JP7802572B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electrophotographic image forming devices such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices that have multiple functions of these.

In conventional image forming devices, it is common for the units operated by the user to be located together on the front side of the main body, while electrical units such as electrical circuit boards are located together on the back side of the main body, where the user does not have access.

Some image forming device electrical units are separated into a system control board, which controls the image forming device's system and communicates with external devices, and a drive control board, which controls the drive mechanisms that drive each unit for image formation operations. In such configurations, the drive control board is often located close to the drive mechanisms and is often stacked further inside the device than the system control board.

In this case, to facilitate maintenance of the drive mechanism and drive control board, it is possible to configure the electrical unit containing the system control board to be rotatable so that the drive mechanism can be exposed without removing it from the main body while the electrical wiring remains connected to the system control board.

In Patent Document 1, in an image forming apparatus with a rotatable electrical unit, connectors for the electrical wiring that connect the image reading device's connection wire to the system control board in the electrical box are located on the hinge side of the electrical unit. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which connectors for communicating with external devices are located on the side opposite the hinge.

As a result, in Patent Document 1, it is possible to expose the drive mechanism without removing the image reading device from the main body while the connection wires for the image reading device remain connected to the system control board.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-116615

However, when the connector that connects to the image reading device's connection wire is located on the rotation axis side of the electrical unit as in Patent Document 1, the connector approaches the device main body when the electrical unit is rotated. As a result, there is a risk that the connector may come into contact with a component of the device main body, and the load placed on the connector may cause it to come loose.

The present invention aims to prevent the connector from coming loose when the electrical unit is rotated in a configuration in which the electrical unit can be rotated without disconnecting the connection wires of the image reading device.

The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet, and includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, an apparatus main body that houses the image forming unit, an image reading device that has a reading unit that reads an original image and is provided above the apparatus main body in the vertical direction, a first control board that is provided in the apparatus main body and controls the operation of the image forming unit, a second control board that is connected to the image reading device via a connection line, a second connector that is mounted above the second control board in the vertical direction and to which a first connector provided on the connection line is connected, and a board housing unit that houses the second control board, and a board accommodation unit that is rotatable about a rotation axis provided at one end in the width direction of the image forming device from a first position that covers the first control board relative to the main body to a second position that exposes the first control board, the board accommodation unit having an upper surface that forms part of a wall for accommodating the second control board and has an opening that exposes the second connector, and the connection line has a first wiring section that runs along the rotation axis side in the width direction of the image forming device from the image reading device to the main body, and a second wiring section that runs from the rotation axis to the opening in the width direction.

This invention allows the electrical unit to be rotated without disconnecting the connection wires of the image reading device, and prevents the connector from coming loose when the electrical unit is rotated.

Schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus A perspective view of the image forming apparatus as seen from the rear FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the controller box is rotated. A perspective view showing the controller box with its exterior removed. Enlarged view of the area around the rotation axis A diagram showing the layout of the controller board inside the controller box and the cables connected to it. Diagram showing how each cable is connected to the connector inside the controller box Rear perspective view of the controller box Controller board connector details

First Embodiment
1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus 220. The image forming apparatus 220 includes an image reading device 10, a printer unit 20, a controller unit 300, a power supply device 40 that generates DC power from AC power, and an operation unit 140 that can be operated by a user. The operation unit 140 is an interface through which a user inputs instructions.

The image reading device 10 is located vertically above the printer unit 20 and has a platen glass 101 on which documents are placed, and a document transport device 146 that sequentially feeds documents to a predetermined position on the platen glass 101.

The image reading device 10 then reads the original image on the platen glass 101 using the scanning unit 147, scanning unit 148, and CCD unit 106, which are installed below the platen glass 101. In this embodiment, the scanning unit 147, scanning unit 148, and CCD unit 106 are examples of reading units that read the original image.

The scanning unit 147 has a lamp 102 that emits light toward the original document and a scanning mirror 103 that further reflects the light reflected from the original document.

