JP2017116760A - Substrate fitting mechanism, developer container, image formation unit, and image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify removal work and not just easily remove a substrate member from a substrate holding part.SOLUTION: A substrate fitting mechanism of the present invention includes a substrate member and a base wall provided with a substrate holding part. The substrate holding part comprises a first wall formed upstream of the substrate member in the fitting direction, a second wall formed downstream, a third and a fourth wall extendedly formed between the first and second walls, a fifth and a sixth wall formed projecting toward the inside from the third and fourth walls, and a substrate support part 51 formed in a space enclosed by the first to fourth walls. A thin-wall part 75 is formed in the root portion of a prescribed wall out of the first to fourth walls. The substrate member can be easily removed from the substrate holding part by breaking the thin-wall part 75.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate mounting mechanism, a developer container, an image forming unit, and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, a multi-function machine, etc., for example, an electrophotographic printer, is provided with an image forming unit. The toner is charged by the LED head and is exposed by the LED head to form an electrostatic latent image, and the toner thinned by the developing blade on the developing roller is attached to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. It is like that. Then, the toner image is transferred onto a sheet conveyed through the medium conveyance path by a transfer roller, and is fixed by a fixing device.

  The image forming unit includes a main body of the image forming unit, that is, a process unit, and a toner cartridge as a developer container that is detachably attached to the process unit, and the toner in the toner cartridge is eliminated. Then, the toner cartridge is replaced with a new one. Further, when the image forming unit reaches the end of its life, the image forming unit is replaced with a new one.

  By the way, a substrate holding unit is formed at a predetermined position such as a process unit and a toner cartridge so that information on the toner cartridge, information on the toner to be stored, and the like can be acquired on the main body of the printer, that is, on the apparatus main body side. The substrate member on which the above information is recorded is attached to the substrate holding portion, and the substrate member and the apparatus main body side are connected.

  For this purpose, the substrate holding portion includes a first attachment member formed integrally with the toner cartridge, and a second attachment member that is detachably attached to the first attachment member. After attaching to the first attachment member, the substrate member is attached to the substrate holding part by attaching the second attachment member to the first attachment member (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2014-228596 A

  However, in the conventional image forming unit, it is necessary to remove the substrate member from the substrate holding portion when separating the collected toner cartridge, the process portion, and the like. Since it is necessary to remove the member from the first attachment member, not only the substrate member cannot be easily removed from the substrate holding part, but also the work for removing is troublesome.

  The present invention solves the problems of the conventional image forming unit and can not only easily remove the substrate member from the substrate holding portion but also simplify the operation for removing the substrate member, and development. It is an object to provide an agent container, an image forming unit, and an image forming apparatus.

  For this purpose, the substrate attachment mechanism of the present invention includes a substrate member and a base wall provided with a substrate holding part for attaching the substrate member.

  And the said board | substrate holding | maintenance part is the 1st wall formed in the upstream in the attachment direction of a board | substrate member, and the 2nd formed in the downstream in the attachment direction of a board | substrate member facing the said 1st wall. A wall, a third wall, a fourth wall formed between the first and second walls and facing each other, and inward from the upper ends of the third and fourth walls A substrate support portion is formed in the space surrounded by the fifth and sixth walls formed by the protrusion and the first to fourth walls, and supports the substrate member.

  Moreover, a thin part is formed in the base part of the predetermined wall among the said 1st-4th walls in the said base wall.

  According to the present invention, the substrate attachment mechanism includes a substrate member and a base wall including a substrate holding portion for attaching the substrate member.

  And the said board | substrate holding | maintenance part is the 1st wall formed in the upstream in the attachment direction of a board | substrate member, and the 2nd formed in the downstream in the attachment direction of a board | substrate member facing the said 1st wall. A wall, a third wall, a fourth wall formed between the first and second walls and facing each other, and inward from the upper ends of the third and fourth walls A substrate support portion is formed in the space surrounded by the fifth and sixth walls formed by the protrusion and the first to fourth walls, and supports the substrate member.

  Moreover, a thin part is formed in the base part of the predetermined wall among the said 1st-4th walls in the said base wall.

  In this case, since the thin wall portion is formed at the base portion of the predetermined wall among the first to fourth walls in the base wall, the thin wall portion is broken by applying force to the predetermined wall, and the predetermined wall Can be broken.

