JP2002278413A - Connector device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector device capable of preventing the slippage of a connecting terminal on the side of a main body and that of an opening and closing side. SOLUTION: The connector device 1 is provided with a female connector provided at a cover 5 for performing opening and closing operation rotating with the fixing shaft 7 of an image forming device main body as a center and a male connector 15 provided at an imaging unit 3 within the main body. The female connector 13 and the male connector 15 are connected with each other when the cover 5 is closed. In the connector device 1, the female connector 13 is fixed through a leaf spring 11, which can be displaced in the rotating direction of the cover 5 and its normal direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a connector device used for equipment such as an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, various units such as a fixing unit and a process cartridge are provided detachably from an apparatus main body. Such a detachable unit is provided with a male terminal (opening / closing side connection terminal) of the connector device for the purpose of power supply and transmission / reception of electric signals when the unit is mounted on the device main body. It is configured to be connected to a female terminal (body-side connection terminal) of the provided connector device.

[0003]

However, most of the above-mentioned connector devices are designed and manufactured on the premise that the insertion direction of the male terminal and the female terminal is a straight line direction. When mounted on the apparatus main body by the rotation operation, there is a problem that the position shift of the male terminal and the female terminal occurs.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector device capable of preventing a displacement between a main body side connection terminal and an opening / closing side connection terminal.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an opening / closing side connection terminal provided on an opening / closing member which performs an opening / closing operation by rotating about a mounting shaft of the equipment main body. And a main body side connection terminal provided in the unit, wherein the open / close side and the main body side connection terminal are connected to each other when the open / close member is closed. At least one is fixed via an elastic body, and the elastic body is displaceable in the rotation direction of the opening / closing member and the normal direction thereof.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the opening / closing member is closed, the opening / closing side and the main body side connection terminals are connected to each other, so that the unit in the apparatus main body and another unit (for example, a power supply) are connected. Transmit and receive electrical signals. still,
As the opening / closing member, a cover that rotates around the mounting shaft, a unit different from the unit in the device main body, or the like can be used.

The elastic body can be displaced in the direction of rotation of the opening / closing member and in the normal direction even when the opening / closing side connection terminal and the main body side connection terminal are connected by the turning operation of the opening / closing member. Thereby, the positional deviation between the opening / closing side and the main body side connection terminal caused by the pivoting operation can be corrected, so that the positional deviation between the open / close side connection terminal and the main body side connection terminal can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the elastic body is a leaf spring bent in a substantially U-shape. The connection angle with the side connection terminal is adjusted.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
By exerting the same effect as the invention described in the above, by adjusting the bending angle of the leaf spring, for example, so that these can be connected linearly just before the opening and closing side and the main body side connection terminals are connected, The opening / closing side and the main body side connection terminals are linearly connected.

As described above, by adjusting the connection angle between the opening / closing side and the main body side connection terminal by the bending angle of the leaf spring, it is possible to match the specification of the connection between the opening / closing side and the main body side connection member. In particular, even when the opening / closing side and the body side connection terminal are connected by a linear operation, the opening / closing side connection member and the body side connection member can be smoothly connected by adjusting the bending angle of the leaf spring. .

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a connector device attached to an image forming apparatus. The connector device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction peripheral thereof.

The connector device 1 includes a male connector (terminal for body connection) 15 provided in the image forming unit 3 of the image forming apparatus, and a female connector mounted on the cover 5 via a leaf spring (elastic body) 11. 13 is provided. In the present embodiment, the female connector 13 is connected to a power supply (not shown), and as shown in FIG. 2, when the cover 5 is closed, the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 are connected to each other to form an image forming unit. 3 and a power supply are electrically connected.

The leaf spring 11 is bent in a substantially U-shape at an angle θ1, and is elastically deformable in the direction of rotation of the cover 5 and in the direction of its normal. One end 11a of the leaf spring 11 is fixed inside the cover 5, and a female connector 13 is fixed to the other end 11b. In the present embodiment, the bending angle θ1 of the leaf spring 11 is the same as the opening angle θ2 of the cover 5 immediately before the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 come into contact (θ1 = θ2).

