JP7651257B2 - Image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming device that forms an image on a sheet.

Conventionally, an image forming device has been proposed that includes a drum unit that holds four developing cartridges and an openable cover that covers the housing of the drum unit (see Patent Document 1). The housing of the drum unit is provided with four electrical terminals that can be electrically connected to the IC chips of each developing cartridge, and these four electrical terminals are electrically connected to a relay board via a wiring section.

The relay board is disposed on the rear surface of the fourth frame plate, which is disposed at the front end of the drum unit housing, and is electrically connected to an electrical contact surface provided on the front surface of the fourth frame plate. The cover is provided with electrical contacts, which come into contact with the electrical contact surface when the cover is in the closed position.

JP 2019-28346 A

In recent years, there is still room for improvement in image forming devices equipped with IC chips such as those described above. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide one form of image forming device.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, comprising: a device main body having a control board; a photosensitive drum configured to carry a toner image and to be rotatable about a rotation axis; a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information; a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit; and a tray for detachably supporting the developing unit, the drawer unit being supported by the device main body so as to be movably supported between a closed position which covers an opening of the device main body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out of the device main body, and an open position which opens the opening. and a door that is supported by the developing unit and faces the drawer unit in the closed position, the door having a door contact that is electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is in the closed position and be electrically connected to the unit contact, the tray having an opposing surface that faces the door in the closed position, a handle portion provided in a central and lower half region of the opposing surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis, and a side surface that is located on one side of the developing unit in the axial direction and extends along the pull-out direction , the handle portion being located below an upper end of the side surface in the vertical direction, and the unit contact being provided in an area outer than an end face of the handle portion in the axial direction and below a lower surface of the handle portion in the vertical direction.
The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, comprising: a device body having a control board; a photosensitive drum configured to carry a toner image and to be rotatable about a rotation axis; a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information; and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being capable of being pulled out from the device body from a first position at which the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position at which the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device body; a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is pulled out from the device body, and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position; and a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, the developing unit being capable of being pulled out from the device body to a second position at which the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device body. the door has a door contact that is electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact and be electrically connected to the unit contact when the door is in a closed position, and a protrusion that houses the engagement portion and protrudes toward the device body; the drawer unit has an opposing surface that faces the door in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in the center of the opposing surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis, and the unit contact is positioned on the engaging portion side of the end face of the handle portion in the axial direction, and is positioned on the end face side of the protrusion portion.
The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, comprising a drawer unit having a device main body having a control board, a photosensitive drum configured to carry a toner image and to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being supported by the device main body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device main body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out of the device main body, and an open position that opens the opening, and the drawer unit is supported by the device main body so as to be movable between the closed position and the open position, and a door facing a drawer unit, the door having a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact and be electrically connected to the unit contact when the door is in a closed position, the drawer unit having an opposing surface facing the door in the closed position and a handle portion provided in the center of the opposing surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis, the door having a convex portion that protrudes toward the device main body and does not come into contact with a drawer unit that is applicable to the device main body when the door moves from the open position to the closed position, and comes into contact with a drawer unit that is not applicable to the device main body, and the unit contact is located outside an end face of the handle portion and on the same side of the handle portion in the axial direction.

The present invention provides one embodiment of an image forming device.

1 is an overall schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus with a cartridge tray removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cartridge tray and a developing cartridge. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge tray and a developing cartridge 8 . FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a cartridge tray, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing a front part of the cartridge tray. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a tray contact unit and tray memory contacts corresponding to each developing cartridge. 1A is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is installed, FIG. 1B is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is pulled out from the installed position, and FIG. 1C is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is further pulled out. 1A is a perspective view showing the front door and device main body in a closed position, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the device main body with the front door slightly open, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view showing the front door and device main body in an open position. FIG. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the multi-tray unit in use, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing the multi-tray unit. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a door contact unit and a tray contact unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit and its peripheral configuration. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the multi-tray frame and the multi-tray frame rails. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus in the middle of closing the front door. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the door contact unit is in contact with the tray contact unit. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example of the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion enclosed by a dashed line in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a peripheral configuration of a door contact member of the door contact unit; FIG. FIG. 23A is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between a wire spring and a tag main body bundle wire, and FIG. 23B is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section taken along line 23B-23B of FIG. 23A. 13A is an enlarged perspective view showing a torsion coil spring according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a perspective view showing the torsion coil spring. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. 4A is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body and a cartridge tray, FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing an intermediate contact portion, and FIG. 4C is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate contact portion. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion when the front door is closed, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion when the front door is open. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the tag contact connector, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the tag contact connector. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the fifth embodiment. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus with a front door open, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door open. 1A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus holding a cartridge tray positioned at a midway position, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus holding a cartridge tray positioned at a midway position. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front door is being closed, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front door is being closed, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the front door is closed. 13A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment with a front door open, and FIG. 13B is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door open. 35A is a cross-sectional view showing the section 35A-35A in FIG. 34B, and FIG. 35B is a cross-sectional view showing the section 35B-35B in FIG. 34B. 35(a) is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 35(a), and FIG. 35(b) is a partially enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cartridge tray is held at a midway position. 38A is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door slightly open, FIG. 38B is a cross-sectional view showing the section 38B-38B in FIG. 38A, and FIG. 38C is a cross-sectional view showing the section 38C-38C in FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit and the door contact unit with the front door slightly open. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit with the front door further closed, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate with the front door 40 further closed. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit when the front door is in the closed position, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate when the front door is in the closed position.

In the following description, the form for implementing this invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the drawings and examples. However, the functions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in these examples are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to those alone unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the functions, materials, shapes, etc. of components once described in the following description are the same as those described initially unless otherwise specified.

In the following description, the side of the image forming device where the front door is located will be referred to as the front side, and the side opposite the front side will be referred to as the rear side. Furthermore, when looking at the image forming device from the front, the left side will be referred to as the left side, and the right side will be referred to as the right side.

The direction extending on the drum axis of the photosensitive drum of the cartridge tray is referred to as the "first direction D1". Furthermore, the direction intersecting the first direction D1 (in this embodiment, the direction in which the developing cartridge is inserted into the cartridge tray) is referred to as the "second direction D2". In addition, the direction in which the cartridge tray is inserted into the image forming device is referred to as the "third direction D3". The first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other. The second direction D2 and the third direction D3 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other. The third direction D3 and the first direction D1 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other.

First Example
[Overall structure]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a four-color full-color laser beam printer that uses an electrophotographic image forming process and forms a color image on a sheet S.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has an apparatus main body 2, a cartridge tray 3, and four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. The cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are removably attached to the apparatus main body 2. The cartridge tray 3 is a tray capable of holding the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. The cartridge tray 3 and the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K form a drawer unit 38.

In the following, the cartridge tray 3 with the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K attached will also be referred to simply as the cartridge tray 3, and the cartridge tray 3 in this state constitutes a drawer unit. The cartridge tray 3 (drawer unit) can be drawn out from the device main body 2 from an attached position, which is a first position where the photosensitive drums can form an image, to a drawn-out position, which is a second position where the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are exposed to the outside of the device main body 2. The image forming device 1 forms an image on a sheet S (e.g., printing paper) with developer (e.g., toner) supplied from the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K.

In this embodiment, four developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are mounted on one cartridge tray 3. The four developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K contain developers of different colors (e.g., yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). However, the number of developer cartridges 8 mounted on the cartridge tray 3 may be one to three, or five or more.

