JP2016200707A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus that can suppress an increase in the number of components and electrically connect a cartridge to a main body.SOLUTION: A cartridge support member 300 can take a first position where a cartridge P can form an image and a second position where the cartridge is retreated from an image forming position. A moving member 500 is rotatable around a shank 500b, and is rotated by the cartridge support member 300 moving from the second position to the first position, and whereby a main body-side contact point 500H and a cartridge-side contact point 500S are connected to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus to which a plurality of cartridges can be attached and detached.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an image forming apparatus) uses a cartridge system that can be attached to and detached from the main body of the image forming apparatus. The user himself can attach and detach the process cartridge and the developing cartridge with respect to the image forming apparatus main body. Therefore, maintenance of the apparatus main body can be easily performed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium in a state where a plurality of removable cartridges are mounted on the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus has a cartridge support member that supports the cartridge and moves between an inner position located inside the apparatus main body and a drawing position pulled out outside the apparatus main body. In the image forming apparatus, a contact is provided on the side surface of the cartridge, and the cartridge and the apparatus main body are directly electrically connected.

JP 2010-102283 A

  The present invention is a further development of the above prior art.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a true image forming apparatus capable of reliably making electrical connection between a cartridge and a main body and effectively utilizing space.

In the configuration according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a cartridge having a photosensitive member and a cartridge side contact, a cartridge support member for supporting the cartridge, a main body side contact connected to the cartridge side contact, and a shaft A moving member having a portion;
Have The cartridge support member is configured to have a first position where the cartridge is positioned at a position where image formation is possible and a second position where the cartridge is positioned at a position where the cartridge is retracted from the image formation position. The moving member is rotatable about the shaft portion. When the cartridge support member moves from the second position to the first position, the moving member rotates, and the main body side contact and the cartridge side contact are moved. It is connected.

  According to the above configuration, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reliably making electrical connection between a cartridge and a main body and effectively utilizing space.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which a cartridge is attached to the image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which an opening / closing door of an image forming apparatus is opened. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state where a cartridge is mounted on a cartridge tray of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a state where a cartridge is attached to and detached from a cartridge tray of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a cartridge tray of the image forming apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of attaching a cartridge to the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a guide unit and contacts of an image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a pressing member provided in the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a pressing member provided in the image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a cartridge side contact and a main body side contact holder according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a cartridge side contact and a main body side contact holder according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a cartridge side contact and a main body side contact holder according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

  Hereinafter, a configuration related to the image forming apparatus will be described in detail. Hereinafter, an image forming apparatus (electrophotographic image forming apparatus) forms an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming process. Examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (for example, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, etc.), a facsimile apparatus, a color word processor, and the like. The cartridge is, for example, a process cartridge or a developing cartridge, which is detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus and contributes to an image forming process for forming an image on a recording medium.

  Here, the process cartridge is a cartridge in which at least one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means as process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrally formed, and are detachably mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus. Is. A process cartridge that integrally includes the electrophotographic photosensitive drum and the developing means is referred to as an integrated process cartridge. On the other hand, a process cartridge integrally including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and process means other than the developing means is referred to as a separation type process cartridge.

  On the other hand, the developing cartridge is a cartridge having developing means. More specifically, the developing cartridge has a developing roller, and contains a developer (toner) used for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum by the developing roller. And is detachably attached to the main body. The process means acts on the electrophotographic photosensitive drum. Accordingly, the developing cartridge also includes a process cartridge in which the developing means as the process means and the electrophotographic photosensitive drum are integrally formed into a cartridge and detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, an integrated process cartridge will be described as an example of the cartridge. However, the cartridge is not limited to an integrated process cartridge, and may be a separate process cartridge.

(Overall configuration of image forming apparatus)
First, the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Here, a four-color full-color laser printer using an electrophotographic process is illustrated as the image forming apparatus 100. This printer executes image formation on a recording medium S (hereinafter, paper) based on an electrical image signal input from an external host device (not shown) such as a personal computer, an image reader, or a counterpart facsimile machine. The recording medium S is an image on which an image is formed by the image forming apparatus 100, and includes, for example, paper, an OHP sheet, and the like. A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus described below forms a color image on a recording medium S by detachably mounting a plurality of cartridges P.

  In the following description, an apparatus main body 100B (hereinafter referred to as a main body) of an image forming apparatus is an image forming apparatus portion excluding a process cartridge P (hereinafter referred to as a cartridge). In the image forming apparatus, the front side (front side) of the main body is the side on which the opening / closing door (opening / closing member) 200 is provided. The rear side is the opposite side. The front-rear direction is a direction from the rear side to the front side of the main body (front direction) and the opposite direction (rear direction). Left and right are left or right when the main body is viewed from the front side. The left-right direction is a direction from left to right (left direction) and the opposite direction (right direction).

