JP5998797B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including a cover for opening and closing an opening of an apparatus main body, and a cartridge that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body through the opening with the cover open.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer includes an apparatus main body having an opening, a cover for opening and closing the opening, and a cartridge that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body through the opening with the cover open. Things are known. In Patent Document 1, a cover is provided with a pressing spring, and when the cover is closed, the pressing spring presses the cartridge to press the shaft of the photosensitive drum toward the positioning portion provided in the apparatus main body. An image forming apparatus is disclosed.

JP-A-4-36896

  By the way, when a reinforcing sheet metal is provided on the cover of the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to ground the sheet metal in order to suppress the generation of noise from the sheet metal. If the cover is further provided with parts for grounding the sheet metal, there is a problem that the number of parts increases. When the number of parts increases, a space for accommodating them becomes necessary, and it becomes difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and an object thereof is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the number of parts.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus main body having an opening, a cover provided to be displaceable with respect to the apparatus main body to open and close the opening, and through the opening with the cover open. And a cartridge detachably attached to the apparatus main body.
The apparatus main body has a positioning portion that determines the position of the cartridge relative to the apparatus main body when the cartridge abuts.
The cartridge has a conductive member that is grounded via a main body side grounding member provided in the apparatus main body when mounted on the apparatus main body.
The cover includes a metal reinforcing plate, and a conductive pressing portion that is provided on the reinforcing plate and configured to contact the conductive member and press the cartridge toward the positioning portion when the cover is closed. Have

  According to such a configuration, since the reinforcing plate can be grounded by the pressing portion and the cartridge can be positioned, the component that grounds the reinforcing plate and the component that presses the cartridge toward the positioning portion are separately provided. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with the provided configuration. This also makes it possible to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the cartridge includes a photosensitive drum and a frame that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum, and the conductive member is made of metal, and extends in the rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum. Can be configured to reinforce.

  According to this, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which parts for reinforcing the frame are provided separately from the parts for grounding.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the conductive member can be configured to directly contact the main body side grounding member when the cartridge is mounted on the main body of the apparatus.

  According to this, since another conductive component is not interposed between the conductive member and the main body side grounding member, the number of components can be reduced.

  In the above-described image forming apparatus, the cartridge may include a conductive member that electrically connects the conductive member and the main body side grounding member when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body.

  According to this, the conductive member and the main body side grounding member can be shifted and arranged, so that the degree of freedom of arrangement of the conductive member and the main body side grounding member can be improved. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the design freedom of the apparatus.

In the above-described image forming apparatus, the cartridge includes a photosensitive unit having a photosensitive drum, a frame, and a conductive member, and a developing unit having a developing roller configured to contact the photosensitive drum and supply a developer. It can be set as the structure provided.
In this case, the developing unit is configured to be displaceable with respect to the frame, and the photosensitive unit has a pressing mechanism configured to press the developing unit to bring the developing roller into contact with the photosensitive drum, The pressing portion can be configured to contact the conductive member and press the photosensitive unit toward the positioning portion when the cover is closed.

  According to this, the photosensitive unit is pressed by the pressing portion via the conductive member, in other words, the developing unit is not pressed by the pressing portion, so the pressing force of the pressing portion does not affect the pressing of the pressing mechanism, With the pressing mechanism, the developing roller can be brought into contact with the photosensitive drum with an appropriate contact pressure. As a result, the developer can be satisfactorily supplied from the developing roller to the photosensitive drum, so that deterioration in image quality can be suppressed.

  In the image forming apparatus described above, the developing unit can be configured to be detachable from the frame.

  According to this, since it is possible to replace only the photosensitive unit or only the developing unit, it is possible to reduce the cost of the consumables and reduce the environmental burden compared to the configuration in which the entire cartridge is replaced. Can be reduced.

  In the image forming apparatus described above, the pressing portion can be formed integrally with the reinforcing plate.

