Image forming apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a flexible flat cable configured such that a connector is electrically connected to a control circuit board; and an exposure support member configured to support the exposure head in a posture in which the light emitting element is arranged on an upper side of the imaging apparatus and the connector is arranged on a lower side in a vertical direction of the imaging apparatus. The flexible flat cable has contacts disposed on one surface and electrically connected to the connector of the exposure head. The flexible flat cable is connected to the exposure head held by the exposure support member in a posture such that the contacts are arranged on the left-side surface in the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus including an exposure head that exposes a photosensitive member. Background Art

[0002] In an imaging apparatus using an electrophotographic system (e.g., a laser beam printer and a digital copying machine), an LED exposure head is used as an exposure unit that exposes a photosensitive member. In the LED exposure head, a predetermined number of LEDs are arranged substantially in a straight line, and the LED exposure head exposes the photosensitive member for each image width in batches.

[0003] The LED exposure head is disposed inside the imaging apparatus, and a flexible flat cable (FFC) is connected to the LED exposure head so that signals from a control section of the imaging apparatus are supplied to the LED exposure head via the FFC.

[0004] In this configuration, when replacing the FFC, it is necessary to detach the FFC from the LED exposure head, take out the detached FFC from inside the imaging apparatus, and put / attach a new FFC to the imaging apparatus, making its operation difficult. In addition, when replacing the FFC, the contacts may break. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A representative configuration of the present invention is an imaging apparatus including:

[0006] A photosensitive member;

[0007] An exposure head configured to expose the photosensitive member, the exposure head including:

[0008] A substrate having an elongated shape extending along an axial direction of the photosensitive member;

[0009] A plurality of light-emitting elements mounted on one surface of the substrate, the plurality of light-emitting elements being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and

[0010] A connector provided on a surface of the substrate opposite to the one surface on which the plurality of light-emitting elements are mounted,

[0011] A control circuit board;

[0012] A flexible flat cable configured to electrically connect the connector to the control circuit board; and

[0013] An exposure support member configured to support the exposure head in such an attitude that the light-emitting elements are arranged on an upper side and the connector is arranged on a lower side in an up-down direction of the imaging apparatus,

[0014] Among them, the flexible flat cable has contacts, the contacts are provided on the one surface and the contacts are electrically connected to the connector of the exposure head, and

[0015] Among them, the flexible flat cable is connected to the exposure head held by the exposure support member in such an attitude that when the imaging device is viewed from the front side, the contacts are arranged on the left surface in the left-right direction crossing the axial direction.

[0016] Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the imaging device.

[0018] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging device in

[0019] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging device in

[0020] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the imaging device.

[0021] Figure 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the imaging device.

[0022] Figure 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the imaging device.

[0023] Figure 7 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the imaging device.

[0024] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the cassette tray.

[0025] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the cassette tray.

[0026] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the exposure head.

[0027] Figure 11 is a perspective view of the exposure head.

[0028] Figure 13A is a perspective view of the exposure head.

[0029] Figure 13D 、 13B and 13C are views showing the substrate in the exposure head, Figure 13E and Figure 14 are views showing the lens array.

[0030] Figure 15It is a perspective view of the cartridge tray.

[0031] Figure 16 It is a bottom view of the cartridge tray and the lift duct.

[0032] Figure 14 It is a sectional view taken along Figure 17 the line X-X in

[0033] Figure 14 It is a sectional view taken along Figure 18 the line Y-Y in

[0034] Figure 19 It is a sectional view of the exposure cooling air flow in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis.

[0035] Figure 20 It is a side view of the developing bracket.

[0036] Figure 21 It is a side view of the developing bracket.

[0037] Figure 14 It is a sectional view taken along Figure 22 the line X-X in

[0038] Figure 2 It is a sectional view taken along Figure 23 the line A-A in

[0039] Figure 24 It is a sectional perspective view showing the positioning on the front side of the photosensitive drum and the exposure head.

[0040] Figure 25 It is a sectional perspective view showing the positioning on the rear side of the photosensitive drum and the exposure head.

[0041] Figure 26 It is a right side perspective view of the state where the exposure head is placed in the lift duct.

[0042] Figure 27 It is a front sectional view of the state where the exposure head is attached to the lift duct.

[0043] Figure 26 It is Figure 28 an enlarged sectional view of the joint portion shown in

[0044] Figure 29A It is a left side perspective view of the exposure head, FFC, and FFC guide.

[0045] Figure 29B It is a sectional view of the exposure head, FFC, and FFC guide, Figure 30 and is an enlarged view of the biasing member.

[0046] Figure 29A It isFigure 31A An enlarged view of the FFC contacts shown in

[0047] Figure 32A and 31B 31C and 31D show the exposure head holding member.

[0048] Figure 33 and 32B 32C and 32D show the FFC holding member.

[0049] Figure 34 show the sheet member.

[0050] Figure 35A is a left perspective view of the restricting portion.

[0051] Figure 36A and 35B show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0052] Figure 37A and 36B 36C and 36D show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0053] Figure 38A and 37B show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0054] Figure 39 and 38B 38C show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0055] Figure 40A show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0056] Figure 41A and 40B show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0057] Figure 42A and 41B 41C show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0058] Figure 43A and 42B show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0059] Figure 44 and 43B show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0060] Figure 45 show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0061] Figure 46A show the replacement procedures for the exposure head and the FFC.

[0062] Figure 47A 、 46B and 46C illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC.

[0063] Figure 48A 、 47B and 47C illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC.

[0064] Figure 49A 、 48B and 48C illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC.

[0065] Figure 50 and 49B illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC.

[0066] Figure 51A is a right side perspective view of the exposure head, the FFC, and the FFC guide according to the second embodiment.

[0067] Figure 51B is a cross-sectional view of the exposure head, the FFC, and the FFC guide according to the second embodiment, Figure 52 is an enlarged view of the biasing member according to the second embodiment.

[0068] Figure 51A is according to the second embodiment Figure 53A is an enlarged view of the FFC contact shown in

[0069] Figure 54A 、 53B 、53C and 53D illustrate the exposure head holding member according to the second embodiment.

[0070] Figure 55 、 54B 、54C and 54D illustrate the FFC holding member according to the second embodiment.

[0071] Figure 56A is a right side perspective view of the restricting portion according to the second embodiment.

[0072] Figure 57A and 56B illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0073] Figure 58A 、 57B 、57C, 57D illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0074] Figure 59A and 58B illustrate the replacement procedures of the exposure head and the FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0075] Figure 60 and 59B 59C illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0076] Figure 61A Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0077] Figure 62A and 61B Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0078] Figure 63A and 62B 62C illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0079] Figure 64A and 63B Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0080] Figure 65 and 64B Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0081] Figure 66 Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0082] Figure 67A Illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0083] Figure 68A and 67B 67C illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment.

[0084] Figure 1 and 68B 68C illustrate the replacement procedures for the exposure head and FFC according to the second embodiment. Detailed Description

[0085] <Example 1>

[0086] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described below are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto.

[0087] (Imaging Device)

[0088] First, the schematic configuration of the imaging device 100 will be described with reference to Figure 1 and 2 and 3. Figure 2is a perspective view of the imaging device 100. Figure 3 and Figure 1 is Figures 1 to 3 a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging device in Figure 2 The imaging device 100 shown in Figure 3 and Figure 2 is a copying machine including a reading device, but this embodiment may be another imaging device (e.g., a printer) that does not include a reading device. In addition, the embodiment is not limited to a color imaging device including a plurality of photosensitive drums 2 as shown in

[0089] Figure 3 and Figure 2 but may be a color imaging device including one photosensitive drum 2 or an imaging device that forms a monochromatic image.

[0090] The imaging sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K include photosensitive drums 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "photosensitive drum 2"), which are examples of photosensitive members respectively. The photosensitive drum 2 may be a photosensitive belt.

[0091] The imaging sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K include charging rollers 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K (hereinafter simply referred to as "charging roller 3") as charging sections, which charge the photosensitive drums 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K respectively.

[0092] In addition, the imaging sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K include light emitting diode (LED, hereinafter referred to as LED) exposure heads 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "exposure head 4") as exposure units, which expose the photosensitive drums 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K.

[0093] Furthermore, the imaging sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K include developing units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "developing unit 24") as developing units, which develop the electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drum 2 with toner and perform developing of toner images of various colors on the photosensitive drum 2. Note that Y, M, C, and K attached to the reference numerals indicate the colors of the toner.

[0094] Figure 3 and Figure 4The imaging device 100 shown is an imaging device that employs a so-called "bottom surface exposure system", in which the photosensitive drum 2 is exposed from below, that is, the exposure head 4 is arranged below the photosensitive drum 2. Hereinafter, the description will be made on the premise of an imaging device using the bottom surface exposure system. It should be noted that although not shown, as an embodiment, an imaging device using an "upper surface exposure system" in which the photosensitive drum is exposed from above can be used.

[0095] The imaging device 100 includes: an intermediate transfer belt 9 to which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 is transferred; and primary transfer rollers 6 (Y, M, C, and K) that sequentially transfer the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 2 to the intermediate transfer belt 9. The intermediate transfer belt 9 is arranged above the imaging section 1. In addition to the intermediate transfer method using the intermediate transfer belt 9, a direct transfer method of directly transferring from the photosensitive drum 2 to the sheet can also be used.

[0096] In addition, the imaging device 100 includes: a secondary transfer roller 16 as a transfer section that transfers the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 9 to the recording sheet P conveyed from the feeding section 11; and a fixing device 19 as a fixing unit that fixes the secondarily transferred image to the recording sheet P.

[0097] Toner bottles 22Y, 22M, 22C, and 22K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "toner bottles 22") that accommodate the replenishing toner of the corresponding colors are detachable replacement units with respect to the imaging device 100. The toner bottles 22 are arranged above the intermediate transfer belt 9. In the toner bottles 22, an appropriate amount of toner is appropriately supplied from the corresponding toner bottle to each developing unit included in the four imaging sections through a toner supply mechanism (not shown).

[0098] Furthermore, the imaging device 100 includes a feeding section 11 for feeding the recording sheet P. The feeding section 11 includes sheet cassettes 12a and 12b, feeding rollers 13a and 13b, and alignment rollers 15. The sheet cassettes 12a and 12b are arranged below the imaging section 1. The recording sheets P accommodated in the sheet cassettes 12a and 12b are fed one by one by the feeding rollers 13a and 13b and are transferred to the secondary transfer section T2 by the alignment rollers 15 at a predetermined time.

[0099] (Imaging process)

[0100] Next, the imaging process of the imaging device 100 will be briefly described. The charging roller 3Y charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 2Y. The exposure head 4Y exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 2Y charged by the charging roller 3Y. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 2Y. Next, the developing unit 24Y develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 2Y with yellow toner. The yellow toner image developed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2Y is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 9 by the primary transfer roller 6Y. Magenta, cyan, and black toner images are also formed through similar imaging processes and are transferred and superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 9.

[0101] The intermediate transfer belt 9 conveys the toner images of each color transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 9 to the secondary transfer section T2. The toner images conveyed to the secondary transfer section T2 are transferred together by the secondary transfer roller 16 to the recording sheet P conveyed from the feeding section 11. The recording sheet P onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing device 19. The fixing device 19 fixes the toner image on the recording sheet P by heat and pressure. The recording sheet P that has undergone the fixing process performed by the fixing device 19 is discharged by the discharge roller 20 to the discharge tray 21 disposed above the toner bottle 22.

[0102] (Drum unit and developing unit)

[0103] The replaceable drum unit 23 and developing unit in the imaging device 100 of the present embodiment will be described by way of example.

[0104] The above-described photosensitive drum 2 and charging roller 3 are integrated together (drum unit and drum cartridge) with a cleaning device (not shown). Reference will be made to Figure 4 、 5 、6, and 7 to describe examples of this configuration. Figure 5 and Figure 6 are perspective views showing the schematic structures around the drum units 23 (Y, M, C, and K) and around the developing units 24 (Y, M, C, and K) included in the imaging device 100.

[0105] Figure 7 is a view showing how the drum unit 23 is inserted into the imaging device 100 from the outside of the device body and removed from the imaging device. Figure 5 is a view showing how the developing unit 24 is inserted into the imaging device 100 from the outside of the device body and removed from the imaging device.

[0106] The drum units 23Y, 23M, 23C, and 23K (hereinafter simply referred to as "drum unit 23") including the photosensitive drum 2 are attached to the imaging device 100. The drum unit 23 is a cartridge that is replaced by an operator (such as a user or a maintenance person). The drum unit 23 rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 2. Specifically, the photosensitive drum 2 is rotatably supported by the frame body of the drum unit 23. The drum unit 23 may not include a charging roller 3 or a cleaning device.

[0107] In addition, the developing units 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "developing unit 24") separated from the drum unit 23 as a photoreceptor unit are attached to the imaging device 100. The developing unit 24 includes developing sleeves 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "developing sleeve 5") as a developer carrier for carrying the developer, and screws 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K (hereinafter also simply referred to as "screw 7") for supplying and agitating the developer to the developing sleeve 5. The developing unit 24 is a cartridge integrating the developing sleeve 5 and the screw 7, and is removed and replaced by an operator from the device main body of the imaging device 100 as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 .

[0108] Here, the screw 7 in the developing unit 24 causes the toner to circulate and be conveyed at high speed. The rotation speed of the screw 7 is relatively very high with respect to the rotation speeds of the developing sleeve 5 and the photosensitive drum 2, and the coating on the developing sleeve 5 can be uniformly performed without unevenness.

[0109] In addition, the imaging device 100 includes cartridge trays 30 (30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K) for each imaging section (see Figure 22 and 9 ). The drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 are supported by the cartridge trays 30 of each imaging section, are guided in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and are inserted into and removed from the device main body of the imaging device 100.

[0110] In addition, the imaging device 100 includes a front plate 100F formed of a metal plate and a rear plate 100B similarly formed of a metal plate (see Figure 22)。The front plate 100F is a side wall provided on the front side of the imaging device 100. The front plate 100F forms a part of the device body housing on the front side of the device body of the imaging device 100. The rear plate 100B is a side wall provided on the rear side of the imaging device 100. The rear plate 100B forms a part of the device body housing on the rear side of the device body of the imaging device 100. The front plate 100F and the rear plate 100B are arranged opposite to each other on one side and the other side in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and a metal plate (not shown) serving as a beam is provided between the front plate and the rear plate. The front plate 100F, the rear plate 100B, and the beam (not shown) each constitute a part of the frame body (housing) of the imaging device. Here, with respect to the imaging device or its constituent members of the present embodiment, the front side or the front side is the side for inserting and removing (inserting and taking out) the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 with respect to the device body of the imaging device 100.

[0111] One end of the cartridge tray 30 is attached to the front plate 100F along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum (see Figure 22 ) and the other end is attached to the rear plate 100B (see Figure 3 ). The cartridge tray 30 will be described later.

[0112] Since the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 deteriorate due to repeated imaging processes, they are in the form of units (cartridges) that can be maintained by replacement, attachment, or detachment.

[0113] Figure 3 The arrangements of the drum unit 23, the developing unit 24, and the exposure head 4 during replacement, attachment, or detachment are shown. In Figure 2 the imaging device shown, different from Figure 2 the imaging device shown, it can be seen that the developing unit 24 and the exposure head 4 are retracted and separated from the photosensitive drum 2.

[0114] This is because, when maintaining the state where the developing unit 24 and the exposure head 4 shown in Figure 3 are arranged close to the photosensitive drum 2, each unit may be damaged due to dynamic interference or the unit cannot be taken out during attachment and detachment of the units.

[0115] Therefore, during attachment and detachment of the units, the developing unit 24 and the exposure head 4 are retracted from the photosensitive drum 2 and separated from each other as shown in Figure 8 by a retraction mechanism formed by a developing bracket 31, a rotating arm 65, a lifting conduit 69, etc., which will be described later.

[0116] The drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 are inserted into and removed from the front side of the imaging device 100 and are installed at a predetermined position (installation position) of the device body of the imaging device 100,

[0117] The image forming apparatus 100 includes inner doors 102Y, 102M, 102C, and 102K (hereinafter, also simply collectively referred to as "inner doors 102"), which cover the front sides of both the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 installed at the installation position. Figure 9 and Figure 1 As shown, one end of the inner door 102 is fixed to the front side of the cartridge tray 30 by a hinge, and can be rotated relative to the cartridge tray 30 by the hinge.

[0118] The inner door 102 is a member necessary for protecting each unit and making the photosensitive drum 2 difficult to be exposed in processes other than image forming processes, and is arranged at a position facing forward in the attachment and detachment direction of each color unit.

[0119] In addition, a front cover 101 forming the appearance of the device is provided on the front side of the imaging device 100. One end of the front cover 101 is fixed to the front side of the device body of the imaging device 100 by a hinge, and can be rotated relative to the device body of the imaging device 100 by the hinge. The front cover 101 is provided on the front side of the inner door 102 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum. Figure 4 In the closed state shown, the front cover 101 covers all of the plurality of inner doors 102 arranged in the left-right direction to form the appearance of the front side of the device.

[0120] Therefore, the replacement work of the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 is performed by the operator according to the following procedure. The operator opens the front cover 101 (such as Figure 5 Then open the inner door 102 (as shown in Figure 6 ), remove the drum unit 23 ( Figure 7 ) or developing unit 24 ( Figure 1 ). Then, insert a new drum unit 23 or a developing unit 24, close the inner door 102, and then close the front cover 101, and the replacement work is completed.

[0121] The retracting mechanism of the developing unit 24 and the exposure head 4 retracts the developing unit 24 and the exposure head 4 from the photosensitive drum 2 in conjunction with the operation of opening the inner door 102. The retracting mechanism (developing holder 31, rotating arm 65 and lifting guide) will be described later.

[0122] Here, in the following description, with respect to the device main body, the front panel side is defined as the front side (front or forward side), and the rear panel side is defined as the rear side (rear or backward side). When taking the photosensitive drum 2K on which an electrostatic latent image related to the black toner image is formed as a reference, the side on which the photosensitive drum 2Y on which an electrostatic latent image related to the yellow toner image is formed is arranged is defined as the left side. When taking the photosensitive drum 2Y on which an electrostatic latent image related to the yellow toner image is formed as a reference, the side on which the photosensitive drum 2K on which an electrostatic latent image related to the black toner image is formed is arranged is defined as the right side. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and left-right direction defined herein and upward in the vertical direction is defined as the upward direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and left-right direction defined herein and downward in the vertical direction is defined as the downward direction. The defined forward direction F, backward direction B, rightward direction R, leftward direction L, upward direction U, and downward direction D are as Figure 1 shown.

[0123] In addition, the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 described below is the direction consistent with the Figure 1 front-back direction (near-far direction) shown. The longitudinal direction of the exposure head 4 is also consistent with the Figures 10 to 18 front-back direction shown. That is, the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 is consistent with the longitudinal direction of the exposure head 4. In addition, one end side in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 refers to the front side defined herein, and the other end side refers to the rear side defined herein. One end side and the other end side in the front-back direction also correspond to the front side and the rear side defined herein. One end side in the left-right direction refers to the left side defined herein, and the other end side refers to the right side defined herein.

[0124] (Exposure head)

[0125] Next, the exposure head 4 will be described with reference to Figure 10 . Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the exposure head 4 included in the imaging device of the present embodiment. Figure 12 is a perspective view of the exposure head 4 viewed from above. Figures 13A to 13E is a perspective view of the exposure head 4 viewed from below.

[0126] The exposure head 4 has an elongated shape (longitudinal shape) extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The exposure head 4 includes a substrate 50, a light-emitting element mounted on the substrate 50, a lens array 52, and a holding member that holds the substrate 50 and the lens array 52. The holding member includes a housing 54 and a housing support member 55 that supports the housing 54, which will be described later. Here, the exposure head 4 includes an LED (light-emitting diode) 51 as the light-emitting element that emits light.

[0127] (Substrate and lens array)

[0128] Here, reference will be made toFigure 13A Describe the substrate 50 and the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4. First, the substrate 50 will be described. Figure 13B It is a schematic perspective view of the substrate 50. Figure 13C The arrangement of a plurality of LEDs 51 provided on the substrate 50 is shown, and Figure 13B is shown Figure 13A magnified view of.

[0129] The LED chip 53 is mounted on the substrate 50. As Figure 18 shown, the LED chip 53 is provided on one surface of the substrate 50, and the long FFC connector 57 is provided on the other surface. Here, one surface of the substrate 50 is the surface (upper surface, front surface) on the side where the LED chip 53 is provided. The other surface of the substrate is the surface opposite to the side where the LED chip 53 is provided (lower surface, rear surface).

[0130] The FFC connector 57 is attached to the other surface (lower surface, rear surface) of the substrate 50 such that its longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50. The long FFC connector 57 is provided on the front side of the imaging device 100 (one side along the longitudinal direction of the circuit board 502). Wiring for supplying signals to each LED chip 53 is provided on the substrate 50. One end of a flexible flat cable 58 (see Figure 28 , hereinafter referred to as FFC) as an example of a cable is connected to the FFC connector 57.

[0131] Note that a control circuit portion of the imaging device 100 is provided with a circuit board 502 (see Figure 28 ), the circuit board includes a control portion (not shown) and a connector 501. In this embodiment, the circuit board 502 is arranged on the left side of the imaging device 100 and the exposure head 4 is arranged on the right side of the circuit board 502. Each other end portion of each FFC 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K) connected to each exposure head 4 is connected to each connector 501 (501Y, 501M, 501C, and 501K) of the circuit board 502 (see Figure 13B ). That is, the FFC 58 electrically connects the control circuit board 502 and the substrate 50 of the exposure head 4. A control signal (driving signal) is input from the control circuit portion of the device body of the imaging device 100 to the substrate 50 of the exposure head 4 via the FFC 58 and the FFC connector 57. The control signal is transmitted to each LED chip 53. The LED chip 53 is driven (lit and turned off operations) by the control signal input to the substrate 50.

[0132] The portion between one end and the other end of the FFC 58 is held inside the imaging device 100 by an FFC guide 503 to be described later.

[0133] The LED chip 53 mounted on the substrate 50 will be described in more detail. As Figure 13B and 13C shown, LED chips 53-1 to 53-29 (29 pieces) are arranged on one surface of the substrate 50, and a plurality of LEDs 51 (examples of light-emitting elements) are provided in the chips. In each of the LED chips 53-1 to 53-29, 516 LEDs 51 are arranged in the longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction of the LED chip 53, the center-to-center distance k2 between adjacent LEDs 51 corresponds to the recording resolution of the imaging device 100. Since the recording resolution of the imaging device 100 in this embodiment is 1200 dpi, the LEDs 51 are arranged such that the center-to-center distance k2 between adjacent LEDs 51 in the longitudinal direction of the LED chips 53-1 to 53-29 is 21.16 μm. Therefore, the exposure range of the exposure head 4 in this embodiment is approximately 314 mm. The length of the photosensitive layer in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 is 314 mm or more. Since the long side length of the A4-size recording sheet and the short side length of the A3-size recording sheet are both 297 mm, the exposure head 4 in this embodiment has an exposure range that can form an image on the A4-size recording sheet and the A3-size recording sheet.

[0134] The LED chips 53-1 to 53-29 are arranged in a staggered manner along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. Specifically, the LED chips 53-1 to 53-29 are alternately arranged in two rows along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. That is, as Figure 13C shown, the odd-numbered LED chips 53-1, 53-3,... 53-29 counted from the left are mounted in a row along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50. In addition, the even-numbered LED chips 53-2, 53-4,... 53-28 counted from the left are mounted in a row along the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50. The LED chips 53 are arranged in this way. Therefore, as Figure 13D shown, in the longitudinal direction of the LED chip 53, the center-to-center distance k1 between the LEDs 51 arranged at one end of one LED chip 53 and the other end of another LED chip 53 among different adjacent LED chips 53 can be equal to the center-to-center distance k2 between adjacent LEDs 51 on one LED chip 53.

