JP2007047402A - Energizing part contacting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a continuous electric connection means for a detachable process cartridge having an information storage medium mounted on a primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body and to prevent damage due to abrasion of a contact part resulting from long-time vibrations caused when the process cartridge is carried and transported and so on while loaded in the primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body. <P>SOLUTION: The electric connection means for electric connection with the information storage medium mounted on the primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body has a wiping part which comes into contact with an electric contact part on the side of the storage medium separately from electric contact parts that the electric contact part of the storage medium and an electric contact of the primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body come into contact with. Further, disclosed are the primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body having a guide member which makes the electric contact part contact and leave the wiping part, and a unit loaded in the primary electrophotographic image forming apparatus body and its electric connection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an energizing portion contact means means in an apparatus having a process cartridge and forming an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image forming system. Examples of an apparatus that forms an image using the electrophotographic image forming method include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (laser beam printer, LED printer, etc.), a facsimile machine, and a word processor.

  In addition, the process cartridge includes a charging unit, a developing unit, a cleaning unit, and an electrophotographic photosensitive member as process units which are integrated into a cartridge, and the cartridge can be attached to and detached from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. , At least one of charging means, developing means, and cleaning means as process means and an electrophotographic photosensitive member integrated into a cartridge so as to be detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and at least as process means The developing means and the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrated into a cartridge so that it can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body.

  The developing cartridge refers to a developing unit for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the electrophotographic photosensitive member and a developer storage unit (hereinafter referred to as toner storage unit) that stores a developer (hereinafter referred to as toner). Are integrally made into a cartridge and detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  The unit is a unit in which the electrophotographic photosensitive member is used alone, or a plurality of or a plurality of process means such as developing means and cleaning means, or a fixing means is detachably attached to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. It is.

  The unit, the process cartridge, and the developing cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body by the user himself, so that the apparatus main body can be easily maintained.

  Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image forming process, the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the process means acting on the electrophotographic photosensitive member are integrally formed into a cartridge, and the cartridge is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. A process cartridge system that enables this is adopted. According to this process cartridge system, the apparatus can be maintained by the user himself / herself without depending on the service person, so that the operability can be remarkably improved. Therefore, this process cartridge system is widely used in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses.

  In recent years, products in which a memory (storage element) that stores various service information and process information is mounted on a cartridge have been realized. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus further improves image quality and cartridge maintenance by utilizing the memory information of the cartridge. Some of them are in electrical communication with the memory of the cartridge by making an electrical connection with a connector provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  Further, in the electrical connection means, the current-carrying part contact means disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-2137790 is connected to one conductive member itself in order to connect adjacent conductive members. A contact portion having the property of strengthening electrical connection with the other conductive member is formed, and the thickness of the contact portion is such that a predetermined contact pressure or higher is obtained with respect to the other conductive member. There are some which are characterized in that a bending process is performed in a direction to give a spring property, and this contact portion has a sharp edge.

By adopting the above configuration, members that have conduction characteristics and battery contacts, reduction of screws required to connect the ground terminal of the electric circuit, reduction of additional parts such as lug terminals, work required for lead wires and soldering It is possible to reduce the component cost including the cost, and to avoid malfunction and destruction of the electric circuit related to the reliability of soldering.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-2137790

  However, when the current-carrying portion contact is performed using the above-described conventional example, the contact portion is worn due to long-time vibration generated when the process cartridge is mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and transported or transported. Cause damage.

  Therefore, by providing a means for preventing the contact portion formed by a sharp edge or the like having a spring property from constantly contacting when the process cartridge is mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body according to the present invention, the cost is greatly increased. The above-described problems can be solved without any problem.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent a process cartridge attached to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body from being damaged during transportation, and when an information storage medium is attached to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, To provide an information storage medium, a unit, a process cartridge, a developing cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in which a main body electrical contact provided and an electrical contact portion of the information storage medium can stably and reliably come into contact with each other. is there.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an information storage medium capable of stably maintaining contact when an electrical contact portion of the information storage medium and a main body electrical contact provided in the apparatus main body are in contact with each other. An object is to provide a unit, a process cartridge, a developing cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