  In the main body 100B, the first to fourth cartridges P (PY, PM, PC, PK) are arranged in the horizontal direction from the rear side to the front side. Each cartridge P has the same configuration except that the color of the developer (hereinafter referred to as toner) stored therein is different. Each cartridge P includes a rotatable photosensitive drum 1 (1Y, 1M, 1C, 1K) (hereinafter referred to as a drum), charging means 2 (2Y, 2M, 2C, 2K), developing means 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K) and cleaning means 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K). Specifically, the drum 1, the charging roller 2 as a charging unit, the developing roller 3 as a developing unit, and the cleaning blade 4 as a cleaning unit are integrally assembled in a cartridge frame 60. . The cartridge P is detachably mounted on the main body 100B by the user. The charging roller 2 charges the drum 1 while being in contact with the drum 1. The charging unit 2 is an example of a process unit that acts on the drum 1. The developing roller 3 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 1 using toner stored in the developer container. The cleaning blade 4 removes toner remaining on the drum surface after transfer.

  The first cartridge PY contains yellow (Y) toner in the developing means 3 and forms a yellow toner image on the surface of the drum 1. The second cartridge PM contains magenta (M) toner in the developing means 3 and forms a magenta toner image on the drum 1 surface. The third cartridge PC stores cyan (C) toner in the developing unit 3 and forms a cyan toner image on the surface of the drum 1. The fourth cartridge PK contains black (K) toner in the developing means 3 and forms a black toner image on the surface of the drum 1.

  A scanner unit 11 is disposed above each cartridge P mounted on the main body. The scanner unit 11 outputs laser light modulated in accordance with image information of each color input from an external host device (not shown), and exposes openings 5 (5Y, 5M, 5C) provided on the upper surface of the cartridge frame 60. , 5K), the drum 1 surface of each cartridge P is exposed.

  An intermediate transfer belt unit 12 is provided below each cartridge P. The belt unit 12 is a dielectric as an intermediate transfer member, and includes a flexible endless belt 13, a driving roller 14 that stretches and circulates the belt 13, a tension roller 15, a turn roller 17, and a secondary transfer counter. And a roller 18. The driving roller 14 and the tension roller 15 are arranged on the front side in the main body 100B. The turn roller 17 and the secondary transfer counter roller 18 are arranged on the rear side in the main body 100B. The lower surface of the drum 1 included in each cartridge P is in contact with the upper surface of the belt 13. Four primary transfer rollers 19 (19Y, 19M, 19C, 19K) are provided inside the belt 13 so as to face the drum 1 of each cartridge P through the belt 13 portion. A transfer roller 24 is brought into contact with the secondary transfer counter roller 18 via the belt 13.

  A feeding unit 20 is provided below the belt unit 12. The feeding unit 20 includes a feeding tray 21, a feeding roller 22, a separation pad 23, and the like. The tray 21 can be taken in and out from the front side of the main body 100B.

  A fixing device 26 and a discharge roller pair 29 are provided on the upper rear side in the main body 100B. A discharge tray 30 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 100B. The fixing device 26 includes a fixing film assembly 28 and a pressure roller 27.

  As will be described later, each cartridge P mounted at an image forming position R for forming an image in the main body 100B is positioned on the main body 100B while being fixed at a predetermined position. Further, a drive output unit (not shown) provided in the main body 100B is coupled to a drive input unit (not shown) of the cartridge P. Thereby, the rotational force is transmitted from the main body 100B to the cartridge P. Further, the cartridge side contact 500S of the cartridge P and the main body side contact 500H provided on the main body 100B are in direct contact and are electrically connected. As a result, a bias (electric power) is supplied from the main body 100B to each cartridge P.

  The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows. The drum 1 of each of the first to fourth cartridges P rotates counterclockwise at a predetermined speed. The belt 13 rotates in the clockwise direction (forward direction with respect to drum rotation) at a speed corresponding to the speed of the drum 1. The scanner unit 11 is also driven. In synchronism with this drive, the charging roller 2 uniformly charges the surface of the drum 1 to a predetermined polarity and potential in each cartridge P at a predetermined control timing. The scanner unit 11 exposes the surface of each drum 1 with a laser beam L modulated according to the image signal of each color. Thereby, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image signal of the corresponding color is formed on the surface of each drum 1. The electrostatic latent image formed on the drum 1 is developed by the developing means 3 to form a toner image.

  By the electrophotographic image forming process operation as described above, a yellow toner image corresponding to the yellow component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1Y of the first cartridge PY. Then, the toner image is primarily transferred onto the belt 13.

