JP2021173782A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To reduce the size of a hole provided in a frame body.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: a frame body 200; an electrical unit 300 that is supported on the outside of the frame body; an engaging part 30 that is provided on the electrical unit; a part to be engaged 20 that is provided in the frame body and with which the engaging part of the electrical unit is engaged; and a fixing member 40 that fixes the electrical unit to the frame body in a state in which the engaging part is engaged with the part to be engaged. The center of gravity G of the electrical unit is located on the inside of the frame body compared with the part to be engaged in a state in which the electrical unit is fixed to the frame body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a frame body to which an electrical unit is fixed.

The image forming apparatus is equipped with a printed circuit board for supplying electric power to actuators and sensors and processing various signals. The printed circuit board is fixed to the support member of the electrical unit, and the electrical unit is fixed to the support frame of the image forming apparatus for electromagnetic noise shielding, protection of the printed circuit board, and airflow formation. The electrical unit may be fixed to the bottom plate of the support frame body, but usually, it is often fixed to a support column or a side plate extending in the vertical direction of the support frame body.

However, when the electrical unit is fixed to a support column or a side plate extending in the vertical direction of the support frame, the electrical unit is constantly subjected to gravity, so that it is not easy to attach the electrical unit, which is particularly large and heavy. The operator needs to fix the electrical unit with screws while supporting it with both hands at the fixed position. The operator also needs to set a screw on the screwdriver and turn the screwdriver, but the screwdriver cannot be used when the electrical unit is supported by both hands. Therefore, the protrusions provided on the electrical unit are inserted into the holes provided in the support frame to suspend the electrical unit from the support frame. This allows the operator to use a screwdriver to secure the electrical unit to the support frame with screws.

However, by providing a hole in the frame with which the protrusion of the electrical unit is engaged, the strength of the frame at the portion where the hole is provided is reduced. Therefore, we want to make the hole size as small as possible. However, the heavier the weight of the electrical unit, the more the hook shape with sufficient strength is required, and the larger the size of the hole provided in the frame body.

Therefore, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the size of the engaged portion provided on the frame body.

The image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is
With the frame
An electrical unit supported on the outside of the frame and
With the engaging portion provided on the electrical unit,
With the engaged portion provided on the frame body and with which the engaging portion of the electrical unit is engaged,
A fixing member that fixes the electrical unit to the frame body in a state where the engaging portion is engaged with the engaged portion.
With
The center of gravity of the electrical unit is located inside the frame from the engaged portion in a state where the electrical unit is fixed to the frame.

According to the present invention, the size of the engaged portion provided on the frame body can be reduced.

Sectional view of image forming apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the electrical unit fixed to the frame body of an image forming apparatus. Explanatory drawing of the electrical equipment unit hooked on the frame body of an image forming apparatus. The figure which shows the 1st comparative example of the protrusion part provided with the claw part. The figure which shows the 2nd comparative example of the protrusion part provided with the claw part.

<Image forming device>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment is a copying machine. However, the image forming apparatus 100 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a printer, a facsimile, or a multifunction device. In the following description, the front surface (front surface, front side) of the image forming apparatus 100 is the front side of the paper surface of FIG. The back surface (rear surface, back side) of the image forming apparatus 100 is the opposite side of the front surface. The left and right sides of the image forming apparatus 100 are left and right when the image forming apparatus 100 is viewed from the front. The top and bottom of the image forming apparatus 100 are above and below in the direction of gravity. The upstream side and the downstream side are the upstream side and the downstream side in the sheet transport direction. The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a mounting portion on the back surface on which the electrical unit 300 is mounted. The mounting portion is provided on a support frame body (hereinafter, referred to as a frame body) 200, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The electrical unit 300 is fixed to a support column or a side plate extending in the vertical direction of the frame body 200.

The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with an image reading apparatus 400 for reading an image of a document and a controller (not shown). The image reading device 400 reads the image of the original and transmits the image information to the controller (not shown). Image information input via an external connection cable (not shown) is also transmitted to the controller (not shown). The controller (not shown) processes the image information and transmits the image signal to the laser scanner unit 152.

The image forming apparatus 100 is provided with a yellow image forming unit 150Y, a magenta image forming unit 150M, a cyan image forming unit 150C, and a black image forming unit 150Bk. The yellow image forming unit 150Y forms a yellow toner image. The magenta image forming unit 150M forms a magenta toner image. The cyan image forming unit 150C forms a cyan toner image. The black image forming unit 150Bk forms a black toner image. The yellow image forming unit 150Y, the magenta image forming unit 150M, the cyan image forming unit 150C, and the black image forming unit 150Bk have the same structure except for the color of the toner. Hereinafter, the yellow image forming unit 150Y will be described.