Scanning unit 148 also has scanning mirrors 104 and 105 that reflect the light reflected from scanning mirror 103 toward CCD unit 106. Scanning unit 148 scans in the sub-scanning direction at half the speed of scanning unit 147. CCD unit 106 has an imaging lens 107 that receives the light reflected from scanning mirror 105 and forms an image, an image sensor 108 composed of a CCD that converts the formed image into, for example, an 8-bit digital image signal, and a CCD driver 109 that drives image sensor 108.

The main controller unit 300 is capable of receiving instructions from the user via the operation unit 140 and generating image data based on the image signal output from the image sensor 108, and controls the entire image forming device 220.

The reader controller 11 controls the image reading device 10 based on instructions from the main controller unit 300.

The main controller unit 300 mainly includes a controller board 30 (described below) and a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) (not shown). The main controller unit 300 also includes external interfaces such as a LAN (Local Area Network) and USB (Universal Serial Bus) for communicating with client PC terminals (not shown).

The main controller unit 30 can also be equipped with additional expansion units for connecting to external devices such as an expansion unit for fax communication and a DFE (Digital Front End) that issues print instructions to the image forming device 220.

The printer unit 20 is an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet based on image data generated by the main controller unit 300. The printer unit 20 includes a photosensitive drum 110, an exposure unit 117 that exposes the photosensitive drum 110 to light to form an electrostatic latent image, and a developer 118 that contains toner, a black developer, and develops the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 110 with the toner. The printer unit 20 also includes a pre-transfer charger 119 that applies a high voltage to the developed toner image on the photosensitive drum 110 before transfer. The exposure unit 117 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor laser.

The printer controller 21 controls each unit of the printer section 20 based on instructions from the main controller unit 30.

The printer unit 20 also includes a manual paper feed unit 120 and paper feed units 122, 124, 142, and 144 that store sheets. Sheets stored in the manual paper feed unit 120 or paper feed units 122, 124, 142, and 144 are transported into the image forming device 220 by feed rollers 121, 123, 125, 143, and 145. The printer unit 20 also includes a registration roller 126 that feeds sheets fed from the feed rollers 121, 123, 125, 143, and 145 to the photosensitive drum 110.

Registration roller 126 and feed rollers 121, 123, 125, 143, and 145 temporarily stop sheets on manual feed unit 120 and sheets stored in feed units 122, 124, 142, and 144 at a predetermined position. They then feed the sheets so that the writing timing matches with the developed toner image on photosensitive drum 110.

The printer unit 20 also has a transfer charger 127 that transfers the toner image developed on the photosensitive drum 110 to a fed sheet, and a separation charger 128 that separates the sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred from the photosensitive drum 110. The sheet onto which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 110 has been transferred is transported to the fixing unit 130 by a transport belt 129. Meanwhile, toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 110 without being transferred to the sheet is collected by a cleaner 111. The photosensitive drum 110 is neutralized by a pre-exposure lamp 112 and then uniformly charged by a primary charger 113. In this embodiment, the photosensitive drum 110, exposure unit 117, developer 118, pre-transfer charger 119, and transfer charger 127 are an example of an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet.

The toner image transferred to the sheet is fixed to the sheet by applying heat and pressure by the fixing unit 130. The sheet with the fixed toner image is then transported to the sorter 132 via the flapper 131.

When forming images on both sides of a sheet, the sheet with a toner image fixed on one side is fed to intermediate tray 137 via flapper 131 and feed rollers 133-136. The sheet in intermediate tray 137 is then fed again to photosensitive drum 110 by re-feed roller 138, and a toner image is formed on the opposite side in the same manner as described above.

Flapper 131 is configured to switch the destination of the sheet with the fixed toner image between sorter 132 and intermediate tray 137, and rollers 133 to 136 are configured to either non-reverse (multiple sheets) or reverse (double-sided) the sheet with the fixed toner image.

