JP2008257124A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus capable of securing stable electric connection while achieving cost reduction and reduction in size of the entire mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus 1 with attachable/detachable toner cartridge 15 having a storage element storing information and a unit electric contact 61a electrically connected to the storage element includes: (I) an oscillation holder 50 which has an electrode 56 electrically connected to the unit electric contact 61a when the toner cartridge 15 is attached to the image forming apparatus 1 and which includes a positioning boss 52 positioning the oscillation holder 50 relative to the toner cartridge 15 and an oscillation shaft 51; (II) an energization member 58 energizing the oscillation holder 50; and (III) a holder support member 57 which rotatably supports the oscillation holder 50 relative to the oscillation shaft 51 by the energization force of the energization member 58 and which supports it in a manner allowing movement in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the unit electric contact 61a and the electrode 56 are connected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which a unit can be attached and detached. Here, examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, an LED printer, a laser beam printer, etc.), an electrophotographic facsimile apparatus, and an electrophotographic word processor.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which parts related to image formation are unitized and can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. Thus, by unitizing parts related to image formation, there is an advantage that maintenance work such as replacement and repair of parts can be performed with a simple operation.

  In addition, an electrical connection portion is provided for each of these units and the image forming apparatus main body, and the unit and the image forming apparatus main body are electrically connected by abutment of both electrical connection portions. (See Patent Document 1).

By electrically connecting the unit and the image forming apparatus main body, it is possible to realize transmission of a sensor signal between both members, energization of the unit, and access to a semiconductor memory element provided in the unit.
JP 2003-195726 A

  The present invention further stabilizes the electrical connection between the image forming apparatus and the unit in the conventional example.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of stably securing an electrical connection while achieving cost reduction and downsizing of the entire mechanism.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image for forming an image on a recording medium, in which a unit having a storage element for storing information and a unit electrical contact electrically connected to the storage element is detachable. In the forming apparatus, (I) a holder member having a body electrical contact that is electrically connected to the unit electrical contact when the unit is mounted on the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and is engaged with the unit. And a holder member having a positioning portion for positioning the holder member with respect to the unit, and a swing shaft, and (II) a direction in which the unit electrical contact and the body electrical contact are connected to the holder member. An urging member for urging the oscillating member; and (III) engaging with the oscillating shaft and supporting the holder member rotatably with respect to the oscillating shaft by the urging force of the urging member; Characterized in that a unit electric contact with the main assembly electrical contact has a support member for movably supporting the direction perpendicular to the direction of connection.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of ensuring stable electrical connection while achieving cost reduction and downsizing of the entire mechanism.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. Absent.

(First embodiment)
An image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Entire configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration in a cross section of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  A laser scanner 10 corresponding to a total of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, M, C, and Bk) is provided in the upper part of the image forming apparatus main body 1, and further below that, An engine portion for forming each primary image is laid out.

  Print data transmitted from an external device such as a PC (personal computer) is received by a controller that controls each drive unit of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and is output as write image data to the laser scanner 10 of each color. Each laser scanner 10 irradiates a laser on a corresponding photosensitive drum 12 as an image carrier, and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12.

  The engine portion includes a toner cartridge 15 (unit) for supplying toner and a process cartridge 11 for forming a primary image at each of the Y, M, C, and Bk stations.

  Both cartridges are detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1, and replacement with new cartridges is assumed when the cartridges are consumed.

  The process cartridge 11 includes a photosensitive drum 12, a charger 13 for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 12, a developing device 14 that supplies toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum 12, and toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 12. And a cleaner 16 for removing water.

  At the time of image formation, after the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is uniformly charged by the charger 13, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 by the laser light emitted from the laser scanner 10, and the static image is formed. Toner is supplied from the developing unit 14 to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image.

  Then, the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is transferred to an intermediate transfer belt 34 disposed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 12. At this time, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 12 is removed by the cleaner 16 and stored in a waste toner container (not shown).