The yellow image forming unit 150Y has a photoconductor drum 151. A charger 156, a developing device 153, and a primary transfer device 154 are provided around the photoconductor drum 151. A laser scanner unit 152 is provided below the photoconductor drum 151. The charger 156 uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 151. The laser scanner unit 152 emits laser light according to an image signal to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a uniformly charged photoconductor drum 151. The developing device 153 develops an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 151 with yellow toner, and forms a yellow toner image on the surface of the photoconductor drum 151. Similarly, a magenta toner image, a cyan toner image, and a black toner image are formed on the surfaces of the photoconductor drums 151 of the magenta image forming unit 150M, the cyan image forming unit 150C, and the black image forming unit 150Bk. ..

An intermediate transfer belt 155 is provided above the photoconductor drum 151. The intermediate transfer belt 155 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The primary transfer device 154 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 155 with a predetermined pressing force, and an electrostatic load bias is applied. The primary transfer device 154 sequentially superimposes and transfers the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images formed on the photoconductor drum 151 on the intermediate transfer belt 155. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 155 and conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 140.

On the other hand, the sheets S loaded on the cassette 111 are separated and fed one by one by the feeding unit 110. The fed sheet S is conveyed to the transfer roller pair 120 arranged on the downstream side in the sheet transfer direction. The sheet S is conveyed by the transfer roller pair 120 to the sheet skew correction device 130 having the registration roller pair 131. The seat skew correction device 130 corrects the skew of the sheet S. The sheet S with the skew corrected is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 140 by the registration roller pair 131.

The full-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 155 is transferred onto the sheet S by the secondary transfer unit 140. The sheet S on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed to the fuser 160. The fuser 160 has a heat source such as an opposing roller or belt and a heater. While transporting the sheet S with the sheet S sandwiched between the opposing rollers or belts, a predetermined pressing force and heating are applied to the sheet S to melt the toner, and the toner image is fixed on the sheet S. The sheet S on which the toner image is fixed passes through the transport unit 170 after fixing, and is discharged onto the discharge tray 180 installed in the body of the image forming apparatus 100 by the discharge roller pair 171.

In the case of double-sided printing, the sheet S having an image formed on one side is conveyed to the roller pair 173 by switching the conveying direction by the switching flapper 172. The roller pair 173 puts out the tip end portion of the sheet S above the discharge tray 180, but when the rear end portion of the sheet S reaches a predetermined position, it reverses and conveys the sheet S to the inversion transport device 190. The sheet S is transported to the registration roller pair 131 by the transport roller pair 120. The registration roller pair 131 conveys the sheet S to the secondary transfer unit 140 at a predetermined timing. As a result, the toner image is transferred to the other surface opposite to one surface of the sheet S. After that, the sheet S passes through the fuser 160 and is discharged to the discharge tray 180.

<Installation of electrical unit>
Next, mounting the electrical unit 300 on the frame body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an electrical unit 300 fixed to the frame body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the frame body 200 to which the electrical unit 300 is fixed as viewed from the back side of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the hooking portion 10 of the electrical unit 300 and the frame body 200. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the hooking portion 10 of the electrical unit 300 and the frame body 200 and the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300. FIG. 2 (d) is an enlarged view of the partial IID surrounded by the thick square line of FIG. 2 (c). The electrical unit 300 is supported on the outside of the frame body 200.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the electrical unit 300 hooked on the frame body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 3 shows that when the electrical unit 300 is mounted on the frame 200 of the image forming apparatus 100, the operator inserts the protrusion (engagement portion) 30 of the electrical unit 300 into the hole (engaged portion) 20 of the frame 200. It is shown that the support force by the operator's hand etc. is removed by hooking on. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the frame body 200 on which the electrical unit 300 is hooked, as viewed from the back side of the image forming apparatus 100. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the hooking portion 10 of the electrical unit 300 and the frame body 200. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view showing the positions of the hooking portion 10 of the electrical unit 300 and the frame body 200 and the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300. FIG. 3 (d) is an enlarged view of a portion IIID surrounded by a thick square line in FIG. 3 (c).

