Image forming device

Abstract

To improve workability when attaching / detaching a drive unit including a control board to / from an image forming device.SOLUTION: An image forming device comprises: a drive unit removably attached to a rear side of the image forming device; a drive control board that is arranged on a rear side of the drive unit, and controls the drive unit; a controller board that is arranged on one side in a first direction with respect to the drive control board on the rear side of the image forming device, and performs integrated control of the entire device; and a power supply board that is arranged on the other side in the first direction with respect to the drive control board on the rear side of the image forming device, and supplies power. The drive control board has a first connector that connects a first cable electrically connected to the controller board, and a second connector that connects a second cable electrically connected to the power supply board, the second connector electrically connected to the first connector on the drive control board. Power is supplied from the power supply board to the controller board via the drive control board.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a laser printer, or a facsimile machine, that employs an electrophotographic system. [Background technology]

[0002] In image forming devices such as copiers and printers, drive units and control boards that control the drive units require less frequent maintenance such as replacement and cleaning than the photosensitive drums and developing devices that form images, and so are arranged together on the back side of the device.

[0003] For example, from the viewpoint of ease of maintenance by a serviceman, it is ideal for a drive unit for driving a photosensitive drum to be detachable from an image forming apparatus together with a control board that controls the drive unit. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a control board is disposed on a drive unit disposed in the center of the rear side of an image forming apparatus. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-184029 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional configuration, there were cases where the cable of a unit not subject to maintenance passed through the unit subject to maintenance as an electrical path. In this case, it was necessary to access the unit not subject to maintenance and remove the cable passing through the unit subject to maintenance before accessing the unit subject to maintenance. For example, when removing a drive unit from an image forming apparatus, it was necessary to remove the cable passing through the drive unit, which deteriorated the workability during maintenance.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to improve the ease of installation and removal of a drive unit including a control board in 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 drive unit removably attached to the rear side of an image forming apparatus, a drive control board arranged on the rear side of the drive unit and controlling the drive unit, a controller board arranged on one side of the drive control board in a first direction on the rear side of the image forming apparatus and performing integrated control of the entire apparatus, and a power supply board arranged on the other side of the first direction on the rear side of the image forming apparatus from the drive control board, the drive control board having a first connector for connecting a first cable electrically connected to the controller board, and a second connector for connecting a second cable electrically connected to the power supply board, the second connector being electrically connected to the first connector on the drive control board, and power is supplied from the power supply board to the controller board via the drive control board. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the workability when attaching and detaching a drive unit including a drive control board to and from an image forming apparatus. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus [Diagram 2] Electrical system block diagram [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows the electrical arrangement of a main drive unit according to a first comparative example. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an electrical arrangement configuration of a main drive unit according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an electrical arrangement configuration of a feed drive unit of Comparative Example 2. [Figure 6]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an electrical arrangement configuration of a feed drive unit according to a second embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the following embodiments can be appropriately modified or changed, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these.

[0011] Example 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus.

[0012] 1 illustrates a copying machine equipped with an original feeding device 170 that feeds an original to be read and a reading device 160 that reads an image of the original. However, the image forming device is not limited to this, and may be another image forming device, such as a printer that does not include a reading device.

[0013] 1 illustrates a configuration using an intermediate transfer tandem system in which four image forming units that form toner images of the respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are arranged side by side on an intermediate transfer body. However, the image forming device is not limited to a color image forming device equipped with a plurality of photosensitive drums 3 as shown in FIG. 1, and may be a color image forming device equipped with one photosensitive drum or an image forming device that forms a monochrome image.

[0014] First, an overview of the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] 1, each image forming unit is provided with rotatable photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K, which are photosensitive bodies (rotating bodies) of the respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). In the following description, the reference characters Y, M, C, and K indicate the colors of toner.

[0016] In each image forming station, the photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K are uniformly charged by primary charging devices 10Y, 10M, 10C, and 10K, respectively. The charged photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K are exposed to light modulated by exposure devices 2Y, 2M, 2C, and 2K in response to information signals, and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

[0017] The latent images formed on the photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K are visualized as toner images by the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners in the developing devices 20Y, 20M, 20C, and 20K, respectively.

[0018] The visualized toner images of each color are transferred by primary transfer rollers 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K so as to be superimposed on an intermediate transfer body 7a of the intermediate transfer unit 7. The intermediate transfer body 7a is an endless belt. The intermediate transfer unit 7 includes a plurality of rollers, such as a drive roller and primary transfer rollers 30Y, 30M, 30C, and 30K, and the intermediate transfer body 7a wrapped around these rollers.

