JP2018066794A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that ensures rigidity of an outer cover attached to an image forming apparatus body without increasing the cost and weight of the outer cover, and simply and efficiently reduces a trouble that a radio wave noise generated from an image reading part or an electrical part leaks to the outside.SOLUTION: An electrical part storage part 50 formed with a metallic material in substantially a box shape and grounded is installed in the vicinity of a lateral face of an image forming apparatus body 1. An outer cover 31 is installed on the lateral face of the image forming apparatus body 1 to cover at least the electrical part storage part 50. A metal member 60 is provided so as to extend to be electrically connected to the electrical part storage part 50 and a housing 40 of an image reading part 4, and formed to have an end at the rear face of the outer cover 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile, or a complex machine or a printing machine thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, an image reading unit (scanner) that reads an image of a document is widely known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
In such an image forming apparatus, it is known that the image reading unit is a source of radio noise.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, a sheet metal member is formed on a back surface portion of an exterior cover facing the electronic substrate for the purpose of preventing radio noise generated from the electronic substrate (electrical component) from leaking outside the image forming apparatus. Techniques for installing the are disclosed.

A conventional image forming apparatus cannot easily and efficiently reduce a problem that radio noise generated from an image reading unit or an electrical component leaks to the outside. As a result, the overall cost of the image forming apparatus has increased.
In addition, the conventional image forming apparatus increases the cost of the exterior cover by, for example, forming a large number of ribs on the back surface of the exterior cover in order to ensure the rigidity of the exterior cover attached to the image forming apparatus main body.・ Weighted up.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the rigidity of the exterior cover that is attached to the image forming apparatus main body is ensured without increasing the cost and weight of the exterior cover. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily and efficiently reduce a problem that radio noise generated from an image reading unit or an electrical component leaks to the outside.

  The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a main body structure in which various members are held in the main body of the image forming apparatus, an image reading unit that is installed on the upper part of the main body of the image forming apparatus and reads image information of a document, and the image An electrical component storage unit installed in the vicinity of the side surface of the forming apparatus body, formed in a substantially box shape with a metal material so as to store various electrical components therein, and grounded directly or indirectly; An exterior cover installed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body so as to cover the electrical component storage unit, and extended so as to be electrically connected to the electrical component storage unit and the housing of the image reading unit And a metal member formed so as to abut against the back surface of the exterior cover.

  According to the present invention, the rigidity of the exterior cover attached to the image forming apparatus main body is ensured without increasing the cost and weight of the exterior cover, and radio wave noise generated from the image reading unit and the electrical component is externally generated. Therefore, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus that can easily and efficiently reduce inconveniences leaking into the image forming apparatus.

1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view illustrating an appearance of the image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view illustrating the image forming apparatus in a state where an exterior cover is removed. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of an image forming apparatus. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the vicinity of a metal member in a horizontal direction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part which is the same or it corresponds, The duplication description is simplified or abbreviate | omitted suitably.

First, the overall configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus will be described.
1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a color copier as an image forming apparatus, and 3 denotes a document which is transported to an image reading unit 4 and is discharged to a document discharge unit 3b after being set on a document setting unit 3a (document table). A conveyance part is shown.
Reference numeral 4 denotes an image reading unit (scanner) for reading image information of an original, and 5 denotes a recording medium P on which an image has been formed is discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 and placed on the discharge surface 5a (stack). An in-cylinder paper discharge unit (in-cylinder opening unit), and 6 a writing unit (exposure unit) that emits laser light based on input image information.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a paper feeding unit (paper feeding cassette) in which a recording medium P such as transfer paper is accommodated, 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10BK are image forming units corresponding to respective colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, black), 17 Denotes an intermediate transfer belt on which toner images of a plurality of colors are transferred in an overlapping manner, and 18 denotes a secondary transfer roller for transferring the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 17 to the recording medium P.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a fixing unit for fixing an unfixed image on the recording medium P, and 28 denotes a toner container for supplying toner of each color to the developing units of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10BK.