2 (a), 2 (b), and 2 (c) show a state in which the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the back side of the frame body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 by screws (fixing members) 40. There is. 3 (a), 3 (b), and 3 (c) show a state before the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the back side of the frame body 200 of the image forming apparatus 100 by the screws 40. The protrusion 30 of the electrical unit 300 is hooked on the hole 20 of the frame body 200, and the electrical unit 300 hangs from the frame body 200. The protrusions 30 are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper portion of the electrical unit 300. In this embodiment, two protrusions 30 are provided, but the number of protrusions 30 is not limited to this. The number of protrusions 30 may be one, or three or more may be provided.

The electrical unit 300 is provided with a support plate 36 provided with a screw hole 35 through which the screw 40 is passed. The protrusion 30 extends from the support plate 36 toward the front side (inside of the frame body 200). The protrusion 30 has a convex shape. The protrusion 30 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support plate 36. As shown in FIG. 2D, the length L of the protrusion 30 is larger than the thickness TH of the sheet metal forming the frame body 200. The protrusion 30 is formed by bending an extending portion integrally formed at one end of the support plate 36. The protrusion 30 may be formed separately from the support plate 36 and may be fixed to the support plate 36 by a fixing member. The protrusion 30 is not provided with a claw portion (locking portion) that abuts (locks) the front side surface (inner side surface) 200a of the frame body 200. The protrusion 30 extends forward from the support plate 36 with substantially the same width W. The protrusion 30 may have a tapered shape toward the front side. The hole 20 of the frame body 200 is a rectangular through hole that is long in the horizontal direction, but the hole 20 may be a portion having an opening or a concave shape.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is on the front side of the hooking portion 10 in the front-back direction in a state where the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the frame body 200 by the screws 40. That is, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is located inside the frame body 200 with respect to the position of the hole 20 provided in the frame body 200. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3C, when the operator releases the hand while the protrusion 30 of the electrical unit 300 is hooked on the hole 20 of the frame body 200, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 moves in the front-back direction. The weight is balanced at a position that coincides with the position of the hooking portion 10 in the above. That is, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is located directly below the hooking portion 10. Since the protrusion 30 of the electrical unit 300 extends to the front side in a direction substantially perpendicular to the support plate 36, the protrusion 30 extends to the front side, that is, to the hole 20 of the frame body 200 due to the weight of the electrical unit 300. Head toward the side to insert more. Even if the electrical unit 300 loses its balance and moves to the back side in the front-back direction, the protrusion 30 does not come off the hole 20 and the electrical unit 300 does not fall downward.

The operator pushes the electrical unit 300 toward the inside of the frame 200 and turns the electrical unit 300 toward the inside of the frame 200 around the hooking portion 10. After that, the electrical unit 300 can be fixed to the frame body 200 with the screws 40.

On the other hand, unlike the present embodiment, it is assumed that the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is located behind the hooking portion 10 in the front-back direction in a state where the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the frame body 200 by the screws 40. In that case, when the operator releases the protrusion 30 while the protrusion 30 is hooked on the hole 20 before fixing the electrical unit 300 to the frame body 200 by the screw 40, the protrusion 30 is affected by the weight of the electrical unit 300. From the hole 20, head toward the back side, that is, the side through which it comes out. Since the protrusion 30 is not provided with a claw portion that abuts on the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200, the electrical unit 300 loses its balance and moves forward in the front-back direction, and the protrusion 30 comes off from the hole 20. The electrical unit 300 may fall downward. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as described above, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is located in front of the hooking portion 10 in the front-back direction in a state where the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the frame body 200 by the screws 40. It is configured.