  The toner image (primary image) transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 34 is a nip between the secondary transfer roller 31 that also serves as a driving roller for the intermediate transfer belt 34 and the secondary transfer outer roller 24 that faces the secondary transfer roller 31. Retransfer (secondary transfer) onto the sheet at the portion (secondary transfer portion). At this time, the toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 34 without being transferred to the sheet at the secondary transfer portion is collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaner 18.

A feeding unit 21 that feeds a sheet as a recording medium is located at the uppermost stream of the sheet conveyance, and is provided in the lower part of the image forming apparatus main body 1. The sheets stacked and stored in the feeding unit 21 are fed by the feeding roller 20, pass through the vertical transport path 22, and are transported downstream in the transport direction. A registration roller pair 23 is provided in the vertical conveyance path 22, and the sheets are conveyed one by one to the secondary transfer unit at the same timing.

  The sheet on which the toner image is transferred in the secondary transfer unit is conveyed to the fixing unit 25 for fixing the toner image as a permanent image, and the image is permanently fixed on the sheet.

  Then, the sheet on which the image is permanently fixed passes through a discharge conveyance path that continues to the discharge roller 26 and is discharged to the discharge unit 27.

  On the other hand, when performing double-sided printing on the sheet, the sheet is not conveyed as it is to the discharge conveyance path, but is once conveyed to the reverse roller 28 and then conveyed to the duplex conveyance path 29. Then, the sheet is conveyed again to the secondary transfer unit through the duplex conveyance path 29, and the toner image is transferred at the secondary transfer unit, so that duplex printing is possible.

  In the image forming apparatus configured as described above, a part related to image formation, a part related to fixing, a part related to intermediate transfer, and the like are provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 as replaceable units.

  These replaceable units are provided with electrical connection portions necessary for driving and controlling the unit as an interface with the image forming apparatus main body 1.

  The purpose of providing such an electrical connection varies depending on each unit, but typical examples include high voltage supply, actuator drive, signal transmission, and access to a memory tag provided in the unit. Can be mentioned. And in these electrical connection parts, the electrical connection mechanism for implement | achieving the stable electrical connection is provided.

[Configuration of electrical connection mechanism]
Hereinafter, in order to explain the configuration of the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment more easily, electrical connection between the memory tag 61 provided in the toner cartridge 15 provided as a unit and the image forming apparatus main body 1 is described. explain.

  Although the case where the toner cartridge 15 is used as a unit will be described here, the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment can be applied even when a unit other than the toner cartridge 15 is used.

  The memory tag 61 is a member for storing information that can be used for the image forming operation of the process cartridge 11 and the toner cartridge 15. In general, access to a memory tag is performed at a low voltage for an object having a low resistance value, so that the access state is very easily affected by the contact state at the contact point.

  In addition, if the electrical connection state becomes unstable during communication, the data stored in the memory tag may be damaged. Therefore, among the various electrical connection units mentioned above, stability is particularly required. .

  Therefore, the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment has an electrical connection state during communication between the electrode 56 (FIG. 1) on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the memory tag 61 (FIG. 2) on the toner cartridge 11 side. The mechanism is capable of ensuring a stable electrical connection without becoming unstable.

  1 and 2 show a schematic configuration of the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows an operation diagram of the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment.

  A toner cartridge 15 can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1 according to the first embodiment. The toner cartridge 15 includes a memory tag 61 (FIG. 2) having a storage element (not shown) and a unit electrical contact 61 a electrically connected to the storage element. The image forming apparatus main body 1 has a tag connector 55 having an electrode 56 that is a main body electric contact at a position facing the unit electric contact 61a (FIG. 1A).

  Moreover, the electrode 56 is a structure which can be elastically deformed with contact | abutting with the unit electrical contact 61a. That is, when the toner cartridge 15 is mounted, the electrode 56 is pushed in a predetermined amount while being in contact with the unit electrical contact 61a, thereby obtaining a stable contact pressure between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a. Is possible.

  In the first embodiment, the direction in which the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61 a are electrically connected is configured to be substantially the same as the direction in which the toner cartridge 15 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1. . The mounting process when the toner cartridge 15 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1 will be described later.

