JP5880220B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

  The skeleton member of the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a pair of first frames whose plate surfaces are directed in the depth direction of the apparatus, and the pair of first frames are arranged apart from each other. Furthermore, a flat top plate having a plate surface directed in the vertical direction is suspended between the pair of first frames.

JP2011-232513

  An object of the present invention is to suppress displacement of at least one of an image carrier and an exposure member used for forming an image due to deformation of a member to be attached.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier; and an exposure member that irradiates a surface of the image carrier with exposure light to form an electrostatic latent image; and the image. a first side wall provided on one side surface of the forming unit, said to face the first side wall across the image forming unit, opposite to the first side wall with respect to the image forming section A second side wall provided on the side of the side, one end fixed to the first side wall and the other end fixed to the second side wall, the first side wall and the second side wall, a first partition member for partitioning a portion of the sandwiched space into a first space and a second space, one end and the other end is fixed to the first side wall is secured to said second side wall, said second partitioning a portion of the first side wall and said second side wall and sandwiched by spaces and the first space and the second space Comprising a cutting member, said first partition member and the second partition member, said first sidewall and said second sidewall and each of the different areas the first space sandwiched by the space and the first The first partition member is attached with at least one of the image carrier and the exposure member , and the second partition member is moved from the first space to the second space. It is characterized in that the rigidity in the facing partition direction is lower than the rigidity in the partition direction of the first partition member.

The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one end of the first partition member is fixed to the first side wall and the other end is the second side wall. And an L-shaped portion having an L-shape when viewed from the facing direction in which the first side wall and the second side wall are opposed to each other.

An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the image carrier and the exposure member used for forming an image are formed in the first space. Disposed in the second space is loaded with a recording medium on which an image is recorded by being sent to the first space, and the first side wall and the second side wall are viewed from opposite directions, The first space and the second space are partitioned by the first partition member and the second partition member from one end side to the other end side in the width direction of the apparatus main body.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the rigidity of the second partition member is higher than that of the first partition member to which the exposure member and the image holding body are attached. It is possible to suppress displacement of at least one of the image carrier and the exposure member used for forming an image due to deformation of the member to be attached.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the deformation of the first partition member can be effectively suppressed as compared with the case where the first partition plate is flat.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, the image forming space and the recording medium space are partitioned by the first partition member and the second partition member from one end side to the other end side in the width direction of the apparatus main body. Compared with the case where there is not, the user's hand inserted from the recording medium space can be prevented from entering the image forming space.

1 is an enlarged front view showing a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a first partition plate and a second partition plate of a skeleton part provided in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a support member provided in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image forming unit provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image forming unit provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing a skeleton part provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image forming unit provided in an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the arrow H shown in the drawing indicates the vertical direction (vertical direction), the arrow W indicates the apparatus width direction (horizontal direction), and the arrow D indicates the apparatus depth direction (horizontal direction).
(overall structure)
As shown in FIG. 14, the image forming apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes an accommodating portion 14 that accommodates a sheet member P as a recording medium from below to above in the vertical direction (arrow H direction). , A conveyance unit 16 that conveys the sheet member P accommodated in the accommodation unit 14, an image forming unit 20 that forms an image on the sheet member P conveyed by the conveyance unit 16 from the accommodation unit 14, and an original that reads the read original G The reading unit 22 is provided in this order. Further, the image forming apparatus 10 includes a manual sheet feeding unit 90 that manually feeds the sheet member P.

[Container]
The accommodating portion 14 includes an accommodating member 26 that can be pulled out from the apparatus main body 10A of the image forming apparatus 10 to the front side in the apparatus depth direction, and the sheet member P is stacked on the accommodating member 26 (FIG. 13). reference). Further, the accommodating portion 14 is provided with a delivery roll 32 that sends the stacked sheet members P to the conveyance path 28 that constitutes the conveyance portion 16.

[Transport section]
The conveying unit 16 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the sheet member P with respect to the delivery roll 32 (hereinafter simply referred to as “downstream side in the conveying direction”), and separates and conveys the sheet members P one by one. A separation roll 34 is provided.

