JP2024068629A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent an increase in the size of an apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus has a first body side plate, a second body side plate, a drive side plate, a drive gear train arranged between the drive side plate and the first body side plate, and a cable guide arranged between the first body side plate and the drive side plate. The drive gear train includes rotary gears, and when seen in the direction of the axis of rotation of the rotary gears, the cable guide and part of the rotary gears overlap each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming device.

In conventional image forming devices, a configuration is known in which a drive gear train is arranged on the outside of a main body side plate, and a drive side plate is attached to the main body side plate so as to cover the drive gear train from the outside, thereby sandwiching the drive gear train between the main body side plate and the drive side plate.

Patent Document 1 describes a hollow member that connects a hole in the main body side plate with a hole in the drive side plate, and describes a configuration in which this hollow member guides a cable. With this configuration, the cable can be routed through the main body side plate and the drive side plate without interfering with the drive gear train. In other words, the board provided on the inside of the main body side plate and the board provided on the outside of the drive side plate can be connected over the shortest distance.

JP 2005-37706 A

However, in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place the hollow member away from the drive gear train, and in configurations where the drive gear train is densely packed and there is no extra space, there is a concern that providing a hollow member will increase the size of the device. In recent years, there has been a demand for further miniaturization of devices.

The purpose of this invention is to prevent the device from becoming too large.

One of the inventions of this application is as follows:

A first body side panel;
A second body side panel;
a drive side plate attached to the first body side plate;
a drive gear train disposed between the drive side plate and the first main body side plate;
a cable guide for guiding a cable, the cable guide being disposed between the first main body side plate and the driving side plate;
having
the first side plate and the second side plate are disposed such that an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material is sandwiched between the first side plate and the second side plate;
the drive gear train is disposed on the opposite side of the first main body side plate from the side on which the image forming unit is disposed,
The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the drive gear train includes at least one rotating gear, and the cable guide is arranged so that a portion of the cable guide overlaps with the rotating gear when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating gear.

The present invention makes it possible to prevent the device from becoming too large.

Schematic diagram of the internal structure of an image forming apparatus Left perspective view of the internal structure of the image forming apparatus Right perspective view of the internal structure of the image forming apparatus A side view of a drive unit of an image forming apparatus Cross-sectional view of a drive unit of an image forming apparatus FIG. 2 is a side view of the drive unit of the image forming apparatus with the drive side plate omitted. A perspective view of the cable guide with the cable attached A perspective view of the drive side plate with the cable guide attached A perspective view of the drive side plate and the drive gear train

[Example 1]
<Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
An outline of an image forming apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in particular, an electrophotographic monochrome laser beam printer will be used as an example for the description.

In the following description, the height direction (vertical direction) of the image forming apparatus A when the image forming apparatus A is installed on a horizontal surface is referred to as the Z direction. The direction that intersects with the Z direction and is parallel to the axial direction (main scanning direction) of the photosensitive drum 16 described later is referred to as the X direction. The direction that intersects with the X and Z directions is referred to as the Y direction. The X, Y, and Z directions preferably intersect perpendicularly with each other. For convenience, the positive side in the X direction is referred to as the right side and the negative side as the left side, the positive side in the Y direction is referred to as the front side or front side and the negative side as the rear side or back side, and the positive side in the Z direction is referred to as the upper side and the negative side as the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 1 of the image forming apparatus A has a process cartridge 100. The process cartridge 100 has a photosensitive drum 16, a charging roller 17, and a developing roller 18, and is detachable from the main body 1. By replacing the process cartridge 100, these components for image formation can be replaced all at once. When forming an image, the photosensitive drum 16 rotates, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 16 is charged by the charging roller 17. Then, the optical system (scanner) 14 irradiates the photosensitive drum 16 with laser light L based on image information, forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive layer. This electrostatic latent image is developed with toner by the developing roller 18 to form a developer image on the photosensitive drum 16.