  The electrode 56 and the tag connector 55 are supported by a swing holder 50 (holder member) configured to be swingable. Further, a swing shaft 51 is formed in the swing holder 50, and the swing shaft 51 is movably held by a slit portion 59 of a holder support member 57 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 (FIG. 1A).

  Further, an urging member 58 (FIG. 1B) for urging the oscillating holder 50 is provided between the holder support member 57 and the oscillating holder 50, and the oscillating holder 50 is urged. Thus, the electrode 56 swings in a direction to connect to the unit electrical contact 61a on the toner cartridge 15 side. The swing range of the swing holder 50 is restricted within a predetermined range by a swing range restricting portion 54 provided in the swing holder 50 (FIG. 1). In the first embodiment, a spring member is used as the biasing member 58.

  Further, the toner cartridge 15 in the first embodiment is configured to be detachable from the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 (FIG. 8). The unit electrical contact 61a that is electrically connected to the electrode 56 is provided on the side surface in the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 15 to the image forming apparatus main body 1 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 2). Further, on the side surface on which the memory tag 61 is provided, a positioning hole 62 for positioning the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15 and an abutment surface 63 against which an abutment portion 53 formed in the swing holder 50 abuts. Is provided (FIG. 2).

[Configuration of swing holder]
In the following, referring to FIG. 1, the configuration of the swing holder 50 used in the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment configured as described above, particularly (movement of the swing holder), The positioning configuration will be described in more detail.

(Move swing holder)
The swing holder 50 in the first embodiment has a swing shaft 51, and the swing shaft 51 is movably held by a slit portion 59 (movable region restricting portion) formed in the holder support member 57. The swinging holder 50 is biased in the Z direction in FIG. In addition, the swing shaft 51 is configured to be slidable in the X direction in FIG.

Further, a gap is formed between the holder support member 57 and the swing holder 50, and the swing holder 50 can slide in the swing shaft 51 direction (Y direction in FIG. 1).

  That is, according to this configuration, the swing holder 50 is configured to be movable in a plane (in the XY plane in FIG. 1) that is substantially orthogonal to the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a.

  Further, the swing holder 50 is urged by the urging member 58 in the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a (Z direction in FIG. 1). Note that the swing range in the Z direction in FIG. 1 is restricted to a predetermined amount or less by fitting the swing range restricting portion 54 formed in the swing holder 50 into the hole formed in the holder support member 57. Is done.

(Positioning of swing holder)
In the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment, the toner cartridge 15 is pushed into the swing holder 50 provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, and the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a come into contact with each other. . A configuration for positioning the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15 at this time will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the swing holder 50 is provided with two convex positioning bosses 52 for positioning with respect to the toner cartridge 15. The toner cartridge 15 is provided with two positioning holes 62 corresponding to the positioning bosses 52 formed in the swing holder 50. That is, when the positioning boss 52 is fitted into the positioning hole 62, the swing holder 50 is positioned with respect to the toner cartridge 15.

  Further, an abutting portion 53 that abuts against an abutting surface 63 (FIG. 2) formed on the surface of the toner cartridge 15 is formed on the side surface of the swing holder 50 facing the toner cartridge 15 side.

  When the toner cartridge 15 is pushed in and mounted, the toner cartridge 15 is pushed to a position where the abutting portion 53 of the swinging holder 50 abuts against the abutting surface 63, so that the electrode 56 sufficiently contacts the unit electrical contact 61a ( Contact) with pressure.

  Further, in a state where the toner cartridge 15 is pushed in and the electrical connection portions are in contact with each other, the biasing force received from the biasing member 58 with respect to the swing holder 50 and the electrode 56 of the swing holder 50 are unit electrical contacts. The contact pressure received from 61a works. Even in this state, since the urging force of the urging member 58 is configured to be larger than the contact pressure, the abutting portion 53 provided in the swing holder 50 is abutted on the toner cartridge 15 side. It is possible to reliably contact the surface 63 (FIG. 2).

