JP6424781B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a copier.

  The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes an internal device such as a drum unit for forming an image on a conveyed sheet. The internal device is supported inside the device body.

  Here, when the rigidity of the apparatus main body is low, the apparatus main body may be deformed due to vibration during transportation of the image forming apparatus, a step or inclination of the installation surface, or the like. Then, the position accuracy of the internal device is deteriorated, and there is a possibility that an appropriate image forming process can not be performed. In addition, there is also a possibility that vibration may occur in the apparatus main body with the operation of the internal device, and normal sheet conveyance can not be performed.

  Techniques for solving the above problems have been proposed. For example, the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a housing (apparatus main body) including a pair of side plates positioned in parallel to one another and a base member supporting a lower portion of each side plate. The outer peripheral end of each side plate is bent into a substantially L shape, and each side plate is formed in a tray shape as a whole. The pair of side plates is fixed to the base member in a state of sandwiching the base member.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2006-208597

  However, in the tray-like side plates, sufficient rigidity can not be secured, and there is a possibility that it can not resist twisting or bending. Further, in the above-described technology, in order to secure the rigidity of the housing, it has been necessary to make the fixing structure strong by increasing the thickness of each side plate and the base member or increasing the number of reinforcing members. Therefore, the above-described technology has a problem of an increase in weight of the fixing structure and an increase in manufacturing cost.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that improves the rigidity of the apparatus body with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, the image forming apparatus of the present invention is provided in parallel with a supporting member for supporting an internal device for performing an image forming process on a sheet and a pair of opposing members in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the supporting member. A pair of side plates constituting the frame of the apparatus body, each of the side plates being formed by bending a lower end portion and at least one of both end portions in the front and rear direction into a U shape; Have.

  According to this configuration, the rigidity of each side plate itself can be improved by forming a U-shaped bent reinforcing portion at the outer peripheral end of each side plate. Further, the support member is sandwiched between the pair of side plates and functions as a part of the structural member of the apparatus main body. As described above, the pair of side plates sandwich the support member to configure the device body which is highly rigid and capable of resisting twisting and bending. As a result, the positional accuracy of the internal device is maintained and the vibration of the apparatus main body is suppressed, so that appropriate image forming processing can be secured.

  In this case, the bending and reinforcing portion has a bottom surface reinforcing portion formed at the lower end portion of each side plate, and a side surface reinforcing portion formed at least one of the front and rear direction both end portions of each side plate; Preferably, the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion are connected to each other by a fastening member.

  According to this configuration, by connecting the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion, the rigidity of each side plate can be further improved.

  In this case, each of the side plates preferably includes an upper surface reinforcing portion formed by bending an upper end portion, and the upper surface reinforcing portion is preferably connected to the side surface reinforcing portion by a fastening member.

  According to this configuration, in addition to the connection between the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion, the rigidity of each side plate can be further improved by connecting the top surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion.

  In this case, it further comprises a leg member disposed below the bottom surface reinforcing portion of each side plate and in contact with the surface on which the device body is installed, and the fastening member comprises the leg member and the bottom surface reinforcing portion It is preferable to clamp together the said side surface reinforcement part.

  According to this configuration, the leg members are fastened together to the bottom surface reinforcement and the side surface reinforcement via the fastening members. Thereby, the number of fastening members can be reduced, and the number of operation steps for assembling the leg members to each side plate can be reduced. That is, it is possible to reduce the weight of the apparatus main body and the manufacturing cost. Further, since the leg members are disposed on the highly rigid bottom surface reinforcing portion, even when the apparatus main body is installed on the installation surface where there is a step or inclination, it is possible to suppress the twist or the like of the apparatus main body.

  In this case, a connection piece extending toward either one of the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion is formed on any one of the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion, and the fastening member is the leg member It is preferable that the other of the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion is penetrated and screwed into a screw hole formed in the connection piece.

