Image formation device

Abstract

To suppress an increase in size of a substrate in a plate thickness direction, and improve communication functions of a wireless communication substrate.SOLUTION: An image formation device comprises: a wireless communication substrate which transmits and receives image data between itself and an external device by wireless communication; a control board connected to the wireless communication substrate by a connection line; a first sheet plate which covers the control board and forms a storage space for storing the control board; and a second sheet plate fitted to the first sheet plate, covering the control board together with the first sheet plate, and forming the storage space for storing the control board. The control board is fixed to the first sheet plate. The wireless communication substrate is fitted to a surface on an opposite side to a surface facing the control board of the second sheet plate. The surface of the second sheet plate to which the wireless communication substrate is fitted is a recessed surface approached to the control board side in the plate thickness direction of the control board, relative to surfaces of the second sheet plate other than the surface to which the wireless communication substrate is fitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a wireless communication board for wirelessly communicating image data with an external device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been image forming devices that form an image on a recording material by arranging a wireless communication board that wirelessly communicates image data with an external device and transmitting the image data obtained from the external device via the wireless communication board to a control board that controls an image forming unit.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a wireless communication board is disposed in the space between a control board that controls an image forming unit and an electromagnetic shield plate that covers the control board, and further discloses a configuration in which a communication opening for communicating with an external device is provided in an area of ​​the electromagnetic shield plate facing the wireless communication board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6842671 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the above conventional technology, the wireless communication board communicates with an external device through a communication opening provided in the electromagnetic shielding plate, so the communication function is limited by the size of the communication opening. If the wireless communication board is disposed outside the electromagnetic shielding plate to improve the communication function, the wireless communication board protrudes outside the electromagnetic shielding plate, which increases the size of the board in the thickness direction, resulting in a problem of an increase in the size of the image forming apparatus.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An object of the present invention is to improve the communication function of a wireless communication board while preventing an increase in size in the thickness direction of a board of an image forming apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object includes a wireless communication board that wirelessly communicates image data with an external device, a control board connected to the wireless communication board by a connection line, a first metal sheet that covers the control board and forms an accommodation space for accommodating the control board, and a second metal sheet that is attached to the first metal sheet and, together with the first metal sheet, covers the control board and forms an accommodation space for accommodating the control board, wherein the control board is fixed to the first metal sheet, the wireless communication board is attached to a surface of the second metal sheet opposite to a surface facing the control board, and the surface of the second metal sheet on which the wireless communication board is attached is a concave surface that is closer to the control board in the thickness direction of the control board than surfaces of the second metal sheet other than the surface on which the wireless communication board is attached. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the communication function of the wireless communication board while preventing the size of the accommodation space formed by the first and second sheet metal members from increasing in the thickness direction of the control board. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view of a light source unit of an optical scanning device [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rear of an image forming apparatus; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the rear surface of an image forming apparatus; [Figure 6] Rear view of the image forming apparatus with the shield plate removed [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the control board and its surroundings of an image forming apparatus; [Figure 8] An exploded perspective view of the control board and its surroundings, including the wireless communication board and magnetic sheet [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the mounting portion of the shield plate and the wireless communication board. [Figure 10] A diagram showing the configuration of a magnetic sheet DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the following examples may be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these alone.

[0011] Example 1 The overall configuration of the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus, Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a light source unit of an optical scanning device.

[0012] First, the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Next, the layout and configuration of the control board and wireless communication board in the image forming apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 10.

[0013] An image forming apparatus S shown in FIG. 1 has an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet-like recording material P such as paper or an OHP.

[0014] The image forming apparatus S is an example of an intermediate tandem type image forming apparatus that transfers four color toner images, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K), onto an intermediate transfer belt, and then transfers the images onto a recording material to form an image. Note that in the following description, the components that use the above-mentioned yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toners are given the suffixes a, b, c, and d, respectively, but the configurations and operations of the components are essentially the same except for the color of the toner used, and therefore the suffixes will be omitted as appropriate unless a distinction is required.

[0015] The configuration of the image forming unit will be described below. The image forming unit includes a drum-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as "photosensitive drum") 10 (10a to 10d) for each color. The photosensitive drum 10 is rotatably supported by the image forming device S, and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a driving means (not shown). The photosensitive drum 10 may be a photosensitive belt.