  Therefore, the substrate member can be easily detached from the substrate holding part, and the work for removing can be simplified.

  In addition, since the hole is formed at the base portion of the predetermined wall as the thin-walled portion is broken, for example, when the substrate holding portion is formed in the developer container, the hole is made of air. It functions as an escape route, and the developer can be easily removed when the developer in the developer container is removed.

It is a perspective view of the board | substrate attachment part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the board | substrate member in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate attachment part in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is XX sectional drawing of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the method to attach the board | substrate member in the 1st Embodiment of this invention to a board | substrate attachment part. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the board | substrate member in the 1st Embodiment of this invention to the board | substrate attachment part. It is a 1st figure for demonstrating the method to remove the board | substrate member in the 1st Embodiment of this invention from a board | substrate attachment part. It is a 2nd figure for demonstrating the method to remove the board | substrate member in the 1st Embodiment of this invention from a board | substrate attachment part. It is a top view of the board | substrate attachment part in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the main-body part of the rear wall in the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, an electrophotographic printer as an image forming apparatus and an image forming unit disposed in the printer will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the image forming unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a printer. The printer 10 is disposed below the main body of the printer 10, that is, an image forming unit (image drum unit) 13 detachably disposed on the main body of the apparatus. , A paper cassette 22 as a medium accommodating portion for accommodating paper P as a medium, a hopping roller 23 as a feeding member disposed at the front end of the paper cassette 22, and a medium transport path Rt below the image forming unit 13 A transfer roller 25 as a transfer member disposed opposite to the photosensitive drum 31 as an image carrier of the image forming unit 13 across the image forming unit 13, a fixing unit 15 as a fixing device, and above the photosensitive drum 31. An LED head 14 serving as an exposure device disposed to face the photosensitive drum 31 and the medium transport path Rt. A conveying roller pair k1 as a first conveying member disposed on the downstream side of the hopping roller 23, and a conveying roller as a second conveying member disposed on the downstream side of the fixing unit 15 in the medium conveying path Rt. A pair k2, a discharge roller pair 16 as a discharge member disposed at a discharge port of the paper P in the medium conveyance path Rt, a stacker 60 as a medium stacking unit for stacking the paper P discharged outside the apparatus body, and the like Is provided.

  The fixing unit 15 includes a heating roller R1 as a first fixing member and a pressure roller R2 as a second fixing member.

  The image forming unit 13 includes a main body of the image forming unit 13, that is, a process unit (image forming unit main body) 20, and a toner cartridge as a developer container detachably disposed with respect to the process unit 20. 18, and toner as a developer is accommodated in the toner cartridge 18.

  In order to supply the toner in the toner cartridge 18 to the process unit 20, a discharge port m1 is formed in a lower part of the casing (outer cartridge) Cs1 of the toner cartridge 18, and the discharge port m1 of the casing Cs2 of the process unit 20 is formed. A supply port m2 is formed at a portion corresponding to.

  The process unit 20 is rotatably arranged on the photosensitive drum 31, and a charging device that is rotatably arranged in contact with the photosensitive drum 31 and charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 uniformly. As a latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 31, toner is attached to the charging roller 32 and the photosensitive drum 31 so as to rotate freely. A developing roller 33 as a developer carrying member that forms a toner image as a developer image on the body drum 31, a development that is rotatably disposed in contact with the developing roller 33 and supplies toner to the developing roller 33 A toner supply roller 34 as an agent supply member, a toner storage chamber 35 for storing the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 18, the toner in the toner storage chamber 35 is stirred, and the toner supply roller 34 is stirred. A stir bar 36 serving as a stir transporting member that transports toward the developer, and a developing blade 37 serving as a developer regulating member that is disposed in contact with the developing roller 33 at a predetermined location and thins the toner on the developing roller 33. And a cleaning roller 38 as a cleaning member for removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 after transfer, that is, residual toner.

  Next, the operation of the printer 10 having the above configuration will be described.

  When the hopping roller 23 is rotated, the paper P in the paper cassette 22 is separated one by one and supplied to the medium transport path Rt, and then transported by the transport roller pair k1 to the image forming unit 13. It is sent to a transfer portion formed between the transfer roller 25 and the transfer roller 25.

  In the image forming unit 13, the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 is uniformly charged by the charging roller 32, exposed by the LED head 14, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 31.