In this embodiment, the image forming device 220 that forms monochrome images has been described as an example, but it may also be configured to form images in multiple colors, such as yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Also, while the example described is one in which an intermediate tray 137 is provided on the reverse transport path, it may also be configured to provide multiple transport rollers without a tray and transport the paper again to the registration rollers 126.

Next, we will explain the controller box 202 of the image forming device 220. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the image forming device 220 viewed from the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller box 202 houses the controller board 30, which is covered with a metal plate to shield it from radiated noise and to protect it from the effects of electrostatic noise. The controller box 202 is then covered with an exterior cover 203. Note that the state in which the image forming apparatus 220 is operating normally is shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the controller box 202 is an example of a board housing unit that houses the controller board 30.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the controller box 202 in a rotated state. As shown in Figure 3, the controller box 202 is rotatable around rotation axes 305 and 306 provided at one end in the width direction of the image forming device 220. The state shown in Figure 3 allows a service technician to access the printer unit 20 when performing maintenance on the printer unit 20 located inside the image forming device 220. Note that the exterior cover 203 fixed to the cover sheet metal 202c (Figure 7) of the controller box 202 can be rotated without being removed from the controller box 202.

Furthermore, by rotating the controller box 202, the drive control board 50, which is stacked on top of the controller box 202, can be exposed. Therefore, by rotating the controller box 202, a service technician can perform maintenance on the drive control board 50 without removing the controller box 202 from the main body of the device. In this embodiment, the drive control board 50 is an example of a first control board that controls the drive of the image forming unit. Furthermore, the position of the controller box 202 shown in Figure 2 is an example of a first position that covers the drive control board 50, and the position of the controller box 202 shown in Figure 3 is an example of a second position that exposes the drive control board 50.

Note that while the image forming device 220 is not normally operated in the state shown in Figure 3, it is possible for the image forming device 220 to operate exceptionally when a service technician is checking the operation of the printer unit 20 during maintenance.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the controller box 202 with the exterior cover 203 removed. The state shown in Figure 4 allows a service technician to access the inside of the controller box 202 when performing internal maintenance on the controller box 202.

As shown in Figure 4, the controller box 202 contains the controller board 30, an external interface unit 402, and a cable (not shown) connecting the controller board 30 and the printer unit 20.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the area around the pivot shafts 305 and 306, with Figures 5(a) and (b) being perspective views of the area near the support members, and Figures 5(c) and (d) being perspective views of the area near the pivot shafts.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), the controller box 202 has an upper support portion 301 and a lower support portion 302 on the side surface 222 of the controller box 202 in the width direction (arrow X direction) of the image forming device 220. In the vertical direction (ZU-ZD), which is the rotation axis direction, the upper support portion 301 is provided on the upper side, and the lower support portion 302 is provided on the lower side.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and (c), a through-hole 303 is formed in the upper support portion 301, and a shaft 305 provided on the frame 230 of the image forming device 220 is inserted vertically from above.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5(b) and (d), a through-hole 304 is formed in the lower support portion 302, and a shaft 306 provided on the frame 230 of the image forming device 220 is inserted vertically from below.

In this way, by inserting shaft 305 into through-hole 303 of upper support portion 301 and shaft 306 into through-hole 304 of lower support portion 302, controller box 202 is rotatable relative to frame 230 of image forming apparatus 220. This allows service personnel to perform maintenance on the inside of image forming apparatus 220 in the field without removing controller box 202. In this embodiment, frame 230 is an example of an apparatus main body that houses image forming units such as the photosensitive drum 110, exposure unit 117, developer 118, pre-transfer charger 119, and transfer charger 127 described above.