  In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide information that can remove a scattered developer or the like even if the main body electrical contact or the electrical contact portion is attached to the electrical contact portion and ensure a reliable electrical connection. To provide a storage medium, a unit, a process cartridge, a developing cartridge, and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a first invention according to the present application described in claim 1 is an electrical connection means with an information storage medium attached to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
An information storage medium substrate;
A storage element for storing information provided on the substrate;
In order to protect the storage element, a protection unit that covers the storage element;
An electrical contact portion provided on the side where the storage element is provided with respect to the base body and electrically connected to the storage element and arranged alongside the protection portion, wherein the storage medium is the device An electrical contact portion that comes into contact with a body electrical contact provided in the apparatus body when mounted on the body;
Provided in the electrical contact portion, when the electrical contact portion and the main body electrical contact come into contact, a sliding region in which the main body electrical contact slides on the electric contact portion;
An electrical contact portion provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body in contact with the electrical contact portion of the storage element;
An electrophotographic image comprising: a contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body that contacts the electric contact portion on the storage medium side separately from the electric contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. An electrical connection means between the forming apparatus main body and an information storage medium mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention as set forth in claim 2, the electrical contact portion on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body side has a smooth surface material and shape, and is in contact with the electrical contact portion on the storage medium side. An electrical connection means is provided in which a contact portion provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body contacts an electrical contact portion on the storage medium side with a sharp edge.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the storage medium attached to the unit is provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In addition to the electrical contact portion and the electrical contact portion, a guide member that slidably guides to a contact portion provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention as set forth in claim 4, in the unit detachable from the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the electric contact portion provided on the recording medium attached to the unit is provided with the electrophotographic image. In addition to the electrical contact portion provided in the main body of the forming apparatus and the electrical contact portion, there is provided a guide member that guides to a contact portion provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus in a separable manner.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present application of the present application, in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the recording medium attached to the unit is provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus separately from the electrical contact portion. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body having a guide member that slidably guides to a contact portion.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present application of the present application, in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the recording medium attached to the unit is provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus separately from the electrical contact portion. A main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member that guides the contact portion in a separable manner.

  Thus, when the process cartridge is mounted on the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, it is possible to provide means for separating the contact portion formed by a sharp edge or the like having a spring property so as not to always contact the electrophotographic image forming apparatus body. It is possible to prevent damage due to wear of the contact portion due to long-time vibration generated during transportation and transportation between the process cartridge mounted on the image forming apparatus main body and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body.

  In addition, any of these means can solve the problems of the prior art without impairing the function of the process cartridge, without increasing the cost of the process cartridge, or with only a slight increase in cost. Is possible.

  According to the present invention, when the process cartridge is mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body, it is possible to provide means for separating the contact portion formed by a sharp edge or the like having a spring property so as not to always contact. Yes, it is possible to prevent damage caused by wear of the contact portion due to long-time vibration that occurs during transportation and transportation between the process cartridge mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body and the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. It becomes.

  In addition, the current-carrying part contact means used in this configuration can achieve both the effect of removing foreign matter by wiping and preventing damage due to wear as described above. In addition, compared to the case of using a packing material such as a spacer that keeps the contact portion away from the contact at all times, the cost for these packaging materials is small, and the user is not required to remove the packing material when unpacking the product. There is an effect that can be.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. This apparatus irradiates an optical unit 1 including a laser diode, a polygon mirror, a lens, and a reflection mirror, and a laser beam corresponding to image information obtained from the optical unit 1. As a result, an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the photosensitive drum 11 which is a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member. This latent image is developed by developing means.

  (Overall Configuration of Electrophotographic Image Forming Apparatus) The developing means, which is one of the process means for image formation, includes a developing roller 21 that supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 11, and a developer that adheres to the surface of the developing roller 21. And a developing blade 22 that regulates the amount of toner. In addition, the developing roller 20 and the developing blade 22, the developing frame 23 that holds them, and the toner container 24 having the toner container 24a that stores the developer are combined to constitute the developing unit 20 that is a developing device. is doing.

  The developing frame 23 has a developing chamber 23a. The toner in the toner storage portion 24a adjacent to the developing chamber 23a is sent to the developing roller 21 in the developing chamber 23a by the rotation of the toner feeding member 25. The developing frame 23 includes a rotatable toner stirring member 26 in the vicinity of the developing roller 21. Then, the toner in the developing chamber 23a sent out from the toner storage unit 24a is circulated. The toner has magnetism, and the developing roller 21 has a built-in fixed magnet. Therefore, toner adheres on the developing roller 21.

  Then, the toner is transported by rotating the developing roller 21, and a triboelectric charge is applied by the developing blade 22. A toner layer having a predetermined thickness is formed on the developing roller 21 and conveyed to the developing area of the photosensitive drum 11. The toner supplied to the developing area is transferred to the latent image on the photosensitive drum 11 to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum 11. The developing roller 21 is connected to a developing bias circuit provided in the apparatus main body 100. Usually, a developing bias voltage in which a DC voltage is superimposed on an AC voltage is applied.

  On the other hand, the feeding system (conveying means) 3 conveys the recording medium P set in the cassette 3a to the transfer position by the pickup roller 3b and the conveying roller pairs 3c, 3d, and 3e in synchronization with the formation of the toner image. At the transfer position, a transfer roller 4 as transfer means is disposed, and a toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to the recording medium P by applying a voltage.

  The recording medium P that has received the transfer of the toner image is conveyed to the fixing unit 5 by the conveyance guide 3f. The fixing unit 5 includes a driving roller 5c and a fixing roller 5b including a heater 5a, and fixes the transferred toner image on the recording medium P by applying heat and pressure to the recording medium P passing through.