By the way, the protrusion 30 is provided with a claw portion that abuts on the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200 so that the electrical unit 300 loses its balance and moves toward the back side in the front-back direction so that the protrusion 30 does not come off from the hole 20. Is possible. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first comparative example of the protrusion 31 provided with the claws 31a and 31b. The protrusion 31 of the first comparative example is provided with claws 31a and 31b extending horizontally to the left and right at the tip of the protrusion 31. The frame body 200 is provided with a hole 21 as an engaged portion that engages with the protrusion 31 of the first comparative example. The hole 21 has a clove shape. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the protrusion 31 that engages with the hole 21. FIG. 4B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the hole 21. The hole 21 has a horizontally wide portion so that the protrusion 31 provided with the claw portions 31a and 31b extending in the horizontal direction can be inserted into the hole 21. As shown in FIG. 4B, the claw portions 31a and 31b provided on the protrusion 31 can come into contact with the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200 when the protrusion 31 is inserted into the hole 21. As a result, even if the electrical unit 300 loses its balance and moves to the back side in the front-back direction, the claws 31a and 31b come into contact with the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200, so that the protrusion 31 does not come off from the hole 21.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second comparative example of the protrusion 32 provided with the claw portion 32a. The protrusion 32 of the second comparative example is provided with a claw portion 32a extending downward at the tip of the protrusion 32. The frame body 200 is provided with a hole 22 as an engaged portion that engages with the protrusion 32 of the second comparative example. The hole 22 has an elongated rectangular shape in a vertical manner. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the protrusion 32 that engages with the hole 22. FIG. 5B is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the hole 22. As shown in FIG. 5A, the hole 22 has an elongated shape in the vertical direction so that the protrusion 32 provided with the claw portion 32a extending downward can be inserted into the hole 22. The claw portion 32a provided on the protrusion 32 can come into contact with the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200 when the protrusion 32 is inserted into the hole 22. As a result, even if the electrical unit 300 loses its balance and moves to the back side in the front-back direction, the claw portion 32a comes into contact with the front side surface 200a of the frame body 200, so that the protrusion portion 32 does not come off from the hole 22.

However, the hole 21 of the first comparative example has a horizontally wide portion so that the protrusion 31 provided with the claw portions 31a and 31b can be inserted into the hole 21. The hole 22 of the second comparative example has a vertically long portion so that the protrusion 32 provided with the claw portion 32a can be inserted into the hole 22. Therefore, in the first comparative example and the second comparative example, the strength of the frame body 200 provided with the holes 21 and 22 having large dimensions is lowered. In the first comparative example and the second comparative example, it is necessary to further increase the size of the frame body 200 in order to maintain the strength of the frame body 200.

On the other hand, since the protrusion 30 of this embodiment is not provided with the claw portion, the shape of the hole 20 provided in the frame body 200 can be simplified and the opening area of the hole 20 can be reduced. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the strength of the frame body 200 can be made stronger than that of the first comparative example and the second comparative example. According to this embodiment, it is not necessary to further increase the size of the frame body 200.

According to this embodiment, when the electrical unit 300 is fixed to the frame body 200, the center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is located in front of the hooking portion 10. Therefore, even if the operator releases the hooked portion 30 of the electrical unit 300 in the hole 20 of the frame body 200 before fixing the electrical unit 300 to the frame body 200, the electrical unit 300 hooks the hooked portion 10. It turns to the back side (outside of the frame body 200) in the center. The center of gravity G of the electrical unit 300 is weight-balanced at a position corresponding to the position of the hooking portion 10 in the front-back direction, and the protrusion 30 is directed toward the side to be inserted through the hole 20 due to the weight of the electrical unit 300. Therefore, even if the operator releases his / her hand while the protrusion 30 of the electrical unit 300 is hooked in the hole 20 of the frame body 200, the electrical unit 300 does not fall downward. Further, the shape of the protrusion 30 of the electrical unit 300 can be simple and miniaturized, and the hole 20 of the frame body 200 does not need to be enlarged, so that the strength of the frame body 200 can be obtained accordingly. It is not necessary to increase the size of the frame body 200 in order to obtain the strength of the frame body 200.

According to this embodiment, the size of the hole 20 provided in the frame body 200 can be reduced.

20 ... Hole 30 ... Protrusion 40 ... Screw 100 ... Image forming device 200 ... Frame 300 ... Electrical unit G ... Center of gravity

Claims (6)

With the frame
An electrical unit supported on the outside of the frame and
With the engaging portion provided on the electrical unit,
With the engaged portion provided on the frame body and with which the engaging portion of the electrical unit is engaged,
A fixing member that fixes the electrical unit to the frame body in a state where the engaging portion is engaged with the engaged portion.
With
An image forming apparatus, characterized in that the center of gravity of the electrical unit is located inside the frame from the engaged portion in a state where the electrical unit is fixed to the frame. The engaging portion has a convex shape and has a convex shape.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engaged portion has a hole or a concave shape. The electrical unit has a support plate and
The engagement portion according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the engaging portion is a protrusion formed by vertically bending the extending portion of the support plate from the support plate toward the inside of the frame body. Image forming device. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the engaging portion is not provided with a claw portion that abuts on the inner surface surface of the frame body. The first aspect of the present invention is that when the fixing member is removed, the electrical unit rotates toward the outside of the frame around a portion where the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 4 to 4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fixing member is a screw.

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