  The toner contained in the toner cartridge 18 is supplied to the toner storage chamber 35 through the discharge port m1 and the supply port m2, stirred by the stirring bar 36, and conveyed toward the toner supply roller 34. Subsequently, the toner is supplied to the developing roller 33 by the toner supply roller 34, and after being thinned by the developing blade 37 in the developing roller 33, the toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image, and the toner is placed on the photosensitive drum 31. An image is formed.

  Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 31 is transferred to the paper P sent to the transfer unit by the transfer roller 25.

  The paper P on which the toner image has been transferred is sent to the fixing unit 15, where the toner image is heated by the heating roller R1, pressurized by the pressure roller R2, and fixed on the paper P. An image is formed. The sheet P on which the image is formed is conveyed by the conveying roller pair k2, and then discharged from the apparatus main body by the discharging roller pair 16, and is stacked on the stacker 60.

  Next, the toner cartridge 18 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the toner cartridge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 18 denotes a toner cartridge, and Cs1 denotes a casing having an upper portion having a rectangular cross section and a lower portion having a semicircular cross section. The casing Cs1 includes a cylindrical portion 40 and the cylindrical portion 40. One of the side plates SR and SL that cover both sides of the side plate SR, SL, in the present embodiment, in the present embodiment, a lever portion 92 that is rotatably disposed adjacent to the side plate SL, cylindrical A shutter 93 or the like that is formed of a body, is connected to the lever portion 92 and is rotatably disposed along the inner peripheral wall of the tubular portion 40 in the tubular portion 40. An opening m3 is formed in the shutter 93 at a position corresponding to the discharge port m1, and when the lever portion 92 is rotated so that the position of the discharge port m1 and the position of the opening m3 coincide with each other, the inside of the casing Cs1. The stored toner is discharged through the discharge port m1, and if the position of the discharge port m1 is shifted from the position of the opening m3, the toner stored in the housing Cs1 is not discharged. The cylindrical portion 40, the side plates SR, SL, etc. are all made of resin.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, each information is used as identification information of the toner cartridge 18 so that information on the toner cartridge 18 and information on the toner contained in the toner cartridge 18 can be acquired on the apparatus main body side. A substrate member 41 such as a recorded chip is attached (fixed) to the toner cartridge 18.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the other of the side plates SR and SL, the substrate mounting portion 45 as the substrate holding portion is integrally formed on the side plate SR, and the substrate member 41 is inserted in the direction of arrow A. , And can be attached to the substrate attachment portion 45.

  A control unit (not shown) for controlling the entire printer 10 is disposed at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body, and the control unit and the substrate member 41 are connected at a contact point. Can be obtained or changed.

  In the figure, reference numeral 95 denotes a guided portion including a convex portion for attaching or detaching the toner cartridge 18 to / from the process portion 20 (FIG. 2). A guide portion (not shown) formed of a concave portion is formed on the surface of the process portion 20 facing the side plate SR so as to correspond to the guided portion 95, and the guided portion 95 is moved along the guiding portion. The toner cartridge 18 can be attached to or removed from the process unit 20.

  Next, the board member 41 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the substrate member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The substrate member 41 includes a substrate Bd as a substrate portion having a predetermined thickness, a pair of contact portions 41a and 41b formed on the surface Sa as a first surface of the substrate Bd, and the contact portions 41a and 41b. A memory 41c is provided which is electrically connected and serves as a projecting portion disposed on the rear surface Sb (FIG. 8) as a second surface of the substrate Bd, which will be described later. The identification information is recorded in 41c. The contact portions 41a and 41b have a rectangular shape, and when the toner cartridge 18 is attached to the process portion 20, a predetermined portion is in point contact with an electrical contact (not shown) disposed in the apparatus main body. Is electrically connected.

The substrate Bd has a rectangular shape, and the long side portions eg1 and eg2 as first and second sides formed in parallel with each other in the longitudinal direction of the substrate Bd and the short side of the substrate Bd. In the hand direction, short side portions eg3 and eg4 are formed as third and fourth sides extending in parallel with each other, the length w1 of the long side portions eg1 and eg2, and the short side portions eg3 and eg4. The length w2 of
w1 = 15 [mm]
w2 = 10 [mm]
To be. The thickness h1 of the substrate Bd is:
h1 = 0.7 [mm]
To be. The long side portions eg1, eg2 and the short side portions eg3, eg4 are extended orthogonally.

