JP2010151940A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an attaching structure for attaching a plurality of driving systems of an image forming apparatus on a frame, which suppresses image noise. <P>SOLUTION: A first sub frame 54 is prepared using extension holding members 61 and 62 from a main frame 51. On the first sub frame 54, a motor 56 is arranged and gears 551 to 553 constituting a gear box 55 are arranged between a motor shaft 65 and an output shaft 66. In the structure of attaching the plurality of driving systems, which suppresses image noise, the extension holding members 61 and 62 are constituted by using a high strength steel plate, the first sub frame is constituted by using aluminum alloy material excellent in heat conduction and heat dissipation, and the extension holding members 61 and 62 and the sub frame 54 are constituted by using a damping steel plate or constituted by means of integral molding of fiber reinforced synthetic resin having high strength and high heat dissipation, and excellent in damping effect. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copying machine or a multifunction machine thereof.

  Full-color image forming apparatuses have come to be widely used as image forming apparatuses such as electronic copying machines and multifunction peripherals, but such a recent image forming apparatus uses a large number of drive systems. It has become so.

On the other hand, since the image forming apparatus has recently been required to be compact and space-saving, a large number of drive systems of the image forming apparatus have to be closely arranged in the limited internal space of the image forming apparatus. Arranging only on the upper side will cause a shortage of arrangement space, and it is necessary to arrange another plurality of drive systems in such a manner that they are superimposed on the back side of the plurality of drive systems arranged on the main frame. (See Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-258998 A

  In addition to arranging a large number of drive systems of the above-described image forming apparatus on the plane of the main frame, a plurality of other drive systems are superimposed on the back side of a plurality of drive systems arranged on the main frame. In order to arrange the drive system, a sub frame is provided on the extension holding member extended from the main frame on the back side of the main frame, and a plurality of drive systems are arranged on the main frame and the sub frame, respectively.

  However, such an extended holding member cannot hold the sub-frame with sufficient rigidity, and the sub-frame and the drive system on the sub-frame are twisted or vibrated with the operation of the drive system arranged in the sub-frame. Inconveniences such as easy occurrence occur. When twisting or vibration occurs, image noise is generated due to the twisting or vibration, and the image quality deteriorates. The occurrence of such torsion and vibration and the occurrence of image noise become more prominent as the image forming apparatus becomes faster.

  As image noise caused by vibration, when the recording paper enters and leaves the paper passing roller, the drive torque fluctuates, and the drive system mechanism is temporarily twisted or oscillated, thereby forming an image. There are color misregistration and density unevenness caused by speed fluctuations generated in the process system, and image pitch unevenness caused by vibration of meshing gears constituting the mechanism of the drive system.

  As countermeasures, currently, measures such as increasing the thickness of the extension holding member to increase the rigidity, improving the rigidity by devising the aperture shape of the extension holding member, and increasing the rigidity by increasing the shaft diameter of the drive shaft are taken. However, inconveniences such as an increase in weight and an increase in size of the image forming apparatus have been pointed out.

In addition, when measures such as making the drive system components with synthetic resin materials are used, for example, when gears and gear shafts are integrally molded, effects such as reduction in the number of parts and reduction in weight can be expected. There are inconveniences such as wear of the gear shaft and increased sliding resistance.
In addition, when the extension holding member, the subframe, and the like are made of a normal general steel plate or a synthetic resin material, there are inconveniences such as insufficient rigidity and heat dissipation generated by a drive system motor or the like. The present invention aims to solve the above problems.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is an image forming apparatus provided with a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub-frame, wherein the sub-frame is mounted on the main frame. In the mounting structure in which a plurality of drive systems are mounted on each of the main frame and the subframe, the extension frame is disposed behind the main frame at a predetermined interval with respect to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed to the main frame. The holding member is an image forming apparatus characterized in that the holding member is made of a high-tensile steel plate having higher strength than a general steel plate.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame, wherein the sub frame is attached to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame. In the mounting structure in which a plurality of drive systems are mounted on the main frame and the sub frame, respectively, the sub frame is more thermally conductive and more heat-conductive than a general steel plate. An image forming apparatus comprising an aluminum alloy material having good dispersibility.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame, wherein the sub frame is attached to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame. In the mounting structure in which a plurality of drive systems are mounted on the main frame and the sub frame, respectively, the sub frame and the extension holding member are made of a general steel plate. The image forming apparatus is also composed of a vibration-damping steel plate having a high vibration damping property.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame, wherein the sub frame is attached to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame. In the mounting structure in which a plurality of drive systems are mounted on each of the main frame and the sub frame, at least the sub frame and the extension holding member have high strength. An image forming apparatus characterized by being integrally formed of a fiber reinforced synthetic resin having high heat dissipation and excellent vibration damping properties.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the extension holding member that holds the sub-frame is made of a high-strength steel plate having higher strength than a general steel plate, the extension holding member rigidity is increased and image noise is suppressed. It is possible to provide a mounting structure of a drive system that can