In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(c), the side surface 308 of the upper support portion 301 abuts against the protrusion 307 provided on the frame 230, thereby restricting the rotation range of the controller box 202. As shown in Figures 5(b) and 5(d), the side surface 310 of the lower support portion 302 abuts against the protrusion 309 provided on the frame 230, thereby restricting the rotation range of the controller box 202. In this manner, the abutment between the side surface 308 and the protrusion 307, and the abutment between the side surface 310 and the protrusion 309, defines the maximum opening angle of the controller box 202. In this embodiment, the maximum opening angle is set to 120 degrees, taking into consideration ensuring space for easy maintenance by service personnel and an area where the controller box 202 does not come into contact with peripheral units (not shown).

In this embodiment, the maximum opening angle is approximately 120°, but the maximum opening angle does not have to be approximately 120° as long as sufficient space is secured for easy maintenance and there is no contact with other units.

Figure 6 is a detailed diagram showing the layout of the controller board 30 and the cables connected to it within the controller box 202, and is an enlarged view of the area indicated by dashed line A in Figure 4.

Connectors 400a-c, connectors 410a-c, connector 420, connectors 430a-d, and connectors 440a-b are mounted on the controller board 30.

Connectors 400a-c are accessed by the user to insert a network line such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a storage medium such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus). In this embodiment, connectors 400a-c are mounted on the end opposite the pivot axis in the width direction and are an example of a third connector into which a storage medium can be inserted.

Connectors 410a-c are connectors into which cable connectors 140a-c of connection lines connected to the operation unit 140 are inserted. By connecting to the operation unit 140, the controller board 30 is able to send image signals to be displayed on the operation unit 140. The controller board 30 is also able to receive input signals from the touch panel and numeric keypad input to the operation unit 140, and to connect signals to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) located on the operation unit 140. In this embodiment, connectors 410a-c are an example of operation unit connectors mounted on the end opposite the rotation axis in the width direction.

Connector 420 is a connector into which cable connector 11a of the connection line connected to reader controller 11 is inserted. The controller board 30 can transmit document images read by the image reading device 10 via connector 420, and exchange signals for operational control from the controller unit 300 to the image reading device 10. In this embodiment, the controller board 30 is thus an example of a second control board connected to the image reading device 10 via connection line 11b (Figure 8). Furthermore, cable connector 11a is an example of a first connector provided on the connection line.

The controller board 30 has a recessed portion 30a formed by cutting out the board at the position where the connector 420 is mounted. The connector 420 is also provided on the edge of the controller board 30 where the recessed portion 30a is provided.

The recessed portion 30a is formed to avoid the cable connector 11a. This reduces the amount by which the cable connector 11a protrudes from the controller box 202 when the connector 420 is mounted near the vertically upper edge of the controller board 30. Furthermore, the recessed portion 30a allows a general-purpose cable connector with a long insertion length to be inserted into the connector 420. By allowing the use of general-purpose cable connectors in this way, cable manufacturing costs can be reduced. However, if a cable connector with a short insertion length is used, the recessed portion 30a does not necessarily have to be provided. In this embodiment, the connector 420 is an example of a second connector mounted vertically above the controller board 30.

Connectors 430a-d are connectors into which cable connectors for connection to the printer controller 21 are inserted. Via connectors 430a-d, the controller board 30 transmits document image data to the printer controller 21 for printing by the printer unit 20, and exchanges signals for operational control with the printer unit 20.

Connectors 440a-b are power and signal connectors that are connected to supply power from the power supply unit 40 to the controller board 30 and to control the power supply board (third control board) provided on the power supply unit 40 from the controller board 30. In this embodiment, connectors 440a-b are an example of power connectors that are mounted at the end closest to the rotation axis in the width direction.

Next, the connector layout when viewing the controller box 202 from the outside will be explained using Figures 7 and 8.

Figure 7 shows the state in which the cables are connected to connectors 410 and 420 inside the controller box 202 when the cover metal plate 202c of the controller box 202 is closed.

Figure 8 shows the controller box 202 rotated as viewed from the back.

In this embodiment, the image forming device 220 may be used without the image reading device 10, and an image reading device 10 may be added to the image forming device 220 later in the market. Therefore, the connector 420 into which the cable connector 11a of the connection line connected to the reader controller 11 provided in the image reading device 10 is inserted is accessed more frequently by service personnel in the market than other connectors.

