JP7067464B2 - Board unit and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate unit and an image forming apparatus.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or a compound machine, for example, an electrophotographic color printer has a plurality of image forming devices detachably arranged with respect to the main body of the printer, that is, the main body of the device. A unit is provided, and in each image forming unit, a toner image of each color is formed on the surface of a photoconductor drum, and the toner image is sequentially transferred to paper by a transfer roller to form a color toner image, and the toner of the color is formed. The image is fixed on the paper in the fuser.

By the way, a printed circuit board is freely arranged on the apparatus main body, and when the printed circuit board is assembled so as to face the image forming unit, the image forming unit side, that is, the apparatus main body side. The contacts on the printed circuit board side are brought into contact with each other and connected to each other.

In this case, since the printed circuit board is arranged close to the image forming unit, whether or not the contacts on the device main body side and the contacts on the printed circuit board side are in reliable contact, that is, the contacts on the device main body side and the printed circuit board. It is difficult to check the connection status with the contact on the side.

Therefore, in the printer, a through hole for confirmation is formed in the vicinity of the contact on the printed circuit board, and the operator confirms the connection state between the contact on the device main body side and the contact on the printed circuit board side through the through hole. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-15408

However, in the conventional printer, if the through holes are irregularly formed or formed in a place other than the vicinity of the contacts, the connection state between the contacts on the apparatus main body side and the contacts on the printed circuit board side is changed. It cannot be easily confirmed.

Therefore, it is conceivable to dispose the contacts on the device main body side and the contacts on the printed circuit board side at the edge of the printed circuit board and check the connection state directly from the edge of the printed circuit board without passing through the through hole. In this case, the circuit in the printed circuit board is restricted, which makes it difficult to design the printed circuit board.

The present invention provides a substrate unit and an image forming apparatus that can solve the problems of the conventional printer and easily confirm the connection state between the contact on the apparatus main body side and the contact on the printed circuit board side. The purpose.

Therefore, in the substrate unit of the present invention, the substrate unit is arranged adjacent to the image forming portion of the image forming apparatus, and is arranged at a portion corresponding to the contact point on the apparatus main body side from the first surface side facing the image forming portion. A printed circuit board having holes and contacts formed by penetrating it toward the second surface side has conductivity, is brought into contact with the contacts on the printed circuit board side, and is fitted into each of the holes by the printed circuit board. The contact member to be held has conductivity, one end is brought into contact with the contact on the main body side of the apparatus, and the other end is brought into contact with the contact member. It has an urging member that urges the printed circuit board from the first surface side to the second surface side.

Then, the contact member is projected from the second surface of the printed circuit board in a state where the contact between the contact on the main body side of the apparatus and the contact on the printed circuit board side and the urging member are visible.

According to the present invention, in the substrate unit, the substrate unit is arranged adjacent to the image forming portion of the image forming apparatus, and is arranged at a portion corresponding to the contact point on the apparatus main body side from the first surface side facing the image forming portion. A printed circuit board having holes and contacts formed by penetrating it toward the second surface side has conductivity, is brought into contact with the contacts on the printed circuit board side, and is fitted into each of the holes by the printed circuit board. The contact member to be held has conductivity, one end is brought into contact with the contact on the main body side of the apparatus, and the other end is brought into contact with the contact member. It has an urging member that urges the printed circuit board from the first surface side to the second surface side.

Then, the contact member is projected from the second surface of the printed circuit board in a state where the contact between the contact on the main body side of the apparatus and the contact on the printed circuit board side and the urging member are visible.

In this case, the contact member is projected from the second surface of the printed circuit board in a state where the connection between the contact on the device main body side and the contact on the printed circuit board side can be visually recognized, so that the operator can make the contact on the device main body side. You can easily check the connection status between the and the contacts on the printed circuit board side.

It is an exploded view of the 1st substrate unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a 1st conceptual diagram of the printer in embodiment of this invention. 2 is a second conceptual diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the 1st substrate unit in embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the 2nd substrate unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the assembly state of the 1st substrate unit in embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the main part of the 1st substrate unit in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the U-shaped contact member in embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the printed circuit board in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the U-shaped contact member in embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this case, a substrate unit and a printer as an image forming apparatus will be described.

