JP2007310314A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of short circuits caused by dust entering an electrical contact of a connector that performs electrical connection with external equipment. <P>SOLUTION: A support 52 for supporting a scanner part 58 is arranged vertically on the rear side of a case 12. A recess 60 is formed at the rear of the case 12, and the recess 60 is surrounded by a sidewall 52A of the support 52, a sidewall 60A, an upper wall 60B and a lower wall 60C. A substrate 62 is arranged inside the sidewall 60A, and the body-side connector 63 coupled with the substrate 62 is installed in the sidewall 60A. A notch 52B, through which a cable 68 of a connector 66 of external equipment is insertable, is formed in a wall 52A of the support 52. When the connector 66 is connected to the main body side connector 63, the connector 66 is housed in the recess 60, and cannot be seen from both sides of the case 12. Consequently, the dust is prevented from entering the recess 60 from the outside, when the case 12 is installed attached to a wall 80. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a main body side connector electrically connected to a connector of an external device such as a computer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, a plurality of main body side connectors that are electrically connected to an external device such as a computer are provided in a housing of an image forming apparatus main body.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, connector portions 154 and 160 connected to the computer 170 are arranged on the exterior surface on the back side of the image forming apparatus main body 150 in an upper part and a lower part. In addition, a convex portion 158 that partitions the upper and lower connector portions 154 and 160 is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

By retracting the convex portion 158 from the back surface of the image forming apparatus main body 150, when the back surface of the image forming apparatus main body 150 is installed on an indoor wall, the cable 172 between the image forming apparatus main body 150 and the wall is installed. Is eliminated. Further, even if a plurality of cables 172 are connected, the entanglement is prevented and the occurrence of abnormal images due to electrical noise is reduced.
JP 2003-251881 A

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the dust prevention of the connector portions 154 and 160 is not considered, and dust or the like is likely to enter between the image forming apparatus main body 150 and the wall. For this reason, there is a fear that a problem such as a short circuit may occur due to the dust mixed into the electrical contacts of the connector portions 154 and 160.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a short circuit or the like due to dust mixed into an electrical contact of a connector.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an image forming apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a main body-side connector electrically connected to a connector of an external device, and the image forming apparatus main body A recess for receiving the main body side connector is provided on the back side of the housing, and the connector connected to the main body side connector is stored between the side walls of the recess.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the concave portion for housing the main body side connector is provided on the back side of the casing of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and the connector of the external device is connected to the main body side connector. The connector of the external device connected to the main body side connector fits between the side walls of the recess and is not visible from both sides of the housing. For this reason, if the back side of the housing is installed on an indoor wall, the electrical contacts of the connector and the main body side connector are accommodated in the recesses, and there are few gaps between the wall, so that dust resistance and radio wave shielding are good. In addition, when the housing is installed on a wall, the connector cannot be seen from both sides, so the appearance is good.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, the recess includes the side wall, an upper wall formed above the side wall, and a lower wall formed below the side wall. And a cutout portion through which the wiring of the connector can be inserted is provided in any one of the side wall, the upper wall, and the lower wall.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the recess is surrounded on the four sides of the side wall, the upper wall, and the lower wall on both sides, the connector of the external device is connected in the recess, and the rear side of the casing is When installed on an indoor wall, there is almost no gap between the wall and dust and the like are difficult to enter from the outside. For this reason, dustproofness and radio wave shielding are further improved. In addition, since any one of the side wall, the upper wall, and the lower wall is provided with a notch portion through which the connector wiring can be inserted, the wiring is connected to the housing when the rear side of the housing is attached to the wall. Can be prevented from being caught between the wall and the wall.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the recess includes a support that supports an image reading unit disposed above the housing, and the side wall of the side wall. It is characterized by being on the other hand.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the concave portion has a support body that supports the image reading unit as one of the side walls, and the support body needs to be cut out for access to the connector of the external device or attachment of the main body side connector. Therefore, the strength of the support is not impaired. In addition, the entire image forming apparatus can be formed more compactly than when the support is provided separately from the recess.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the insertion / removal direction of the connector is parallel or oblique to the inner surface of the recess. Thus, the main body side connector is provided on the side wall.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the main body side connector is provided on the side wall so as to be parallel or oblique to the inner surface of the concave portion, and the board on which the main body side connector is provided is connected to the concave portion in the casing. Can be placed sideways. For this reason, the image forming apparatus main body can be formed compactly.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the corner of the side wall on the side where the connector is inserted / removed is chamfered.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the corner portion of the side wall on the side where the connector of the external device is inserted / removed is chamfered, when the connector of the external device is inserted into / removed from the main body side connector, the corner of the side wall is Workability is good without touching the part. Further, the connector wiring is not rubbed at the corners of the side walls.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, a recess is provided in the inner surface of the recess.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the recessed portion is provided in the inner surface of the concave portion, and a space is provided for inserting a hand when the connector of the external device is inserted into and removed from the main body side connector. For this reason, even if it does not deepen the whole recessed part, the workability | operativity at the time of insertion / removal is good.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the substrate on which the main body side connector is provided is provided so as to be inclined toward the opening side of the concave portion with respect to the inner surface of the concave portion. It is characterized by that.