In this embodiment, therefore, the connector 420 is located on the top surface 202a of the controller box 202. This allows the cable to be inserted into and removed from the connector 420 without removing the metal cover 202c (Figure 7) of the controller box 202. As will be described in more detail below, the cable connector 11a wired from the image reading device 10 is connected to the connector 420 inside the controller box 202 via an opening 202b formed in the top surface 202a of the controller box 202. This makes it easier for service personnel to perform maintenance work.

However, in the market, service personnel rarely access connectors 430a-d and connectors 440a-b. Therefore, connectors 430a-d and connectors 440a-b are located on the right edge of the controller board 30 so that they can be accessed after removing the metal cover 202c of the controller box 202.

In addition, connectors 400a-c are attached to the entire exterior of the image forming device 220, and are arranged on the side surface 223 of the controller box 202 in the width direction (arrow X direction) of the image forming device 220 so that they can be accessed even when in the state shown in Figure 2. Therefore, openings 223a-c (Figure 8) are provided on the side surface 223 of the controller box 202 to expose connectors 400a-c. This allows the user to insert storage media, LAN cables, etc. into connectors 400a-c.

Note that, although not shown in the present embodiment, connectors 140a-c are connected to connectors 410a-c via other openings provided in the side surface portion 223. Furthermore, the top surface portion 202a and the side surface portion 223 in this embodiment are examples of the top surface portion and the side surface portion that form part of the wall portion that forms the space for accommodating the controller board 30.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller board 30 in this embodiment has a smaller area than the controller box 202, and is positioned closer to the left side when viewed from the rear inside the controller box 202. In other words, the controller board 30 is located closer to the side surface 223 than the pivot shafts 305 and 306 in the storage space of the controller box 202.

By arranging them in this way, the user can easily access the connectors 400a-c, even if the controller board 30 is miniaturized. Furthermore, because the connectors 400a-c accessed by the user are also connected to LAN cables and the like, it is desirable to be able to rotate the controller box 202 while the connection lines connected to these connectors 400a-c are still connected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the connectors 400a-c are located on the opposite side of the width from the rotation axes 305, 306.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the connection wire 11b connected to the reader controller 11 passes near the upper support part 301 provided on the rotation axis side of the controller box 202 and is connected to the reader controller 11 provided inside the image reading device 10. In other words, the connection wire 11b has a first wiring part 11ba that is routed so as to pass near the upper support part 301 provided on the rotation axis side of the controller box 202. In addition, the connection wire 11b has a second wiring part 11bb that is routed along the top surface part 202a of the controller box 202.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the connection lines 141a-c of the cable connectors 140a-c are wired along the side surface 223 and top surface 202a of the controller box 202. The connection lines 141a-c then pass near the upper support part 301 provided on the rotation axis side of the controller box 202, pass through the inside of the image reading device 10, and are connected to the operation unit 140 provided on the front side of the image forming device 220. In this embodiment, the connection lines 141a-c are an example of operation unit connection lines.

Of the connection lines 141a-c, portion 141d, which is wired near the upper support portion 301 provided on the rotation axis side of the controller box 202, is an example of a third wiring portion. Of the connection lines 141a-c, portion 141e, which is wired along the top surface 202a of the controller box 202, is an example of a fourth wiring portion. Of the connection lines 141a-c, portions 141f, 141g, and 141h, which are wired along the side surface 232 of the controller box 202, are an example of a fifth wiring portion. Note that although Figures 7 and 8 partially omit illustration of portion 141d, which is wired near the upper support portion 301, and portion 141e, which is wired along the top surface 202a, connection lines 141a-c are wired there, respectively.