  In the conveyance path 28, an alignment roll 36 that stops one end of the sheet member P at the downstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the separation roll 34 and sends the sheet member P to a later-described transfer position T at a predetermined timing. Has been placed.

  Further, a discharge roll 76 that discharges the sheet member P on which the image is formed by the image forming unit 20 to a discharge unit 74 formed above the image forming unit 20 is disposed on the terminal end side of the conveyance path 28. .

On the other hand, in order to form images on both sides of the sheet member P, a duplex conveying unit 78 that reverses the front and back of the sheet member P is provided on the side of the apparatus main body 10A. The duplex conveying unit 78 includes a reversing path 82 through which the sheet member P conveyed by reversing the discharge roll 76 is fed. Further, a plurality of conveying rolls 84 are arranged along the reversing path 82, and the sheet member P conveyed by these conveying rolls 84 is conveyed again to the alignment roll 36 with the front and back sides reversed. ing.
[Manual Feeder]
Further, a foldable manual sheet feeding unit 90 is provided next to the duplex conveying unit 78. The manual paper feed unit 90 includes a manual paper feed member 92 that can be opened and closed. Further, a sheet feeding roll 94 for conveying the sheet member P fed from the opened manual sheet feeding member 92 and a plurality of conveyance rolls 96 are provided in the manual sheet feeding unit 90, and are conveyed by the conveyance roll 96. The sheet member P is conveyed to the alignment roll 36.
[Original reading section]
On the other hand, the original reading unit 22 provided on the upper side of the image forming apparatus 10 has a read original G carried on the platen glass 42 on the read original G conveyed by the automatic original conveying apparatus 40 that conveys the read original G. A light source 44 for irradiating light is provided.

  Further, the original reading unit 22 has a full-rate mirror 46 that reflects the reflected light that is irradiated from the light source 44 and reflected from the read original G in a direction parallel to the platen glass 42, and the reflected light that is reflected by the full-rate mirror 46 is downward. The half-rate mirror 48 that reflects to the platen, the half-rate mirror 50 that reflects and reflects the reflected light reflected by the half-rate mirror 48 in a direction parallel to the platen glass 42, and the reflected light that is folded by the half-rate mirror 50 are incident. And an imaging lens 52 are provided.

  In addition, the document reading unit 22 includes a photoelectric conversion element 54 that converts the reflected light imaged by the imaging lens 52 into an electrical signal, and further performs image processing on the electrical signal converted by the photoelectric conversion element 54. An image processing unit 24 is provided.

  The light source 44, the full rate mirror 46, the half rate mirror 48, and the half rate mirror 50 are movable along the platen glass 42. When reading the read original G placed on the platen glass 42, the read original G placed on the platen glass 42 while moving the light source 44, the full rate mirror 46, the half rate mirror 48 and the half rate mirror 50. The reflected light reflected from the read original G is imaged on the photoelectric conversion element 54.

  When reading the read document G conveyed by the automatic document conveying device 40, the light source 44, the full rate mirror 46, the half rate mirror 48 and the half rate mirror 50 are stopped and the reading conveyed by the automatic document conveying device 40 is performed. The light source 44 irradiates the original G with light, and the reflected light reflected from the read original G forms an image on the photoelectric conversion element 54.

(Image forming part)
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the image forming unit 20 includes an image carrier 56, a charging member 58 that charges the surface of the image carrier 56, and the surface of the image carrier 56 that is charged based on image data. Are provided with an exposure device 60 as an example of an exposure member that forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating the exposure light, and a developing device 62 that develops the electrostatic latent image and visualizes it as a toner image.

  Further, the image forming unit 20 includes a transfer roll 64 that transfers the toner image formed on the surface of the image holding member 56 to the sheet member P conveyed along the conveyance path 28, a heating roll 66H, and a pressure roll 66N. And a fixing device 66 that heats and pressurizes the toner image on the sheet member P to fix the toner image on the sheet member P, and the toner remaining on the image carrier 56 after the toner image is transferred from the image carrier 56. A cleaning blade 68 is provided for cleaning the image carrier 56 by scraping.