[0016] The following process means are arranged around the photosensitive drum 10 along its rotation direction. The charging roller 11 (11a to 11d) as a charging means charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 10. The exposure unit 2 as an exposure means irradiates the photosensitive drum 10 with laser light L (La to Ld) based on image information to expose the photosensitive drum 10. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10. The developing roller 12 (12a to 12d) as a developing means develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 with toner. The developing rollers 12a to 12d attach toners of different colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) to the photosensitive drums 10a to 10d, respectively. The cleaning blade 13 (13a to 13d) as a cleaning means removes toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 after the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 10 to the intermediate transfer belt 15.

[0017] The image forming section includes an intermediate transfer belt (intermediate transfer body) 15 onto which the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred, and primary transfer rollers 14 (14a to 14d) as transfer means for sequentially transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 10 onto the intermediate transfer belt 15.

[0018] The photosensitive drum 10 is configured by providing a photoconductive layer such as OPC (organic photoconductor) on the outer peripheral surface of an aluminum cylinder. The charging roller 11 is configured by a core metal and a conductive elastic member surrounding the periphery, and is disposed in contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 to rotate driven by the core metal, and a charging bias is applied to the charging roller 11 by a power source (not shown).

[0019] In the exposure unit 2, the laser holder 26 shown in FIG. 3 holds the semiconductor lasers (single beam lasers) 27a and 27b as light sources by pressing them into the lens barrel holders 26a and 26b. The lens barrel holders 26a and 26b are provided with inclined optical axes so that the optical paths of the semiconductor lasers 27a and 27b intersect with each other at a predetermined angle θ in the sub-scanning direction near the rotating polygon mirror 21, and a part of the lens barrel is integrated. Therefore, it is possible to hold the semiconductor lasers 27a and 27b close to each other. The lens barrel holders 26a and 26b are provided at the tip side with apertures 26c and 26d corresponding to the semiconductor lasers 27a and 27b, and the light beams emitted from the semiconductor lasers 27a and 27b are shaped into the desired optimal beam shape. Further at the tip of the lens barrel holding parts 26a, 26b, there are provided two adhesion parts 26e, 26f of collimator lenses 28a, 28b in the main scanning direction, which convert the light beams passing through the diaphragm parts 26c, 26d into approximately parallel light beams. Here, the collimator lenses 28a, 28b adjust the irradiation position and focus while detecting the optical characteristics of the laser light, and once the position is determined, the collimator lenses 28a, 28b are fixed to the adhesion parts 26e, 26f by irradiating an ultraviolet-curing adhesive with ultraviolet light.

[0020] Here, the semiconductor lasers 27a and 27b are light sources that emit laser beams La and Lb to expose the photosensitive drums 10a and 10b shown in FIG. 1. The semiconductor laser 27c, which is a light source that emits laser beam Lc to expose the photosensitive drum 10c, is not shown, but is disposed at the position of the semiconductor laser 27b. The semiconductor laser 27d, which is a light source that emits laser beam Ld to expose the photosensitive drum 10d, is not shown, but is disposed at the position of the semiconductor laser 27a. The semiconductor lasers 27 (27a to 27d) are electrically connected to the laser board 20 shown in FIG. 2, and the laser board 20 is provided with a laser driving circuit. The laser board 20 is also electrically connected to the control board 31 via a flexible cable 29, and receives a video signal that is image information for making the semiconductor laser 27 emit light. The laser light emitted from the semiconductor lasers 27 (27a to 27d) passes through collimator lenses 28 (28a to 28d) (28c and 28d are not shown) to become approximately parallel light beams, and is then focused as an approximately linear image (a linear image longitudinal in the main scanning direction) on the deflection surface of the rotating polygon mirror 21 by a cylindrical lens (not shown) having a predetermined refractive power only in the sub-scanning direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure unit 2 includes a rotary polygon mirror 21 that deflects and scans the laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser 27, which is a laser light source, a first imaging optical element 22 (22ab, 22cd), a reflecting mirror 23 (23a, 23b, 23c, 23d), 24 (24b, 24c), and a second imaging optical element 25 (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d) for guiding the laser light deflected and scanned by the rotary polygon mirror 21 to the corresponding photosensitive drums 10a to 10d to form an image. The exposure unit 2 irradiates the charged surfaces of the photosensitive drums 10a to 10d with laser light La to Ld based on image information to form an electrostatic latent image. The developing roller 12 develops the electrostatic latent image by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10, and forms a toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10.

