms the stack surface 5s of the stacker 5 is herein referred to as a “stack surface formation portion 40s,” and portions 40w of the entire fixation device cover 40c that form the side wall surfaces 5w are herein referred to as “side wall surface formation portions 40w.” Meanwhile, a portion 50s of the entire apparatus cover 2c that forms a front portion of the stack surface 5s of the stacker 5 is referred to as a “stack surface formation portion 50s,” and portions 50w of the entire apparatus cover 2c that form front portions of the left and right side wall surfaces 5w of the stacker 5 are referred to as “side wall surface formation portions 50w.”
The stack surface formation portion 40s and the side wall surface formation portions 40w of the fixation device cover 40c are flush with the stack surface formation portion 50s and the side wall surface formation portions 50w, respectively, of the apparatus cover 2c. The stack surface formation portion 40s and the side wall surface formation portions 40w of the fixation device cover 40c, and the stack surface formation portion 50s and the side wall surface formation portions 50w of the apparatus cover 2c, form the stacker 5.
Furthermore, the fixation device cover 40c is provided with the handle 9 (
In addition to the fixation device cover 40c, a sub-cover 41 is attached to the upper surface of the fixation device housing 40. The sub-cover 41 is configured to cover a gap Sp1 between a front end of the stack surface formation portion 40s of the fixation device housing 40 as it is contained in the fixation device compartment 30, and a rear end of the stack surface formation portion 50s of the apparatus cover 2c as it is in the closed state. The sub-cover 41 is attached to the fixation device cover 40c, covering a front portion of the fixation device cover 40c. That is, a front portion of the upper surface of the fixation device housing 40 has a double structure including the fixation device cover 40c and the sub-cover 41. The fixation device cover 40c and the sub-cover 41 form a rear portion of the stacker 5. A portion 41s of the entire sub-cover 41 that forms the stack surface 5s of the stacker 5 is herein referred to as a “stack surface formation portion 41s,” and portions 41w of the entire sub-cover 41 that form the side wall surfaces 5w are herein referred to as “side wall surface formation portions 41w.”
The sub-cover 41 has a sub-cover rotating shaft 42 that is provided at rear ends of the left and right side wall surface formation portions 41w, extending in the leftward/rightward direction. The sub-cover rotating shaft 42 is rotatably supported by bearing parts (not illustrated) provided at rear portions of the side wall surface formation portions 40w of the fixation device cover 40c. This allows the sub-cover 41 to be opened by rotation about the sub-cover rotating shaft 42 in a direction (anticlockwise direction in
Furthermore, the sub-cover 41 is pressed by a pressing member (not illustrated) in a direction that causes the stack surface formation portion 41s of the sub-cover 41 to move toward the stack surface formation portion 40s of the fixation device cover 40c (i.e., in a direction that causes the sub-cover 41 to be closed).
The sub-cover 41 is also configured such that a front end portion of the stack surface formation portion 41s overlays the stack surface formation portion 50s of the apparatus cover 2c, and therefore, when the apparatus cover 2c is opened, the stack surface formation portion 41s of the sub-cover 41 is pressed upward by the stack surface formation portion 50s of the apparatus cover 2c, so that the sub-cover 41 is opened together with the apparatus cover 2c. When the apparatus cover 2c is closed, the sub-cover 41 is closed together with the apparatus cover 2c due to a pressing force of the pressing member. Thus, the sub-cover 41 is configured to cover the gap Sp1 and to be opened and closed together with the apparatus cover 2c when the apparatus cover 2c is opened and closed.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Next, the handle 9 and surrounding parts of the fixation device 8 are described in greater detail. As illustrated in
Here,
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The handle 9, which rotates about the rotating shaft 62, can be transitioned between the upright position and the laid-flat position. Here, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
There are two of the upright position-keeping arms 81 that are located at a middle portion in an axial direction of the attachment section 61 with a space therebetween in the axial direction. The two upright position-keeping arms 81 are a cantilever plate spring that, when the handle 9 is in the upright position, is located at a lower end (below the rotating shaft 62) of the attachment section 61, extending from a left end toward a right end of the lower end of the attachment section 61 (from the outside toward the inside in the longitudinal direction of the fixation device housing 40 (
In other words, the two upright position-keeping arms 81 are a cantilever plate spring member that, when the handle 9 is in the upright position, is located at the lower end of the attachment section 61, extending from the left end of the lower end of the attachment section 61 in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the handle 9 that occurs when the handle 9 is rotated and transitioned from the upright position to the laid-flat position (clockwise direction indicated by an arrow Ar1 in
A tip of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is located rightward of a center P of the rotating shaft 62 (further inside in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of the fixation device housing 40 than is the center P). The tip of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is provided with a protrusion 81p protruding downward.