  The recording medium P is conveyed by the discharge roller pairs 3g and 3h, and discharged to the discharge tray 6 via the reverse path 3j. The discharge tray 6 is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 100. It is also possible to operate the swingable flapper 3k to discharge the recording medium P without going through the reversing path 3j. Thus, the pickup system 3 is constituted by the pickup roller 3b, the conveyance roller pairs 3c, 3d, and 3e, the conveyance guide 3f, and the discharge roller pairs 3g and 3h.

  After the toner image is transferred to the recording medium P by the transfer roller 4, the photosensitive drum 11 is subjected to the next image forming process after the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 is removed by the cleaning unit 12. The cleaning means 12 scrapes off the residual toner on the photosensitive drum 11 by a cleaning blade 12a provided in contact with the photosensitive drum 11, and collects it in a waste toner reservoir 12b.

  (Structure of Process Cartridge) As shown in FIG. 2, the process cartridge 2 has a toner container 24 welded to a developing frame 23 that supports the developing roller 21 to integrally form a developing unit 20 (developing device). ing. The toner storage container 24 includes a toner storage portion 24a for storing toner, and a toner supply opening 24b for supplying the toner in the toner storage portion 24a to the developing chamber 23a. A toner feeding member is provided in the toner storage portion 24a. 25 is rotatably supported. The toner supply opening 24b is sealed with a developer seal (not shown) until the process cartridge 2 is used, and the developer seal is pulled out by the user when the process cartridge 2 is used for the first time. Thus, toner can be supplied. The developing frame 23 supports the developing roller 21 and the developing blade 22.

  The cleaning unit 12 is formed by supporting the cleaning blade 12 a, the photosensitive drum 11, and the charging roller 7 with a drum frame 13. The process cartridge 2 is formed into a cartridge by combining the developing unit 20 and the cleaning unit 10 together.

  As shown in FIG. 3, gear flanges are attached to both ends of the photosensitive drum 11, one gear flange is rotatably supported by the drum bearing 14, and the other gear flange is a drum shaft 15 shown in FIG. Is supported rotatably. The drum bearing 14 and the drum shaft 15 are attached to the drum frame 13 and constitute the cleaning unit 10.

  (Combination of Cleaning Unit and Development Unit) Next, a configuration for coupling the cleaning unit 10 and the development unit 20 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 10 and the developing unit 20 are coupled by side covers 30 and 40 on both sides. In FIG. 3, the right side cover 30 is positioned with the cleaning unit 10 by fitting the reference hole 31 with the cylindrical portion 14 a of the drum bearing 14, and is fixed with screws 51. Then, the developing unit 20 is positioned by fitting the reference boss of the side cover 30 and the reference hole of the developing unit 20, and is fixed by the screw 52 in the same manner as described above.

  On the other hand, the left side cover 40 is positioned with the cleaning unit 10 by fitting the reference hole 41 and the cylindrical portion 15 a of the drum shaft 15 of the photosensitive drum 11, and is fixed with screws 53. Further, the developing unit 20 is also fixed by screws 54 as in the opposite side.

  (Configuration of Guide Means for Process Cartridge) Next, guide means for attaching / detaching the process cartridge 2 to / from the apparatus main body 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 is a perspective view showing a part of the apparatus main body 100 located on the right side of the developing unit 20 when the process cartridge 2 is viewed in the direction in which the process cartridge 2 is attached to the apparatus main body 100 (the direction of the arrow X). 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the apparatus main body 100 that is also located on the left side of the developing unit 20. FIG.

  The outer surface of the cleaning unit 10 has both the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 and the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 15a of the drum shaft 15 shown in FIGS. A guide means (guide member) on the process cartridge side is configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper surface of the drum frame 13 constituting the cleaning unit 10, that is, the upper surface when the process cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, has a process cartridge mounting direction. Restricting contact portions 16 and 17 are provided at end portions in the longitudinal direction orthogonal to the horizontal axis, respectively. The both contact portions 16 and 17 define the position of the process cartridge 2 when the process cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100.

  That is, when the process cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the contact portions 16 and 17 abut on the fixed members 101 and 102 provided on the apparatus main body 100 as shown in FIGS. In the process cartridge 2, the rotational position around the cylindrical portion 14 a of the drum bearing 14 and the cylindrical portion 15 a of the drum shaft 15 is defined.

  Next, the guide means (guide wall) of the process cartridge 2 provided on the apparatus main body 100 side will be described. When the opening / closing member 100a of the apparatus main body 100 shown in FIG. 1 is rotated counterclockwise around its fulcrum, the upper part of the apparatus main body 100 is opened. 14 and 15 are partial perspective views showing attachment guide portions to the apparatus main body 100 at both left and right ends of the process cartridge 2 in this state, and the inner walls on both sides of the apparatus main body 100 are opened from the opening where the opening / closing member 100a is opened. As described above, the right side of the process cartridge 2 as viewed from the attaching / detaching direction (X direction) is FIG. 14 and the left side is FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a guide member 121 is disposed on the right inner wall of the apparatus main body 100, and a guide member 122 shown in FIG. 15 is formed on the left inner wall.