[0022] The intermediate transfer belt 15 is an endless belt formed to form a loop, and is stretched over three tension rollers parallel to each other. When these rollers rotate, the intermediate transfer belt 15 is driven so that its surface moves in the direction of the arrow. In addition, primary transfer rollers 14 (14a to 14d) are arranged inside the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 15, and press the intermediate transfer belt 15 against the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 to form a primary transfer nip portion N1 (N1a to N1d) between the photosensitive drum 10 and the intermediate transfer belt 15. A primary transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 14 by a power source (not shown). In addition, a secondary transfer roller 16 is arranged downstream of the primary transfer nip portion N1 (N1a to N1d) in the driving direction of the intermediate transfer belt 15, and a secondary transfer nip portion N2 is formed between the intermediate transfer belt 15 and the secondary transfer roller 16. A secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 16 by a power source (not shown).

[0023] The paper feed unit 9 feeds the recording material P to the secondary transfer nip portion N2, and is capable of storing a plurality of sheets of the recording material P.

[0024] A fixing device 8 that applies heat and pressure to the recording material P to fix the toner onto the recording material P is provided downstream of the secondary transfer nip portion N2 in terms of the conveying direction of the recording material P (direction of the dashed arrow). Further downstream of the fixing device 8 in the conveying direction, a paper discharge roller 7 for discharging the recording material P to the outside of the image forming apparatus S is provided.

[0025] The above-described configuration is the portion that functions as the image forming section that forms an image on the recording material P. These image forming sections are supported by a frame made up of multiple metal plates as shown in Fig. 2. Specifically, the image forming sections are disposed between rear side plate 17 and front side plate 18 that constitute the frame, and are covered by cover 4 as an exterior member and discharge tray 5, which is a discharged paper stacking section provided on the upper surface of cover 4.

[0026] The front plate 18 is made of sheet metal and is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus S. The front plate 18 forms part of the frame (housing) on ​​the front side of the image forming apparatus S. The rear plate 17 is made of sheet metal and is provided on the rear side of the image forming apparatus S. The rear plate 17 forms part of the frame (housing) on ​​the rear side of the image forming apparatus S. As shown in FIG. 2, the front plate 18 and the rear plate 17 are disposed facing each other, and a metal beam (not shown) bridges the two plates. The front plate 18, the rear plate 17, and the beam (not shown) each form part of the frame (housing) of the image forming apparatus S.

[0027] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, in the following description, the front plate 18 side of the image forming apparatus is defined as the front side (near side or front side), and the rear plate 17 side is defined as the rear side (rear side or back side). In addition, when the photosensitive drum 10d on which the electrostatic latent image of the black toner image is formed is taken as a reference, the side on which the photosensitive drum 10a on which the electrostatic latent image of the yellow toner image is formed is disposed is defined as the right side. When the photosensitive drum 10a on which the electrostatic latent image of the yellow toner image is formed is taken as a reference, the side on which the photosensitive drum 10d on which the electrostatic latent image of the black toner image is formed is defined as the left side. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction defined here and vertically upward is defined as the up direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction defined here and vertically downward is defined as the down direction. The defined front direction, rear direction, right direction, left direction, up direction, and down direction are shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4, etc.

[0028] A control board 31 is attached to the rear side panel 17, and control signals to each unit are transmitted via a cable (connection line). The control board 31 receives image data for forming an image on a recording material P via a wireless communication board 32 that wirelessly communicates image data from an external device (not shown), and controls the image forming unit based on the received image data, enabling image formation. However, the wireless communication method of this configuration can be operated using any method such as Wi-fi / BLE / NFC.

[0029] Next, a description will be given of an image forming operation by the image forming apparatus S. While the photosensitive drum 10 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

[0030] First, the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is charged to a predetermined potential by the charging roller 11 to which a charging bias is applied. After that, the exposure unit 2 irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 with laser light L in response to a video signal, which is image information from the control board 31, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10. The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 is developed into a toner image by adhering to the portion irradiated with the laser light at a position facing (contacting) the developing roller 12. By performing such an operation on each photosensitive drum 10, a toner image of a different color (yellow, magenta, cyan, black) is formed on each photosensitive drum 10.