[0135] In this embodiment, the light-emitting element is a semiconductor LED, which is a light-emitting diode, but it can be, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Such an OLED is also called organic electroluminescence (organic EL) and is a current-driven light-emitting element. The OLEDs are arranged in a straight line, for example, along the main scanning direction (axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2) on a thin-film transistor (TFT) substrate and are connected in parallel electrically through power supply lines similarly arranged along the main scanning direction.

[0136] Next, the lens array 52 as a lens assembly will be described. Figure 13E It is a schematic view of the lens array 52 as viewed from the photosensitive drum 2 side. Figure 13D It is a schematic perspective view of the lens array 52. As Figure 10 shown, the lens array 52 converges the light emitted by the light-emitting element on the photosensitive drum 2. The lens array 52 is a lens assembly including a plurality of lenses. The plurality of lenses are arranged in two rows along the arrangement direction of the plurality of LEDs 51. Each lens is alternately arranged such that one of the lenses in the other row contacts two adjacent lenses in the arrangement direction of one row of lenses. Each lens is a cylindrical rod-shaped lens made of glass and has: an incident surface 52b on which the light emitted from the LED 51 is incident; and an exit surface 52a from which the light incident on the light incident surface is emitted (see Figure 13E ). The lens material is not limited to glass and may be plastic. The shape of the lens is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be, for example, a polygonal prism such as a hexagonal prism.

[0137] Figure 17 The dashed line Z in Figure 10 represents the optical axis of the lens. The exposure head 4 is moved in a direction substantially along the optical axis of the lens shown by the dashed line Z (hereinafter also referred to as the optical axis direction) by a retracting mechanism ( Figure 10 the rotary arm 65 and the lifting conduit 69 shown). The optical axis of the lens herein refers to the line connecting the center of the light exit surface of the lens and the focus of the lens. The lens array 52 is a lens assembly having a plurality of lenses, and the above-mentioned "optical axis" is the optical axis of any one of the plurality of lenses. Here, strictly speaking, the plurality of lenses included in the lens array 52 may be slightly inclined with respect to each other. The reason is the tolerance during assembly. However, when defining the direction of the optical axis, the deviation of the tolerance is not considered. Therefore, it is considered that the optical axis directions of the plurality of lenses are the same. The lens array 52 has a function of converging the light emitted from the LED 51 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0138] When assembling the exposure head 4, the mounting position of the lens array 52 relative to the housing 54 is adjusted such that the distance between the light-emitting surface of the LED 51 and the light incident surface of the lens is substantially equal to the distance between the light exit surface of the lens and the surface of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0139] (housing)

[0140] As Figure 10 shown, the housing 54 holds the lens array 52 and the substrate 50. In the present embodiment, the housing 54 is a metal member formed by bending a plate material obtained by electroplating a galvanized steel sheet or a cold-rolled steel sheet.

[0141] As described above, the housing 54 is made of metal. For example, the housing 54 is formed by stamping a metal plate such as an iron sheet into a square U shape. Hereinafter, the shape of the housing 54 will be described.

[0142] As Figure 10 shown, the housing 54 has a flat portion (opposite surface) 54U in which a first opening 54a into which the lens array 52 is inserted is formed. The flat portion 54U faces the photosensitive drum 2 in the optical axis direction of the lenses of the lens array 52. Note that the flat portion 54U is not limited to a flat surface and may be a slightly curved surface. The housing 54 has an extension portion 54R that extends in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 2 from one side in the lateral direction of the flat portion 54U. The housing 54 has an extension portion 54L that extends in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 2 from the other side in the lateral direction of the flat portion 54U.

[0143] The extension portion 54R and the extension portion 54L form a substrate support portion for supporting the substrate 50 inserted through a second opening 54b in the housing 54. The flat portion 54U and the substrate support portion (extension portions 54R and 54L) are integrated to form the housing 54 that holds the lens array 52 and the substrate 50, and its cross-section is formed in a substantially square U shape. Since the housing 54 is formed in a substantially square U shape, the second opening 54b is formed on the side opposite to the flat portion 54U. The second opening 54b is formed between the substrate support portions (extension portions 54L and 54R) that extend from the flat portion 54U toward the side away from the photosensitive drum.

[0144] The substrate 50 is inserted through the second opening 54b (i.e., from the lower side of the square U-shaped housing 54) and adhered to the inner sides of each substrate support portion (the inner side of the extension portion 54L and the inner side of the extension portion 54R) with an adhesive. Since the position of the substrate 50 in the focusing direction is determined by a jig (not shown), the exposure head 4 does not include a positioning unit in the focusing direction of the substrate 50.

[0145] Furthermore, in a state where the lens array 52 is inserted into the first opening 54a formed in the flat portion 54U, the lens array 52 is also adhered to the flat portion 54U with an adhesive. Note that after adjusting the position and inclination in the focusing direction by a jig, the lens array 52 is fixed to the flat portion 54U (housing 54) such that the distance between all the LED chips 53 mounted on the substrate 50 and the lens array 52 in the focusing direction becomes a predetermined value. The lens array 52 is fixed to the flat portion 54U at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction with an adhesive. That is, the exposure head 4 of the present embodiment has a plurality of adhesion positions for adhering and fixing the lens array 52 inserted into the first opening 54a to the flat portion 54U along the longitudinal direction of the flat portion 54U.

[0146] After the substrate 50 and the lens array 52 are position - adjusted and fixed to the housing 54, the gap between the substrate 50 inserted into the second opening 54b and the housing 54 (extension portions 54L, 54R) is sealed by a sealant 59 in the longitudinal direction. This prevents the LED 51 from being contaminated by external toner and dust. Here, the sealant 59 only seals the gap (boundary portion) between the substrate 50 and the housing 54, and most of the FFC connector 57 and the substrate 50 are exposed.

[0147] Similarly, the sealant 59 is applied to the gap between the lens array 52 inserted into the first opening 54a and the housing 54 (flat portion 54U), and this gap is sealed by the sealant 59 in the longitudinal direction. More specifically, as Figure 11 shown, the sealant 59 seals the gap between the side wall of the lens array 52 and the edge of the first opening 54a along the longitudinal direction of the housing 54. Thus, the possibility of dust such as toner flowing in from the gap between the side wall of the lens array 52 and the first opening 54a and the light emitted from the LED 51 being blocked by dust can be reduced. Note that, of course, the gap sealed by the sealant 59 seals not only the gap between one side wall of the lens array 52 and the edge of the first opening 54a, but also the gap between the other side wall of the lens array 52 and the edge of the first opening 54a. The other side wall of the lens array 52 refers to the side wall opposite to one side wall of the lens array 52. Similarly, here, the gap (boundary portion) between the housing 54 and the lens array 52 is sealed by the sealant 59. This prevents the LED 51 from being contaminated by external toner and dust.

[0148] As described above, the housing 54 holds the substrate 50 and the lens array 52 such that the LED 51 and the incident surface 52b of the lens face each other. As a result, the light emitted from the LED 51 is incident on the incident surface 52b of the lens and is emitted from the exit surface 52a of the lens toward the photosensitive drum 2. Here, in this embodiment, the light emitted from the three LEDs 51 (multiple LEDs 51) can pass through the same lens. In addition, even the light emitted from one LED 51 can pass through multiple lenses because light propagates radially. That is, the light emitted from the multiple LEDs 51 passes through the lens array 52 (some of the multiple lenses included in the lens array 52) to expose the photosensitive drum 2.

[0149] (Housing support member)

[0150] As Figure 12 and Figure 10As shown, the housing support member 55 supports the housing 54 that holds the substrate 50 and the lens array 52 along the longitudinal direction and is integrally provided with the housing 54. The housing support member 55 is a member having a longitudinal shape extending along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The housing support member 55 is formed in a square U shape as shown in Figure 16 . The housing support member 55 includes a left side wall 55L as the first side wall, a right side wall 55R as the second side wall facing the left side wall 55L, and a bottom surface portion 55D facing the flat portion 54U of the housing 54 between the left side wall 55L and the right side wall 55R. A plurality of openings 55a are provided in the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55 along the longitudinal direction, which is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0151] The openings 55a of the housing support member 55 are provided at positions facing the surface of the substrate 50 (the rear surface of the substrate 50) opposite to the mounting surface (the front surface of the substrate 50) on which the LED 51 is mounted. The openings 55a are provided between the left side wall 55L and the right side wall 55R along the lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

[0152] As shown in Figure 16 , the left side wall 55L as the first side wall is provided between the housing 54 that holds the substrate 50 and the developing unit 24 which is a developing unit on one side in the lateral direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. As shown in Figure 16 , the left side wall 55L is provided along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 so as to separate the housing 54 from the developing unit 24.

[0153] As shown in Figure 11 , the right side wall 55R as the second side wall is provided on the other side in the lateral direction between the housing 54 and the drum unit 23, which is an adjacent portion adjacent to the housing 54. Similar to the left side wall, the right side wall 55R is provided along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 so as to separate the housing 54 from the drum unit 23.

[0154] By integrally providing the housing support member 55 with the housing 54, the air flow sent out from the duct unit 60 blows through the openings 55a between the left side wall 55L and the right side wall 55R of the housing support member 55 to the rear surface of the substrate 50. Moreover, the air flow blown onto the rear surface of the substrate 50 is blown in a direction orthogonal to the rear surface of the substrate 50.

[0155] As described above, the air flow blown from the opening 55a of the housing support member 55 to the rear surface of the substrate 50 is separated from the developing unit 24 adjacent to the exposure head 4 by the left side wall 55L and separated from the drum unit 23 by the right side wall 55R. Therefore, the air flow introduced into the rear surface of the substrate 50 for cooling the exposure head 4 does not leak to the side adjacent to the developing unit 24 of the exposure head 4, and the toner of the developing unit 24 can be prevented from spreading inside the image forming apparatus.

[0156] As described above, the housing support member 55 is provided in the longitudinal direction which is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and has an opening 55a at a position facing the rear surface of the substrate 50. With this configuration, the housing support member 55 of the exposure head 4 forms a part of a duct (closed space) for blowing an air flow through the duct unit 60 at the rear surface of the substrate 50 via the opening 55a and causing the air flow to flow in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 50 to cool the exposure head 4.

[0157] As described above, the exposure head 4 is constructed as an integral head unit including a substrate 50 having LEDs, a lens array 52 having a plurality of lenses, a housing 54, and a housing support member 55.

[0158] (Engaging claw)

[0159] As Figure 12 and Figure 18 shown, the exposure head 4 includes engaging claws 55b and 55c as a first engaging portion. The engaging claws 55b and 55c are provided on the housing support member 55 of the exposure head 4 and are engaged with the lifting duct 69 by snap fit (see Figure 18 ).

[0160] In the housing support member 55 of the exposure head 4, the bottom surface portion 55D between the opening 55a at one end (front side) in the longitudinal direction and the adjacent opening 55a is defined as the first bottom surface portion 55D1. Similarly, the bottom surface portion 55D between the opening 55a at the other end (rear side) in the longitudinal direction and the adjacent opening 55a is defined as the second bottom surface portion 55D2. An engaging claw 55b engaged with the lifting duct 69 is provided on the lower surface of the first bottom surface portion 55D1. An engaging claw 55c engaged with the lifting duct 69 is provided on the lower surface of the second bottom surface portion 55D2. The first bottom surface portion 55D1 and the second bottom surface portion 55D2 (i.e., the bottom surface portion 55D) are facing portions facing the upper surface portion 69U of the lifting duct 69 (see Figure 18 ).

[0161] The engaging claws 55b and 55c serving as the first engaging portion are formed on the bottom surface portion 55D, project toward the lifting conduit 69 along the moving direction of the lifting conduit 69 described later, and are further formed to extend along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 orthogonal to the protruding direction.

[0162] Specifically, the engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 are formed to project toward the lifting conduit 69 and are formed in a substantially L shape and extend in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 orthogonal to the protruding direction. As described later, by sliding the exposure head 4, the claw ends of the substantially L-shaped engaging claws 55b and 55c are engaged with the edges of the engaging holes 69b and 69c by snap fit and integrated with the lifting conduit 69 (see Figure 16 ).

[0163] (Lifting conduit)

[0164] The imaging device 100 includes a lifting conduit 69. Reference will be made to Figure 17 and Figure 16 to describe the lifting conduit 69. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-X line of Figure 17 . Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the Y-Y line in Figure 16 .

[0165] The lifting conduit 69 is an exposure support member that detachably supports the exposure head 4 and is provided in the device main body of the imaging device 100 together with the cassette tray 30 described later.

[0166] The lifting conduit 69 is provided between the developing support member 301 of the developing unit 24 that supports the cassette tray 30 and the drum support member 302 that supports the drum unit 23 described later. The lifting conduit 69 is provided to be movable between the exposure position where the photosensitive drum 2 is exposed (see Figure 17 ) and the retracted position retracted from the exposure position (see Figure 16 ) between the developing support member 301 and the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30. Both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the lifting conduit 69 are supported from below by the rotating arm 65 described later. The lifting conduit 69 and the exposure head 4 are integrally moved along a direction intersecting the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 (the direction G indicated by the arrow in Figure 16 ) by the rotating arm 65. By the rotation of the rotating arm 65, the lifting conduit 69 is moved to the exposure position or the retracted position (see Figure 16 and 17 ).

[0167] The lifting duct 69, similar to the exposure head 4, has a longitudinal shape extending in the front-rear direction (the axial direction of the photosensitive drum) and is capable of supporting the entire exposure head 4. The central portion thereof has a shape with an opening in the vertical direction. The lifting duct 69 forms a duct in which one opening 69a (see Figure 18 ) communicates with the opening 55a of the exposure head 4, and the other opening portion 64 communicates with the opening portion 61 of the duct unit 60. The lifting duct 69 forms a part of the duct that cools the exposure head 4 while supporting the exposure head 4.

[0168] The upper surface portion 69U of the lifting duct 69 (see Figure 18 ) faces the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55. The upper surface portion 69U of the lifting duct 69 is provided with a plurality of openings 69a in the longitudinal direction, which is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The lifting duct 69 includes a duct left wall 69L, a duct right wall 69R facing the duct left wall 69L, a duct front wall 69F, and a duct rear wall 69B facing the duct front wall 69F (see Figure 15 ). The duct left wall 69L, the duct right wall 69R, the duct front wall 69F, and the duct rear wall 69B are integrally formed with the upper surface portion 69U to surround the periphery of the upper surface portion 69U, that is, to surround the opening 69a provided in the upper surface portion 69U. Thus, the lifting duct 69 has a shape in which the upper surface portion 69U, the duct left wall 69L, the duct right wall 69R, the duct front wall 69F, and the duct rear wall 69B are integrally formed and openings are provided at both the upper and lower positions. The lifting duct 69 forms a duct (closed space) that allows the air flow from the duct unit 60 described later to flow toward the exposure head 4 through between the duct wall and the opening 69a of the upper surface portion 69U (see Figure 18 ).

[0169] The plurality of openings 69a are respectively provided at positions facing the plurality of openings 55a provided in the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55. In other words, similar to the opening 55a of the housing support member 55, the opening 69a of the lifting duct 69 is provided at a position facing the rear surface of the substrate 50. In other words, the opening 69a of the lifting duct 69 communicates with the opening 55a of the exposure head 4 (see Figure 18 ).

[0170] The lifting duct 69 is formed into a hollow shape with no openings at positions facing the developing unit 24 and the drum unit 23 and having openings at both the upper and lower positions through these duct walls (duct left wall 69L, duct right wall 69R, duct front wall 69F, duct rear wall 69B).

[0171] Therefore, the elevating duct 69 allows the air flow generated by the duct unit 60 described later to flow through the opening portion 64 described later and the opening 69a between the duct left wall 69L and the duct right wall 69R to the rear surface of the substrate 50 of the exposure head 4. Therefore, the elevating duct 69 can allow the air flow from the duct unit 60 to flow to the rear surface of the substrate 50 of the exposure head 4 without leaking the air flow to the adjacent developing unit 24 or drum unit 23 side, and can reduce the dispersion of toner inside the apparatus.

[0172] In addition, as Figure 14 shown, the elevating duct 69 further includes a first engaging portion 69d and a second engaging portion 69e, which are engaged with the rotary arm 65 at two end portions in the longitudinal direction. The first engaging portion 69d is provided outside one end side in the longitudinal direction of the duct front wall 69F. In addition, the first engaging portion 69d is provided outside the area where the FFC connector 57 is provided on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and is located outside the duct front wall 69F. The second engaging portion 69e is provided outside the duct rear wall 69B on the other end side in the longitudinal direction.

[0173] Therefore, the area where the first engaging portion 69d is provided (range Lm at the front side) and the area where the second engaging portion 69e is provided (range Lm at the rear side) are provided outside the duct area (range La) where the openings (opening portion 64, opening 69a) of the elevating duct 69 are surrounded by the duct walls 69F and 69B. In other words, the duct area (range La) where the openings of the elevating duct 69 are surrounded by the duct walls 69F and 69B is provided between the area where the first engaging portion 69d is provided (range Lm at the front side) and the area where the second engaging portion 69e is provided (range Lm at the rear side).

[0174] Figure 14 The range Lc in [] is the area where the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 is provided, which is provided outside the duct area shown by the range La, and is located between the duct area and the area shown by the range Lm at the front side where the first engaging portion 69d is provided.

[0175] In addition, the range La forming the duct includes most of the substrate 50 on which the LED 51 is mounted, and the exposure head 4 can be sufficiently cooled by blowing the air flow to the range La. Note that the range Lc is the mounting portion of the FFC connector 57 of the signal line that transmits the drive signal to the substrate 50 on which the LED 51 is mounted. The range Lc is not provided with an opening for forming the duct, but is configured to be able to achieve necessary and sufficient cooling within the range La as described above.

[0176] Therefore, the air inhaled from outside the apparatus by the duct unit 60 is blown from the opening 55a of the exposure head 4 to the rear surface of the substrate 50 through the elevating duct 69. The air flow blown from the opening 55a of the exposure head 4 to the rear surface of the substrate 50 is discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the duct unit 60 through the elevating duct 69.

[0177] (Bonding hole)

[0178] As Figure 18 shown, the elevating duct 69 has bonding holes 69b and 69c as second bonding portions. The bonding holes 69b and 69c as the second bonding portions are engaged with the bonding claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 as the first bonding portions by snap fit.

[0179] In the elevating duct 69, the upper surface portion 69U between the opening 69a at one end (front side) in the longitudinal direction and the adjacent opening 69a is defined as the first upper surface portion 69U1. Similarly, the upper surface portion 69U between the opening 69a at the other end (rear side) in the longitudinal direction and the adjacent opening 69a is defined as the second upper surface portion 69U2. The first upper surface portion 69U1 is provided with a bonding hole 69b that engages with the bonding claw 55b of the exposure head 4. The second upper surface portion 69U2 is provided with a bonding hole 69c that engages with the bonding claw 55c of the exposure head 4. The first upper surface portion 69U1 and the second upper surface portion 69U2 (i.e., the upper surface portion 69U) are support portions facing the bottom surface portion 55D of the exposure head 4 (housing support member 55) and support the exposure head 4 in a detachable attachment manner.

[0180] The bonding holes 69b and 69c as the second bonding portions are formed in the upper surface portion 69U facing the exposure head 4 at positions corresponding to the bonding claws 55b and 55c.

[0181] Therefore, the exposure head 4 is configured to be detachably attached to the imaging device 100. The exposure head 4 is moved so that the bonding claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 respectively fall into the bonding holes 69b and 69c of the elevating duct 69, and the bottom surface portion 55D of the exposure head 4 abuts against the upper surface portion 69U of the elevating duct 69. That is, the exposure head 4 is moved in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction with respect to the elevating duct 69 so that the bonding claws 55b and 55c are engaged with the bonding holes 69b and 69c along the protruding direction.

[0182] After that, by moving the exposure head 4 along the upper surface portion 69U of the elevating duct 69, the bonding claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 are respectively engaged with the bonding holes 69b and 69c of the elevating duct 69 by snap fit.

[0183] That is, the exposure head 4 moves axially with respect to the lifting conduit 69 so that the engaging claws 55b and 55c engage with the engaging holes 69b and 69c in the extending direction orthogonal to the protruding direction. In this way, the exposure head 4 is connected to the lifting conduit 69 in the imaging device 100, and the exposure head 4 is integrated with the lifting conduit 69. The procedure for detaching the exposure head 4 from the lifting conduit 69 is the reverse of the above procedure. The replacement and attachment or detachment structure of the exposure head will be described in detail later.

[0184] (Cartridge tray)

[0185] The imaging device 100 includes a cartridge tray 30. Reference will be made to Figure 8 , 9 14 to 17 to describe the cartridge tray 30. Figure 8 , 9 And 14 are perspective views of the cartridge tray 30. Figure 15 Is a view of the cartridge tray 30 as viewed from the lower surface.

[0186] The cartridge tray 30 is a support member that supports the above-described drum unit 23 and developing unit 24, and guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The cartridge tray 30 axially supports the rotation shaft 102a of the inner door 102 so that the inner door 102 can rotate within a predetermined range.

[0187] The cartridge tray 30 is provided for each imaging section. Each cartridge tray 30 includes a developing support member 301 that guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations of the developing unit 24 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and a drum support member 302 that guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations of the drum unit 23 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. In the cartridge tray 30, the developing support member 301 and the drum support member 302 are integrally formed. The cartridge tray 30 is not limited to the structure provided for each imaging section.

[0188] The lifting conduit 69 is movably provided between the developing support member 301 and the drum support member 302 of the cartridge tray 30. In the lifting conduit 69, the first engaging portion 69d and the second engaging portion 69e at both ends in the longitudinal direction are supported from below by the rotating arm 65 between the developing support member 301 and the drum support member 302. The rotating arm 65 is rotatably provided on the developing support member 301 of the cartridge tray 30. The exposure head 4 is detachably attached to the lifting conduit 69 that is movably arranged on the cartridge tray 30. In other words, the cartridge tray 30 is a support member that supports the exposure head 4 and guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2.

[0189] (Developing support member)

[0190] The developing support member 301 is a developing support member that guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations of the developing unit 24 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and is a member having a longitudinal shape extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The developing support member 301 includes a first developing guide portion 301a, a second developing guide portion 301b facing the first developing guide portion 301a, and a developing bottom surface portion 301c provided between the first developing guide portion 301a and the second developing guide portion 301b. The developing support member 301 further includes a third developing guide portion 301f. In the developing support member 301, the first developing guide portion 301a, the second developing guide portion 301b, the developing bottom surface portion 301c, and the third developing guide portion 301f are integrally formed.

[0191] The developing bottom surface portion 301c faces the bottom surface portion 24D of the frame body of the developing unit 24 (with a space therebetween), and is provided in the longitudinal direction which is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The first developing guide portion 301a is provided at one end side in the lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the developing bottom surface portion 301c, and is provided between the lifting conduit 69 and the developing unit 24 to separate the lifting conduit 69 from the developing unit 24. The second developing guide portion 301b is provided at the other end side in the lateral direction of the developing bottom surface portion 301c, and is provided to face the first developing guide portion 301a. The first developing guide portion 301a and the second developing guide portion 301b abut against the frame body of the developing unit 24, and longitudinally guide the developing unit 24 inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction.