FIG. 2 is a first conceptual diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a second conceptual diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a first substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. A cross-sectional view of the unit, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the second substrate unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 10 is a printer, Cs is a housing of the printer 10, Bd is the main body of the printer 10, that is, the main body of the device, and the printer 10 projects laterally from the main body Q1 and the main body Q1. A feeder unit Fd for transporting paper as a medium fed from the paper feed device 11 and, in the present embodiment, a long paper P is provided.

The paper feeding device 11 includes a feeding device 13, a roll paper Pr set in the feeding device 13, a tension roller 15 as a tension applying member for applying tension to the paper P fed from the feeding device 13, and the like.

Further, Rt1 is arranged so as to extend horizontally in the feeder unit Fd and in the main body portion Q1, and is a paper transport path as a medium transport path for transporting the paper P. A transport roller pair m1 to m7 is rotatably arranged in the paper transport path Rt1 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper P, and the paper P is conveyed along with the rotation of the transport roller pair m1 to m7. Will be done.

The feeder unit Fd is provided with a cutter unit Cu that cuts the paper P at a predetermined position on the downstream side of the transport roller vs. m1 in the paper transport path Rt1 and on the upstream side of the transport roller pair m2.

The Ka is an image forming portion arranged on the downstream side of the transport roller pair m5 in the paper transport path Rt1 in the main body portion Q1. The image forming unit Ka is a plurality of image forming units (ID units) 12Bk, which are detachably arranged with respect to the apparatus main body Bd, and in the present embodiment, four image forming units (ID units) of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan. It includes 12Y, 12M, 12C, and a transfer unit u1 arranged below each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C.

The image forming units 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, and 12C are rotatably arranged so as to be in contact with the photoconductor drum 18 as an image carrier and the photoconductor drum 18 rotatably arranged. A charging roller (not shown) as a charging device that uniformly charges the surface of the drum 18, as a latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 18 by being rotatably arranged in contact with the photoconductor drum 18. A developing roller (not shown) as a developing agent carrier that adheres toner as a developing agent to an electrostatic latent image to form a toner image as a developing agent image of each color that is a visible image, and supplies toner to the developing roller. It includes a toner supply roller (not shown) as a developer supply member, a static elimination LED element (not shown) for static elimination of the photoconductor drum 18, and the like.

Further, the transfer unit u1 includes a belt 25 as an intermediate transfer member stretched movably by the drive roller R1, the driven roller R2, the backup roller R3, the drive roller R1, the driven roller R2 and the backup roller R3, and the belt 25. The primary transfer roller 27 as a transfer member for primary transfer, which is rotatably arranged so as to face each of the photoconductor drums 18 via the belt 25, and rotatably face the backup roller R3 via the belt 25. It is provided with a secondary transfer roller 28 and the like as an arranged transfer member for secondary transfer.

As the belt 25 travels, the primary transfer roller 27 sequentially superimposes the toner images formed on the photoconductor drums 18 and transfers them to the belt 25 to form a color toner image on the belt 25. The secondary transfer roller 28 transfers the color toner image on the belt 25 to the paper P.

The image forming units 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, and 12C are arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side in the traveling direction of the belt 25.

A fixing device 31 as a fixing device is arranged on the downstream side of the image forming portion Ka in the paper transport path Rt1. The fuser 31 includes a heating roller 32 as a first fixing member and a backup roller 33 as a second fixing member, and the color toner image transferred to the paper P is heated in the fixing device 32. It is pressurized and fixed on the paper P, and a color image is formed on the paper P.

By the way, on the device main body Bd, a mold as a first support member is formed on one surface side (front side) of the image forming portion Ka when the printer 10 is viewed from the front, that is, on the front side in FIG. The material 41 is on the other surface side (back surface side) of the image forming portion Ka, that is, on the front side in FIG. 3, and the molding material 43 as the second support member is attached to each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C. A first substrate unit G1 for low voltage is attached to the mold material 41 along the same, and a second substrate unit G2 for high voltage is attached to the mold material 43 adjacent to the image forming portion Ka. ..

The first board unit G1 includes a printed circuit board 35, and the printed circuit board 35 is connected to a control board 38 as a voltage supply unit for low voltage via a connector ct1 and a cable k1 arranged at predetermined positions. Will be done.