[0031] Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 15 at the primary transfer nip N1 by the action of the primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 14. The toner images on the photosensitive drums 10 are formed at the timing when they are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 15 so as to overlap each other. Therefore, a four-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 15, with the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toner images overlapping each other. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 10 after passing through the primary transfer nip N1 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 13.

[0032] The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 15 is transported to the secondary transfer nip portion N2 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 15. Furthermore, the recording material P is transported to the secondary transfer nip portion N2 in synchronization with the timing at which the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 15 is transported to the secondary transfer nip portion N2. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 15 is transferred onto the recording material P at the secondary transfer nip portion N2 by the action of a secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 16.

[0033] The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is transported to a fixing device 8, where it is heated and pressurized, and the toner image is fixed (melted and fixed) onto the recording material P. As a result, a four-color image is formed on the recording material P. Any toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 15 after passing through the secondary transfer nip portion N2 is scraped off by a belt cleaner (not shown).

[0034] The recording material P that has passed through the fixing unit 8 is discharged to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus S by the discharge roller 7, and is stacked on the discharge tray 5, which is a discharge stacking section provided on the upper surface of the cover 4. The image forming operation by the image forming apparatus S is as described above.

[0035] The image forming apparatus S has an operation panel 6. The operation panel 6 has a touch panel type display (operation display section) that integrates a display section capable of displaying information based on image data and an operation section that detects touch operations from the user. The user can perform settings related to image formation, such as the number of sheets of recording material to be output and size settings, by touching and inputting with a finger the keys displayed on the display.

[0036] Next, the arrangement of the control board 31 and the wireless communication board 32 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0037] Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the rear of the image forming apparatus, and Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the rear of the image forming apparatus. Fig. 6 is a rear view of the image forming apparatus with the shield plate removed. Fig. 7 is a side cross-sectional view showing the control board and its surroundings of the image forming apparatus. Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the control board and its surroundings including the wireless communication board and magnetic sheet. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the mounting portion of the shield plate and the wireless communication board. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the magnetic sheet.

[0038] The image forming device S has a wireless communication board 32 that wirelessly communicates image data with external devices, a control board 31 connected to the wireless communication board 32 by a connection line, a support plate 33 as a first metal plate, and a shield plate 34 as a second metal plate.

[0039] The control board 31 is fixed to a support plate 33. A heat sink 36 is attached to the control board 31 for cooling a heat source such as a CPU (not shown) mounted on the control board 31. The control board 31 is electrically connected to the wireless communication board 32 by a flexible cable 37 which is a connecting line.

[0040] The support plate 33 covers the control board 31 and forms an accommodation space for accommodating the control board 31. As shown in Fig. 8, the support plate 33 has a fixing surface 33a for fixing the control board 31, and side walls 33b to 33e are formed to surround the periphery of the fixing surface 33a. The support plate 33 has an opening 33f on the side facing the fixing surface 33a in the plate thickness direction of the control board 31. The opening 33f of the support plate 33 is formed by the edges of the side walls 33b to 33e that surround the periphery of the fixing surface 33a.

[0041] In other words, the support plate 33 is made of metal sheet metal formed to surround the periphery of the control board 31, and at least one side has an open surface (opening 33f) that allows access to the control board 31 during assembly and maintenance.

[0042] Here, the thickness direction of the control board 31 coincides with the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus, since the support plate 33 is configured to be attached to the rear plate 17 that constitutes the frame of the image forming apparatus.

[0043] The support plate 33 is fixed to the rear side of the rear plate 17 disposed at the rear side of the image forming apparatus S. The control board 31 is attached to the image forming apparatus S by being attached to the support plate 33 from the open surface side.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the control board 31 is disposed relative to the image forming apparatus S below the discharge tray 5 in the vertical direction of the image forming apparatus S and downstream of the discharge rollers 7 in the conveying direction of the recording material P.

[0045] The shield plate 34 is attached to the support plate 33 so as to cover the opening 33f of the support plate 33. The shield plate 34, together with the support plate 33, covers the control board 31 and forms an accommodation space that accommodates the control board 31. The shield plate 34 is also made of a metal sheet similar to the support plate 33, and is fixed to the support plate 33 in a detachable manner.