The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K have the same configuration except for the color of the toner image. Therefore, only the configuration of the developing cartridge 8M will be described, and the description of the other developing cartridges 8Y, 8C, and 8K will be omitted. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridge 8M according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the cartridge tray 3 is provided with a photosensitive drum 4M that supports a toner image and rotates around a rotation axis extending in the first direction D1 in correspondence with the developing cartridge 8M. That is, the first direction D1 is the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 4M. In addition, the cartridge tray 3 is provided with a charging roller 5 that acts on the photosensitive drum 4M and a cleaning roller 7. The developing cartridge 8M has a developing roller 6 that develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, a laser scanner unit LB is provided above the cartridge tray 3. This laser scanner unit LB outputs laser light Z corresponding to image information. The laser light Z passes through the exposure window 10 and scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 4M.

An electrostatic attraction belt unit 11 is provided below the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K and the cartridge tray 3. This electrostatic attraction belt unit 11 has a drive roller 13 and a tension roller 14, and a plastic electrostatic attraction belt 12 is stretched across the drive roller 13 and the tension roller 14. The photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K provided in each developing cartridge are in contact with the upper surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 12.

Transfer rollers 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K are provided on the inside of the electrostatic attraction belt 12 at positions facing the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. The toner images carried on the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are transferred to the sheet S by applying a transfer bias to the transfer rollers 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K.

A feeding unit 18 is provided below the electrostatic attraction belt unit 11. This feeding unit 18 has a feeding tray 19 on which sheets S are stacked and stored, and a feeding roller 20, and feeds the sheets S. A fixing unit 21 that fixes an image on the sheets S is disposed behind the electrostatic attraction belt unit 11 (to the right in FIG. 1), and a discharge unit 22 that discharges the sheets S outside the machine is disposed at the top of the device main body 2.

Figure 2(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, and Figure 2(b) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 with the cartridge tray 3 removed. As shown in Figure 2(a), after the front door 40 of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened, the cartridge tray 3 is installed so as to be movable in the third direction D3 along a guide rail 41 (see Figure 2(b)) provided on the apparatus main body 2. Details of opening and closing the front door 40 will be described later. The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and K are individually replaceable with respect to the cartridge tray 3.

The device body 2 has an opening 25 through which the drawer unit 38 passes when the drawer unit 38 is pulled out from the device body 2. The front door 40 is supported by the device body 2 so as to be movable between a closed position that covers the opening 25 and an open position that opens the opening 25.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K according to this embodiment. In Figure 3, one developing cartridge 8M has been removed. The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are installed and removed through four slots provided in the cartridge tray 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the developing cartridge 8M as a developing unit includes a memory tag unit 80M to which a memory tag 81M as a memory medium is attached. The memory tag 81M is, for example, a contact IC chip, and has an electrical contact portion. The memory tag 81M can be electrically connected to the image forming device 1 by contacting a tray memory contact 720M (see FIG. 6) provided on the cartridge tray 3. The memory tag 81M stores information related to the developing cartridge 8M.

As shown in FIG. 9, the image forming device 1 further includes a control board 43 and a display unit 42. The control board 43 includes a processor such as a CPU and various memories, and is configured, for example, by a circuit board. The processor operates according to a program to execute various processes in the image forming device 1. The control board 43 is also connected to memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K as described below, and processes information on the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K of the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. This makes it possible to clearly display information such as the remaining amount of developer in the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K to the user via the display unit 42 provided in the image forming device 1.

[Image Forming Operation]
1 and 4, the image forming operation will be described. The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows. The cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are completely mounted in the image forming apparatus 1 with the front door 40 closed.

When the front door 40 is closed, a drum drive coupling (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 engages with drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K (see FIG. 3) connected to the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. The drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K are rotationally driven via a drive output motor and gear (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1. The photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 at a predetermined speed via the drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K. The electrostatic adsorption belt 12 is also rotationally driven at a speed corresponding to the speed of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K.

At this time, the laser scanner unit LB is also driven and emits light. In synchronization with the emission of light by the laser scanner unit LB, the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 5. The laser scanner unit LB scans and exposes the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K with laser light Z in accordance with the image signal for each color. As a result, an electrostatic latent image in accordance with the image signal for the corresponding color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum.

This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 6, which is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow E in FIG. 4 at a predetermined speed. Through this electrophotographic image forming process, a yellow toner image corresponding to the yellow component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 4Y. Meanwhile, the feed unit 18 separates and feeds the sheets S one by one at a predetermined controlled timing. The sheets S are then transported along the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K by the electrostatic adsorption belt 12.

The sheet S reaches the photosensitive drum 4Y at a predetermined control timing, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 4Y is transferred onto the sheet S. Similarly, toner images corresponding to the magenta, cyan, and black colors of the full-color image are formed on the photosensitive drums 4M, 4C, and 4K. These toner images are then superimposed and transferred onto the sheet S with the magenta, cyan, and black colors. In this way, a full-color unfixed toner image of four colors, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, is formed on the sheet S.

The toner image transferred to the sheet S is fixed by the fixing unit 21. After passing through the fixing unit 21, the sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 23 by the discharge unit 22.

[Cartridge tray configuration]
Next, the configuration of the cartridge tray 3 will be described. Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the cartridge tray 3, and Fig. 5(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front part of the cartridge tray 3. The cartridge tray 3 has a tray frame 30, a tray penetrating shaft 55, photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K, charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, 27K. The cartridge tray 3 also has tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, 44K, tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K, tray developing contacts (not shown), and the like.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the tray frame 30 is a frame consisting of four sides: a tray right side 30r, a tray left side 30l, a tray front 30f, and a tray rear 30b. The tray right side 30r is located on the outside of the device in the first direction D1 of the cartridge tray 3, and is the side covering the right side. Similarly, the tray left side 30l is located on the outside of the device in the first direction D1 of the cartridge tray 3, and is the side covering the left side. The tray front 30f and the tray rear 30b are surfaces that connect the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l, with the tray front 30f located on the front side of the cartridge tray 3 and the tray rear 30b located on the rear side.

The tray penetration shaft 55 is supported by the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l, and both ends protrude outward in the first direction D1 beyond the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l. A tray positioning groove 56 is formed on the rear side of the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l. Here, the tray penetration shaft 55 is supported by the tray shaft engagement portion 57 of the device body 2 shown in FIG. 2(b), and the tray positioning groove 56 is supported by the tray positioning shaft 24 of the device body 2 shown in FIG. 1. This positions the cartridge tray 3 relative to the device body 2.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are supported by the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l, and are rotatably attached about rotation shafts extending in the first direction D1. The charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are rotatable about rotation shafts extending in the first direction D1, and are supported by the cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K so as to be in contact with and rotate following the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K, respectively. The cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K are supported by the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l.

Tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, and 44K are provided on the side of the tray right side 30r and are electrically connected to charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K. Tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, and 44K are exposed on the right side of the cartridge tray 3, and contact with charging contacts (not shown) of the device main body 2 to electrically connect the charging roller 5 to the device main body 2. The charging roller 5 uniformly charges the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K to a predetermined polarity and potential. Here, in this embodiment, the charging roller 5 is used as the charging section, but this is not limited to this and may be another configuration such as a corona charger.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5(a), cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K that can rotate about a rotation axis extending in the first direction D1 are provided in cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K. Tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, and 45K are provided on the side of the tray right side 30r and are electrically connected to cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K, respectively. Tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, and 45K are exposed on the right side of cartridge tray 3, and contact cleaner contacts (not shown) of the device main body 2 to electrically connect cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K to the device main body 2.

As a result, the cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K effectively remove waste developer remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K that was not transferred during image formation. Here, in this embodiment, the cleaning roller 7 is used as the cleaning section, but the cleaning section does not necessarily have to be provided, and may be another configuration such as a rubber blade or sheet.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the tray front surface 30f is provided with a tray operating portion 30a and a pressed portion 751 that can be pressed by a protruding portion 40a of the front door 40, which will be described later. The pressed portion 751 may be configured so as not to be pressed by the protruding portion 40a. The tray front surface 30f, which serves as the opposing surface, faces the front door 40 when it is in the closed position. The tray operating portion 30a and the pressed portion 751 protrude forward from the tray front surface 30f.

