Patent Grant
11774900
The present disclosure relates to a sheet conveying apparatus including an exterior cover mounted to a main body frame, and an image forming system including the sheet conveying apparatus.
Hitherto, an image forming apparatus includes a casing including a main body frame and an exterior cover configured to cover the main body frame. In recent years, the image forming apparatus has been increased in speed, and along with the increase in speed, a main body of the image forming apparatus has been increased in size. Along with the increase in size of the main body of the image forming apparatus, the exterior cover has also been increased in size. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-169073, the following configuration is disclosed. Specifically, an exterior cover configured to cover a main body frame of an image forming apparatus is formed of a metal plate, and is caused to function as a stay for right and left side plates of the main body frame. Thus, the number of components is reduced to attain reduction in cost.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-169073, the configuration in which the exterior cover of the image forming apparatus is formed of a metal plate is disclosed. However, in a conveying apparatus configured to convey a sheet, for example, an exterior cover is formed of a metal plate in some cases. For example, the exterior cover is formed of a metal plate in some cases because the production number is small and mold cost is high. Further, in order to suppress radiation noise, the exterior cover is formed of a metal plate in some cases.
When the exterior cover is mounted at a distance from the main body frame, a plurality of mounting members are required. When the exterior cover is mounted to the main body frame through intermediation of the plurality of mounting members, it is difficult to match a plurality of holes formed in the exterior cover and a plurality of screw holes formed in the plurality of mounting members, respectively, in order to allow screws to pass therethrough. Therefore, at the time of assembly at a factory, an assembly operator uses an assembly jig, or at the time of assembly for a maintenance operation, a service person temporarily fastens screws, and then, fixes the exterior cover to the main body frame. Thus, workability is degraded.
The present disclosure provides a sheet conveying apparatus with improved workability during assembly and maintenance of the sheet conveying apparatus.
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a sheet conveying apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a support frame provided with a mounting member and configured to support the conveyance unit, and an exterior cover configured to cover the support frame on a back side of the sheet conveying apparatus, where the exterior cover is made of metal and is fixed to the mounting member by a screw, wherein the exterior cover includes a hook portion provided above a position corresponding to the mounting member in a vertical direction, and a positioning pin provided below the position corresponding to the mounting member in the vertical direction, and wherein the support frame includes an engagement portion, provided at a position above the mounting member in the vertical direction, with which the hook portion is engaged, and a through-hole, formed at a position below the mounting member in the vertical direction, into which the positioning pin is inserted to position the exterior cover with respect to the support frame.
Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Now, an embodiment is described with reference to the attached drawings.
(Image Forming System)
The image forming apparatus 2 includes an image forming portion 100. The image forming portion 100 includes a charging unit 108, an exposure portion 101, a photosensitive drum 102 having a cylindrical shape, a developing device 103, a transfer portion 104, a cleaning member 109, and a fixing device 150. A straight conveyance path 160 including discharge rollers 180 is provided on a downstream side of the image forming portion 100 in the sheet conveyance direction CD. The image forming apparatus 2 includes an image reading apparatus 120. The image reading apparatus 120 includes a platen glass 121 being an original placing platen, a scanner unit 123, and an original feeding apparatus 129 configured to feed an original to the platen glass 121.
The image forming apparatus 2 includes an operation panel (not shown) including a display portion (not shown) configured to display information indicating a setting of various modes and an operation state. The display portion of the operation panel is configured to display contents required to be performed by a user when abnormality such as jam of a sheet occurs. Further, the image forming apparatus 2 includes a controller (not shown) configured to control, in accordance with a predetermined program, the image forming portion 100 and the sheet processing apparatus 3 to operate in accordance with a set operation mode.