[0046] Here, the surface of the shield plate 34 facing the control board 31 is the front surface in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus S, and the opposite surface is the rear surface.

[0047] The shield plate 34 has a first surface 34a on a rear surface 34B opposite to the front surface facing the control board 31, and a second surface 35 that is closer to the control board side in the thickness direction of the control board 31 than the first surface 34a.

[0048] The second surface 35 of the shield plate 34 is the surface on which the wireless communication board 32 is attached, and is a concave surface that is closer to the control board side in the thickness direction (front-to-back direction) of the control board 31 compared to the first surface 34a other than this attachment surface.

[0049] 8, the second surface (concave surface) 35 of the shield plate 34 is provided at a position different from the heat sink 36 attached to the control board 31 in the planar direction of the control board 31. In other words, the second surface (concave surface) 35 of the shield plate is provided at a portion that avoids components (e.g., heat sinks) that are large in size in the thickness direction of the control board 31 among the components mounted on the control board 31. This makes it possible to keep the height of the components (heat sinks 36 in this case) that are large in size in the thickness direction of the control board to a minimum, as shown in FIG. 7, and prevents the image forming apparatus from becoming larger.

[0050] The shield plate 34 has mounting portions 42a, 42b for mounting the wireless communication board 32, which are formed by cutting and raising the shield plate 34. As shown in Fig. 9, the shield plate 34 of this embodiment has a first mounting portion 42a and a second mounting portion 42b as the mounting portions. The first mounting portion 42a and the second mounting portion 42b are provided on the second surface 35 of the shield plate 34.

[0051] The first attachment portion 42a is formed by cutting and raising the shield plate 34, and has a seat surface 42a1 that is fixed to an attachment hole 324a, which is a first hole provided in the wireless communication board 32, by a screw.

[0052] The second mounting portion 42b is formed by cutting and raising the shield plate 34, and has a protrusion 42b1 that penetrates into a positioning hole 324b, which is a second hole, of the wireless communication board 32 to position the wireless communication board 32 on the shield plate 34. The second mounting portion 42b is formed by cutting and raising a portion of the shield plate 34 different from the first mounting portion 42a. The protrusion 42b1 of the second mounting portion 42b penetrates into a positioning hole 324b, which is a second hole provided in a position different from the mounting hole 324a, which is the first hole, of the wireless communication board 32, to position the wireless communication board 32 on the shield plate 34.

[0053] The mounting portions 42a, 42b are formed by cutting and raising the shield plate 34, and at that time, holes 43a, 43b are formed in the shield plate 34. That is, the shield plate 34 has holes 43a, 43b.

[0054] The wireless communication board 32 is attached to the rear surface 34B of the shield plate 34, which is opposite to the front surface facing the control board 31. That is, the wireless communication board 32 is attached to the rear surface of the image forming apparatus S of the shield plate 34. The rear surface 34B of the shield plate 34, which is the attachment surface, is provided with a concave surface (second surface 35) that is narrower toward the control board 31 than the first surface 34a. As described above, the second surface 35, which is the concave surface of the shield plate 34, is provided in a portion that avoids large components, such as a heat sink, among the mounted components of the control board 31. The wireless communication board 32 is attached to the second surface (concave surface) 35 of the shield plate 34. That is, the wireless communication board 32 is attached to the second surface (concave surface) 35 of the rear surface 34B, which is opposite to the surface facing the control board 31 of the shield plate 34.

[0055] The wireless communication board 32 is electrically connected to the control board 31 by a flexible cable 37 .

[0056] Here, the configuration of the wireless communication board 32 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0057] The wireless communication board 32 is a board in which a metal pattern is formed with multiple layers of copper foil on a substrate made of, for example, glass cloth impregnated with epoxy resin, and electronic components are mounted by soldering. However, the substrate may be manufactured using materials other than those mentioned above, and there is no restriction on the components to be mounted.

[0058] In this embodiment, the wireless communication board 32 is composed of a wireless communication antenna 321, a wireless communication driver circuit 322, a communication connector 323, an attachment hole 324a, and a positioning hole 324b.

[0059] The wireless communication antenna 321 is a pattern antenna formed of a metal pattern on the surface of the wireless communication board 32, and is used for transmitting and receiving wireless radio waves.