The tray operation unit 30a serving as a handle is located at the center of the tray front surface 30f in the first direction D1, and has a downwardly concave shape so that a user can insert their hand from below to grasp it. The pressed portion 751 is located at the left end of the tray front surface 30f in the first direction D1. A recess 752 is formed between the tray operation unit 30a and the pressed portion 751 in the first direction D1.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219 and the tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K corresponding to each developing cartridge. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 6, the tray contact unit 219 is attached to the tray front surface 30f. The tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are attached to the ends of the cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K on the tray right side surface 30r side.

The tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are arranged at positions that allow connection to the electrical contact portions of the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K, respectively. These tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are electrically connected to the tray contact unit 219, which serves as a unit contact, via the wiring portion 730 and a relay board (not shown).

[Inserting/Removing Cartridge Tray]
2(a)(b), 5(a), and 7(a), (b), and (c) will be used to explain the operation of pulling out the cartridge tray 3 from the apparatus main body 2. Figures 7(a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing the behavior of the cartridge tray 3 when it is pulled out from the apparatus main body 2, and show the transition of the states of the cartridge tray 3 and the apparatus main body 2 as viewed from the right side of the image forming apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, tray guides 49 are formed on the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l, respectively, protruding outward in the first direction D1. In addition, guide rollers 50 are provided on the rear side of each tray guide 49 in the image forming device 1, and are rotatably supported relative to the tray frame 30.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the bottom portion 50a of the guide roller 50 is located below the tray guide 49. A tray guide inclined surface 49b is formed at the end of the tray guide 49 on the front side of the image forming device 1. Here, the tray guide inclined surface 49b is inclined upward as it approaches the end of the tray guide 49 on the front side.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), guide rails 41 are provided on both sides of the housing section of the cartridge tray 3 in the device main body 2. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(a), a rail inclined surface 41b is provided on the rear side of the guide rail 41 in the image forming device 1, which is inclined downward as it approaches the rear end. Also, a tray stopper 41c is formed on the end of the guide rail 41 on the front side of the image forming device 1, protruding upward from the bottom surface of the rail.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the position of the cartridge tray 3 attached to the device main body 2 is the first position. When the cartridge tray 3 is located at the first position, the guide roller 50 and the tray guide inclined surface 49b are located upstream of the rail inclined surface 41b and the tray stopper 41c, respectively, in the pull-out direction of the cartridge tray 3. When replacing the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K, the user opens the front door 40 of the image forming device 1 and pulls out the cartridge tray 3 from the first position toward the front side relative to the device main body 2.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the tray guide inclined surface 49b comes into contact with the tray stopper 41c, and the guide roller 50 comes into contact with the rail inclined surface 41b. Then, as the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out toward the front side of the image forming device 1, it moves upward in the second direction D2 relative to the device main body 2.

As a result, the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are separated from the electrostatic adsorption belt 12, and the cartridge tray 3 can be pulled out without damaging the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. Here, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out from the first position toward the front side relative to the device main body 2, and the position of the cartridge tray 3 when the cartridge tray 3 has risen all the way to the upper side in the second direction D2 is the second position.

When the cartridge tray 3 is in the second position or further forward than the second position, the tray guide lower surface 49a and the tray stopper 41c come into contact, and the guide roller 50 and the guide rail 41 come into contact. As a result, the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out toward the front side of the device body 2 in the third direction D3 while maintaining its position in the second direction D2. After pulling it out, the user can easily replace the developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K because the upper side, which is the removal direction of the developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K, is open.

When the cartridge tray 3 is inserted into the device main body 2 from its pulled-out state, the cartridge tray 3 passes through the second position in the reverse order to when it was pulled out and moves to the first position. In this case, too, the photosensitive drum 4 and the electrostatic adsorption belt 12 are separated until the cartridge tray 3 is set in the first position, so that the insertion of the cartridge tray 3 can be completed without damaging the surface of the photosensitive drum 4.

[Opening and closing the front door]
Next, the opening and closing operation of the front door 40 will be described with reference to Figures 8(a) to 9. Figures 8(a) to 8(c) are perspective views showing the image forming apparatus 1 when the front door 40 is opened and closed in stages. Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the front door 40.

As shown in FIG. 9, the front door 40 is attached with a left hinge 201 and a right hinge 202. The left hinge 201 and the right hinge 202 are disposed at different positions in the first direction D1. The left hinge 201 is provided with a left hinge rotation shaft 201a, and the right hinge 202 is provided with a right hinge rotation shaft 202a. The device body 2 is provided with a left hinge support portion 203 and a right hinge support portion 204, which are engaged with the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a, respectively. The front door 40 is held rotatably relative to the device body 2 around the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a.

The front door 40 is provided with an open/close button 205, a left locking member 206, and a right locking member 207, and the device body 2 is provided with a left locking member holding portion 208 and a right locking member holding portion 209. When the front door 40 is closed, the left locking member 206 engages with the left locking member holding portion 208, and the right locking member 207 engages with the right locking member holding portion 209. Due to these engagements, the front door 40 is held in a closed position relative to the device body 2. Furthermore, the front door 40 is provided with a front door biasing member 210. When the front door 40 is in a closed state, the front door biasing member 210 applies a biasing force to the front door 40 and the device body 2. Due to this biasing force, the front door 40 is biased in a direction to open relative to the device body 2.

When the user opens the front door 40, he or she first presses the open/close button 205. When the open/close button 205 is pressed, the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 move via a link mechanism (not shown), and are disengaged from the left locking member holding portion 208 and the right locking member holding portion 209, respectively. When the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 are disengaged, the front door 40 rotates around the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a due to the biasing force of the front door biasing member 210 from the position shown in FIG. 8(a) to the position shown in FIG. 8(b).

By moving to this position, the user can grasp the edge 40c of the front door 40. By manipulating this edge 40c, the user can open the front door 40 to a position rotated approximately 90 degrees from the closed position, as shown in FIG. 8(c). Here, a tension spring 306 (see FIG. 9) is provided on the right hinge 202. This tension spring 306 reduces the impact when the user opens the front door 40.

The left hinge 201 and the right hinge 202 are provided with a left hinge stopper portion and a right hinge stopper portion, not shown, respectively. When the front door 40 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 8(c), the left hinge stopper portion and the right hinge stopper portion each hit a stopper provided on the device main body 2, not shown, and the front door 40 does not open any further and is restricted to this position. When the front door 40 is closed, it rotates in the reverse order to when it is opened, and the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 engage with the retaining portions, thereby closing the door.

[Multi-tray unit configuration]
Next, the configuration of the multi-tray unit 211 will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a) and Fig. 10(a) and (b). Fig. 10(a) is a perspective view showing the multi-tray unit 211 during use, and Fig. 10(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the multi-tray unit.

As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the multi-tray unit 211 as a stacking section has a multi-tray frame 212, a pair of multi-tray stoppers 213, and a multi-tray 214. When the multi-tray unit 211 is open, sheets are stacked on a stacking surface 212e located on the upper surface of the multi-tray frame 212 and on the multi-tray 214. The multi-tray frame 212 is provided with a multi-tray frame handle 212a that can be grasped by the user. When a user uses the multi-tray unit 211, the user holds the multi-tray frame handle 212a and rotates the multi-tray unit 211 in the opening direction around the rotation shaft 212b.

Here, the front door 40 is formed with a front door rail 40d in the shape of a long hole, and the multi-tray frame 212 is formed with a multi-tray frame rail 212c that rises in the thickness direction of the sheets loaded on the multi-tray 214. The multi-tray frame rail 212c as an engagement portion protrudes from the loading surface 212e toward the device main body 2. The multi-tray frame rail 212c is formed with a long hole portion 212d.