  According to this configuration, by fastening the fastening member in the screw hole of the connection piece, any one of the bottom surface reinforcement and the side surface reinforcement is fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the leg member and the connection piece. In this state, the bottom surface reinforcing portion and the side surface reinforcing portion are connected via the connection piece. Thus, the leg member, the bottom surface reinforcing portion, and the side surface reinforcing portion are integrated, so that a highly rigid device main body can be configured.

  In this case, the fastening member may further include a bridging member bridged between the pair of side plates, and the fastening member may jointly fasten the bridging member, the leg member, the bottom surface reinforcing portion, and the side surface reinforcing portion. Is preferred.

  According to this configuration, since the pair of side plates arranged in parallel is connected by the installation member, the rigidity of the device body (frame) can be further improved. In addition, the installation member is tightened together with the leg member using a fastening member for connecting the reinforcing portions. As a result, the number of fastening members and the number of operation steps can be reduced, and the weight of the apparatus main body can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the rigidity of the device body can be improved with a simple configuration.

FIG. 1 is a left side sectional view schematically showing an internal structure of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front sectional view schematically showing an apparatus main body of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a lower front side of a side plate of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a lower rear side of a side plate of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the printer concerning one embodiment of the present invention, it is a perspective view showing the front side of the crookedness reinforcement part of a side plate. In the printer concerning one embodiment of the present invention, it is a perspective view showing the back side of the crookedness reinforcement part of a side plate. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a front leg member of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing a back side leg member of a printer concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a side plate, a front leg member and a front installation member of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a side plate and a rear leg member of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a side plate, a rear side leg member and a rear side installation member of the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a front upper portion of a side plate of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a rear upper portion of a side plate of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the front side of the sheet of FIG. 1 is taken as the left side and the directions shown in the respective drawings are used as a reference. In the following description, “upstream” and “downstream” and terms similar thereto refer to “upstream” and “downstream” in the transport direction of the sheet S and concepts similar thereto.

  An outline of a printer 1 as an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a left side sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer 1.

  The printer 1 includes an apparatus body 2, a sheet feeding cassette 3, and a sheet discharge tray 4. The device body 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The sheet feeding cassette 3 is detachably provided at the lower part of the apparatus main body 2. In the sheet feeding cassette 3, (bundles) of sheet S of sheets are accommodated. The discharge tray 4 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 2. The sheet S is not limited to paper, and may be a resin film or the like.

  The printer 1 further includes a cassette sheet feeding unit 11, an image forming unit 12, a fixing device 13, and a sheet discharging unit 14 in the apparatus main body 2. The cassette sheet feeding unit 11 is provided on the upstream side of the main conveyance path 15 extending from the sheet feeding cassette 3 to the sheet discharge tray 4. The image forming unit 12 is provided at an intermediate portion of the apparatus main body 2. The fixing device 13 is provided on the downstream side of the main conveyance path 15. The paper discharge unit 14 is provided at the downstream end of the main conveyance path 15.

  The main conveyance path 15 is extended in a substantially S-shape so as to allow communication from the cassette sheet feeding unit 11 to the sheet discharging unit 14. The main conveyance path 15 is provided with a registration roller pair 15 a. The registration roller pair 15a is provided to temporarily close the sheet S conveyed in the main conveyance path 15 and correct the inclination of the sheet S (so-called skew correction).

  On the upper side of the sheet feeding cassette 3, a reverse conveyance path 16 for re-conveying the sheet S to the image forming unit 12 when performing double-sided printing is provided. The reverse conveyance path 16 branches from the downstream side of the main conveyance path 15 (downstream side of the fixing device 13) and is folded downward, and the upstream side of the main conveyance path 15 (downstream side of the cassette feeding unit 11) Join the In the reverse conveyance path 16, a conveyance roller pair 16a is provided.

  The cassette sheet feeding unit 11 separates (sheets of) the sheets S in the sheet feeding cassette 3 one by one and feeds the sheet S to the main conveyance path 15. The image forming unit 12 includes a toner container 20, a drum unit 21, and an optical scanning device 22. The toner container 20 and the optical scanning device 22 are provided below the discharge tray 4. The drum unit 21 is provided below the light scanning device 22.