[Operation of electrical connection mechanism]
Next, the operation of the electrical connection mechanism configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Before the toner cartridge 15 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1, the swing holder 50 is biased by the biasing member 58 until the swing range reaches the maximum position regulated by the swing regulating member 54. It swings (FIG. 3 (a)).

  Thereafter, when the toner cartridge 15 is pushed in, the positioning boss 52 formed in the swing holder 50 is first guided to the positioning hole 62 formed in the toner cartridge 15, and the swing holder 50 is positioned with respect to the toner cartridge 15. (FIG. 3B).

Further, the electrode 56 provided on the swing holder 50 side and the unit electrical contact 61a come into contact with each other, and the electrode 56 starts to be elastically deformed. Then, the abutting portion 53 formed on the swinging holder 50 comes into contact with the abutting surface 63 formed on the toner cartridge 15 and the toner cartridge 15 is pushed in that state, and the swinging holder 50 is moved to the holder support member 57 side. Swing to.

  When the toner cartridge 15 is mounted, the swing holder 50 is pushed to a predetermined retracted position (FIG. 3C). At this time, the electrode 56 is pushed in a sufficient amount from the toner cartridge 15 and elastically deformed, and the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a are in contact with each other with a sufficient contact pressure capable of communication.

  Thereafter, when the image forming apparatus main body 1 starts to be driven, the relative position of the memory tag 61 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1 is displaced due to vibration, bending, etc. that occur when the image forming apparatus main body 1 is driven. That is, the connection state between the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a may become unstable.

  However, in the first embodiment, even when the memory tag 61 is displaced, the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side follows the displacement of the unit electrical contact 61a, and the electrode 56 and the unit of the image forming apparatus main body 1 follow. In this configuration, the connection state of the electrical contact 61a is kept stable.

  That is, with respect to the displacement of the unit electrical contact 61a in a plane substantially perpendicular to the connecting direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, the swing shaft 51 formed on the swing holder 50 is used as a holder support member. It is possible to follow by being moved and held by 57 slit portions 59. Therefore, the swing holder 50 can move in a plane (in the XY plane in FIG. 1) substantially orthogonal to the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, and therefore follows the displacement of the unit electrical contact 61a. This makes it possible to maintain a stable connection state.

  Further, with respect to the displacement of the memory tag 61 in the connecting direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, the biasing member 58 biases the swing holder 50 and the electrode 56 in the direction in which the electrode 56 contacts the memory tag 61. Can follow. Therefore, since the swing holder 50 can move in the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, it can follow the displacement of the memory tag 61 and can maintain a stable connection state.

  Further, the abutting portion 53 formed on the swing holder 50 can maintain the abutting state with the abutting surface 63 of the toner cartridge 15, so that the abutting pressure between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a is in a stable state. It is possible to keep. Note that the relative positional deviation between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a due to the swing is suppressed to a very small amount of displacement due to the positional relationship between the contact point and the swing center, so that almost no frictional friction occurs.

  As described above, according to the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment, the connection between the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a on the toner cartridge 15 side can be performed with a simple configuration without using a complicated mechanism. It becomes possible to stabilize the state. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of ensuring stable electrical connection while achieving cost reduction and downsizing of the entire mechanism.

  In the first embodiment, the connection state between the unit electrical contact 61a used in the toner cartridge 15 and the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side has been described. However, the components used in the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment are not limited to this combination.

In other words, the electric machine connection mechanism of the first embodiment can be applied to units that are configured to be detachable other than the toner cartridge 15 or the process cartridge 11.

  In the first embodiment, the electrode 56 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 is an elastically deformable electrode, and the abutting portion 53 for restricting the elastic deformation amount of the electrode 56 is provided with the swing holder 50. It was set as the structure provided in.

  However, the number of the electrodes 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side is one pole (explained as two poles in the first embodiment), and in this case, the electrode 56 is a rigid body and the electrodes 56 are brought into contact with each other. In this case, the swinging holder 50 may be abutted against the unit side. In this case, the contact pressure can be generated sufficiently by the biasing member 58 that biases the swing holder 50.