The sheet cooling apparatus 1 cools the sheet P heated by the fixing device 150 in the image forming apparatus 2 in order to fix a toner image onto the sheet P. The sheet cooling apparatus 1 includes an upstream-side conveyance guide portion 10, a cooling unit 20, and a downstream-side conveyance guide portion 30. Here, the cooling unit 20 is an example of a conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet received from the image forming apparatus 2 to the downstream side. The upstream-side conveyance guide portion 10 includes a roller pair 11 configured to receive the sheet P discharged by the discharge rollers 180 of the image forming apparatus 2. The cooling unit 20 is arranged on a downstream side of the roller pair 11 in the sheet conveyance direction CD. The cooling unit 20 includes a heatsink 22 configured to cool the sheet, a sheet conveyance belt 21, and a sheet conveyance belt 23. The heatsink 22 is made of aluminum and is in contact with the sheet conveyance belt 23 at a position at which the sheet conveyance belt 21 and the sheet conveyance belt 23 are in contact with each other. The heatsink 22 is cooled by a fan (not shown). The downstream-side conveyance guide portion 30 is arranged on a downstream side of the cooling unit 20 in the sheet conveyance direction CD. The downstream-side conveyance guide portion 30 includes a roller pair 31 configured to receive the sheet.
(Image Reading Operation, Image Forming Operation, and Sheet Processing Operation)
Next, an image reading operation to be performed by the image reading apparatus 120, an image forming operation to be performed by the image forming apparatus 2, and a sheet processing operation to be performed by the sheet processing apparatus 3 are described. When a start button (not shown) is pushed, originals (not shown) stacked on an original tray 129a of the original feeding apparatus 129 are conveyed onto the platen glass 121 sequentially one by one by the original feeding apparatus 129. When the original is conveyed, a lamp of a scanner portion 122 turns on, and the scanner unit 123 including the scanner portion 122 moves to illuminate the original.
Light reflected from the original is reflected by mirrors 124, 125, and 126, passes through a lens 127, and is input to a CCD image sensor 128. The reflected light is photoelectrically converted into an electric signal (image data) by the CCD image sensor 128. The electric signal is subjected to various image processes and is input to the exposure portion 101 provided in the image forming apparatus 2. In this embodiment, the electric signal is input from the image reading apparatus 120 to the exposure portion 101. However, this embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electric signal being image data may be input from a personal computer to the exposure portion 101. The exposure portion 101 irradiates a surface of the photosensitive drum 102 with light in accordance with an image signal modulated in accordance with the electric signal (image data) to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 102. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 102 is developed with toner into a toner image by the developing device 103.
Meanwhile, in parallel with the image forming operation, for example, the sheets P received in feed cassettes 145 are sequentially fed by feed rollers 146. The sheets P are conveyed to registration rollers 148 by vertical path rollers 147. Further, when the sheets P are to be fed from the sheet decks 345 of the external feeding apparatus 4, the sheets P received in the sheet decks 345 are sequentially fed by feed rollers 340. The sheets P are conveyed to the registration rollers 148 by conveyance rollers 347 and 348. A leading edge of the sheet P is brought into abutment against the registration rollers 148 in a stopped state so that the sheet P forms a loop. The sheet P forms a loop so that the leading edge of the sheet P becomes parallel to a rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 102, thereby correcting skew of the sheet P. The registration rollers 148 are rotated at a predetermined timing. Thus, the sheet P is conveyed to the transfer portion 104 so that the leading edge of the sheet P matches a leading edge of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 102.
The transfer portion 104 includes an endless transfer belt 105 and a corona charging device 110. The transfer belt 105 is stretched around a drive roller 106 and a driven roller 107. The corona charging device 110 is arranged on an inner side of the transfer belt 105 so as to be opposed to the photosensitive drum 102. In the transfer portion 104, the sheet P is conveyed while being attracted by the transfer belt 105. A transfer voltage is applied to the corona charging device 110 so that the toner image on the photosensitive drum 102 is transferred onto the sheet P. The cleaning member 109 removes toner or paper dust remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 102 while being held in abutment against the surface of the photosensitive drum 102. Further, a cleaning member 119 removes toner or paper dust remaining on a surface of the transfer belt 105 while being held in abutment against the surface of the transfer belt 105.