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, when the cover 5 is closed until the opening angle of the cover 5 becomes θ2, the position of the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 which are in a state immediately before contact are parallel. When the cover 5 is closed from this state, the female connector 13 is pushed straight into the male connector 15.

As described above, by adjusting the connection angle between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 by the bending angle θ1 of the leaf spring 11, it is possible to conform to the specification of the connection between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15, As in the present embodiment, the female connector 13 and the male connector 1
The female connector 13 and the male connector 15 can be smoothly connected to each other by adjusting the bending angle θ1 of the leaf spring 11 even if the female connector 5 is connected by linear motion.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the operation of the female connector 13 from the start of contact between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 until the connection is completed. In FIG. 3, a distance a indicates a distance from the mounting shaft 7 to the female connector 13. As shown in FIG. 3, at the same time as the relative angle θ3 between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 changes, that is, at the same time as the cover 5 rotates by θ3, Female connector 1 in the line direction
The position of No. 3 changes by a (1−cos θ), but the amount of change can also be handled by the elastic deformation of the leaf spring 11.

As described above, even when the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 are connected by the turning operation of the cover 5, the leaf spring 11 can be displaced in the turning direction of the cover 5 and the normal direction. With this configuration, the displacement between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 caused by the rotation operation can be corrected, and the displacement between the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 can be prevented.

Even when the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 are connected by the turning operation of the cover 5 as in the present embodiment, the leaf spring 11 keeps the turning direction of the cover 5 and the normal direction thereof. The female connector 13 and the male connector 1 generated by the rotation operation.
5 can be corrected, it is possible to prevent the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 from being displaced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the male connector 15 may be attached to the cover 5 via the leaf spring 11 and the female connector 13 may be attached to the image forming unit 3.

In the present embodiment, the female connector 13 is attached to the cover 5 via the leaf spring 11, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the male connector 15 may be attached to the image forming unit 3 via the leaf spring 11. It is sufficient that at least one of the female connector 13 and the male connector 15 is attached to the cover 5 or the image forming unit 3 via the leaf spring 11.

In the present embodiment, the connector device 1 is used to make an electrical connection between the image forming unit 3 of the image forming apparatus and the power supply. , Etc.) is not particularly limited.

[0022]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the opening / closing side connecting terminal and the main body side connecting terminal are connected by the turning operation of the opening / closing member, the elastic body is rotated in the turning direction of the opening / closing member. And by being displaceable in the normal direction thereof, it is possible to correct the positional shift between the opening / closing side and the main body side connection terminal caused by the rotation operation. Position shift can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention is provided, and the connection angle of the opening / closing side and the body side connection terminals is adjusted by the bending angle of the leaf spring. It can be adjusted to the specification of the connection of the opening / closing side and the main body side connecting member. In particular, even when the opening / closing side and the body side connection terminal are connected by a linear operation, the opening / closing side connection member and the body side connection member can be smoothly connected by adjusting the bending angle of the leaf spring. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a connector device attached to an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing the connector device when a cover is closed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the female connector from the time when the male connector and the female connector start contacting until the connection is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector apparatus 3 Imaging unit (unit in apparatus main body) 5 Cover (opening / closing member) 7 Mounting shaft 11 Leaf spring (elastic body) 13 Female connector (opening / closing side connection terminal) 15 Male connector (main body side connection terminal) θ2 Bending angle of leaf spring

Claims (2)

[Claims] An opening / closing side connection terminal provided on an opening / closing member that performs an opening / closing operation by rotating about an attachment shaft of a device main body;
A connector device comprising: a main body side connection terminal provided in a unit in the device main body, wherein the open / close side and the main body side connection terminal are connected to each other when the open / close member is closed. At least one of the terminals for use is fixed via an elastic body, and the elastic body is displaceable in a rotation direction of the opening / closing member and a normal direction thereof. 2. The elastic body is a leaf spring bent in a substantially U-shape, and a connection angle between the opening / closing side connection terminal and the main body side connection terminal is adjusted by a bending angle of the leaf spring. The connector device according to claim 1.