  Further, a toner cartridge 72 connected to the developing device 62 via a supply pipe (not shown) is disposed obliquely above the exposure device 60. The toner cartridge 72 is filled with toner to be supplied to the developing device 62 through a supply pipe.

  In this configuration, the sheet member P fed from the alignment roll 36 is conveyed to a transfer position T constituted by the image holding body 56 and the transfer roll 64, and is sandwiched between the image holding body 56 and the transfer roll 64. Be transported. As a result, the toner image formed on the image carrier 56 on the sheet member P is transferred to the sheet member P.

Here, the image holding member 56, the charging member 58, the developing device 62, and the cleaning blade 68 constitute an image forming unit 70, and the image forming unit 70 is detachable from the apparatus main body 10A. . Details of the support structure for supporting the image forming unit 70 and the exposure apparatus 60 will be described later.
(Operation of the overall configuration)
In the image forming apparatus 10 described above, an image is formed as follows.

  First, the charging member 58 to which a voltage is applied uniformly negatively charges the surface of the image carrier 56 with a predetermined potential. Subsequently, the exposure device 60 irradiates the surface of the image carrier 56 charged by the exposure device 60 based on image data read by the document reading unit 22 or data input from the outside to form an electrostatic latent image. .

  As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image data is formed on the surface of the image carrier 56. Further, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 62 and visualized as a toner image.

  Therefore, the sheet member P sent out from the storage member 26 to the transport path 28 by the sending roll 32 or fed from the manual sheet feeding member 92 to the transport path 28 is determined by the alignment roll 36. Sent to the transfer position T at the same timing. At the transfer position T, the sheet member P is nipped and conveyed between the image carrier 56 and the transfer roll 64, whereby the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier 56 is transferred to the surface of the sheet member P.

  The toner image transferred to the sheet member P is fixed to the sheet member P when the sheet member P passes between a heating roll 66H and a pressure roll 66N provided in the fixing device 66. Then, the sheet member P with the toner image fixed on the surface is discharged to the discharge portion 74 by the discharge roll 76.

  On the other hand, when an image is also formed on the back surface of the sheet member P, the discharge roller 76 is reversed without discharging the sheet member P to the discharge unit 74, and the sheet member P on which the toner image is formed is reversed. Send to path 82. As a result, the front and back of the sheet member P are reversed, and the transport roll 84 transports the sheet member P to the alignment roll 36 again.

This time, the toner image is transferred to the back surface of the sheet member P at the transfer position T, and the sheet member P on which the toner image is transferred to the back surface is discharged to the discharge unit 74 in the above-described procedure.
(Main part configuration)
Next, a support structure that supports the image forming unit 70 and the exposure apparatus 60 will be described.

[Skeleton]
As shown in FIG. 5, the skeleton part 100 that is a skeleton member of the apparatus main body 10 </ b> A includes a column member 102 that is disposed on the front side in the apparatus depth direction and extends in the vertical direction. The column member 102 includes a column member 102A disposed on one end side (left end side shown in the drawing) and a column member 102B arranged on the other end side (right end side shown in the drawing). .

  The horizontal section of the column member 102A is larger than the horizontal section of the column member 102B. Further, the length of the column member 102A and the length of the column member 102B are the same, and the upper ends of the column member 102A and the column member 102B and the lower ends of the column member 102A and the column member 102B have the same height.

  Further, a front plate 104 as an example of a first side wall is provided between the column member 102A and the column member 102B.

  The front plate 104 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the apparatus depth direction, and is disposed such that the plate surface faces the apparatus depth direction. Furthermore, the length of the front plate 104 in the vertical direction is about one third of the length of the column member 102. The column member 102A side of the front plate 104 is fixed to the column member 102A using a screw (not shown), and the column member 102B side of the front plate 104 is fixed to the reinforcing member 114 that reinforces the column member 102B. It is in a state of being separated from the member 102B.