  In the invention according to claim 7, when the board on which the main body side connector is provided is provided so as to be inclined toward the opening side of the recess with respect to the inner surface of the recess, It becomes possible to insert / remove in an oblique direction with respect to the inner surface from the opening side of the recess. For this reason, workability at the time of insertion / removal is good.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the substrate on which the main body side connector is provided is rotatably supported on the opening side of the concave portion with respect to the inner surface of the concave portion. A rotating member is provided.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, the substrate on which the main body side connector is provided is supported by the rotating member, and the substrate is rotated by the rotating member toward the opening side of the recess with respect to the inner surface of the recess. To do. For this reason, the connector of an external device can be connected in a state where the substrate is rotated toward the opening side of the recess, and the rotating member can be returned to the inner surface of the recess, thereby further improving the workability during insertion and removal.

  According to the present invention, since it is configured as described above, it is possible to prevent a short circuit or the like due to dust contamination in the electrical contacts of the connector.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In each figure, for each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), “Y”, “M”, “ Some of them are marked with the letters “C” and “K”.

  The image forming apparatus 10 includes an image carrier (photosensitive body) 20Y, 20M, and 20C for each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) in the vertical direction inside the housing 12. , 20K, developing units 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K that form toner images of the respective colors on the image carriers 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K, a transport unit 18 that transports the recording paper P, and the like. . Here, when it is necessary to distinguish yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), “Y”, “M”, “C”, “K” are added after the sign. A description will be given, and the description will be omitted if it is not necessary to distinguish between them.

  The developing unit 16 is configured to irradiate the image carrier 20 with image light based on the image data and uniformly charge the surface of the roll-shaped image carrier 20. The optical box 24 for forming the toner image, the developing roller 26 for selectively transferring the toner to the latent image for visualization, and the image carrier 20 after the toner image has been transferred are slidably contacted and remain on the image carrier 20. And a cleaning member 28 for cleaning the toner.

  The image carrier 20 has a photosensitive layer on the surface (peripheral surface), and the surface (peripheral surface) is uniformly charged by the charging roller 22 and then is irradiated with laser light (image) from the optical box 24. The surface (peripheral surface) is exposed to light, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by attenuating the potential of the exposed portion. The charging roller 22 is in contact with the image carrier 20, and a voltage is applied between them to generate a discharge in a minute gap near the contact portion, thereby causing the surface (circumferential surface) of the image carrier 20 to be discharged. Charges almost uniformly.

  The optical box 24 scans the surface (circumferential surface) of the image carrier 20 with the blinking laser beam, and forms an electrostatic latent image based on the image data on the surface (circumferential surface) of the image carrier 20. In addition, as the optical box 24, what arrange | positions light emitting elements, such as LED, and blinks these based on image data etc. can be considered.

  The developing roller 26 is disposed so as to face the image carrier 20 in the vicinity thereof, and a developing bias voltage is applied between the developing roller 26 and the image carrier 20. As a result, a developing bias electric field is formed between the developing roller 26 and the image carrier 20, and the charged toner is transferred to the exposed portion on the image carrier 20 to form a visible image.

  On the other hand, the transport unit 18 includes a transport belt 34 stretched between a drive roller 30 and a driven roller 32, and is located at a predetermined position between the drive roller 30 and the driven roller 32 on the inner surface side of the transport belt 34. A plurality of transfer rollers 36 (four corresponding to each color to be described later) are arranged at a predetermined interval. The conveyance belt 34 is rotated by the rotation of the driving roller 30 and the driven roller 32, and the recording paper P can be conveyed by electrostatic adsorption between the image carrier 20 and the transfer roller 36.

  The transfer roller 36 faces the image carrier 20 with the conveyance belt 34 interposed therebetween, and forms a transfer electric field between the transfer roller 36 and the recording paper P that is sucked and conveyed by the conveyance belt 34 and passes therethrough. Further, a toner image (unfixed image) on the surface of the image carrier 20 is transferred.

  Here, the developing unit 16 is arranged in the vertical direction in order of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), for example, from the bottom so that full-color printing is possible. A fixing device 38 is disposed downstream of the developing units 16Y to 16K in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P (upper part of the housing 12).

  The fixing device 38 includes a heating roller 40 and a pressure roller 42 that face each other and are pressed against each other with a predetermined pressure (nip), and the recording paper P is formed by the heating roller 40 and the pressure roller 42. The toner image is fixed to the recording paper P by heating and pressurizing the unfixed toner image transferred thereon.