Meanwhile, there are two of the upright position-keeping arm engagement sections 82 that are located below a middle portion in the axial direction of the attachment section 61 with a space therebetween in the axial direction. The two upright position-keeping arm engagement sections 82 are flat sections that, when the handle 9 is in the upright position, are located below the two upright position-keeping arms 81, and form a portion of the bottom surface 70b of the recessed section 70.
As illustrated in
Here, for example, when the user applies at least a predetermined force to the handle 9 in a tilting direction indicated by an arrow Ar2 in order to rotate and transition the handle 9 from the upright position to the laid-flat position (a first predetermined force), the upright position-keeping arm 81 is bent in a direction that causes the tip thereof to move toward the rotating shaft 62 as illustrated in
When the protrusion 81p of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is moved to a position located leftward of the center P of the rotating shaft 62, past the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82, the handle 9 is no longer kept in the upright position, and continues to be moved in the clockwise direction indicated in
Thus, the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 can keep the handle 9 in the upright position, and when at least the predetermined force (i.e., a force that can move the protrusion 81p to a position leftward of the rotating shaft 62) is applied to the handle 9 in a direction that causes the handle 9 to tilt, can end the keeping of the handle 9 in the upright position, and allow the handle 9 to rotate and transition to the laid-flat position.
When the handle 9 is transitioned from the laid-flat position to the upright position, the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 operates in an opposite manner to that in the transition from the upright position to the laid-flat position. Specifically, when the handle 9 is rotated in the direction that causes the handle 9 to stand up until the handle 9 is very close to the upright position, the upright position-keeping arm 81 is in contact with the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82. In this situation, if the user applies at least a predetermined force to the handle 9 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to stand up (a second predetermined force), the upright position-keeping arm 81 is bent in the direction that causes the tip to move toward the rotating shaft 62. As a result, the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 is located outside the movement path of the protrusion 81p, which allows the handle 9 to rotate with the protrusion 81p being slid on the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82. At this time, the protrusion 81p is also pressed against the underlying upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 by the elastic force of the upright position-keeping arm 81, and therefore, the downward pressing force indicated by the arrow Ar3 is applied to the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82.
When the protrusion 81p of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is moved to a position rightward of the center P of the rotating shaft 62, so that the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position, the upright position-keeping arm 81 is moved past the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 to return to an original shape thereof, so that the handle 9 is kept in the upright position.
Thus, if, when the handle 9 is very close to the upright position, at least the predetermined force (i.e., a force that can cause the protrusion 81p to move to a position rightward of the rotating shaft 62) is applied to the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to stand up, the handle 9 is rotated and transitioned to the upright position, and is then kept in the upright position.
Next, the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 is described. As illustrated in
There are two of the laid-flat position-keeping arms 91 that are provided at both ends in the axial direction of the attachment section 61 (i.e., axially outward of the upright position-keeping arms 81). The two laid-flat position-keeping arms 91 are a cantilever plate spring that, when the handle 9 is in the laid-flat position, is located at the lower end (below the rotating shaft 62) of the attachment section 61, extending from a right end toward a left end of the lower end of the attachment section 61 (from the inside toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the fixation device housing 40).
In other words, the two laid-flat position-keeping arms 91 are a cantilever plate spring member that, when the handle 9 is in the laid-flat position, is located at the lower end of the attachment section 61, and extends from a right end of the lower end of the attachment section 61 in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the handle 9 that occurs when the handle 9 is transitioned from the laid-flat position to the upright position (anticlockwise direction indicated by an arrow Ar4 of
A tip of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is located leftward of the center P of the rotating shaft 62 (outward of the center P in the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of the fixation device housing 40). The Up of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is provided with a protrusion 91p protruding downward.
