JP2023060748A - Image formation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image formation device which can stably ground a connector without generating a conduction failure in a ground path of a connector.SOLUTION: An image formation device 1 includes an image formation part 5 for forming an image on a sheet S, a USB connector 71 connected to an external device, a holding member 72 which is formed of a resin member and holds the USB connector 71, and a ground plate 73 which is formed of a metal member and has a plane part 731 brought into contact with the holding member 72, wherein the ground plate 73 has a contact part 732 which is formed by bending a metal plate extending from the plane part 731, has elasticity, and is brought into contact with a touch part 711a on the surface of the USB connector 71.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, image forming apparatuses are provided with various interfaces for establishing communication with the outside and connection with attached devices. For example, a connector for connecting a USB cable and a connector for connecting a LAN (Local Area Network) cable for network connection are provided as interfaces. Each connector is arranged inside the image forming apparatus and mounted on a board on which a control circuit and the like are configured. Therefore, in order to prevent troubles and failures of the image forming apparatus, it is necessary to prevent static electricity from entering the board from the connector.

In the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200012, a connector cover portion is provided to cover the connector in order to protect the connector from static electricity. By covering the connector with the connector cover portion, electrostatic breakdown of electrical components connected to the connector is suppressed.

JP 2021-128891 A

However, since the connector cover part needs to cover the connector, a certain size is required, which leads to an increase in size and cost of the device. Another commonly known method for protecting a connector from static electricity is to solder a grounding member to the connector and ground the connector through the grounding member. However, in the configuration in which the grounding member is soldered to the connector, there is a risk that the solder will peel off due to deterioration over time, resulting in poor continuity in the grounding path.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus in which the connector can be stably grounded while suppressing an increase in the size and cost of the apparatus without causing defective conduction in the grounding path of the connector.

An image forming apparatus that solves the above problems has the following features.

That is, the image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a connector that is connected to an external device, a holding member that is formed of a resin member and holds the connector, and a holding member that is formed of a metal member and holds the connector. an earth plate having a flat portion that contacts the member, the earth plate being formed by bending a metal plate extending from the flat portion, having elasticity, and having a contact portion that contacts the surface of the connector. have

As a result, it is possible to stably ground the connector while suppressing an increase in the size and cost of the device without causing a conduction failure in the grounding path such as solder peeling.

Further, a holder is provided which holds the holding member and the earth plate and has a positioning portion for positioning the holding member and the earth plate.

As a result, the holding member and the earth plate are held by the common holder and positioned by the common positioning portion, so that they can be positioned with relatively high accuracy. stable contact.

The holding member and the ground plate are held by the holder while being stacked in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the connector. The earth plate has a first through hole penetrating therethrough, and the ground plate has a second through hole which penetrates in the stacking direction and is provided at a position overlapping with the first through hole in a width direction perpendicular to the stacking direction and the connection direction. A hole is provided, and the positioning part is a projection that engages with the first through hole and the second through hole.

As a result, the holding member and the earth plate are positioned by engaging the common protruding positioning portion with the first through-hole of the earth plate and the second through-hole of the holding member, thereby improving the positioning accuracy. can be improved.

Also, the holding member and the earth plate are fixed to the holder by a common fastening member.

Thereby, the relative positional accuracy between the holding member and the earth plate can be improved. Furthermore, the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where the holding member and the ground plate are fixed to the holder by separate members.

Also, two fastening members are provided along the width direction orthogonal to the connection direction of the connector, and the contact portion of the ground plate is positioned between the two fastening members in the width direction.

As a result, a force is applied to the contact portion from both sides in the width direction in such a direction that the contact portion and the connector come into contact with each other, so that the contact state between the contact portion and the connector can be improved.

The holding member includes an insertion portion formed in a cylindrical shape and through which the connector is inserted, and a notch portion in which a portion of the insertion portion is cut away to expose a contact portion with the contact portion of the connector. and

As a result, the portion inserted into the insertion portion of the connector is exposed by the notch portion, and the contact portion of the earth plate can be brought into contact with the exposed portion, so that the contact portion of the earth plate and the connector can be stably contacted. be able to.