  The reinforcing member 114 is provided so as to extend in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the column member 102B using a screw (not shown). The upper end position of the reinforcing member 114 is equivalent to the upper end position of the front plate 104, and the lower end position of the reinforcing member 114 is equivalent to the lower end position of the column member 102B.

  Further, in the front plate 104, a through hole 104A through which the image forming unit 70 passes when the image forming unit 70 (see FIG. 10) is attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 10A is formed on the column member 102A side.

  Further, a rear plate 106 as an example of a second side wall is disposed on the far side in the apparatus depth direction with respect to the front plate 104 at a distance from the front plate 104. Thus, the rear plate 106 is disposed so as to face the front plate 104. In this configuration, the facing direction in which the rear plate 106 and the front plate 104 face each other is the same direction as the apparatus depth direction.

  The rear plate 106 is provided in the apparatus width direction, and the upper end of the rear plate 106 and the upper ends of the column member 102A and the column member 102B have the same height. Furthermore, the length of the rear plate 106 in the vertical direction is equal to the length of the column member 102A and the column member 102B. Further, flanges 106A that are bent toward the back of the apparatus are formed on both ends of the rear plate 106 in the apparatus width direction.

  Furthermore, a beam member 108 extending in the apparatus depth direction is provided so as to span the upper end of the column member 102A and the upper end of the rear plate 106. One end of the beam member 108 is positioned at the upper end of the column member 102A by an emboss or the like (not shown) and fixed using a screw (not shown). The other end of the beam member 108 is positioned at the upper end of the rear plate 106 on the left end side in the apparatus width direction by an emboss or the like (not shown) and fixed using a screw (not shown).

  Then, one end side (left side shown in FIG. 14) of the reading device main body 22A of the document reading unit 22 is positioned and attached to the upper surface of the beam member 108 using a screw (not shown).

  Further, a beam member 110 extending in the apparatus depth direction is provided so as to span the upper end of the column member 102B and the upper end of the rear plate 106. The cross section in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beam member 110 is smaller than the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beam member 108. Further, one end of the beam member 110 is fixed to the upper end of the column member 102B using a screw (not shown), and the other end of the beam member 110 is screwed to the upper end of the rear plate 106 on the right end side in the apparatus width direction. It is fixed using.

  The other end side (the right side shown in FIG. 14) of the reading device main body 22A of the document reading unit 22 is attached to the upper surface of the beam member 110 with a screw (not shown).

  Furthermore, a beam member 112 extending in the apparatus depth direction is provided so as to span the lower end side of the column member 102A and the lower end side of the rear plate 106. A cross section in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beam member 112 has a U shape with the inside of the apparatus open.

  Further, one end of the beam member 112 is positioned on the lower end side of the column member 102A by an embossing or the like (not shown) and fixed using a screw (not shown). Furthermore, the other end of the beam member 112 is positioned by a not-shown emboss or the like on the lower end of the rear plate 106 on the left end side in the apparatus width direction, and is fixed using a screw (not shown).

  Further, a beam member 116 extending in the apparatus depth direction is provided so as to span the lower end side of the column member 102B and the reinforcing member 114 and the lower end side of the rear plate 106. The cross section in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the beam member 116 is a U-shape in which the inside of the apparatus is opened, and the length in the vertical direction is longer than the cross section of the beam member 112.

  Furthermore, one end of the beam member 116 is positioned on the lower end side of the reinforcing member 114 by an embossing or the like (not shown) and is fixed using a screw (not shown). The other end of the beam member 116 is positioned by a not shown embossing or the like on the lower end side of the rear plate 106 on the right end side in the apparatus width direction, and is fixed using a screw not shown.

  Further, a beam member 118 extending in the apparatus width direction is provided so as to span the lower end side of the reinforcing member 114 and the lower end side of the column member 102A. One end of the beam member 118 is positioned on the lower end side of the reinforcing member 114 by an emboss (not shown) or the like, and is fixed using a screw (not shown). Further, the other end of the beam member 118 is positioned on the lower end side of the column member 102A by an embossing (not shown) or the like, and is fixed using a screw (not shown).