Meanwhile, there are two of the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement sections 92 below both ends in the axial direction of the attachment section 61. When the handle 9 is in the laid-flat position, the two laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement sections 92 are located below the two laid-flat position-keeping arms 91. The two laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement sections 92 include a flat section 92s that forms a portion of the bottom surface 70b of the recessed section 70 (see
As illustrated in
Here, for example, when the user applies at least the predetermined force to the handle 9 in the direction indicated by an arrow Ar5 that causes the handle 9 to stand up in order to rotate and transition the handle 9 from the laid-flat position to the upright position, the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is bent in the direction that causes the tip thereof to move toward the rotating shaft 62 as illustrated in
Thus, the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 keeps the handle 9 in the laid-flat position, and when at least the predetermined force (La, a force that can dislodge the protrusion 91p from the recessed section 92c) is applied to the handle 9, ends the keeping of the handle gin the laid-flat position, which allows the handle 9 to rotate and transition to the upright position.
When the handle 9 is transitioned from the upright position to the laid-flat position, the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 operates in an opposite manner to that in the transition from the laid-flat position to the upright position. Specifically, when the handle 9 is rotated in the direction that causes the handle 9 to tilt until the handle 9 is very close to the laid-flat position, the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is in contact with the flat section 92s of the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92. In this situation, when the user applies at least the predetermined force to the handle 9 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to tilt, the handle 9 is further rotated with the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 bent in the direction that causes the tip thereof to move toward the rotating shaft 62. At this time, the protrusion 91p is also pressed against the underlying laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 by the elastic force of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91. Therefore, the downward pressing force indicated by the arrow Ar6 is applied to the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92. When the handle 9 is completely transitioned to the laid-flat position, the protrusion 91p is moved past the flat section 92s of the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 to be inserted into the recessed section 92c, so that the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 returns to an original shape thereof, which allows the handle 9 to be kept in the laid-flat position.
Thus, if, when the handle 9 is very close to the laid-flat position, at least the predetermined force (i.e., a force that can cause the protrusion 91p to be inserted into the recessed section 92c) is applied to the handle 9 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to tilt, the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 allows the handle 9 to rotate and transition to the laid-flat position, and keeps the handle 9 in the laid-flat position.
As illustrated in
Here,
The fixation device compartment 30 is provided with a lever fitting hole 30h at a position that is opposite the opening 40h provided at the left side surface 40L of the fixation device housing 40 when the fixation device housing 40 is contained in the fixation device compartment 30. If, when the fixation device housing 40 is contained in the fixation device compartment 30, the handle 9 is transitioned from the upright position to the laid-flat position, the lever 100 protrudes through the opening 40h of the fixation device housing 40, and is fitted into the lever fitting hole 30h. Although not illustrated, a lever that protrudes through an opening when the right handle 9 is in the upright position is also provided at a right side surface of the fixation device housing 40. That lever is fitted into a lever fitting hole of the fixation device compartment 30.
Thus, if, when the fixation device housing 40 is contained in the fixation device compartment 30, the handle 9 is transitioned from the upright position to the laid-flat position, the lever 100 protrudes from the fixation device housing 40, and is fitted into the lever fitting hole 30h of the fixation device compartment 30, whereby the fixation device housing 40 is fixed to the fixation device compartment 30.
In the course of the rotation and transition of the handle 9 from the upright position to the laid-flat position (rotational zone), the lever 100 does not protrudes from the fixation device housing 40 while the handle 9 is kept in the upright position by the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 (i.e., until the handle 9 has been rotated by about 10 degrees with respect to the upright position (upright zone)), and protrudes from the fixation device housing 40 after the handle 9 has been rotated past the upright zone. In other words, unless the handle 9 is in the upright position, the fixation device 8 cannot be removed from the image formation apparatus 1.