  According to this, compared with the structure which provides a reinforcement board and a press part as another components, a number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, since the reinforcing plate can be grounded by the pressing portion and the cartridge can be positioned, the number of parts can be reduced.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a color printer as an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a figure which shows the color printer of the state which opened the top cover. It is the perspective view (a) of a reinforcement board and a process cartridge, and BB sectional drawing (b) of (a). FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a process cartridge and its periphery. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a process cartridge. It is a figure which shows the state in which the reinforcement board was earth | grounded. It is the perspective view (a) which shows the structure of the process cartridge which concerns on a modification, and the figure (b) which shows the state in which the reinforcement board was earth | grounded. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the process cartridge which concerns on another modification, and is the figure (a) which shows the state before attaching a reinforcement member, and the figure (b) which shows the state after attaching a reinforcement member. It is a figure which shows the structure of the press part which concerns on a modification, and is the figure (a) which shows the state before attaching a leaf | plate spring to a reinforcement board, and the figure (b) which shows the state after attaching a leaf | plate spring to a reinforcement board. is there.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, first, a schematic configuration of the color printer 1 as an example of the image forming apparatus will be briefly described, and then a detailed configuration of the color printer 1 according to the characteristic part of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the direction will be described with reference to the user who uses the color printer 1. That is, the left side in FIG. 1 is “front”, the right side is “rear”, the front side is “right”, and the back side is “left”. Also, the vertical direction in FIG.

<Schematic configuration of color printer>
As shown in FIG. 1, the color printer 1 mainly includes a main body housing 10 as an example of an apparatus main body, a top cover 20 as an example of a cover, a paper feeding unit 30, and an image forming unit 40. Yes.

  The top cover 20 is a cover for opening and closing an opening 11 (see FIG. 2) provided in the upper portion of the main body housing 10, and is disposed on the upper portion of the main body housing 10 and can be displaced with respect to the main body housing 10. Specifically, it is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body housing 10 around the rotation shaft 12 on the rear side. Thereby, the top cover 20 can be rotated between a position where it covers and closes the opening 11 shown in FIG. 1 and a position where the opening 11 shown in FIG. 2 is exposed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the paper feeding unit 30 is provided in the lower part of the main body housing 10, and feeds paper that feeds the paper S from the paper feeding tray 31 to the image forming unit 40. The mechanism 32 is mainly provided. The sheets S in the sheet feeding tray 31 are separated one by one by the sheet feeding mechanism 32 and supplied to the image forming unit 40.

  The image forming unit 40 is provided above the paper feed tray 31 and mainly includes a process cartridge 50 as an example of a cartridge, an LED unit 60, a transfer unit 70, and a fixing unit 80.

  Four process cartridges 50 are provided, and are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction between the top cover 20 and the paper feed tray 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 50 is configured to be detachably attached to the main body housing 10 through the opening 11 with the top cover 20 opened. Each process cartridge 50 includes a photosensitive unit 50A having a photosensitive drum 51, a charger 52, and the like, a developing roller 53 configured to contact the photosensitive drum 51 and supply toner as an example of a developer, and the like. And a developing unit 50B.

  Four LED units 60 are provided and supported by the top cover 20 through the holding portion 14 so as to be swingable. When the top cover 20 is opened, the LED unit 60 is separated from the photosensitive drum 51, as shown in FIG. In addition, when the top cover 20 is closed, the lower end thereof is provided so as to face the upper portion of the photosensitive drum 51. The LED unit 60 is configured to expose the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 by blinking a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) (not shown) provided at the lower end portion based on the image data.

  The transfer unit 70 is provided between the paper feed tray 31 and the process cartridge 50, and mainly includes a driving roller 71, a driven roller 72, a conveyance belt 73, and four transfer rollers 74. The conveyor belt 73 is an endless belt stretched between the driving roller 71 and the driven roller 72, and has an outer surface opposed to the photosensitive drum 51, and a transfer roller 74 corresponding to the inner surface thereof. It arrange | positions so that the conveyance belt 73 may be clamped between the body drums 51. FIG.

  The fixing unit 80 is provided behind the process cartridge 50 and the transfer unit 70, and mainly includes a heating roller 81 and a pressure roller 82 that is disposed to face the heating roller 81 and presses the heating roller 81.

  In the image forming unit 40, the surface of the photosensitive drum 51 is uniformly charged by the charger 52 and then exposed by the LED unit 60, so that an electrostatic latent image based on image data is formed on the photosensitive drum 51. Is formed. Then, toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum 51 from the developing roller 53 of the developing unit 50B, whereby the electrostatic latent image is visualized and a toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 51. Thereafter, the sheet S conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 30 is conveyed between the photosensitive drum 51 and the conveying belt 73, so that the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 51 is transferred onto the sheet S. . The sheet S on which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed between the heating roller 81 and the pressure roller 82 to thermally fix the toner image, and is then discharged onto the sheet discharge tray 13 by the conveyance roller 92.