[0192] The first developing guide portion 301a and the second developing guide portion 301b are engaged with the exposure head holding member 506 and guide the exposure head holding member 506 inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the third developing guide portion 301f is engaged with the engaging portion 506a of the exposure head holding member 506 to guide the exposure head holding member 506 together with the first developing guide portion 301a and the second developing guide portion 301b.

[0193] The first developing guide portion 301a includes a facing portion 301d facing the first inclined surface 69L1 of the lifting conduit 69. The facing portion 301d has a first tray inclined surface having an inclination similar to that of the first inclined surface 69L1 of the lifting conduit 69.

[0194] The first developing guide portion 301a includes a partition wall portion 301e on the downstream side of the facing portion 301d in the moving direction from the retracted position of the lifting conduit 69 to the exposure position. The partition wall portion 301e is provided between the exposure head 4 and the developing unit 24 so that the located Figure 16The exposure head 4 at the shown exposure position is separated from the developing unit 24. The partition wall portion 301e is an end portion (upper end portion) on the developing sleeve side in the first developing guide portion 301a.

[0195] As Figure 2 , 8 and shown in 16, the developing support member 301 (cartridge tray 30) is disposed directly below the developing unit 24. The upper surface of the developing support member 301 (cartridge tray 30) and the bottom surface of the developing unit 24 form a conduit as an enclosed space, and in addition to serving as a guide for the attachment and detachment operations of the developing unit, it also functions as an intermediate path for the developing cooling air flow.

[0196] In the conduit (enclosed space) formed by the upper surface of the cartridge tray 30 (developing support member 301) and the upper surface of the developing unit 24, the opening on one end side (front side) in the longitudinal direction communicates with the opening 41a of the front side conduit 41 that sucks air from the outside of the apparatus through the opening 102c of the inner door 102. The conduit between the developing unit 24 and the developing support member 301 forms an enclosed space that communicates with the front side conduit 41 and the rear side conduit 42 (see Figure 22 ).

[0197] (Restriction portion of the cartridge tray)

[0198] Referring to Figure 34 , the restriction portion 301g of the cartridge tray 30 will be described. Figure 34 is an enlarged perspective view near the restriction portion 301g of the cartridge tray 30.

[0199] As Figure 34 shown, the cartridge tray 30 is provided with a restriction portion 301g. The restriction portion 301g restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-rear direction to a predetermined position (first position and second position) by abutting against both the hole portion 506c and the restriction portion 506i which are the engaging portions of the exposure head holding member 506 during the exposure head replacement operation (see Fig. 36). When moving the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-rear direction, the restriction portion 301g restricts the movement in both the forward direction F (i.e., one of the front-rear directions) and the backward direction B (i.e., the other of the front-rear directions).

[0200] The restricting portion 301g is provided with two restricting surfaces 301g1 and 301g2. The restricting surface 301g1 is the first restricting surface that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the forward direction F. The restricting surface 301g2 is the second restricting surface that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the backward direction B. At the first position where the FFC 58 is inserted into / removed from the exposure head 4, the restricting surfaces 301g1 and 301g2 are engaged with the hole portion 506c of the exposure head holding member 506 to restrict the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction. At the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to / detached from the elevating conduit 69, the restricting surface 301g1 is engaged with the restricting portion 506e of the exposure head holding member 506 to restrict the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the forward direction.

[0201] In this way, the restricting portion 301g restricts both the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the forward direction F and its movement in the backward direction B. However, the restricting portion 301g is arranged in the cassette tray 30 at a position where the restricting portion 301g does not restrict the movement of the developing unit 24 in the front-back direction. Therefore, the restricting portion 301g does not prevent the developing unit 24 from moving in the front-back direction.

[0202] In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the restricting portion 301g is provided on a separate member separated from the developing support member 301 is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration and the restricting portion 301g may be directly provided on the developing support member 301. The detailed function of the restricting portion 301g will be described later.

[0203] (Drum support member)

[0204] The drum support member 302 is a photoreceptor support member that guides and supports the attachment and detachment operations of the drum unit 23 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and is a member having a longitudinal shape extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The drum support member 302 includes a first drum guiding portion 302a, a second drum guiding portion 302b facing the first drum guiding portion 302a, and a drum bottom surface portion 302c provided between the first drum guiding portion 302a and the second drum guiding portion 302b. In the drum support member 302, the first drum guiding portion 302a, the second drum guiding portion 302b, and the drum bottom surface portion 302c are integrally formed.

[0205] The bottom surface portion 302c of the drum faces the bottom surface portion 23D of the frame body of the drum unit 23 and is provided in the longitudinal direction which is the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The first drum guiding portion 302a is provided at one end side in the lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface portion 302c of the drum, and is provided between the lifting conduit 69 and the drum unit 23 to separate the lifting conduit 69 from the drum unit 23. The second drum guiding portion 302b is provided at the other end side in the lateral direction of the bottom surface portion 302c of the drum, and is provided to face the first drum guiding portion 302a. Each of the first drum guiding portion 302a and the second drum guiding portion 302b abuts against the frame body of the drum unit 23 and longitudinally guides the drum unit 23 inserted and removed in the longitudinal direction.

[0206] The first drum guiding portion 302a includes a facing portion 302d facing the second inclined surface 69R1 of the lifting conduit 69. The facing portion 302d has a second tray inclined surface similar to the second inclined surface 69R1 of the lifting conduit 69.

[0207] (Relationship between the cartridge tray and the lifting conduit)

[0208] Herein, the relationship between the cartridge tray 30 and the lifting conduit 69 will be described.

[0209] The lifting conduit 69 is movably arranged between the first developing guiding portion 301a and the first drum guiding portion 302a in the cartridge tray 30, and moves between the exposure position shown in Figure 16 and the retracted position shown in Figure 17 by the rotation of the rotating arm 65. That is, the first developing guiding portion 301a and the first drum guiding portion 302a of the cartridge tray 30 serve as guiding members for guiding the lifting conduit 69 along its moving direction.

[0210] When the exposure head 4 is detachably mounted, the opening 55a of the exposure head 4 and the opening 69a of the lifting conduit 69 communicate with each other and the lifting conduit 69 is integrated with the exposure head 4. The lifting conduit 69 is separated from the developing unit 24 by the first developing guiding portion 301a of the cartridge tray 30 and separated from the drum unit 23 by the first drum guiding portion 302a of the cartridge tray 30. In addition, at the exposure position shown in Figure 16 , the gap between the lifting conduit 69 and the first developing guiding portion 301a is sealed by a seal 72 as a sealing member. Similarly, at the exposure position shown in Figure 16 , the gap between the lifting conduit 69 and the first drum guiding portion 302a is sealed by a seal 71 as a sealing member.

[0211] In addition, at Figure 16The pressing position of the developing unit 24 shown, the gap between the developing units 24 is sealed by a seal 70 as a sealing member.

[0212] In this way, the cassette tray 30 and the lifting conduit 69 disposed between the first developing guide portion 301a and the first drum guide portion 302a of the cassette tray 30 form a conduit that is a closed space communicating with the opening 55a of the exposure head 4.

[0213] (Relationship among cassette tray, lifting conduit, and conduit unit)

[0214] In addition, the cassette tray 30 and the lifting conduit 69 form an opening portion 64 communicating with the opening portion 61 of the conduit unit 60 on the side facing the conduit unit 60.

[0215] (Developing bracket)

[0216] The imaging device 100 includes a developing bracket 31 that is slidable in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. Reference will be made to Figure 16 、 Figure 19 and Figure 20 to describe the developing bracket 31. Figure 19 and Figure 20 are side views of the developing bracket 31 viewed from the right side direction. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X in Figure 14 .

[0217] Figure 19 shows such a state in which the inner door 102 is closed, the developing unit 24 is located close to the photosensitive drum 2, and the exposure head 4 is located at the exposure position close to the photosensitive drum 2. Figure 20 shows such a state in which the inner door 102 is open, the developing unit 24 is located at a position retracted from the photosensitive drum 2, and the exposure head 4 is located at the retracted position where the exposure head 4 is retracted from the exposure position.

[0218] The developing bracket 31 as a sliding member is arranged to be movable in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2. The developing bracket 31 moves in one direction of the axial direction in linkage with the opening operation of the inner door 102, and moves in the other direction of the axial direction in linkage with the closing operation of the inner door 102. The developing bracket 31 is movably provided with respect to the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30. The developing bracket 31 has an elongated shape (longitudinal shape) extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and includes a developing pressing top 32, a developing pressing top 33, a developing bracket link 34, an arm retracting member 68F, and an arm retracting member 68B.

[0219] The developing support link 34 is fixed to the front end portion of the developing support 31 and engages with the inner door 102 axially supported by the cassette tray 30. The developing pressure top 32 is fixed to one side (front side) in the longitudinal direction of the developing support 31, and the developing pressure top 33 is fixed to the other side (rear side) in the longitudinal direction of the developing support 31. The developing pressure tops 32 and 33 are disposed at positions facing the developing unit 24.

[0220] The developing pressure tops 32 and 33 are developing engagement members that move in the same direction by the movement of the developing support 31 and engage with the developing unit 24. The developing pressure tops 32 and 33 engage with the developing unit 24 to move the developing unit 24 to the developing position close to the photosensitive drum 2 (see Figure 19 ) or the separating position where the developing unit 24 is separated from the photosensitive drum 2 (see Figure 20 ).

[0221] The inner door 102 has a link engagement portion 102b that engages with the developing support link 34. In the inner door 102, the link engagement portion 102b is disposed on the side opposite to the portion covering the unit via the rotation shaft 102a.

[0222] As Figure 20 shown, in the state where the inner door 102 is opened, the link engagement portion 102b that engages with the developing support link 34 is located at a position close to the rear end of the inner door 102. And as Figure 19 shown, in the state where the inner door 102 is closed, the link engagement portion 102b is closer to the lower end of the inner door 102 than the rotation shaft 102a. Therefore, as the inner door 102 rotates, the link engagement portion 102b of the inner door 102 moves in the rotational direction along a circular locus with the distance between the rotation shaft 102a and the link engagement portion 102b as the radius. That is, as Figure 20 shown, by opening the inner door 102, the link engagement portion 102b also rotates and moves to the rear side of the device.

[0223] Therefore, the developing support link 34 that engages with the link engagement portion 102b of the inner door 102 slides in the backward direction B (the direction toward the rear side of the device), and the two developing pressure tops 32 and 33 integrally formed with the developing support 31 also slide along the backward direction B. This means that as Figure 20 shown, the two developing pressure tops 32 and 33 deviate from the holding position for holding the developing unit 24. When the developing pressure tops 32 and 33 deviate from the holding position, the developing unit 24 moves along the downward direction D, that is, along the direction in which the developing pressure top retracts from the photosensitive drum 2 due to its own weight.

[0224] As can be understood from the above description, the developing unit 24 is retracted from the photosensitive drum 2 in conjunction with the operation of opening the inner door 102. When the inner door 102 is closed, the developing unit 24 is moved in the direction of the photosensitive drum 2 and pressed by the reverse procedure of the opening operation.

[0225] like Figure 19 As shown, the developing bracket 31 slides in the forward direction F in conjunction with the closing operation of the inner door 102. At this time, the developing pressurizing top 32 and the developing pressurizing top 33 are engaged with the developing unit 24, so that the developing unit 24 moves upward (direction U) along the inclined surfaces of the developing pressurizing top 32 and the developing pressurizing top 33 of the developing bracket 31. Therefore, the developing sleeve 5 of the developing unit 24 moves in a direction approaching the photosensitive drum 2 of the drum unit 23 to place the developing sleeve 5 at a developing position close to the photosensitive drum 2 (see FIG. Figure 16 ).

[0226] Moreover, if Figure 20 As shown, the developing bracket 31 slides in the rearward direction B in conjunction with the opening operation of the inner door 102. At this time, the developing pressurizing top 32 and the developing pressurizing top 33 are engaged with the developing unit 24, so that the developing unit 24 moves in the downward direction D along the inclined surfaces of the developing pressurizing top 32 and the developing pressurizing top 33 of the developing bracket 31. Therefore, the developing sleeve 5 of the developing unit 24 moves in a direction away from the photosensitive drum 2 of the drum unit 23 to place the developing sleeve 5 at a separation position separated from the photosensitive drum 2 (see FIG. Figure 17 ).exist Figure 20 During the non-development period shown, Figure 19 During the development shown, the developing sleeve 5 is separated from the photosensitive drum 2.

[0227] In addition, the developing bracket 31 includes an arm retracting member 68F and an arm retracting member 68B for rotating the rotating arm 65 as a rotating member. The arm retracting member 68F and the arm retracting member 68B are integrally formed with the developing bracket 31 (see FIG. Figure 17 ). The arm retracting member 68F is fixed to one side (the front side of the device) in the longitudinal direction of the developing bracket 31, and is provided on the surface on the opposite side of the developing pressurizing top 32. The arm retracting member 68B is fixed to the other side (the rear side of the device) in the longitudinal direction of the developing bracket 31, and is provided on the surface on the opposite side of the developing pressurizing top 33. The arm retracting member 68F and the arm retracting member 68B move in the same direction as the direction in which the developing bracket 31 slides in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the inner door 102, and rotate the rotating arm 65.

[0228] That is, when the developing support 31 moves in one direction (backward direction B) along the axial direction in linkage with the opening operation of the inner door 102, the arm retracting member 68F and the arm retracting member 68B move in the same direction, so that the developing support 31 engages with the rotary arm 65. As a result, the rotary arm 65 rotates in one direction to integrally move the exposure head 4 and the lifting conduit 69 to the retracted position (see Figure 17 ). On the other hand, when the developing support 31 moves in the other direction (forward direction F) along the axial direction in linkage with the closing operation of the inner door 102, the arm retracting member 68F and the arm retracting member 68B move in the same direction, so that the engagement between the developing support 31 and the rotary arm 65 is released. Therefore, the rotary arm 65 rotates in the other direction to integrally move the exposure head 4 and the lifting conduit 69 to the exposure position (see Figure 16 ).

[0229] (Rotary arm)

[0230] As Figure 14 shown, the rotary arm 65 is a rotating member that moves the exposure head 4 between the exposure position close to the photosensitive drum 2 (see Figure 16 ) and the retracted position where the exposure head 4 retracts from the exposure position (see Figure 17 ).

[0231] The rotary arm 65 as the rotating member is rotatably provided on the developing support member 301 of the cartridge tray 30. One end portion of the rotary arm 65 in the left-right direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the axial direction. The other end portion of the rotary arm 65 in the left-right direction supports two end portions in the axial direction of a region (range Lm) outside the openings (opening 69a, opening portion 64) of the lifting conduit 69.

[0232] The rotary arm 65 pushes up the bottom surfaces at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lifting conduit 69 by the force of an arm pressure spring (not shown) as a biasing member. In Figure 16 , the exposure head 4 is arranged close to the photosensitive drum 2, but this is maintained by the rotary arm 65 pushing up the bottom surfaces at both ends of the lifting conduit 69. This pushing is ensured by a predetermined spring pressure of the arm pressure spring.

[0233] In this way, the rotary arm 65 does not directly push the exposure head 4, but pushes the lifting conduit 69 that supports the exposure head 4.

[0234] Note that the operation of the rotary arm 65 that moves the exposure head 4 to the exposure position or the retracted position is powered by the sliding movement of the developing support 31 that retracts the developing unit 24, but can be powered by another member linked to the inner door 102.

[0235] (Positioning pins of the exposure head)

[0236] Next, the positioning pins 45F and 45B of the exposure head 4 will be described.

[0237] The housing 54 of the exposure head 4 is provided with a positioning pin 45F and a positioning pin 45B as positioning axes. Each of the positioning pin 45F and the positioning pin 45B is an example of a metal pin. The housing 54 is a conductive member having conductivity, and the positioning pins 45F and 45B are also members having conductivity. The positioning pins 45F and 45B are fixed to two end portions in the longitudinal direction of the housing 54. The positioning pin 45F is fixed to the housing 54 on one side (front side) of the lens array 52 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and protrudes from the housing 54 on both sides in the optical axis direction of the lens array 52. The positioning pin 45B is fixed to the housing 54 on the other side (rear side) of the lens array 52 in the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2, and protrudes from the housing 54 on both sides in the optical axis direction of the lens array 52.

[0238] In the positioning pin 45F, the upper end (apex portion) of the portion protruding upward from the housing 54 is located below the top surface (light exit surface) of the lens array 52 fixed to the housing 54. In the positioning pin 45B, the upper end (apex portion) of the portion protruding upward from the housing 54 is located above the top surface (light exit surface) of the lens array 52 fixed to the housing 54.

[0239] In order to ensure a high-precision distance between the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 and the light exit surface of the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4, the positioning pins 45F and 45B adjust the position of the positioning surface at the distal end of the axis with respect to the housing 54 and fill the gap to the housing 54. Note that the fixing of the positioning pins 45F and 45B to the housing 54 is not limited to this. For example, the positioning pins 45F and 45B made of metal can be fixed to the housing 54 made of metal by welding. As described above, in the present embodiment, the positioning pins 45F and 45B are integrated with the housing 54.

[0240] When the exposure head 4 moves to the exposure position, both the positioning pin 45F and the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 abut against a predetermined position of the drum unit 23 (for example, Figure 23 and Figure 24 the engaging portions 26F and 26B of the drum bearing 26 shown), for supporting the photosensitive drum 2. Therefore, the distance between the exposure head 104 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is maintained at the exposure position. In addition, through the positioning pins 45F and 45B, not only the distance between the exposure head 104 and the surface of the photosensitive drum 2 is fixed, but also the angle of the exposure head 104 with respect to the photosensitive drum 2 is fixed.

[0241] Although not shown, the pressing position of the engaging boss 66 of the rotary arm 65 on the lifting conduit 69, the abutting position between the positioning pins 45F and 45B, the predetermined position of the drum unit 23, and the central position of the photosensitive drum 2 are arranged in a substantially straight line at the exposure position.

[0242] With this arrangement, the exposure head 4 is pressed toward the center of the photosensitive drum 2 so that no unnecessary rotational torque is applied to the lifting conduit 69. This means that there is no component in the pressing force that promotes the tilting of the exposure head 4 relative to the photosensitive drum 2, which results in positioning accuracy of distance and angle and stability in repeated attachment and detachment operations.

[0243] In addition, as Figure 23 and Figure 24 shown, the positioning pins 45F and 45B are complementarily fitted into the auxiliary fitting portions 30h and 30i of the cassette tray 30 along directions orthogonal to the optical axis direction of the exposure head 4 and directions orthogonal to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 on the circumferential surfaces of their lower ends. Therefore, even if a slight rotational torque is generated due to the weight, surface properties, dimensional errors, etc. of the components, stable positioning accuracy of distance and angle can be achieved, and attachment and detachment operations can be repeated.

[0244] (Relationship between the engaging claw and the engaging hole)

[0245] Here, the relationship between the engaging claw of the exposure head 4 and the engaging hole of the lifting conduit 69 will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 27 The relationship between the engaging claw 55b of the exposure head 4 and the engaging hole 69b of the lifting conduit 69 will be described here, but it similarly applies to the relationship between the engaging claw 55c of the exposure head 4 and the engaging hole 69c of the lifting conduit 69.

[0246] As Figure 27 shown, the engaging claw 55b has elasticity, and a recess 55f is provided at the distal end where the engaging claw 55b projects. A convex portion 69f that engages with the recess 55f is provided at the edge of the engaging hole 69c corresponding to the recess 55f. At the completion position of the sliding operation of the exposure head 4 relative to the lifting conduit 69 (i.e., the completion position of installation), the convex portion 69f provided at the edge of the engaging hole 69c is arranged at a position corresponding to the recess 55f provided at the distal end of the engaging claw 55b.

[0247] Before the sliding operation of the exposure head 4 in the direction of arrow K is about to be completed, the distal end of the engaging claw 55b interferes with the convex portion 69f and the engaging claw 55b is elastically deformed, so that the sliding operation force of the exposure head 4 rises once compared with the operation force before the interference is about to occur. Thereafter, the concave portion 55f of the engaging claw 55b immediately reaches the convex portion 69f, and the concave portion 55f and the convex portion 69f are engaged with each other, so that the sliding operation force of the exposure head 4 is reduced. That is, when the exposure head 4 moves relative to the lifting conduit 69 in the extending direction, the engaging claw 55b is elastically deformed until the concave portion 55f and the convex portion 69f are engaged with each other, so that the operation force for moving the exposure head 4 in the extending direction is changed. By the rapid increase or decrease of the sliding operation force of the exposure head 4, a click feeling indicating the completion of the sliding operation of the exposure head 4 can be provided.

[0248] As described above, by the elastic deformation of the engaging claw 55b, the sliding operation force of the exposure head 4 is changed until the concave portion 55f of the engaging claw 55b and the convex portion 69f of the engaging hole 69b are engaged, so that the completion of the installation of the exposure head 4 can be clearly presented.

[0249] As described above, as Figure 23 and Figure 24 shown, the positioning pins 45F and 45B of the exposure head 4 are complementarily assembled to the auxiliary assembly portions 30h and 30i of the cassette tray 30 on the circumferential surfaces of their lower ends. This assembly is carried out simultaneously by the sliding operation of the exposure head 4 in the backward direction B.

[0250] In addition, in the present embodiment, the grounding connection between the housing 54 of the exposure head 4 and the imaging device 100 is also carried out simultaneously by the above-described sliding operation of the exposure head 4 in the backward direction B. The housing 54 of the exposure head 4 and the positioning pins 45F and 45B are caulked and fixed, and conduction is established. The grounding connection with the imaging device 100 is carried out by the circumferential surface of the positioning pin 45F of the exposure head 4 coming into contact with a conductive member (not shown) provided in the cassette tray 30 on the device side. The conductive member has conductivity. Specifically, the conductive member is made of a thin metal plate. Therefore, by the sliding operation of the exposure head 4, sufficient contact pressure can be obtained through contact and deformation. The conductive member is electrically connected to the frame body metal plate of the imaging device 100 via a circuit board on which a wiring harness, a noise-eliminating resistance element, and a capacitor are mounted.

[0251] In this way, the positioning pin 45F of the exposure head 4 can be electrically connected to the conductive member by a sliding operation, and the exposure head 4 can be grounded. Therefore, the exposure head 4 can be easily grounded, etc., to reduce the generation of radiation noise such as electromagnetic waves. That is, stable grounding characteristics can be obtained only by the sliding operation of mounting the exposure head 4 on the lifting conduit 69.

[0252] (Configuration of FFC and FFC guide)

[0253] Next, the construction of the FFC 58 and the FFC guide 503 will be described with reference to Figures 28 to 30 FIGS. Figure 28 Perspective views showing the exposure head 4, the FFC 58, the circuit board 502, and the FFC guide 503 are shown. Figure 29A FIG. Figure 28 is a cross-sectional view of the imaging device 100 as viewed from the front side. Figure 29B FIG. Figure 29A is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the bias member 504 in FIG. Figure 30 FIG. Figure 29A is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the contact 58a in FIG. In FIG. Figure 30 the exposure head is not shown for the sake of simplicity.

[0254] (Construction of FFC)

[0255] The imaging device 100 is provided with a plurality of FFCs 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K) for electrically connecting the exposure heads 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K) to the circuit board 502, respectively. As described above, in the present embodiment, the circuit board 502 is disposed on the left side of the imaging device 100, and the exposure head 4 is disposed on the right side of the circuit board 502. One end portion of each FFC 58 is connected to each exposure head 4, and the other end portion of each FFC 58 is connected to the circuit board 502, so that the exposure head 4 and the circuit board 502 are electrically connected to each other.

[0256] As Figure 28 shown, each FFC 58 connects the FFC connector 57 provided in each exposure head 4 to the connector 501 provided on the circuit board 502. The FFCs 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K) are arranged in a multilayer form.