  The substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45 by moving in a direction (arrow A direction) parallel to the long side portions eg1, eg2 with the short side portion eg3 forward and the short side portion eg4 backward.

  Next, the board attachment portion 45 will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a board mounting portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a plan view of the board mounting portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG.

  In the figure, reference numeral 45 denotes a substrate attachment portion, and the substrate attachment portion 45 has a box-like shape with an open upper surface so that the substrate member 41 (FIG. 4) can be attached obliquely from above.

  Reference numeral 48 denotes a base wall constituting the side plate SR, and the entire board mounting portion 45 is integrally formed up from the base wall 48. The board member 41, the board mounting portion 45, the base wall 48, etc. constitute a board mounting mechanism.

  The board attachment portion 45 has a “U” shape, and comes into contact with the long side portions eg1, eg2 (FIG. 5) and the short side portion eg3 of the substrate Bd when the substrate member 41 is attached. Thus, the wall unit 49 as the first enclosure surrounding the board member 41 has a “U” shape, and is formed on the upstream side in the mounting direction of the board member 41 to the board mounting portion 45. The rear wall 50 as a second enclosure that surrounds the substrate member 41 by contacting the short side part eg4 of the substrate Bd when the member 41 is attached, and the wall A substrate support 51 is provided in the space Sp formed by the unit 49 and the rear wall 50, and supports the substrate member 41 from the back surface Sb (FIG. 8) side when the substrate member 41 is attached.

  The wall unit 49 is a front wall as a second wall formed opposite to and parallel to the rear wall 50 at the downstream end in the mounting direction of the board member 41 to the board mounting portion 45. 55, side walls 58, 59 as third and fourth walls formed in parallel between the rear wall 50 and the front wall 55 and facing each other, and the side walls 58, 59 Upper end projecting walls 62 and 63 as fifth and sixth walls formed by projecting a predetermined amount inwardly from the upper end of each. The upper surface 55t of the front wall 55 and the upper surfaces 62t and 63t of the upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 are formed flush with each other and have the same height.

  The rear wall 50 extends to the downstream side in the mounting direction of the board member 41 from the both ends of the body part 65 to the board mounting part 45 from the both ends of the body part 65. The projections 66 and 67 are formed so as to extend parallel to each other.

  The substrate support portion 51 includes support walls 71 and 72 formed in the space Sp so as to extend in parallel with the side walls 58 and 59 and in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval.

  The front wall 55 contacts the short side part eg3 of the substrate Bd when the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment part 45, and the substrate member 41 in the longitudinal direction of the substrate Bd, that is, the attachment direction of the substrate member 41. As well as a restricting member that restricts the substrate member 41 from moving downstream in the mounting direction, that is, forward. Therefore, the upper surface 55t of the front wall 55 is made higher than the upper surfaces 71t and 72t of the support walls 71 and 72.

  Further, the side walls 58 and 59 are in contact with the long side portions eg1 and eg2 of the substrate Bd when the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, so that the short sides of the substrate Bd, that is, the substrate member 41 It functions as a positioning member that positions the board member 41 in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction, and also functions as a regulating member that regulates movement of the board member 41 in a direction (side) perpendicular to the mounting direction. . Therefore, the upper surfaces 58t and 59t of the side walls 58 and 59 are made higher than the upper surfaces 71t and 72t of the support walls 71 and 72.

Further, the distance L1 between the inner edge of the side wall 58 and the inner edge of the side wall 59 is slightly longer than the length w2 of the short side portions eg3, eg4 of the substrate Bd,
L1 = 10.4 [mm]
> W2
To be.

The upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 come into contact with the surface Sa of the substrate Bd when the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, and the thickness direction of the substrate member 41, that is, the thickness of the substrate Bd. It functions as a positioning member that positions the substrate member 41 in the direction, and also functions as a regulating member that regulates the movement of the substrate member 41 in the thickness direction of the substrate Bd, that is, upward. Therefore, the distance H1 between the lower surfaces 62b, 63b of the upper end protruding walls 62, 63 and the upper surfaces 71t, 72t of the support walls 71, 72 is longer than the thickness h1 of the substrate Bd.
H1 = 1.1 [mm]
> H1
To be. Further, the protruding width of the upper end protruding walls 62, 63, that is, the distance L2 between the inner edge of the side walls 58, 59 and the inner edge of the upper end protruding walls 62, 63 is:
L2 = 1 [mm]
To be.