  The toner container 20 contains, for example, black toner (developer). The drum unit 21 includes a photosensitive drum 23, a charging device 24, a developing device 25, a transfer roller 26, and a cleaning device 27. The photosensitive drum 23 is rotatably supported in the apparatus main body 2. The charging device 24, the developing device 25, the transfer roller 26 and the cleaning device 27 are arranged around the photosensitive drum 23 in the order of the transfer process. The transfer roller 26 is in pressure contact with the photosensitive drum 23 from the lower side to form a transfer nip portion N.

  Here, the operation of the printer 1 will be described. The control device (not shown) performs an image forming process as follows based on the input image data.

  The charging device 24 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 23. The light scanning device 22 performs exposure (refer to the broken arrow in FIG. 1) corresponding to the image data toward the photosensitive drum 23 to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 23. The developing device 25 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 into a toner image. On the other hand, the sheet S supplied from the sheet feeding cassette 3 is conveyed through the main conveyance path 15 and reaches the transfer nip portion N. The transfer roller 26 to which the transfer bias is applied transfers the toner image to the sheet S passing through the transfer nip N. The fixing device 13 fixes the toner image on the sheet S. The sheet S after the fixing process is discharged from the paper discharge unit 14 onto the paper discharge tray 4. The cleaning device 27 removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 23 after transfer.

  When printing is performed on both sides of the sheet S, the sheet S having passed through the fixing device 13 is switched back and sent to the reverse conveyance path 16. The sheet S enters the main conveyance path 15 again from the reverse conveyance path 16 and is re-conveyed toward the transfer nip N. Thereby, images are formed on both sides of the sheet S.

  As described above, inside the apparatus main body 2, the cassette sheet feeding unit 11, the drum unit 21, the optical scanning device 22 and the like as internal devices for performing the image forming process on the sheet S are supported. The apparatus body 2 has a predetermined rigidity (strength) in order to secure an appropriate image forming process.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the apparatus main body 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 12. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the apparatus main body 2. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view schematically showing the apparatus main body 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the front lower portion of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the rear lower portion of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the front side of the bending reinforcement portion 40 of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the rear side of the bending reinforcement portion 40 of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the front leg 32F. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the rear leg member 32R. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the side plate 30, the front leg 32F and the front installation member 33F. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the side plate 30 and the rear leg member 32R. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the side plate 30, the rear side leg member 32R and the rear side installation member 33R.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the apparatus body 2 includes a pair of left and right side plates 30, a support member 31, a plurality of (for example, four) leg members 32 and a plurality (for example, three) bridging members 33. And. The pair of side plates 30 are arranged side by side facing each other in the left-right direction to constitute a framework of the apparatus main body 2. The support member 31 is sandwiched between the left and right side plates 30. Each leg member 32 is disposed below each side plate 30. Each construction member 33 is bridged between a pair of left and right side plates 30.

  Each side plate 30 is, for example, a sheet metal made of iron and formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a side view. A cassette mounting space 30 a for mounting the sheet feeding cassette 3 is formed between the pair of left and right side plates 30. The sheet feeding cassette 3 is provided so as to be able to be pulled out from the front surface of the apparatus main body 2.

  The support member 31 supports internal devices such as the drum unit 21 and the optical scanning device 22. The support member 31 is composed of a first support member 31 a and a second support member 31 b. The first support member 31a and the second support member 31b are each fixed to the side plates 30 by a plurality of support screws B1 (see FIG. 2).

  The first support member 31 a is disposed on the front side of each side plate 30 and in the middle in the vertical direction. The first support member 31 a is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material. The cassette feeder 11 and the drum unit 21 (see FIG. 1) are supported by the first support member 31a. In addition, the first support member 31 a constitutes a part of the main conveyance path 15 and a part of the reverse conveyance path 16 (see FIG. 1).

  The second support member 31 b is disposed on the rear side and upper side of each side plate 30. The second support member 31 b is formed of, for example, a steel sheet metal. The optical scanning device 22 is supported on the upper surface of the second support member 31b (see FIG. 3).