  The guide members 121 and 122 are respectively connected to the guide portions 121a and 122a that are obliquely provided so as to be forward and downward as viewed from the direction of the arrow X that is the insertion direction of the process cartridge 2, and the guide portions 121a and 122a, respectively. The cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 of the process cartridge 2 and the cylindrical portion 15a of the drum shaft 15 are provided with semicircular positioning grooves 121b and 122b. The positioning grooves 121b and 122b have cylindrical walls, and the center of the positioning grooves 121b and 122b is the cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 of the process cartridge 2 when the process cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100. It coincides with the center of the cylindrical portion 15 a of the drum shaft 15 and also coincides with the center line of the photosensitive drum 11.

  The width of the guide members 121 and 122 is such that the cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 and the cylindrical portion 15a of the drum shaft 15 are loosely fitted when viewed from the attaching / detaching direction of the process cartridge 2. When the process cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, the cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 and the cylindrical portion 15a of the drum shaft 15 of the process cartridge 2 are positioned in the positioning grooves 121b of the guide members 121 and 122 of the apparatus main body, respectively. , 122b, and the abutting portions 16, 17 on both sides of the drum frame 13 of the process cartridge 2 abut on the fixed members 101, 102 of the apparatus main body.

  (Configuration of Laser Shutter) As shown in FIG. 16, a laser shutter 130 for blocking the laser light path so that the laser light does not leak from the optical means 1 when the process cartridge 2 is not attached to the apparatus main body 100. Is provided.

  The laser shutter 130 is rotatably provided around the shutter fulcrum 131 on the apparatus main body 100 by a support shaft or the like (not shown). A shutter link 132 for rotating the laser shutter 130 is rotatably provided on the apparatus main body 100 by a bearing or the like (not shown). Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the shutter link 132 is mounted when the process cartridge 2 is mounted in the Y direction intersecting with the mounting direction of the process cartridge 2 indicated by the arrow X (the direction from the front to the back in the figure). In addition, the abutting portion 16 of the drum frame 13 is disposed between the fixed member 101 with which the abutting portion 16 abuts and the right side wall of the apparatus main body 100. Further, it is arranged on the back side of the fixed member 101 in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 2.

  Next, operations of the laser shutter 130 and the shutter link 132 will be described.

  When the process cartridge 2 is not attached to the apparatus main body 100, the laser shutter 130 is biased clockwise in FIG. 16 around the shutter fulcrum 131 by a spring or the like (not shown). The laser light path is shielded at the position where the shutter unit 130a contacts the optical means 1. In the process of attaching the process cartridge 2 to the apparatus main body 100, the rib 18 that is a wall member provided beside the contact portion 16 of the drum frame 13 of the process cartridge 2 is connected to the contact portion 132a of the shutter link 132. Abut (see FIGS. 4 and 17). Thus, when the rib 18 of the drum frame 13 of the process cartridge 2 and the contact portion 132a of the shutter link 132 contact each other, the shutter link 132 rotates clockwise in FIG. 16 about the support shaft 132b. .

  At this time, the boss 132c of the shutter link 132 comes into contact with the contact portion 130b of the laser shutter 130 and is pressed. As a result, the laser shutter 130 rotates counterclockwise about the shutter fulcrum 131 and retracts the shutter portion 130a from the laser light path as indicated by a broken line.

  As a result, when the process cartridge 2 is mounted at a predetermined position of the apparatus main body, the laser light path is not blocked by the shutter portion 130a of the laser shutter 130, and the photosensitive drum 11 is reliably irradiated with the laser light. be able to.

  (Configuration of Memory Tag) As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a memory tag 60 as an information storage medium is attached to the surface of the drum frame 13 of the cartridge 2. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the memory tag 60 has a contact portion 63 on which a storage element 61, a contact portion 62, and a contact portion 141 (main body contact member) of a connector 140, which will be described later, come in contact as a base. (Printed circuit board) A bill-like member disposed on 64.

  The storage element 61 is disposed in the center and is protected by a resin coating layer 65 (protection part). The contact portion 62 is provided on the same surface as the memory element 61 and on both sides of the coating layer 65 that protects the memory element 61. Further, in the vicinity of the contact portion 62, an abutting portion 63 with which the abutting portion 141 of the connector 140 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the connector 140 is provided with a metal electrical contact 142 (main body electrical contact) that generates a contact pressure by elastic deformation and a wiping member 143 provided in front of the electrical contact portion of the connector. . Then, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 13A, when the cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100, first, the electrical contact 142 and the tip portions 142a and 143a of the wiping member 143 are the memory tag 60. The contact part 62 (electrical contact part) is contacted. Next, as shown in FIG. 12B and FIG. 13B, the abutting portion 141 comes into contact with the contact portion 63 of the memory tag 60. Therefore, the deflection amount of the electrical contact 142 and the wiping member 143 is constant, and the contact pressure and the wipe pressure with respect to the contact portion 62 of the memory tag 60 are set to desired pressures, and the electrical connection can be stabilized.