Further, the rear wall 50 abuts the short side portion eg4 of the substrate Bd at the protrusions 66 and 67 when the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, and the substrate member 41 in the longitudinal direction of the substrate Bd. As well as a regulating member that regulates the movement of the substrate member 41 upstream in the mounting direction, that is, backward. Therefore, a distance H2 between the upper surface 50t of the rear wall 50 and the upper surfaces 71t and 72t of the support walls 71 and 72 is longer than the distance H1 and the thickness h1 of the substrate Bd.
H2 = 1.4 [mm]
> H1
> H1
To be. The distance L3 between the inner edge of the front wall 55 and the inner edges of the protrusions 66 and 67 is slightly longer than the length w1 of the long side portions eg1 and eg2 of the substrate Bd.
L3 = 15.25 [mm]
> W1
To be.

  Then, the upper end of the board member 41 can be attached to the board attachment portion 45, that is, the front end of the board member 41 can be inserted between the upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 and the substrate support portion 51. A gap is formed between the rear ends of the projecting walls 62 and 63 and the front ends of the projecting portions 66 and 67 over a distance L4.

  Further, when the front end of the substrate member 41 is brought into contact with the upper surfaces 71t and 72t of the support walls 71 and 72 and is slid forward, the substrate member 41 and the upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 do not interfere with each other. As described above, the inclined portion 76 is formed from the rear ends of the lower surfaces 62b and 63b of the upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 to the front by a predetermined distance. Therefore, the lower surfaces 62b and 63b are made higher toward the rear of the upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 and lowered toward the front to form an inclined surface.

When the distance between the rear end and the front end of the inclined portion 76 in the longitudinal direction of the substrate Bd is L5, and the distance between the rear end and the front end in the thickness direction of the substrate Bd is L6, the distances L5, L6 Is
L5 = 2.2 [mm]
L6 = 0.4 [mm]
To be.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the rear wall 50 on the base wall 48 and the front wall 48 are removed so that the substrate member 41 can be removed from the substrate mounting portion 45 when separating the collected toner cartridges 18 that have been used. A thin wall 75 is formed by a groove or the like in a predetermined wall of the wall 55 and the side walls 58 and 59, in the present embodiment, in the root portion of the rear wall 50. The thin-walled portion 75 is formed by surrounding the periphery of the rear wall 50 in a band shape in a portion other than the region of the rear edge of the main body portion 65.

  Next, a method for attaching the substrate member 41 to the substrate attachment portion 45 and a method for removing the substrate member 41 from the substrate attachment portion 45 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of attaching the board member to the board mounting portion in the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing how to attach the board member to the board mounting portion in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a first diagram for explaining a method of removing the board member from the board mounting portion according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a 2nd figure for demonstrating the method to remove the board | substrate member in a board | substrate attachment part.

  In the figure, 41 is a substrate member, Bd is a substrate, 41a and 41b are contact portions formed on the front surface Sa of the substrate Bd, and 41c is a memory formed on the back surface Sb of the substrate Bd.

  When the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, when the substrate member 41 is moved obliquely downward (in the direction of arrow A), the short side portion eg3 of the substrate Bd protrudes from the rear ends of the upper end protrusion walls 62 and 63. It is made to enter below the inclined portion 76 through a gap formed between the front ends of the portions 66 and 67.

  Subsequently, when the short side portion eg3 of the substrate Bd is brought into contact with the upper surfaces 71t and 72t of the support walls 71 and 72, the short side portion eg3 is advanced while sliding on the upper surfaces 71t and 72t. During this time, the front surface Sa of the substrate Bd and the inclined portion 76 are brought into contact with each other, the back surface Sb of the substrate Bd is brought into contact with the protrusions 66 and 67, and the substrate Bd is deformed as the substrate member 41 is advanced. Bend.

  When the short side portion eg3 of the substrate Bd reaches the front wall 55, the back surface Sb of the substrate Bd moves away from the protrusions 66 and 67, the short side portion eg4 of the substrate Bd moves downward, and the protrusions 66 and 67 It is brought into contact with the front end. As a result, the substrate Bd is not bent and is flattened. In this way, the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45 as shown in FIG.