  Further, even if the configuration includes a plurality of electrodes 56, it is not always necessary to provide the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50. For example, in a state where the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body side, the total contact pressure generated by the elastic deformation of the electrode 56 and the biasing force of the biasing member 75 that biases the swing holder 50 are substantially balanced. do it. By doing so, it is possible to maintain a stable connection state without providing the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50.

  Further, when an elastic member is used for the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, elastic deformation up to the limit position of the electrode 56 is allowed, or if a large contact pressure is applied, there is no harmful effect. It is not necessary to provide the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the swing holder 50 is provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side can be moved. The structure may be such that the swing holder 50 is provided in the unit so that the electric connection part on the unit side can be moved.

  That is, the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment can be applied even if the swing holder 50 is provided on the unit side and the electrode on the other image forming apparatus main body 1 side is fixed. The same effect as described above can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
With reference to FIGS. 4-7, the electrical connection mechanism in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 4 and 5 are schematic configuration diagrams of the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment.

  In the electrical connecting mechanism according to the first embodiment described above, the attaching / detaching direction of the toner cartridge 15 and the contact direction of the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a of the toner cartridge 15 are substantially the same. Explained the case.

  However, the configuration of the electrical connection mechanism is not limited to this. That is, even when the direction in which the toner cartridge 15 is attached and detached and the contact direction of the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a on the toner cartridge 15 side are substantially orthogonal, the electrical connection in the present invention. Mechanisms can be applied.

  In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the attaching / detaching direction of the toner cartridge 15 and the contact direction of the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a on the toner cartridge 15 side are substantially orthogonal. Note that [the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus] is not different from that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted. Here, the [configuration of the electrical connection mechanism], [configuration of the swing holder], [ The operation of the electrical connection mechanism] will be described.

[Configuration of electrical connection mechanism]
4 and 5 show a schematic configuration of the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment. 6 and 7 show operation diagrams of the electrical connection mechanism according to the second embodiment.

  In the image forming apparatus main body 1 in the second embodiment, a tag connector 55 having an electrode 56 is provided at a position facing a unit electrical contact 61a provided in the toner cartridge 15 (FIG. 4).

  Further, the electrode 56 is configured to be elastically deformable with the contact with the unit electrical contact 61a, and when the toner cartridge 15 is mounted, the electrode 56 is pushed in a predetermined amount while being in contact with the unit electrical contact 61a. This is a configuration in which a stable contact pressure can be obtained. In the second embodiment, the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a is substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the toner cartridge 15 is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body 1 (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5). It is comprised so that it may become. A process for attaching / detaching the toner cartridge 15 to / from the image forming apparatus main body 1 will be described later.

  The electrode 56 and the tag connector 55 are supported by a swing holder 50 that is configured to be swingable. A rocking shaft 51 is formed in the rocking holder 50 and is movably held by a holder support member 57 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 (FIG. 4A).

  Further, an urging member 58 for urging the oscillating holder 50 is provided between the holder support member 57 and the oscillating holder 50. By urging the oscillating holder 50, the electrode 56 is attached to the toner cartridge. It swings in the direction of contact with the unit electrical contact 61a on the 15th side. The swing range of the swing holder 50 is restricted by a swing range restricting portion 54 provided in the swing holder 50 (FIG. 4). In the second embodiment, a torsion coil spring is used as the urging member 58.

  The swing holder 50 is provided with a first positioning boss 52a on the swing end side and a second positioning boss 52b (positioning portion) on the swing center side. These are for positioning the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15.

  The toner cartridge 15 according to the second embodiment is configured to be attached and detached from the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 12 provided in the image forming apparatus main body 1 (FIG. 8). The memory tag 61 that is electrically connected to the electrode 56 is provided on a side surface parallel to the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 15 to the image forming apparatus main body 1.