  Subsequently, the pair of left and right side plates 30 will be described in detail. In addition, since a pair of side plate 30 is formed in substantially left-right symmetry, the side plate 30 of the left side is demonstrated hereafter.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the side plate 30 has a bending reinforcement portion 40 formed by bending a lower end portion and both end portions in the front-rear direction into a U shape (K-shaped katakana). The bending reinforcing portion 40 is composed of a bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and a pair of front and rear side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R. The bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 is formed at the lower end portion of the side plate 30. The pair of side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R are formed at both end portions in the front-rear direction of the side plate 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 is configured of a lower end surface portion 411 and a lower folded portion 412. The lower end surface portion 411 is formed by bending the lower end portion of the side plate 30 outward (left side) at a right angle (90 degrees). The lower folded back portion 412 is formed by bending the tip end portion of the lower end face portion 411 inward (upper side) at a right angle (see also FIGS. 6 and 7). The bottom end reinforcing portion 41 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is formed by folding the lower end portion of the side plate 30 outward.

  First lower free insertion holes 43F and 43R are bored in the front and rear end portions of the lower end surface portion 411, respectively. The pair of first lower free insertion holes 43F and 43R in the front and rear direction is formed to have a diameter that allows the male screw portion 34a of the fastening screw 34 (fastening member) to pass through in a state of play. Two first lower screw holes 44F and 44M are bored in the rear of the first lower free insertion hole 43F on the front side (see FIG. 4). A first lower screw hole 44R is formed in front of the rear first lower insertion hole 43R (see FIG. 5). On the inner peripheral surface of each of the first lower screw holes 44F, 44M, 44R, a female screw portion (not shown) with which the male screw portion 34a of the fastening screw 34 is screwed is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the side surface reinforcing portion 42F on the front side is composed of a front end surface portion 421F and a front side folded portion 422F. A pair of upper and lower first front screw holes 45F are bored below the front end face 421F. A front connection piece 46F extending toward the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 is formed at the lower end portion of the side surface reinforcing portion 42F (front end surface portion 421F).

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the rear side surface reinforcing portion 42R is configured of a rear end surface portion 421R and a rear side folded portion 422R. Similar to the above-described side surface reinforcing portion 42F, a first rear screw hole 45R is formed below the rear end surface portion 421R. A rear connection piece 46R is formed at a lower end portion of the side surface reinforcing portion 42R (rear end surface portion 421R).

  Similar to the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41, the front and rear end portions of the side plate 30 are folded back to form a pair of front and rear side reinforcing portions 42F and 42R having a substantially U-shaped cross section. In addition, the internal thread surface (not shown) which the external thread part 34a of the fastening screw 34 screws together is formed in the internal peripheral surface of each screw hole 45F, 45R. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the side surface reinforcing portion 42F on the front side is formed between the lower end portion of the side plate 30 and the approximate center in the vertical direction. The rear side surface reinforcing portion 42R is formed between the lower end portion of the side plate 30 and the upper end portion (the entire rear end surface of the side plate 30).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the front connection piece 46F is formed by bending the lower end portion of the front end face portion 421F at a right angle toward the rear side. As shown in FIG. 7, the rear connection piece 46 </ b> R is formed by bending the lower end portion of the rear end surface portion 421 </ b> R to the front side at a right angle. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connection pieces 46 </ b> L and 46 </ b> R are in contact with the upper surface of the lower end surface portion 411 of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41. Connection screw holes 47F and 47R corresponding to (communicating with) the first lower free insertion holes 43F and 43R (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 are drilled in the connection pieces 46F and 46R. ing. On the inner peripheral surfaces of the connection screw holes 47F, 47R, female screw parts (not shown) are formed, with which the male screw parts 34a of the fastening screws 34 are screwed.

  Each leg member 32 is provided to abut the surface (the installation surface GL (see FIG. 3)) on which the device body 2 is to be installed, and to support the device body 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the plurality of leg members 32 are configured of a pair of left and right front leg members 32F and a pair of left and right rear leg members 32R. The two front leg members 32F and the two rear leg members 32R are disposed at the four corners of the lower surface of the device body 2. In addition, since the pair of front leg members 32F are formed substantially symmetrically, the left front leg member 32F will be described below. Similarly, the left rear leg member 32R will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front leg 32 </ b> F is attached to the front lower corner of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. 8, the front leg member 32F is configured of a front leg main body 50F and a front flange portion 51F. The front leg body 50F and the front flange 51F are integrally formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material.