[0257] As Figure 30 shown, each FFC 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K) is provided with a contact 58a electrically connected to the FFC connector 58 of the exposure head 4 and a reinforcing plate 58b for reinforcing the contact 58a at one end portion. In the FFC 58, the reinforcing plate 58b is fixed to the surface opposite to the surface on which the contact 58a is provided with double-sided tape.

[0258] At the other end portion of each FFC 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K), contacts (not shown) to be connected to each of the connectors 501 (501Y, 501M, 501C, and 501K) provided in the circuit board 502 are provided.

[0259] In addition, the reinforcing plate 58b is provided with a protruding portion 58c that protrudes from the surface opposite to the contact point 58a. The shape of the protruding portion 58c provided on the reinforcing plate 58b is such that the protruding portion 58c can be pinched by fingers when the FFC 58 is inserted into / removed from the FFC connector 57.

[0260] As Figure 29A and 30 shown, in the first posture where the exposure head 4 exposes the photosensitive drum 2, the reinforcing plate 58b and the protruding portion 58c are arranged on the right side of the contact point 58a. That is, in the left-right direction (second direction) of the imaging device 100, the FFC 58 is connected to the connector of the exposure head 4 held in the first posture such that the reinforcing plate 58b and the protruding portion 58c are arranged on the right side of the contact point 58a.

[0261] As Figure 40A and 40B shown, in the second posture where the exposure head 4 is replaced, the reinforcing plate 58b and the protruding portion 58c are arranged on the upper side of the contact point 58a. That is, in the up-down direction (third direction) of the imaging device 100, the FFC 58 is connected to the connector of the exposure head 4 held in a second posture different from the first posture such that the reinforcing plate 58b and the protruding portion 58c are arranged on the upper side of the contact point 58a.

[0262] (Structure of FFC guide)

[0263] In addition, the imaging device 100 is provided with an FFC guide 503 as a guiding member that holds the FFCs 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, 58K) in the left-right direction. The FFC guide 503 extends in the left-right direction (second direction). The FFC guide 503 is arranged directly below the exposure head 4 in the imaging device 100. Specifically, the FFC guide 503 is linearly arranged directly below the FFC connectors 57 (57Y, 57M, 57C, and 57K) of the exposure head 4 in the left-right direction.

[0264] The FFC guide 503 is provided in the imaging device 100 and is configured to limit the position of the FFC 58. The portion between one end and the other end of the FFC 58 is held by the FFC guide 503 in the imaging device 100. As Figure 29AAs shown, the FFC guide 503 has a first opening portion 503a and a second opening portion 503b (503bY, 503bM, 503bC, and 503bK), through which the FFC 58 passes. The first opening portion 503a is arranged on the left side of the second opening portion 503b. The first opening portion 503a is arranged on one side (the left side) in the left-right direction of the FFC guide 503 and is the first through hole for the multi-layer FFC 58 to pass through. In addition, the first opening portion 503a is arranged closer to the circuit board 502 than the four exposure heads 4. The second opening portion 503b is arranged on the other side (the right side) in the left-right direction of the FFC guide 503 and is the second through hole for the FFC 58 to pass through respectively. The second opening portion 503b is provided respectively for the exposure heads 4. The first opening portion 503a and the second opening portion 503b are arranged linearly in the left-right direction on the FFC guide 503.

[0265] In the above, the structure of providing the first opening portion (the first through hole) 503a and the second opening portion (the second through hole) 503b on the FFC guide 503 is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, the first through hole can be provided on another member other than the FFC guide 503. In addition, the second through hole can be provided on another member other than the FFC guide 503, such as the lifting conduit 69 and the cassette tray 30. In this case, it is preferable that the second through hole is provided on the side where the FFC holding member 507 is arranged.

[0266] As Figure 28 and 29A shown, the FFC guide 503 is provided with a biasing member 504 for biasing the FFC 58. The biasing member 504 biases the FFC 58 in the up-down direction with respect to the FFC guide 503 to restrict the FFC 58 from moving relative to the FFC guide 503. As the biasing member 503, a cable tie is used. When the biasing member 504 is disassembled, the FFC 58 becomes movable relative to the FFC guide 503. Therefore, the FFC 58 is held to be movable relative to the FFC guide 503 under predetermined conditions.

[0267] As Figure 29B shown, a cover member 505 for restricting the FFC 58 from falling downward is attached to the FFC guide 503. The cover member 505 is used to simplify the mold for forming the FFC guide 503. The FFC guide 503 itself can be configured to include a wall having the same function.

[0268] Next, the path of the FFC 58 from the circuit board 502 to the exposure head 4 will be described.

[0269] As Figure 28As shown, the other end portion of the FFC 58 is connected to a connector 501 provided on a circuit board 502 disposed on the left side of the main body of the imaging device 100. The FFCs 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, 58K) respectively connected to the connector 501 of the circuit board 502 disposed on the left side of the main body of the imaging device 100 are arranged in multiple layers on the left side of the main body and are bent from the left side of the main body toward the right side of the main body. As Figure 29A shown, the multi-layer FFC 58 passes through the first opening portion 503a of the FFC guide 503 and enters the interior of the FFC guide 503. At this moment, the multi-layer FFC 58 is biased from above to below by a biasing member 504 provided on the FFC guide 503. Due to the frictional force generated by the biasing member 504 and the FFC guide 503 clamping the FFC 58, the FFC 58 is held and does not move in the left-right direction.

[0270] The layer order of the FFC 58 clamped by the biasing member 504 and the FFC guide 503 in the up-down direction is yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) from the upper side. That is, the layer order of the FFC 58 clamped by the biasing member 504 and the FFC guide 503 from the upper side to the lower side in the up-down direction is the same as the order of the corresponding exposure heads 4 arranged from the left side to the right side.

[0271] The FFC 58 that enters the interior of the FFC guide 503 is arranged such that the FFC 58 extends in the left-right direction along the FFC guide 503. When the FFC 58 enters below the second opening portion 503bY of the FFC guide 503, only the FFC 58Y is arranged to bend upward and separate and extend toward the FFC connector 57Y of the exposure head 4Y. The FFC 58Y is connected to the FFC connector 57Y of the exposure head 4Y to electrically connect the circuit board 502 to the exposure head 4Y. After the FFC 58Y separates, the multi-layer FFCs 58 (58M, 58C, and 58B) are arranged to extend in the left-right direction and extend from the left side of the main body to the right side of the main body along the FFC guide 503. Thereafter, similar to the yellow imaging portion 1Y, when the multi-layer FFC 58 is located below the second opening portion 503b in each of the imaging portions 1M, 1C, 1K, the FFC 58 located at the uppermost position is arranged to bend upward and separate and extend toward the FFC connector 57 respectively. The FFC 58 arranged to extend toward the exposure head 4 is connected to the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 to electrically connect the circuit board 502 to the FFC connector 57.

[0272] As described above, the circuit board 502 is connected to the exposure head 4 via the FFC 58. In the above description, it is assumed that the imaging device 100 is a color multifunction device, and thus the imaging device 100 has four imaging sections 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. However, if the imaging device 100 is a monochrome multifunction device, a configuration providing only one imaging section 1K may be adopted.

[0273] (Replacement tool)

[0274] Next, reference will be made to Figures 31A to 31D , 32A to 32D, and 33 to describe the replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 in the imaging device 100. Figure 31A is a perspective view of the exposure head holding member 506, which is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head and the FFC. Figure 31B is a top view of the exposure head holding member 506. Figure 31C is the A-A cross-sectional view of the exposure head holding member 506 in Figure 31B viewed from the right side. Figure 31D is a front view of the exposure head holding member 506. Figure 32A is a perspective view of the FFC holding member 507, which is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head and the FFC. Figure 32B is a top view of the FFC holding member 507. Figure 32C is a right side view of the FFC holding member 507. Figure 32D is a rear view of the FFC holding member 507. Figure 33 is a front view of the sheet member 508, which is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head and the FFC.

[0275] The replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 are used when it is necessary to remove the exposure head or the FFC 58 from inside the imaging device 100 and attach a new exposure head or FFC in case of a failure of the exposure head 4 or the FFC 58. These replacement tools are used by maintenance personnel in the market.

[0276] The replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 is composed of three components: an exposure head holding member 506, an FFC holding member 507, and a sheet member 508. At least one of these three components is attached to the housing or cover (not shown) of the imaging device 100. In this embodiment, the imaging device 100 is illustrated as including the replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. The present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the replacement tool may be included in the new exposure head 4 or the new FFC 58, rather than in the imaging device 100. In addition, the maintenance personnel can also carry the replacement tool. The replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 is not limited to the three components of the exposure head holding member 506, the FFC holding member 507, and the sheet member 508. The replacement tool can be one or two of these three components. In addition, some of the three components of the exposure head holding member 506, the FFC holding member 507, and the sheet member 508 may be included in the imaging device, and other components may be included in the new exposure head 4 or the new FFC 58 for replacement, or other components may be carried by the maintenance personnel.

[0277] The directions of the exposure head holding member 506 and the FFC holding member 507 are defined as follows. During the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58, with the exposure head holding member 506 and the FFC holding member 507 held in the cassette tray 30, the side facing the front side plate of the device body is defined as the front side, and the side facing the rear side plate of the device body is defined as the rear side. With respect to the photosensitive drum 2K that forms the electrostatic latent image of the black toner image, the side of the photosensitive drum 2Y that forms the electrostatic latent image of the yellow toner image is defined as the left side. With respect to the photosensitive drum 2Y that forms the electrostatic latent image of the yellow toner image, the side of the photosensitive drum 2K that forms the electrostatic latent image of the black toner image is defined as the right side. In addition, the upward direction in the vertical direction perpendicular to the above-defined front-rear direction and left-right direction is defined as the upward direction, and the downward direction in the vertical direction perpendicular to the above-defined front-rear direction and left-right direction is defined as the downward direction. The defined forward direction F, backward direction B, rightward direction R, leftward direction L, upward direction U, and downward direction D are as Figures 31A to 31D shown in FIGS. 32A to 32D.

[0278] (Exposure head holding member)

[0279] The exposure head holding member 506 is one of the replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. The exposure head holding member 506 is a movable member that engages with the cassette tray 30 and is capable of moving in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the exposure head 4, and has the function of temporarily holding the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. That is, the exposure head holding member 506 is not limited to the replacement tool for replacing the exposure head 4, but as long as the exposure head holding member 506 is a holding tool that at least holds the exposure head 4.

[0280] In the present embodiment, the exposure head holding member 506 is arranged on the left side (developing unit side) in the left-right direction via the exposure head 4 held at the exposure position. Specifically, the exposure head holding member 506 is arranged at the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 located on the developing unit side via the exposure head 4 attached to the imaging device 100.

[0281] The exposure head holding member 506 is provided with an engaging portion 506a that engages with the developing support member 301 and is capable of moving in the front-rear direction (first direction). As Figure 31A shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is provided with engaging portions 506a at different positions in the front-rear direction. In the replacement operation of the exposure head 4, the engaging portion 506a engages with the developing support member 301 provided on the cassette tray 30, so as to guide the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-rear direction (see Figure 35A and 35B ). In the present embodiment, three engaging portions 506a are provided at three different positions in the front-rear direction. The present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, one engaging portion 506a, two engaging portions 506a, or more than three engaging portions 506a can be provided.

[0282] As Figure 31C shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is provided with an inclined portion 506b, a hole portion 506c, a flat portion 506d, and a restricting portion 506e. The shapes of these portions are for the developing support member 301 to hold the exposure head holding member 506 at the FFC insertion and extraction position (i.e., the first position) and the exposure head attachment and detachment position (i.e., the second position) during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 (see Figures 36A to 36D ).

[0283] The first position is the FFC insertion and extraction position where the FFC 58 is inserted into and pulled out from the exposure head 4. The second position is the exposure head attachment and detachment position where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the imaging device 100.

[0284] The hole portion 506c is a first movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front - rear direction in the first position (the FFC insertion and extraction position), in which a part of the exposure head 4 is exposed to the outside of the imaging device 100 in the front - rear direction.

[0285] The inclined portion 506b is inclined upward toward the backward direction B and is provided directly in front of the hole portion 506c in the backward direction B. When the exposure head holding member 506 is inserted into the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 in the backward direction B, the inclined portion 506b abuts against the restricting portion 301g of the cassette tray 30. When the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted in the backward direction B, the inclined portion 506b is pushed upward by the restricting portion 301g, so that the exposure head holding member 506 is lifted as Figure 36A shown. As Figure 36B shown, when the inclined portion 506b passes over the restricting portion 301g, the abutment of the inclined portion 506b with the restricting portion 301g is released. Then, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, the hole portion 506c engages with the restricting portion 301g. The dropping of the exposure head holding member 506 due to its own weight produces a clicking feeling, and the operator can recognize the engagement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the first position. In the state where the hole portion 506c is engaged with the restricting portion 301g, the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30, so that the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front - rear direction in the first position is restricted. The position where the hole portion 506c engages with the restricting portion 301g is the FFC insertion and extraction position (the first position), at which the FFC 58 is inserted into and pulled out from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4. Thus, the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front - rear direction is restricted, making the insertion and extraction operations of the FFC stable and simplified.

[0286] The restricting portion 506e is a second movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front - rear direction in the second position (the exposure head attachment and detachment position), in which the exposure head 4 is closer to the inside of the imaging device 100 in the front - rear direction than in the first position.

[0287] The flat portion 506d is provided in the backward direction B immediately after the hole portion 506c and immediately before the restricting portion 506e. After releasing the engagement between the hole portion 506c and the restricting portion 301g by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 and then further inserting the exposure head holding member 506 in the backward direction B, the flat portion 506d is as Figure 36Cis shown straddling the restriction portion 301g. When the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted in the backward direction B, the flat portion 506d passes over the restriction portion 301g, releasing the contact between the flat portion 506d and the restriction portion 301g, as Figure 36D shown. Then, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, the restriction portion 506e engages with the restriction portion 301g. In the state where the restriction portion 506e engages with the restriction portion 301g, the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30, and the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction is restricted in the second position. The position where the restriction portion 506e engages with the restriction portion 301g is the exposure head attachment and detachment position (second position) where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the lifting conduit 69. In this way, the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction is restricted, making the operation of attaching and detaching the exposure head stable and simplified.

[0288] In addition, as Figure 31B shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is provided with a restriction portion 506f, a restriction portion 506g, a protrusion 506j, and a guide portion 506m. These portions are used to assist the operator in manipulating the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation (see Figures 38A to 38C ).

[0289] With the exposure head holding member 506 engaged with the developing support member 301, a restriction portion 506f is provided on the rear side of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction. The restriction portion 506f is a first restriction portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the front-back direction (first direction). As Figure 37A shown, with the exposure head holding member 506 engaged with the developing support member 301, the restriction portion 506f is located behind the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69 and in front of the positioning pin 45B. In addition, with the exposure head holding member 506 engaged with the developing support member 301, the restriction portion 506f is located below the upper end of the positioning pin 45B. With this configuration, after releasing the engagement between the restriction portion 506f and the lifting conduit 69, the restriction portion 506f abuts against the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 pulled out in the forward direction F, so that the restriction portion 506f restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the front-back direction.

[0290] With the exposure head holding member 506 engaged with the developing support member 301, a restriction portion 506g is provided on the rear side of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction. The restriction portion 506g is a third restriction portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the up-down direction (third direction). As Figure 37BAs shown, in a state where the exposure head holding member 506 is engaged with the developing support member 301, the restricting portion 506g is located behind the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69 and in front of the positioning pin 45B. Further, in a state where the exposure head holding member 506 is engaged with the developing support member 301, the restricting portion 506g is located above the top surface (the top surface of the housing 54) of the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69. With this configuration, even if the exposure head 4 disengaged from the lifting conduit 69 is lifted along the upward direction U, the restricting portion 506g abuts against the exposure head 4, so that the restricting portion 506g restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the vertical direction.

[0291] The guiding portion 506m is a restricting portion that restricts the locus of the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 when the exposure head 4 whose position is restricted by the restricting portion 506f and the restricting portion 506g rotates counterclockwise (direction CCW) toward the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506. By restricting the rotation locus of the exposure head 4 using the guiding portion 506m, the rotation operation of the exposure head 4 can be stably performed.

[0292] The protruding portion 506j is an engaging portion that engages with the opening 55a of the housing support member 55 of the exposure head 4 and serves as a fulcrum when the exposure head 4 rotates counterclockwise, as described above. By engaging the exposure head 4 with the protruding portion 506j, the rotation operation of the exposure head 4 can be stably performed.

[0293] As Figure 31B and Figure 31D shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is provided with a seat surface 506h, a restricting portion 506i, a restricting portion 506k, and a restricting portion 506l. These portions are holding portions that stably hold the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 (see Figure 39 ).

[0294] The exposure head holding member 506 is provided with a seat surface 506h, which is a holding portion that temporarily holds the exposure head 4 detached from the lifting conduit 69. As Figure 31C shown, the seat surface 506h becomes lower in height as it extends from one side to the other side (backward direction B) in the front-rear direction. That is, among the seat surfaces 506h provided in the front-rear direction, the seat surface 506h located at a more rearward position is lower in the vertical direction than the seat surface 506h located at a more forward position. Further, as Figure 31DAs shown, the height of the seat surface 506h decreases as it goes from one side to the other (in the leftward direction L) in the left-right direction. That is, the height of the seat surface 506h decreases as the seat surface 506h gets farther from the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69 in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the height of the seat surface 506h decreases from the right side to the left side in the left-right direction of the seat surface 506h. Therefore, in a state where the joint portion 506a is joined to the developing support member 301, the seat surface 506h is composed of surfaces having height differences in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the seat surface 506h is composed of the end surfaces of ribs provided at multiple positions in the front-rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The number and position of the seat surface 506h can be appropriately determined as needed. For example, only one seat surface 506h can be provided.

[0295] The restricting portion 506i is a holding portion provided on the front side in the front-rear direction, abuts against the housing 54 of the exposure head 4 that rotates counterclockwise as described above, and holds the exposure head 4. The restricting portion 506i is provided on one of the ribs that are provided at multiple positions in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the restricting portion 506i is provided on the rib where the foremost seat surface 506h is located. The seat surface 506h abuts against one side surface of the exposure head 4, while the restricting portion 506i abuts against the top surface that intersects with the one side surface. That is, the restricting portion 506i is configured as a surface that intersects with the foremost seat surface 506h. In the present embodiment, the restricting portion 506i is provided on one of the ribs provided at multiple positions in the front-rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0296] The restricting portion 506k is a holding portion provided on the rear side in the front-rear direction, abuts against the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 that rotates counterclockwise as described above, and holds the exposure head 4. The restricting portion 506k is configured as a surface of the rib provided at multiple positions in the front-rear direction that intersects with the rearmost seat surface 506h. The seat surface 506h abuts against one side surface of the exposure head 4, while the restricting portion 506k abuts against the end of the positioning pin 45B that protrudes from the top surface that intersects with the one side surface.

[0297] In a state where the exposure head holding member 506 is joined to the developing support member 301, the exposure head holding member 506 is provided with a restricting portion 506l at the front side in the front-rear direction. The restricting portion 506l is a second restricting portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the left-right direction (second direction). As Figure 39 shown, at the front side in the front-rear direction, the restricting portion 506l abuts against the right end portion of the bottom surface portion of the exposure head 4 held by the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506 to restrict the position of the exposure head 4 in the left-right direction.

[0298] A procedure for using the exposure head holding member 506 during a replacement operation will be described in detail below.

[0299] (FFC Holding Member)

[0300] The FFC holding member 507 is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. The FFC holding member 507 engages with the cassette 30, guides the FFC 58, and has a function of temporarily holding the FFC 58 during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58.

[0301] In the present embodiment, via the exposure head 4 held in the exposure position, the FFC holding member 507 is arranged on the right side in the left - right direction, that is, on the opposite side of the exposure head holding member 506. More specifically, the FFC holding member 507 is arranged on the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30 on the drum unit side along the left - right direction via the exposure head 4 attached to the imaging device 100.

[0302] As Figure 32B shown, the FFC holding member 507 is provided with FFC holding portions 507a and 507b that temporarily hold the FFC 58 removed from the exposure head 4. There are two FFC holding portions 507b for holding one surface side of the FFC 58. The FFC holding portion 507a is provided between the two FFC holding portions 507b for holding the other surface side of the FFC 58. As Figure 44 shown, during the operation of replacing the exposure head 4 and the FCC 58, the FFC holding member 507 temporarily holds the FFC 58 by clamping the FFC 58 between the FFC holding portion 507a and the FFC holding portion 507b.

[0303] The FFC holding member 507 is provided with a guiding portion 507c that guides the FFC 58 from the left - right direction and the up - down direction to the front - back direction. As Figure 32B 、 32C and 32D shown, the guiding portion 507c includes a surface that is inclined with respect to the left - right direction, the up - down direction, and the front - back direction of the imaging device 100. The inclination directions include the left - to - right direction, the up - to - down direction, and the back - to - front direction of the imaging device. That is, as Figure 32B 、 32C and 32D shown, the surface of the guiding portion 507c is substantially parallel to the straight line connecting the upper - left rear side and the lower - right front side of the main body. Therefore, the guiding portion 507c guides the FFC 58 such that the movement of the FFC 58 is converted from the left - right direction and the up - down direction to the front - back direction.

[0304] Therefore, the guiding portion 507c has the function of guiding the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508, such that during the replacement operation of the exposure head and the FFC, the movement of both the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 is switched from the left - right direction (the first movement direction) to the front - back direction (the second movement direction) (see Fig. 46).

[0305] As [[ID=275 and 32D shown, the FFC holding member 507 is provided with restricting portions 507d, 507e, and 507f. The restricting portions 507d, 507e, and 507f are respectively provided with surfaces orthogonal to the front - back direction, the left - right direction, and the up - down direction. During the replacement operation of the exposure head and the FFC, the restricting portions 507d, 507e, and 507f restrict the position of the FFC holding member 507 in the corresponding directions by engaging with the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30. In particular, the position of the FFC holding member 507 is restricted by the engagement of the restricting portion 507d with the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30. The restricting portion 507d is provided on a portion having an elastically deformable shape, such as a snap claw. By pushing the restricting portion 507d with a finger to move the restricting portion 507d, the engagement of the restricting portion 507d with the cassette tray 30 is released, thereby enabling the FFC holding member 507 to move (see ​ and 42B ).

[0306] In addition, the FFC holding member 507 is arranged such that the bottom surface 507g of the FFC holding member 507 overlaps with the toner collection conduit 302f provided on the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30, and the toner collection conduit is part of the toner transfer path. In the position where the restricting portion 507d of the FFC holding member 507 engages with the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30, the bottom surface 507g is arranged to overlap with the toner collection conduit 302f of the cassette tray 30.

[0307] The procedure for using the FFC holding member 507 during the replacement operation will be described in detail later.

[0308] (Sheet member)

[0309] The sheet member 508 is one of the replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. As ​ shown, the sheet member 508 has an elongated shape. The sheet member 508 is provided with an FFC holding portion 508a and a protrusion 508b.