The sheet P having the toner image transferred thereon is conveyed to the fixing device 150. The fixing device 150 heats and pressurizes the sheet P to fix the toner image onto the sheet P. With this, the image is formed on the sheet P. The sheet P having the image formed thereon passes through the straight conveyance path 160, and is discharged to the sheet cooling apparatus 1 by the discharge rollers 180.
When front and back surfaces of the sheet P are reversed and the sheet P is discharged to the sheet cooling apparatus 1, a conveyance destination of the sheet P discharged from the fixing device 150 is switched to a reversing path 170 by a switching member (not shown) provided on a downstream side of post-fixing rollers 151. The sheet P is conveyed to the reversing path 170, and first reverse rollers 171 and second reverse rollers 172 are stopped such that a rear edge of the sheet P is located at an upstream position by a predetermined amount from the first reverse rollers 171. After that, the first reverse rollers 171 and the second reverse rollers 172 are reversely rotated so that the sheet P is conveyed to the discharge rollers 180. The sheet P whose front and rear surfaces have been reversed is discharged to the sheet cooling apparatus 1 by the discharge rollers 180.
Further, when images are to be formed on both surfaces of the sheet P, the conveyance destination of the sheet P discharged from the fixing device 150 is switched to the reversing path 170 by the switching member (not shown) provided on the downstream side of the post-fixing rollers 151. The sheet P is conveyed to the reversing path 170, and the first reverse rollers 171 and the second reverse rollers 172 are stopped such that the rear edge of the sheet P is located at an upstream position by a predetermined amount from the second reverse rollers 172. Next, the conveyance destination of the sheet P is switched to a re-conveyance path 174 by a switching member (not shown) provided between the second reverse rollers 172 and the re-conveyance path 174. The second reverse rollers 172 are reversely rotated. Thus, the sheet P is conveyed to the re-conveyance path 174, and is conveyed to the vertical path rollers 147 again by duplex printing rollers 173. After that, the sheet P is conveyed to the transfer portion 104 so that an image is formed on a back surface of the sheet P. In this manner, the sheet P having the images formed on both the surfaces passes through the straight conveyance path 160, and is discharged to the sheet cooling apparatus 1 by the discharge rollers 180.
When post-processing such as stapling is not set by an operation unit (not shown), the sheet P having been discharged to the sheet processing apparatus 3 is conveyed to a first conveyance path 210 by inlet rollers 201. The sheet P is discharged to a first sheet stacking tray 230 by first discharge rollers 220 with an image forming surface thereof facing upward, and is stacked. Further, when post-processing such as stapling is set by the operation unit (not shown), the sheet P is conveyed to a second conveyance path 240 and is stacked as a sheet bundle on a sheet processing tray 260 by second discharge rollers 250. The sheet bundle is bound by the stapler 270 and is discharged and stacked onto a second sheet stacking tray 290 by sheet bundle discharge rollers 280.
(Configurations of Main Body Frame and Rear Cover)
Now, with reference to
A middle rear stay 47 is mounted to the vicinity of a center portion of the main body frame 40 on the rear side. A rear upper cover mounting plate 48 is mounted to an upper portion of the main body frame 40 on the rear side. Both side portions of the rear side plate 42 are bent so that bent surfaces 42a are formed. A first rear cover mounting plate 49 is mounted to an upper portion of the bent surface 42a on the left side (right side of
The rear upper cover mounting plate 48 has an engagement portion 81. The bottom plate 43, the right upper stay 44, the rear upper cover mounting plate 48, the first rear cover mounting plate 49, and the two second rear cover mounting plates 50 each have a screw hole 80 into which the rear cover 60 (
The second rear cover mounting plates 50 each include a second catching portion (second opening portion) 83 into which a second insertion portion 73 (
The rear cover 60 has holes 70 through which screws are caused to pass so as to screw the rear cover 60 to the first rear cover mounting plate 49, the second rear cover mounting plates 50, and other mounting members. The holes 70 are each an elongated hole extending in a vertical direction. The rear cover 60 further includes a hook portion (engagement portion) 71, the first insertion portions (first protruding portions) 72, the second insertion portions (second protruding portions) 73, the positioning pins (positioning portions) 74, and a grip 75. The first insertion portions 72 are formed in the vicinities of the holes 70. In this embodiment, the first insertion portions 72 are formed below the holes 70. The first insertion portions 72 are each formed into a flat plate shape having a flat surface extending in a horizontal direction. The second insertion portions 73 are formed in the vicinities of the holes 70. In this embodiment, the second insertion portions 73 are formed above the holes 70. The second insertion portions 73 each have a flat plate shape having a flat surface extending in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the rear cover 60 is fixed to the main body frame 40 with ten screws so as to suppress radiation noise and correct distortion of the rear cover 60.