[0060] The wireless communication driver circuit 322 converts data for network communication between the control board 31 and an external device, outputs an electrical signal to the wireless communication antenna 321, or processes an electrical signal received by the wireless communication antenna 321. When transmitting data from the control board 31 to an external device, the wireless communication driver circuit 322 converts the data to be transmitted generated by the control board 31 into a signal format conforming to a wireless communication standard and outputs the signal as an electrical signal to the wireless communication antenna 321. When receiving data from the external device to the control board 31, the wireless communication driver circuit 322 decodes the electrical signal received by the wireless communication antenna 321 into communication data by a method conforming to the wireless communication standard and transmits the communication data to the control board 31. The wireless communication driver circuit 322 is composed of components mounted on the front and back surfaces of the wireless communication board 32, but there is no restriction on the surface on which the components are mounted, and the metal pattern connecting the components may be formed anywhere on the front and back surfaces or inner layers of the wireless communication board 32.

[0061] The communication connector 323 is an I / F connector used for wired connection for communicating data transmitted and received by the wireless communication board 32 between a network controller (not shown) and the wireless communication driver circuit 322. The communication connector 323 is mounted on the same surface as the wireless communication antenna 321.

[0062] The mounting hole 324a and the positioning hole 324b are used when attaching the wireless communication board 32 to the shield plate 34. The mounting hole 324a is used to determine the position of the screw when attaching the wireless communication board 32 to the shield plate 34 by screwing. Note that, although the mounting hole 324a has a closed hole shape in this embodiment, it may have a partially open shape such as a notch. The positioning hole 324b is used to determine the position of the wireless communication board 32 with respect to the shield plate 34. The position of the wireless communication board 32 with respect to the shield plate 34 is determined by passing the protrusion 42b1 of the second mounting portion 42b through the positioning hole 324b before screwing.

[0063] Incidentally, an exposed copper foil portion (not shown) electrically connected (contacting) to the seat surface 42a1 of the second mounting portion 42b is provided around the mounting hole 324a on the surface of the wireless communication board 32 facing the shield plate 34. The exposed copper foil portion is conductive to the GND potential of the wireless communication board 32 including the wireless communication driver circuit 322. Incidentally, the exposed copper foil portion may be surface-treated, for example, by gold plating, so as to have conductivity and be less susceptible to oxidation.

[0064] Here, the propagation characteristics of the radio waves of the wireless communication board 32 are affected by the stability of the GND potential, which is the reference potential of the wireless communication board 32, and if the GND potential is unstable, the propagation characteristics of the radio waves become poor. As an example of a method for stabilizing the GND potential of the wireless communication board 32, there is a method of conducting the GND potential of the wireless communication board 32 to the frame, which is a metal casing that serves as the GND potential of the image forming apparatus S. First, the mounting portion 42a for mounting the wireless communication board 32 to the image forming apparatus S is placed in a state of conduction with the frame of the image forming apparatus S. Next, the wireless communication board 32 is screwed to the mounting portion 42a of the image forming apparatus S through the mounting hole 324a so that the mounting portion 42a of the image forming apparatus S and the exposed copper foil portion of the wireless communication board 32 come into contact with each other. The mounting portion 42a of the image forming apparatus S and the exposed copper foil portion of the wireless communication board 32 are pressed together by the pressure of the screwing, so that the GND potential of the wireless communication board 32 is conducted to the GND potential of the image forming apparatus S.

[0065] In this embodiment, the copper foil exposed portion of the wireless communication board 32 is brought into contact with the metal of the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus S by applying pressure by screwing, and the continuity of the GND potential is ensured, but the method of ensuring the continuity of the GND potential is not limited to this. For example, a conductive spring or conductive grease may be provided on the metal between the copper foil exposed portion and the mounting portion of the image forming apparatus to ensure the continuity of the GND potential, and the wireless communication board 32 may be attached without applying pressure as with screwing. Furthermore, if the radio wave propagation characteristics of the wireless communication antenna 321 are sufficiently good, the mounting hole 324a and the copper foil exposed portion may not be formed on the wireless communication board 32. Alternatively, in the wireless communication board 32 having the mounting hole 324a and the copper foil exposed portion, when the wireless communication board 32 is assembled to the image forming apparatus S, the copper foil exposed portion may not be used to establish continuity with the frame of the image forming apparatus. This embodiment does not limit the inclusion of the mounting hole 324a and the copper foil exposed portion in the configuration of the wireless communication board 32.