As illustrated in
Next, a linking member 102 that allows the handle 9 and the lever 100 to move in associated with each other is briefly described with reference to
The linking member 102 is a bar-shaped member that is elongated in the upward/downward direction, and is located between a middle portion in the axial direction (forward/backward direction) of the attachment section 61 of the handle 9, and the lever 100, which is located below the middle portion, extending in the leftward/rightward direction. A lower end of the linking member 102 is linked to the lever 100, and an upper end of the linking member 102 is supported by the attachment section 61 of the handle 9 in a manner that allows the linking member 102 to rotate about the rotating shaft 62. Specifically, the rotation of the linking member 102 about the rotating shaft 62 can move the lever 100 in the direction that causes the lever 100 to protrude from the fixation device housing 40 and in the direction that causes the lever 100 to be put into the fixation device housing 40.
The attachment section 61 of the handle 9 is provided with a lever contact part 63 that is located at a middle in the axial direction (between the two upright position-keeping arms 81) and is configured to be brought into contact with an upper end of the linking member 102. The lever contact part 63 is brought into contact with the upper end of the linking member 102 (a portion below the rotating shaft 62) immediately before the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position. In this state, while the handle 9 is being rotated until the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position, the lever contact part 63 presses the linking member 102, which is in turn rotated in the same direction in which the handle 9 is rotated.
The lever 100 is also pressed by a pressing member 103 such as a spring in the direction that causes the lever 100 to protrude from the fixation device housing 40.
Here, movements of the handle 9, the lever 100, and the linking member 102 are briefly described with reference to
During the transition of the handle 9 from this state to the upright position, the lever contact part 63 of the handle 9 is brought into contact with the upper end of the linking member 102 immediately before the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position as illustrated in
In this state, when the handle 9 is further moved toward the upright position, the linking member 102 is rotated about the rotating shaft 62 in an anticlockwise direction indicated by an arrow Ar7 by the lever contact part 63 of the handle 9 pressing the upper end of the linking member 102 rightward (inward in the longitudinal direction of the fixation device housing 40) as illustrated in
Thus, the linking member 102 is configured to, when the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position, cause the lever 100 to be put into the fixation device housing 40. Conversely, when the handle 9 is transitioned from the upright position to the laid-flat position, the linking member 102 causes the lever 100 to protrude from the fixation device housing 40. Configurations of the handle 9 and surrounding parts have been described.
Next, an operation of attaching the fixation device 8 to the image formation apparatus 1 is described. As described above, the fixation device 8 is attached to the image formation apparatus 1 by the following procedure: the user grasps the handle 9 as it is in the upright position, lifts up the fixation device 8, and inserts the fixation device 8 into the image formation apparatus 1 through the cover opening 7 of the apparatus cover 2c; and the user pushes the fixation device 8 until the fixation device 8 is completely contained in the apparatus housing 2 of the image formation apparatus 1.
As a result, the fixation device 8 is contained in the fixation device compartment 30, which is provided in the apparatus housing 2, and the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 is mated to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30, and the gear part 44 of the fixation device 8 is engaged with the gear part 32 of the fixation device compartment 30.
Incidentally, in order to reliably mate the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30, a force set to a specific value for the connectors 43 and 31 is required. For the image formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment, the specific value is set to 2 kgf. Thus, it is necessary to exert a force of at least 2 kgf in order to reliably mate the connector 43 to the connector 31.
Meanwhile, for the image formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment, the weight of the fixation device 8 itself is 1.5 kgf. Therefore, when the fixation device 8 is inserted through the cover opening 7 and is caused to move downward only due to its own weight, the force (1.5 kgf) exerted by the weight of the fixation device 8 itself is smaller than the force (2 kgf) necessary to reliably mate the connector 43 to the connector 31. Therefore, the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 cannot be reliably mated to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30.
In other words, when the fixation device 8 is inserted through the cover opening 7 and then attached to the image formation apparatus 1, then if the force exerted during the insertion is too weak, the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 fails to be reliably mated to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30, and therefore, the fixation device 8 fails to be reliably attached to the image formation apparatus 1.
Under the circumstances described above, for the image formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment, the fixation device 8 is provided with the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 for keeping the handle 9 in the laid-flat position, and the user is required to apply at least the predetermined force set for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 to the handle 9 in order to transition the handle 9 to the laid-flat position. This force is used to reliably mate the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30.