  The front leg main body 50F is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A front guide groove 501F is recessed in the right surface (the cassette mounting space 30a side) of the front leg main body 50F. Sliders 3a (see FIGS. 1 and 3) formed on the left and right side surfaces of the sheet feeding cassette 3 slidably engage with the front guide groove 501F.

  The front flange portion 51F is provided on the left side of the front leg main body 50F. The front flange portion 51F is configured of a front horizontal portion 511F and a front vertical portion 512F. The front horizontal portion 511F is formed along the lower surface of the front leg main body 50F. The front vertical portion 512F is formed along the front surface of the front leg main body 50F. That is, the front side flange portion 51F is formed in a substantially L shape in a side view.

  In the front horizontal portion 511F, a second lower loose insertion hole 52F corresponding to (communicating with) the first lower loose insertion hole 43F (see FIG. 4) of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 is bored. A base rubber 53F is fixed to the lower surface of the front horizontal portion 511F at a position avoiding the second lower free insertion hole 52F (see FIG. 10). The base rubber 53F is made of, for example, a synthetic rubber, and is formed in a square pyramid shape (see FIG. 10). The front vertical portion 512F is provided with a pair of upper and lower second front loose insertion holes 54F corresponding to (communicating with) the two first front screw holes 45F (see FIG. 4) of the side surface reinforcing portion 42F.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rear leg member 32 </ b> R is attached to the lower corner of the rear side of the side plate 30. As shown in FIG. 9, the rear side leg member 32R is configured of a rear side leg main body 50R and a rear flange portion 51R. The rear side leg main body 50R and the rear side flange portion 51R are integrally formed of, for example, a synthetic resin material. In addition, the description similar to the above-mentioned front side leg member 32F is abbreviate | omitted below.

  A rear guide groove 501R in which the slider 3a of the sheet feeding cassette 3 is slidably engaged is recessed on the right surface of the rear leg main body 50R having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The rear side flange portion 51R is provided on the left side of the rear side leg main body 50R. The rear side flange portion 51R has a rear side horizontal portion 511R and a rear side vertical portion 512R, and is formed in a substantially L shape in a side view.

  In the rear horizontal portion 511R, a pair of front and rear second lower idle insertion holes 52R corresponding to the first lower idle insertion hole 43R and the first lower screw hole 44R (see FIG. 5) of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 are provided. It is drilled. A base rubber 53R is fixed to the lower surface of the rear horizontal portion 511R between a pair of front and rear second lower insertion holes 52R (see FIG. 11). In the rear vertical portion 512R, a second rear loose insertion hole 54R is drilled corresponding to the first rear screw hole 45R (see FIG. 5) of the side surface reinforcing portion 42R.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of bridging members 33 are configured of an upper bridging member 33U, a front bridging member 33F, and a rear bridging member 33R. Each of the installation members 33U, 33F, and 33R is, for example, a steel sheet metal, and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape long in the left-right direction in a plan view.

  The upper installation members 33U are installed on the upper rear portions of the pair of left and right side plates 30. Although the details will be described later, the upper installation member 33U is fixed to each side plate 30 by a plurality of fastening screws 34.

  The front side installation members 33F are provided in front of the lower surfaces of the pair of left and right side plates 30 (see FIG. 2). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the front side installation members 33F are disposed on the rear side of the front side leg members 32F. At the left and right end portions of the front installation member 33F, a pair of front and rear third front loose insertion holes corresponding to the two first lower screw holes 44F and 44M (see FIG. 4) formed in the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 respectively. 55F is drilled. Each fastening screw 34 penetrates each third front loose insertion hole 55F from the lower side, and is screwed into each first lower screw hole 44F, 44M. Thereby, the front side installation member 33F is fixed to each side plate 30.