Further, the holding member and the ground plate are laminated in a direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the connector, and the insertion portion of the holding member is formed with the one surface in which the notch portion is formed, and the lamination plate. It has the one surface and the other surface facing in the direction, and the other surface has a support portion that supports the connector at a position facing the notch portion.

As a result, the force applied to the connector from the contact portion of the ground plate can be received by the support portion, and deformation of the connector pressed by the contact portion can be suppressed.

Further, the connector has a holding portion that protrudes from the insertion portion and holds a cable connected to the connector, and the holding portion is elastically deformable and contacts the cable connected to the connector. It has an elastic portion, and a contact portion of the connector with the contact portion is located closer to the insertion portion than the elastic portion in the connection direction of the connector.

As a result, the contact portion of the ground plate does not come into contact with the elastic portion of the connector, so that the contact portion and the connector can be brought into contact with each other more stably.

Further, the ground plate has a protruding portion that protrudes farther from the insertion portion than the holding portion of the connector in the connection direction of the connector.

As a result, static electricity generated outside the device can be guided to the projecting portion of the ground plate before reaching the connector, and static electricity can be prevented from entering the board through the connector.

Further, the holding member has an engaging portion that engages the earth plate in a contact direction between the contact portion of the earth plate and the connector.

As a result, the earth plate can be temporarily fixed to the holding member while the contact portion of the earth plate and the connector are in contact with each other.

Also, the connector is a USB connector to which a USB cable is connected.

Thereby, the USB device can be connected to the image forming apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably ground the connector while suppressing an increase in the size and cost of the device without causing a conduction failure in the grounding path such as solder peeling.

1 is a central sectional view showing an image forming apparatus; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus; FIG. It is a side view which shows a USB connector. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a holding member and an earth plate held by a holder; FIG. 4 is a side view showing a holding member and an earth plate held by a holder; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 5; (a) is a perspective view of the holding member through which the USB connector is inserted, viewed from the other side, and (b) is a perspective view of the holding member through which the USB connector is inserted, viewed from the one side. It is a perspective view showing a ground plate. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5; It is a perspective view showing a holder. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 5; FIG.

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Image forming device]
An image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is an embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and is a color laser printer that forms images of multiple colors on a sheet S by electrophotography.

In the following description, the right side in FIG. 1 is defined as the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, the left side in FIG. The back side of the paper is defined as the right side of the image forming apparatus 1 . Further, the upper side and the lower side in FIG. 1 are defined as the upper side and the lower side of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a housing 2, a paper feeding unit 3 having a paper feeding tray 10 for supporting a sheet S and a sheet conveying unit 30 for conveying the sheet S, and a sheet S conveyed by the paper feeding unit 3. and an image forming unit 5 for forming an image.

The housing 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and accommodates the paper feeding section 3 and the image forming section 5 . An opening 2A is opened in the upper surface of the housing 2, and the housing 2 has a top cover 23 capable of opening and closing the opening 2A.

The top cover 23 is configured to be rotatable about a rotating shaft 23a at its rear end, and rotates about the rotating shaft 23a to move between a closed position for closing the opening 2A and a closed position for closing the opening 2A. It is movable between an open position to open 2A. A top cover 23 of the housing 2 is formed with a discharge tray 23b that slopes downward from the front side to the rear side.

The paper feeding unit 3 is arranged in the lower part of the housing 2 and conveys the sheet S supported by the paper feeding tray 10 to the image forming unit 5 by the sheet conveying unit 30 . The paper feed tray 10 is configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction, and is configured to be movable between an accommodation position accommodated in the housing 2 and a separation position pulled forward from the accommodation position.

The sheet conveying section 30 includes a sheet feed roller 32 , a separation roller 33 , a separation pad 33 a , a pair of conveying rollers 34 , and a pair of registration rollers 35 . In the housing 2, a transport path P for the sheets S is configured from the sheet feed tray 10 to the sheet discharge tray 23b via the image forming section 5. As shown in FIG.