[0310] The sheet member 508 has an FFC holding portion 508a at one end portion of the sheet member 508. The FFC holding portion 508a is a cable holding portion for holding the contacts 58a of the FFC 58. In the present embodiment, the FFC holding portion 508a is constituted by arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac. The arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac are integrally provided with the base portion 508c of the sheet member 508. The arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac are provided in a region in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the base portion 508c by cutting off a part of the base portion 508c of the sheet member 508. The arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac are arranged in this order along the longitudinal direction of the sheet member 508. One end side portions in the width direction of the arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac are integrally provided with the base portion 508c, and the other end side portions in the width direction of the arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac are free ends. The other end side portion in the width direction of the arm 508ab is integrally provided with the base portion 508c, and one end side portion in the width direction of the arm 508ab is a free end. The arm 508ab is provided between the arm 508aa and the arm 508ac. With this configuration, the sheet member 508 can hold the FFC 58 at the FFC holding portion 508a and move integrally with the FFC 58, so that the sheet member 508 has a function of passing the FFC 58 through the FFC guide 503. The contacts 58a of the FFC 58 are electrically connected to the FFC connectors 57 of the exposure head 4, respectively. In the present embodiment, a configuration in which the FFC holding portion 508a is provided at one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the sheet member 508 is adopted, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. It is sufficient to provide the FFC holding portion 508a on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the sheet member 508.

[0311] The sheet member 508 includes a protrusion 508b at the other end portion for restricting the position of the sheet member 508 so that the sheet member 508 does not enter the inside of the FFC guide 503 during the replacement operation of the exposure head and the FFC. As ​ shown, the protrusion 508b protrudes from both sides in the width direction of the sheet member 508 such that the width w1 of the protrusion 508b is greater than the width w2 of the portion of the sheet member 508 other than the protrusion 508b. More specifically, the protrusion 508b protrudes such that the width w1 in the width direction is greater than the widths of the first opening portion 503a (first through hole) and the second opening portion 503b (second through hole) of the FFC guide 503. The width w2 of the portion of the sheet member 508 other than the protrusion 508b is set to be slightly greater than the width of the FFC 58 in the width direction.

[0312] The sheet member 508 has an elongated shape such that when guided by the FFC guide 503, the length L1 between one end portion (the end portion on the FFC holding portion 508a side) and the other end portion (the end portion on the protruding portion 508b side) is greater than the distance between the first opening portion 503a arranged on one side in the left - right direction and the second opening portion 503b arranged on the other side in the left - right direction. That is, the length of the sheet member 508 is such that when guided by the FFC guide 503, the other end portion (the protruding portion 508b) protrudes from the first opening portion 503a arranged on one side in the left - right direction, and the FFC holding portion 508a protrudes from the second opening portion 503b arranged on the other side in the left - right direction.

[0313] In this embodiment, the sheet member 508 is a PET sheet made of resin. The thickness of the sheet member 508 is in the range of 0.15 [mm] to 0.3 [mm], and the tensile modulus is in the range of 3500 [MPa] to 4500 [MPa]. The material and thickness are only examples, and the sheet member is not limited to these specifications.

[0314] The procedure for using the sheet member 508 during the replacement operation will be described in detail later.

[0315] (Replacement of the exposure head and the FFC)

[0316] Next, with reference to ​ 、 ​ the replacement of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 will be described in detail. ​ is a cross - sectional view taken along the X - X line in ​ . However, different from ​ , ​ is a cross - sectional view of the exposure head 4, the lift conduit 69, and the cassette tray 30 as viewed from the front side, with the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 not shown.

[0317] The replacement of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 is carried out using the above - mentioned replacement tool. The replacement of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 is carried out in the state shown in ​ , where the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 are removed from the cassette tray 30. In the state where the photosensitive drum (photosensitive drum unit) is removed from the cassette tray 30, the exposure head 4 can be manually moved from the retracted position to the exposure position. Therefore, as shown in ​ , in the state where the exposure head 4 is manually moved to the exposure position, the replacement, disassembly, or attachment of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 is carried out.

[0318] The exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 are configured to be detachably attached to the imaging device 100. The procedure for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 will be described in detail below. ​ is a diagram showing the procedure for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58.

[0319] The operations for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 include the following four procedures 1 to 4. In Procedure 1, the old exposure head 4 is removed from the imaging device 100. In Procedure 2, the old FFC 58 is removed from the imaging device 100. In Procedure 3, the new FFC 58 is attached to the imaging device 100. In Procedure 4, the new exposure head 4 is attached to the imaging device 100.

[0320] When only the exposure head 4 is replaced without replacing the FFC 58, only Procedures 1 and 4 are executed, and Procedures 2 and 3 are omitted. When only the FFC 58 is replaced without replacing the exposure head 4, Procedures 1 to 4 are executed, but the following operations can be omitted in Procedures 1 and 4. That is, in Procedure 1, it is not necessary to perform the operation of taking out the exposure head 4 held in the second posture by the exposure head holding member 506 together with the exposure head holding member 506 to the outside of the imaging device 100. In addition, in Procedure 4, it is not necessary to perform the operations of holding the new exposure head 4 in the second posture on the exposure head holding member 506 pulled out to the outside of the imaging device 100 and attaching the exposure head 4 together with the exposure head holding member 506 to the imaging device 100.

[0321] (Procedure 1)

[0322] Next, Procedure 1 will be described. Taking the operation of replacing the exposure head and the FFC for the black imaging section 1K arranged on the rightmost side in the left - right direction of the imaging device 100 as an example for explanation.

[0323] As ​ and ​ shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is inserted into the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 in the backward direction B. Then, the first developing guide portion 301a and the second developing guide portion 301b of the developing support member 301 are engaged with the outside of the exposure head holding member 506. In addition, the third developing guide portion 301f of the developing support member 301 is engaged with the engaging portion 506a of the exposure head holding member 506. Through this engagement, the exposure head holding member 506 is guided by the developing support member 301 in the backward direction B.

[0324] When the exposure head holding member 506 is inserted in the backward direction B, the inclined portion 506b of the exposure head holding member 506 abuts against the restricting portion 301g of the cassette tray 30 as ​ shown. When the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted in the backward direction B, the inclined portion 506b is pushed upward by the restricting portion 301g, so that the exposure head holding member 506 is lifted upward.

[0325] As ​As shown, when the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted along the backward direction B and the inclined portion 506b exceeds the restricting portion 301g, the hole portion 506c of the exposure head holding member 506 descends due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, causing the restricting portion 301g to enter the hole portion 506c of the exposure head holding member 506 and engage therewith. The fall of the exposure head holding member 506 due to its own weight produces a click feeling, and the operator can recognize the engagement of the exposure head holding member 506. In the state where the hole portion 506c is engaged with the restricting portion 301g, the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted into the cassette tray 30 or pulled out from the cassette tray. The position where the hole portion 506c is engaged with the restricting portion 301g is the first position where the FFC 58 is inserted into the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 506 and pulled out from the FFC connector. In this configuration, the operation of inserting / pulling out the FFC 58 to / from the exposure head 4 becomes stable and simple.

[0326] Next, as ​ shown, the engagement between the hole portion 506c and the restricting portion 301g is released by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 upward, and the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted along the backward direction B. When releasing the above engagement and further inserting the exposure head holding member 506 along the backward direction B, the flat portion 506d of the exposure head holding member 506 rides on the restricting portion 301g.

[0327] When the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted along the backward direction B and the flat portion 506d exceeds the restricting portion 301g, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, the restricting portion 506e of the exposure head holding member 506 engages with the restricting portion 301g, as ​ shown. In the state where the restricting portion 506e is engaged with the restricting portion 301g, the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted into the cassette tray 30 or pulled out from the cassette tray. The position where the restricting portion 506e is engaged with the restricting portion 301g is the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to / detached from the lifting guide tube 69. With such a configuration, the exposure head holding member 506 is held by the developing support member 301 at the first position for inserting / pulling out the FFC 58 and the second position for attaching / detaching the exposure head 4, making the attachment operation of the exposure head stable and simple.

[0328] Next, the operation of mounting the exposure head 4 on the exposure head holding member 506 is performed. First, the configuration for engaging the exposure head 4 with the lifting guide tube 69 will be described. ​ is a cross-sectional view taken along the ​ W-W line in ​ and shows the state where the exposure head 4 is mounted on the lifting guide tube 69. ​An enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint portion shown.

[0329] The exposure head 4 joined by the lifting conduit 69 is in ​ and ​ the first posture shown. The first posture is the posture adopted by the exposure head 4 when exposing the photosensitive drum. When the exposure head 4 is in the first posture, the LED chips 53 are arranged on the upper side in the vertical direction, and the FFC connector 57 is arranged on the lower side (see ​ ). In addition, as shown in ​ and ​ , the FFC 58 is connected to the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held in the first posture, so that the contact 58a is arranged on the left side in the left-right direction and the reinforcement plate 58b and the protrusion 58c are arranged on the right side of the contact 58a.

[0330] As shown in Figure 26 and Figure 27 , the engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 are formed to protrude toward the lifting conduit 69 and extend along the backward direction B which is the sliding direction of the exposure head 4, so as to be substantially L-shaped. Therefore, by sliding the exposure head 4 along the backward direction B, the claw ends having a substantially L-shape of the engaging claws 55b and 55c are engaged with the edges of the engaging holes 69b and 69c. Through this engagement, the exposure head 4 is attached to the lifting conduit 69 and integrated with the lifting conduit 69. By sliding the exposure head 4 in the forward direction F, the engagement of the claw ends having a substantially L-shape of the engaging claws 55b and 55c is released (see Figure 25 ). With the release of the engagement, the exposure head 4 can be detached from the lifting conduit 69.

[0331] Returning to the description of Program 1, the exposure head 4 is pulled along the forward direction F so that the engagement between the exposure head 4 and the lifting conduit 69 is released (refer to Figure 25 ). When the exposure head 4 is further pulled along the forward direction F, the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 abuts against the restricting portion 506f of the exposure head holding member 506 held in the second position, and restricts the movement of the exposure head 4 along the forward direction F, as shown in Figure 37A . In this case, as shown in Figure 37B , the restricting portion 506g of the exposure head holding member 506 is positioned above the exposure head 4. Therefore, even if the exposure head 4 is lifted along the upward direction U, the housing 54 abuts against the restricting portion 506g, so that the movement of the exposure head 4 along the upward direction U is also restricted and the exposure head 4 is held in a predetermined position.

[0332] As shown in Figure 38A , 38BAs shown in FIGS. 38C in sequence, the exposure head 4 is mounted on the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506 while the exposure head 4 rotates counterclockwise (CCW direction) when viewed from the front side. In this case, Figure 37A the guiding portion 506m shown in Figure 39 restricts the rotation locus of the positioning pin 45B and serves as a rotation fulcrum by engaging with the opening 55a of the housing support member 55 through the protrusion 506j shown in Figure 39 . By such a configuration, the exposure head 4 can rotate stably. The rotation exposure head 4 is stably held on the exposure head holding member 506 by the engagement of the restricting portion 506i, the restricting portion 506k, and the restricting portion 506l with the housing 54, the positioning pin 45B, and the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55, respectively, as shown in Figure 39 .

[0333] As shown in FIGS. 31c and 31d, the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506 is composed of surfaces having height differences in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the seat surface 506h at the more rearward position is lower in the up-down direction than the seat surface 506h at the more forward position. In addition, the seat surface 506h at the more leftward position is lower in the up-down direction than the seat surface 506h at the more rightward position. By such a configuration, the exposure head 4 rotating counterclockwise when viewed from the front side of the apparatus is pushed by its own weight toward the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506, so that the exposure head 4 is uniquely held on the exposure head holding member 506 as shown in Figure 40A . In addition, as shown in Figure 31C , due to the configuration that the seat surface 506h at the more forward position on the operator side is higher in the up-down direction than the seat surface 506h at the more rearward position, the operator can easily perform the above-described rotation operation.

[0334] The exposure head 4 rotating counterclockwise and mounted on the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506 is held on the exposure head holding member 506 in the second posture shown in Figure 39 and 40A . The second posture is different from the first posture and is a holding posture for replacing the exposure head 4. In addition, in the second posture, the LED chip 53 is arranged on the left side and the FFC connector 57 is arranged on the right side in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 40A and Figure 40B , the FFC 58 is connected to the connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held in the second posture, so that the contact 58a is arranged on the lower side in the up-down direction, and the reinforcement plate 58b and the protrusion 58c are arranged on the upper side of the contact 58a.

[0335] Next, the excess length of the FFC 58 connected to the exposure head 4 is processed to remove the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 506 in the second posture. One end portion of the FFC 58 is connected to the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4, and the other end portion of the FFC 58 is connected to the connector 501 of the circuit board 502 arranged on the left side of the main body of the imaging device 100. As Figure 41A shown, the other end portion of the FFC 58K is detached from the connector 501K on the circuit board 502 in the imaging section 1K for black, and the biasing member 504 is detached from the FFC guide 503 to enable the FFC 58K to move. When the FFC 58K is pushed from the left side to the right side (rightward direction R) in the left-right direction, the FFC 58K moves to the right side (rightward direction R) in the FFC guide 503 to pass through the second opening portion 503bK of the FFC guide 503, as Figure 41B shown. Since one end portion of the FFC 58K is connected to the FFC connector 57K and its movement is restricted, the FFC 58K passing through the second opening portion 503bK is released into the space above the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30, as Figure 41C shown. The FFC 58K released into the space above the drum support member 302 forms a bent portion 58d, and the degree of bending of the bent portion between the second opening portion 503bK and the FFC connector 57K is much larger than before being released. In this case, the total length (excess length) Ld of the bent portion 58d is the length required for the operation of pulling out the exposure head 4 in the forward direction F. The bent portion 58d refers to the portion of the FFC 58K from the position where the FFC 58K just emerges from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 503bK to the position of the end portion of the FFC 58K connected to the FFC connector 57K.

[0336] Next, as Figure 42A shown, the FFC holding member 507 is inserted into the drum support member 302 in the backward direction B. In this case, as Figure 42BAs shown, the FFC holding member 507 is inserted such that the guiding portion 507c of the FFC holding member 507 passes through the inside of the bent portion 58d of the FFC 58K. That is, the guiding portion 507c of the FFC holding member 507 enters the inside of the bent portion 58d of the FFC 58K between one end portion and the other end portion of the bent portion 58d. One end portion of the bent portion 58d is the end portion of the FFC 58K that is connected to the FFC connector 57K. In addition, the other end portion of the bent portion of the bent portion 58d is the portion located below the one end portion, and this portion just emerges from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 503bK. Then, the restricting portions 507e and 507f (see Figure 32C and 32D ) of the FFC holding member 507 inserted in the backward direction B are guided by engaging with the drum support member 302 to restrict the position of the FFC holding member 507 in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, respectively. In addition, the restricting portion 507d of the FFC holding member 507 engages with the engaging portion 302e provided on the drum support member 302 to restrict the position of the FFC holding member 507 in the front-back direction. In this case, the bottom surface 507g of the FFC holding member 507 is overlapped and arranged with the toner collection conduit 302f that is part of the toner conveyance path. Therefore, the toner collection conduit 302f of the cassette tray 30 is blocked by the FFC holding member 507.

[0337] Next, an operation of detaching the FFC 58 from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 is performed. As Figure 36D shown and as described above, the restricting portion 506e of the exposure head holding member 506 engages with the restricting portion 301g such that the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-back direction in the exposure head attachment and detachment position (second position) is restricted, and the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted or pulled out. Therefore, as Figure 36C shown, by lifting the exposure head 4 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 506e and the restricting portion 301g is released, and the exposure head holding member 506 is pulled out in the forward direction F. At this time, the flat portion 506d is placed on the restricting portion 301g. As Figure 36B shown, when the exposure head holding member 506 is further pulled out in the forward direction F from the cassette tray 30 and the flat portion 506d exceeds the restricting portion 301g, the exposure head drops due to its own weight, and the restricting portion 301g enters the hole portion 506c and engages with the hole portion 506c. As described above, the position where the restricting portion 301g engages with the hole portion 506c is the FFC insertion and extraction position (first position), at which the FFC 58 is inserted into and pulled out from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4, as Figure 43A and43B as shown

[0338] At Figure 43A and 43B At the FFC insertion and extraction positions shown, by restricting the engagement between the restricting portion 301g and the hole portion 506c, the movement of the exposure head holding member 506 in the front-rear direction is restricted, and the exposure head holding member 506 is in a state where a part of the exposure head 4 is exposed to the outside of the imaging device 100 in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held on the exposure head holding member 506 at the FFC insertion and extraction positions is exposed to the outside from the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100.

[0339] At the FFC insertion and extraction positions, the operator holds the protrusion 58c provided on the FFC 58 and pulls the FFC 58 from the FFC connector 57 in the rightward direction R. Since the operator often works with the right hand, the structure in which the reinforcing plate 58b and the protrusion 58c are arranged above the contact 58a (in the upward direction U) as described above facilitates the pulling operation of the FFC 58 in the rightward direction R. In addition, as Figure 43B shown, since the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held on the exposure head holding member 506 is pulled forward from the front side plate 100F, visibility is improved, making the FFC insertion and extraction operations easier. As Figure 44 shown, the FFC 58 removed from the exposure head 4 is held by being clamped between the FFC holding portion 507a and the FFC holding portion 507b of the FFC holding member 507. With this structure, the FFC insertion and extraction operations can be stabilized and simplified as described above.

[0340] Next, an operation of removing the exposure head 4 from the imaging device 100 is performed. As Figure 36A shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 301g and the hole portion 506c can be released, so that the exposure head holding member 506 can be further pulled in the forward direction F. At this time, the inclined portion 506b of the exposure head holding member 506 is pushed and placed on the restricting portion 301g. Subsequently, by pulling the exposure head holding member 506 in the forward direction F, the exposure head 4 can be removed from the imaging device 100 together with the exposure head holding member 506, as Figure 45 shown. With this structure, the operation of removing the exposure head can be stabilized and simplified as described above.

[0341] (Program 2)

[0342] Next, Program 2 will be described.

[0343] When Program 1 is completed, as Figure 45As shown, the FFC 58K is held on the FFC holding member 507, and one end portion of the FFC 58K is exposed to the outside (front side) from the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100. The FFC 58K with one end portion held is folded along the guiding portion 507c in a direction crossing the backward direction B as Figure 43A shown, and passes through the inside of the FFC guide 503 in the left - right direction via the second opening portion 503bK as Figure 41B shown. In addition, the other end portion of the FFC 58K passes through the first opening portion 503a and is exposed to the outside of the FFC guide 503.

[0344] First, one end portion of the FFC 58K is detached from the FFC holding portion 507a and the FFC holding portion 507b. As Figure 46A 、 46B and 46C shown, the detached one end portion of the FFC 58 is attached to the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet - like member 508 to be held. The FFC holding portion 508a is composed of arm portions 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac, which are arranged at three positions as Figure 46B shown. The FFC 58 is held by being clamped by the arm portions 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac and the base portion 508c. As Figure 46C shown, the arm portion 508ac closest to the end of the FFC 58 is configured to hold the reinforcing plate 58b so that the FFC 58 does not separate from the sheet - like member 508. Specifically, the arm portion 508ac closest to the end of the FFC 58 holds the reinforcing plate 58b such that the arm portion 508ac enters between the protruding portion 58c and the FFC 58 and is stuck between the reinforcing plate 58b and the FFC 58, and the FFC 58 does not separate from the sheet - like member 508. That is, the arm portion 508ac among the three arm portions 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac enters between the reinforcing plate 58b and the FFC 58, so that the FFC 58 is clamped between the base portion 508c and the arm portion 508ac. With this configuration, the FFC 58 and the sheet - like member 508 can move integrally with each other.

[0345] In addition, as Figure 46C shown, the FFC 58 is held by the sheet - like member 508 such that the contact 58a of the FFC 58 contacts the base portion 508c of the sheet - like member 508. As a result, the contact 58a of the FFC 58 is protected by the sheet - like member 508 so that the contact 58a of the FFC 58 does not slide on another member.

[0346] When Figure 41B the FFC 58K in the state shown is pulled out in the left - hand direction L, the FFC 58K and the sheet - like member 508 are along Figure 46APulled in the backward direction B as shown. The FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 are folded at the guiding portion 507c, pass through the interior of the FFC guide 503 via the second opening portion 503bK of the FFC guide 503, and pass through the first opening portion 503a, as Figure 47A shown and pulled out from the left side of the main body. At this time, as Figure 47A shown, the FFC 58K is held by the sheet member 508 and passes through the interior of the FFC guide 503. That is, the end portions of the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508 and the end portion of the FFC 58K have passed through the interior of the FFC guide 503 and are exposed from the first opening portion 503a. In addition, as Figure 47C shown, the protruding portion 508b of the sheet member 508 is exposed on the front side of the imaging device 100. Then, the FFC 58K is detached from the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508. Through the above operations, the FFC 58 before replacement can be detached from the imaging device 100, while the sheet member 508 can be arranged in the imaging device 100.

[0347] As described above, the sheet member 508 is a PET sheet having a thickness of 0.15 [mm] to 0.3 [mm] and a tensile modulus of 3500 [MPa] to 4500 [MPa]. When the thickness or the tensile modulus is low, the strength or the stiffness of the sheet member is low, resulting in poor operability of the replacement operation due to breakage or buckling of the sheet member 508 during the replacement operation. In addition, when the thickness is large, the sheet member 508 cannot pass through the interior of the FFC guide 503, which also results in poor operability. In addition, when the tensile modulus is large, the stiffness of the sheet member 508 becomes large and the resistance becomes large when guiding the sheet member 508 with the guiding portion 507c, which also results in poor operability. Therefore, the thickness of the sheet member 508 is set to 0.15 [mm] to 0.3 [mm], and the tensile modulus of the sheet member 508 is set to 3500 [MPa] to 4500 [MPa].

[0348] Next, a case where the operator erroneously pulls the FFC 58K and the sheet member 508 too much in the left - right direction in the left direction (left direction L) will be described. The protruding portion 508b is provided at the end portion of the sheet member 508 opposite to the FFC holding portion 508a that holds the FFC 58. The width w1 in the region t1 of the protruding portion 508b of the sheet member 508, the width w2 in the region t2 of the portion other than the protruding portion 508b, and the width w3 of the second opening portion 503b of the FFC guide 503 have the following relationship: w1 > w3 > w2.

[0349] That is to say, the sheet member 508 has a first region t1 (the protruding portion 58b) wider than the second opening portion 503b of the FFC guide 503 and a second region t2 (the base portion 508c) narrower than the second opening portion 503b. With this configuration, the region t2 (the base portion 508c, which includes the FFC holding portion 508a) of the sheet member 508 can pass through the second opening portion 503b of the FFC guide 503, but the region t1 (the protruding portion 508b) cannot pass through. Therefore, even if the operator pulls the FFC 58K and the sheet member 508 excessively, the protruding portion 508b will be caught by the second opening portion 503b, as Figure 48A and Figure 48B shown. That is to say, the protruding portion 508b serves as a stopper and prevents the sheet member 508 from being detached from the FFC guide 503.

[0350] As Figure 48C and Figure 33 shown, the entire length L1 of the sheet member 508 is greater than three times the distance D between the centers of two adjacent photosensitive drums 2, that is, the distance 3D. That is, the entire length L1 of the sheet member 508 is greater than the distance 3D between the center of the leftmost photosensitive drum 2Y located on one end side and the center of the rightmost photosensitive drum 2K located on the other end side among the plurality of photosensitive drums 2 (2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K) in the left-right direction (the arrangement direction). In addition, the sheet member 508 has an elongated shape, and its entire length L1 is greater than the length from the first opening portion 503a, which is the first through hole, via the FFC guide 503 to the second opening portion 503b (the second opening portion 503bK), which is the second through hole. The second opening portion 503b, which is the second through hole, is the second opening portion 503bK located at the position farthest from the circuit board 502 in the left-right direction. The entire length L1 of the sheet member 508 is the length from the FFC holding portion 508a, which is one end portion, to the protruding portion 508b, which is the other end portion. With this configuration, at least one of the FFC holding portion 508a and the protruding portion 508b is located outside the image forming apparatus 100, so that the operator can work outside the image forming apparatus 100.