  The rear side installation members 33R are provided at the rear of the lower surface of the pair of left and right side plates 30 (see FIG. 3). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the rear installation members 33R are arranged to overlap the rear leg members 32R. Notches 56 for preventing interference with the base rubber 53R are formed at the left and right end portions of the rear side installation member 33R. Each notch 56 is cut away in a rectangular shape from the left and right end portions of the rear side installation member 33R toward the center in the left-right direction. A pair of front and rear third rear loose insertion holes 55R are formed in the left and right end portions of the rear side installation member 33R at positions sandwiching the notch portion 56, respectively. Each third rear loose insertion hole 55R is drilled corresponding to the two second lower loose insertion holes 52R (see FIG. 11) formed in each rear leg member 32R.

  Here, the attachment structure of each leg member 32 etc. with respect to the side plate 30 is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the front leg main body 50F is in contact with the inner surface of the side plate 30, and the front flange 51F is in contact with the lower end surface 411 and the front end surface 421F. The front leg member 32F is attached to the side plate 30 via three fastening screws 34. Specifically, one fastening screw 34 (male screw portion 34a) penetrates the second lower free insertion hole 52F (see FIG. 8) of the front leg member 32F from the lower side and the second bottom screw 39 (1) Through the lower free insertion hole 43F (see FIG. 4). Then, the male screw portion 34a of the fastening screw 34 is screwed into the connection screw hole 47F of the front connection piece 46F (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the front leg member 32F is tightened together with the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portion 42F via the fastening screw 34. Further, the other two fastening screws 34 (male screw portion 34a) respectively penetrate the second front loose insertion holes 54F (see FIG. 8) of the front leg member 32F from the front side, and the respective side reinforcing portions 42F. The first front screw hole 45F is screwed (see FIG. 6). By the above, the front side leg member 32F is fixed to the side plate 30 from two directions.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the rear side leg main body 50R is in contact with the inner surface of the side plate 30, and the rear flange 51R is in contact with the lower end surface 411 and the rear end surface 421R. The rear leg member 32R is attached to the side plate 30 via three fastening screws 34. Specifically, the two fastening screws 34 (male thread portion 34a) are respectively provided from the lower side to the respective third rear loose insertion holes 55R of the rear side installation member 33R and to the respective second sides of the rear side leg member 32R. And the lower free insertion holes 52R (see FIG. 11). Of the two fastening screws 34, the rear side fastening screw 34 (male screw portion 34a) penetrates the first lower free insertion hole 43R (see FIG. 5) of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41, and the rear side connection piece 46R Screw into the connection screw hole 47R (see FIG. 7). Of the two fastening screws 34, the front fastening screw 34 (male screw portion 34a) is screwed into the first lower screw hole 44R of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 (see FIG. 7). As a result, the rear leg member 32R is tightened together with the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R via the two fastening screws 34. In addition, the other single fastening screw 34 (male screw portion 34a) penetrates the second rear loose insertion hole 54R (see FIG. 9) of the rear leg member 32R from the rear side, and the second reinforcing screw 34 (male screw portion 34a) 1 Screw into the rear screw hole 45R (see FIG. 7). By the above, the rear side leg member 32R is fixed to the side plate 30 from two directions.

  According to the printer 1 described above, the rigidity of each side plate 30 itself can be improved by forming the U-shaped bent reinforcing portion 40 at the outer peripheral end (excluding the upper end portion) of each side plate 30. Further, the support member 31 is sandwiched between the pair of side plates 30 and functions as a part of the structural member of the apparatus main body 2. As described above, the pair of side plates 30 sandwich the support member 31 to configure the device main body 2 that is highly rigid and capable of resisting twisting and bending. As a result, the positional accuracy of the internal device is maintained and the vibration of the apparatus main body 2 is suppressed, so that appropriate image forming processing can be secured.

  As described above, the bottom surface reinforcing portions 41 of the side plates 30 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R are connected to each other by the fastening screws 34. Thus, the rigidity of each side plate 30 can be further improved by connecting the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R.