  Further, the contact portion 63 of the memory tag 60 is provided with the contact portion 62 on the same surface side of the substrate 64, so that the dimensional accuracy in the height direction between the contact portion 63 and the contact portion 62 in the memory tag 60 is improved. It is increasing. As a result, the contact pressure of the electrical contact 142 of the connector 140 can be further stabilized. Further, the contact portion 62 of the memory tag 60 of the present embodiment is subjected to Ni plating on the copper foil surface and further gold plating. In this way, multilayer plating is performed to prevent the contact portion 62 from being corroded or worn.

  Further, contact portions 62 are provided on both sides of the coating layer 65 (protection portion) that protects the storage element 61 of the memory tag 60, and the contact portion 63 is on the extension line of both contact portions 62 and adjacent to the contact portion 62. Were arranged in a plane.

  By providing such a contact portion 63, the distance from the rotating shaft 151 of the connector holder 150 to the abutting portion 141 of the connector 140 and the distance to the electrical contact 142 and the wiping member 143 shown in FIG. Since it can be made substantially equal, it is difficult to be affected by the dimensional variation in the height of the abutting portion 141, and the contact pressure of the electrical contact 142 and the wipe pressure of the wiping member can be stabilized.

  Further, the contact portion 63 of the memory tag 60 is provided in parallel with the contact portion 62, and the distance between the abutting portion 141 of the connector 140 and the electrical contact 142 is substantially equal. Therefore, the pressure balance becomes uniform, and conduction failure due to insufficient contact pressure of the contact portion 62 can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the contact portion 63 is provided on the opposite side of the contact portion 62 from the coating layer 65. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact portion 63 is not limited thereto. You may contact | abut to the outer peripheral part of this, or the contact part 62. FIG.

  Next, the mounting structure of the memory tag 60 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the memory tag 60 is attached to the mounting portion 13 a (information recording medium mounting portion) of the drum frame 13 that is the frame of the cartridge 2. On one end side in the short direction of the memory tag 60, a groove portion 60a which is a concave cutout portion is provided between the contact portions 62 in the longitudinal direction. The cartridge 2 is formed with a rib 71 (process cartridge positioning member) that is a contact positioning portion orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the memory tag 60, and the concave groove 60 a of the memory tag 60 is fitted into the rib 71. In the longitudinal direction positioning is performed. In the short direction, positioning is performed by abutting the abutting portion 60b of the memory tag 60 against the positioning portion 72 provided in the mounting portion 13a (information recording medium mounting portion).

  As described above, by positioning with the concave cutout portion, the direction in which the molding die of the attachment portion of the memory tag 60 of the cartridge 2 is removed is not parallel to the surface including the contact portion 62 of the memory tag 60. Also, positioning in the longitudinal direction can be performed. Therefore, the mold configuration can be used in a plurality of products without affecting the positioning of the memory tag 60 in the longitudinal direction, and the cost can be reduced due to mass merit.

  If the positioning shape is a hole (round hole, square hole), the memory tag becomes large. However, an increase in the size of the memory tag can be suppressed by using the concave notch as described above.

  Furthermore, if the positioning shape is a hole (round hole, square hole), there is a possibility of twisting when the positioning hole and the positioning boss are fitted, and there is a concern that the assembling property is deteriorated. In particular, in the present embodiment, since a thin substrate of about 0.6 mm is used, there is a high possibility of twisting, and there is a concern of deterioration in assemblability. However, if the concave shape is used as described above, there is no possibility of squeezing and the assemblability will not be deteriorated.

  Further, if the memory tag 60 is to be attached to the process cartridge 2 in a non-regular direction, the memory tag 60 cannot be attached by contacting the substrate 64 of the rib 71 (the process cartridge positioning member is the memory tag) 60. The rib 71 also functions to prevent the memory tag 60 from being reversed.

  Next, the connector configuration provided in the apparatus main body 100 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the connector 140 has a hemispherical metal electrical contact 142 that generates contact pressure by being biased by a spring and the electrical contact that generates contact pressure by elastic deformation in the front of the process cartridge mounting direction. One wiping member 143 provided at the position is arranged for one of the contact portions 62 of the memory tag 60. Abutting portions 141 that abut against the abutting portions 63 of the memory tag 60 are provided in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction on the sides of the electrical contacts 142 and the wiping member 143. A lead wire is connected to the opposite side of the contact portion of the electrical contact 142 with the memory tag 60 and is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body 100.