As shown in FIG. 1, the four image forming units 10 </ b> Y, 10 </ b> M, 10 </ b> C, and 10 </ b> BK are arranged in parallel in the image forming apparatus main body 1 so as to face the intermediate transfer belt 17. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 17 is configured to travel in a predetermined direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 1 and the counterclockwise direction) by a drive mechanism.
The in-body discharge unit 5 is formed such that at least a part of the front surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is opened, and the recording medium P discharged from the image forming apparatus main body 1 is placed thereon. It is. Below the in-body discharge unit 5, there are known image forming units 10 Y, 10 M, 10 C, 10 BK, an intermediate transfer belt 17, a writing unit 6, a sheet feeding unit 7, a fixing unit 20, and the like. An image forming unit is provided. Also, a known image reading unit 4 and document conveying unit 3 are provided above the in-body discharge unit 5.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, an operation during normal color image formation in the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
First, when the document set on the document setting unit 3a (document table) is fed into the document transport unit 3 by the feed roller, it is transported by the transport roller and is placed on the contact glass of the image reading unit 4. Placed. Then, the image reading unit 4 optically reads the image information of the document placed on the contact glass.
Specifically, the image reading unit 4 scans an image of a document on the contact glass while irradiating light emitted from an illumination lamp. Then, the light reflected from the original is imaged on the color sensor via the mirror group and the lens. The color image information of the original is read for each color separation light of RGB (red, green, blue) by the color sensor, and then converted into an electrical image signal. Further, color conversion processing, color correction processing, spatial frequency correction processing, and the like are performed by the image processing unit based on the RGB color separation image signals to obtain yellow, magenta, cyan, and black color image information.
Thereafter, the document after the image information is read at the position of the image reading unit 4 is transported by a transport roller, discharged from the discharge port of the document transport unit 3, and placed on the discharge surface of the document discharge unit 3b. (Stacked).

  On the other hand, image information of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black read by the image reading unit 4 is transmitted to the writing unit 6. Then, laser light (exposure light) based on the image information of each color is irradiated from the writing unit 6 toward the photosensitive drums 11 of the corresponding image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10BK.

On the other hand, the photosensitive drums 11 of the image forming units 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10B are rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged at a position facing the charging roller (a charging step). Thus, a charged potential is formed on the photosensitive drum 11. Thereafter, the surface of the charged photosensitive drum 11 reaches the irradiation position of each laser beam.
In the writing unit 6, laser light corresponding to the image signal is emitted from the light source corresponding to each color. The laser light is incident on the polygon mirror and reflected, and then passes through a plurality of lenses. The laser light after passing through the plurality of lenses passes through different optical paths for each of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black color components (this is an exposure process).

  The laser beam corresponding to the yellow component is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 of the first image forming unit 10Y from the left side of the drawing. At this time, the yellow component laser light is scanned in the rotation axis direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 11 by a polygon mirror that rotates at high speed. Thus, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the yellow component is formed on the photosensitive drum 11 after being charged by the charging roller.

  Similarly, the magenta component laser beam is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 of the second image forming unit 10M from the left side of the drawing, thereby forming a magenta component electrostatic latent image. The laser beam corresponding to the cyan component is applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 of the third image forming unit 10C from the left side of the paper, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the cyan component is formed. The black component laser light is applied to the surface of the photoconductive drum 11 of the fourth image forming unit 10BK from the left side of the drawing, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image of the black component.

Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 on which the electrostatic latent images of the respective colors are formed reaches a position facing the developing unit. Then, each color toner is supplied from each developing unit onto the photosensitive drum 11, and the latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 is developed (this is a developing step).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the development process reaches a position facing the intermediate transfer belt 17. Here, the primary transfer roller 14 is installed at each facing position so as to contact the inner peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17. Then, at the position of the primary transfer roller 14, the toner images of the respective colors formed on the photosensitive drum 11 are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 17 (first transfer process).

Then, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 after the first transfer step reaches a position facing the cleaning unit. Then, the untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 is collected by the cleaning unit (cleaning process).
Thereafter, the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 passes through the position of the static eliminating unit, and a series of image forming processes on the photosensitive drum 11 is completed.

On the other hand, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 onto which the images of the respective colors on the photosensitive drum 11 have been transferred are run in the direction of the arrow in the drawing and reach the position of the secondary transfer roller 18. Then, the full color image on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is secondarily transferred onto the recording medium P at the position of the secondary transfer roller 18 (second transfer step).
Thereafter, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 17 reaches the position of the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit. The untransferred toner on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is collected by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit, and a series of transfer processes on the intermediate transfer belt 17 is completed.

Here, the recording medium P conveyed to the position of the secondary transfer roller 18 is conveyed from the paper supply unit 7 via the conveyance guide, the registration roller 19 and the like.
Specifically, the recording medium P fed by the paper feeding roller 8 from the paper feeding unit 7 that stores the recording medium P is guided to the registration roller 19 (timing roller) after passing through the conveyance guide. The recording medium P that has reached the registration roller 19 is conveyed toward the position of the secondary transfer roller 18 in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 17.