  As described above, the fastening screw 34 tightens the front leg member 32F, the bottom surface reinforcement portion 41, and the side surface reinforcement portion 42F. According to this configuration, the number of fastening screws 34 can be reduced and the number of operation steps for assembling the front leg member 32F to each side plate 30 can be reduced as compared with the case where the respective parts (members) are individually fixed. be able to. That is, it is possible to reduce the weight of the device body 2 and the manufacturing cost. In addition, since the front leg member 32F is disposed on the rigid bottom surface reinforcing portion 41, the twist or the like of the device body 2 is suppressed even when the device body 2 is installed on the installation surface GL where there are steps or inclinations. Can.

  Further, according to the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 can be fixed to the leg members 32F and 32R by tightening the fastening screws 34 in the connection screw holes 47F and 47R of the connection pieces 46F and 46R. It fixes in the state pinched | interposed between the part 511F, the back side horizontal part 511R), and each connection piece 46F and 46R. In this state, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R are connected via the connection pieces 46F and 46R. Thus, the leg members 32F and 32R, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41, and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R are integrated, so that the device body 2 with high rigidity can be configured.

  Moreover, according to the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the pair of side plates 30 arranged in parallel is connected by the installation members 33 (33U, 33F, 33R), so the rigidity of the apparatus main body 2 (framework) is further improved. Can. As described above, the fastening screw 34 tightens the rear side installation member 33R, the rear side leg member 32R, the bottom surface reinforcement portion 41, and the side surface reinforcement portion 42R. Thus, the rear side installation member 33R is tightened together with the rear side leg member 32R using the fastening screw 34 for connecting the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portion 42R. As a result, the number of fastening screws 34 and the number of operation steps can be reduced, and the weight reduction and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus main body 2 can be achieved.

  In addition, as shown in FIG.2, FIG13 and FIG.14, the side plate 30 has the upper surface reinforcement part 60 formed by bending an upper end part. The upper surface reinforcing portion 60 is formed continuously at the upper end portion of the side plate 30 in the front-rear direction. The upper surface reinforcing portion 60 is formed in a substantially L shape by bending the upper end portion of the side plate 30 to the outside at a right angle.

  As shown in FIG. 13, an upper connecting portion 61 extending downward is formed at the front end portion of the upper surface reinforcing portion 60. The upper connection portion 61 is formed by bending the front end portion of the upper surface reinforcing portion 60 downward at a right angle. In the upper connection portion 61, a first upper surface screw hole 62 is formed. The upper connection portion 61 is connected (fixed) to the upper end portion of the side surface reinforcing portion 42F (front end surface portion 421F) by a fastening screw 34.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, on the rear end side of the upper surface reinforcing portion 60, a pair of front and rear second upper surface screw holes 63 are formed. The above-described upper installation member 33U has an upper surface plate 331 and a side surface plate 332, and is formed in a substantially L shape in a side view. The upper surface plate 331 is fastened to the upper surface reinforcing portion 60 by screwing the fastening screw 34 into each of the second upper surface screw holes 63. The side plate 332 is fastened to the side reinforcing portion 42R by screwing the fastening screw 34 into the second rear screw hole 48R formed in the side reinforcing portion 42R (rear end surface portion 421R).

  According to this configuration, the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41, the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R, and the top surface reinforcing portion 60 are continuously formed so as to surround the side plate 30. In addition to the connection between the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R, the rigidity of each side plate 30 can be further improved by connecting the upper surface reinforcing portion 60 and the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R.

  Although the printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes the pair of front and rear side reinforcing portions 42F and 42R, the present invention is not limited to this. The bending reinforcing portion 40 may be formed on at least one of the lower end portion of the side plate 30 and both end portions in the front-rear direction. That is, any one of the front and rear side reinforcing portions 42F and 42R may be omitted.

  In the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the connection pieces 46F and 46R are integrally formed with the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R (the front end surface portion 421F and the rear end surface portion 421R), but the present invention is limited thereto I will not. Although illustration is omitted, for example, a pair of front and rear connection pieces may be erected (extended) from both front and rear end portions of the bottom surface reinforcing portion 41 (lower end surface portion 411). In this case, the side surface reinforcing portions 42F and 42R are fixed in a state of being sandwiched between the leg members 32F and 32R (the front vertical portion 512F, the rear vertical portion 512R) and the connection pieces.