[0351] As described above, taking the configuration in which the first through hole (the first opening portion 503a) and the second through hole (the second opening portion 503b) for the sheet member 508 to pass through are provided on the FFC guide 503 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first through hole may be provided on another member other than the FFC guide 503, or the second opening portion 503b may be provided on another member such as the lifting conduit 69 and the cassette tray 30 via the FFC guide 503. As long as the entire length L1 of the sheet member 508 is greater than the distance between the first through hole and the second through hole via the FFC guide 503.

[0352] (Program 3)

[0353] Next, Program 3 will be described.

[0354] When Program 2 is completed, the sheet member 508 passes through the first opening portion 503a, and the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508 is exposed from the left side of the main body. As Figure 47A shown, the new FFC 58 is attached to the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508. Thus, the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 can move integrally with each other. When the sheet member 508 in the state Figure 47C shown is pulled toward the front side (forward direction F) of the main body, the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 are pulled in the Figure 47A shown rightward direction R. The FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 pass through the first opening portion 503a of the FFC guide 503, travel through the inside of the FFC guide 503, and are folded at the guide portion 507c of the FFC holding member 507 while forming a loop with the contact 58a side as the inner side, and are pulled out from the front side of the main body, as Figure 46A shown. In this case, the guide portion 507c of the FFC holding member 507 guides the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 so that the moving direction of the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 changes from the left - right direction as the first moving direction (rightward direction R) to the front - back direction as the second moving direction (forward direction F). The guide portion 507c has surfaces inclined in the left - right direction and the up - down direction of the imaging device 100. The inclined directions include the direction from the upper - left position to the lower - right position of the imaging device 100 and the direction from the rear - upper position to the front - lower position of the imaging device 100. With this configuration, a smooth change in the moving direction can be implemented (see Figure 47C ).

[0355] The FFC 58K is held so as to pass through the inside of the FFC guide 503, as Figure 29A shown. The other end portion of the FFC 58K is exposed on the left side of the imaging device 100 as Figure 41B shown, while one end portion of the FFC 58K is exposed on the front side of the imaging device 100 as Figure 46A shown. Then, the FFC 58 is detached from the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508. The detached FFC 58 is held by being clamped between the FFC holding portions 507a and 507b of the FFC holding member 507, as Figure 44 shown. Through the above operations, a new FFC 58 can be attached to the imaging device 100, and at the same time, the sheet member 508 can be taken out from the imaging device 100.

[0356] (Program 4)

[0357] Next, Program 4 will be described.

[0358] First, as Figure 39 shown, the exposure head 4 is placed on the exposure head holding member 506. The exposure head 4 is stably held on the exposure head holding member 506 by the restricting portions 506i, 506k, and 506l abutting against the bottom surface portion 54 of the housing 54, the positioning pin 45B, and the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55, respectively.

[0359] Next, similar to Program 1, as Figure 44 shown, the exposure head holding member 506 is inserted into the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 in the backward direction B. Then, the exposure head holding member 506 is engaged with the developing support member 301 and guided by the developing support member 301 in the backward direction B.

[0360] When the exposure head holding member 506 is inserted in the backward direction B, the inclined portion 506b of the exposure head holding member 506 abuts against the restricting portion 301g of the cassette tray 30 as Figure 36A shown, and the exposure head holding member 506 is lifted upward. When the inclined portion 506b exceeds the restricting portion 301g as Figure 36B shown, the hole portion 506c of the exposure head holding member 506 drops due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, so that the restricting portion 301g enters the hole portion 506c and engages with it. As Figure 44 shown, the position where the hole portion 506c engages with the restricting portion 301g is the first position where the FFC 58 is inserted into the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 506 and pulled out from the FFC connector.

[0361] The operator holds the protrusion 58c provided on the FFC 58, detaches the FFC 58 from the FFC holding member 507, and inserts the FFC 58 into the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held in the second posture in the leftward direction L, as Figure 43A shown. Since the operator often uses the right hand for operation, the configuration in which the protrusion 58c is arranged on the upper side (along the upward direction U) as described above makes the insertion operation easier. In addition, as Figure 43B shown, since the end portions of the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 are pulled out to a position more forward than the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100, the visibility is improved and the operation becomes easier. With this configuration, as described above, the insertion and pulling-out operations of the FFC can be stabilized and simplified.

[0362] Next, as Figure 36CAs shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 upward, the engagement between the hole portion 506c and the restricting portion 301g can be released, and the exposure head holding member 506 can be further inserted in the backward direction B. When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted in the backward direction B, the flat portion 506d of the exposure head holding member 506 rides on the restricting portion 301g.

[0363] When the exposure head holding member 506 is further inserted in the backward direction B and the flat portion 506d passes over the restricting portion 301g, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, the restricting portion 506e of the exposure head holding member 506 engages with the restricting portion 301g, as Figure 36D shown. In a state where the restricting portion 506e is engaged with the restricting portion 301g, the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30. As described above, the position where the restricting portion 506e engages with the restricting portion 301g is the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the lifting conduit 69. After the exposure head holding member 506 is disposed at the second position, the engagement of the restricting portion 507d of the FFC holding member 507 is released by, for example, elastically deforming the restricting portion 507d, and the FFC holding member 507 is pulled in the forward direction F so as to be taken out from the imaging device 100.

[0364] Next, an operation of placing the exposure head 4 on the lifting conduit 69 is performed. The exposure head 4 is held on the seat surface 506h of the exposure head holding member 506 in the Figure 38C second attitude shown. Next, as Figure 38C , 38B , 38A sequentially shown, the exposure head 4 is rotated in the clockwise direction (CW direction) when viewed from the front side so that the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55 is placed on the top surface portion 69U of the lifting conduit 69. At this time, the guiding portion 506m of the exposure head holding member 506 held at the second position restricts the locus of the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4, so that the exposure head 4 can be stably rotated. Further, as Figure 25 shown, the engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 respectively fall into the engaging holes 69b and 69c of the lifting conduit 69. That is, the engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 are respectively engaged with the engaging holes 69b and 69c of the lifting conduit 69 in the protruding direction. At the same time, as Figure 49A shown, the lower end portion of the positioning pin 45F of the exposure head 4 falls into the auxiliary fitting portion 30h of the cassette tray 30 with a gap.

[0365] Next, as Figure 26As shown, by sliding the exposure head 4 in the backward direction B relative to the lifting conduit 69, the engaging claws 55b and 55c are respectively engaged with the engaging holes 69b and 69c along the extending direction orthogonal to the protruding direction. The engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 are formed to protrude toward the lifting conduit 69 and are formed in a substantially L shape extending along the backward direction B which is the sliding direction of the exposure head 4. Therefore, by sliding the exposure head 4 in the backward direction B, the generally L-shaped claw ends of the engaging claws 55b and 55c are respectively engaged with the edges of the engaging holes 69b and 69c. Through this engagement, the exposure head 4 is attached to the lifting conduit 69 and becomes integral with the lifting conduit 69 at the position shown in Figure 26 At the same time, as shown in Figure 49B The lower end portion of the positioning pin 45F of the exposure head 4 is partially inserted into the auxiliary fitting portion 30h of the cassette tray 30.

[0366] As described above, after the attitude of the exposure head 4 is stabilized with the engaging claws 55b and 55c of the exposure head 4 passing through the engaging holes 69b and 69c of the lifting conduit 69, the exposure head 4 is slid, and the attachment of the exposure head 4 is completed. Therefore, the simple attachment of the exposure head 4 can be achieved at low cost.

[0367] Next, the surplus length of the FFC 58 connected to the exposure head 4 is stored. In this case, the surplus length of the FFC 58 is the length required for the operation of pulling out the exposure head 4 in the forward direction F. The surplus length of the FFC 58 refers to the portion of the FFC 58 from the position where it just emerges from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 503bK to the position of the end portion of the FFC 58 connected to the FFC connector 57K.

[0368] In the state where the exposure head 4 is attached to the lifting conduit 69, the surplus length of the FFC 58K is exposed in the space above the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30. In this state, as shown in Figure 41B The other end portion of the FFC 58K emerges outward (to the left) from the first opening portion 503a on the left side of the main body. Therefore, by pulling the other end portion of the FFC 58K to the left side (in the left direction L) of the main body, the FFC 58K is moved to the left side (in the left direction L) of the main body in the FFC guide 503. As a result, the surplus length of the FFC 58K exposed in the space above the drum support member 302 is pulled into the interior of the FFC guide 503 from the second opening portion 503bK and stored in the FFC guide 503, as shown in Figure 29A Even if the FFC 58K is pulled in too much, since one end portion of the FFC 58K is connected to the FFC connector 57K of the exposure head 4K, this movement is restricted.

[0369] Next, the operation of removing the exposure head holding member 506 is performed. As shown inFigure 36D As shown and described above, the restricting portion 506e of the exposure head holding member 506 engages with the restricting portion 301g so that the exposure head holding member 506 cannot be inserted or pulled out. Thus, as Figure 36C shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 506e and the restricting portion 301g can be released, and the exposure head holding member 506 can be pulled out toward the front side (along the forward direction F). When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 506 is pulled out toward the front side (along the forward direction F), the flat portion 506d of the exposure head holding member 506 rides on the restricting portion 301g.

[0370] When the exposure head holding member 506 is further pulled out in the forward direction F and the flat portion 506d Figure 36B exceeds the restricting portion 301g as shown, the hole portion 506c of the exposure head holding member 506 drops due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 506, and the restricting portion 301g enters the hole portion 506c and engages with it. As Figure 36A shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 506 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 301g and the hole portion 506c can be released, so that the exposure head holding member 506 can be further pulled out in the forward direction F. When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 506 is further pulled out in the forward direction F, the inclined portion 506b is pushed and placed on the restricting portion 301g. After the inclined portion 506b exceeds the restricting portion 301g and the exposure head holding member 506 is further pulled out in the forward direction F, the exposure head holding member 506 can be removed from the cassette tray 30.

[0371] Through the above operations, the replacement operations of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 are completed.

[0372] In this embodiment, a structure in which the exposure head holding member 506 can be inserted and pulled out while holding the exposure head 4 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, another structure can be adopted, in which the exposure head 4 is detached from the exposure head holding member 506 when the exposure head holding member 506 is attached to the cassette tray 30, and in this state, a new exposure head is mounted on the exposure head holding member 506. With this structure, the exposure head 4 can be replaced during the replacement operation without inserting and pulling out the exposure head holding member 506.

[0373] (Effect)

[0374] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0375] In the imaging device 100 according to the present embodiment, when replacing the exposure head 4, the FFC 58 is inserted and pulled out after the exposure head holding member 506 temporarily holds the exposure head 4. Further, the exposure head 4 is replaced by inserting and pulling out the exposure head holding member 506 while the exposure head holding member 506 holds the exposure head 4. The FFC 58 detached from the exposure head 4 is temporarily held by the FFC holding portions 507a and 507b of the FFC holding member 507. Further, during the replacement operation, the FFC holding member 507 is arranged to overlap with the toner collection duct 302f which is a part of the toner conveyance path to block the toner collection duct 302f. With such a configuration, the replacement operation of the exposure head can be stably performed without damaging or contaminating the exposure head and the FFC, and the burden on the operator is reduced.

[0376] Further, when replacing the FFC 58, the FFC 58 is inserted and pulled out while the contact 58a of the FFC 58 is covered by the sheet member 508, and the FFC 58 and the sheet member 508 are guided by the FFC holding member 507. With this configuration, the replacement operation of the FFC can be stably performed without damaging or contaminating the FFC 58, and the burden on the operator is reduced. Further, since the thickness of the sheet member 508 is set to 0.15 [mm] to 0.3 [mm] and the tensile modulus of the sheet member 508 is set to 3500 [MPa] to 4500 [MPa], the replacement operation of the FFC can be stably performed and the burden on the operator is reduced.

[0377] Further, the FFC 58 is arranged from the left side (leftward direction L) of the main body to the right side (rightward direction R) of the main body, and the contact 58a of the FFC 58 is arranged on the left side (leftward direction L) of the main body at the attachment position of the exposure head 4. With this configuration, a loop is formed such that the contact 58a is arranged inside the loop during the replacement operation of the FFC 58, which reduces the possibility of the contact 58a breaking. When replacing the exposure head 4, at the position where the exposure head 4 is held on the exposure head holding member 506, the contact 58a of the FFC 58 is arranged on the lower side (downward direction D) of the main body, and the protrusion 58c is arranged on the upper side (upward direction U) of the main body. With this configuration, the operator can perform the operation of inserting and pulling out the FFC 58 with the right hand while visually checking the protrusion 58c. Therefore, a right-handed operator can perform the operation more easily.

[0378] As described above, in the first embodiment, the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58 can be easily replaced.

[0379] <Second Embodiment>

[0380] The imaging device 100 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. Components identical to those of the imaging device 100 according to Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted. The configurations different from those of Embodiment 1 will be described below. The FFC, the configuration of the FFC guide, the replacement tool, and the replacement of the exposure head and the FFC will be described in order.

[0381] As Figure 50 shown, in the present embodiment, the circuit board 602 is located on the right side of the imaging device 100, and the exposure head is disposed on the left side of the circuit board 602.

[0382] (Configuration of the FFC and the FFC guide)

[0383] First, the configuration of the FFC 658 and the FFC guide 603 will be described with reference to Figures 50 to 52 . Figure 50 A perspective view of the exposure head 4, the FFC 658, the circuit board 602, and the FFC guide 603 is shown. Figure 51A Shown is Figure 50 a cross-sectional view of the imaging device 100 shown as viewed from the front side. Figure 51B Shown is Figure 51A an enlarged view near the biasing member 604 in Figure 52 Shown is Figure 51A an enlarged view near the contact 658a in Figure 52 . In

[0384] (Configuration of the FFC)

[0385] The imaging device 100 is provided with a plurality of FFCs 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, and 658K) for electrically connecting the exposure heads 4 (4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K) to the circuit board 602, respectively. As described above, in the present embodiment, the circuit board 602 is disposed on the right side of the imaging device 100, and the exposure head 4 is disposed on the left side of the circuit board 602. One end portion of each FFC 658 is connected to each exposure head 4, and the other end portion of each FFC 658 is connected to the circuit board 602, so that the exposure head 4 and the circuit board 602 are electrically connected to each other.

[0386] The circuit board 602 is an alternative to the circuit board 502 of Embodiment 1 and has a connector 601 having the same function as the connector 501 of the circuit board 502. The other end portions of the FFCs 58 (58Y, 58M, 58C, and 58K) connected to the exposure head 4 are respectively connected to the connectors 601 (601Y, 601M, 601C, and 601K). Another configuration of the circuit board 602 is the same as that of the circuit board 502 of Embodiment 1.

[0387] As Figure 50As shown, each FFC 658 connects the FFC connector 57 provided in each exposure head 4 to the connector 601 provided on the circuit board 602. The FFCs 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, and 658K) are arranged in a multi-layer form.

[0388] As Figure 52 shown, each of the FFCs 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, 658K) is provided with a contact 658a electrically connected to the FFC connector 658 of the exposure head 4 and a reinforcing plate 658b for reinforcing the contact 658a at one end portion. In the FFC 658, the reinforcing plate 658b is fixed to the surface opposite to the surface provided with the contact 658a by double-sided tape.

[0389] At the other end portion of each FFC 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, and 658K), contacts (not shown) to be connected to each of the connectors 601 (601Y, 601M, 601C, and 601K) provided in the circuit board 602 are provided.

[0390] In addition, the reinforcing plate 658b is provided with a protrusion 658c protruding from the surface opposite to the contact 658a. The shape of the protrusion 658c provided on the reinforcing plate 658b is such that the protrusion 658c can be pinched by a finger when inserting / removing the FFC 658 from the FFC connector 57.

[0391] As Figure 51A and 52 shown, in the first posture where the exposure head 4 exposes the photosensitive drum 2, the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the left side of the contact 658a. That is, in the left-right direction (second direction) of the imaging device 100, the FFC 658 is connected to the connector of the exposure head 4 held in the first posture such that the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the left side of the contact 658a.

[0392] As Figure 61A and 61B shown, in the second posture for replacing the exposure head 4, the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the upper side of the contact 658a. That is, in the up-down direction (third direction) of the imaging device 100, the FFC 658 is connected to the connector of the exposure head 4 held in a second posture different from the first posture such that the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the upper side of the contact 658a.

[0393] (Structure of the FFC guide)

[0394] In addition, the imaging device 100 is provided with an FFC guide 603 as a guide for holding the FFCs 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, and 658K) in the left - right direction. The FFC guide 603 extends in the left - right direction (the second direction). The FFC guide 603 is disposed directly below the exposure head 4 in the imaging device 100. Specifically, the FFC guide 603 is linearly arranged in the left - right direction directly below the FFC connectors 57 (57Y, 57M, 57C, and 57K) of the exposure head 4.

[0395] The FFC guide 603 is provided in the imaging device 100 and is configured to restrict the position of the FFC 658. The portion between one end and the other end of the FFC 658 is held in the imaging device 100 by the FFC guide 603. As Figure 51A shown, the FFC guide 603 has a first opening portion 603a and second opening portions 603b (603bY, 603bM, 603bC, and 603bK) through which the FFC 658 passes. The first opening portion 603a is disposed on the right side of the second opening portion 603b. The first opening portion 603a is arranged on the other side (right side) of the FFC guide 603 in the left - right direction and is the first through - hole through which the multi - layer FFC 658 passes. In addition, the first opening portion 603a is arranged closer to the circuit board 602 than the four exposure heads 4. The second opening portions 603b are arranged on one side (left side) of the FFC guide 603 in the left - right direction and are the second through - holes through which the FFCs 658 pass respectively. The second opening portions 603b are provided respectively for the exposure heads 4. The first opening portion 603a and the second opening portions 603b are linearly arranged on the FFC guide 603 in the left - right direction.

[0396] In the above, the structure in which the first opening portion (first through - hole) 603a and the second opening portions (second through - holes) 603b are provided on the FFC guide 603 is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, the first through - hole may be provided on another member other than the FFC guide 603. Additionally, the second through - holes may also be provided on another member other than the FFC guide 603, such as the lift duct 69 and the cassette tray 30. In this case, it is preferable that the second through - holes are provided on the side where the FFC holding member 607 is arranged.

[0397] Figure 51A and 51B The bias member 604 and the cover member 605 shown in and are the same as the bias member 504 and the cover member 505, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0398] Next, the path of the FFC 658 from the circuit board 602 to the exposure head 4 will be described.

[0399] As shown Figure 50 in the figure, the other end portion of the FFC 658 is connected to a connector 601 provided on a circuit board 602 disposed on the right side of the main body of the imaging device 100. The FFCs 658 (658Y, 658M, 658C, 658K) respectively connected to the connector 601 of the circuit board 602 disposed on the right side of the main body of the imaging device 100 are arranged in multiple layers and curved on the right side of the main body and face from the right side of the main body to the left side of the main body. As shown Figure 51A in the figure, the multi-layer FFC 658 passes through the first opening portion 603a of the FFC guide 603 and enters the inside of the FFC guide 603. At this time, the multi-layer FFC 658 is biased from the upper side to the lower side by a biasing member 604 provided on the FFC guide 603. Using the frictional force generated by clamping the FFC 658 between the biasing member 604 and the FFC guide 603, the FFC 658 is held and does not move in the left-right direction.

[0400] The order of the layers of the FFC 658 clamped by the biasing member 604 and the FFC guide 603 in the up-down direction is black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) from the upper side. That is, the order of the layers of the FFC 658 clamped by the biasing member 604 and the FFC guide 603 in the up-down direction from the upper side to the lower side is the same as the order of the corresponding exposure heads 4 arranged from the right side to the left side.

[0401] The FFC 658 that has entered the inside of the FFC guide 603 is arranged such that the FFC 658 extends in the left-right direction along the FFC guide 603. When the FFC 658 is located below the second opening portion 603bK of the FFC guide 603, only the FFC 658K is arranged to bend upward and separate to travel toward the FFC connector 57K of the exposure head 4K. The FFC 658K is connected to the FFC connector 57K of the exposure head 4K to electrically connect the circuit board 602 and the exposure head 4K. After the FFC 658K is separated, the multi-layer FFCs 658 (658C, 658M, and 658Y) are arranged to extend in the left-right direction and along the FFC guide 603 from the right side to the left side of the main body. Thereafter, similar to the black imaging section 1K, when the multi-layer FFC 658 is located below the second opening portion 603b of each imaging section 1C, 1M, 1Y, the FFC 658 located at the uppermost position is arranged to bend upward and separate so as to travel toward the FFC connector 57 respectively. The FFC 658 arranged to travel toward the exposure head 4 is connected to the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 to electrically connect the circuit board 602 and the FFC connector 57.

[0402] As described above, the circuit board 602 is connected to the exposure head 4 via the FFC 658. In the above description, it is assumed that the imaging device 100 is a color multifunction device, and the imaging device 100 has four imaging sections 1K, 1M, 1C, and 1K. However, assuming that the imaging device 100 is a monochrome multifunction device, a configuration in which only one imaging section 1K is provided may be adopted.

[0403] (Restricting portion of the cartridge tray)

[0404] Reference Figure 55 , the restricting portion 302g of the cartridge tray 30 will be described. Figure 55 is an enlarged perspective view near the restricting portion 302g of the cartridge tray 30.

[0405] As Figure 55 shown, the cartridge tray 30 is provided with a restricting portion 302g. By abutting against the hole portion 606c and the restricting portion 606i, which are the engaging portions of the exposure head holding member 606, during the operation of replacing the exposure head, the restricting portion 302g restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front-rear direction at a predetermined position (the first position and the second position) (see Fig. 57). When moving the exposure head holding member 606 in the front-rear direction, the restricting portion 302g restricts the movement in both the forward direction F (one of the front-rear directions) and the backward direction B (the other of the front-rear directions).

[0406] The restricting portion 302g is provided with two restricting surfaces 302g1 and 302g2.

[0407] The restricting surface 302g1 is the first restricting surface that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the forward direction F. The restricting surface 302g2 is the second restricting surface that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the backward direction B. The restricting surfaces 302g1 and 302g2 are engaged with the hole portion 606c of the exposure head holding member 606 at the first position where the FFC 658 is inserted into / pulled out from the exposure head 4 to restrict the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front-rear direction. The restricting surface 302g1 is engaged with the restricting portion 606e of the exposure head holding member 606 at the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to / detached from the lifting conduit 69 to restrict the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the forward direction.

[0408] In this way, the restricting portion 302g restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in both the forward direction F and the backward direction B. However, the restricting portion 302g is arranged at a position in the cartridge tray 30 where the restricting portion 302g does not restrict the movement of the drum unit 23 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the restricting portion 302g does not prevent the drum unit 23 from moving in the front-rear direction.

[0409] In this embodiment, such a configuration is illustrated in which the restricting portion 302g is provided on a separating member separated from the drum support member 302. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration and the restricting portion 302g may be directly provided on the drum support member 302. The detailed function of the restricting portion 302g will be described later.

[0410] (Replacement tool)

[0411] Next, reference will be made to Figures 53A to 53D and FIGS. 54A to 54D to describe a replacement tool for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 in the image forming apparatus 100. Figure 53A FIG. 54A is a perspective view of the exposure head holding member 606, which is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head and the FFC. Figure 53B FIG. 54B is a top view of the exposure head holding member 606. Figure 53C FIG. 54C is a sectional view taken along line B-B of the exposure head holding member 606 as viewed from the right side in Figure 53B FIG. 54A. Figure 53D FIG. 54D is a front view of the exposure head holding member 606. Figure 54A FIG. 55A is a perspective view of the FFC holding member 607, which is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head and the FFC. Figure 54B FIG. 55B is a top view of the FFC holding member 607. Figure 54C FIG. 55C is a right side view of the FFC holding member 607. Figure 54D FIG. 55D is a rear side view of the FFC holding member 607.