  An M color toner image corresponding to the magenta component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1M of the second cartridge PM. The toner image is primary-transferred superimposed on the yellow toner image already transferred onto the belt 13.

  A cyan toner image corresponding to the cyan component of the full-color image is formed on the drum 1C of the third cartridge PC. Then, the toner image is primary-transferred superimposed on the yellow and magenta toner images already transferred on the belt 13.

  A black toner image corresponding to the black component of the full color image is formed on the drum 1K of the fourth cartridge PC. The toner image is primary-transferred superimposed on the yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images already transferred onto the belt 13.

  Thus, a full-color unfixed toner image of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the belt 13.

  In each cartridge P, residual toner remaining on the surface of the drum 1 after the primary transfer of the toner image to the belt 13 is removed by the cleaning means 4.

  On the other hand, the feeding roller 22 is rotated at a predetermined control timing. Accordingly, the recording medium S stacked on the feeding tray 21 is separated and fed by the cooperation of the feeding roller 22 and the separation pad 23. The fed recording medium S is introduced into a nip portion (secondary transfer nip portion) between the secondary transfer roller 24 and the belt 13. Thus, the four color superimposed toner images on the belt 13 are sequentially and collectively transferred onto the recording medium S while the recording medium S is nipped and conveyed through the nip portion.

  The recording medium S is separated from the surface of the belt 13, introduced into the fixing device 26, and heated and pressurized at the fixing nip portion. As a result, the toner images of the respective colors are mixed and fixed to the recording medium S. The recording medium S on which the full-color image is formed passes through the fixing device 26 and is discharged to the discharge tray 30 by the discharge roller pair 29.

  In the present embodiment, the toner remaining on the surface of the belt 13 after separating the recording medium S adheres electrostatically to the surface of the drum 1 at the primary transfer portion of the first process cartridge PY, for example. Then, it is removed from the surface of the drum 1 by the cleaning means 4.

(Cartridge replacement method)
Next, the cartridge replacement method will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As each of the first to fourth cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK is used for image formation, the toner (developer) stored in the developing unit 3 is consumed.

  Therefore, for example, the cartridge P includes a detection unit (not shown) for detecting the remaining amount of toner. Then, in a control unit (not shown) provided in the main body 100B, the detection remaining amount value corresponding to the electric signal from the detection means is compared with a preset threshold value for cartridge life warning or life warning. Then, for a cartridge whose detected remaining amount value is smaller than the threshold value, a life warning or a life warning for the cartridge is displayed on a display unit (not shown) provided in the main body 100B. This prompts the user to prepare a cartridge for replacement, or prompts the user to replace the cartridge, thereby maintaining the quality of the output image. Note that the toner remaining amount detection mechanism may be omitted. In this case, the user looks at the image formed on the recording medium S and determines that the remaining amount of toner has decreased.