The multi-tray stopper 213, which serves as a holding portion, is slidably held by the front door rail 40d and the long hole portion 212d of the multi-tray frame rail 212c. That is, the long hole portion 212d slidably engages with the multi-tray stopper 213. When the multi-tray unit 211 rotates to the position shown in FIG. 10(a), the multi-tray stopper 213 abuts against the front door rail 40d and the end of the long hole portion 212d of the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

At this time, the rotational force due to the weight of the multi-tray unit 211 acts in the direction of opening the multi-tray unit 211, and the multi-tray stopper 213 acts to stop the rotational force of the multi-tray unit 211, so the position of the multi-tray unit 211 is maintained. Then, the user can use the multi-tray unit 211 while holding it in the position shown in FIG. 10(a).

A width restriction plate 215 is supported on the multi-tray frame 212 so as to be movable in the first direction D1. A user loads sheets on the loading surface 212e of the multi-tray frame 212 and the multi-tray 214, and the position of the sheets in the first direction D1 is restricted by the width restriction plate 215. During image formation, the sheets loaded on the multi-tray 214 are fed by a feed roller 216 (see FIG. 1).

[Tray contact unit configuration]
Next, the tray contact unit 219 will be described with reference to Figures 5(a), 6 and 11. Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219. As described above, when the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are mounted on the cartridge tray 3, the electrical contact portions of the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are connected to the tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are connected to a relay board (not shown) provided on the tray front surface 30f via wiring section 730. The relay board is provided with a drum memory tag (not shown), which is a memory medium having information about each photosensitive drum.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), a tray contact unit 219 is provided on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. As shown in FIG. 11, the tray contact unit 219 is composed of a tray contact board 220, a contact board holding member 221, a contact board pressing spring 222, and a tray contact frame 223. The tray contact board 220 is electrically connected to the relay board by a wiring section (not shown).

The tray contact board 220 is fixed to the contact board holding member 221 by any method such as adhesive, double-sided tape, or heat crimping. The contact board pressing spring 222 is a compression spring that abuts against the contact board holding member 221 and the cartridge tray 3, respectively, and is in a compressed state from the natural state of the spring. The spring force of the contact board pressing spring 222 holds the holding member regulating portion 221a of the contact board holding member 221 in abutment against the tray contact frame regulating portion 223a of the tray contact frame 223. The tray contact frame 223 is fixed to the cartridge tray 3.

The tray contact frame 223 is provided with float holding portions 223b. The float holding portions 223b are arranged on four sides so as to surround the contact board holding member 221. The float holding portions 223b and the contact board holding member 221 are arranged with a clearance between them, so that the contact board holding member 221 is held by the tray contact frame 223 so as to be able to move a certain amount in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[Door contact unit peripheral configuration]
Next, the peripheral configuration of the door contact unit 224 provided on the front door 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 14. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit 224 and its peripheral configuration. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the multi-tray frame 212 and the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

As shown in Figures 12 to 14, the door contact unit 224 as a door contact is arranged so as to come into contact with and be electrically connected to the tray contact unit 219 provided on the cartridge tray 3 when the front door 40 is closed. The door contact unit 224 has a door contact holder 226 fixed to the front door 40 and a door contact member 225 held by the door contact holder 226.

The door contact holder 226 is formed in a box shape with an open side facing the device main body 2, and the door contact member 225 is housed in the door contact holder 226. The edge of the door contact holder 226 constitutes a contact positioning portion 226a that is tapered toward the door contact member 225, and the contact positioning portion 226a positions the tray contact unit 219 when the front door 40 is closed. The door contact member 225 has a metal contact portion and is connected to the tag main body bundle 305 as a bundle.

The front door 40 is disposed to the left of the door contact unit 224 in the first direction D1, and has a protrusion 40a that protrudes toward the cartridge tray 3 attached to the device main body 2. As shown in FIG. 14, the multi-tray frame rail 212c is housed within the protrusion 40a, and the protrusion 40a is formed to protrude toward the cartridge tray 3 so as not to interfere with the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

The door contact unit 224 is positioned inside the device in the first direction D1, i.e., to the right, of the protrusion 40a. This is to reduce the size of the front door 40 in the third direction D3, thereby reducing the size of the image forming device 1. Figure 15 shows a comparative example in which the door contact unit 224 is positioned in an area that overlaps with the protrusion 40a in the first direction D1. In this comparative example, as shown in Figure 15, the distance from the front of the multi-tray frame 212 of the front door 40 to the back of the door contact unit 224 is distance L3.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, in this embodiment, the distance from the front surface of the multi-tray frame 212 to the rear surface of the door contact unit 224 is distance L2. Distance L2 is smaller than distance L3. In this way, by disposing the door contact unit 224 offset from the protrusion 40a in the first direction D1, the image forming device 1 can be made smaller.

As shown in FIG. 5(b), the tray operation unit 30a has a downward concave shape and is configured to be held by inserting the hand from below. For this reason, if the tray contact unit 219 were placed in the same area in the first direction D1 as the tray operation unit 30a, the door contact unit 224 would get in the way of the user's operation, and there would be a higher risk that the user would touch the door contact unit 224. Here, as described above, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are configured to be in contact with each other, so they are placed in the same area in the first direction D1.

For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are positioned outside the device in the first direction D1 from the left end surface 130 of the tray operation unit 30a. Also, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are positioned in a region lower in the second direction D2, which is the vertical direction, than the tray operation unit 30a. This makes it difficult for the user to touch the tray contact unit 219 even when the front door 40 is open, reducing damage to the tray contact unit 219.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 12 to 14, a protrusion 753 and a reinforcing rib 40b protruding from the rear surface of the front door 40 are provided near the door contact unit 224. The protrusion 753 has two protrusions 753a and 753b, and the reinforcing rib 40b is integrally formed with the protrusion 753a.

When the front door 40 is closed, the protrusion 753 is disposed in a position facing the recess 752 provided on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. Therefore, when the front door 40 is closed relative to the device body 2, the protrusion 753 provided on the front door 40 fits into the recess 752 of the cartridge tray 3. At this time, the protrusion 753 is disposed with a small gap between it and the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3.

The convex portion 753 and the concave portion 752 are configured to allow only a cartridge tray 3 that is applicable to the device body 2 to be attached. For example, if a cartridge tray that is not applicable to the device body 2 and does not have the concave portion 752 is attached to the device body 2, even if an attempt is made to close the front door 40, the convex portion 753 will come into contact with the attached cartridge tray, and the front door 40 will not be able to be closed securely. Also, if a cartridge tray 3 that is applicable to the device body 2 and has the concave portion 752 is attached to the device body 2, the convex portion 753 will not come into contact with the cartridge tray 3, and the front door 40 can be closed securely. This makes it possible to prevent the attachment of a cartridge tray that is not compatible with the image forming device 1.

The reinforcing rib 40b is positioned to avoid interference with the tray operation unit 30a, ensuring the rigidity of the front door 40. The door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 are positioned on the outside of the device, i.e., on the left side, in the first direction D1, from the reinforcing rib 40b.

Therefore, it is preferable that the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged in the region L1 in the first direction D1, as shown in FIG. 12. Region L1 is an area that is on the outer side of the device, i.e., the multi-tray frame rail 212c side, from the end face 130 of the tray operation unit 30a in the first direction D1, and is on the tray operation unit 30a side from the multi-tray frame rail 212c. More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged on the tray operation unit 30a side from the protrusion 40a in the first direction D1.

More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged on the same side as the convex portion 753 with respect to the tray operation unit 30a in the first direction D1. More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged closer to the multi-tray frame rail 212c than the reinforcing rib 40b.

[Door contact operation]
Next, the contact operation of the door contact unit 224 with the tray contact unit 219 will be described with reference to Figures 12, 13, 16 and 17. Figure 16 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 in the middle of closing the front door. Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the door contact unit 224 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 219.