[0019] Meanwhile, sheets S, which are recording materials stored in a cassette 4, are fed one by one by a feeding unit 5 including a feeding roller, and are transported by a registration roller 6 to a nip portion (secondary transfer portion) between a secondary transfer roller 34 and an intermediate transfer body 7a at a predetermined timing.

[0020] Alternatively, sheets S, which are recording materials set on a manual feed tray 11, are fed one by one by a manual feed unit 12 including a manual feed roller, and are transported by a registration roller 6 to a nip portion (secondary transfer portion) between a secondary transfer roller 34 and an intermediate transfer body 7a at a predetermined timing.

[0021] The toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 7a is then transferred onto the sheet S by the secondary transfer roller 34. The toner image transferred onto the sheet S is fixed onto the sheet S by the fixing unit 8. The sheet S with the fixed image is discharged by a reversing discharge unit 9 including a discharge roller.

[0022] The image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a view of the image forming apparatus 1 from the front side (near side or front side). On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 4 is a view of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 from the rear side (rear side or back side) opposite to the front side. The front side (near side or front side) of the image forming apparatus 1 and the rear side (rear side or back side) of the image forming apparatus 1 are defined as the front side (near side or front side) and the rear side (rear side or back side) of the image forming apparatus 1, respectively. In addition, in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the photosensitive drum 3K 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 3Y on which the electrostatic latent image of the yellow toner image is formed is disposed is defined as the left side. When the photosensitive drum 3Y 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 3K on which the electrostatic latent image of the black toner image is formed is defined as the right side. Furthermore, the vertical upward direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction defined here is defined as the up direction, and the vertical downward direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction defined here is defined as the down direction. Except for the defined forward and backward directions, the rightward direction R, the leftward direction L, the upward direction U, and the downward direction D are shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 6.

[0023] Next, an electrical system that is disposed on the rear side of image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and controls the operation of image forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

[0024] The center of control is a system controller board 111 that performs integrated control of the entire device. The system controller board 111 is equipped with an operation unit (User Interface, hereinafter referred to as UI) 215 and an external I / F (input / output circuit) 115 that inputs and outputs signals to and from the outside. The operation unit (UI) 215 has keys and an operation panel for inputting information to the image forming apparatus 1, and is disposed on the front side (front side) of the image forming apparatus 1. The system controller board 111 processes image data input from the outside in response to instructions from the operation unit (UI) 215, and converts it into exposure data for the photosensitive drums 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K of each color.

[0025] The system controller board 111 includes a CPU 112, a ROM 113 that stores programs for controlling each unit, a RAM 114 that temporarily stores data, and an external I / F (input / output circuit) 115 that inputs and outputs signals to and from the outside.

[0026] The system controller board 111 is provided inside the controller box unit 100 together with the SSD / HDD 122. The SSD / HDD 122 is a large-capacity storage device for saving electronic data, and can mainly store image processing programs, digital image data, and supplementary information for the digital image data.

[0027] The controller box unit 100 including the system controller board 111 and the SSD / HDD 122 is disposed on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. The rear side of the image forming apparatus is the side opposite to the front side where the operation unit is provided, in other words, the rear side opposite to the front side of the image forming apparatus.

[0028] A main drive unit 101, a feed drive unit 105, a power supply unit 103, a manual feed drive unit 104, and the like are connected to the system controller board 111.

[0029] In the system controller board 111, various programs related to the control of the image forming apparatus 1 and various image data are stored in a ROM 113 (storage unit). A CPU 112 performs various arithmetic processing based on the control programs stored in the ROM 113. A RAM 114 temporarily stores data. That is, the CPU 112 uses the RAM 114 as a working area based on the control programs stored in the ROM 113, controls each unit connected to the system controller board 111, and executes the image forming operation described above.

[0030] On the other hand, control for image formation is performed by a main drive control board 201. The main drive control board 201 is disposed in the main drive unit 101, and is configured as an integrated unit with the drum drive motor 40 and the development drive motor 42.

[0031] The main drive control board 201 includes a CPU 202, a ROM 203 that stores programs for controlling each part, a RAM 204 that temporarily stores data, and an ASIC 205 that is connected to the drive motors and each unit and controls them.

[0032] Here, the main drive control board 201 is connected to a drive motor (drive source) that rotates and drives the image forming section in the main drive unit 101, sensors, and the like.