Thereafter, the recording medium P on which the full-color image is transferred is guided to the fixing unit 20. In the fixing unit 20, the color image is fixed on the recording medium P at the nip between the fixing roller and the pressure roller.
The recording medium P after the fixing process is discharged as an output image outside the apparatus by the discharge roller 29, and then stacked on the discharge surface 5a of the in-body discharge unit 5, completing a series of image forming processes. To do.

Hereinafter, the characteristic configuration and operation of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.
As described above with reference to FIG. 1, the image reading unit 4 (scanner) that reads the image information of the document is installed on the upper portion of the image forming apparatus main body 1.
2 and 3, the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a main body structure 100, an electrical component storage unit 50 (electrical box), exterior covers 31 and 32, and the like. is set up.

  The main body structure 100 holds various members (each module of the image forming unit, the image reading unit 4, the document conveying unit 3, and the like) in the image forming apparatus main body 1. The main body structure 100 is formed by joining members such as columns, stays, face plates, and the like made of a metal material, such as welding, bolts and screws, like a known material, It functions as a framework of the forming apparatus 1. The periphery of the main body structure 100 is covered with a plurality of exterior covers so as not to be exposed to the outside.

The electrical component storage unit 50 (electrical component box) is formed in a substantially box shape with a metal material so as to store various electrical components 51 therein, and is directly or indirectly grounded (grounded). As the electrical component 51 built in the electrical component storage unit 50, a controller substrate for operating various members in the image forming apparatus 1, an engine substrate for processing image information, and the like, as well-known ones. is there.
The electrical component 51 (particularly a controller board) is a source of radio noise. In the present embodiment, since the electrical component 51 is accommodated in the electrical component storage unit 50 formed of a metal material, leakage of radio noise generated from the electrical component 51 to the outside is surely reduced. become. In order to further ensure such an effect, the electrical component storage unit 50 is either directly grounded or indirectly grounded via the main body structure 100.

Here, referring to FIG. 2B and the like, in the present embodiment, electrical component storage section 50 is on the side surface of image forming apparatus main body 1 (the right side as viewed from the front of image forming apparatus 1). It is installed in the vicinity. Thereby, the maintainability of the electrical component storage unit 50 (electrical component 51) is improved. That is, maintenance of the electrical component storage unit 50 (electrical component 51) is performed by removing the exterior cover 31 (first exterior cover) installed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1 and exposing the electrical component storage unit 50. be able to.
In the present application, the “side surface of the image forming apparatus body” is defined to include not only the right side surface and the left side surface of the image forming apparatus body but also the front surface and the back surface of the image forming apparatus body.

Of the plurality of exterior covers, the exterior cover 31 (first exterior cover) installed on the side surface (right side surface) of the image forming apparatus main body 1 is configured to cover at least the electrical component storage unit 50.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, the exterior cover 31 (first exterior cover) is made of a resin material and is formed so as to cover the side surface of the image reading unit 4. Thereby, although the exterior cover 31 is increased in size, the exterior cover 31 is lighter than the case of being formed of a metal material, and the portion opened by the removal is widened, so that workability during maintenance is improved. Referring to FIG. 2A and the like, the exterior cover 31 is screwed and fixed to the image forming apparatus main body 1 (main body structure 100) by a plurality of screws 90 arranged around the outer cover 31.
In the present embodiment, a second exterior cover 32 is provided below the right side surface (first exterior cover 31) of the image forming apparatus main body 1.

2 to 4, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the metal member 60 includes an electrical component storage unit 50 and a housing 40 (formed of a metal material) of the image reading unit 4. And extended to be electrically connected.
Specifically, the metal member 60 is a plate-shaped member (sheet metal) that is formed into a substantially U-shape (substantially U-shaped) by being bent, and is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction. Yes. The metal member 60 relays between the housing 40 of the image reading unit 4 located above the image forming apparatus 1 and the electrical component storage unit 50 installed at a position away from the image reading unit 4 downward. It is installed to do. The metal member 60 is configured to be screw-fastened to the electrical component storage unit 50 and the image reading unit 4 (housing 40) by screws 91 so as to come into surface contact.
In this way, by configuring the image reading unit 4 (housing 40) to be electrically connected to the electrical component storage unit 50 via the plate-shaped metal member 60, the image reading unit 4 (housing 40) is electrically connected via a ground wire or a leaf spring. Compared to the case of the above configuration, the image reading unit 4 (housing 40) can be reliably and stably grounded together with the electrical component storage unit 50. That is, the metal member 60 functions as a conducting member (ground relay member) for securing a strong grounding property. Therefore, it is possible to easily and efficiently reduce a problem that radio wave noise generated from the image reading unit 4 and the electrical component 51 leaks to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1.