When the front door 40 is closed from an open state, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the contact positioning portion 221b of the contact board holding member 221 and the contact positioning portion 226a of the door contact holder 226 engage with each other. As described above, the contact board holding member 221, which is held to be able to move to a certain extent in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, is restricted from moving in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 by this engagement. By this restriction, the tray contact board 220 held by the contact board holding member 221 and the door contact member 225 held by the door contact holder 226 are aligned in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. In this state, the contact portion provided on the tray contact board 220 and the contact portion of the door contact member 225 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected.

In this embodiment, the movement of the tray contact unit 219 in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is restricted by the door contact unit 224, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the contact board holding member 221 of the door contact unit 224 may be configured to be movable in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, and the movement of the contact board holding member 221 may be restricted by the tray contact unit 219. In addition, the configuration of the contact is not limited to a board, and may be something else such as a spring or metal wire.

As described above, in this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged within the area L1 in the first direction D1, as shown in FIG. 12. This makes it possible to miniaturize the device, without impeding the operability of the tray operation section 30a, and to reduce the possibility of the user touching the door contact unit 224. In this way, this embodiment can provide one form of image forming device that is both easy to operate and compact.

In this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged on the left side of the tray operation unit 30a, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 may be arranged on the right side of the tray operation unit 30a.

In addition, in this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 is provided in a region lower than the tray operation unit 30a in the second direction D2, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the tray contact unit 219 may be provided at the same height as the tray operation unit 30a, or the tray contact unit 219 may be provided above the tray operation unit 30a.

Second Example
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment with a countermeasure against electrostatic discharge. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be omitted from the drawings or will be described with the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[assignment]
Fig. 18 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 1001 as a comparative example. For the sake of explanation, Fig. 18 shows the front door open state, with the left side exterior and the paper feed tray exterior not shown. As shown in Fig. 18, the front door 40 is supported by a left hinge 201 and a right hinge 202 so as to be openable and closable relative to the apparatus body 2. A tag main body cable 305 is electrically connected to a door contact member 225 of a door contact unit 224 provided on the front door 40. The tag main body cable 305 is electrically connected to a control board 43 via the left hinge 201.

The image forming apparatus 1001 as a comparative example has the following problems. When a conductor or user carrying static electricity approaches or touches the door contact member 225 or the tag body cable 305, electrostatic discharge (ESD) may occur. If a current caused by ESD travels, for example, from the door contact member 225 through the tag body cable 305 to the control board 43, the elements on the control board 43 may be electrically destroyed.

In particular, in the image forming apparatus 1001, the user operates the tray operation unit 30a to attach and detach the cartridge tray 3. When the front door 40 is open, the door contact member 225 faces the area that the user's hand will access, increasing the possibility that the user will approach or come into contact with the door contact member 225.

[composition]
Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Figs. 19 to 22(b). Fig. 19 is an enlarged perspective view showing the dashed portion of the image forming apparatus 1B. Fig. 20 is an enlarged perspective view showing the peripheral configuration of the door contact member 225 of the door contact unit 224. Fig. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tension spring 306 and the wire spring 309. Fig. 22 is an oblique view showing the peripheral configuration of the left hinge 201. Fig. 23(a) is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the wire spring 309 and the tag main body bundle wire 305, and Fig. 23(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 23B-23B cross section of Fig. 23(a). For the sake of explanation, Fig. 19 does not show the left exterior, rear exterior, and paper feed tray exterior.

As shown in FIG. 19, the image forming device 1B has a left side plate 300, a rear metal plate 301, and a left front metal plate 302. The left side plate 300 is electrically connected to the rear metal plate 301 and the left front metal plate 302 by fastening with screws. The rear metal plate 301 is connected to the earth pin 303 of the inlet via an earth pin cable 304 and a screw. The left front metal plate 302 is positioned by hook portions 307a and 307b of the molded frame 397.

In this embodiment, the electrical connections between the above-mentioned components are made by screw fastening and cables, but are not limited to this. For example, other methods such as welding or contact springs may be used as long as electrical connections between the components are possible.

The left hinge 201 is provided with a tension spring 306 that biases the front door 40 in a direction to close the front door 40 relative to the device body 2 in order to reduce the impact when the front door 40 is opened. The tension spring 306 is an elastic body having electrical conductivity. One end 306a of the tension spring 306 is held by the spring hook 302a of the left front metal plate 302. The biasing force (elastic force) of the tension spring 306 is maximum when the front door 40 is open. Therefore, when the front door 40 is open, the contact pressure between the tension spring 306 and the left front metal plate 302 is maximum, and the tension spring 306 and the left front metal plate 302 are stably electrically connected.

Next, the configuration around the front door 40 will be described with reference to Figures 20 and 21. As shown in Figure 20, the front door 40 is held in the open position by the front door link 227 and the front door rod 228. For the sake of explanation, the front door link 227, the front door rod 228, and the cable bundle protection cover 308 are not shown in Figure 21.

As shown in FIG. 20, the door contact member 225 of the door contact unit 224 is electrically connected to the control board 43. When the front door 40 is in the closed position, the door contact unit 224 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 219 and is electrically connected to the tray contact unit 219. When the front door 40 is in the open position, the door contact unit 224 is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1B without coming into contact with the tray contact unit 219.

21, the other end 309b of the conductive wire spring 309 is fastened to the other end 306b of the tension spring 306 by a screw, and the tension spring 306 and the wire spring 309 are electrically connected. As a result, the wire spring 309, the tension spring 306, the left front metal plate 302, the left side plate 300, the earth pin cable 304, and the earth pin 303 are electrically connected, and the wire spring 309 and the tension spring 306 function as an electrical earth. In other words, the tension spring 306 constitutes a grounded part and a biasing part that are grounded. In this embodiment, the wire spring 309 is used as the conductive member, but the shape and material of the conductive member are not limited. For example, a conductive member in the shape of a sheet or plate may be used as the conductive member. In addition, the wire spring 309 is provided so as not to be electrically connected to the electrical path from the door contact unit 224 to the control board 43.

As shown in Figures 21 and 22, the tag body cable 305 is connected to the door contact member 225. When the front door 40 is closed, the tag body cable 305 connects the door contact member 225 to the tray contact unit 219, making it possible to transmit information from the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see Figure 3) of each developing cartridge to the control board 43.

As shown in Figures 20 to 22, the tag body cable 305 runs from the door contact member 225 toward the left hinge 201. At this time, a cable protection cover 308 that covers the tag body cable 305 is provided above the tag body cable 305. This reduces the risk of the user touching the tag body cable 305 and damaging the control board 43 due to ESD. Note that a small gap is always generated between the front door 40 and the cable protection cover 308, and even this small gap may cause a discharge phenomenon between the user and the tag body cable 305.

As shown in FIG. 22, the tag body cable 305 passes through the left hinge rotation axis 201a, which is the rotation axis of the front door 40, and is held in the cable holder 310 shown in FIG. 19. Furthermore, the tag body cable 305 is routed to the rear of the device and connected to the control board 43.

The user accesses the cartridge tray 3 from above the image forming apparatus 1B. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 21, the tension spring 306 and the tag body cable 305 are placed on the left hinge 201, which is one of the left and right hinges. In other words, both the tension spring 306 and the tag body cable 305 are placed on the left hinge 201, which serves as the first hinge, and are not placed on the right hinge 202, which serves as the second hinge. This allows the tension spring 306 to protect the tag body cable 305 from ESD, and reduces damage to the control board 43.

As shown in Figs. 20 to 23(b), the wire spring 309 is arranged above the tag body bundle wire 305 along the tag body bundle wire 305. Furthermore, one end 309a of the wire spring 309 is arranged near the door contact member 225 so as to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1B when the front door 40 is in the open position. More specifically, one end 309a of the wire spring 309 is arranged above the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 and arranged so as to surround the door contact member 225. The other end 309b of the wire spring 309 is electrically connected to the tension spring 306. By arranging the wire spring 309 in this manner, it is possible to reduce the contact of the user's hand or conductor, which is usually accessed from above, with the door contact member 225 without touching the wire spring 309.