  Note that the recording paper P on which the toner image is fixed by being heated and pressed by the fixing device 38 (the heating roller 40 and the pressure roller 42) is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 44. After the transfer of the toner image to the recording paper P, the surface (circumferential surface) of the image carrier 20 is cleaned by the cleaning member 28 to prepare for the next image forming process.

  In addition, a detachable paper feed cassette 46 is provided at a lower portion in the housing 12. In the vicinity of the front end portion of the paper feed cassette 46, a paper feed roller pair 48 for feeding the recording paper P one by one from the paper feed cassette 46 is provided, and the recording paper P sent from the paper feed roller pair 48 is The registration roller pair 49 sends the toner to the suction conveyance surface of the conveyance belt 34 at a predetermined timing and conveys the toner image of each color to the transfer position.

In the image forming apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the transport unit 18 side of the housing 12 is the front, and the optical box 24 side of the housing 12 is the rear. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two support bodies 52 are erected on both ends of the housing 12 on the rear side of the housing 12 (on the side opposite to the transport unit 18). On the upper part of the two support bodies 52, an arm part 54 is extended in a direction orthogonal to the standing direction of the support body 52, and the tip of each arm part 54 is connected by a support part 56.
As shown in FIG. 1, a scanner unit 58 that reads an image of a document is placed on top of the arm unit 54 and the support unit 56. The scanner unit 58 irradiates the original with light and reads the image with the reflected light. Information on the read image is sent to the optical box 24 and the image carrier 20 is irradiated with laser light. Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a recess 60 is formed on the rear surface (rear side) of the housing 12 on the left side of the center portion. The recess 60 is surrounded by side walls 52A, 60A on both sides, an upper wall 60B, and a lower wall 60C, and one side wall 52A is constituted by a wall portion of the support body 52.
An electric box 64 in which a substrate 62 is accommodated is disposed in the housing 12 on the right side of the recess 60 (on the side wall 60A side). A plurality (three in the figure) of main body side connectors 63 connected to the substrate 62 are provided on the side wall 60A. A connector 66 of an external device (not shown) such as a computer can be connected to the main body side connector 63. The recess 60 is formed so that the connector 66 is accommodated between the side walls 52A and 60A when the connector 66 is connected to the main body side connector 63. For this reason, the connector 66 cannot be seen from both sides of the housing 12. Further, the support body 52 constituting the side wall 52A is formed with a notch 52B through which the cable 68 of the connector 66 is inserted.

Further, the side wall 52A is provided with a chamfered portion 52C in which a corner on the back side is chamfered. In addition, a recess 70 whose opening side is enlarged in a range narrower than the recess 60 is formed in the inner surface 60 </ b> D of the recess 60.
In such an image forming apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 4, after the connector 66 of the external device is connected to the main body side connector 63, the rear surface of the housing 12 is attached to a wall 80 such as an office. In this state, the support body 52 and the wall 80 are close to each other, and the connector 66 is accommodated in the recess 60, so that the connector 66 cannot be seen from both sides of the housing 12. For this reason, it is difficult for dust to enter the concave portion 60 from the outside, and the connector 66 is excellent in dustproof property and radio wave shielding property. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a short circuit or the like due to dust adhering to the electrical contacts of the connector 66 and the main body side connector 63. Moreover, since the connector 66 is hidden in the recessed part 60 by installing the back surface of the housing | casing 12 on the wall 80, the external appearance property and installation property are also good.

  Further, since the cable 68 of the connector 66 is inserted into the notch 52B of the side wall 52A, the cable 68 protrudes from the support body 52 and is sandwiched between the wall 80 when the rear surface of the housing 12 is attached to the wall 80. It will not be.

  Further, since one side wall 52A of the recess 60 is formed by the wall portion of the support body 52, it is not necessary to cut out the support body 52 for accessing the connector 66, and the strength of the support body 52 may be impaired. Absent. Further, the entire image forming apparatus 10 can be formed more compactly than when the support body 52 is provided separately from the recess 60. Further, in this image forming apparatus 10, since the substrate 62 is disposed on the side of the recess 60 (right in the present example), the entire image forming apparatus 10 can be formed compactly.

  Further, since the chamfered portion 52C is formed on the side wall 52A on the side where the connector 66 is inserted and removed, when the connector 66 is connected to or disconnected from the main body side connector 63 of the side wall 60A, the corner of the side wall 52A touches. There is nothing and workability is good. Further, the cable 68 is not rubbed at the corner of the side wall 52A.

  Further, a recess 70 is formed on the bottom surface of the recess 60, and the recess 70 becomes a space for a user to enter when the connector 66 is connected to or disconnected from the main body side connector 63, and the workability is good. Further, by forming the recessed portion 70, workability can be improved without deepening the entire recess 60.