Then, in synchronization with the formation of the developer image, the recording material S placed in the cassette 3 is transported by the pickup roller 4, the pair of feeding rollers 5, the pair of transport rollers 6, and the pair of registration rollers 7. The developer image formed on the photosensitive drum 16 is transferred to the recording material S by applying a voltage to the transfer roller 15 provided in the device main body 1. The recording material S with the transferred developer image is then transported to the fixing device 9. This fixing device 9 applies heat and pressure to the passing recording material S to fix the developer image to the recording material S. The recording material S with the fixed developer image is then discharged to the discharge tray 13 outside the machine via the pair of discharge rollers 12.

When double-sided printing is performed, after an image is formed on one side, the rotation direction of the discharge roller pair 12 is reversed while the recording material S is being nipped by the discharge roller pair 12, and the recording material S is pulled into the inside of the device main body 1. The recording material S is then transported to the double-sided transport path, and is transported again to the transport roller pair 6 by the double-sided transport roller pairs 19 and 20. After that, the recording material S with the image formed on one side is transported by the registration roller pair 7 to the transfer nip formed by the photosensitive drum 16 and transfer roller 15, and an image is formed on the other side.

<Drive Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus>
Next, the drive configuration of the image forming apparatus A will be specifically described. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show perspective views of the image forming apparatus A. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus A as seen from the left front side, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus A as seen from the right front side. Note that exterior members are omitted in Figs. 2 and 3.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the image forming device A has a right side panel 21 (first side panel) and a left side panel 31 (second side panel). The right side panel 21 and the left side panel 31 are arranged to sandwich the process cartridge 100 between the side panels 21 and 31 in the X direction. In other words, the process cartridge 100 is disposed between the side panels 21 and 31 in the X direction. The side panels 21 and 31 are also part of a frame that constitutes the device main body 1. The side panels 21 and 31 are made of metal, and more specifically, the side panels 21 and 31 are made of sheet metal.

The process cartridge 100 is supported by the main body side plate 21 and the main body side plate 31. The main body side plate 21 and the main body side plate 31 have guides for mounting and dismounting the process cartridge 100 to and from the apparatus main body 1.

The process cartridge 100 is an example of an image forming means that forms an image on a recording material S. In this embodiment, the process cartridge 100 can be said to be an image forming means that is removable from the device main body 1. However, the image forming means according to the present invention does not need to be removable from the device main body 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control board 32 is disposed on the side opposite the side on which the process cartridge 100 is disposed, that is, on the outside of the left side plate 31 of the main body. In other words, the main body side plate 31 is disposed between the control board 32 and the process cartridge 100. It can also be said that the main body side plate 31 is disposed between the control board 32 and the main body side plate 21. A CPU 33 is mounted on the control board 32. A guide hole 38 is formed in the main body side plate 31, and a cable 34 extending from the control board 32 passes through this hole and is guided from the outside to the inside of the main body side plate 31. The CPU 33 transmits control signals via this cable 34 to a clutch, which will be described later, and controls the formation of images on the recording material S and the transport of the recording material S.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive side plate 23 is disposed on the opposite side of the right side plate 21 from the side on which the process cartridge 100 is disposed, that is, on the outside of the side plate 21. In other words, the side plate 21 is disposed between the drive side plate 23 and the process cartridge 100. It can also be said that the side plate 21 is disposed between the drive side plate 23 and the side plate 31. The drive side plate 23 is attached to the side plate 21 with screws or the like so as to sandwich the drive gear train 22 described later. A guide hole 28 is formed in the side plate 21, and the cable 24 connected to the cable 34 passes through this hole and is guided from the inside to the outside of the side plate 21. The cable 24 is guided by a cable guide 25 described later and connected to a drive unit such as a clutch. The drive side plate 23 is made of metal, and more specifically, the drive side plate 23 is formed of sheet metal.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drive side plate 23 is bent to form an attachment portion 23b that is attached to the main body side plate 21. In this embodiment, the drive side plate 23 has multiple attachment portions 23b.

In addition, in the area between the right side panel 21 of the main body and the left side panel 31 of the main body, a guide member for holding the cable 34 and the cable 24, and a relay board to which the cable 34 and the cable 24 are respectively connected (neither shown) may be provided separately.