The sheets S supported by the paper feed tray 10 are separated one by one by the paper feed roller 32, the separation roller 33 and the separation pad 33a, and sent to the transport path P. As shown in FIG. The paper feed roller 32 is a roller that conveys the sheet S from the paper feed tray 10 toward the image forming section 5 . The separation roller 33 and the separation pad 33a constitute separation means for separating the sheets S supported by the paper feed tray 10 one by one.

The sheet S sent out to the transport path P is transported toward the image forming section 5 by the transport roller pair 34 and the registration roller pair 35 . The registration roller pair 35 restricts the movement of the leading edge of the conveyed sheet S to temporarily stop it, and then conveys the sheet S toward the image forming unit 5 at a predetermined timing.

The image forming section 5 is arranged above the paper feeding section 3 and has four process cartridges 50 arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. Each process cartridge 50 is provided for each color of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. The process cartridge 50 is detachably attached to the housing 2 . The process cartridge 50 includes a photosensitive drum 51 , a developing roller 52 , a supply roller 53 and a charger 54 .

The process cartridge 50 is mounted in the housing 2 with the axis of the photosensitive drum 51 extending in the horizontal direction. The developing roller 52 is configured to be movable between a contact position where it contacts the photosensitive drum 51 and a separated position where it separates from the photosensitive drum 51 . The supply roller 53 supplies toner contained in the process cartridge 50 to the developing roller 52 .

The image forming section 5 has an exposure head 59 that exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 . The exposure head 59 is supported by the top cover 23 . Four exposure heads 59 are provided corresponding to each photosensitive drum 51, and each exposure head 59 is arranged side by side in the front-rear direction. The exposure head 59 extends downward from the top cover 23 and has an exposure portion 59a at its lower end. The exposure unit 59a is arranged above and close to the photosensitive drum 51 when the top cover 23 is closed. The exposure unit 59a is configured by an LED array having a plurality of LED elements arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

A transfer belt 41 is arranged below the photosensitive drum 51 with the transport path P interposed therebetween. The transfer belt 41 is stretched between a drive roller 42 and a driven roller 43 arranged in front of the drive roller 42 . A belt device 40 is configured by the transfer belt 41 , the drive roller 42 , and the driven roller 43 . Transfer rollers 44 are arranged at positions facing the respective photosensitive drums 51 with the transfer belt 41 interposed therebetween.

In the image forming section 5 , the photosensitive drums 51 uniformly charged by the charger 54 are selectively exposed by the exposure heads 59 . This exposure selectively removes charges from the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 and forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 .

The toner contained in the process cartridge 50 is positively charged between the supply roller 53 and the developing roller 52 and carried on the surface of the developing roller 52 . A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 52 , and when the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 faces the developing roller 52 , the potential difference between the electrostatic latent image and the developing roller 52 causes the developing roller 52 to supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image. Thereby, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 .

When the sheet S conveyed toward the image forming unit 5 reaches the transfer belt 41 , it is conveyed by the transfer belt 41 and sequentially passes between the transfer belt 41 and each photosensitive drum 51 . Then, the toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred onto the sheet S by the transfer bias applied to the transfer roller 44 when facing the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the transfer belt 41 is configured as a conveying belt that conveys the sheet S onto which the toner image is transferred. It is also possible to construct an intermediate transfer belt to be transferred to S.

The sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 60 . The fixing device 60 has a heating roller 61 and a pressure roller 62 that presses against the heating roller 61 . The toner image is thermally fixed on the surface.

The sheet S on which the toner image is thermally fixed is conveyed from the fixing device 60 to the downstream side in the conveying direction. It is conveyed by pair 64 and ejected to paper ejection tray 23b.

The image forming apparatus 1 includes a side frame 24 arranged at the left end inside the housing 2 . The side frames 24 extend in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. The image forming apparatus 1 has a USB connector 71 . The USB connector 71 is attached to the front end of the side frame 24 . The side frame 24 is grounded, and the USB connector 71 is grounded by being attached to the side frame 24 .