  On the upper side of the beam member 118, the accommodating member 26 (see FIG. 13) described above is arranged between the beam member 116 and the beam member 112.

  On the other hand, on the near side in the apparatus depth direction with respect to the rear plate 106, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the first exposure apparatus 60, the image forming unit 70, the power distribution board (not shown), and the like are arranged. An image forming space 120 as an example of a space and a recording medium space 122 as an example of a second space in which the accommodating member 26 on which the sheet members P are stacked are arranged.

  Further, between the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106, a plate-like first partition member 128 that partitions at least a part of the entire space into an image forming space 120 and a recording medium space 122, and a first partition member 128 On the other hand, a plate-shaped second partition member 130 that is disposed on the right side in the drawing and partitions at least another part of the entire space into the image forming space 120 and the recording medium space 122 is provided.

  Then, when viewed from the apparatus depth direction (opposite direction), the first partition member is formed between the image forming space 120 and the recording medium space 122 from one end side to the other end side in the apparatus width direction of the skeleton 100 (apparatus main body 10A). 128 and the second partition member 130.

[First partition member]
Specifically, the first partition member 128 is formed of, for example, a steel plate having a thickness of 1.0 [mm], and the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 face each other between the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106. It is arranged extending in the depth direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first partition member 128 is formed by bending a plate member, is disposed next to the second partition member 130, and serves as an example of another reinforcing plate whose plate surface faces in the vertical direction. A first horizontal plate 134 is provided.

  Further, the first partition member 128 is formed by bending the edge of the first horizontal plate 134 opposite to the second partition member 130 downward, and the plate surface faces the device width direction. As an example, a vertical plate 136 is provided. The first partition member 128 has a second horizontal plate 138 as an example of a second reinforcing plate in which the lower end side of the vertical plate 136 is bent to the opposite side with respect to the first horizontal plate 134 and the plate surface faces the vertical direction. It has.

  As described above, the first partition member 128 is configured in a stepped manner including the first horizontal plate 134, the vertical plate 136, and the second horizontal plate 138, and an end portion is bent on the outer periphery of the first partition member 128. Thus, flanges 134F, 136F, and 138F are formed. When viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus, the first horizontal plate 134 and the vertical plate 136 constitute an L-shaped portion 132 that is L-shaped, and the vertical plate 136 and the second horizontal plate 138 are L-shaped. The L-shaped portion 140 is configured.

  Here, the L-shape is composed of one line segment and another line segment connected to the end of the one line segment, and the angle formed by the one line segment and the other line segment is The shape is larger than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees. And R may be formed in the corner comprised by one line segment and other line segments.

  Further, a pair of claw portions 134A are formed by cutting and raising from the flange 134F at both ends of the first horizontal plate 134 in the apparatus depth direction. Further, datum holes 134B and 134C for positioning are formed on the plate surface of the first horizontal plate 134 with an interval in the apparatus width direction.

  An exposure device 60 is attached to the upper surface of the first horizontal plate 134. Then, with the exposure apparatus 60 attached to the first horizontal plate 134, the datum holes 134B and 134C are covered with the exposure apparatus 60 as shown in FIG.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 3, concave beads 134D and 138D are formed on the plate surfaces of the first horizontal plate 134 and the second horizontal plate 138. When the exposure apparatus 60 is operated, the first bead 134D and 138D are formed. The one partition member 128 does not resonate with vibration generated by the exposure apparatus 60 or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the lower surface of the second horizontal plate 138 abuts against the uppermost sheet member P stacked on the storage member 26 at the free end to detect the remaining amount of the sheet member P. A moving type residual paper sensor 160 is attached. In addition, a positioning member (not shown) is attached to the lower surface of the second horizontal plate 138 to come into contact with the housing member 26 mounted on the apparatus main body 10A and determines the mounting position of the housing member 26 (see FIG. 14).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, in this configuration, when the first partition member 128 is assembled to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106, the datum holes 134 </ b> B and 134 </ b> C formed in the first horizontal plate 134 are formed. Insert a positioning pin (not shown). Further, the first horizontal plate 134 is positioned by applying the plate surface of the first horizontal plate 134 to a positioning jig (not shown).