  In addition, an abutting surface 63 and a guide groove 64 (guide portion) are formed on the side surface where the memory tag 61 is provided. Further, a cam surface 65 (positioning portion pushing portion) and a positioning hole 66 (positioning portion fixing portion) are provided on the bottom surface of the guide groove 64 (FIG. 5). Then, the first and second positioning bosses 52 a and 52 b provided on the swing holder 50 are guided in the guide groove 64, thereby guiding the mounting / demounting direction of the unit and positioning the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15. To do.

[Configuration of swing holder]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, the configuration of the swing holder 50 used in the electrical connection mechanism according to the second embodiment configured as described above, particularly (movement of the swing holder), (Positioning configuration) will be described in more detail.

(Move swing holder)
The swing holder 50 in the second embodiment has a swing shaft 51, and the swing shaft 51 is movably held by a slit portion 59 (movable region restricting portion) formed in the holder support member 57. The swinging holder 50 is biased in the Z direction in FIG. 4 by the biasing member 58. The swing shaft 51 is configured to be slidable while the movable region is restricted by the slit portion 59.

  Further, a gap is formed between the holder support member 57 and the swing holder 50, and the swing holder 50 can slide in the swing shaft 51 direction (X direction in FIG. 4).

  That is, according to this configuration, the swing holder 50 is configured to be movable in a plane (XY plane in FIG. 4) that is substantially orthogonal to the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a.

  Further, the swing holder 50 is urged by the urging member 58 in the contact direction (Z direction) between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a. That is, the swing holder 51 is configured to be movable in the Z direction in the drawing. Note that the amount of movement in the Z direction is restricted to a predetermined amount or less by fitting the swing regulating member 54 formed on the swing holder 51 into a hole formed in the holder support member 57.

(Positioning of swing holder)
In the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment, the toner cartridge 15 is pushed into the swing holder 50 provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, and the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a are in contact with each other. . At this time, a configuration for positioning the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the swing holder 50 is provided with a convex first positioning boss 52 a and a second positioning boss 52 b as positioning portions for positioning with respect to the toner cartridge 15. The toner cartridge 15 is provided with a guide groove 64 as a guide portion for guiding the first and second positioning bosses 52a and 52b.

  Further, an abutting portion 53 that abuts against an abutting surface 63 (FIG. 2) formed on the surface of the toner cartridge 15 is formed on the side surface of the swing holder 50 facing the toner cartridge 15 side.

  According to the above configuration, the swing holder 50 is guided in the attaching / detaching direction of the toner cartridge 15 by the first positioning boss 52 a and the second positioning boss 52 b being guided by the guide groove 64 with respect to the toner cartridge 15. The Further, the first positioning boss 52a is fixed in a positioning hole 66 (positioning portion fixing portion) formed in the guide groove 64, thereby positioning in the attaching / detaching direction (FIGS. 4 and 5).

[Operation of electrical connection mechanism]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D and FIGS. 7A to 7C, the operation of the electrical connection mechanism configured as described above will be described.

(When a toner cartridge is installed)
In a state before the toner cartridge 15 is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1, the swing holder 50 swings to the maximum position regulated by the swing regulating member 54 by the biasing member 58 (FIG. 6A). .

  Thereafter, when the toner cartridge 15 is inserted in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6, the cam surface 65 (the front end of the first positioning boss 52 a provided at the swing side end of the swing holder 50 is formed at the bottom of the guide groove 64 ( It is pushed in by the positioning part push-in part). As a result, the swing holder 50 swings away from the toner cartridge 15, and the electrode 56 retracts to a position where it does not interfere with the toner cartridge 15 (FIG. 6B).

  Further, the toner cartridge 15 is inserted, and the first positioning boss 52a and the second positioning boss 52b are guided by the guide groove 64, thereby positioning in the direction orthogonal to the mounting direction of the toner cartridge 15.

  When the first positioning boss 52a moves from the cam surface 65 to the positioning hole 66 and the toner cartridge 15 is inserted to the mounting completion position, the first positioning boss 52a is guided to the positioning hole 66 of the toner cartridge 15 and fixed. (FIG. 6C). Then, the positioning of the swing holder 50 with respect to the toner cartridge 15 is completed (FIG. 6D).