The image forming units 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, and 12C are provided with terminals ta1 and tb1 for applying a low voltage to each electronic component such as the static elimination LED in the image forming units 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, and 12C. Terminals ta2 and tb2 (for convenience of explanation, reference numerals are given on the printed circuit board 35 in FIG. 2) on the first surface Sa facing each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C in the mold material 41. When the first substrate unit G1 is attached to the mold material 41, the terminals ta1 and tb1 and the terminals ta2 and tb2 are connected, respectively.

Further, the second board unit G2 includes a printed circuit board 37, and the printed circuit board 37 is a control board 39 as a voltage supply unit for high voltage via a connector ct2 and a cable k2 arranged at predetermined positions. Connected to.

Then, on each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C, terminals tc1, td1 for applying a high voltage to each process component for forming a toner image such as a charging roller, a developing roller, and a toner supply roller, te1 is arranged for each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C. Further, the transfer unit u1 is provided with terminals tf1 and tg1 for applying a high voltage to each process component for transferring the toner image of each primary transfer roller 27, secondary transfer roller 28, etc. to the paper P. Toner. Then, the terminals tc2, td2, te2, tf2, and tg2 (for convenience of explanation, the printed circuit board in FIG. When the second substrate unit G2 is attached to the molding material 43, the terminals ct1, td1, te1 and the terminals ct2, td2, te2 are connected to each other. .. The terminals tf1 and tg1 and the terminals tf2 and tg2 are always connected.

Next, the operation of the printer 10 having the above configuration will be described.

In the paper feeding device 11, the paper P fed from the feeding device 13 is supplied to the printer 10 after being tensioned by the tension roller 15.

In the feeder unit Fd of the printer 10, the paper P is conveyed by the transfer rollers m1 and m2 and sent to the main body Q, and is conveyed by the transfer rollers m3 to m5 in the main body Q to the image forming unit Ka. Sent. Then, the paper P is conveyed between the backup roller R3 and the secondary transfer roller 28 in the transfer unit u1.

On the other hand, in each image forming unit 12Bk, 12Y, 12M, 12C, the surface of the photoconductor drum 18 is uniformly charged by the charging roller and exposed by an LED head (not shown) as an exposure device. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the 18. Then, the toner on the developing roller is electrostatically adhered to the electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor drum 18, and a toner image of each color is formed.

Then, when the belt 25 is run, the toner images on the photoconductor drum 18 are sequentially overlapped by the primary transfer roller 27 and transferred to the belt 25 to form a color toner image, and the color toner image is secondary. It is transferred to the paper P by the transfer roller 28.

The paper P on which the color toner image is transferred is sent to the fuser 31, and in the fuser 31, the color toner image is heated by the heating roller 32 and pressed against the paper P by the backup roller 33 to the paper P. It is fixed and a color image is formed. Then, the paper P on which the color image is formed is conveyed by the conveying rollers pair m6 and m7, and is ejected from the ejection port h1 to the outside of the apparatus main body Bd.

Next, the first and second substrate units G1 and G2 will be described. Since the first and second substrate units G1 and G2 have the same structure, the first substrate unit G1 will be described.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the first substrate unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an assembled state of the first substrate unit according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged view of a main part of the first substrate unit, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a U-shaped contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a printed substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 41 is a mold material, 58 is a coil spring as an urging member, G1 is a first substrate unit, and the first substrate unit G1 is a printed circuit board 35 and a U-shaped contact member as a contact member. It is equipped with 55 and the like.

Further, Sa is the first surface of the mold material 41 facing the device main body Bd, Sb is the second surface of the mold material 41 facing the printed circuit board 35, and Sc is the first surface of the printed circuit board 35 facing the mold material 41. The surface, Sd, is the second surface of the printed circuit board 35, which is the back surface with respect to the first surface Sc.

The mold material 41 is made of a plate-shaped resin molded product, and the terminals ta1 and tb1 are formed on the first surface Sa, and the second surface Sb has a columnar shape at a plurality of locations. A protrusion 52 for attaching the printed circuit board 35 of the substrate unit G1 to the molding material 41 is formed so as to project toward the printed circuit board 35. Further, at a plurality of locations on the second surface Sb, in the present embodiment, contact points 53 as contacts on the Bd side of the apparatus main body facing the printed circuit board 35 are arranged between the protrusions 52, and the contact points 53 are arranged, respectively. The contact point 53 extends toward the first surface Sa side through a hole (not shown) formed through the mold material 41, and is connected to the terminals ta1 and tb1.