An opening window 26 is opened at the left end of the front surface of the housing 2 , and the USB connector 71 is exposed to the outside through the opening window 26 . A USB cable 8 can be connected to the USB connector 71 through the opening window 26 . The USB connector 71 is connected to a USB device, which is an external device, through the USB cable 8 . In this manner, the image forming apparatus 1 is configured to be connectable with a USB device. The USB connector 71 is an example of a connector connected to an external device. The connection direction of the USB cable 8 in the USB connector 71 is the front-rear direction.

[Grounding structure of USB connector]
As shown in FIG. 3 , the USB connector 71 has a supported portion 711 , a holding portion 712 , a harness 713 and connection terminals 714 . The holding portion 712 is a portion that holds the USB cable 8 connected to the USB connector 71 and is formed integrally with the supported portion 711 . The supported portion 711 and the holding portion 712 are made of a conductive metal member.

As shown in FIG. 6, the holding portion 712 is formed in a square tubular shape, and the USB cable 8 can be inserted therein. The holding portion 712 has an elastically deformable elastic portion 712a. The elastic portion 712a protrudes into the holding portion 712, and when the USB cable 8 is inserted into the holding portion 712, the USB cable 8 contacts the elastic portion 712a and the elastic portion 712a is elastically deformed outward. (See the elastic portion 712a indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

That is, the elastic portion 712 a contacts the USB cable 8 connected to the USB connector 71 . The elastically deformed elastic portion 712 a presses the USB cable 8 inserted into the holding portion 712 to prevent the USB cable 8 from slipping out of the holding portion 712 .

One end of a harness 713 is connected to the supported portion 711 , and the other end of the harness 713 is connected to the connection terminal 714 . The connection terminal 714 is connected to the control board supported by the side frame 24 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a holding member 72, an earth plate 73, and a holder 74. As shown in FIGS. The holding member 72 is a member that holds the USB connector 71 and is made of a resin member. As shown in FIG. 7 , the holding member 72 has an insertion portion 721 , a notch portion 722 , a fixing portion 723 and a locking portion 724 .

The insertion portion 721 is formed in a square tube shape, and the holding member 72 is attached to the side frame 24 in such a posture that the axial direction of the insertion portion 721 extends along the front-rear direction. The supported portion 711 of the USB connector 71 is inserted through the insertion portion 721 , and the USB connector 71 is held by the holding member 72 by inserting the supported portion 711 through the insertion portion 721 . A holding portion 712 of the USB connector 71 protrudes forward from the insertion portion 721 of the holding member 72 .

The insertion portion 721 has one surface 721A and another surface 721B facing the one surface 721A in the left-right direction. The cutout portion 722 is formed by cutting out a portion of the insertion portion 721 . The notch portion 722 is formed at the front end portion of one surface 721A of the insertion portion 721 .

In the portion where the notch portion 722 is formed, the supported portion 711, which is the portion inserted through the insertion portion 721 of the USB connector 71, is exposed. The supported portion 711 exposed at the portion where the notch portion 722 is formed serves as a contact portion 711a with which the earth plate 73 contacts.

That is, the contact portion 711a of the USB connector 71 is exposed at the portion of the holding member 72 where the notch portion 722 is formed. The contact portion 711a is positioned closer to the insertion portion 721 than the elastic portion 712a in the front-rear direction. The insertion portion 721 has a support portion 725 at a position facing the notch portion 722 of the other surface 721B in the left-right direction. The supporting portion 725 supports the supported portion 711 of the USB connector 71 .

A pair of fixing portions 723 are provided above and below the insertion portion 721 . The upper fixing portion 723 is formed of a plate member extending upward and forward from the front end of the insertion portion 721 , and the lower fixing portion 723 extends downward and forward from the front end of the insertion portion 721 . It is formed by an extending plate-shaped member.