  In the invention of claim 2, since the subframe is made of an aluminum alloy material having better heat conduction and heat dissipation than a general steel plate, heat generated from the motor as a heat source can be efficiently dissipated. Therefore, it is possible to provide a drive system mounting structure in which the heat source cooling fan can be reduced in size, and in some cases, the heat source cooling fan can be eliminated.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the extension holding member and the subframe that hold the subframe are made of a vibration-damping steel plate that has higher vibration damping performance than a general steel plate. It is possible to provide a drive system mounting structure capable of reducing noise and the like.

  In the invention of claim 4, at least the sub-frame and the extension holding member are formed by integral molding of a fiber reinforced synthetic resin having high strength, high heat dissipation, and excellent vibration damping properties. It is possible to provide a drive system mounting structure having effects equivalent to those obtained by the third aspect.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a sectional view for explaining the outline of the configuration of a full-color image forming apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

  In the following description, the full-color image forming apparatus may be simply referred to as an image forming apparatus. Since the tandem full-color image forming apparatus itself has a known configuration, only the outline of the configuration will be briefly described.

  In FIG. 1, image forming units 11, 12, 13, and 14 that form images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) colors are a driving roller 15 and a driven roller 16. The intermediate transfer belt 17 is arranged in series under an intermediate transfer belt 17 that is an intermediate transfer member laid between the two, and the intermediate transfer belt 17 is fixed in the direction of arrow a by a driving roller 15 driven through a motor and a driving device (not shown). It is configured to move at speed.

  Each of the image forming units 11 to 14 is provided with a photoreceptor, which is an image carrier, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, and a cleaning device that cleans transfer residual toner on the photoreceptor.

  The image signal processing device 20 receives an image signal output from a scanner (not shown) or an image signal output from a personal computer or the like, and corresponds to the color of the image to be formed in the exposure device of each image forming unit 11-14. The output image signal is output. A paper feeding unit 21 is disposed below the image signal processing device 20.

  Each of the image forming units 11 to 14 is not provided with a transfer device. Instead, the primary transfer rollers 11T, 12T, 13T, and 14T are disposed on the opposite side of the image forming units 11 to 14 with the intermediate transfer belt 17 interposed therebetween. Is arranged.

  Further, a secondary transfer roller 18 is disposed at a position facing the driven roller 16 with the intermediate transfer belt 17 interposed therebetween, and a belt cleaning device 19 is disposed at a position facing the drive roller 15 with the intermediate transfer belt 17 interposed therebetween. ing.

  A fixing device 22 for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording paper is disposed downstream of the secondary transfer roller 18 in the recording paper conveyance direction. 24 is arranged.

  The above is an outline of the configuration of the tandem full-color image forming apparatus. However, although not shown, there is an image forming apparatus in which only one image forming unit, for example, a black image forming unit is arranged to form only a monochrome image. .

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an arrangement on the frame of the drive system of the image forming apparatus. There are a plurality of drive systems of the image forming apparatus, and in the illustrated arrangement example, a gear box 52, a motor 53, and other members are arranged on the main frame 51. Further, a first sub-frame 54 is provided behind the main frame 51 through an extension holding member (not shown), and a gear box 55, a motor 56, and other members are arranged on the first sub-frame 54.

  Further, a second sub frame 57 is provided behind the main frame 51 via an extension holding member (not shown), and a gear box 58, a motor 59, and other members are arranged on the second sub frame 57.

  As described above, in an image forming apparatus having a plurality of drive systems, the arrangement space is insufficient just by arranging various members constituting the drive system on the main frame. It is provided that one or a plurality of subframes are provided and a plurality of drive systems are arranged so as to overlap each other.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining an example of a drive system mounting structure using a subframe. The first subframe 54 is provided from the main frame 51 using the extension holding members 61 and 62, and the first subframe. 54, a motor 56 and gears 551, 552, and 553 that are members constituting the gear box 55 are disposed between the motor shaft 65 and the output shaft 66. Reference numeral 67 is an intermediate shaft, 68 and 69 are bearings for supporting the output shaft 66, and 70 is another member, for example, a gear box constituting another drive system disposed on the main frame 51.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the state of distortion when the rigidity of the mounting structure of the drive system of the image forming apparatus is insufficient. In the drive system mounting structure using the sub-frame as shown in FIG. 3 described above, when the speed change of the process system occurs due to the rotation / stop of the drive system or the influence of paper passing, the extension holding member The subframes held by 61 and 62 vibrate or distort as indicated by arrows A and B in FIG. 4, for example, and as a result, image noise is generated due to fluctuations in the speed of the drive system.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the following measures are taken.