The hook portion 71 is formed on one end portion of the rear cover 60 on the upper side. The hook portion 71 is engaged with the engagement portion 81 formed in the rear upper cover mounting plate 48. Before the rear cover 60 is fixed with the screws, the rear cover 60 is supported on one end portion of the main body frame 40 so as to be rotatable about the hook portion 71. The positioning pins 74 are provided on another end portion of the rear cover 60 on the lower side.
The positioning pins 74 are inserted into the positioning holes 84 formed in another end portion of the main body frame 40 on the lower side, and the rear cover 60 is positioned with respect to the main body frame 40. The positioning pins 74 are provided on the lower side of the rear cover 60 as described above. Thus, a rotation angle of the rear cover 60 with respect to the main body frame 40 when the rear cover 60 is positioned with respect to the main body frame 40 can be made smaller than that in a case in which the positioning pins 74 are provided at the center or the upper side of the rear cover 60. Accordingly, an operator is not required to lift the rear cover 60, which is made of metal and is heavy, when positioning the rear cover 60 with respect to the main body frame 40, thereby improving the workability.
The first insertion portions 72 are inserted into the first catching portions 82 formed in the right upper stay 44 and the first rear cover mounting plate 49. The second insertion portions 73 are inserted into the second catching portions 83 formed in the second rear cover mounting plates 50.
The distance between the rear side plate 42 and the rear cover 60 is determined by fitting with an appearance surface of the image forming apparatus 2 or the sheet processing apparatus 3 to be coupled and the size of a built-in component such as the electrical unit 51. In this embodiment, the distance between the rear side plate 42 and the rear cover 60 is 200 mm. In order to secure a distance of 200 mm between the rear side plate 42 and the rear cover 60, the cost is lower when mounting components such as the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are added than when the height of each of the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42 is set high. In view of this, in this embodiment, the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are mounted to the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42. However, the following configuration may be employed. Specifically, the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are formed integrally with the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42, screw holes are formed in the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42, and the rear cover 60 is directly fixed to the rear side plate 42.
Here, when the rear side plate 42, the first rear cover mounting plate 49, and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are separate members, the positions of the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 mounted to the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42 are liable to be influenced by the positional accuracy of the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42. Therefore, the positions of the screw holes 80 formed in the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are liable to be deviated from predetermined positions in design. On the other hand, when the height of each of the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42 is high, the bent surfaces 42a to which the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are mounted are elastically deformable. The positions of the screw holes 80 formed in the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 can be shifted within elastic deformation areas of the bent surfaces 42a, the first rear cover mounting plate 49, and the second rear cover mounting plates 50. Accordingly, position correction of from about 1 mm to about 3 mm is allowed in the positions of the screw holes 80 formed in the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50. It is preferred that the rigidity of the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 be lower than the rigidity of the rear cover 60 under a state in which the first rear cover mounting plate 49 and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are mounted to the main body frame 40.