Figure 4 shows a side view of the image forming apparatus A as seen from the right side. The drive gear train 22 includes multiple rotating gears 29. In this embodiment, the drive gear train 22 may include at least one rotating gear 29. The rotating gear 29 rotates around a rotating shaft 26 and transmits a driving force to another gear. As described below, the rotating shaft 26 extends in the X direction. That is, the direction of the rotating shaft 26 is the X direction. In other words, the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating gear 29 is the X direction. The drive gear train 22 is disposed between the main body side plate 21 and the drive side plate 23. The drive side plate 23 is attached to the main body side plate 21 so as to cover the drive gear train 22 from the outside, and therefore the portion that is not actually visible due to the drive side plate 23 is indicated by a dotted line.

The main body side plate 31 has a side wall 31a extending in a direction intersecting the X direction (preferably a direction perpendicular to the X direction). The main body side plate 21 has a side wall 21a extending in a direction intersecting the X direction (preferably a direction perpendicular to the X direction). In addition, the drive side plate 23 has an opposing wall 23a extending in a direction intersecting the X direction (preferably a direction perpendicular to the X direction).

In the X direction, the side wall 31a and the side wall 21a face each other, and the side wall 21a and the opposing wall 23a face each other. The driving side plate 23 is attached to the side wall 21a and supported by the side wall 21a. Specifically, the mounting portion 23b of the driving side plate 23 extends from the opposing wall 23a in the X direction, and the mounting portion 23b is fixed to the side wall 21a.

In addition, in the X direction, one end of the rotating shaft 26 is supported by the main body side plate 21, and the other end of the rotating shaft 26 is supported by the driving side plate 23. More specifically, one end of the rotating shaft 26 is supported by the side wall 21a, and the other end of the rotating shaft 26 is supported by the opposing wall 23a.

The cable 24 guided from the inside to the outside of the main body side plate 21 through the guide hole 28 is guided by the cable guide 25 in the area sandwiched between the main body side plate 21 and the drive side plate 23. The cable guide 25 is disposed between the drive side plate 23 and the main body side plate 21. More specifically, the cable guide 25 is disposed between the opposing wall 23a and the side wall 21a. As will be described in more detail later, the cable guide 25 is attached to the drive side plate 23 and guides the cable 24 along the surface of the drive side plate 23.

Figure 5 shows a part of a cross-sectional view of the drive section of image forming device A. As shown in Figure 5, the drive gear train 22, cable 24, and cable guide 25 are arranged between the main body side plate 21 and the drive side plate 23 in the X direction. As described above, the cable guide 25 is supported by the drive side plate 23. Furthermore, image forming device A has a cover member 27 provided further outside (on the positive side in the X direction) of the drive side plate 23, and the cover member 27 forms part of the exterior of image forming device A. In other words, the drive side plate 23 is arranged between the cover member 27 and the main body side plate 21 in the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating gear 29 of the drive gear train 22 is disposed between the opposing wall 23a and the side wall 21a. It can also be said that a space in which the rotating gear 29 of the drive gear train 22 is accommodated is formed between the opposing wall 23a and the side wall 21a. In the X direction, the distance between the opposing wall 23a and the cover member 27 is shorter than the distance between the opposing wall 23a and the side wall 21a.

Here, a rotating shaft (first rotating shaft) 26 that supports a rotating gear 29a (first rotating gear) is attached to the main body side plate 21. In other words, the drive gear train 22 is held by the main body side plate 21. The rotating shaft 26 extends in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the main body side plate 21, that is, in the X direction. Also, the cable guide 25 is provided on the positive side of the X direction from the rotating gear 29a, and is provided at a position that avoids the rotating shaft 26. The size of the rotating shaft 26 in the X direction is larger than the size of the rotating gear 29a in the X direction, and the cable guide 25 is installed in the remaining space. When viewed in the X direction, a part of the rotating gear 29a and the cable guide 25 overlap.