  Since the rear wall 50 has a “U” shape, the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, and the gap between the main body portion 65 of the rear wall 50 and the short side portion eg4 of the substrate Bd. A space Sq is formed.

  The substrate member 41 is positioned in the attachment direction by the front wall 55 in a state of being attached to the substrate attachment portion 45 and is restricted from moving forward, and the direction perpendicular to the attachment direction by the side walls 58 and 59. The upper end protruding walls 62 and 63 are positioned in the thickness direction of the substrate Bd and the upward movement is restricted, and the rear wall 50 is positioned in the mounting direction. And movement backward is restricted. Accordingly, the substrate member 41 is not detached from the substrate attachment portion 45 while the toner cartridge 18 is being used.

  When removing the substrate member 41 from the substrate mounting portion 45 when separating the collected toner cartridges 18 after being used, a tool or the like is put into the space Sq and the tip of the tool or the like is applied to the thin portion 75. As shown in FIG. 10, when a force in the direction of arrow B is applied to the rear wall 50, stress concentrates on the thin wall portion 75 and breaks, and as shown in FIG. 11, the rear wall 50 is broken and the substrate is broken. The short side part eg4 side of Bd is opened. Therefore, the substrate member 41 can be removed from the substrate attachment portion 45 by pulling out the substrate member 41 in the direction of arrow C.

  Further, as the thin portion 75 is broken, a hole 81 is formed in the root portion of the rear wall 50. Therefore, for example, when the toner remaining in the toner cartridge 18 is sucked and removed from the discharge port m1 (FIG. 3) with a vacuum cleaner or the like, the hole 81 can function as an air escape path. It can be easily removed.

  When the substrate member 41 is attached to the substrate attachment portion 45, as the substrate Bd is bent, the rear wall 50 is pushed downward and stress is applied to the thin portion 75, but the thin portion 75 is broken by the stress. Never do.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the substrate Bd is bent while the substrate member 41 is advanced to attach the substrate member 41 to the substrate attachment portion 45, and the attachment of the substrate member 41 to the substrate attachment portion 45 is completed. The substrate Bd is flattened, and in this state, the substrate member 41 is restricted from moving forward, sideward, rearward, and upward, so that the substrate member 41 can be prevented from being detached from the substrate attachment portion 45. it can.

  Further, since the thin wall portion 75 is formed at the base portion of the rear wall 50 in the base wall 48, the thin wall portion 75 is broken by applying a force to the rear wall 50 when the toner cartridge 18 is used. The rear wall 50 can be broken. Therefore, the board | substrate member 41 can be easily removed from the board | substrate attachment part 45, and the operation | work for removing can be simplified. As a result, it becomes possible to simplify the operation of separating the used toner cartridges 18 that have been used.

  As the thin portion 75 is broken, the hole 81 is formed in the base portion of the rear wall 50, so that the toner remaining in the toner cartridge 18 can be easily removed.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the thin portion 75 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the rear wall 50 in a band shape in a portion other than the region behind the main body portion 65 in the rear wall 50. The hole 81 formed when the thin portion 75 is broken has substantially the same area as the bottom surface of the rear wall 50.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention in which the area of the hole formed by breaking the thin wall portion can be increased will be described. In addition, about the thing which has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is provided and the effect of the same embodiment is used about the effect of the invention by having the same structure.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view of the board mounting portion according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, 45 is a substrate mounting portion as a substrate holding portion, 48 is a base wall, 49 is a first wall 55 comprising a front wall 55 as a second wall and side walls 58 and 59 as third and fourth walls. A wall unit as an enclosure, 50 as a second enclosure consisting of a main body 65 and projections 66 and 67 and a rear wall as a first wall, 51 is a substrate support consisting of support walls 71 and 72 Reference numerals 62 and 63 denote upper end protruding walls as fifth and sixth walls.

  Reference numeral 85 denotes a thin-walled portion that surrounds the periphery of the rear wall 50 in a band shape in a portion other than the region of the rear edge of the main body 65 in the rear wall 50. And so on. Further, the thin-walled portion 85 is extended backward by a predetermined amount in the direction in which the portions 86 and 87 outside the protrusions 66 and 67 are separated from the rear wall 50 from the rear edge of the main body portion 65, in this embodiment. It is done.