Specifically, the user grasps the handle 9 as it is in the upright position, lifts up the fixation device 8, and inserts the fixation device 8 into the image formation apparatus 1 through the cover opening 7 of the apparatus cover 2c. Thereafter, the user moves the fixation device 8 downward until the fixation device 8 is completely contained in the apparatus housing 2.
After the fixation device 8 is completely inserted, the user lays the handle 9 flat, i.e., transitions the handle 9 from the upright position to the laid-flat position. At this time, the user rotates and transitions the handle 9 from the upright position to a position that is very close to the laid-flat position, and then applies at least the predetermined force set for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 to the handle 9 so as to rotate and transition the handle 9 to the laid-flat position.
At this time, as illustrated in
Specifically, if Fa+Ff>Fc, the connector 43 can be reliably mated to the underlying connector 31, where Fa represents the force by which the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 presses the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 downward, Fc represents the force (2 kgf) necessary to reliably mate the connector 43 to the underlying connector 31, and Ff represents the weight (1.5 kgf) of the fixation device 8 itself.
In this case, if the force (Fa) by which the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 presses the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 downward is greater than the difference (0.5 kgf) between Fc (2 kgf) minus Ff (1.5 kgf), the connector 43 can be reliably mated to the underlying connector 31.
Therefore, for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90, the amount of displacement of the tip of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 that occurs when the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is bent, the thickness of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91, or the like, is appropriately selected so as to establish Fa>0.5 kgf.
Actually, when the fixation device 8 is put into the fixation device compartment 30, the fixation device 8 receives a predetermined reaction force from the fixation device compartment 30 due to, for example, contact with the fixation device compartment 30. Therefore, it is desirable to take such a reaction force into consideration in setting the force (Fa) by which the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 presses the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 downward.
Specifically, if Fa+Ff>Fc+Fo, the connector 43 can be reliably mated to the underlying connector 31, where Fo represents the maximum value of a reaction force that the fixation device 8 receives from the fixation device compartment 30.
In this case, if the force (Fa) by which the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 presses the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 downward is greater than the difference (0.74 kgf) between the sum of Fc (2 kgf) and Fo (e.g., 0.24 kgf) minus Ff (1.5 kgf), the connector 43 can be reliably mated to the underlying connector 31.
Therefore, for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 according to an embodiment, the amount of displacement of the tip of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 that occurs when the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is bent, the thickness of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91, or the like, is appropriately selected so as to establish Fa>0.74 kgf. Specifically, the displacement amount is set to 0.6 mm±0.2 mm, and the thickness is set to 2.5 mm.
With the configuration described above of the image formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment, when the fixation device 8 is attached to the image formation apparatus 1, the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 can be reliably mated to the connector 31 of the fixation device compartment 30. Thus, the fixation device 8 can be reliably attached to the image formation apparatus 1. The operation of attaching the fixation device 8 to the image formation apparatus 1 is as described above.
As described above, the image formation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment includes: the apparatus housing 2 having, at an outer peripheral portion thereof, the stacker 5 on which paper M (medium) is stacked, the cover opening 7 being provided at the stacker 5; the image formation units 20 (image formation unit) that are provided in the apparatus housing 2 and form an image on paper M; and the fixation device 8 that is removably attached to the apparatus housing 2, is removably attached to the apparatus housing 2 through the cover opening 7 (opening), and fixes, to the paper M, the image formed on the paper M by the image formation units 20. When the fixation device 8 is attached to the apparatus housing 2, a portion (upper end) of the fixation device 8 is exposed from the cover opening 7 provided at the stacker 5 to form a portion of the stacker 5, and the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 is mated to the connector 31 of the apparatus housing 2.
The fixation device 8 includes, at an exposed portion (upper end) thereof exposed from the cover opening 7, the handle 9 that is allowed to transition between the upright position in which the handle 9 stands with respect to the exposed portion and the laid-flat position in which the handle 9 is laid flat with respect to the exposed portion.
The image formation apparatus 1 includes the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 that, when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in order to transition the handle 9 to the laid-flat position, allows the handle 9 to transition to the laid-flat position and keeps the handle 9 in the laid-flat position.