The drive gear train 22 also includes another rotating gear 29b (second rotating gear) whose size in the X direction is larger than that of the rotating gear 29a. When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the X direction, the range R1 in which the rotating gear 29b is projected onto the X axis (virtual axis) extending in the X direction and the range R2 in which the cable guide 25 is projected partially overlap. In other words, in the X direction, the region (R1) in which the rotating gear 29b exists and the region (R2) in which the cable guide 25 exists at least partially overlap. This makes it possible to prevent the image forming device A from becoming larger in the X direction. The rotating shaft 26 that supports the rotating gear 29b can also be called the second rotating shaft.

Figure 6 shows the configuration of Figure 4 in a side view with the drive side plate 23 omitted. As shown in Figure 6, the drive gear train 22 includes two electromagnetic clutches 22a and 22b that transmit the driving force of a motor (not shown) to the downstream gear when ON and do not transmit the driving force when OFF. The two electromagnetic clutches 22a and 22b each have an electromagnetic clutch connector 22a1 and 22b1 for connecting to the cable 24. Furthermore, the cable 24 has two cables 24a and 24b, which are connected to the electromagnetic clutches 22a and 22b, respectively. One end of the cables 24a and 24b is provided with cable connectors 24a1 and 24b1 for connecting to the electromagnetic clutch connectors 22a1 and 22b1. In addition, the end opposite to the cable connectors 24a1 and 24b1 is provided with cable connectors 24a2 and 24b2 for connecting to the cable 34 arranged inside the main body side plate 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed in the X direction, the straight line connecting one end (cable connector 24a1) and the other end (cable connector 24a2) of cable 24a and the straight line connecting one end (cable connector 24b1) and the other end (cable connector 24b2) of cable 24b each overlap with the opposing wall 23a of the drive side plate 23. Also, when viewed in the X direction, the straight line connecting cable connector 24a1 and cable connector 24b1 overlaps with the opposing wall 23a of the drive side plate 23. Also, the straight line connecting cable connector 24a1 and cable connector 24a2, the straight line connecting cable connector 24b1 and cable connector 24b2, and the straight line connecting cable connector 24a1 and cable connector 24b1 each overlap with the rotating gear 29.

The cable guide 25 is disposed between the rotating shafts 26 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotating shafts 26 of the rotating gears 29. When viewed in the X direction, the cable guide 25 is disposed between the rotating gears 29 (multiple gears) of the drive gear train 22. When viewed in the X direction, the cable guide 25 is disposed between the rotating shafts 26. As shown in FIG. 4, the cable connectors 24a1, 24b1 and the cable connectors 24a2, 24b2 are disposed in positions that are not covered by the drive side plate 23 so that they can be connected after the drive side plate 23 is assembled to the main body side plate 21. The cable connectors 24a1, 24b1 and the cable connectors 24a2, 24b2 are collectively referred to as the cable connection part. The CPU 33 sends control signals to the electromagnetic clutches 22a, 22b via the cables 34 and 24 to switch the electromagnetic clutches 22a, 22b ON/OFF.

In this embodiment, the electromagnetic clutch 22a is a clutch for switching the rotation direction of the discharge roller pair 12, and the electromagnetic clutch 22b is a clutch for switching between drive and non-drive of the double-sided conveying roller pair 19, 20. However, the objects controlled by the electromagnetic clutches 22a, 22b are not limited to these, and the control objects may be members related to image formation on the recording material S or the conveyance of the recording material S.

In the configuration of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when viewed in the direction of the rotation shaft 26 of the rotating gear 29 included in the drive gear train 22 (when viewed in the X direction), the drive gear train 22 and the cable guide 25 partially overlap. However, the cable guide 25 is provided at a position that avoids the rotation shaft 26. In this way, by effectively utilizing the space between the main body side plate 21 and the drive side plate 23, the size of the image forming device A can be prevented from increasing.