This allows the cable connectors 11a, 140a-c to be inserted and removed without opening the metal cover 202c of the controller box 202. The controller box 202 can also be rotated to open and close without disconnecting the connection wires 11b, 141a-c. By routing the connection wires in this manner, the controller board 30 can be made smaller and positioned on the opposite side of the rotation axis within the controller box 202, allowing the controller box 202 to be rotated without disconnecting the connection wires. This facilitates maintenance of the drive control board 50 and other components that are positioned closer to the inside of the image forming device 220 (in the direction of the arrow Y) than the controller box 202.

Next, the configuration of the controller box 202 near the connector 420 will be explained using Figure 9.

Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are perspective views showing the vicinity of the connector 420 on the controller board 30 inside the controller box 202. Figure 9(a) is a perspective view of the connector 420 viewed from the left side when standing at the rear of the image forming device 220. Figure 9(b) is a perspective view of the connector 420 viewed from the right side when standing at the rear of the image forming device 220.

The metal plate shapes 601 and 602 are shaped to follow the left-right (width) outline of the cable connector to be inserted into the connector 420. Therefore, when force is applied to the cable connector 11a to be inserted into the connector 420, excessive load is not applied to the connector 420 mounted on the controller board 30.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, the sheet metal shaped portion 600 protrudes so as to conform to the inner side of the external shape of the cable connector inserted into the connector 420. This prevents excessive load from being placed on the connector 420 mounted on the controller board 30 when force is applied to the cable connector 11a inserted into the connector 420 toward the inside of the image forming device 220.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Image reading device 11a Cable connector 11b Connection line 30 Controller board 202 Controller box 220 Image forming device 220a Upper surface portion 230 Frame 301 Upper support portion 302 Lower support portion 305 Rotation shaft 306 Rotation shaft 420 Connector

Claims (6)

An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet,
an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet;
an apparatus main body that houses the image forming unit;
an image reading device having a reading unit for reading an image of a document, the image reading device being disposed above the device body in the vertical direction;
a first control board provided in the apparatus body and controlling the driving of the image forming unit;
a second control board connected to the image reading device via a connection line;
a second connector mounted on an upper portion of the second control board in the vertical direction and connected to a first connector provided on the connection line;
a board accommodating unit that accommodates the second control board, the board accommodating unit being rotatable about a rotation axis provided at one end side in a width direction of the image forming apparatus from a first position that covers the first control board relative to the apparatus body to a second position that exposes the first control board,
the board accommodating unit has an upper surface portion constituting a part of a wall portion for accommodating the second control board, the upper surface portion having an opening through which the second connector is exposed;
the connecting line has a first wiring portion that passes along the pivot axis side in the width direction of the image forming apparatus and is wired from the image reading device to the apparatus main body, and a second wiring portion that is wired from the pivot axis to the opening in the width direction.
An image forming apparatus characterized by: a third control board that supplies power to the second control board;
the second control board is mounted on an end portion of the second control board that is close to the rotation axis in the width direction and has a power connector that is connected to the third control board.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium. the second control board is mounted on an end portion on the opposite side of the rotation axis in the width direction and includes a third connector into which a storage medium can be inserted;
the board accommodating unit is located on the opposite side of the rotation axis in the width direction, and has a side surface that constitutes a part of a wall for accommodating the second control board, the side surface having an opening that exposes the third connector.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium. the second control board is provided at a position closer to the side surface portion than the rotation axis line in the accommodation space of the board accommodation unit;
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium. an operation unit provided on a front side of the image forming apparatus and operable by a user, the operation unit being connected to the second control board via an operation unit connection line;
the second control board further includes an operation unit connector connected to the operation unit connection line,
the operation unit connector is mounted on an end portion on the opposite side of the rotation axis in the width direction,
Another opening is provided on the side surface of the board accommodating unit to expose the operation unit connector.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium. The operation unit connection line has a third wiring portion that is wired from the operation unit to the device main body along the rotation axis line in the width direction of the image forming device, a fourth wiring portion that is wired to the top surface portion along the width direction, and a fifth wiring portion that is wired from the top surface portion to the other opening along the side surface portion in the vertical direction.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,