[0033] The main drive unit 101 has a drive source that drives a rotating body, and a main drive control board 201 disposed in the main drive unit 101 controls this drive source. Specifically, the main drive unit 101 has a drum drive motor 40 as a first drive source that drives the photosensitive drum 3 as a rotating body, a development drive motor 42 as a second drive source that drives the developing device 20 including a developing roller as a rotating body, and the like.

[0034] Therefore, the main drive control board 201 is connected to drum drive motors 40 (40Y, 40M, 40C, 40K) that rotate the photosensitive drums 3 and development drive motors 42 (42Y, 42M, 42C, 42K) that rotate the developing devices 20 within the main drive unit 101. The main drive control board 201 disposed in the main drive unit 101 controls the drum drive motors 40 and the development drive motors 42.

[0035] In addition, the main drive control board 201 is connected by bundled wires to each high-voltage board in a high-voltage board unit 218 that generates the high voltage required in the charging, developing, and transfer processes, and to motors and sensors of transport units such as the intermediate transfer unit 7, the fixing unit 8, and the reversing and discharging unit 9.

[0036] Further, the main drive control board 201 is connected to a feed drive control board 220 arranged in the feed drive unit 105, and controls sensors and motors used for sheet transport.

[0037] Furthermore, the main drive control board 201 is also connected to a DC power supply board 221 of the power supply unit 103. The power supply unit 103 includes a DC power supply board 221 to which a power supply fan 228 is connected, and an AC power supply board 222 connected to the DC power supply board 221 and to a commercial power source.

[0038] The DC power supply board 221 includes a power supply generating circuit 221A, a power supply generating circuit 221B, and a power supply control circuit / fan control circuit 221C to which a power supply fan 228 is connected.

[0039] The power supply generating circuit 221A is a power supply circuit for generating 12V for operating the CPU 202 of the main control board 201, the CPU 112 of the system controller board 100, and the SSD / HDD 122. The power supply generating circuit 221B is a power supply circuit for generating 24V for operating drive loads such as the development drive motor 42 and the drum drive motor 40. The power supply control circuit / fan control circuit 221C switches the output of the power supply generating circuit 221A and the power supply generating circuit 221B ON / OFF and switches to a power saving mode in response to a command from the CPU 112 of the system controller board 100. The CPU 112 also controls the power supply fan 228 for cooling the power supply to full speed / half speed / stop depending on the operation mode of the image forming apparatus, and the power supply control circuit / fan control circuit 221C switches the operation mode of the fan in response to a command from the CPU 112.

[0040] The AC power supply board 222 includes an AC filter circuit 222a.

[0041] The AC filter circuit 222a is a filter circuit for preventing noise from entering the commercial power supply and noise from escaping from the image forming apparatus, and is formed by a common mode choke coil and a capacitor. The AC filter circuit 222a is configured to distribute the filtered power to the DC power supply board 221 and the fixing unit 8.

[0042] In the power supply unit 103, a DC power supply board 221 converts AC power from an AC power supply board 222 connected to a commercial power source via a power cable 223 into DC power to generate the necessary power. The generated power is supplied to the system controller board 111, the main drive control board 201, the feed drive control board 220, etc.

[0043] Furthermore, the DC power supply board 221 of the power supply unit 103 is controlled by the system controller board 111. When the image forming apparatus 1 transitions to a power saving mode, the power output mode of the DC power supply board 221 and the operation mode of the power supply fan 228 for cooling the DC power supply board 221 are changed by a control signal from the system controller board 111.

[0044] The control for transporting the sheet S is performed by a feed drive control board 220. The feed drive control board 220 is disposed in the feed drive unit 105, and is configured as a unit integrated with a feed drive motor 224 and a transport drive motor 225. The feed drive control board 220 is connected to the drive motors 224 and 225 and includes an ASIC 229 for controlling them. The feed drive unit 105 includes a feed drive motor 224 as a third drive source for driving the feed unit 5 including a feed roller as a rotating body, and a transport drive motor 225 for driving a transport unit including a registration roller 6 as a rotating body. The feed unit 5 and the transport unit are units for transporting the sheet S.

[0045] The control for manual feeding of the sheet S is also performed by the feeding drive control board 220. The manual feeding drive unit 104 has a manual feeding drive motor 226 that drives the manual feeding unit 12 including a manual feeding roller as a rotating body, and a paper type detection sensor 227 as a detection means for detecting the type of the sheet S. The manual feeding drive motor 226 is connected to and controlled by the ASIC 225 of the feeding drive control board 220. The paper type detection sensor 227 is connected to the CPU 112 of the system controller board 111.