<Detailed configuration of color printer>
Next, a detailed configuration of the color printer 1 according to the characterizing portion of the invention, specifically, a detailed configuration of the top cover 20, the process cartridge 50, and the main body housing 10 will be described.

[Configuration of top cover]
As shown in FIG. 1, the top cover 20 mainly includes a resin cover body 210 that constitutes the exterior of the top cover 20 and a metal reinforcing plate 220.
The cover main body 210 is provided with a paper discharge tray 13, a holding unit 14 for supporting the LED unit 60, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the reinforcing plate 220 is formed by, for example, pressing a sheet metal, and is disposed above the process cartridge 50 mounted on the main body housing 10 when the top cover 20 is closed. It is being fixed inside the cover main body 210 so that it may face. The reinforcing plate 220 is provided with a total of eight pressing portions 230, one at a position facing the left and right sides of the upper end portion of each process cartridge 50 mounted on the main body housing 10.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3B, the pressing portion 230 cuts and raises a part of the reinforcing plate 220 so as to face obliquely downward in the front direction, and then hemmes and bending the end portion to thereby apply the reinforcing plate 220 to the reinforcing plate 220. It is integrally formed. The pressing portion 230 is configured to function as a leaf spring by elastically deforming between a state indicated by a solid line and a state indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[Process cartridge configuration]
As shown in FIG. 4, the process cartridge 50 includes the photoconductor unit 50A and the developing unit 50B as described above.

  In addition to the photosensitive drum 51 and the charger 52, the photosensitive unit 50A further includes a photosensitive frame 510 as an example of a frame, a pressing mechanism 520, a reinforcing rod 530 as an example of a conductive member, and an example of a conductive member. And a conduction plate 540 (see FIG. 5). The developing unit 50B includes a developing roller 53, a supply roller 54 for supplying toner to the developing roller 53, and a layer thickness regulating blade for regulating the thickness of the toner carried on the developing roller 53. 55, a toner accommodating portion 56 configured to accommodate toner, and a developing frame 57 that rotatably supports the developing roller 53 and the supply roller 54 and forms the toner accommodating portion 56 are mainly included.

  The photoconductor frame 510 is a member constituting a frame of the photoconductor unit 50A including the charger 52, and supports the photoconductor drum 51 in a rotatable manner. The photoconductor frame 510 is configured such that the developing unit 50B can be displaced with respect to the photoconductor frame 510, specifically, can be detachably attached.

  The pressing mechanism 520 is a mechanism configured to bring the developing roller 53 into contact with the photosensitive drum 51 by pressing the developing unit 50B mounted on the photosensitive frame 510 toward the photosensitive drum 51. Two (only one is shown in FIG. 4) is provided at the upper end of the body frame 510 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. As an example, the pressing mechanism 520 includes a pressing member 521 supported to be swingable with respect to the photoconductor frame 510, and a coil spring 522 that applies a biasing force for pressing the developing unit 50B against the pressing member 521. It is mainly composed. The urging member that applies the urging force to the pressing member 521 is not limited to the coil spring 522, and may be, for example, a torsion spring, a leaf spring, or a foamed elastic body.

  The reinforcing rod 530 is a member for reinforcing the photoconductor frame 510, and is formed in a hollow rod shape from a highly rigid metal. As shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcing rod 530 extends in the left-right direction, which is the rotational axis direction of the photoconductive drum 51, so as to connect the left and right side walls 511, 512 of the photoconductive frame 510, and the upper end portion of the photoconductive frame 510. Thus, the photosensitive member frame 510 is reinforced.

  The left and right end portions of the reinforcing rod 530 are exposed so as to be seen from above by cutout portions 513 formed on the left and right sides of the upper end portion of the photoconductor frame 510. Each notch 513 is formed such that the left and right widths are larger than the left and right widths of the pressing portion 230 provided on the reinforcing plate 220 of the top cover 20, and the corresponding pressing portion when the top cover 20 is closed. 230 can enter. With such a configuration, when the top cover 20 is closed, the pressing portion 230 comes into contact with the end portion of the reinforcing rod 530 and the reinforcing plate 220 and the reinforcing rod 530 are electrically connected (FIG. 4). See only one shown).