<Cable guide configuration>
Next, the configuration of the cable guide 25 will be specifically described. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the cable guide 25 with the cable 24 attached. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the drive side plate 23 with the cable guide 25 attached. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the drive gear train 22 overlapping with the drive side plate 23.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cable guide 25 guides two cables 24a and 24b, which branch off at a branching point 25a of the cable guide. The branching point 25a of the cable guide is disposed between the rotating shafts 26 of the rotating gears 29 included in the drive gear train 22. The cable 24 is held inside the cable guide 25 and is guided so as not to come into contact with the drive gear train 22.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cable guide 25 is attached to the drive side plate 23. The cable 24 is covered by the cable guide 25 and the drive side plate 23, and is therefore guided so as not to come into contact with the drive gear train 22. Furthermore, the cable guide 25 has protrusions 25b1 to 25b4 that extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis 26 of the rotating gear 29 included in the drive gear train 22.

As shown in FIG. 9, the protrusions 25b1-25b4 of the cable guide 25 protrude in a direction parallel to the rotating shaft 26 and are disposed between the rotating gears 29 included in the drive gear train 22. The protrusions 25b1-25b4 are configured to abut against the main body side plate 21 when the drive side plate 23 is assembled to the main body side plate 21. This improves the rigidity of the drive side plate 23 and prevents the drive side plate 23 from being deformed when a force is applied from the outside of the cover member 27 during shipment of the image forming apparatus A, for example. It also prevents problems such as the drive side plate 23 being deformed and the rotating gears 29 included in the drive gear train 22 coming off the rotating shaft 26.

<Effects of this embodiment>
As described above, according to this embodiment, the wiring configuration of the cables around the drive gear train is devised, so that the size of the device can be prevented from increasing.

Furthermore, in the configuration of this embodiment, the cable 24 and the cable guide 25 are connected via the shortest route without detouring around the outside of the drive side plate 23. This makes it possible to minimize the size of the cable 24 and the cable guide 25, making it possible to provide an inexpensive image forming device.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cable guide 25 mounted on the drive side plate 23 abuts against the main body side plate 21 by means of the protrusions 25b1 to 25b4. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the main body side plate 21 and the drive side plate 23 in situations where a large external force is applied, such as during shipment.

In the above embodiment, the image forming apparatus A is an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to image forming apparatuses that use different printing methods, such as inkjet printing and offset printing.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the cable 24 guided by the cable guide 25 is for transmitting control signals sent from the CPU 33, but is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration for guiding other cables, such as a power supply cable extending from a power supply board.

100 Image forming device

Claims (11)

A first body side panel;
A second body side panel;
a drive side plate attached to the first body side plate;
a drive gear train disposed between the drive side plate and the first main body side plate;
a cable guide for guiding a cable, the cable guide being disposed between the first main body side plate and the driving side plate;
having
the first side plate and the second side plate are arranged such that an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material is sandwiched between the first side plate and the second side plate;
the drive gear train is disposed on the opposite side of the first main body side plate from the side on which the image forming unit is disposed,
An image forming apparatus characterized in that the drive gear train includes at least one rotating gear, and the cable guide is arranged so that a portion of the cable guide overlaps with the rotating gear when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the rotating gear. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive gear train includes a plurality of gears, and when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, the cable guide is disposed between the plurality of gears. The image forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, the cable guide does not overlap with the rotation axis of the rotating gear. the drive gear train includes a first rotary gear and a second rotary gear that is larger in size in a direction of the rotation axis than the first rotary gear,
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, a portion of the cable guide and the first rotating gear overlap, and when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the rotation axis, a range in which the cable guide is projected onto a virtual axis extending in the direction of the rotation axis and a range in which the second rotating gear is projected onto the virtual axis partially overlap with each other. a control board disposed on the opposite side of the second body side plate to the side on which the image forming unit is disposed,
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cable transmits a control signal sent from the control board. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, the connection portion where the cable is connected to another member is located in a position that is not covered by the drive side plate. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the cable guide is supported by the drive side plate. The image forming device according to claim 7, characterized in that the cable guide has a protrusion extending in the direction of the rotation axis, and the protrusion abuts against the first main body side plate. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first main body side plate supports a rotation shaft of the rotation gear. The image forming device according to claim 9, characterized in that the drive side plate supports the rotation shaft. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, a straight line connecting one end and the other end of the cable overlaps with the drive side plate.

Images