[0066] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus S has magnetic sheets 40, 41 each having a magnetic layer containing at least metal powder. The magnetic sheets 40, 41 are disposed between the wireless communication board 32 and the control board 31, and are attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover the wireless communication board 32.

[0067] Here, first, the structure of the magnetic sheets 40 and 41 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of the magnetic sheets 40 and 41. The magnetic sheets 40 and 41 have the same structure.

[0068] The magnetic sheets 40 and 41 are composed of a surface film 401, a magnetic layer 402, a double-sided adhesive tape 403, and a release liner 404. The surface film 401 is a protective layer that protects the magnetic layer 402, and is an insulator. The magnetic layer 402 is a conductor mainly composed of metal powder and resin, and the principle of radio wave absorption varies depending on the type of material used, and is classified into three types: dielectric loss, magnetic loss, and reflection loss. The double-sided adhesive tape 403 is an adhesive layer that fixes the magnetic sheets 40 and 41 to the place where they are attached, and is an insulator. The release liner 404 protects the double-sided adhesive tape 403, and is peeled off when the magnetic sheets 40 and 41 are used.

[0069] The arrangement of the magnetic sheets 40 and 41 will be further described with reference to FIG.

[0070] The magnetic sheets 40 and 41 include a magnetic layer 402 (see FIG. 10) that contains at least metal powder. This allows the magnetic sheets 40 and 41 to convert electromagnetic waves such as electrical noise generated from the substrate into heat.

[0071] The magnetic sheet 40 is disposed between the wireless communication board 32 and the shield plate 34, and is attached to the surface (outer surface) of the shield plate 34 facing the wireless communication board.

[0072] The magnetic sheet 40 is attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover an area larger than the board area of ​​the wireless communication board 32 .

[0073] At this time, the magnetic sheet 40 is attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover at least the area of ​​the wireless communication antenna 201 of the wireless communication board 32 .

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the magnetic sheet 40 is attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover the area other than the holes 43a, 43b formed in the shield plate 34 to form the mounting portions 42a, 42b (see FIG. 9).

[0075] Further, the magnetic sheet 41 is disposed between the control board 31 and the shield plate 34, and is attached to the surface (inner surface) of the shield plate 34 facing the control board.

[0076] The magnetic sheet 41 is attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover holes 43a, 43b formed in the shield plate 34 to form the mounting portions 42a, 42b.

[0077] In this manner, by arranging the magnetic sheets 40, 41, it is possible to prevent the radio waves of the wireless communication board 32 from becoming weak when the wireless communication board 32 is attached to the shield plate 34, and it is also possible to reduce the emission of electrical noise from the control board 31 to the outside of the aircraft, and to reduce the impact of noise input from the outside of the aircraft to the control board.

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, the wireless communication board 32 is attached to the rear surface 34B of the shield plate 34 opposite to the surface facing the control board 31, and is attached to the second surface (concave surface) 35 of the rear surface 34B narrowed toward the control board 31 side more than the first surface 34a. This makes it possible to improve the communication function of the wireless communication board 32 while preventing the size of the storage space formed by the support plate 33 and the shield plate 34 from increasing in the thickness direction of the control board 31. Furthermore, when the wireless communication board 32 is attached in this manner, it is possible to prevent the radio waves of the wireless communication board 32 from becoming weak, reduce the emission of electrical noise from the control board 31 to the outside of the machine, and reduce the effect of noise input from the outside of the machine to the control board.

[0079] In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic sheet 40 arranged between the wireless communication board 32 and the control board 31 is attached to the shield plate 34 so as to cover the wireless communication board 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the magnetic sheet 40 arranged between the wireless communication board 32 and the control board 31 may be attached to the surface of the wireless communication board 32 opposite to the surface on which the wireless communication antenna 201 is provided (the surface facing the shield plate). In this case, it is preferable to attach the magnetic sheet 40 so as to cover at least the area of ​​the wireless communication antenna 201 of the wireless communication board 32. The magnetic sheet 40 arranged between the wireless communication board 32 and the control board 31 may be attached to either the shield plate 34 or the wireless communication board 32, or may be attached to both.