More specifically; the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 includes the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 (laid-flat position-keeping elastic member), and the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 (laid-flat position-keeping contact member). During the rotation and transition of the handle 9 from the upright position to the laid-flat position, the protrusion 91p of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is brought into contact with the flat section 92s of the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 immediately before the handle 9 is transitioned to the laid-flat position. Here, when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to transition to the laid-flat position, the handle 9 is rotated with the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 in contact with and bent by the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92, and when the handle 9 is transitioned to the laid-flat position, the protrusion 91p of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is moved past the flat section 92s of the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 and is put into the recessed section 92c, so that the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 returns to an original shape thereof, which allows the handle 9 to be kept in the laid-flat position. In addition, while the handle 9 is being rotated with the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 in contact with and bent by the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92, the fixation device 8 is pressed by the elastic force of the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 in the direction that causes the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 to be mated to the connector 31 of the apparatus housing 2.
Thus; for example, after the user grasps the handle 9 as it is in the upright position and inserts the fixation device 8 into the image formation apparatus 1 through the cover opening 7, at least the predetermined force set for the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 is applied to the handle 9 in order to cause the handle 9 to transition from the upright position to the laid-flat position. This force can be used to reliably mate the connector 43 of the fixation device 8 to the connector 31 of the apparatus housing 2. Thus, in the image formation apparatus 1, the fixation device 8 can be reliably attached to the apparatus housing 2.
The image formation apparatus 1 further includes the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 (detent mechanism) that, when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in order to cause the handle 9 to transition to the upright position, causes the handle 9 to transition to the upright position, and keeps the handle 9 in the upright position.
More specifically, the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 includes the upright position-keeping arm 81 (upright position-keeping elastic member), and the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 (upright position-keeping contact member). During the rotation and transition of the handle 9 from the laid-flat position to the upright position, the protrusion 81p of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is brought into contact with the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 immediately before the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position. Here, when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in the direction that causes the handle 9 to rotate and transition to the upright position, the handle 9 is rotated with the upright position-keeping arm 81 in contact with and bent by the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82, and when the handle 9 is transitioned to the upright position, the protrusion 81p of the upright position-keeping arm 81 is moved past the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82, so that the upright position-keeping arm 81 returns to an original shape thereof, which allows the handle 9 to be kept in the upright position.
Thus, for example, the handle 9 can be kept in the upright position during an operation of attaching or removing the fixation device 8 to or from the apparatus housing 2. Therefore, the user can easily attach or remove the fixation device 8 while grasping the handle 9.
The image formation apparatus 1 further includes the levers 100 that, when the handle 9 is kept in the upright position by the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80, are put in the fixation device housing 40 of the fixation device 8, and otherwise, protrude from the left and right side surfaces of the fixation device housing 40 (an accommodation section where the fixation device 8 is accommodated in the apparatus housing 2). The levers 100, when protrude from the fixation device housing 40, are fitted into the fixation device compartment 30 of the apparatus housing 2, whereby the fixation device housing 40 is fixed to the fixation device compartment 30.
The image formation apparatus 1 further includes the lock switch 101 (detector) that detects the protrusion of the lever 100 from the fixation device housing 40 that occurs when the fixation device housing 40 is contained in the fixation device compartment 30. When the lock switch 101 detects the protrusion of the lever 100, the control unit 10 determines that the fixation device 8 is attached to the apparatus housing 2.
Thus, in the image formation apparatus 1, for example, even if, after the fixation device 8 is attached to the apparatus housing 2, a hand or the like of a user who is trying to pick up paper M discharged to the stacker 5 merely hits the handle 9, the handle 9 is not transitioned from the laid-flat position to the upright position. Therefore, it is possible to avoid situations in which the user accidentally causes the handle 9 to transition to the upright position and thereby ends fixation of the fixation device 8, and the control unit 10 determines that the fixation device 8 has been removed from the apparatus housing 2 and ends printing.