  At this time, the abutting portion 53 of the swinging holder 50 abuts against the abutting surface 63 of the toner cartridge 15 by the urging member 58, so that the electrode 56 generates a contact pressure that allows communication with the unit electrical contact 61a. Until a predetermined contact pressure is secured.

  When the mounting of the toner cartridge 15 is completed, the swing holder 50 is also pushed to a predetermined retracted position. At this time, the electrode 56 is sufficiently pushed from the toner cartridge 15 to be elastically deformed, and the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a are in contact with each other with a contact pressure capable of communication.

  Thereafter, when the image forming apparatus main body 1 starts to be driven, the relative position of the memory tag 61 with respect to the image forming apparatus main body 1 is displaced due to vibration, deflection, or the like generated when the image forming apparatus main body 1 is driven. That is, the connection state between the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side and the unit electrical contact 61a may become unstable.

  However, in the second embodiment, even when the memory tag 61 is displaced, the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus body 1 side follows the displacement of the memory tag 61 and the electrode on the image forming apparatus body 1 side. The unit electrical contact 61a is kept in a stable connection state.

  That is, with respect to the displacement of the unit electrical contact 61a in a plane substantially perpendicular to the contact direction between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, the swing shaft 51 formed on the swing holder 50 It can follow by engaging with the slit part 59 so that rotation is possible. Therefore, the swing holder 50 can move in a plane (in the XY plane in FIG. 4) substantially orthogonal to the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, and can follow the displacement of the memory tag 61. It becomes possible to maintain a stable connection state.

  Further, with respect to the displacement of the memory tag 61 in the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, the biasing member 58 biases the swing holder 50 and the electrode 56 in the direction of contacting the memory tag 61. Can follow. Therefore, since the swing holder 50 can move in the contact direction of the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a, it can follow the displacement of the memory tag 61 and can maintain a stable connection state.

  Furthermore, since the abutting portion 53 formed on the swing holder 50 can maintain a contact state with the abutting surface 63 of the toner cartridge 15, the contact pressure between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a is almost changed. Absent. That is, a stable connection state can be maintained. Note that the relative positional deviation between the electrode 56 and the unit electrical contact 61a due to the swing is suppressed to a very small amount of displacement due to the positional relationship between the contact point and the swing center, so that almost no frictional friction occurs.

(When removing the toner cartridge)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C, the operation when the toner cartridge 15 is pulled out and removed from the image forming apparatus main body 1 will be described.

  When the extraction of the toner cartridge 15 is started, the swing holder 50 follows the movement of the toner cartridge 15 and moves to the end of the slide area allowed by the slit portion 59 formed in the holder support member 57 (FIG. 7). (A)).

  Next, the first positioning boss 52 a receives a force from the positioning hole 66, and the swing holder 50 swings away from the toner cartridge 15. Accordingly, the electrode 56 is separated from the unit electrical contact 61a (FIG. 7B).

  Thereafter, the first positioning boss 52a is guided by the guide groove 64 until the toner cartridge 15 is removed, and the tip of the first positioning boss 52a abuts against the cam surface 65 of the toner cartridge 15, whereby the swinging holder 50 is moved. Is maintained (FIG. 7C).

  As described above, according to the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment, the connection state between the electrode 56 of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and the unit electrical contact 61a of the toner cartridge 15 can be changed with a simple configuration without using a complicated mechanism. It becomes possible to stabilize. Therefore, it is possible to provide an electrical connection mechanism that can secure a stable electrical connection while achieving cost reduction and downsizing of the entire mechanism, and an image forming apparatus including the electrical connection mechanism.

  In the second embodiment, the connection state between the unit electrical contact 61a used in the toner cartridge 15 and the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side has been described. However, the components used in the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment are not limited to this combination.

  That is, the present invention can also be applied to a unit configured to be detachable from the apparatus main body other than the toner cartridge 15 or the process cartridge 11.