Although ESD can also occur when a user's hand or a conductor is in close proximity, the wire spring 309 is positioned closer to the user's hand or the conductor than the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 or the tag body bundle 305. Therefore, even if ESD occurs, current does not flow through the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 or the tag body bundle 305, but through the grounded wire spring 309 or tension spring 306. This reduces damage to the control board 43. In this way, according to this embodiment, one form of an image forming device that reduces damage to the control board 43 can be provided.

In this embodiment, the electrical product to be protected from ESD is, for example, the door contact member 225, but is not limited to this, and other electrical components such as motors and sensors may also be configured to be protected from ESD.

<Third Example>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described, in which the tension spring 306 of the second embodiment is replaced with a torsion coil spring 311. For this reason, the same components as those of the second embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals or will be omitted from the drawings.

[Peripheral configuration of torsion coil spring]
24(a) and (b) are perspective views showing the torsion coil spring 311. As shown in Fig. 24(a) and (b), the torsion coil spring 311 has a coil portion 311a, one end portion 311b extending in one direction from the coil portion 311a, and the other end portion 311c extending in the other direction from the coil portion 311a. The coil portion 311a of the torsion coil spring 311 is supported by the left hinge rotation shaft 201a, and the one end portion 311b is engaged with a spring receiving portion 302b of the left front metal plate 302.

The other end 311c of the torsion coil spring 311 is electrically connected to the wire spring 309 by a screw. The other end 311c of the torsion coil spring 311 presses against the spring bearing portion 201b provided on the left hinge 201, thereby mitigating the impact when the front door 40 is opened.

As in the second embodiment, the torsion coil spring 311 exerts a maximum biasing force (elastic force) when the front door 40 is open. Therefore, when the front door 40 is open, the contact pressure between the torsion coil spring 311 and the left front metal plate 302 is maximum, and the torsion coil spring 311 and the left front metal plate 302 are stably electrically connected.

[effect]
With this configuration, the wire spring 309 and the torsion coil spring 311 function as an electrical earth. As in the second embodiment, the wire spring 309 and the torsion coil spring 311 protect the tag main body cable 305 and the door contact member 225 from ESD, and damage to the control board 43 can be reduced. In addition, the torsion coil spring 311 can be selected in accordance with the layout constraints around the left hinge 201, improving design freedom. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide one form of an image forming apparatus that reduces damage to the control board 43 while improving design freedom.

<Fourth Example>
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is a modification of the door contact member 225 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment will be omitted from the drawings or will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[assignment]
In the first embodiment, in a configuration in which the door contact member 225 arranged on the front door 40 is electrically connected to the control board 43 via the tag body cable 305 passing through the left hinge 201, the following problems arise.

When a statically charged conductor or user approaches or comes into contact with the door contact member 225 or the tag body cable 305, ESD may occur. If a current caused by ESD travels, for example, from the door contact member 225 through the tag body cable 305 to the control board 43, the elements on the control board 43 may be electrically destroyed.

In particular, when the front door 40 is open, the door contact member 225 faces the area that the user's hand accesses, increasing the likelihood that the user will approach or come into contact with the door contact member 225.

[composition]
Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Fig. 25 to Fig. 27(b). Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus 1D according to this embodiment. Fig. 26(a) is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body 402 and a cartridge tray 403, Fig. 26(b) is a perspective view showing an intermediate contact portion 450, and Fig. 26(c) is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate contact portion 450. Fig. 27(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion 450 in a state where the front door 440 is closed, and Fig. 27(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion 450 in a state where the front door 440 is open.

As shown in Figures 25 to 26(c), the image forming apparatus 1D has an apparatus main body 402 and a front door 440 that is supported by the apparatus main body 402 so as to be openable and closable. A cartridge tray 403 is attached to the apparatus main body 402 so as to be removable, and a tray contact board 420 serving as a unit contact is provided on the tray front surface 403f of the cartridge tray 403 serving as a unit holder. A main body contact board 422 is provided in the apparatus main body 402, and the main body contact board 422 serving as a main body contact is disposed above the tray contact board 420.

The tray contact board 420 is a board-shaped contact member, and has a tray contact board contact surface 420a that faces the front door 440 when it is in the closed state. The tray contact board 420 is disposed in a position close to the control board 43 in the first direction D1, and the main body contact bundle 423 connected to the main body contact board 422 described later can be configured to be short.

The main body contact board 422 is provided on the front surface 402f of the device main body 402, and is a board-like contact located above the tray contact board 420 in the second direction D2. The main body contact board 422 has a main body contact board contact surface 422a that faces the front door 440 in the closed state, and is connected to the control board 43 provided on the side of the device main body 402 via a main body contact cable 423.

The device main body 402 has an LB stay 489 that holds the laser scanner unit LB (see FIG. 1), and the main body contact board 422 is disposed near the LB stay 489 as a grounding member. Because the LB stay 489 is earthed, the main body contact board 422 can be protected from ESD even if the user's hand approaches or touches the main body contact board 422. In this way, ESD protection for the main body contact board 422 can be achieved without adding any components.

An intermediate contact portion 450 is disposed on the front door 440, and the intermediate contact portion 450 has an intermediate contact spring 451 and an intermediate contact holder 452. The intermediate contact spring 451 as an elastic member is supported by the intermediate contact holder 452 and is composed of a plurality of spring wires having electrical conductivity and elasticity. The number of these spring wires corresponds to the number of contacts on the tray contact board contact surface 420a.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 27(b), the intermediate contact spring 451 has its center pressed by the pressing rib 452a of the intermediate contact holder 452, and both ends 451c, 451d are held by the retaining ribs 452b, 452c of the intermediate contact holder 452. In this way, the intermediate contact spring 451 is held by the intermediate contact holder 452 in a state where it is pressed by the pressing rib 452a and elastically deformed, and when the front door 440 is open, there is no gap between both ends 451c, 451d and the retaining ribs 452b, 452c.

The intermediate contact spring 451 has a first intermediate contact 451a that can be electrically connected to the tray contact board contact surface 420a of the tray contact board 420, and a second intermediate contact 451b that can be electrically connected to the main body contact board contact surface 422a of the main body contact board 422. The first intermediate contact 451a constitutes the first contact, and the second intermediate contact 451b constitutes the second contact.

As shown in FIG. 27(a), when the front door 440 is closed relative to the device body 402, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are pressed against the body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively.

The intermediate contact spring 451 is elastically deformed, and the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b are held in a state in which they are biased toward the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively. In other words, the intermediate contact spring 451 is elastically deformed so that the first intermediate contact 451a is pressed against the tray contact board 420, and the second intermediate contact 451b is pressed against the main body contact board 422. As a result, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are stably in contact with the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, and an electrical connection can be ensured. Therefore, the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of each developing cartridge are reliably electrically connected to the control board 43 via the tray contact board 420, the intermediate contact spring 451, and the main body contact board 422.

When the front door 440 is closed, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b are pressed by the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, creating a gap x between both ends 451c, 451d and the retaining ribs 452b, 452c. In other words, the intermediate contact holder 452 is provided with enough play to allow both ends 451c, 451d of the intermediate contact spring 451 to retract. This allows the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b to be more reliably pressed against the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is closed.

In other words, the first intermediate contact 451a contacts the tray contact board 420 and is electrically connected to the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is in the closed position. The first intermediate contact 451a is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1D without contacting the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is in the open position. The second intermediate contact 451b contacts the main body contact board 422 and is electrically connected to the main body contact board 422 when the front door 440 is in the closed position. The second intermediate contact 451b is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1D without contacting the main body contact board 422 when the front door 440 is in the open position.