  In the image forming apparatus of this embodiment, the cartridge P is replaced by the user opening the opening / closing door 200 (opening / closing member) as shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the user pulls out the cartridge P while it is placed on the cartridge tray 300 (cartridge support member) (hereinafter, tray). A plurality of cartridges P can be attached to and detached from the tray 300. As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge P to be exchanged is taken out from the drawn-out tray 300, a new cartridge P is mounted on the tray 300, and the cartridge P is supported on the tray 300 as shown in FIG. Finally, after the tray 300 is pushed into the main body 100B, the open / close door 200 is closed. Thereby, the exchange of the cartridge P is completed by the front access.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge P is provided with a cartridge supported portion Ps, and is disposed at one end and the other end of each cartridge P in the longitudinal direction. The cartridge supported portion Ps is supported by the edge 300b of the tray 300. As a result, the cartridge P is removably supported (mounted) on the tray 300. As shown in FIG. 6, the tray 300 is provided with a partition 300c, and cartridges are arranged one by one in the space partitioned by the partition 300c. Therefore, the tray 300 supports the individual cartridges P so that they can be taken out right above. The tray 300 supports the individual cartridges by moving them downward. That is, the used cartridge to be replaced can be replaced by lifting it upward from the tray 300 at the third position Q3, removing it, and inserting a new cartridge into the tray 300 from above. The cartridge P is exposed at the lower side of the tray 300, and the lower side of the cartridge P supported by the tray 300 protrudes downward from the lower side of the tray 300.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the tray 300 is a cartridge support member provided so as to be movable with respect to the main body 100 </ b> B in a state in which each cartridge P is detachably supported. The tray 300 is movable between the inner position I and the outer position O of the main body 100B while supporting each cartridge P. The tray 300 can take a first position Q1 (FIGS. 1 and 2), a second position Q2 (FIG. 3), and a third position Q3 (FIGS. 4 to 6). Here, the first position Q1 is a position at which the cartridge P is positioned at the image forming position R where the cartridge P forms an image at the inner position I. The second position Q2 is a position at which the drum 1 and the belt 13 are separated from each other at the inner position I at the retracted position where the cartridge P is retracted from the first position Q1. The third position Q3 is a detachable position where the cartridge P can be replaced at the outer position O drawn from the main body 100B. That is, the tray 300 is movably provided between the inner position I and the outer position O of the main body 100B in a state where a plurality of cartridges P are detachably supported. The tray 300 has a first position Q1 where the cartridge P is positioned at an image forming position R where the cartridge P forms an image at the inner position I, and a first position where the cartridge P is retracted from the first position Q1 at the inner position I. 2 position Q2. Further, the tray 300 is pulled out of the main body 100B and moved to the third position Q3 located at the outer position O. The tray 300 moves linearly between the first position Q1, the second position Q2, and the third position Q3. The first position Q1 is a position for positioning the cartridge P on the main body 100B inside the main body 100B. Actually, the cartridge P is elastically biased and positioned by a pressing member 350 (described later). With the tray 300 positioned at the first position Q1, the cartridge P is positioned at the image forming position R where image formation is performed (FIGS. 1 and 2). In this embodiment, the image forming position R is a position where the lower surface of the drum 1 is in contact with the belt 13. The second position Q2 is a retreat position where the cartridge P is retreated upward and slightly forward from the position where the cartridge P is located at the image forming position R inside the main body 100B (FIG. 3). That is, the second position Q2 is a position where the tray 300 has moved upward and slightly forward from the first position Q1. When the tray 300 is located at the second position Q2, the lower surface of the drum 1 is away from the belt 13. The third position Q3 is a position where the tray 300 is pulled out from the second position Q2 to the outside of the main body 100B, and is a position where the cartridge P can be attached to and detached from the tray 300 (FIGS. 4 and 5). As described above, in this embodiment, when the tray 300 is located at the first position Q1, the position of the cartridge P is at the image forming position R, and when it is located at the second position Q2, the third position is at the retracted position. When it is located at the position Q3, a position corresponding to the detachable position is taken.

(Tray support structure)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the tray 300 is supported by a pair of left and right tray support members 301 </ b> L and 301 </ b> R (main body support members) whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction so as to be horizontally slidable in the forward and backward directions. That is, the tray 300 is movable between the second position Q2 and the third position Q3 in a direction intersecting (orthogonal to) the direction of the axis of the drum 1 of each supported cartridge P. It is supported by tray support members 301L and 301R. The tray support members 301L and 301R are supported by the guide members 400L and 400R provided in the main body 100B so as to be movable between the first position Q1 and the second position Q2 inside the main body 100B. Yes. Details will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 6, an opening 305 for moving the tray 300 between the inside and the outside of the main body 100B is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus. Further, an opening / closing door (opening / closing member) 200 is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus so as to be openable / closable in order to open or close the opening 305. The door 200 is provided in the main body 100 </ b> B so as to be movable between a closed position for closing the opening 305 and an open position for opening the opening 305.

  Therefore, the tray 300 is positioned at the inner position I (first position Q1) when the entire tray 300 is positioned inside the opening 305. Further, the tray 300 being positioned at the outer position O (third position Q3) is a state where the tray 300 is positioned outside the opening 305. However, in this case, the entire tray 300 may not be located outside the opening 305. For example, the case where the foremost cartridge PK is located outside the opening 305 is also included. In such a case, even if the rearmost cartridge PY is located inside the opening 305, the cartridge PK can be attached and detached. Reference numeral 300 a denotes a handle provided on the tray 300. The handle 300a is held by the user when the user pushes the tray 300 into the main body 100B or pulls the tray 300 out of the main body 100B from the main body 100B.

  In the present embodiment, the door 200 is rotatable with respect to the apparatus main body 100B around the rotation shafts 201L and 201R (FIGS. 3 and 4) on the lower side of the door. That is, the door 200 can be pivoted rearward about the pivot shafts 201L and 201R to be in a closed state with respect to the apparatus main body 100B as shown in FIG. By closing the door 200, the opening 305 is closed. Further, the door 200 can be turned to the front side of the apparatus main body 100B around the rotation shafts 201L and 201R to be opened from the apparatus main body 100B as shown in FIG. Thereby, the opening 305 is largely opened.