  The electrical contact 142 is made of a conductive metal material, but may be made of a wear-resistant conductive resin material or the like.

  The connector holder 150 includes a rotating shaft 151, a connector mounting portion 152, and a longitudinal positioning lever 153.

  The connector 140 is fixed to the connector holder 150 with a snap fit, a screw or the like (not shown). Further, as described above, the connector holder 150 rotates on the rotation shaft 151, and as shown in FIG. 9, the rotation shaft 151 is slidable in the longitudinal direction (arrow C direction) by a bearing 151a. Is held in.

  Next, the connection between the connector 140 and the memory tag 60 will be described in accordance with the operation of mounting the cartridge 2 on the apparatus main body 100.

  The right side contact portion 16 of the cartridge 2 is provided in a groove 16a which is a mounting guide portion having a rib 18 which opens and closes a laser shutter 130 which is a laser light shielding member (exposure light shielding member) of the apparatus main body 100 as one end. The left contact portion 17 is provided in a groove 17a which is a mounting guide portion whose outside is opened. As shown in FIG. 9, when the cartridge 2 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100 in the direction indicated by the arrow X, the fixing members 101 and 102 of the apparatus main body 100 are sandwiched by the grooves 16a and 17a as the mounting guide portions during the insertion. Then, the mounting direction of the cartridge 2 is guided. When further inserted, the longitudinal positioning lever 153 of the connector holder 150 movably disposed in the longitudinal direction also enters the end of the groove 16a, and the longitudinal positioning of the connector 140 and the cartridge 2 is performed.

  That is, the end portion of the groove 16a serving as the mounting guide portion constitutes a longitudinal positioning portion of the cartridge 2 for positioning the memory tag 60 attached to the cartridge 2 and the connector 140 in the longitudinal direction. Further, when the cartridge 2 is inserted, the connector 140 rotates toward the memory tag 60 about the rotation shaft 151 of the connector holder 150 by the biasing force of the spring 154 that biases the connector holder 150 at the tip in the insertion direction of the cartridge 2. (Clockwise in FIG. 8).

  Then, the cylindrical portion 14a of the drum bearing 14 of the cartridge 2 and the cylindrical portion 15a of the drum shaft 15 reach the positioning grooves 121b and 122b of the apparatus main body 100 (see FIGS. 14 and 15).

  In the cartridge 2, the center line connecting the center of the cylindrical portion 14 a of the drum bearing 14 and the center of the cylindrical portion 15 a of the drum shaft 15 is kept horizontal on the cleaning unit 10 side and the developing unit 20 side. The weight distribution is such that a larger primary moment is generated than on the cleaning unit 10 side. Therefore, the cartridge 2 rotates clockwise on a line connecting the cylindrical portion 14 a of the drum bearing 14 and the cylindrical portion 15 a of the drum shaft 15, and the contact portions 16 and 17 of the cartridge 2 come into contact with the fixed members 101 and 102. The insertion operation of the cartridge 2 is completed. At the same time, the connector 140 contacts the memory tag 60.

  Next, the wiping operation of the connector 140 and the memory tag 60 when the cartridge 2 is mounted on the apparatus main body 100 will be described.

  The connector 140 is provided at a front position in the mounting direction of the process cartridge 2 of the hemispherical metal electrical contact 142 that generates contact pressure when biased by a spring and the electrical contact that generates contact pressure by elastic deformation. One wiping member 143 is arranged for one of the contact portions 62 of the memory tag 60. In this embodiment, when the process cartridge 2 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100, the memory tag 60 provided on the process cartridge 2 contacts the wiping portion 143 of the connector 140 before it is completely attached to the apparatus main body 100. Then, when the process cartridge 2 is inserted in the mounting direction, after passing through the wiping portion 143, it comes into contact with the electrical contact 142 and is electrically connected to the apparatus main body 100 via the connector 140. The cartridge 2 is completely inserted into the apparatus main body 100. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11A, the wiping member 143 slides while elastically deforming the surface of the contact portion 62 of the memory tag 60 while the process cartridge 2 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100 by the mounting operation. Thus, wiping is performed by the sharp edge portion of the wiping member 143. That is, the wiping member 143 is an elastic member, and its base portion 144 is attached to the connector 140 so as to be movable in parallel with the sliding pressing direction. The wiping member 143 and its base portion 144 are urged by a spring 145, and the abutting portions 141 formed at both ends of the connector 140 abut against the abutting portions 63 of the memory tag 60 to obtain a predetermined contact pressure. Become. Therefore, during the operation of mounting the cartridge 2 on the apparatus main body 100, the wiping member 143 and the contact portion 62 are in contact with each other, and slide in the sliding region 62a. Further, when the process cartridge 2 is inserted in the mounting direction, as shown in FIG. 11B, after passing through the wiping portion 143, the area where the wiping portion 143 slides comes into contact with the electrical contact 142 and the apparatus main body. 100 is completely inserted. When the process cartridge 2 is further inserted in the mounting direction from the state shown in FIG. 11A, the contact portion 141 of the base portion 144 of the wiping member 143 is adjacent to the memory tag 60 installed on the upper surface of the drum frame 13. It is guided in a direction away from the memory tag 60 while sliding with the rib 146, and the contact with the contact portion 63 of the memory tag 60 is released. Therefore, the mounting operation of the process cartridge 2 is completed without the sharp edge portion of the wiping member 143 being caught by the drum frame 13 of the process cartridge 2, and the electrical contact 142 and the memory tag 60 come into contact with each other.