[0080] In the above-described embodiment, the exposure unit is a scanning exposure type exposure unit (laser scanner unit) that rotates a rotating polygon mirror to perform scanning exposure, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the exposure unit may be an exposure head in which light-emitting elements such as LEDs and organic EL are arranged in a substantially straight line in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum (main scanning direction).

[0081] In the above-mentioned embodiment, a printer is exemplified as an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, other image forming apparatuses such as a copier or a facsimile machine, or other image forming apparatuses such as a multifunction machine combining the functions of these, may be used. In addition, an image forming apparatus that uses an intermediate transfer body, transfers toner images of each color to the intermediate transfer body in a sequentially overlapping manner, and transfers the toner images carried on the intermediate transfer body to a recording material all at once is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. An image forming apparatus that uses a recording material carrier, and transfers toner images of each color to the recording material carried on the recording material carrier in a sequentially overlapping manner may be used. Similar effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to these image forming apparatuses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] S...Image forming device 2...Exposure unit 10...Photosensitive drum 17...Rear side plate 31 ... Control board 32 ... Wireless communication board 33...Support plate 33a...Fixed surface 33b~33e…Side wall 33f…Aperture 34 ... Shield plate 34B…Rear side 34a…First page 35…Second side 36 ... Heat sink 37 ... Flexible cable 40, 41 ... Magnetic sheet 42a … First mounting part 42a1 … Seat 42b …Second mounting part 42b1...Protrusion 321 ... Wireless communication antenna 322 ... Wireless communication driver circuit 323 …Communication connectors 324a …Mounting holes 324b ... Positioning hole 401 ... Surface film 402...Magnetic layer 403 ... double-sided adhesive tape 404 ... Release Liner

Claims

1. a wireless communication board for wirelessly communicating image data with an external device; a control board connected to the wireless communication board via a connection line; a first metal plate that supports the control board and defines an accommodation space that accommodates the control board; A second metal plate attached to the first metal plate and forming the accommodation space together with the first metal plate; having the control board is accommodated between the second metal plate and the first metal plate on a first surface side of the second metal plate facing the first metal plate, The second metal plate has a recess that is brought closer to the first metal plate, The image forming apparatus, characterized in that the wireless communication board is attached to the recess on a second surface side of the second metal plate opposite the first surface.

2. A magnetic sheet having a magnetic layer containing at least metal powder, 2 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the magnetic sheet is disposed between the wireless communication board and the control board and is attached to the second metal plate so as to cover the wireless communication board.

3. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic sheet has a protective layer for protecting the magnetic layer, and an adhesive layer for attaching the magnetic sheet to the second metal plate.

4. 3 . The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the magnetic sheet is disposed between the wireless communication board and the second metal plate and attached to the second surface of the second metal plate.

5. 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic sheet is attached to the second metal plate so as to cover at least an antenna region of the wireless communication board.

6. the second metal plate has an attachment portion for attaching the wireless communication board, the attachment portion being formed by cutting and raising a part of the second metal plate, 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the magnetic sheet is attached to the second metal plate so as to cover an area other than a hole formed in the second metal plate to form the mounting portion.

7. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic sheet is disposed between the control board and the second metal plate and is attached to the first surface of the second metal plate.

8. the second metal plate has an attachment portion for attaching the wireless communication board, the attachment portion being formed by cutting and raising a part of the second metal plate, 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the magnetic sheet is attached to the second metal plate so as to cover a hole formed in the second metal plate to form the mounting portion.

9. The mounting portion of the second metal plate is a first mounting portion formed by cutting and raising a part of the second metal plate and having a seat surface for screwing a first hole provided in the wireless communication board; and a second mounting portion formed by cutting and raising a portion of the second metal sheet different from the first mounting portion, the second mounting portion having a protrusion that penetrates a second hole provided in a position different from the first hole of the wireless communication board to position the wireless communication board on the second metal sheet.

10. an exterior member forming an exterior of the image forming apparatus; an image forming section for forming an image on a recording material; a frame that is made up of a plurality of metal plates and supports the image forming unit; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a first metal plate to which the control board is fixed is attached to the frame, and the exterior member is attached to the frame so as to cover a second metal plate that is attached to the first metal plate and supports the wireless communication board.

11. a heat sink is attached to the control board to cool a heat source mounted on the control board; 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the concave surface of the second metal plate is provided at a position different from a heat sink attached to the control board in a planar direction of the control board.

Images