(Configuration of door and tray support member)
The door 200 and the tray support members 301L and 301R are connected by a hinge member 201 (link member) provided on the main body 100B. Therefore, in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the door 200, the tray support members 301L and 301R move, and the tray 300 moves between the first position Q1 and the second position Q2 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Here, the relationship between the tray support member 301L and the guide member 400L will be described by taking the tray support member 301L side corresponding to the long side (left side) as an example.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each tray support member 301L is provided with a boss 302L. The boss 302L is engaged with a guide portion 401L provided on the guide member 400L on the main body side, and moves along the shape of the guide portion 401L.

  Therefore, the user opens the door 200 and opens the opening 305. Then, the hinge member 201 moves the tray support member 301L by a predetermined amount in the forward and upward directions along the shape of the guide portion 401L in conjunction with the opening operation of the door 200. Specifically, the convex portion 302L provided on the tray support member 301L is engaged with the groove-shaped guide portion 401L. For this reason, the hinge member 201 pulls the tray support member 301L forward by the opening operation of the door 200, and the convex portion 302L moves the groove-shaped guide portion 401L by a predetermined amount. As the tray support member 301L moves, the tray 300 supported by the tray support member 301L moves in the same manner. Accordingly, the tray 300 is lifted from the first position Q1 shown in FIG. 2 to the second position Q2 shown in FIG. As a result, the drum 1 of each cartridge P is separated from the belt 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the front side of the tray 300 is a second position Q2 (retracted position) where the front side is exposed from the opening 305 to the outside of the main body 100B. In this way, the tray 300 moves to a position where the user can pull out the tray 300 to the outside of the main body 100B.

  On the other hand, when the door 200 is closed and the opening 305 is closed, the tray support member 301L is moved a predetermined amount downward and downward along the shape of the guide portion 401L in conjunction with the closing operation of the door 200 ( FIG. 8). Specifically, the hinge member 201 pushes the tray support member 301L to the rear side by the closing operation of the door 200, and the groove-shaped guide portion 401L moves downward by a predetermined amount as the convex portion 302L moves. Thereby, the tray 300 supported by the tray support member 301L is similarly moved by the movement of the tray support member 301L. That is, the tray 300 is pushed down from the second position Q2 shown in FIG. 3 to the first position Q1 shown in FIG. As a result, the drum 1 of each cartridge P comes into contact with the belt 13, and each cartridge P is ready for image formation. That is, each cartridge P is positioned at the image forming position R (FIG. 2B).

(Cartridge positioning)
In a state where the tray 300 is located at the mounting position Q2, each cartridge P supported by the tray 300 is pressed and fixed to the main body side support member 80L (FIG. 2B) forming the skeleton of the main body 100B. That is, the cartridge P is positioned on the main body 100B and is located at the first position Q1. Here, in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the pressing member 350 is shown only on one longitudinal side (right side), but the pressing member 350 may be provided on both sides. The pressing member 350 is configured to be biased downward by the elastic force of an elastic member (not shown). As the pressing member, rubber or the like can be used in addition to the compression spring. The tray support member 301R is provided with guide portions 301Ra and 301Rb. Then, the pressing member 350 engages with the guide portions 301Ra and 301Rb and moves along the shapes of the guide portions 301Ra and 301Rb. On the other hand, the pressing member 350 includes engaging portions 350a and 350b provided on the pressing member 350 shown in FIG. 9A, and a groove portion 360Ra of the pressing support member 360R fixed to the main body 100B shown in FIG. 9B. 360Rb is engaged. Therefore, the movement of the pressing member 350 is restricted in the direction of the grooves 360Ra and 360Rb by the pressing support member 360R. The pressing member 350 moves in the vertical direction in conjunction with the tray support member 301R moving in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the pressing member 350 moves in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the tray 300 in conjunction with the movement of the tray supporting member 301R that supports the tray 300 from the second position Q2 to the first position Q1, The cartridge P is pressed. The support member 80L and the support member 80R that are opposed to each other on the left and right of the main body 100B are fastened by a stay member (not shown).

  Here, a specific configuration for positioning the cartridge P with respect to the main body 100B will be described. One end side and the other end side of the cartridge P in the longitudinal direction (axial direction of the drum 1) are pressed downward by the elastic force of the pressing member 350 (FIGS. 7 and 8). That is, the upper surface P2 on one end side and the other end side of the cartridge P is pressed by the pressing member 350 in a state where the cartridge P is located at the inner position I in the main body 100B.