Further, in the printed circuit board 35, a hole h11 having a rectangular shape is formed at a position corresponding to each of the contact points 53 by penetrating from the first surface Sc side to the second surface Sd side. The U-shaped contact member 55 is fitted into h11 and is held by the printed circuit board 35.

Then, between the contact point 53 and the U-shaped contact member 55, one end is brought into contact with the contact point 53 and the other end is brought into contact with the U-shaped contact member 55, and a coil spring 58 is arranged. To. The coil spring 58 is made of a conductive (metal) compression spring, and is compressed by attaching the printed circuit board 35 to the mold material 41.

Therefore, a screw hole hs is formed in each of the protrusions 52, and a through hole hu is formed in a portion of the printed circuit board 35 corresponding to the screw hole hs. The printed circuit board 35 can be attached to the mold material 41 by bringing the printed circuit board 35 into contact with each protrusion 52 and screwing the screw bt as a fixing member through the through hole hu and the screw hole hs.

As a result, the coil spring 58 has the U-shaped contact from the first surface Sc side to the second surface Sd side of the printed circuit board 35 by a compressed amount, that is, an urging force according to the compressed amount. The member 55 is urged, and the U-shaped contact member 55 is projected from the second surface Sd by a predetermined amount.

The U-shaped contact member 55 is formed by subjecting a conductive strip-shaped metal plate to sheet metal processing, and has an urging member receiver 63 as an urging member holding portion that holds one end of the coil spring 58. A rising portion 64 formed by rising from both ends of the urging member receiving 63, and a protruding portion as a contact portion and a locking portion formed by projecting outward from the upper end of the rising portion 64. A unit 65 is provided.

Further, by peeling off the resist, a pair of contact patterns 61 as contacts on the printed circuit board 35 side are formed in the vicinity of both edges of the holes h11 in the longitudinal direction of the printed circuit board 35. The contact pattern 61 is connected to the connector ct1 via a wiring portion (not shown) formed in the printed circuit board 35.

Therefore, when the U-shaped contact member 55 is urged from the first surface Sc side to the second surface Sd side by the urging force of the coil spring 58 while being held by the printed circuit board 35, it overhangs. The portion 65 is brought into contact with the contact pattern 61, whereby the contact point 53 is connected to the contact pattern 61 via the coil spring 58 and the U-shaped contact member 55.

As a result, the control board 38 is connected to the terminals ta2 and tb2 (FIG. 2) via the cable k1, the connector ct1, the U-shaped contact member 55, the coil spring 58, the contact point 53, and the like, so that the image forming unit 12Bk , 12Y, 12M, 12C, each electronic component can be applied with a low voltage.

The width of the urging member receiver 63 (width of the strip-shaped metal plate) is Dw, the length of the urging member receiver 63 is Db, the height of the rising portion 64 is Ds, and the length of the overhanging portion 65. When is Dt, the width Dw and the length Db of the urging member receiver 63 are sized so that one end of the coil spring 58 can be received, and the height Ds of the rising portion 64 is appropriate for the coil spring 58. The dimensions are such that urging force can be generated, the length Dt of the overhanging portion 65 can sufficiently contact the contact pattern 61, and the overhanging portion 65 can be sufficiently locked to the hole h11. It is made to the size that can be done.

In the present embodiment, the U-shaped contact member 55 is formed by applying sheet metal processing to a strip-shaped metal plate, and the edge portion is opened. Therefore, the operator attaches the printed circuit board 35 to the mold material 41. Occasionally, the coil spring 58 can be visually recognized by looking at the U-shaped contact member 55 projecting from the second surface Sd of the printed circuit board 35.

Therefore, the contact state between the contact point 53 and the contact pattern 61 can be easily confirmed.

Further, since the width Dw and the length Db of the urging member receiver 63 are sized so that one end of the coil spring 58 can be received, the coil spring 58 can be stably received by the urging member receiver 63. .. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the coil spring 58 from being deformed and causing poor contact between the coil spring 58 and the urging member receiver 63.

Further, when the printed circuit board 35 is attached to the mold material 41, the coil spring 58 is held by the U-shaped contact member 55 in the hole h11, so that the coil spring 58 can be prevented from falling.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the U-shaped contact member 55 is the second printed circuit board 35 in a state where the connection between the contact point 53 on the Bd side of the apparatus main body and the contact pattern 61 on the printed circuit board 35 side can be visually recognized. Since it is projected from the surface Sd of 2, the operator can easily confirm the connection state between the contact point 53 on the Bd side of the apparatus main body and the contact pattern 61 on the printed circuit board 35 side.