  Further, the claw portion 134A is inserted into the opening holes 104B and 106B formed in the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106. The flanges 134F, 136F, and 138F formed on the first horizontal plate 134, the vertical plate 136, and the second horizontal plate 138 are fixed to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 using screws (not shown). ing. As can be understood from this assembly process, the positional accuracy of the first horizontal plate 134 is higher than the positional accuracy of the vertical plate 136 and the second horizontal plate 138.

[Second partition member]
On the other hand, the second partition member 130 disposed with a gap (for example, 5 mm) adjacent to the first partition member 128 is formed of a steel plate having a thickness of 0.8 [mm], for example, Between the plate 104 and the rear plate 106, it extends in the depth direction.

  The second partition member 130 includes a horizontal plate 142 whose plate surface faces in the vertical direction. A bead is not formed on the plate surface of the horizontal plate 142, and a flange 142F is formed on the outer periphery of the horizontal plate 142 by bending an end. Further, a pair of claw portions 142A are formed by cutting and raising from the flange 142F at the front end of the horizontal plate 142 in the apparatus depth direction.

  In the second partition member 130, the bending rigidity in the partition direction from the image forming space 120 to the recording medium space 122 (in this configuration, the same direction as the vertical direction) is higher than the rigidity in the vertical direction of the first partition member 128. And it is low.

  In this configuration, when the second partition member 130 is assembled to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106, the claw portion 142 </ b> A is inserted into the opening hole 104 </ b> B formed in the front plate 104. The flange 142F is fixed to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 using screws (not shown).

  Here, the second partition member 130 is fixed to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 after the first partition member 128 is fixed to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106.

  As described above, the rigidity of the second partition member 130 in the vertical direction is lower than the rigidity of the first partition member 128. For this reason, even if the fixing position of the second partition member 130 is shifted from the normal position, the second partition member 130 is deformed without displacing the already-fixed first partition member 128. As a result, the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 are fixed. In addition, when the fixed position of the 2nd partition member 130 has shifted | deviated with respect to the regular position, the dimensional tolerance etc. of the 2nd partition member 130 are determined so that the 2nd partition member 130 may deform | transform.

  Thus, when the 2nd partition member 130 deform | transforms, the part to which the 2nd partition member 130 is fixed in the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 is displaced. As a result, the upper portion of the column member 102A that is not reinforced by the reinforcing member 114 is displaced. Furthermore, when the upper part of the column member 102A is displaced, the beam member 110 is also displaced. In other words, the parts other than the parts described above are less affected by the deformation of the second partition member 130.

  Further, since the beam member 110 may be displaced in this way, the reader main body 22A is attached to the skeleton part 100 with the beam member 108 as a reference as described above.

[Support member]
Next, the support member 146 that supports the image forming unit 70 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the support member 146 is formed of, for example, a resin material and extends in the apparatus depth direction. One end in the apparatus depth direction (longitudinal direction) is attached to the front plate 104 with a screw (not shown), and the other end in the apparatus depth direction (longitudinal direction) is attached to the rear plate 106 with a screw (not shown).

  Specifically, the support member 146 includes a support part 148 that extends in the apparatus depth direction and supports the image forming unit 70, an attachment part 150 that is attached to the front plate 104, and an attachment part 152 that is attached to the rear plate 106. I have.

  The support portion 148 includes a bottom plate 148A and a pair of side plates 148B that rise from both ends of the bottom plate 148A in the width direction. Furthermore, the upper ends of the pair of side plates 148B are provided with a plurality of projecting plates 148C that are arranged in a staggered manner when viewed from above, project toward the inner side in the width direction, and are spaced apart from each other when viewed from the depth direction of the device. It has been.

  The support portion 148 includes a bottom plate 148A, a pair of side plates 148B, and a plurality of projecting plates 148C, and has a channel shape (C shape) with an upper portion opened when viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus. (See FIG. 1).