  In a state where the cartridge P is positioned in the main body 100B, a plurality of arc portions P3 (cartridge side positioned portions) arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge P (axial direction of the drum 1) and the other end side of the cartridge P It is provided on the lower surface on the end side (FIGS. 2B and 8). Further, the support members 80L and 80R are provided with a concave portion (main body side positioning portion) 80a at a position corresponding to the arc portion P3 of the cartridge P. Therefore, when one end side and the other end side of the upper surface P2 in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge P are pressed by the pressing member 350, the arc portion P3 provided on the lower surface of the cartridge P is formed on the main body 100B (support members 80L and 80R). It is pressed by the provided recess 80a. As a result, the cartridge P is positioned at the image forming position R with respect to the main body 100B. That is, the pressing member 350 presses the cartridge P in conjunction with the movement of the tray 300 from the second position Q2 (retracted position) to the first position Q1 (image forming position R), and the recess 80a (main body side). The arc portion P3 (cartridge side positioned portion) is pressed against the positioning portion). As a result, the cartridge P is positioned at the image forming position R. The concave portion 80a is provided for each cartridge P located at the image forming position R in the main body 100B. In addition, it is preferable that the circular arc part P <b> 3 has a shape that is a concentric circle with the axis of the drum 1 as the center in a cross section in which the curved surface intersects the axis of the drum 1. Accordingly, the cartridge P can be accurately positioned with respect to the main body 100B based on the axial direction of the drum 1.

[Contact connection]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, electrical connection between the cartridge side contact 500S (500S1, 500S2, 500S3) of each cartridge and the main body side contact 500H (500H1, 500H2, 500H3) of the main body 100B is described. explain.

  When each cartridge P is pressed and fixed to the support members 80L and 80R by the pressing member 350, the main body side contact 500H provided on the main body 100B and the cartridge side contact 500S of each cartridge are interposed via the tray 300. Contact directly without touching. Thereby, the main body 100B and the cartridge P are electrically connected. At this time, when the main body side contact 500H is fixed to the main body 100B and the cartridge side contact 500S is fixed to the cartridge P, the cartridge side contact 500S and the main body side contact 500H are moved when the cartridge P moves to the image forming position R. Can rub. If the two contacts are rubbed extremely, the electrical connection may become unstable.

  In this embodiment, therefore, the movement of the tray 300 that supports the cartridge P and the contact between the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S provided in the holder 500 are linked.

  The main body side contact 500H is provided at the tip of the main body side contact holder 500 (500Y, 500M, 500C, 500K) (moving member). The main body side contact holder 500 is fixed to the main body 100B and is disposed so as to face each cartridge P. The main body side contact holder 500 includes a protrusion 500a (contact portion) and a shaft portion 500b in addition to the main body side contact 500H. In the main body side contact holder 500, a long portion 500A having a main body side contact 500H at one end and a short portion 500B having a protrusion 500a at the other end are connected at an obtuse angle, and a shaft portion 500b is provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion. It is made into the L-shaped member. As described above, the length of the long portion 500A (the shaft portion 500b to the main body side contact 500H) is formed to be longer than the length of the short portion 500B (the shaft portion 500b to the protruding portion 500a). The main body side contact holder 500 is attached to the support member 80L so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 500b, and the longitudinal portion 500A falls down and is supported by a stopper 500d provided on the support member 80L. It is biased by the elastic member 500c. When the long portion 500A is supported by the stopper 500d, the short portion 500B protrudes upward.

  On the other hand, the provided engagement portion 301Lc is provided on the support member 301L. The engaging portion 301Lc is provided at a position that overlaps the protruding portion 500a in the vertical direction when the tray 300 is located at the second position Q2 (inner position I).

  With this configuration, when the tray 300 is located at the third position Q3, the holder 500 is biased by the elastic force of the elastic member 500c as shown in FIG. The tray 300 is in a collapsed state and is retracted to a position that does not hinder the movement of the tray 300. Then, when the tray 300 moves from the third position Q3 to the inner position I (second position Q2), the engaging portion 301Lc and the protruding portion 500a are arranged at a position where they overlap each other in the vertical direction. Then, in the step of moving the tray 300 from the second position Q2 (retracted position) to the first position Q1 (image forming position R), the protrusion 500a contacts the engaging portion 301Lc, and the engaging portion 301Lc is elastic. The projection 500a (holder 500) is pushed against the force (FIG. 12B). As a result, the holder 500 rotates about the shaft portion 500b, and the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S are connected (contacted) (FIGS. 11B and 13). As a result, the holder 500 can follow the movement of the cartridge P (tray 300), and the contact 500H and the contact 500S can be connected in a stable state without rubbing. Note that the engaging portion 301Lc is provided on the support member 301L so as to protrude downward and does not prevent the rotation of the longitudinal portion 500A. It does not have to be configured.