  The conductive plate 540 is a member that electrically connects the reinforcing rod 530 and a later-described ground electrode 120 (see FIG. 6) provided on the main body housing 10 when the process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body housing 10. Yes, it is formed by bending a metal plate following the right side wall 511 of the photoconductor frame 510. The conductive plate 540 is formed by integrating a fixing portion 541 having a through hole, a rod contact portion 542 provided on the upper portion of the fixing portion 541, and a main body side contact portion 543 provided on the lower portion of the fixing portion 541. Have.

  In the conductive plate 540, the fixing portion 541 is fixed to the upper end portion of the right side wall 511 by the screw 58, so that the inner surface in the left-right direction of the rod contact portion 542 comes into contact with the right end edge 531 of the reinforcing rod 530 and the reinforcing rod 530. And are electrically connected. Then, as will be described later, when the process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body casing 10, the surface on the outer side in the left-right direction of the main body side contact portion 543 comes into contact with the ground electrode 120 of the main body casing 10. Thus, the reinforcing rod 530 and the ground electrode 120 are electrically connected to each other (see FIG. 6).

[Structure of main body casing]
As shown in FIG. 2, the main body housing 10 has a mounting guide 110 formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls, and a ground electrode 120 as an example of a main body side grounding member formed on the inner surface of the right side wall (not shown). doing.

  The mounting guide 110 is a guide for mounting the process cartridge 50 to the main body housing 10 and is formed substantially symmetrically on both the left and right sides of the position where each process cartridge 50 is mounted (in FIG. 2, only one position is shown). (Illustrated). The mounting guide 110 is formed in a substantially U shape in a side view with an upper part opened, and a lower end part thereof is a positioning part 111.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a substantially cylindrical guided portion 514 that protrudes outward in the left-right direction is formed on the left and right sides (only one is shown) of the lower end portion of the photoconductor frame 510. Is provided to guide the guided portion 514. As shown in FIG. 4, the positioning unit 111 has the process cartridge 50 with respect to the main body housing 10 when the guided portion 514 of the process cartridge 50 mounted on the main body housing 10 abuts along the mounting guide 110. Is configured to determine the position.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ground electrode 120 is a member that is electrically connected to the conduction plate 540 of the process cartridge 50 when the process cartridge 50 is attached to the main body housing 10, and as an example, the coil spring portion 121. And a substantially annular contact portion 122 formed at the left end of the coil spring portion 121.

  A hole-shaped electrode holding part 131 penetrating in the left-right direction is formed on the right side wall 130 of the main body housing 10, and the electrode holding part 131 is formed so that the left end of the contact part 122 protrudes from the right side wall 130. And is movable in the left-right direction along the inner peripheral surface of the electrode holding portion 131. The contact portion 122 is elastically brought into contact with the conduction plate 540 of the process cartridge 50 attached to the main body housing 10 by a coil spring portion 121 having spring properties. The coil spring portion 121 is grounded directly or via a conductive component provided in the main body housing 10 by a known configuration.

<Effects of color printer>
Next, operations and actions when replacing the process cartridge 50 and effects obtained by the color printer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When replacing the process cartridge 50, first, as shown in FIG. 2, the top cover 20 is opened to expose the opening 11 from the state shown in FIG. Then, the process cartridge 50 to be replaced is removed from the main body casing 10 through the opening 11, and a new process cartridge 50 is installed in the main body casing 10.

  At this time, the process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body housing 10 while the guided portion 514 of the photoconductor frame 510 is guided by the mounting guide 110, and the guided portion 514 is mounted on the mounting guide 110 as shown in FIG. By being in contact with the positioning portion 111 which is the lower end of the main body housing 10, the position relative to the main body housing 10 is determined by being attached to the main body housing 10.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body housing 10, the main body side contact portion 543 of the conductive plate 540 provided on the process cartridge 50 is connected to the ground provided on the main body housing 10. Since the contact portion 122 of the electrode 120 abuts, the reinforcing rod 530 is grounded via the conduction plate 540 and the ground electrode 120.

  After the new process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body casing 10, the top cover 20 is closed from the state shown in FIG. Then, the pressing portion 230 provided on the reinforcing plate 220 of the top cover 20 comes into contact with the end portion of the reinforcing rod 530 and further closes the top cover 20, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 4. The pressing part 230 is elastically deformed.