The intermediate contact holder 452 is disposed to face the multi-tray 214 across the front door 440, and is shaped to avoid the width restriction plate 415 so that the multi-tray 414 can be closed regardless of the position of the width restriction plate 415 in the first direction D1.

[effect]
As described above, in this embodiment, the tray contact board 420, the main body contact board 422, and the intermediate contact portion 450 are respectively provided on the cartridge tray 403, the apparatus main body 402, and the front door 440. As a result, when the front door 440 is closed, the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the respective developing cartridges are electrically connected to the control board 43, and the control board 43 can read information on the memory tags.

In addition, when the front door 440 is open, no other electrical components are electrically connected to the intermediate contact portion 450 provided on the front door 440. As a result, even if a current flows through the intermediate contact spring 451 due to the occurrence of ESD, other electrical components will not break down, and ESD protection components for the contact components on the front door 440 side are not required. In addition, there is no need to provide a path for the main body contact bundle 423 around the hinge of the front door 440, which makes it possible to improve the replaceability of the front door 440 during service replacement. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide one form of image forming apparatus that reduces damage to the control board 43 while reducing costs.

[Modification of the Fourth Embodiment]
In this embodiment, the LB stay 489 is used to protect the main body contact board 422 from ESD, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the main body contact board 422 may be disposed near another earthed component instead of the LB stay 489 to protect against ESD.

In addition, in this embodiment, the intermediate contact spring 451 is held by the intermediate contact holder 452, but the intermediate contact spring 451 may be held directly by the front door 440. In addition, the intermediate contact spring 451 may be made of a material or have a shape other than spring wire as long as it has conductivity and elasticity.

In addition, if the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are configured to be pressed against the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, when the front door 440 is closed, the intermediate contact spring 451 may be configured as a non-elastic body. For example, the intermediate contact holder 452 may elastically hold the intermediate contact spring 451, or the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 may be made elastic.

In addition, in this embodiment, the intermediate contact portion 450 is used to electrically connect the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K of each developing cartridge to the control board 43, but this is not limited to this. For example, the intermediate contact portion 450 may be used to connect the charging contact and the contacts of the remaining toner detection unit and the sheet detection unit to the control board 43.

The positional relationship between the tray contact board 420, the main body contact board 422, and the intermediate contact portion 450 is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 28, the tray contact board 420 and the main body contact board 422 may be arranged side by side in the first direction D1.

In addition, in this embodiment, the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 are connected by the intermediate contact spring 451 of the intermediate contact portion 450, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figures 29(a) and (b), a tag contact connector 460 may be applied instead of the intermediate contact spring 451.

When the front door 440 is closed, the tag contact connector 460 has a first contact connector 460a as a first connector facing the tray contact board 420, and a second contact connector 460b as a second connector facing the main body contact board 422. The tag contact connector 460 also has an intermediate contact bundle 461 as a wiring section that connects the first contact connector 460a and the second contact connector 460b.

The second contact connector 460b is disposed above the first contact connector 460a. The first contact connector 460a has a first contact portion 462 electrically connected to the tray contact board 420, and the second contact connector 460b has a second contact portion 463 electrically connected to the main body contact board 422.

As described above, by using the tag contact connector 460, it is possible to reduce the space occupied by the contacts. In this embodiment, two rows of tag contact connectors 460 are used, but tag contact connectors 460 of any shape may be used.

Fifth Example
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is a modification of the first embodiment in terms of the pressing structure of the front door 40 against the cartridge tray 3. For this reason, the same structures as those in the first embodiment will be described by omitting illustrations or by assigning the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[assignment]
Fig. 30 to Fig. 33(c) are diagrams showing an image forming apparatus 1002 as a comparative example. Fig. 30 is an overall cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus 1002. Fig. 31(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 with the front door 40 open. Fig. 31(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 with the front door 40 open.

Figure 32(a) is a perspective view showing an image forming device 1002 holding a cartridge tray 3 in a mid-way position. Figure 32(b) is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming device 1002 holding a cartridge tray 3 in a mid-way position. Figures 33(a) to (c) are cross-sectional views showing the front door 40 being closed.

As shown in Figures 30 to 31(b), the image forming apparatus 1002 as a comparative example has an apparatus main body 602 that detachably holds the cartridge tray 3, and a front door 40 that is supported by the apparatus main body 602 so as to be openable and closable.

A tray contact unit 591 that is electrically connected to the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of each developing cartridge is disposed on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. The tray contact unit 591 protrudes forward from the tray front surface 30f.

A door contact unit 590 is disposed on the front door 40 for electrical connection to the control board 43 via the tag body cable 305 passing through the left hinge 201 (see FIG. 9). When the front door 40 is closed and the door contact unit 590 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 591, the control board 43 is electrically connected to the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3).

In Figures 29(a) and (b), the cartridge tray 3 is held in an intermediate position, pulled out slightly from the installation position. In other words, the cartridge tray 3 in the intermediate position is not securely installed in the device main body 602.

When the front door 40 is closed in this state, as shown in FIG. 30(a), the door contact unit 590 collides with the tray contact unit 591. Then, when the front door 40 is further closed, as shown in FIG. 30(b) and (c), the door contact unit 590 provided on the front door 40 presses the tray contact unit 591, causing the cartridge tray 3 to be pushed into the mounting position.

When this operation is performed, a large load is applied to the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591, and unintended friction occurs, which may damage the contact parts of the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591. If the contact parts of the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591 are damaged, it will become impossible to read the information on the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3).

[composition]
Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Figs. 34(a) to 41(b). Fig. 34(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1E with the front door 40 open. Fig. 34(b) is a front view showing the image forming apparatus 1E with the front door 40 open. Fig. 35(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section 35A-35A in Fig. 34(b). Fig. 35(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section 35B-35B in Fig. 34(b). Fig. 36(a) is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 35(a). Fig. 36(b) is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 35(b). It should be noted that the cross section 35A-35A is a cross section passing through the center of the tray contact unit 219.

As shown in Figs. 34(a) to 36(b), the image forming apparatus 1E according to this embodiment has an apparatus main body 2 and a front door 40 supported by the apparatus main body 2 so as to be openable and closable. A cartridge tray 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 so as to be removable, and a tray contact unit 219 is provided on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. As shown in Fig. 36(a), the contact portion 219c in the tray contact unit 219 is disposed a distance L4 behind the tray front surface 30f. Note that the tray front surface 30f may include a pressed portion 751, or may not be provided with a pressed portion 751.

The front door 40 has a door contact unit 224 and a front door assist plate 501. The front door assist plate 501 protrudes upward when the front door 40 is in the open position, and protrudes toward the device body 2 when the front door 40 is in the closed position. The front door assist plate 501 is also disposed at a position corresponding to the tray left side surface 30l of the cartridge tray 3 in the first direction D1. The front door 40 has a curved surface 501a on the upper surface side.

A sloped surface 512 is formed on the left side surface 30l of the cartridge tray 3. The sloped surface 512 slopes downward from the same surface as the tray front surface 30f toward the rear. The sloped surface 512 is configured to be able to accommodate the front door assist plate 501 when the cartridge tray 3 is in the mounted position and the front door 40 is in the closed position. The sloped surface shape of the sloped surface 512 follows the curved surface 501a of the front door assist plate 501.

In addition, as shown in Figures 34(a) and (b), the front door assist plate 501 is disposed at a position different from the tray contact unit 219 in the first direction D1. This reliably prevents the front door assist plate 501 from coming into contact with the tray contact unit 219 when the front door 40 is closed.

Figure 37 is a cross-sectional view showing the cartridge tray 3 held in a midway position, which is a third position between the mounted position and the pulled-out position. In other words, the cartridge tray 3 in the midway position is not securely mounted to the device main body 2.

The following describes the case where the front door 40 is closed from the open position to the closed position when the cartridge tray 3 is in a halfway position. Figure 38(a) is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door 40 slightly open. Figure 38(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 38B-38B in Figure 38(a). Figure 38(c) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 38C-38C in Figure 38(a). Figure 39 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 with the front door 40 slightly open.