  On the other hand, in the process of moving the tray 300 from the first position Q1 (image forming position R) to the second position Q2 (retracted position), the holder 500 moves by being urged by the elastic member 500c. Accordingly, the holder 500 is retracted from the movement locus of the tray 300 from the second position Q2 to the third position Q3, and the tray 300 is moved from the second position Q2 (retracted position) to the third position Q3 (outside). It is possible to move to position O).

  As a result, the contact 500S provided on the side surface of each cartridge P and the main body side contact 500H are not rubbed by the movement of the tray 300, and a stable connection is possible. In the present embodiment, the holder 500 moves along the moving direction of the tray 300 to connect both contacts. That is, the holder 500 moves along the moving direction of the tray 300 in conjunction with the holder 500 in which the tray 300 moves from the second position Q2 to the first position Q1. Thereby, the holder 500 can be moved by effectively utilizing the moving force of the tray 300.

  Accordingly, when the user closes the door 200 and closes the opening 305, the tray 300 moves in the rear direction (rear side of the main body 100B) and downward together with the support members 301L and 301R in conjunction with the operation. As a result, the tray 300 moves from the second position Q2 to the first position Q1. Then, in conjunction with the movement of the support members 301R and 301L, the pressing member 350 moves downward to press the cartridge P, and hence the arc portion P3, against the concave portion 80a of the main body 100B, thereby positioning the cartridge P at the image forming position R. Can do. At the same time, the holder 500 is rotated by the engaging portions 301Lc of the support members 301R and 301L, so that the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S can be connected. As a result, when the contact 500H and the contact 500S are connected, it is possible to smoothly and more reliably connect both the contacts while suppressing the friction between the two contacts.

  The cartridge-side contact 500S is provided on the side of the support member 80L corresponding to the long side (left side). In this embodiment, the cartridge side contact 500S is provided on the side surface of the cartridge P in the short direction. Correspondingly, the contact point 500H is similarly provided on the side of the support member 80L corresponding to the long side (left side), and in this embodiment, provided on the side surface in the short side direction of the cartridge P.

  More specifically, the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S are provided on the non-drive side of the cartridge P (the side on which the drive input unit (not shown) is not provided). The non-driving side is the opposite side of the cartridge P in the longitudinal direction from the side where the cartridge P is provided with a driving input portion to which the rotational driving force is transmitted from the main body 100B. As described above, the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S are in contact with each other on the non-driving side. For this reason, the degree of freedom of the arrangement of the main body side contact 500H and the cartridge side contact 500S can be increased regardless of the arrangement of the parts related to the drive transmission of the cartridge P. The side surface is a direction that intersects the direction in which the tray 300 moves from the second position Q2 (retracted position) to the first position Q1 (image forming position R), and a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the cartridge. It is a surface located at.

  Furthermore, by providing either the contact point 500H or the contact point 500S with a spring property, a stable connection is possible, and a conductive elastic member (for example, a leaf spring, a coil spring, etc.) can be used. In order to provide springiness, a wire spring type or a leaf spring type may be used. In this embodiment, the main body side contact 500H is a leaf spring. As a result, the cartridge-side contact 500S can be fixed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the contact 500S from being damaged before the cartridge P is attached to the main body 100B.

  A plurality of main body side contacts 500H and cartridge side contacts 500S may be provided. Therefore, in the embodiment, the structure has three independent main body side contacts 500H (500H1, 500H2, 500H3) and cartridge side contacts 500S (500S1, 500S2, 500S3). Specifically, the drum ground contact 500H1 on the main body side is configured to ground the drum by being connected to the drum ground contact 500S1. Further, the main body side development bias contact 500H2 is configured to apply a development bias from the contact 500H2 by being connected to the development bias contact 500S2. The main body side charging bias contact 500H3 is configured to apply a charging bias from the main body side charging bias contact 500H3 by being connected to the charging bias contact 500S3. The contact 500H1 is connected to the main body 100B and grounded. The contacts 500H2 and 500H3 are supplied from a power source (not shown) provided in the main body 100B.

  Thus, when it is set as the structure which has a some contact, it is preferable that the contacts 500H1, 500H2, 500H3 and the contacts 500S1, 500S2, 500S3 are arranged in a line. Furthermore, the arrangement direction of the contact 500H1 and the contact 500S1 intersects the direction in which the tray 300 moves from the second position Q2 to the first position Q1, and intersects the longitudinal direction of the cartridge P (the axial direction of the drum 1). It is preferable to provide in.

  Furthermore, in this case, it is preferable that the contacts 500H1, 500H2, and 500H3 and the contacts 500S1, 500S2, and 500S3 are arranged in a line along the rotation axis of the holder 500. As a result, the pressing direction of the pressing member 350 and the pressing direction when the main body side contact 500H contacts the cartridge side contact 500S do not line up in a straight line, so that stable contact can be achieved without canceling each pressing force. A configuration can be built.