Furthermore, the metal member 60 in the present embodiment is formed to abut against the back surface of the exterior cover 31. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2A, 3, and 4, when the exterior cover 31 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1, the metal member 60 contacts the back surface of the exterior cover 31 (or , Facing the back surface of the exterior cover 31 by forming a minute gap).
As a result, the exterior cover 31 is supported by the metal member 60 in a state of being mounted on the image forming apparatus main body 1 without increasing the rigidity of the cover itself by forming a large number of ribs on the back surface thereof. The rigidity of the exterior cover 31 can be increased. That is, the metal member 60 functions as a reinforcing member for the exterior cover 31, and the rigidity of the exterior cover 31 in a state where the exterior cover 31 is attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1 is increased without increasing the cost and weight. Can be secured.
In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the metal member 60 is formed in a substantially U shape, so that the mechanical strength of the metal member 60 itself is higher than that in the case where the metal member 60 is formed in a planar shape. The function as the reinforcing member described above can be further improved.
Furthermore, since the rigidity of the exterior cover 31 is ensured as described above, a problem that the exterior cover 31 is deformed due to an external force applied to the exterior cover 31 is reduced, and the texture of the exterior cover 31 is also improved.

Here, with reference to FIG. 2B, the metal member 60 is disposed at the center in the width direction of the side surface (right side surface) of the image forming apparatus main body 1. That is, in the image forming apparatus main body 1, the metal member 60 is disposed together with the electrical component storage unit 50 in the approximate center in the Y direction (width direction) of the coordinates shown in FIG.
As a result, the outer cover 31 is supported by the metal member 60 in a balanced manner in the center in the width direction, so that the outer cover as described above is compared to the case where the metal member is disposed at the end in the width direction. The effect of increasing the rigidity of 31 (the effect of reducing deformation) is more reliably exhibited.
In the present embodiment, since the metal member 60 is disposed in a relatively wide range in the vertical direction including the position corresponding to the center portion in the height direction of the exterior cover 31, the above-described effects are obtained. It will be demonstrated more reliably.

In the present embodiment, the image reading unit 4, the electrical component storage unit 50, and the metal member 60 are held by the main body structure 100.
Specifically, the image reading unit 4 is fixed and held by screw fastening so as to be sandwiched between the front side plate and the rear side plate in the main body structure 100. In addition, the electrical component storage unit 50 is fixedly held by screw fastening in a state where the electrical component storage unit 50 is placed on the horizontal plate in the main body structure 100 and abuts against a vertical plate that stands up from the horizontal plate. Further, the metal member 60 is held by the image reading unit 4 and the electrical component storage unit 50 that are directly held by the main body structure 100 and indirectly held by the main body structure 100. Yes.
With this configuration, since the main body structure 100 is positively grounded, the grounding properties of the image reading unit 4, the electrical component storage unit 50, and the metal member 60 are also improved.

Referring to FIG. 2B, in the present embodiment, metal member 60 is detachably installed on image forming apparatus main body 1 with exterior cover 31 removed.
That is, the metal member 60 is a separate body (separate part) from the main body structure 100, the image reading unit 4, and the electrical component storage unit 50, and the screw 91 is removed in a state where the exterior cover 31 is removed. Thus, the image forming apparatus main body 1 is configured so that it can be easily attached and detached alone.
Thereby, even when the metal member 60 that functions as both the conductive member and the reinforcing member is provided, the assemblability and the maintainability of the image forming apparatus 1 are hardly deteriorated.

Referring to FIGS. 2A, 3, and 4, image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image reading unit 4 and an electrical component 51 accommodated in electrical component storage unit 50. A harness 70 for exchanging electricity and signals is provided. That is, the harness 70 is connected so as to relay between the electrical component in the image reading unit 4 and the electrical component 51 in the electrical component storage unit 50.
Such a harness 70 has a lot of exchanges of electricity and communication, and becomes a source of radio noise like the image reading unit 4 and the electrical component 51. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the harness 70 is disposed so as to face the exterior cover 31 with the metal member 60 interposed therebetween, radio wave noise generated in the harness 70 is generated by the image forming apparatus 1 (the exterior cover 31). ) Is difficult to leak outside. Specifically, the harness 70 is configured not to protrude from the facing surface of the metal member 60 (the facing surface facing the exterior cover 31) when projected from the exterior cover 31 side.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the metal member 60 is formed in a substantially U shape so as to cover the harness 70 without exposing the harness 70 when viewed from the exterior cover 31 side. Yes. Specifically, the standing parts at both ends of the metal member 60 formed in a substantially U-shape are formed such that the length in the standing direction is larger than the wire diameter (outer diameter) of the harness 70. . And the harness 70 is arrange | positioned so that the recessed part of the substantially U-shaped metal member 60 may enter.
Thereby, the effect that the radio wave noise generated in the harness 70 is less likely to leak to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 (exterior cover 31) is more reliably exhibited.