  When the top cover 20 is completely closed, the reinforcing rod 530 is pressed obliquely downward and rearward by the restoring force of the elastically deformed pressing portion 230, so that the process cartridge 50 provided with the reinforcing rod 530 is more detailed. Then, the photoconductor frame 510 of the photoconductor unit 50 </ b> A is pressed toward the positioning unit 111. As a result, the position of the process cartridge 50 is accurately determined.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when the top cover 20 is closed, the conductive pressing portion 230 formed integrally with the reinforcing plate 220 contacts the reinforcing rod 530, so that the reinforcing plate 220 is reinforced. The rod 530, the conductive plate 540, and the ground electrode 120 are grounded.

  As described above, in the color printer 1, the process cartridge 50 can be positioned by the pressing portion 230 and the reinforcing plate 220 can be grounded. Therefore, the components that ground the reinforcing plate of the top cover and the process cartridge are positioned. The number of parts can be reduced as compared with a configuration in which a part that is pressed toward the part is provided separately. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced, the main body housing 10 can be downsized, that is, the color printer 1 can be downsized.

  In addition, since the reinforcing rod 530 for grounding the reinforcing plate 220 also functions as a part for reinforcing the photoconductor frame 510, a configuration in which a part for reinforcing the photoconductor frame is provided separately from the part for grounding. Compared with, the number of parts can be further reduced. Further, since the pressing portion 230 is formed integrally with the reinforcing plate 220, the number of components can be further reduced as compared with the configuration in which the reinforcing plate and the pressing portion are provided as separate components.

  In the color printer 1, the photosensitive unit 50 </ b> A is pressed by the pressing portion 230 via the reinforcing rod 530, in other words, the developing unit 50 </ b> B is not pressed by the pressing portion 230. The pressing of 520 is not affected. Therefore, since the developing roller 53 can be brought into contact with the photosensitive drum 51 with an appropriate contact pressure by the pressing mechanism 520, the toner can be satisfactorily supplied from the developing roller 53 to the photosensitive drum 51, and the sheet S It is possible to suppress the deterioration of the quality of the image formed on the screen.

  Further, in the color printer 1, since the reinforcing rod 530 and the ground electrode 120 are electrically connected via the conductive plate 540, the reinforcing rod 530 and the ground electrode 120 can be arranged so as to be shifted as viewed from the left and right directions. . Thereby, since the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the reinforcement rod 530 and the earth electrode 120 can be improved, it becomes possible to improve the design freedom degree of the color printer 1. FIG.

  In the color printer 1, since the developing unit 50B can be attached to and detached from the photoconductor frame 510, only the photoconductor unit 50A can be replaced or only the developing unit 50B can be replaced. Thereby, compared with the structure which replaces the whole process cartridge, while being able to suppress the cost concerning a consumable item, an environmental load can be reduced.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention as follows.

  The specific configuration of the conductive plate 540 shown in the embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the conduction plate 550 includes a fixing portion 551 in which a through hole is formed, a rod contact portion 552 with which the right end edge 531 of the reinforcing rod 530 abuts, and a main body side contact portion 553. The main body side contact portion 553 may be bent in an arc shape so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction, and function as a leaf spring. According to such a configuration, when the process cartridge 50 is attached to the main body casing 10, the main body side contact portion 553 is connected to the inner surface of the right side wall 130 of the main body casing 10 as shown in FIG. It can be configured to elastically abut against a reinforcing sheet metal 140 or the like fixed to the plate. Thereby, since it is not necessary to provide the ground electrode 120 of the said embodiment, it becomes possible to simplify the structure of the main body housing | casing 10. FIG. The sheet metal 140 shown in FIG. 7B is another example of the main body side grounding member, and is grounded by a known configuration.

  In the above embodiment, the reinforcing rod 530 as the conductive member is configured to be electrically connected to the ground electrode 120 via the conductive plate 540 as the conductive member. However, the present invention is limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, without providing the conducting member, the conducting member may be configured to directly contact the ground electrode when the process cartridge is mounted on the main body housing. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the conductive member is formed by bending the upper part of the substantially T-shaped metal plate and both left and right ends toward the rear, as shown in FIG. 8 (b). As described above, the fixing member 560 that reinforces the photoconductor frame 510 can be configured by being fixed to the upper end portion of the photoconductor frame 510 with the screw 59. The reinforcing member 560 as a conductive member is directly contacted with the ground electrode 120 by the ground electrode 120 (see FIG. 6) contacting the right end surface 561 when the process cartridge 50 is mounted on the main body housing 10. Electrically connected. According to such a configuration, since another conductive component is not interposed between the reinforcing member 560 and the ground electrode 120, the number of components can be reduced. In the above-described embodiment, the reinforcing rod 530 and the reinforcing member 560 as the conductive members are formed of a metal having high rigidity to reinforce the photoconductor frame 510. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The conductive member may be formed of a conductive resin or the like.