Next, another example of the U-shaped contact member 55 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the U-shaped contact member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 55 is a U-shaped contact member, 64 is a rising portion, and 58 is a coil spring.

In the U-shaped contact member 55, the compression amount of the coil spring 58 when the printed circuit board 35 is attached to the mold material 41 is changed by making the height Ds of the rising portion 64 different, whereby the coil spring 58 is changed. The urging force of is set.

Therefore, the contact pressure between the coil spring 58 and the contact point 53 and the urging member receiver 63 can be changed without changing the spring constant of the coil spring 58.

In the present embodiment, the U-shaped contact member 55 is attached to the printed circuit board 35 by locking the overhanging portion 65 to the hole h11, but the overhanging portion 65 is the second of the printed circuit board 35. The U-shaped contact member 55 can be fixed to the printed circuit board 35 by soldering to the surface Sc of 1.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first substrate unit G1 is described, but as described above, since the first and second substrate units G1 and G2 have the same structure, the second substrate In the unit G2, terminals tc2, td2, te2, tf2, and tg2 are arranged on the first surface Sa'of the mold material 43, and the terminals tc2, td2, te2, tf2, tg2 and the printed circuit board 37 in the mold material 43 are arranged. Is connected to a contact point formed on a second surface facing the surface.

Although the printer 10 is described in the present embodiment, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction device.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made based on the gist of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

10 Printer 35, 37 Printed circuit board 53 Contact point 55 U-shaped contact member 58 Coil spring 61 Contact pattern Bd Device main body G1, G2 1st and 2nd board units h11 Hole Ka Image forming part Sc 1st surface Sd 2nd Face

Claims (10)

(A) Arranged adjacent to the image forming portion of the image forming apparatus, and penetrating the portion corresponding to the contact point on the apparatus main body side from the first surface side facing the image forming portion to the second surface side. Printed circuit board with holes and contacts formed in
(B) A contact member having conductivity, which is brought into contact with the contact on the printed circuit board side and fitted into each hole, and is held by the printed circuit board .
(C) It has conductivity, one end is brought into contact with the contact on the main body side of the apparatus, and the other end is brought into contact with the contact member. It has an urging member that urges the surface side of the first surface to the second surface side, and also has an urging member.
(D) The contact member is characterized in that the contact between the contact on the main body side of the apparatus and the contact on the printed circuit board side are connected , and the urging member is projected from the second surface of the printed circuit board in a visible state. Board unit . (A) A plate-shaped support member is arranged on the main body of the device so as to face the image forming portion.
(B) The substrate unit according to claim 1 , wherein a contact on the device main body side is arranged on the support member. (A) The contact on the printed circuit board side is a contact pattern formed by peeling off the resist.
(B) The substrate unit according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the contact portion of the contact member and the contact pattern are brought into contact with each other. (A) The contact member includes an urging member holding portion for holding the urging member.
(B) The substrate unit according to claim 1 , wherein the urging member is arranged with the other end abutting against the urging member holding portion. (A) The contact member includes a rising portion and has a rising portion.
(B) The board unit according to claim 4 , wherein the urging force of the urging member is set by making the height of the rising portion different. (A) An image forming unit for forming a developer image, and an image forming unit including a transfer unit for transferring the developer image to a medium.
(B) A fixing device for fixing the transferred developer image on the medium, and a fixing device.
(C) An image forming apparatus comprising the substrate unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The image forming according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate unit is arranged adjacent to one surface side of the image forming unit, is connected to a low voltage voltage supply unit, and applies a low voltage to the image forming unit. Device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the image forming unit is detachably arranged with respect to the apparatus main body, and a low voltage is applied when the image forming unit is attached to the apparatus main body. The sixth aspect of claim 6 is that the substrate unit is arranged adjacent to the other surface side of the image forming unit and is connected to a high voltage voltage supply unit to apply a high voltage to the image forming unit and the transfer unit. The image forming apparatus according to the description. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the image forming unit is detachably arranged with respect to the apparatus main body, and a high voltage is applied when the image forming unit is attached to the apparatus main body.

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