The fixing portion 723 is formed with a fixing hole 723a and a positioning hole 723b. The fixing hole 723a and the positioning hole 723b penetrate in the left-right direction. The positioning hole 723b is an example of a first through hole. The fixing hole 723a and the positioning hole 723b are arranged along the vertical direction, and the positioning hole 723b is positioned outside the fixing hole 723a in the vertical direction.

A pair of locking portions 724 are provided above and below the insertion portion 721 . The locking portion 724 is formed in a claw shape that protrudes rightward from one surface 721A of the insertion portion 721 and then protrudes inward in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ground plate 73 is made of a conductive metal member and has a flat portion 731, a contact portion 732, a fixed portion 733, a ground portion 734, and a projecting portion 735. ing. The planar portion 731 is formed in a flat plate shape and is a portion that comes into contact with one surface 721A of the insertion portion 721 of the holding member 72 . The contact portion 732 is formed by bending a metal plate extending forward from the flat portion 731 toward the USB connector 71 side in the left-right direction, and has elasticity.

A pair of fixing portions 733 are provided above and below the plane portion 731 . The upper fixed portion 723 is formed of a metal plate extending upward and forward from the front end of the flat portion 731 , and the lower fixed portion 733 extends downward and forward from the front end of the flat portion 731 . It is formed by a metal plate that is ejected.

The fixing portion 733 is formed with a fixing hole 733a and a positioning hole 733b. The fixing hole 733a and the positioning hole 733b penetrate in the left-right direction. The positioning hole 733b is an example of a second through hole. The fixing hole 733a and the positioning hole 733b are arranged along the vertical direction, and the positioning hole 733b is positioned outside the fixing hole 733a in the vertical direction.

The grounding portion 734 extends upward from the upper fixing portion 723 , then bends and extends rearward, and is electrically connected to the side frame 24 . The ground plate 73 is grounded by electrically connecting the ground portion 734 to the side frame 24 .

The projecting portion 735 projects forward from the flat portion 731 , and the front end of the projecting portion 735 is located forward of the holding portion 712 of the USB connector 71 . That is, the projecting portion 735 projects further away from the insertion portion 721 than the holding portion 712 of the USB connector 71 in the connection direction of the USB connector 71 .

The holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 are stacked in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, which is the connection direction of the USB connector 71 . The earth plate 73 is arranged to the right of the holding member 72 . The horizontal direction is an example of the stacking direction of the holding member and the ground plate. The vertical direction is an example of a width direction orthogonal to the stacking direction and the connector connection direction.

When the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are laminated, the contact portion 732 of the earth plate 73 is located in the portion of the holding member 72 where the notch portion 722 is formed, and the contact on the surface of the USB connector 71 is prevented. It is in contact with the portion 711a. The direction of contact between the contact portion 732 and the contact portion 711a is the horizontal direction. The contact portion 732 is pressed against the contact portion 711a by its own elastic force, and can stably contact the contact portion 711a.

Since the earth plate 73 is grounded by being electrically connected to the side frame 24, the contact portion 732 of the earth plate 73 and the contact portion 711a of the USB connector 71 come into contact with each other, thereby connecting the earth plate 73 and the USB connector. The connector 71 is electrically connected, and the USB connector 71 is grounded.

By bringing the contact portion 732 of the ground plate 73 and the contact portion 711a of the USB connector 71 into contact with each other in this manner, a ground path of the USB connector 71 from the USB connector 71 to the side frame 24 through the ground plate 73 is formed. there is As a result, it is possible to stably ground the USB connector 71 while suppressing an increase in the size and cost of the device without causing a conduction failure in the ground path such as solder peeling.

In addition, at the portion where the notch portion 722 of the holding member 72 is formed, the supported portion 711 of the USB connector 71 inserted through the insertion portion 721 is exposed. The contact portion 732 of the plate 73 is brought into contact. Therefore, the contact portion 732 of the earth plate 73 and the USB connector 71 can be stably brought into contact with each other.