(Method of Mounting Rear Cover to Main Body Frame)
Now, with reference to
(Description of Position Correction for Screw Holes)
Next, with reference to
The second catching portion 83 of the second rear cover mounting plate 50 has catching surfaces 83a on both side portions in the horizontal direction. The second insertion portion 73 of the rear cover 60 has engagement surfaces 73a on both side portions in the horizontal direction. The engagement surfaces 73a extend in parallel from the connection portion with the rear cover 60. The second insertion portion 73 has a tapered shape, and has tapered surfaces 73b from the engagement surfaces 73a to the tip.
When the bent surface 42a of the rear side plate 42 is open at an obtuse angle, the screw hole 80 of the second rear cover mounting plate 50 mounted to the bent surface 42a is shifted to the right side in the horizontal direction with respect to the hole 70 of the rear cover 60. When the second insertion portion 73 of the rear cover 60 is inserted into the second catching portion 83 of the second rear cover mounting plate 50, as illustrated in
In this embodiment, the rear cover 60 is positioned with respect to the main body frame 40 while being rotated with respect to the main body frame 40 assembled with high accuracy. Further, position correction (from about 1 mm to about 3 mm) in the horizontal direction is allowed for the right upper stay 44, the first rear cover mounting plate 49, and the second rear cover mounting plates 50, which are liable to be influenced by the positional accuracy of the bent surfaces 42a of the rear side plate 42, within the elastic deformation area of the rear side plate 42. The positions of the holes 70 formed in the rear cover 60 and the positions of the screw holes 80 formed in the right upper stay 44, the first rear cover mounting plate 49, and the second rear cover mounting plates 50 are corrected to positions that allow screwing. Accordingly, it is not required to use an assembly jig at the time of assembly by an assembly operator at a factory or temporarily fix the rear cover 60 with screws in order to fix the rear cover 60 at the time of assembly by a service person, thereby improving the ease of assembly and the ease of maintenance of the casing 91.
In this embodiment, the rear cover 60 is fixed to the main body frame 40 with ten screws, and the rear cover 60 has four insertion portions (first insertion portions 72 and second insertion portions 73). However, the number of screws and the number of insertion portions are not limited thereto. Further, in this embodiment, the casing 91 of the sheet cooling apparatus 1 has been described. However, this embodiment can also be applied to casings of the image forming apparatus 2, the sheet processing apparatus 3, and the external feeding apparatus 4. Further, the above-mentioned embodiment may be applied to a reading apparatus configured to read an image formed on a sheet as a sheet conveying apparatus. In this case, as the configuration of the image forming system, it is conceivable to employ a configuration in which the image reading apparatus is coupled to a downstream side of the image forming apparatus 2, and a configuration in which the image reading apparatus is coupled to a further downstream side of the sheet cooling apparatus 1 coupled to the downstream side of the image forming apparatus 2. Such an image reading apparatus is an apparatus which is connected to the image forming apparatus 2 so as to detect misregistration or a tinge of an image formed on a sheet by the image forming apparatus 2. In the image reading apparatus, a conveyance unit includes a conveyance roller pair configured to receive and convey the sheet having the image formed thereon by the image forming apparatus 2, and a reading unit provided on a downstream side of the conveyance roller pair.
According to this embodiment, the rear cover (exterior cover) 60 is positioned with respect to the main body frame 40 while being rotated, and the position correction of the screw holes 80 can also be performed. Thus, the ease of assembly and the ease of maintenance of the casing 91 can be improved. In this embodiment, the rear cover 60 of the casing 91 has been described. However, this embodiment is not limited to the rear cover 60, and can be applied to a front cover or a side cover of the casing 91. According to this embodiment, the ease of assembly and the ease of maintenance of the casing can be improved.
According to this embodiment, workability during assembly and maintenance of the sheet conveying apparatus can be improved.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-074724, filed Apr. 20, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-074724 | Apr 2020 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9235185 | Koyanagi | Jan 2016 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2009169073 | Jul 2009 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20210323785 A1 | Oct 2021 | US |