  Therefore, when a force in the direction of arrow B is applied to the rear wall 50, the stress concentrates on the thin portion 85 and breaks to form a hole. In the present embodiment, since the outer portions 86 and 87 of the protrusions 66 and 67 are extended rearward from the rear edge of the main body portion 65, holes formed as the thin portion 85 is broken. The area can be increased.

  Further, since the area of the hole formed as the thin portion 85 breaks is increased, for example, the toner as the developer remaining in the toner cartridge 18 (FIG. 2) as the developer container is cleaned. When removing by suction from the discharge port m1 with a machine or the like, the toner can be removed in a short time.

  By the way, in the first and second embodiments, when a force is applied to the rear wall 50, stress concentrates on the thin wall portions 75 and 85 and breaks, and a hole 81 is formed in the base wall 48. However, when a force is applied to the rear wall 50, the stress is not concentrated on the thin portions 75 and 85, and the rear wall 50 itself may be damaged. In this case, the hole 81 cannot be formed in the base wall 48, and the hole 81 cannot function as an air escape path.

  Therefore, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in which an air escape passage can be formed even when the rear wall 50 itself is damaged. In addition, about the thing which has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is provided and the effect of the same embodiment is used about the effect of the invention by having the same structure.

  FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the main body portion of the rear wall in the third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, 48 is a base wall, 150 is a rear wall as a first wall, 165 is a main body portion of the rear wall 150, 175 is a thin wall portion, Sh is at least a main body portion 165 of the rear wall 150, It is a hollow portion formed to communicate with the inside of the base wall 48.

  In this case, when a force is applied to the rear wall 50, stress does not concentrate on the thin wall portion 175, and even if the rear wall 50 itself is damaged, a hole is formed at the damaged portion. It can function as a loophole.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the printer 10 has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

41 Substrate member 45 Substrate attachment portion 48 Base wall 50, 150 Rear wall 51 Substrate support portion 55 Front wall 58, 59 Side wall 62, 63 Upper end protrusion wall 75, 85, 175 Thin portion Sp Space

Claims (13)

(A) a substrate member;
(B) having a base wall provided with a substrate holding part for attaching the substrate member;
(C) The substrate holding portion is a first wall formed on the upstream side in the mounting direction of the substrate member, and a second wall formed on the downstream side in the mounting direction of the substrate member so as to face the first wall. Wall, the third and fourth walls formed between the first and second walls and facing each other, and inward from the upper ends of the third and fourth walls. A substrate support part that supports the substrate member, and is formed in a space surrounded by the fifth and sixth walls formed by projecting and the first to fourth walls;
(D) The board mounting mechanism, wherein a thin portion is formed at a base portion of a predetermined wall among the first to fourth walls in the base wall. (A) the first and second walls position the board member in the mounting direction and restrict the board member from moving in the mounting direction;
(B) the third and fourth walls position the board member in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction and restrict the board member from moving in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction;
(C) The substrate mounting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the fifth and sixth walls position the substrate member in the thickness direction of the substrate member and restrict the movement of the substrate member in the thickness direction.   A gap between the front end of the first wall and the rear ends of the fifth and sixth walls for inserting the front end of the substrate member between the fifth and sixth walls and the substrate support portion. The board mounting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the board mounting mechanism is formed.   The board | substrate attachment mechanism of any one of Claims 1-3 in which an inclined part is formed in the lower surface of the rear end of the said 5th, 6th wall.   The board attachment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the board member is attached to the board attachment portion while bending the board. When the distance between the lower surface of the fifth and sixth walls and the upper surface of the substrate support portion is H1, and the distance between the upper surface of the first wall and the upper surface of the substrate support portion is H2,
H2> H1
The board attachment mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein   The board mounting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the board holding portion is formed integrally with a base wall.   The board attachment mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the thin portion is formed so as to surround the first wall.   The board attachment mechanism according to claim 8, wherein the thin portion is formed by extending a predetermined amount in a direction away from the first wall.   The board mounting mechanism according to claim 8, wherein a hollow portion is formed in the first wall.   The developer container having the substrate mounting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the base wall is a housing that houses a developer therein.   An image forming unit comprising the developer container according to claim 11.   An image forming apparatus comprising the image forming unit according to claim 12.

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