  In addition, as described above, the plurality of cartridges P are arranged adjacent to each other at regular intervals on the tray 300 (FIGS. 4 to 6). In order for the main body side contact 500H to come into contact with the cartridge side contact 500S, it is necessary to provide a space between the cartridge P in contact with the holder 500 and the cartridge P adjacent to the cartridge P in consideration of the movement path of the holder 500. is there. More specifically, in this embodiment, the holder 500 is rotated so that the main body side contact 500H can come into contact with the cartridge side contact 500S. Therefore, the cartridge P that is in contact with the holder 500 and the cartridge P that is adjacent to the cartridge P are used. It is necessary to provide a gap between the two. However, if a gap is provided between the cartridges P, the size of the tray 300 and, consequently, the size of the image forming apparatus 100 are increased.

  Therefore, in this embodiment (FIG. 13), the cartridge recess 505 is provided on the longitudinal one side (left side) of the cartridge P on which the holder 500 is provided. Then, the longitudinal part 500A of the holder 500 can pass through the cartridge recess 505, and the holder 500 can be rotated. Thereby, the holder 500 can be disposed without increasing the interval between the cartridges P. That is, since the holder 500 can be moved without increasing the interval between the cartridges P, the image forming apparatus 100 can be downsized.

(Other embodiments)
In the above-described embodiment, four process cartridges are used. However, the number of used process cartridges is not limited, and may be set as necessary.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example of an integrated process cartridge has been described as the cartridge. Therefore, an example in which the cartridge has a drum ground contact, a developing bias contact, and a charging bias contact has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a separation type process cartridge as the cartridge, it has a drum earth contact and a charging bias contact. In the case of a developing cartridge as the cartridge, it has a developing bias contact. The present invention can also be applied to these cartridges. Further, the present invention includes at least one contact among the plurality of contacts of the cartridge directly connected to the contact on the main body side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the laser beam printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be another image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine, or another image forming apparatus such as a multi-function machine combining these functions. The same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention to an image forming apparatus to which these cartridges can be attached and detached.

P (PY, PM, PC, PK) Process cartridge 1 Electrophotographic photosensitive drum 80L, 80R Support member 80R Support member 100 Main body 200 Open / close door (open / close member)
300 Cartridge tray (cartridge support member)
301L, 301R Tray support member (main body support member)
301La, 301Lb Guide portion 302L, 303L Boss 305 Opening 350 Press member 400L, 400R Guide member 401L Guide portion 500H1, 500H2, 500H3 Main body side contact 500S1, 500S2, 500S3 Cartridge side contact 500Y, 500M, 500C, 500K Holder (moving member)
505 Cartridge recess

Claims (6)

A cartridge having a photoconductor and a cartridge side contact;
A cartridge support member for supporting the cartridge;
A moving member having a main body side contact connected to the cartridge side contact, and a shaft portion;
Have
The cartridge support member is configured to be capable of taking a first position where the cartridge is located at a position where image formation is possible and a second position where the cartridge is located at a position retracted from the image formation position,
The moving member is rotatable about the shaft portion. When the cartridge support member moves from the second position to the first position, the moving member rotates to move the main body side. An image forming apparatus, wherein the contact and the cartridge side contact are connected. An opening that allows the cartridge support member to be removed;
An opening and closing member for opening or closing the opening;
A main body support member for supporting the cartridge support member;
Have
The opening / closing member and the main body support member are connected by a link member, and the cartridge is positioned from the retracted position to the image forming position by moving the opening / closing member from an open position to a closed position. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The moving member has an abutting portion, and when the cartridge supporting member moves from the second position to the first position, the abutting portion abuts on the main body supporting member, and the moving member is The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is rotated. The photoreceptor is rotatable, and
The cartridge is provided with a plurality of cartridge side positioned portions arranged along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge,
The support member provided in the image forming apparatus is provided with a main body side positioning portion corresponding to the cartridge side positioned portion,
When the cartridge support member moves from the second position to the first position, the cartridge is pressed by a pressing member that moves in conjunction with the cartridge support member, and the cartridge side cover is placed on the main body side positioning portion. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positioning unit is positioned.   5. The driving device according to claim 1, further comprising: a driving input unit configured to transmit a driving force to the cartridge at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge; and the moving member provided at the other end side. The image forming apparatus described in the item. The cartridge support member has a plurality of cartridges adjacent to each other and is detachable.
The cartridge concave portion is provided in the cartridge adjacent to the cartridge having the cartridge side contact to which the main body side contact of the moving member is connected so that the moving member can rotate. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5.

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