  First, for the extension holding members 61 and 62 for holding the subframe 54, for example, a high-strength steel plate having higher strength than a general steel plate is used. As a result, the rigidity of the extension holding members 61 and 62 can be increased, and a drive system mounting structure that can suppress the occurrence of image noise can be provided.

  Second, the subframe 54 can efficiently dissipate heat generated from the motor 56, which is a heat source, by using an aluminum alloy material having better heat conductivity and heat dissipation than a general steel plate. It is possible to provide a drive-system mounting structure that enables downsizing of the heat source cooling fan and, in some cases, eliminates the heat source cooling fan.

  Third, in place of the first and second measures, the extension holding members 61 and 62 and the subframe 54 use a damping steel plate having higher damping performance than a general steel plate, for example, As a result, it is possible to provide a drive system mounting structure capable of reducing vibrations and noises generated by chatter of the motor 56 and meshing of the gears 551 to 553.

  Fourthly, at least the extension holding members 61 and 62 and the sub frame 54 are integrally formed of fiber reinforced synthetic resin, which has high strength, high heat dissipation, and excellent vibration damping properties. Further, since the fiber reinforced synthetic resin has a low coefficient of friction, is difficult to wear, and has a low thermal contraction and thermal expansion coefficient, the gear 552 and the intermediate shaft 67 can be integrally formed. It is also possible to integrally mold the bearing 68 with the subframe.

  As a result, it is possible to provide a drive-train mounting structure having effects equivalent to those obtained by the first to third measures.

  Mounting structure for mounting multiple drive systems of image forming devices on multiple frames. Use of high-tensile steel plate, use of aluminum alloy material with good heat conduction and heat dissipation, use of damping steel plate, high strength, Provided is a mounting structure for a plurality of drive systems capable of suppressing the occurrence of image noise by means such as integral molding with a fiber reinforced synthetic resin having excellent heat dissipation and vibration damping properties.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the outline of the configuration of a full-color image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an arrangement on a frame of a drive system of the image forming apparatus. The top view explaining an example of the attachment structure of a drive system. The perspective view explaining the mode of distortion when the rigidity of the attachment structure of a drive system is insufficient.

Explanation of symbols

10 Image forming device (full-color image forming device)
11, 12, 13, 14 Image forming units 11T, 12T, 13T, 14T Primary transfer roller 15 Drive roller 16 Driven roller 17 Intermediate transfer belt 18 Secondary transfer roller 19 Belt cleaning device 20 Image signal processing device 21 Paper feed unit 22 Fixing Device 23 Paper discharge roller 24 Paper discharge tray 51 Main frame 52 Gear box 53 Motor 54 First sub frame 55 Gear box 56 Motor 57 Second sub frame 58 Gear box 59 Motor 61, 62 Extension holding member 65 Motor shaft 66 Output shaft 67 Intermediate shaft 68, 69 Bearing 551, 552, 553 Gear 70 Other member (gear box constituting other drive system)

Claims (4)

An image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame,
The sub frame is disposed behind the main frame at a predetermined interval with respect to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame, and each of the main frame and the sub frame has a plurality of drive systems. In the mounting structure to be installed,
The extension holding member is composed of a high-tensile steel plate having higher strength than a general steel plate. An image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame,
The sub frame is disposed behind the main frame at a predetermined interval with respect to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame, and each of the main frame and the sub frame has a plurality of drive systems. In the mounting structure to be installed,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub-frame is made of an aluminum alloy material having better heat conduction and heat dissipation than a general steel plate. An image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame,
The sub frame is disposed behind the main frame at a predetermined interval with respect to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame, and each of the main frame and the sub frame has a plurality of drive systems. In the mounting structure to be installed,
The image forming apparatus, wherein the sub-frame and the extension holding member are made of a vibration-damping steel plate having a vibration damping property higher than that of a general steel plate. An image forming apparatus having a drive system mounting structure having a main frame and a sub frame,
The sub frame is disposed behind the main frame at a predetermined interval with respect to the main frame by an extension holding member fixed on the main frame, and each of the main frame and the sub frame has a plurality of drive systems. In the mounting structure to be installed,
At least the sub-frame and the extension holding member are integrally formed of a fiber reinforced synthetic resin having high strength, high heat dissipation, and excellent vibration damping properties.

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