Figure 40(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit 219 when the front door 40 is further closed. Figure 40(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate 501 when the front door 40 is further closed. Figure 41(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit 219 when the front door 40 is in the closed position. Figure 41(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate 501 when the front door 40 is in the closed position.

As shown in Figures 37 to 39, when the user closes the front door 40 with the cartridge tray 3 in the middle position, the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3. At this time, before the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3, neither the front door 40 nor the cartridge tray 3 collides with each other. In other words, the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3 before the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 come into contact with each other.

When the front door 40 is further closed, as shown in Figures 40(a) and (b), the front door assist plate 501 presses against the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3, and the cartridge tray 3 moves toward the mounting position. Even in this state, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 do not come into contact with each other.

As shown in Figures 41(a) and (b), when the front door 40 is in the closed position, the cartridge tray 3 reaches the mounting position by the front door assist plate 501, and the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 come into contact with each other. At this time, the front door assist plate 501 is slightly spaced from the sloped portion 512, so that a large load is not applied to the front door assist plate 501 and the cartridge tray 3. This is achieved by the curvature of the curved surface 501a of the front door assist plate 501 and the sloped shape of the sloped portion 512.

In addition, a separate positioning mechanism may be provided to position the cartridge tray 3 at the mounting position when the cartridge tray 3 is in the mounting position and the front door 40 is in the closed position.

[effect]
As described above, in this embodiment, when the front door 40 is closed from the open position to the closed position, the cartridge tray 3 can be pressed by the front door assist plate 501. The door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 do not come into contact with each other until the front door 40 is positioned at the closed position. This reduces the application of large loads and frictional forces to the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 even when the cartridge tray 3 is held at an intermediate position, for example, and reduces damage to these contact units. Thus, this embodiment provides one form of an image forming apparatus in which damage to the contact units is reduced.

In addition, the cartridge tray 3, which is located in an intermediate position, can be reliably moved to an installation position where image formation is possible, reducing image formation errors. Furthermore, when the cartridge tray 3 is in the installation position and the front door 40 is in the closed position, the front door assist plate 501 is slightly spaced from the sloped portion 512, so that a large load is not applied to the front door assist plate 501 and the cartridge tray 3, reducing damage.

In this embodiment, when the cartridge tray 3 is in the mounting position and the front door 40 is in the closed position, the front door assist plate 501 is separated from the slope portion 512, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the front door assist plate 501 may be configured to abut against the slope portion 512 when the cartridge tray 3 is in the mounting position and the front door 40 is in the closed position. In this case, it is preferable that at least one of the front door assist plate 501 and the slope portion 512 is made of an elastic material. This makes it possible to reliably position the cartridge tray 3 in the mounting position while reducing damage to the front door assist plate 501 and the slope portion 512.

In addition, in this embodiment, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 are configured to come into contact with each other only when the front door 40 reaches the closed position, but this is not limited to the above. For example, if no large load or frictional force acts on the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 may come into contact with each other when the front door 40 is positioned in front of the closed position.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inclined surface portion 512 and the tray contact unit 219 are disposed on the lower part of the cartridge tray 3, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the inclined surface portion 512 and the tray contact unit 219 may be disposed on the upper part of the cartridge tray 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, the contact portion 219c of the tray contact unit 219 is located behind the tray front surface 30f, but this is not limited to this. The contact portion 219c of the tray contact unit 219 only needs to be located so as not to come into contact with the door contact unit 224 until the front door 40 is in the closed position during the process of closing the front door 40 with the cartridge tray 3 in the mid-position. For example, if the door contact unit 224 is located closer to the multi-tray frame 212 than the position shown in FIG. 39, that is, downstream of the tray contact unit 219 in the door opening direction, the tray contact unit 219 may be located closer to the front door 40.

All of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner.

1, 1B, 1D, 1E: Image forming apparatus / 2, 402: Apparatus body / 4M: Photosensitive drum / 8M: Development unit (development cartridge) / 30a: Handle portion (tray operation portion) / 30f: Opposing surface (tray front surface) / 38: Drawer unit / 40, 440: Door (front door) / 40a: Protrusion portion / 40b: Rib (reinforcement rib) / 43: Control board / 81M: Memory medium (memory tag) / 130: End surface / 201: First hinge (left hinge) / 202: Second hinge (right hinge) / 211: Loading portion (multi-tray unit) / 212c: Engagement portion (multi-tray frame rail) / 212d: Long hole portion / 212e: Loading surface / 213: Holding portion (multi-tray stopper) / 219: Unit contact (tray contact unit) / 224: Door contact (door contact unit) 225a: Contact portion / 305: Wire bundle (tag body wire bundle) / 306: Ground portion, biasing portion, tension spring / 309: Conductive member (wire spring) / 309a: One end portion / 309b: Other end portion / 311: Biasing portion, torsion coil spring / 403: Unit holder (cartridge tray) / 420: Unit contact (tray contact board) / 422: Body contact (body contact board) / 451: Elastic member (intermediate contact spring) / 451a: first contact (first intermediate contact) / 451b: second contact (second intermediate contact) / 460a: first connector (first contact connector) / 460b: second connector (second contact connector) / 461: wiring section (intermediate contact bundle) / 489: ground member (LB stay) / 753: convex portion / D1: axial direction (first direction) / D2: vertical direction (second direction)

Claims (7)

A device main body having a control board;
a photosensitive drum carrying a toner image and configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, and a tray for detachably supporting the developing unit, the drawing unit being capable of being drawn out of the device main body in a drawing direction from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body;
a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position;
the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is in a closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact;
the tray has an opposing surface facing the door located at the closed position, a handle portion provided in a central portion and a lower half region of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis, and a side surface disposed on one side of the developing unit in the axial direction and extending along the pull-out direction ,
The handle portion is disposed vertically below an upper end of the side surface,
The unit contact is provided in a region that is outer than an end surface of the handle portion in the axial direction and is lower than a lower surface of the handle portion in the vertical direction.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: A device main body having a control board;
a photosensitive drum carrying a toner image and configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawing unit being capable of being drawn out of the device main body from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body;
a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position;
a loading section provided on the door in an openable and closable manner and capable of loading sheets;
a holding portion that holds the loading portion in an open state relative to the door,
the stacking portion has a stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, and an engagement portion that protrudes from the stacking surface toward the device body and engages with the holding portion,
the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is located at a closed position and be electrically connected to the unit contact, and a protrusion that houses the engagement portion and protrudes toward the device body;
the drawer unit has an opposing surface facing the door when the door is in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in a central portion of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis,
The unit contact is disposed on the engaging portion side of the end face of the handle portion and on the end face side of the protrusion portion in the axial direction.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: the door has a rib that is disposed on a side of the engaging portion relative to the end surface of the handle portion in the axial direction and protrudes toward the device body,
The unit contact is disposed closer to the engagement portion than the rib in the axial direction.
3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, The holding portion is slidably supported by the device body and the engagement portion.
4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a multi-color image forming apparatus. The engaging portion has an elongated hole portion that slidably engages with the holding portion.
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4. The protrusion of the door is arranged to be offset from the door contact point in the axial direction.
6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction. A device main body having a control board;
a photosensitive drum carrying a toner image and configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawing unit being capable of being drawn out of the device main body from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body;
a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position;
the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is in a closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact;
the drawer unit has an opposing surface facing the door when the door is in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in a central portion of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis,
the door has a protrusion that protrudes toward the device body and does not come into contact with a drawer unit that is applicable to the device body when the door moves from the open position to the closed position, and comes into contact with a drawer unit that is not applicable to the device body;
The unit contact is disposed on the outer side of an end surface of the grip portion and on the same side as the protrusion with respect to the grip portion in the axial direction.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images