[0412] The replacement tool for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is used in a case where the exposure head or the FFC 658 should be taken out from inside the image forming apparatus 100 and a new exposure head or FFC should be installed when the exposure head or the FFC 658 malfunctions. These replacement tools are used by maintenance personnel in the market.

[0413] The replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is composed of three components: an exposure head holding member 606, an FFC holding member 607, and a sheet member 508. At least one of these three components is attached to the housing or cover (not shown) of the imaging device 100. In this embodiment, it is illustrated that the imaging device 100 includes a replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658. The present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the replacement tool can be included in the new exposure head 4 or the new FFC 658, and not included in the imaging device 100. In addition, the maintenance personnel can carry the replacement tool. The replacement tool for the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is not limited to the three components of the exposure head holding member 606, the FFC holding member 607, and the sheet member 508. The replacement tool can be one or two of the three components. In addition, some of the three components of the exposure head holding member 606, the FFC holding member 607, and the sheet member 508 can be included in the imaging device, and other components can be included in the new exposure head 4 or the new FFC 658 for replacement, or other components can be carried by the maintenance personnel.

[0414] The directions of the exposure head holding member 606 and the FFC holding member 607 are the same as those in Embodiment 1 and their descriptions are omitted. The defined forward direction F, backward direction B, rightward direction R, leftward direction L, upward direction U, and downward direction D are as Figures 53A to 53D shown in FIGS. 54A to 54D.

[0415] (Exposure head holding member)

[0416] The exposure head holding member 606 is one of the replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658. The exposure head holding member 606 is a movable member that engages with the cassette tray 30 and can move in the longitudinal direction (front - rear direction) of the exposure head 4, and has the function of temporarily holding the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658.

[0417] In this embodiment, the exposure head holding member 606 is arranged on the right side (drum unit side) in the left - right direction via the exposure head 4 held at the exposure position. Specifically, the exposure head holding member 606 is arranged at the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30 on the drum unit side via the exposure head 4 attached to the imaging device 100.

[0418] As Figure 53C shown, the exposure head holding member 606 is provided with an inclined portion 606b, a hole portion 606c, a flat portion 606d, and a limiting portion 606e. These portions have shapes that enable the drum support member 302 to hold the exposure head holding member 606 at the FFC insertion and extraction position (the first position) and the exposure head attachment and detachment position (the second position) during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 (seeFigures 57A to 57D )。

[0419] The first position is the FFC insertion and extraction position where the FFC 658 is inserted into and extracted from the exposure head 4. The second position is the exposure head attachment and detachment position where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the imaging device 100.

[0420] The hole portion 606c is a first movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction in a first position (FFC insertion and extraction position) where a part of the exposure head 4 is exposed to the outside of the imaging device 100 in the front - rear direction.

[0421] The inclined portion 606b is inclined upward toward the rear direction B and is provided directly in front of the hole portion 606c in the rear direction B. When the exposure head holding member 606 is inserted into the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30 in the rear direction B, the inclined portion 606b abuts against the restricting portion 302g of the cassette tray 30. When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted in the rear direction B, the inclined portion 606b is pushed up by the restricting portion 302g, so that the exposure head holding member 606 is lifted as Figure 57A shown. When the inclined portion 606b exceeds the restricting portion 302g, as Figure 57B shown, the abutment of the inclined portion 606b with the restricting portion 302g is released. Then, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606, the hole portion 606c engages with the restricting portion 302g. The dropping of the exposure head holding member 606 due to its own weight produces a clicking sensation, and the operator can recognize the engagement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the first position. In a state where the hole portion 606c engages with the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted into and pulled out from the cassette tray 30, so that the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction is restricted in the first position. The position where the hole portion 606c engages with the restricting portion 302g is the FFC insertion and extraction position (first position) where the FFC 658 is inserted into and pulled out from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4. In this way, the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction is restricted, making the insertion and extraction operations of the FFC stable and simple.

[0422] The restricting portion 606e is a second movement restricting portion that restricts the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction in a second position (exposure head attachment and detachment position) where the exposure head 4 is closer to the inside of the imaging device 100 in the front - rear direction than in the first position.

[0423] The planar portion 606d is provided immediately after the hole portion 606c and immediately before the restricting portion 606e in the backward direction B. When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted in the backward direction B after releasing the engagement between the hole portion 606c and the restricting portion 302g by lifting the exposure head holding member 606, as Figure 57C shown, the planar portion 606d rides on the restricting portion 302g. When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B, the planar portion 606d extends beyond the restricting portion 302g, such that as Figure 57D shown, the contact between the planar portion 606d and the restricting portion 302g is released. Then, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606, the restricting portion 606e engages with the restricting portion 302g. In the state where the restricting portion 606e engages with the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30, and the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction is restricted at the second position. The position where the restricting portion 606e engages with the restricting portion 302g is the position for attaching and detaching the exposure head 4 to and from the elevating conduit 69 (the second position). Thus, the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction is restricted, making the operation of attaching and detaching the exposure head stable and simplified.

[0424] In addition, as Figure 53B shown, the exposure head holding member 606 is provided with a restricting portion 606f, a restricting portion 606g, a protruding portion 606j, and a guiding portion 606m. These portions are provided to assist the operator in handling the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation (see Figures 59A to 59C ).

[0425] In the state where the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the drum support member 302, the restricting portion 606f is provided on the rear side of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction. The restricting portion 606f is the first restricting portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the front - rear direction (the first direction). As Figure 58A shown, in the state where the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the drum support member 302, the restricting portion 606f is located on the rear side of the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4 held by the elevating conduit 69 and on the front side of the positioning pin 45B. In addition, in the state where the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the drum support member 302, the restricting portion 606f is located below the upper end of the positioning pin 45B. With such a configuration, after releasing the engagement between the restricting portion 606f and the elevating conduit 69, the restricting portion 606f abuts against the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 pulled out in the forward direction F, such that the restricting portion 606f restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the front - rear direction.

[0426] In a state where the exposure head holding member 606 is engaged with the drum support member 302, a restriction portion 606g is provided at the rear side of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front-rear direction. The restriction portion 606g is a third restriction portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the up-down direction (third direction). As Figure 58B shown, in a state where the exposure head holding member 606 is engaged with the drum support member 302, the restriction portion 606g is located at the rear side of the lens array 52 of the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69 and at the front side of the positioning pin 45B. Further, in a state where the exposure head holding member 606 is engaged with the drum support member 302, the restriction portion 606g is located above the top surface (the top surface of the housing 54) of the exposure head 4 held by the lifting conduit 69. With this configuration, even if the exposure head 4 (the engagement of which with the lifting conduit 69 is released) is lifted along the upward direction U, the restriction portion 606g abuts against the exposure head 4, so that the restriction portion 606g restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the up-down direction.

[0427] The guiding portion 606m is a restriction portion that restricts the trajectory of the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 when the exposure head 4, the position of which is restricted by the restriction portion 606f and the restriction portion 606g, rotates in the clockwise direction (CW direction) toward the seat surface 606h of the exposure head holding member 606. By restricting the rotation trajectory of the exposure head 4 by the guiding portion 606m, the rotation operation of the exposure head 4 can be stably performed.

[0428] The protruding portion 606j is an engaging portion that engages with the opening 55a of the housing support member 55 of the exposure head 4 and serves as a fulcrum when the exposure head 4 rotates in the clockwise direction as described above. By engaging the exposure head 4 with the protruding portion 606j, the rotation operation of the exposure head 4 can be stably performed.

[0429] As Figure 53B and 53D shown, the exposure head holding member 606 is provided with a seat surface 606h, a restriction portion 606i, a restriction portion 606k, and a restriction portion 606l. These portions are holding portions that stably hold the exposure head 4 during the replacement operation of the exposure head 4 (see Figure 60 ).

[0430] The exposure head holding member 606 is provided with a seat surface 606h, which is a holding portion that temporarily holds the exposure head 4 detached from the lifting conduit 69. As Figure 44 shown in C, the height of the seat surface 606h becomes lower as it goes from one side to the other side (in the backward direction B) along the front-rear direction. That is, the seat surface 606h located at a more rearward position among the seat surfaces 606h provided in the front-rear direction is lower in the up-down direction than the seat surface 606h located at a more forward position. Further, as Figure 44As shown in D, the height of the seat surface 606h decreases as it goes from one side to the other (rightward direction R) in the left - right direction. That is, the height of the seat surface 606h decreases as it moves away from the exposure head 4 held by the lift duct 69 in the left - right direction. In the present embodiment, the height of the seat surface 606h decreases from the left side to the right side in the left - right direction of the seat surface 606h. Therefore, in a state where the exposure - head holding member 606 is engaged with the drum support member 302, the seat surface 606h is composed of a surface having a height difference in the front - rear direction and the left - right direction. In the present embodiment, the seat surface 606h is composed of the end - surface of ribs provided at multiple positions in the front - rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. The number and position of the seat surface 606h can be appropriately determined as needed. For example, only one seat surface 606h may be provided.

[0431] The restricting portion 606i is a holding portion provided on the front side in the front - rear direction, which abuts against the housing 54 of the exposure head 4 that has rotated clockwise as described above and holds the exposure head 4. The restricting portion 606i is provided on one of the ribs provided at multiple positions in the front - rear direction. More specifically, the restricting portion 606i is provided on the rib where the foremost seat surface 606h is located. The seat surface 606h abuts against one side - surface of the exposure head 4, while the restricting portion 606i abuts against the top - surface that intersects with the one side - surface. That is, the restricting portion 606i is configured as a surface that intersects with the foremost seat surface 606h. In the present embodiment, the restricting portion 606i is provided on one of the ribs provided at multiple positions in the front - rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this structure.

[0432] The restricting portion 606k is a holding portion provided on the rear side in the front - rear direction, which abuts against the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 that has rotated clockwise as described above and holds the exposure head 4. The restricting portion 606k is configured as a surface that intersects with the rearmost seat surface 606h among the ribs provided at multiple positions in the front - rear direction. The seat surface 606h abuts against one side - surface of the exposure head 4, while the restricting portion 606k abuts against the end of the positioning pin 45B protruding from the top - surface that intersects with the one side - surface.

[0433] In a state where the exposure - head holding member 606 is engaged with the drum support member 302, a restricting portion 606l is provided at the front - side in the front - rear direction of the exposure - head holding member 606. The restricting portion 606l is a second restricting portion that restricts the position of the exposure head 4 in the left - right direction (second direction). As Figure 60 shown, at the front - side in the front - rear direction, the restricting portion 606l abuts against the right - hand end - portion of the bottom - surface portion of the exposure head 4 held by the seat surface 606h of the exposure - head holding member 606 to restrict the position of the exposure head 4 in the left - right direction.

[0434] A procedure for using the exposure head holding member 606 during replacement operations will be described.

[0435] (FFC Holding Member)

[0436] The FFC holding member 607 is one of the tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658. The FFC holding member 607 engages with the cassette 30, guides the FFC 658, and has a function of temporarily holding the FFC 658 during the replacement operations of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658.

[0437] In the present embodiment, via the exposure head 4 held in the exposure position, the FFC holding member 607 is disposed on the left side in the left - right direction, i.e., on the side opposite to the exposure head holding member 606. More specifically, the FFC holding member 607 is disposed on the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 on the drum unit side in the left - right direction via the exposure head 4 attached to the imaging device 100.

[0438] As Figure 54B shown, the FFC holding member 607 is provided with FFC holding portions 607a and 607b that temporarily hold the FFC 658 detached from the exposure head 4. Two FFC holding portions 607b are provided for holding one surface side of the FFC 658. The FFC holding portion 607a is disposed between the two FFC holding portions 607b for holding the other surface side of the FFC 658. As Figure 65 shown, during the operation of replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658, the FFC holding member 607 temporarily holds the FFC 658 by clamping the FFC 658 between the FFC holding portion 607a and the FFC holding portion 607b.

[0439] The FFC holding member 607 is provided with a guiding portion 607c that guides the FFC 658 from the left - right direction to the front - back direction. As Figure 54B 、 54C and 54D show, the guiding portion 607c includes a surface that is inclined with respect to the left - right direction and the up - down direction of the imaging device 100. The inclination directions include the direction from the upper - right to the lower - left of the imaging device, the direction from the top to the bottom, and the direction from the rear - upper to the front - lower. That is, as Figure 54B 、 54C 、54D show, the surface of the guiding portion 607c is substantially parallel to the straight line connecting the upper - right rear side and the lower - left front side of the main body. Therefore, the guiding portion 607c guides the FFC 658 such that the movement of the FFC 658 is converted from the up - down direction and the left - right direction to the front - back direction.

[0440] Therefore, the guiding portion 607c has the function of guiding the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508, such that during the replacement operation of the exposure head and the FFC, the movement of the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 is changed from the left - right direction (the first movement direction) to the front - back direction (the second movement direction) (see FIG. 67).

[0441] As Figure 32C and 32D shown, the FFC holding member 607 is provided with restricting portions 607d, 607e, and 607f. The restricting portions 607d, 607e, and 607f are respectively provided with surfaces orthogonal to the front - back direction, the left - right direction, and the up - down direction. The restricting portions 607d, 607e, and 607f restrict the position of the FFC holding member 607 in each direction by engaging with the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30 during the replacement operation of the exposure head and the FFC. In particular, the position of the FFC holding member 607 is restricted by the restricting portion 607d that engages with the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30. The restricting portion 607d is provided on a part of an elastically deformable shape (such as a latching claw). By pushing the restricting portion 607d with a finger to displace the restricting portion 607d, the engagement of the restricting portion 607d with the cassette tray 30 is released, enabling the FFC holding member 607 to move (see Figure 63A and 63B ).

[0442] In addition, the FFC holding member 607 is arranged such that the bottom surface 607g of the FFC holding member 607 overlaps with the toner collection conduit 301h, which is a part of the toner transfer path provided on the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30. At the position where the restricting portion 607d of the FFC holding member 607 engages with the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30, the bottom surface 607g is arranged to overlap with the toner collection conduit 301h of the cassette tray 30.

[0443] The procedure for using the FFC holding member 607 during the replacement operation will be described in detail later.

[0444] (Sheet member)

[0445] The sheet member 508 is one of the replacement tools for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 58. As Figure 33 shown, the sheet member 508 is elongated. The sheet member 508 is provided with an FFC holding portion 508a and a protrusion 508b. The sheet member 508 has been described in Embodiment 1, and the repeated description is omitted here. In Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, the sheet member 508 can be used as a replacement tool by reversing the front and back sides.

[0446] (Replacement / disassembly / attachment of the exposure head and the FFC)

[0447] Next, the replacement structure of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 will be described using Figures 50 to 68A , 68B, and 68C. During the description, the same content as that in the first embodiment is appropriately omitted.

[0448] The replacement of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is performed using the above-described replacement tool. The replacement of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is performed in the Figure 21 shown state, where the drum unit 23 and the developing unit 24 are removed from the cassette tray 30. In a state where the photosensitive drum (photosensitive drum unit) is removed from the cassette tray 30, the exposure head 4 can be manually moved from the retracted position to the exposure position. Therefore, as Figure 21 shown, the replacement, removal, or attachment of the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 is performed in a state where the exposure head 4 is manually moved to the exposure position.

[0449] The exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 are configured to be detachably attached to the imaging device 100. The procedure for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 will be described in detail below. Figures 56A to 68B is a diagram showing the procedure for replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658.

[0450] The operation of replacing the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 includes the following four procedures 1 to 4. In procedure 1, the old exposure head 4 is removed from the imaging device 100. In procedure 2, the old FFC 658 is removed from the imaging device 100. In procedure 3, the new FFC 658 is attached to the imaging device 100. In procedure 4, the new exposure head 4 is attached to the imaging device 100.

[0451] When only the exposure head 4 is replaced without replacing the FFC 58, only procedures 1 and 4 are performed, and procedures 2 and 3 are omitted. When only the FFC 58 is replaced without replacing the exposure head 4, procedures 1 to 4 are performed, but the following operations can be omitted in procedures 1 and 4. That is, in procedure 1, the operation of taking out the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 606 in the second posture together with the exposure head holding member 606 to the outside of the imaging device 100 does not have to be performed. Further, in procedure 4, the operation of holding the new exposure head 4 in the second posture on the exposure head holding member 606 pulled out to the outside of the imaging device 100 and attaching the exposure head 4 together with the exposure head holding member 606 to the imaging device 100 does not have to be performed.

[0452] (Procedure 1)

[0453] Next, procedure 1 will be described. The operation of replacing the exposure head and the FFC for the yellow imaging section 1Y arranged at the leftmost side in the left-right direction of the imaging device 100 will be described as an example.

[0454] AsFigure 56A and 56B As shown in 56B , the exposure head holding member 606 is inserted into the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30 in the backward direction B. Then, the first drum guide portion 302a and the second drum guide portion 302b of the drum support member 302 engage with the outer portion of the exposure head holding member 606. Through this engagement, the exposure head holding member 606 is guided by the drum support member 302 in the backward direction B.

[0455] When the exposure head holding member 606 is inserted along the backward direction B, the inclined portion 606b of the exposure head holding member 606 abuts against the restricting portion 302g of the cassette tray 30, as Figure 57A shown. When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B, the restricting portion 302g pushes the inclined portion 606b upward, causing the exposure head holding member 606 to be lifted upward.

[0456] When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B and the inclined portion 606b exceeds the restricting portion 302g as Figure 57B shown, the hole portion 606c of the exposure head holding member 606 drops due to the self-weight of the exposure head holding member 606, allowing the restricting portion 302g to enter the hole portion 606c of the exposure head holding member 606 and engage therewith. The dropping of the exposure head holding member 606 due to its self-weight produces a click feeling, enabling the operator to recognize the engagement of the exposure head holding member 606. In the state where the hole portion 606c is engaged with the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30. The position where the hole portion 606c engages with the restricting portion 302g is the first position where the FFC 658 is inserted into the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 606 and pulled out from the FFC connector. In this configuration, the operation of inserting / pulling out the FFC 658 from the exposure head 4 becomes stable and simplified.

[0457] Next, the engagement between the hole portion 606c and the restricting portion 302g is released by lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward as Figure 57C shown, and the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B. When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B, the flat portion 606d of the exposure head holding member 606 rides on the restricting portion 302g.

[0458] When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B and the flat portion 606d exceeds the restricting portion 302g, due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606, the restricting portion 606e of the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the restricting portion 302g, as Figure 57DAs shown, in a state where the restriction portion 606e is engaged with the restriction portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30. The position where the restriction portion 606e is engaged with the restriction portion 302g is the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the lifting duct 69. With such a configuration, the exposure head holding member 606 is held by the drum support member 302 at the first position for inserting and pulling out the FFC 658 and the second position for attaching and detaching the exposure head 4, so that the attachment operation of the exposure head can be made stable and simplified.

[0459] Next, an operation of mounting the exposure head 4 on the exposure head holding member 606 is performed. The configuration in which the exposure head 4 is engaged with the lifting duct 69 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and its description is omitted.

[0460] The exposure head 4 is pulled out in the forward direction F so that the engagement between the exposure head 4 and the lifting duct 69 is released (see Figure 25 ). When the exposure head 4 is further pulled in the forward direction F, the positioning pin 45B of the exposure head 4 abuts against the restriction portion 606f of the exposure head holding member 606 held in the second position, and as Figure 58A shown, the movement of the exposure head 4 in the forward direction F is restricted. In this case, as Figure 58B shown, the restriction portion 606g of the exposure head holding member 606 is positioned above the exposure head 4. Therefore, even if the exposure head 4 is lifted in the upward direction U, the housing 54 abuts against the restriction portion 606g, so that the movement of the exposure head 4 in the upward direction U is also restricted and the exposure head 4 is held in a predetermined position.

[0461] As Figure 59A , 59B , 59C successively shown, the exposure head 4 is mounted on the seat surface 606h of the exposure head holding member 606 while rotating in the clockwise direction (CW direction) when viewed from the front side. In this case, Figure 58A shown, the guide portion 606m restricts the rotation locus of the positioning pin 45B and serves as a fulcrum for rotation by engaging the protrusion 606j with the opening 55a of the housing support member 55 as Figure 60 shown. With such a configuration, the exposure head 4 can be rotated stably. The exposure head 4 rotated in this way is stably held on the exposure head holding member 606 by the engagement of the restriction portion 606i, the restriction portion 606k, and the restriction portion 606l with the housing 54, the positioning pin 45B, and the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing support member 55, respectively, as Figure 60 shown.

[0462] As Figure 53C and Figure 53DAs shown, the seat surface 606h of the exposure head holding member 606 is composed of a surface having a height difference in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. That is, the seat surface 606h at a more rearward position is lower in the up-down direction than the seat surface 606h at a more forward position. In addition, the seat surface 606h at a more leftward position is lower in the up-down direction than the seat surface 606h at a more rightward position. With this configuration, the exposure head 4 that rotates in the clockwise direction when viewed from the front side of the apparatus is pushed by its own weight toward the seat surface 606h of the exposure head holding member 606, so that the exposure head 4 is uniquely held on the exposure head holding member 606 as Figure 61A shown. In addition, since the seat surface 606h at a more forward position (i.e., the operator side) as Figure 53C shown is higher in the up-down direction than the seat surface 606h at a more rearward position, the operator can easily perform the above-described rotation operation.

[0463] The exposure head 4 that rotates in the clockwise direction and is mounted on the seat surface 606h of the exposure head holding member 606 is held on the exposure head holding member 606 in the Figure 60 and Figure 61A shown second posture. The second posture is different from the first posture and is a holding posture for replacing the exposure head 4. In addition, in the second posture, the LED chip 53 is arranged on the right side and the FFC connector 57 is arranged on the left side in the left-right direction. As Figure 61A and 61B shown, the FFC 658 is connected to the connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held in the second posture, so that the contact 658a is arranged on the lower side and the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the upper side of the contact 658a in the up-down direction.

[0464] Next, excess length processing is performed on the FFC 658 connected to the exposure head 4 to remove the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 606 in the second posture. One end portion of the FFC 658 is connected to the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 and the other end portion of the FFC658 is connected to the connector 601 of the circuit board 602 arranged on the right side of the main body of the imaging apparatus 100. As Figure 62A shown, the other end portion of the FFC 658Y is detached from the connector 601Y on the circuit board 602 in the yellow imaging section 1Y, and the biasing member 604 is detached from the FFC guide 603 so that the FFC 658Y can move. When the FFC 658Y is pushed from the right side toward the left side (leftward direction L) in the left-right direction, the FFC 658Y moves to the right side (leftward direction) in the FFC guide 603 to pass through the second opening portion 603bY of the FFC guide 603, as Figure 62BAs shown, since one end portion of the FFC 658Y is connected to the FFC connector 57Y and its movement is restricted, the FFC 658Y that has passed through the second opening portion 603bY is released into the space above the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30, as Figure 62C shown. The FFC 658Y released into the space above the developing support member 301 forms a bent portion 658d, which is bent more between the second opening portion 603bY and the FFC connector 57Y than before being released. In this case, the total length (extra length) Ld of the bent portion 658d is the length required for the operation of pulling out the exposure head 4 in the forward direction F. The bent portion 658d refers to the portion of the FFC 658Y from the position where the FFC 658Y has just emerged from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 603bY to the position of the end portion of the FFC 658Y connected to the FFC connector 57Y.