  Next, an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as 1st Embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in this image forming apparatus, a recess 90 is provided on the back surface of the housing 12, and a side wall 90 </ b> A provided with a main body side connector 63 with respect to the back surface 90 </ b> D of the recess 90 is on the opening side. It is an enlarged inclined surface. And the board | substrate 62 is attached to the direction which inclines to the opening side with respect to the back surface 90D of the recessed part 90, ie, the direction orthogonal to the inclined surface of 90 A of side walls.

  In such an image forming apparatus, when the connector 66 of the external device is connected to or disconnected from the main body side connector 63 of the side wall 90A of the recess 90, the connector 66 is inclined from the opening side to the rear surface 90D of the recess 90. Can be inserted and removed. For this reason, the workability at the time of insertion and removal of the connector 66 is improved.

  Next, an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member same as 1st and 2nd embodiment, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in this image forming apparatus, the electric box 104 in which the substrate 62 is accommodated is centered on a support shaft 106 provided in the vicinity of the support 52 on the side opposite to the recess 60. Is rotatably supported. The electric box 104 is rotatable between a position protruding from the two supports 52 toward the opening side of the recess 60 around the support shaft 106 and a position where the electric box 104 fits between the two supports 52. Yes.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when connecting the connector 66 to the main body side connector 63, the electric box 104 is rotated in a direction (arrow A direction) protruding from the inner surface 60 </ b> D of the recess 60. Then, the connector 66 is connected to the main body side connector 63 of the side wall 60 </ b> A at a position protruding from the two supports 52. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the electric box 104 is rotated in the direction of the arrow B and accommodated between the two supports 52.
In such a configuration, by rotating the electric box 104 in the direction of arrow B, the connector 66 is accommodated in the recess 60, so that when the back surface of the housing 12 is attached to the wall 80, Dust and the like are prevented from adhering to the surface. Moreover, since the electric box 104 is rotated and the connector 66 is connected to or disconnected from the main body side connector 63, workability is further improved.

  In the first to third embodiments, the recesses 60 and 90 are surrounded by walls on both sides, the upper wall and the lower wall. However, the present invention is not limited to this shape, and at least two side walls are provided. It suffices if a recess is formed between them.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 10 has a configuration in which the recording paper P is attracted to the conveyance belt 34 to sequentially transfer the four color toner images. However, the configuration is not limited thereto. The configuration of the image forming unit of the image forming apparatus 10 can be set as appropriate, and is not limited to a color image, and can be applied to a configuration that forms a single color image.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the recessed part provided in the back surface of the housing | casing of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and the connector connected to the main body side connector of this recessed part. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the concave portion provided on the back surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the connector connected to the main body side connector of the concave portion as seen from another direction. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a recess and a connector when the rear surface of the housing of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is placed on a wall. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a recess and a connector when the rear side of the housing of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is placed on a wall. (A) is sectional drawing which shows the state which connects a connector to the main body side connector of the recessed part provided in the back surface of the housing | casing of the image forming apparatus which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention, (B) is the back surface of a housing | casing. It is sectional drawing which shows a recessed part and a connector when arrange | positioning on a wall. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the connector part of the conventional image forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 12 Case 52 Support body 52A Side wall 52B Notch part 52C Chamfer part 54 Arm part 56 Support part 58 Scanner part 60 Recessed part 60A Side wall 60B Upper wall 60C Lower wall 60D Back face 62 Board | substrate 63 Main body side connector 64 Electric box 66 Connector 68 Cable 70 Recess 80 Wall 90 Recess 90A Side wall 90D Back face 104 Electric box 106 Spindle

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus including a main body side connector electrically connected to a connector of an external device,
An image forming apparatus, wherein a recess for accommodating the main body side connector is provided on a rear side of a housing of the image forming apparatus main body, and the connector connected to the main body side connector is accommodated between side walls of the concave portion. The recess is composed of the side wall, an upper wall formed above the side wall, and a lower wall formed below the side wall,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cutout portion into which the wiring of the connector can be inserted is provided in any one of the side wall, the upper wall, and the lower wall.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion includes a support body that supports an image reading unit disposed above the casing as one of the side walls. 4.   The main body side connector is provided on the side wall such that the insertion / removal direction of the connector is parallel or oblique to the inner surface of the recess. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein corners of the side wall on the side where the connector is inserted and removed are chamfered.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recessed portion is provided on a back surface of the concave portion.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrate on which the main body side connector is provided is provided so as to be inclined toward the opening side of the concave portion with respect to the inner surface of the concave portion.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a rotation member that rotatably supports the substrate on which the main body side connector is provided on the opening side of the recess with respect to the inner surface of the recess. apparatus.

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