4 and the like, in the present embodiment, the metal member 60 is provided with a clamp 65 for fixing the harness 70 to the metal member 60.
Specifically, the clamp 65 has a fitting portion 65 a formed in the same manner as a known one, and the clamp 65 is clamped to the metal member 60 by closely fitting the fitting portion 65 a to the hole of the metal member 60. 65 is fixed. Then, by holding the harness 70 in the main part of the clamp 65, the position of the harness 70 is determined without the position of the metal member 60 varying.
Thereby, since the malfunction which the harness 70 protrudes from the substantially U-shaped metal member 60 can be prevented reliably, the radio noise generated in the harness 70 is less likely to leak to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1 (exterior cover 31). It will surely be demonstrated.
In addition, it is preferable to optimize the position and number of the clamps 65 installed on the metal member 60 in accordance with the length of the metal member 60 (harness 70) in consideration of the function of the clamp 65 described above.
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the back surface of the exterior cover 31 is provided with a recess (a relief portion) for avoiding interference with the fitting portion 65 a of the clamp 65 and the screw 91. It has been. Thereby, the fitting part 65a and the screw | thread 91 can prevent the malfunction which affects the abutting with the metal member 60 and the exterior cover 31 mentioned above.

As described above, in the image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the electrical component storage unit 50 formed in a substantially box shape and grounded with a metal material is installed in the vicinity of the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1. Yes. The exterior cover 31 is installed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body 1 so as to cover at least the electrical component storage unit 50. The metal member 60 extends so as to be electrically connected to the electrical component storage unit 50 and the housing 40 of the image reading unit 4, and is formed to abut against the back surface of the exterior cover 31. .
Thereby, the rigidity of the exterior cover 31 attached to the image forming apparatus main body 1 is ensured without increasing the cost and weight of the exterior cover 31, and radio wave noise generated from the image reading unit 4 and the electrical component 51 is secured. Can be easily and efficiently reduced.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and it is obvious that the present embodiment can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, other than suggested in the present embodiment. is there. In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the constituent members are not limited to the present embodiment, and the number, position, shape, and the like suitable for implementing the present invention can be achieved.

1 image forming apparatus (image forming apparatus main body),
4 Image reading unit (scanner),
31 exterior cover (first exterior cover),
32 second exterior cover,
40 housing (the housing of the image reading unit),
50 Electrical component storage (electrical box),
51 Electrical components,
60 metal parts,
65 clamps,
65a fitting part,
70 Harness (cable),
90, 91 screws,
100 Body structure.

JP2015-132831A JP 9-270877 A JP-A-2005-84497

Claims (8)

A main body structure in which various members are held in the image forming apparatus main body;
An image reading unit installed on an upper portion of the image forming apparatus body for reading image information of a document;
An electrical component storage unit installed in the vicinity of the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body, formed in a substantially box shape with a metal material so as to store various electrical components therein, and directly or indirectly grounded; ,
An exterior cover installed on the side surface of the image forming apparatus main body so as to cover at least the electrical component storage unit;
A metal member that is extended so as to be electrically connected to the electrical component storage unit and the housing of the image reading unit, and is formed so as to abut against the back surface of the exterior cover;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A harness for exchanging electricity or / and signals between the image reading unit and the electrical component stored in the electrical component storage unit;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the harness is disposed to face the exterior cover with the metal member interposed therebetween.   The said metal member is a plate-shaped member formed in the substantially U shape so that the said harness might be covered without seeing the said harness seeing from the said exterior cover side. Image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the metal member is provided with a clamp for fixing the harness to the metal member.   5. The metal member according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is disposed at a central portion in a width direction of the side surface of the main body of the image forming apparatus and extends in the vertical direction. The image forming apparatus described.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exterior cover is formed of a resin material so as to cover a side surface of the image reading unit.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit, the electrical component storage unit, and the metal member are respectively held by the main body structure.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the metal member is detachably installed on the main body of the image forming apparatus with the outer cover removed.

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