Further, the contact portion 711a of the USB connector 71 is located closer to the insertion portion 721 than the elastic portion 712a in the front-rear direction, and the contact portion 732 of the ground plate 73 does not contact the elastically deforming elastic portion 712a. , the contact portion 732 and the USB connector 71 can be more stably brought into contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 are stacked, the plane portion 731 of the ground plate 73 is positioned between the one surface 721A of the insertion portion 721 and the locking portion 724 in the left-right direction. The locking portion 724 locks the earth plate 73 in the contact direction between the contact portion 732 of the earth plate 73 and the contact portion 711 a of the USB connector 71 .

In this way, in a state in which the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 are laminated, the ground plate 73 is locked by the locking portion 724 in the contact direction between the contact portion 732 and the contact portion 711a. It is possible to temporarily fix the earth plate 73 to the holding member 72 in a state of contact with the contact portion 711a.

The holder 74 is a member that holds the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 , and is attached to the side frame 24 while holding the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the holder 74 is made of a resin member and has a front plate 741 , side plates 742 , fastening support portions 743 , positioning portions 744 and fixing portions 745 . The front plate 741 is formed of a plate member facing in the front-rear direction and has an opening 741a. The side plate 742 is formed of a plate-like member extending rearward from the left end of the front plate 741 .

The fastening support portion 743 has a columnar shape protruding rightward from the side plate 742 . The fastening support portion 743 is configured so that the screw 75 can be screwed from the right side. The screw 75 is an example of a fastening member. A pair of upper and lower fastening support portions 743 are formed.

The positioning portions 744 are protrusions that protrude rightward from the side plate 742 and are formed as a pair of upper and lower portions. The fastening support portion 743 and the positioning portion 744 are arranged along the vertical direction. The upper positioning portion 744 is located above the upper fastening support portion 743, and the lower positioning portion 744 It is positioned below the support portion 743 .

The fixed portion 745 has a columnar shape that protrudes rearward from the front plate 741 . The fixing portion 745 is configured so that a screw can be screwed therefrom. The holder 74 can be attached to the side frame 24 by screwing the fixing portion 745 with a screw.

A holder 74 that holds the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 is attached to the side frame 24 in such a manner that the opening 741a of the front plate 741 and the opening window 26 of the housing 2 communicate with each other (see FIG. 2). Also, the front end of the protruding portion 735 of the earth plate 73 is located forward of the holding portion 712 of the USB connector 71 . That is, the projecting portion 735 of the ground plate 73 is positioned closer to the opening 741 a of the holder 74 than the USB connector 71 in the front-rear direction.

Therefore, for example, when static electricity generated outside the image forming apparatus 1 enters the inside of the apparatus through the opening window 26 of the housing 2 , the static electricity that has entered is removed from the projecting portion of the ground plate 73 before reaching the USB connector 71 . It can lead to 735. As a result, static electricity can be prevented from entering a board such as a control board supported by the side frame 24 through the USB connector 71 .

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 are held by the holder 74 in a state of being laminated in the horizontal direction. The fixing hole 733a of the earth plate 73 is provided at a position overlapping the fixing hole 723a of the holding member 72 in the vertical direction.

The holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are fixed to the holder 74 by screwing the screws 75 inserted through the fixing holes 733 a of the earth plate 73 and the fixing holes 723 a of the holding member 72 into the fastening support portions 743 of the holder 74 . It is The holding member 72 and the ground plate 73 are fastened by the screw 75 and pressed in the direction in which the contact portion 732 and the contact portion 711a come into contact with each other.

In this case, the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are fixed to the holder 74 by a common screw 75, and the relative positional accuracy of the laminated holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 can be improved. Furthermore, the number of parts can be reduced compared to the case where the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are fixed to the holder 74 by separate members.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, two screws 75 are provided along the vertical direction, and the contact portion 732 of the ground plate 73 is positioned between the two screws 75 in the vertical direction. As a result, a force is applied to the contact portion 732 from both sides in the vertical direction so that the contact portion 732 and the contact portion 711a contact each other, so that the contact state between the contact portion 732 and the contact portion 711a can be improved.