  On the other hand, the attachment portion 150 attached to the front plate 104 has a plate shape extending downward from one end of the bottom plate 148A and having a plate surface facing in the depth direction of the apparatus. Furthermore, as viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus, a through hole 150A extending in the vertical direction is formed on the center side of the attachment site 150 in the apparatus width direction, and on both sides of the through hole 150A, it is longer in the vertical direction than the through hole 150A. A pair of extending through holes 150B are formed.

  On the other hand, the attachment part 152 attached to the rear plate 106 has the same shape as the attachment part 150. The attachment portion 152 includes a through hole 152A disposed on the center side in the apparatus width direction and a pair of through holes 152B disposed on both sides thereof. And the outer periphery of the attachment part 152 and the outer periphery of the attachment part 150 overlap so that it may see from an apparatus depth direction (refer FIG. 1).

  In this configuration, when the support member 146 is attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the front side of the support member 146 in the apparatus depth direction is directed to the lower end of the passage hole 104A. Hook the mounting part 150 against the plate surface of the front plate 104. And the attachment site | part 150 is positioned with respect to the front plate 104 using the embossing etc. which are not shown in figure.

  On the other hand, with respect to the depth side of the support member 146 in the apparatus depth direction, the attachment portion 152 is applied to the plate surface of the rear plate 106 and the attachment portion 152 is attached to the rear plate 106 by using an emboss (not shown). It is designed to be positioned. In this state, the support member 146 is separated from the first partition member 128.

  Further, the attachment part 150 and the attachment part 152 are attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 through screws (not shown) through the through holes 150A and 152A. In the attachment portions 150 and 152, the attachment ranges 150C and 152C attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 are the peripheral ranges of the through holes 150A and 152A (shaded areas shown in the drawing).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, at least a part (all in this configuration) of the attachment ranges 150 </ b> C and 152 </ b> C is reinforced by the L-shaped portion 140 when viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus. The reinforcing range 162 is arranged.

  Specifically, the reinforcement range 162 in which the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 are reinforced by the L-shaped portion 140 is a line segment F having the same length and inclination as the edge of the vertical plate 136 when viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus. Is described with the free end of the second horizontal plate 138 as the base end. Further, the tip of the line segment F and the upper end of the vertical plate 136 are connected to form a line segment E.

  When viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus, the range surrounded by the line segment F, line segment E, and L-shaped part 140 (the hatched area shown in the figure) is a part reinforced by the L-shaped part 140, so that it is reinforced. The range 162 is assumed. In this configuration, when viewed from the depth direction of the apparatus, at least a part of the attachment ranges 150C and 152C is disposed in the reinforcing range 162.

[Image forming unit]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, two guide plates 156 extending in the apparatus depth direction are formed on the lower surface of the unit main body 70 </ b> A of the image forming unit 70. In the guide plate 156, a retaining plate 158 that protrudes outward from the lower end of the guide plate 156 in the device width direction is formed integrally with the guide plate 156 on the back side in the device depth direction.

  In this configuration, when attaching the image forming unit 70 to the apparatus main body 10A, a maintenance cover (not shown) is opened, and the image forming unit 70 is moved to the back side in the apparatus depth direction while passing through the passage hole 104A. . Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the image forming unit 70 is pushed inward in the apparatus depth direction while the guide plate 156 of the image forming unit 70 is inserted into the support portion 148. As a result, the guide plate 156 and a positioning member (not shown) abut against each other so that the image forming unit 70 is attached to the apparatus main body 10A (see FIG. 7). If the image forming unit 70 is to be moved upward in this state, the retaining plate 158 hits the protruding plate 148C so that the image forming unit 70 is prevented from moving upward.

On the other hand, when the image forming unit 70 is detached from the apparatus main body 10A, a maintenance cover (not shown) is opened, and the image forming unit 70 is pulled out to the near side in the apparatus depth direction. As a result, the image forming unit 70 is detached from the apparatus main body 10A (see FIGS. 6 and 10).
(Effects of main components)
Next, the operation of the main configuration will be described.