  In the said embodiment, although the press part 230 was integrally formed in the reinforcement board 220, this invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the pressing portion 240 is a plate spring 240 </ b> S formed of a material such as a conductive metal as a separate component from the reinforcing plate 220 with a screw 250 or the like. It is good also as a structure provided in the reinforcement board 220 by fixing to the reinforcement board 220. FIG. Further, the spring as the pressing portion formed as a separate component from the reinforcing plate is not limited to the leaf spring, and may be a torsion spring, for example.

  In the above-described embodiment, the top cover 20 disposed on the upper portion of the main body housing 10 is illustrated as the cover. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the cover is a front disposed on the front portion of the apparatus main body. A cover may be sufficient and the side cover arrange | positioned at the left or right side part of the apparatus main body may be sufficient. Further, in the above embodiment, the top cover 20 (cover) is configured to open and close the opening 11 by rotating with respect to the main body housing 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, The cover may be configured to open and close the opening by sliding in the horizontal direction with respect to the apparatus main body.

  In the embodiment, the process cartridge 50 as a cartridge is configured to include the photosensitive unit 50A and the developing unit 50B that can be attached to and detached from the photosensitive frame 510, but the present invention is limited to this. It is not a thing. For example, the process cartridge is configured to be displaceable with respect to the frame so that the developing unit cannot be attached to and detached from the photosensitive frame, but the developing roller can move in the direction of approaching and separating from the photosensitive drum May be. Further, the process cartridge may be configured such that the photosensitive unit 50A and the developing unit 50B of the above-described embodiment are integrally formed so that the developing unit is not displaced with respect to the photosensitive frame. Further, the cartridge is not limited to the process cartridge, and may be, for example, a developing cartridge having the same configuration as the developing unit 50B of the above-described embodiment, or may be a toner cartridge mainly including a toner storage unit. .

  In the embodiment, the color printer 1 capable of forming a color image is exemplified as the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image forming apparatus may be a printer that can form only a monochrome image. The image forming apparatus is not limited to a printer, and may be, for example, a copier or a multi-function machine including a document reading apparatus such as a flat bed scanner.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Color printer 10 Main body housing | casing 11 Opening 20 Top cover 50 Process cartridge 50A Photosensitive unit 50B Developing unit 51 Photosensitive drum 53 Developing roller 111 Positioning part 120 Ground electrode 220 Reinforcement plate 230 Pressing part 510 Photosensitive body frame 520 Pressing mechanism 530 Reinforcement Rod 540 Conductor plate

Claims (7)

An apparatus main body having an opening; a cover that is displaceable with respect to the apparatus main body to open and close the opening; and a cartridge that is detachably attached to the apparatus main body through the opening with the cover open. An image forming apparatus comprising:
The apparatus main body has a positioning portion that determines the position of the cartridge with respect to the apparatus main body when the cartridge abuts.
The cartridge has a conductive member that is grounded via a main body side grounding member provided in the apparatus main body when mounted on the apparatus main body,
The cover is provided on the reinforcing plate made of metal, and the conductive plate is configured to contact the conductive member and press the cartridge toward the positioning portion when the cover is closed. An image forming apparatus, comprising: a pressing portion having: The cartridge includes a photosensitive drum, and a frame that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is made of metal and extends in a rotation axis direction of the photosensitive drum to reinforce the frame.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is configured to directly contact the main body-side ground member when the cartridge is mounted on the apparatus main body.   The said cartridge has a conduction member which electrically connects the said electrically-conductive member and the said main body side grounding member when the said cartridge is mounted | worn with the said apparatus main body, The Claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Image forming apparatus. The cartridge includes a photosensitive unit having the photosensitive drum, the frame, and the conductive member, and a developing unit having a developing roller configured to contact the photosensitive drum and supply a developer. ,
The developing unit is configured to be displaceable with respect to the frame,
The photosensitive unit has a pressing mechanism configured to press the developing unit to bring the developing roller into contact with the photosensitive drum,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pressing portion is configured to abut against the conductive member and press the photosensitive unit toward the positioning portion when the cover is closed. apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the developing unit is configured to be detachable from the frame.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is formed integrally with the reinforcing plate.

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