  Therefore, even if scattered toner or the like adheres to the contact portion 62 of the memory tag 60, it can be cleaned by scraping it off. Therefore, a stable electrical connection can be ensured at all times.

  Further, the electrical contact 142 of the connector 140 that contacts the electrical contact portion 62 of the memory tag has a hemispherical shape with a smooth surface, thereby preventing the occurrence of poor conduction due to plating peeling of the electrical contact portion 62 of the memory tag.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the wiping portion 143 has a width of 2 mm at one place, and slides due to backlash in the longitudinal direction of the memory tag 60 and variations in assembly when the process cartridge 2 is inserted into the apparatus main body 100. Even when the region 62 is misaligned, the electrical contact 142 and the memory tag 60 can reliably contact each other.

  Further, the apex of the tip end portion 142 a when the electrical contact 142 is displaced by a predetermined amount is designed to be aligned with the apexes of the abutting portions 141 formed at both ends of the connector 140. It should be noted that the present invention includes a sliding area where the main body electrical contact slides in the electrical contact portion of the memory tag. It also includes the case where there is no.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a), since the abutting portions 141 are disposed at the far outside of the electrical contact 142, that is, at both ends of the connector 140, the height of the protruding portion is increased. Even if the size varies within the tolerance, the connector 140 does not tilt greatly. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the influence that the contact pressures of the four electrical contacts 142 become uneven on the left and right sides and the electrical connection becomes unstable.

  In the present embodiment, the distal end portion 142a is displaced 0.5 to 2 mm in the abutting direction, and is wiped 0.5 to 2 mm in the short direction of the electrical contact portion. The contact pressure at this time is 40 to 80 g / pin.

  In the present embodiment, the rib 146 adjacent to the memory tag 60 installed on the upper surface of the drum frame 13 guides the base portion 144 of the wiping member 143 even when the process cartridge 2 is taken out from the apparatus main body 100, and the wiping member The sharp edge portion 143 can be taken out from the process cartridge 2 without being caught by the drum frame 13 of the process cartridge 2.

  Further, as described above, the groove 16a is arranged in the vicinity of the memory tag 60 of the cartridge 2, and the connector holder 150 to which the connector 140 of the apparatus main body 100 is attached is positioned by the groove 16a. The contact can be made with high accuracy. As a result, contact displacement of the memory tag 60 can be prevented, and the connector unit can be miniaturized.

  Further, since the groove 16a also serves as a mounting guide for mounting the cartridge 2 on the apparatus main body 100, the movable width in the longitudinal direction of the connector unit can be reduced, and includes the movable width of the connector unit. The space of the apparatus main body 100 can be reduced.

  Further, the groove 16a can use space effectively by using the rib 18 that opens and closes the laser shutter 130 of the apparatus main body 100 as one side wall. Further, since the groove 16a also serves as a guide when the cartridge 2 is mounted, the positional accuracy of the apparatus main body 100 with respect to the opening / closing mechanism of the shutter 130 is improved, and in addition, the shutter 130 of the apparatus main body 100 is opened / closed. The size of the part can be reduced.

  According to the present embodiment, since the coating layer 65 and the contact portion 62 that protect the storage element 61 of the memory tag are arranged on a substantially straight line, the memory tag 60 can be reduced in size and attached to the cartridge. Increased freedom of place.

  By adopting a configuration in which contact portions 62 are provided on both sides of the coating layer 65 that protects the memory element 61, and the contact portions 63 are arranged on the extension lines of both contact portions, and contact portions arranged in parallel with the contact portions are arranged. Since the distance between the abutting portion of the connector and the contact portion becomes equal and the pressure balance becomes even, it is possible to more reliably prevent poor conduction due to insufficient contact pressure.

  Furthermore, in terms of shape, positioning is performed by a concave notch provided on the side edge of the memory tag, so that the direction in which the molding die is attached to the memory tag mounting portion of the cartridge is parallel to the contact portion surface of the memory tag. Even if not, positioning in the longitudinal direction can be performed. As a result, the mold configuration does not affect the positioning of the memory tag in the longitudinal direction, so that it can be used in a plurality of products, and the cost can be reduced due to mass merit.

  If the positioning shape is a hole (round hole, square hole), the memory tag becomes large. However, an increase in the size of the memory tag can be suppressed by forming the concave shape.