  Although the case where the present invention is applied to a monochrome printer 1 is described as an example in the description of the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a color printer, a copier, a facsimile or a multifunction machine. It may apply.

  The description of the above embodiment shows one aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The components in the above embodiment can be replaced or combined with existing components and the like as appropriate, and the contents of the invention described in the claims are not limited by the description of the above embodiment. .

1 Printer (image forming device)
2 Device main body 11 Cassette feeding unit (internal device)
21 Drum unit (internal equipment)
22 Optical scanner (internal equipment)
30 side plate 31 support member 32 leg member 33 construction member 34 fastening screw (fastening member)
40 Flexure Reinforcement 41 Bottom Reinforcement 42F, 42R Side Reinforcement 46F Front Connection Piece (Connection Piece)
46R rear connection piece (connection piece)
60 Top surface reinforcement S sheet

Claims (4)

A support member for supporting an internal device that performs an image forming process on the sheet;
A pair of side plates which are disposed side by side facing each other in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the support member and which constitutes a frame of the apparatus main body;
And four leg members disposed at lower front and rear corners of each side plate and abutting on a surface on which the device body is installed,
Each side plate is
A bottom surface reinforcing portion formed by bending a lower end portion into a U-shape;
A lateral reinforcing portion formed by bending both ends in the front-rear direction into a U-shape,
Each leg member is
A leg body that abuts the inner surface of the side plate ;
A horizontal portion protruding outward from the leg main body and in contact with a lower end surface of the bottom surface reinforcement;
A vertical portion projecting outward from the leg main body and integrally formed to form an L-shape with the horizontal portion, the vertical portion abutting on a side end surface portion of the side surface reinforcing portion;
And a base rubber fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal portion;
The side surface reinforcing portion is formed with a connection piece extending toward the bottom surface reinforcing portion,
Each of the leg members penetrates the horizontal portion at a position away from the base rubber and screwing a fastening member penetrating the bottom surface reinforcement portion into a screw hole formed in the connection piece, and the vertical portion The image forming apparatus is characterized in that it is fixed to the side plate from two directions by screwing a fastening member that penetrates through a screw hole formed in the side surface reinforcing portion. A support member for supporting an internal device that performs an image forming process on the sheet;
A pair of side plates which are disposed side by side facing each other in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the support member and which constitutes a frame of the apparatus main body;
And four leg members disposed at lower front and rear corners of each side plate and abutting on a surface on which the device body is installed,
Each side plate is
A bottom surface reinforcing portion formed by bending a lower end portion into a U-shape;
A lateral reinforcing portion formed by bending both ends in the front-rear direction into a U-shape,
Each leg member is
A leg body that abuts the inner surface of the side plate ;
A horizontal portion protruding outward from the leg main body and in contact with a lower end surface of the bottom surface reinforcement;
A vertical portion projecting outward from the leg main body and integrally formed to form an L-shape with the horizontal portion, the vertical portion abutting on a side end surface portion of the side surface reinforcing portion;
And a base rubber fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal portion;
The bottom surface reinforcement portion is formed with a connection piece extending toward the side surface reinforcement portion,
Each leg member has a fastening member penetrating the horizontal portion screwed into a screw hole formed in the bottom surface reinforcement portion at a position avoiding the base rubber, and penetrates the vertical portion and the side surface reinforcement The image forming apparatus is characterized in that it is fixed to the side plate from two directions by screwing a fastening member that penetrates a portion into a screw hole formed in the connection piece. Each of the side plates has an upper surface reinforcing portion formed by bending an upper end portion,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface reinforcing portion is connected to the side surface reinforcing portion by a fastening member. It has a notch which prevents interference with the base rubber of the leg member, and further includes a bridging member bridged between the pair of side plates so as to overlap the lower surface of the horizontal portion,
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fastening member tightens the erecting member, the leg member, the bottom surface reinforcing portion, and the side surface reinforcing portion. .

Images