[0465] Next, as Figure 63A shown, the FFC holding member 607 is inserted into the developing support member 301 along the backward direction B. In this case, as Figure 63B shown, the FFC holding member 607 is inserted such that the guiding portion 607c of the FFC holding member 607 passes through the inside of the bent portion 658d of the FFC 658Y. That is, the guiding portion 607c of the FFC holding member 607 enters the inside of the bent portion 658d of the FFC 658Y between one end portion and the other end portion of the bent portion 658d. The one end portion of the bent portion 658d is the end portion of the FFC 658Y connected to the FFC connector 57Y. In addition, the other end portion of the bent portion of the bent portion 658d is the portion that has just emerged from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 603bY and is located below the one end portion. Then, the restricting portions 607e and 607f (see Figure 54C and 54D ) of the FFC holding member 607 inserted along the backward direction B are guided by engaging with the developing support member 301 to restrict the position of the FFC holding member 607 in the left - right direction and the up - down direction, respectively. In addition, the restricting portion 607d of the FFC holding member 607 engages with an engaging portion (not shown) provided on the developing support member 301 to restrict the position of the FFC holding member 607 in the front - back direction. In this case, the bottom surface 607g of the FFC holding member 607 is arranged to overlap with the toner collection conduit 301h, which is a part of the toner conveyance path. Therefore, the toner collection conduit 301h of the cassette tray 30 is blocked by the FFC holding member 607.

[0466] Next, perform the operation of detaching the FFC 658 from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4. As Figure 57D shown and as described above, the restricting portion 606e of the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the restricting portion 302g, restricting the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction at the exposure head attachment and detachment position (second position), and the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted or pulled out. Therefore, as Figure 57C shown, by lifting the exposure head 4 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 606e and the restricting portion 302g is released and the exposure head holding member 606 is pulled out along the forward direction F. At this time, the flat portion 606d is placed on the restricting portion 302g. When, as Figure 57B shown, the exposure head holding member 606 is further pulled out along the forward direction F from the cassette tray 30 and the flat portion 606d exceeds the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head drops due to its own weight and the restricting portion 302g enters the hole portion 606c and engages with the hole portion. As described above, the position where the restricting portion 302g engages with the hole portion 606c is the FFC insertion and extraction position (first position) where the FFC 658 is inserted into and pulled out from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4, as Figure 64A and 64B shown.

[0467] At Figure 64A and 64B the FFC insertion and extraction positions shown, the movement of the exposure head holding member 606 in the front - rear direction is restricted by the engagement between the restricting portion 302g and the hole portion 606c, and the exposure head holding member 606 is in a state where a part of the exposure head 4 is exposed to the outside of the imaging device 100 in the front - rear direction. More specifically, the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held on the exposure head holding member 606 is exposed to the outside from the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100.

[0468] At the FFC insertion and extraction positions, the operator holds the protrusion 658c provided on the FFC 658 and pulls out the FFC 658 from the FFC connector 57 along the left - hand direction. The structure in which the reinforcing plate 658b and the protrusion 658c are arranged on the upper side (in the upward direction U) of the contact 658a makes it easy to pull out the FFC 658 along the left - hand direction L. In addition, as Figure 64B shown, since the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held on the exposure head holding member 606 is pulled out to the front side from the front side plate 100F, the visibility is improved, making the FFC insertion and extraction operation simple. The FFC 658 detached from the exposure head 4 passes through as Figure 65The one shown is held between the FFC holding portion 607a and the FFC holding portion 607b of the FFC holding member 607. With this configuration, the insertion and extraction operations of the FFC can be stabilized and simplified as described above.

[0469] Next, an operation of removing the exposure head 4 from the imaging device 100 is performed. As Figure 57A shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 302g and the hole portion 606c can be released, so that the exposure head holding member 606 can be further pulled in the forward direction F. At this time, the inclined portion 606b of the exposure head holding member 606 is pushed and placed on the restricting portion 302g. Subsequently, by pulling out the exposure head holding member 606 in the forward direction F, the exposure head 4 can be removed from the imaging device 100 together with the exposure head holding member 606, as Figure 66 shown. With this configuration, the operation of removing the exposure head can be stabilized and simplified as described above.

[0470] (Program 2)

[0471] Next, Program 2 will be described.

[0472] When Program 1 is completed, as Figure 62B shown, the FFC 658Y is held on the FFC holding member 607 and one end portion of the FFC 658Y is exposed to the outside (front side) from the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100. The FFC658Y whose one end portion is held is Figure 64A shown to be folded along the guiding portion 607c in a direction crossing the backward direction B, and Figure 62B shown to pass through the inside of the FFC guide 603 in the left - right direction via the second opening portion 603bY. In addition, the other end portion of the FFC 658Y passes through the first opening portion 603a and is exposed to the outside of the FFC guide 603.

[0473] Similar to Embodiment 1, one end portion of the FFC 658Y is detached from the FFC holding portion 607a and the FFC holding portion 607b. The detached one end portion of the FFC 658 is attached to and held by the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508, as Figure 67A 、 67B and 67C shown. The FFC holding portion 508a is composed of arm portions 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac, and the arm portions are provided as Figure 67Bat the three positions shown. The FFC 658 is clamped and held by the arms 508aa, 508ab, and 508ac and the base portion 508c of the FFC holding portion 508a. The arm 508ac closest to the end of the FFC 658 is configured to hold the reinforcement version 658b so that the FFC 658 does not separate from the sheet member 508, as Figure 67C shown. Specifically, the arm 508ac closest to the end of the FFC 658 holds the reinforcement plate 658b so that the arm 508ac enters between the protrusion 658c and the FFC 658 and is stuck between the reinforcement plate 658c and the FFC 658 and the FFC 658 does not separate from the sheet member 508. With this configuration, the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 can move integrally with each other.

[0474] In addition, as Figure 67C shown, the FFC 658 is held by the sheet member 508 such that the contact 658a of the FFC 658 contacts the base portion 508c of the sheet member 508. Therefore, the contact 658a of the FFC 658 is protected by the sheet member 508 so that the contact 658a of the FFC 658 does not slide on another member.

[0475] When the FFC 658Y in the state as Figure 62B shown is pulled out along the rightward direction R, the FFC 658Y and the sheet member 508 are pulled along the backward direction B as Figure 67A shown. The FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 are folded at the guiding portion 607c, pass through the inside of the FFC guide 603 via the second opening portion 603bY of the FFC guide 603, pass through the first opening portion 603a, and are pulled out from the right side of the main body as Figure 68A shown. At this time, the FFC 658Y is held by the sheet member 508 to pass through the inside of the FFC guide 603, as Figure 68A shown. That is, the end portions of the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508 and the end portion of the FFC 658Y pass through the inside of the FFC guide 603 to be exposed from the first opening portion 603a. In addition, as Figure 68C shown, the protrusion 508b of the sheet member 508 is exposed on the front side of the imaging device 100. Then, the FFC 658Y is detached from the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508. Through the above operations, the FFC 658 before replacement can be detached from the imaging device 100, and at the same time, the sheet member 508 can be arranged in the imaging device 100.

[0476] The thickness and elastic modulus of the sheet member 508 have been described in Embodiment 1 and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0477] Except that the pulling directions are opposite, the situation where the operator pulls the FFC 658Y and the sheet member 508 too much in the rightward direction (rightward direction R) of the main body is the same as the situation described in Embodiment 1.

[0478] (Program 3)

[0479] Next, Program 3 will be described.

[0480] When Program 2 is completed, the sheet member 508 passes through the first opening portion 603a and the first opening portion 603a is exposed from the left side of the main body. A new FFC 658 is attached to the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508, as Figure 68A shown. Therefore, the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 can move integrally with each other. When the sheet member 508 in the state as Figure 68C shown is pulled along the front side of the main body (along the forward direction F), the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 are pulled along the Figure 68A shown leftward direction L. The FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 pass through the first opening portion 603a of the FFC guide 603, travel through the inside of the FFC guide 603, are folded at the guide portion 607c of the FFC holding member 607, form a loop with the contact 658a side as the inner side, and are pulled out from the front side of the main body, as Figure 67A shown. In this case, the guide portion 607c of the FFC holding member 607 guides the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 so that the moving direction of the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508 changes from the left - right direction as the first moving direction (leftward direction L) to the front - back direction as the second moving direction (backward direction F). The guide portion 607c has surfaces inclined along the left - right direction and the up - down direction of the imaging device 100. The inclined directions include the direction from the upper - right position to the lower - left position of the imaging device 100 and the direction from the rear - upper position to the front - lower position. With this configuration, a smooth change in the moving direction can be implemented (see Figure 68C ).

[0481] The FFC 658Y is held and travels through the inside of the FFC guide 603, as Figure 51A shown. As Figure 62B shown, the other end portion of the FFC 658Y is exposed on the right side of the imaging device 100 and as Figure 67A shown, one end portion of the FFC 658Y is exposed on the front side of the imaging device 100. Then, the FFC 658 is detached from the FFC holding portion 508a of the sheet member 508. The detached FFC 658 is held by being clamped between the FFC holding portions 607a and 607b of the FFC holding member 607, as Figure 65As shown. By the above operation, the new FFC 658 can be attached to the imaging device 100, and at the same time, the sheet member 508 can be removed from the imaging device 100.

[0482] (Program 4)

[0483] Next, Program 4 will be described.

[0484] First, the exposure head 4 is placed on the exposure head holding member 606, as Figure 60 shown. By the restricting portions 606i, 606k, and 606l abutting against the bottom surface portion 55D of the housing 54, the positioning pin 45B, and the housing support member 55 respectively, the exposure head 4 is stably held on the exposure head holding member 606.

[0485] Next, similar to Program 1, as Figure 56A and 56B shown, the exposure head holding member 606 is inserted into the drum support member 302 of the cassette tray 30 in the backward direction B. Then, the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the drum support member 302 and is guided by the drum support member 302 in the backward direction B.

[0486] When the exposure head holding member 606 is inserted in the backward direction B, as Figure 57A shown, the inclined portion 606b of the exposure head holding member 606 abuts against the restricting portion 302g of the cassette tray 30, lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward. When, as Figure 57B shown, the inclined portion 606b exceeds the restricting portion 302g, the hole portion 606c of the exposure head holding member 606 drops due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606, so that the restricting portion 302g enters the hole portion 606c and engages therewith. The position where the hole portion 606c engages with the restricting portion 302g is the first position where the FFC 658 is inserted into and pulled out from the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held by the exposure head holding member 606, as Figure 65 shown.

[0487] The operator holds the protrusion 658c provided on the FFC 658, detaches the FFC 658 from the FFC holding member 607, and inserts the FFC 658 into the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 held in the second posture in the rightward direction R, as Figure 64A shown. As described above, the structure in which the protrusion 658c is arranged on the upper side (upward direction U) facilitates the insertion operation. In addition, since the FFC connector 57 of the exposure head 4 and the end portion of the FFC 658 are pulled out to a position more forward than the front side plate 100F of the imaging device 100, as Figure 64BAs shown, visibility is thus improved and operation becomes easier. With this configuration, as described above, the FFC insertion and extraction operations can be stabilized and simplified.

[0488] Next, as shown in Figure 57C the engagement between the hole portion 606c and the restricting portion 302g can be released by lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward as shown, and the exposure head holding member 606 can be further inserted along the backward direction B. When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B, the flat portion 606d of the exposure head holding member 606 rides on the restricting portion 302g.

[0489] When the exposure head holding member 606 is further inserted along the backward direction B and the flat portion 606d passes over the restricting portion 302g, the restricting portion 606e of the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the restricting portion 302g due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606, as shown in Figure 57D In the state where the restricting portion 606e engages with the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted into or pulled out from the cassette tray 30. As described above, the position where the restricting portion 606e engages with the restricting portion 302g is the second position where the exposure head 4 is attached to and detached from the lifting conduit 69. After the exposure head holding member 606 is arranged in the second position, the engagement of the restricting portion 607d of the FFC holding member 607 is released by, for example, elastically deforming the restricting portion 607d, and the FFC holding member 607 is pulled along the forward direction F to be taken out from the imaging device 100.

[0490] Next, the operation of placing the exposure head 4 on the lifting conduit 69 is performed. The operation of placing the exposure head 4 on the lifting conduit 69 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus will not be described in detail.

[0491] Next, the excess length of the FFC 658 connected to the exposure head 4 is stored. In this case, the excess length of the FFC 658 is the length necessary for the operation of pulling out the exposure head 4 along the forward direction F, and refers to the portion of the FFC 658 from the position where the FFC 658 has just emerged from the cassette tray 30 after passing through the second opening portion 603bY to the end portion of the FFC 658 connected to the FFC connector 57Y.

[0492] In the state where the exposure head 4 is attached to the lifting conduit 69, the excess length of the FFC 658Y is exposed in the space above the developing support member 301 of the cassette tray 30. In this state, as shown in Figure 62BAs shown, on the right side of the main body, the other end portion of the FFC 658Y is exposed to the outside (left side) from the first opening portion 503a. Therefore, by pulling the other end portion of the FFC 658Y to the right side of the main body (in the rightward direction R), the FFC 658Y moves to the left side of the main body (in the backward direction R) in the FFC guide 603. Accordingly, the remaining length of the FFC 658Y exposed in the space above the developing support member 301 is pulled from the second opening portion 603bY into the interior of the FFC guide 603 and stored therein, as Figure 51A shown. Since one end portion of the FFC 658Y is connected to the FFC connector 57Y of the exposure head 4Y, even if the FFC 658Y is pulled in too much, this movement is restricted.

[0493] Next, the operation of removing the exposure head holding member 606 is performed. As Figure 57D shown and as described above, the restricting portion 606e of the exposure head holding member 606 engages with the restricting portion 302g, such that the exposure head holding member 606 cannot be inserted or pulled out. Therefore, as Figure 57C shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 606e and the restricting portion 302g can be released and the exposure head holding member 606 can be pulled out to the front side (along the forward direction F). When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 606 is pulled out to the front side (along the forward direction F), the flat portion 606d of the exposure head holding member 606 rides on the restricting portion 302g.

[0494] When the exposure head holding member 606 is further pulled out along the forward direction F as Figure 57B shown and the flat portion 606d exceeds the restricting portion 302g, the hole portion 606c of the exposure head holding member 606 drops due to the weight of the exposure head holding member 606 and the restricting portion 302g enters the hole portion 606c and engages therewith. As Figure 57A shown, by lifting the exposure head holding member 606 upward, the engagement between the restricting portion 302g and the hole portion 606c can be released, such that the exposure head holding member 606 can be further pulled out along the forward direction F. When the above engagement is released and the exposure head holding member 606 is further pulled out along the forward direction F, the inclined portion 606b is pushed and placed on the restricting portion 302g. By further pulling out the exposure head holding member 606 along the forward direction F after the inclined portion 606b exceeds the restricting portion 302g, the exposure head holding member 606 can be removed from the cassette tray 30.

[0495] Through the above operations, the replacement operations for the exposure head and the FFC 658 are completed.

[0496] In the present embodiment, a configuration is taken as an example in which the exposure head holding member 606 can be inserted and pulled out while holding the exposure head 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, another configuration may be adopted, in which the exposure head is detached from the exposure head holding member 606 when the exposure head holding member 606 is attached to the cassette tray 30, and in this state, a new exposure head is mounted on the exposure head holding member 606. With this configuration, the exposure head can be replaced during the replacement operation without inserting and pulling out the exposure head holding member 606.

[0497] (Effect)

[0498] Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described.

[0499] In the imaging apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when replacing the exposure head 4, the FFC 658 is inserted and pulled out after the exposure head 4 is temporarily held by the exposure head holding member 606. Further, the exposure head 4 is replaced by inserting and pulling out the exposure head holding member 606 while the exposure head holding member 606 holds the exposure head 4. The FFC 658 detached from the exposure head 4 is temporarily held by the FFC holding portions 607a and 607b of the FFC holding member 607. Further, during the replacement operation, the FFC holding member 607 is overlapped with the toner collection duct 301h to block the toner collection duct 301h, which is a part of the toner conveyance path. With such a configuration, the replacement operation of the exposure head can be stably performed without damaging or contaminating the exposure head and the FFC, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

[0500] Further, during the replacement of the FFC 658, the FFC 658 is inserted and pulled out while the contact 658a of the FFC 658 is covered by the sheet member 508, and the FFC holding member 607 guides the FFC 658 and the sheet member 508. With this configuration, the replacement operation of the FFC can be stably performed without damaging or contaminating the FFC 658, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

[0501] Moreover, the FFC 658 is arranged from the right side (in the rightward direction R) of the main body to the left side (in the leftward direction L) of the main body, and the contact 658a of the FFC 658 is arranged on the right side (in the rightward direction R) of the main body at the attachment position of the exposure head 4. With this configuration, a loop is formed such that during the operation of replacing the FFC 658, the contact 658a is arranged inside the loop, which reduces the possibility of the contact 658a breaking. When replacing the exposure head 4, at the position where the exposure head 4 is held on the exposure head holding member 606, the contact 658a of the FFC 658 is arranged on the lower side (in the downward direction D) of the main body, and the protrusion 658c is arranged on the upper side (in the upward direction U) of the main body. With this configuration, the operator can visually inspect the protrusion 658c to perform the operation of inserting and pulling out the FFC 658. Therefore, the operator can perform this operation more easily.

[0502] As described above, in the second embodiment, the exposure head 4 and the FFC 658 can be easily replaced.

[0503] [Other Embodiments]

[0504] The configuration according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0505] In the above embodiment, a four-color full-color printer with a tandem intermediate transfer system has been described as an example. However, for example, a direct transfer type can also be used, in which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 2 to the recording sheet P without using the intermediate transfer belt 9. In addition, a monochrome or five-color or more full-color printer using spot color toner can also be used. In this case, a configuration including the exposure head 4 corresponding to the number of colors can be used.

[0506] In addition, the opening portion 61 of the duct unit 60 is connected to the opening portion 64 formed by the cassette tray 30 and the lift duct 69, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the opening portion 64 can be eliminated, an opening portion can be provided in the lift duct 69, and the opening portion can be directly connected to the opening portion of the duct unit 60.

[0507] Moreover, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the cooling duct 75 (see Figure 18 ) is formed between the duct unit 60 and the cassette tray 30 or the lift duct 69 has been illustrated as an example, but the cooling duct does not necessarily have to be formed by the duct unit 60. In this case, the cooling duct 75 can be formed only by the cassette tray 30 or the lift duct 69.

[0508] In addition, according to Figure 2The layout of each unit in the cross-sectional view of the imaging device 100 shown explains the vertical direction of the units and components. However, a unit layout in which the photosensitive drum 2 is arranged above the intermediate transfer belt 9 and the exposure head 4 is further arranged above the photosensitive drum 2 can also be adopted, just like the upper surface exposure method in which the photosensitive drum 2 is exposed from approximately above. In this case, the up-down direction in the description of the embodiment is completely reversed.

[0509] In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the engaging claws 55b and 55c are provided in the housing support member 55 constituting the exposure head 4 has been illustrated. However, the engaging claws can also be provided in a component on the imaging device 100 side. In this case, an L-shaped engaging claw can be provided in the lifting conduit 69, and an engaging hole that engages with the engaging claw can be provided in the housing support member 55.

[0510] In addition, in the above embodiment, a configuration in which the recess 55f is provided in the housing support member 55 constituting the exposure head 4 has been illustrated. However, the recess can be provided in a component on the imaging device 100 side. In this case, the recess can be provided in the lifting conduit 69, and a convex portion that engages with the recess can be provided in the housing support member 55.

[0511] In addition, in the above embodiment, the sliding operation for mounting the exposure head 4 is performed from the front side to the rear side of the imaging device 100, but it can be configured to slide from the rear side to the front side. In this case, the shapes of the engaging claws and the engaging holes can be reversed in the front-rear direction.

[0512] In the above embodiment, the exposure head 4 is positioned along the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 2 and grounded by the positioning pin 45F on the front side, but it can also be positioned by the positioning pin 45B on the rear side. In addition, both the front positioning pin 45F and the rear positioning pin 45B can be used in the ground connection.

[0513] Although in the above embodiments, a lifting conduit having a conduit function as an exposure support member has been illustrated, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. If the exposure support member supports the exposure head in a posture where the connector is arranged below, the exposure support member does not have to have a conduit function.

[0514] According to the present invention, the operability of replacing the FFC can be improved, and the FFC can be prevented from breaking when replacing the FFC.

[0515] Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims should be given the broadest interpretation to cover all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0516] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-211008, filed on Dec. 14, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising: Photosensitive member; an exposure head configured to expose the photosensitive member, the exposure head comprising: a substrate having an elongated shape extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive member; a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on one surface of the substrate, the plurality of light emitting elements being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and a connector provided on a substrate surface opposite to the one surface of the substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted, Control circuit board; a flexible flat cable configured to electrically connect the connector to the control circuit board; and an exposure support member configured to support the exposure head in a posture in which the light emitting element is arranged on an upper side and the connector is arranged on a lower side in a vertical direction of the imaging device, wherein the flexible flat cable has contacts, the contacts are arranged on the one surface and the contacts are electrically connected to a connector of the exposure head, and Here, the flexible flat cable is connected to the exposure head held by the exposure support member in such a posture that the contacts are arranged on the surface on the left side in the left-right direction intersecting the axial direction when the imaging device is viewed from the front.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1, in, The flexible flat cable further has a reinforcing portion provided on a surface opposite to the one surface on which the contacts are arranged, and has a protruding portion protruding from a surface opposite to the one surface on which the contacts are arranged.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2, further comprising: an exposure head holding member configured to hold the exposure head in a posture in which the light emitting element is arranged on the left side and the connector is arranged on the right side in the left-right direction, Here, the flexible flat cable is connected to the exposure head held by the exposure head holding member in such a posture that the reinforcing portion is arranged on an upper side of the contact in the up-down direction.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1, in, The control circuit board is arranged on the left side in the left-right direction, and Wherein, the exposure head is arranged on the right side of the control circuit board in the left-right direction.

5. The imaging device according to claim 2, in, The reinforcing portion has such a shape that the reinforcing portion can be clamped when the flexible flat cable is inserted into and pulled out of the connector.

6. The imaging device according to claim 1, in, The exposure head is arranged below the photosensitive member and exposes the photosensitive member from below.

7. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising: A guide portion is provided to extend in the left-right direction, the guide portion being configured to support the flexible flat cable in the left-right direction.

8. The imaging device according to claim 6, in, The guide portion is arranged to overlap the connector in the longitudinal direction of the exposure head.

9. An imaging device, comprising: a plurality of photosensitive members; a plurality of exposure heads configured to expose the photosensitive member, respectively, each of the exposure heads comprising: a substrate having an elongated shape extending in the axial direction of the photosensitive member; a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on one surface of a substrate, the plurality of light emitting elements being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the substrate; and a connector provided on a substrate surface opposite to the one surface of the substrate on which the plurality of light emitting elements are mounted, Control circuit board; a plurality of flexible flat cables, each of the plurality of flexible flat cables being configured to electrically connect each connector to the control circuit board; and a plurality of exposure support members configured to respectively support the exposure heads in a posture in which the light emitting elements are arranged on an upper side and the connectors are arranged on a lower side in a vertical direction of the imaging device, wherein each of the flexible flat cables has: a contact electrically connected to each connector of the exposure head; and a reinforcing portion provided on a surface opposite to the one surface on which the contact is arranged, the reinforcing portion having a protruding portion protruding from a surface opposite to the one surface on which the contact is arranged, and Each flexible flat cable is connected to each connector of each exposure head held by each exposure support member in such a posture that each reinforcing portion is arranged on the right side of each contact in the left-right direction of the imaging device intersecting the axial direction.

Images