  Furthermore, if the positioning shape is a hole (round hole, square hole), there is a possibility of twisting when the positioning hole and the positioning boss are engaged, and there is a concern that the assembling property may be deteriorated. In particular, when a thin substrate is used, there is a great possibility of the twisting, and there is a concern that the assembling property is deteriorated. However, by making the concave shape, there is no possibility of twisting and deterioration of assembling property can be avoided.

  Since this invention is comprised as mentioned above, there exists an effect as described below.

  A main body electrical contact provided in the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus and an electrical contact portion of the information storage medium are in stable and reliable contact, and a reliable electrical connection can be ensured.

  Further, when the electrical contact portion of the information storage medium comes into contact with the main body electrical contact provided in the apparatus main body, the contact can be stably maintained.

  Further, even if scattered toner or the like adheres to the main body electrical contact or the electrical contact portion, these can be removed, and a reliable electrical connection can be secured.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the process cartridge of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the process cartridge of FIG. 2 in an exploded manner. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the process cartridge of FIG. 2 as viewed from the left side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the process cartridge of FIG. 2 as viewed from the right side. It is a perspective view which shows a memory tag. It is a perspective view which shows the state which attached the memory tag to the process cartridge. It is a side view which shows arrangement | positioning of a memory tag and a connector. It is an expansion perspective view which shows arrangement | positioning of a memory tag and a connector. It is a perspective view which shows a connector. It is a side view which shows the wiping of a connector and connection with a memory tag. It is a fragmentary figure which shows the contact part of the electrical contact of a memory tag and a connector. It is a fragmentary figure which shows the contact part of the wiping part of a memory tag and a connector. It is a perspective view showing a right guide part of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. 2 is a perspective view showing a left guide portion of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. FIG. It is a figure explaining a laser shutter. It is a figure explaining the drive part of a laser shutter. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a laser shutter.

Explanation of symbols

1 Optical means 2 Process cartridge (cartridge)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Feeding system 10 Cleaning unit 11 Photosensitive drum 12 Cleaning means 13 Drum frame 14 Drum bearing 14a, 15a Cylindrical part 15 Drum shaft 16, 17 Restriction contact part 16a, 17a Groove 18 Rib 20 Developing unit 21 Developing roller 24 Toner Storage container 30, 40 Side cover 60 Memory tag 60a Groove 61 Storage element 62 Contact 62a Sliding area 63 Abutting 64 Substrate 65, 65 Coating layer 71 Rib 100 Device body 101 Fixed member 121, 122 Guide member 130 Laser shutter 132 Shutter link 140 Connector 141 Abutting portion 142 Electrical contact 143 Wipe member 144 Wipe member base 145 Spring urging the wipe member base 146 Rib 150 Connector holder 151 Rotating shaft 15 3 Longitudinal positioning lever 154 Spring

Claims (6)

An electrical connection means with an information storage medium mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
An information storage medium substrate;
A storage element for storing information provided on the substrate;
In order to protect the storage element, a protection unit that covers the storage element;
When the storage medium is electrically connected to the storage element and the storage medium is attached to the apparatus main body, an electrical contact portion that comes into contact with a main body electrical contact provided in the apparatus main body;
Provided in the electrical contact portion, when the electrical contact portion and the main body contact portion are in contact, a sliding region in which the main body contact portion slides on the electrical contact portion;
An electrical contact portion provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body in contact with the electrical contact portion of the storage element;
An electrophotographic image comprising: a contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body that contacts the electric contact portion on the storage medium side separately from the electric contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. Electrical connection means between the forming apparatus main body and an information storage medium mounted on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body.   The electrical contact portion on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body side has a smooth surface material and shape, and the contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body that contacts the electrical contact portion on the storage medium side is sharp. 2. The electrical connection means according to claim 1, wherein the electrical contact means is in contact with an electrical contact portion on the storage medium side at an edge. In the unit detachable from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
At least a region where the electrical contact portion of the storage medium attached to the unit and the electrical contact portion provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body are in contact with the electrical contact portion of the storage medium attached to the unit A unit comprising a guide member slidably guided to a contact portion provided in the main body separately from the electrical contact portion of the main body. In the unit detachable from the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
The electrical contact portion provided on the storage medium attached to the unit is connected to the contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body separately from the electrical contact portion provided on the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body. The unit according to claim 3, further comprising a guide member that guides so as to be separable. In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
At least a region where the electrical contact portion of the storage medium attached to the unit and the electrical contact portion provided in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body are in contact with the electrical contact portion of the storage medium attached to the unit A main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus comprising a guide member slidably guided to a contact portion provided in the main body separately from an electric contact portion of the main body. In the electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body,
6. The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a guide member that guides the recording medium attached to the unit to a contact portion provided in a main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus separately from the electrical contact portion. Image forming apparatus main body.

Images