  In the second embodiment, the electrode 56 provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 is an elastically deformable electrode, and the abutting portion 53 for restricting the elastic deformation amount of the electrode 56 is provided with the swing holder 53. Provided.

  However, the number of the electrodes 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side is one pole (in the second embodiment, two poles), and in that case, the electrode 56 is a rigid body and swings by the contact of this electrode 56. The holder 50 may also be abutted against the unit side. In this case, sufficient contact pressure can be secured by the biasing member 58 that biases the swing holder 50.

  Further, even if the configuration includes a plurality of electrodes 56, it is not always necessary to provide the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50. For example, in a state where the unit is mounted on the image forming apparatus main body side, the total contact pressure generated by the elastic deformation of the electrode 56 and the urging force of the urging member 75 that urges the swing holder 50 are substantially balanced. You only have to set it. By doing so, it is possible to maintain a stable connection state without providing the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50.

  Further, when an elastic member is used for the electrode 56 on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, elastic deformation up to the limit position of the electrode 56 is allowed, or if a large contact pressure is applied, there is no harmful effect. It is not necessary to provide the abutting portion 53 on the swing holder 50.

  In the second embodiment, the swing holder 50 is provided on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side, and the electrode on the image forming apparatus main body 1 side is movable. The structure which enables a connection part to move may be sufficient.

That is, the electrical connection mechanism according to the first embodiment can be applied even when the swing holder 50 is provided on the unit side and the electrode on the other image forming apparatus main body 1 side is fixed. It is possible to obtain the same effect as described above.

Schematic configuration diagram of the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment (apparatus main body side) Schematic configuration diagram of the electrical connection mechanism in the first embodiment (unit side) Operational diagram of electrical connection mechanism in first embodiment Schematic configuration diagram of the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment (apparatus main body side) Schematic configuration diagram of the electrical connection mechanism in the second embodiment (unit side) Operational diagram of electrical connection mechanism in second embodiment (when mounted) Operational diagram of electrical connection mechanism in second embodiment (when pulling out) 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming apparatus main body 10 Laser scanner 11 Process cartridge 12 Photosensitive drum 15 Toner cartridge 50 Swing holder 52 Positioning boss 54 Swing range control part 56 Electrode 58 Energizing member 59 Slit part 61 Memory tag 61a Unit electrical contact 64 Guide groove 71 Positioning boss 73 (movable side) electrode 74 guide member 75 biasing member

Claims (5)

In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, in which a unit having a storage element for storing information and a unit electrical contact electrically connected to the storage element is detachable,
(I) A holder member having a body electrical contact that is electrically connected to the unit electrical contact when the unit is mounted on the apparatus body of the image forming apparatus, and engages with the unit and A holder member having a positioning portion for positioning the holder member with respect to the pivot shaft,
(II) a biasing member that biases the holder member in a direction in which the unit electrical contact and the main body electrical contact are connected;
(III) Engage with the swing shaft and support the holder member rotatably with respect to the swing shaft by the biasing force of the biasing member, and connect the unit electrical contact and the body electrical contact A support member that movably supports the holder member in a direction orthogonal to the direction to be
An image forming apparatus comprising: In the support member,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a movable region restricting portion for restricting a movable region of the swinging shaft engaged with the support member within a predetermined range. In the holder member,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a swing range restricting portion for restricting a swingable range of the holder member within a predetermined range. The image forming apparatus includes:
The unit detachable from a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the unit electrical contact and the body electrical contact are connected,
The unit is
A guide portion that contacts the positioning portion and guides the attaching / detaching direction of the unit, and in the process of attaching and detaching the unit to and from the image forming apparatus, the urging member serves as the holder member. A positioning unit push-in portion that pushes in a direction opposite to the energizing direction;
A positioning portion fixing portion for fixing the positioning portion at a position where positioning of the holder member is completed;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a guide portion having a shape. In the process of attaching / detaching the unit to / from the image forming apparatus,
When the positioning part moves from the positioning part pushing part to the positioning part fixing part,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the holder member swings in a direction in which the unit electrical contact and the main body electrical contact are connected.

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