The supported portion 711 of the USB connector 71 is pressed by the contact portion 732 of the ground plate 73 that contacts the contact portion 711a in the left-right direction. The portion 721 has a support portion 725 that supports the supported portion 711 at a position facing the contact portion 732 . Therefore, the pressing force from the contact portion 732 can be received by the support portion 725, and deformation of the USB connector 71 pressed by the contact portion 732 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 11, the positioning hole 733b of the earth plate 73 is provided at a position overlapping the positioning hole 723b of the holding member 72 in the vertical direction, and the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are held by the holder 74. In some cases, the positioning portion 744 of the holder 74 is engaged with the positioning hole 733b and the positioning hole 723b. The holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are positioned with respect to the holder 74 by engaging the positioning portion 744 with the positioning hole 733b and the positioning hole 723b.

In this manner, the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are held by the common holder 74 and positioned by the common positioning portion 744, so that the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are relatively accurately positioned. Thus, the contact portion 732 of the earth plate 73 and the contact portion 711a of the USB connector 71 can be stably brought into contact with each other.

In particular, the holding member 72 and the earth plate 73 are positioned by engaging the common positioning portion 744 formed in a projecting shape with the positioning hole 733b of the earth plate 73 and the positioning hole 723b of the holding member 72. It is possible to further improve the accuracy.

1 Image forming apparatus 2 Housing 5 Image forming unit 71 USB connector 72 Holding member 73 Earth plate 74 Holder 75 Screw 711 Supported portion 711a Contact portion 712 Holding portion 712a Elastic portion 721 Inserting portion 721A One surface 721B Other surface 722 Notch 723b Positioning hole 724 Locking portion 725 Supporting portion 731 Flat portion 732 Contact portion 733b Positioning hole 735 Projecting portion 744 Positioning portion S Sheet

Claims (11)

an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
a connector connected to an external device;
a holding member that is formed of a resin member and holds the connector;
a ground plate formed of a metal member and having a flat portion in contact with the holding member;
The earth plate is
An image forming apparatus, comprising: a contact portion formed by bending a metal plate extending from the flat portion, having elasticity, and contacting a surface of the connector. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holder that holds said holding member and said earth plate and has a positioning portion for positioning said holding member and said earth plate. The holding member and the ground plate are held by the holder while being stacked in a direction perpendicular to the connecting direction of the connector,
The holding member has a first through-hole penetrating in the stacking direction of the holding member and the earth plate,
The ground plate has a second through hole that penetrates in the stacking direction and is provided at a position that overlaps the first through hole in a width direction orthogonal to the stacking direction and the connection direction,
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the positioning portion is a protrusion that engages with the first through hole and the second through hole. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the holding member and the ground plate are fixed to the holder by a common fastening member. Two fastening members are provided along a width direction perpendicular to the connection direction of the connector,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the contact portion of the ground plate is positioned between the two fastening members in the width direction. The holding member is
an insertion portion formed in a cylindrical shape and through which the connector is inserted;
6. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a cutout portion in which a portion of the insertion portion is cut out to expose a contact portion with the contact portion of the connector. image forming device. the holding member and the ground plate are laminated in a direction orthogonal to the connecting direction of the connector,
The insertion portion of the holding member has the one surface in which the notch portion is formed and the other surface facing the one surface in the stacking direction,
7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the other surface has a support portion that supports the connector at a position facing the notch portion. The connector has a holding portion projecting from the insertion portion and holding a cable connected to the connector,
the holding part is elastically deformable and has an elastic part that contacts the cable connected to the connector;
8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the contact portion of the connector with the contact portion is located closer to the insertion portion than the elastic portion in the connection direction of the connector. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the ground plate has a projecting portion that projects further away from the insertion portion than the holding portion of the connector in the connection direction of the connector. 10. The holding member has an engaging portion for engaging the earth plate in a contact direction between the contact portion of the earth plate and the connector. The image forming apparatus according to . 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connector is a USB connector to which a USB cable is connected.

Images