In addition, in the image formation apparatus 1, when the handle 9 is kept in the upright position by the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80, the lever 100 is put in the fixation device housing 40. Therefore, by causing the handle 9 to be in the upright position, the lever 100 can be kept in the state in which the lever 100 does not protrude from the fixation device housing 40. As a result, it is possible to avoid, for example, a situation that during an operation of attaching the fixation device 8 to the apparatus housing 2, the lever 100 protrudes from the fixation device housing 40 and hits and breaks the apparatus housing 2.
In one or more embodiments described above, the case has been described in which the upright position-keeping arm 81, which includes a plate spring member, and the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82, which is a flat section that is engaged (contact) with the upright position-keeping arm 81, constitute the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80. Here, for example, the upright position-keeping arm 81 may be provided at the fixation device housing 40, and the upright position-keeping arm engagement section 82 may be provided at the handle 9. Alternatively, another detent mechanism may be employed instead of the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 as long as that mechanism can cause the handle 9 to transition to the upright position when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in order to cause the handle 9 to transition to the upright position, and keep the handle 9 in the upright position. For example, a detent mechanism having a latch structure may be employed, or a detent mechanism having a rotation prevention structure including an elastic member such as a spring may be employed.
Likewise, the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 may, for example, be configured such that the laid-flat position-keeping arm 91 is provided at the fixation device housing 40, and the laid-flat position-keeping arm engagement section 92 is provided at the handle 9. Alternatively, another detent mechanism may be employed as long as that mechanism can cause the handle 9 to transition to the laid-flat position when at least the predetermined force is applied to the handle 9 in order to cause the handle 9 to transition to the laid-flat position, and keep the handle 9 in the laid-flat position.
In one or more embodiments described above, the case has been described in which the fixation device 8 is provided with the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 that keeps the handle 9 in the upright position, and the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 that keeps the handle 9 in the laid-flat position. Alternatively, for example, the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80 may be removed, and only the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90 may be provided.
In one or more embodiments described above, the case has been described in which, when the handle 9 is kept in the upright position by the upright position-keeping detent mechanism 80, the lever 100 is put in the fixation device housing 40 of the fixation device 8, and otherwise, the lever 100 protrudes from the fixation device housing 40. Alternatively, for example, the lever 100 may protrude from the fixation device housing 40 only when the handle 9 is kept in the laid-flat position by the laid-flat position-keeping detent mechanism 90.
In one or more embodiments described above, the case has been described in which the lock switches 101 for detecting the protrusion of the levers 100 from the left and right side surfaces of the fixation device housing 40 are provided on both of the left and right sides of the fixation device compartment 30. Alternatively, the lock switch 101 may be provided on only one of the left and right sides of the fixation device compartment 30.
In one or more embodiments described above, the case has been described in which the fixation device 8 is provided with the sub-cover 41. Alternatively, the sub-cover 41 may be removed.
In one or more embodiments described above, the disclosure is applied to the image formation apparatus 1 that is an electrophotographic color printer. Alternatively, the disclosure can be applied to image formation apparatuses having configurations different from that of the image formation apparatus 1 as long as those image formation apparatuses include a fixation device. For example, the disclosure may be applied to an image formation apparatus that is configured such that a toner image formed by an image formation unit is transferred to an intermediate transfer belt before being transferred to a medium. The disclosure may also be applied to a monochromatic image formation apparatus having a single image formation unit, or a color image formation apparatus having four or more image formation units. The disclosure may also be applied to an image formation apparatus that forms an image on a medium other than paper. The disclosure may also be applied to image formation apparatuses such as an electrophotographic photocopier, fax machine, and multifunction peripheral.
Furthermore, the disclosure is not limited to one or more embodiments described above. Specifically, the disclosure encompasses embodiments obtained by combining all or a portion of one or more embodiments described above, or embodiments obtained by extracting a portion of one or more embodiments described above.
The disclosure is widely applicable to, for example, image formation apparatuses such as an electrophotographic printer, photocopier, fax machine, and multifunction peripheral that include a fixation device.
The invention includes other embodiments or modifications in addition to one or more embodiments described above without departing from the spirit of the invention. One or more embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects as illustrative, and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Hence, all configurations including the meaning and range within equivalent arrangements of the claims are intended to be embraced in the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-179104 | Oct 2020 | JP | national |