  As described above, the vertical rigidity of the second partition member 130 is lower than the vertical rigidity of the first partition member 128. For this reason, even if the mounting position of the second partition member 130 and the shape of the second partition member 130 vary, the second partition member 130 is deformed without displacing the already-attached first partition member 128 ( The second partition member 130 is attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 by plastic deformation. In this way, by suppressing the displacement of the first partition member 128, the exposure device 60 attached to the first partition plate 128 is suppressed from being displaced by the deformation of the first partition member 128. Further, for example, when a load is input from the second partition plate 130 side to the image forming apparatus 10 while the image forming apparatus 10 is being conveyed, the energy is absorbed by the deformation of the second partition member 130, so that exposure is performed. Displacement of the device 60 due to deformation of the first partition member 128 is suppressed.

  Moreover, by suppressing the displacement of the exposure apparatus 60, the irradiation position accuracy of the exposure light emitted from the exposure apparatus 60 is improved as compared with the case where the displacement of the exposure apparatus 60 is not suppressed. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier 56 is improved.

  Further, the first partition plate 128 includes an L-shaped portion 132 composed of a first horizontal plate 134 and a vertical plate 136. For this reason, the displacement of the 1st partition member 128 is suppressed compared with the case where a 1st partition plate is flat form.

  Further, the first partition member 128 and the second partition member 130 partition the space into the image forming space 120 and the recording medium space 122 from one end side to the other end side in the apparatus width direction of the apparatus main body 10A. For this reason, the user's hand inserted from the recording medium space 122 is prevented from entering the image forming space 120. Further, toner that has fallen from the image forming unit 70 or the like is prevented from entering the recording medium space 122. It is also effective for the enclosure effect (fire prevention measures).

  Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It is clear to the contractor. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present configuration has been described using an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. However, the present configuration may be used for an image forming apparatus such as an inkjet method.

  In the above embodiment, the support member 146 is directly attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106. However, the support member 146 is attached to the front plate 104 and the rear plate 106 via a distance piece that extends in the depth direction of the apparatus. Also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Image forming apparatus 20 Image forming part 56 Image holding body 60 Exposure apparatus (an example of exposure member)
104 Front plate (example of first side wall)
106 Rear plate (example of second side wall)
120 Image formation space (example of first space)
122 Recording medium space (example of second space)
128 First partition member 130 Second partition plate 132 L-shaped part

Claims (3)

An image forming unit comprising: an image carrier; and an exposure member that irradiates the surface of the image carrier with exposure light to form an electrostatic latent image;
A first side wall provided on one side of the image forming unit;
A second side wall provided on a side surface opposite to the first side wall side with respect to the image forming unit so as to face the first side wall across the image forming unit;
One end is fixed to the first side wall and the other end is fixed to the second side wall, and a part of the space sandwiched between the first side wall and the second side wall is defined as the first space and the second side wall . A first partition member that partitions into two spaces;
One end is fixed to the first side wall and the other end is fixed to the second side wall, and a part of the space sandwiched between the first side wall and the second side wall is defined as the first space and A second partition member partitioning into the second space;
With
The first partition member and the second partition member are configured to partition different regions in a space sandwiched between the first side wall and the second side wall into the first space and the second space, respectively. Has been
At least one of the image carrier and the exposure member is attached to the first partition member,
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rigidity of the second partition member in the partition direction from the first space toward the second space is lower than the rigidity of the first partition member in the partition direction. One end of the first partition member is fixed to the first side wall , the other end is fixed to the second side wall, and the first side wall and the second side wall are viewed from opposite directions. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an L-shaped portion that is L-shaped. In the first space, the image carrier used for forming an image and the exposure member are arranged, and in the second space, a recording medium that is sent to the first space to record an image is recorded. Loaded,
When viewed from the facing direction in which the first side wall and the second side wall face each other, the first space and the second space are arranged in the first direction from the one end side to the other end side in the width direction of the apparatus main body. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is partitioned by a partition member and the second partition member.

Images