[0046] In this manner, image formation is performed by the system controller board 111, which performs overall control of the entire apparatus, and the main drive control board 201, which controls the devices responsible for image formation, coordinating and controlling the timing.

[0047] Next, the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of this embodiment will be described in comparison with the arrangement of comparative examples with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of Comparative Example 1. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of Example 1.

[0048] First, the layout and configuration of the boards on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

[0049] 3 and 4 includes a main drive unit 101 and a main drive control board 201 that controls the main drive unit 101. The main drive unit 101 is removably attached to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1. The main drive control board 201 is disposed on the rear side of the main drive unit 101.

[0050] Furthermore, image forming apparatus 1 includes a system controller board 111, and power supply boards, that is, a DC power supply board 221 and an AC power supply board 222. System controller board 111 is disposed on one side (here, the upper side) in the vertical direction, which is a first direction, from main drive control board 201 on the rear side of image forming apparatus 1. DC power supply board 221 and AC power supply board 222 are disposed on the other side (here, the lower side) in the vertical direction, which is the first direction, from main drive control board 201 on the rear side of image forming apparatus 1.

[0051] In other words, the main drive control board 201 is disposed on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1, between the system controller board 111 and the AC power supply board 222 and the DC power supply board 221.

[0052] In the configuration of Comparative Example 1 shown in FIG. 3, the control line 301 and the power line 302, which are cables electrically connected to the DC power supply board 221 described above, are routed vertically through the main drive unit 101 and directly connected to the system controller board 111.

[0053] Here, the cable electrically connecting the boards has a control line (signal line) for transmitting signals and a power line for supplying power, and the control line and the power line are provided separately. However, the cable electrically connecting the boards is not limited to this. For example, the cable may be a bundled wire in which the control line and the power line are bundled together.

[0054] 3, when removing the main drive unit 101 to be maintained from the image forming apparatus 1, it was necessary to remove the cables from the connectors of the system controller board 111 or the DC power supply board 221, which are not to be maintained. Then, it was necessary to move the cables (wire bundle) away from the main drive unit 101 and access the main drive unit 101. Therefore, it was necessary to access a unit other than the main drive unit 101 to be maintained and remove the control line 301 and the power line 302, which are cables, which deteriorated the workability during maintenance.

[0055] In contrast, the configuration of this embodiment shown in Figure 4 is configured to make it easy to remove the unit by cutting the bundled wires at the entrance / exit of the unit when an electrical path spanning multiple units occurs.

[0056] Specifically, the system controller board 111 has connectors 111a, 111b for electrically connecting cables, and the connectors 111a, 111b are respectively connected to a controller side control line 403 and a controller side power line 404, which are the first cables.

[0057] The DC power supply board 221 also has connectors 221a, 221b for electrically connecting cables, and a power supply side control line 401 and a power supply side power line 402, which are second cables, are connected to the connectors 221a, 221b, respectively.

[0058] The main drive control board 201 has first connectors 201a and 201b that connect a control line 403 and a power line 404, which are a first cable electrically connected to the system controller board 111. The main drive control board 201 further has second connectors 201c and 201d that connect a control line 401 and a power line 402, which are a second cable electrically connected to a DC power supply board 221. In the main drive control board 201, the second connectors 201c and 201d are electrically connected to the first connectors 201a and 201b, respectively.

[0059] More specifically, the first connectors 201a and 201b are arranged on one side (here, the upper side) of the main drive control board 201 in the vertical direction. Meanwhile, the second connectors 201c and 201d are arranged on the other side (here, the lower side) of the main drive control board 201. In other words, the first connectors 201a and 201b that connect a first cable electrically connected to the system controller board 111 are arranged on the system controller board side. Also, the second connectors 201c and 201d that connect a second cable electrically connected to the DC power supply board 221 are arranged on the DC power supply board side.

[0060] In this way, the power supply side control line 401 and the power supply side power line 402, which are the second cables, are connected vertically downward of the main drive control board 201. The control lines and power lines connected to the downward side of the main drive control board 201 are wired inside the board and are output again from the vertically upward side of the main drive control board 201 as the controller side control line 403 and the controller side power line 404, which are the first cables. In other words, the second connectors 201c and 201d are electrically connected to the first connectors 201a and 201b, respectively, on the main drive control board 201. The controller side control line 403 and the controller side power line 404 are connected to the system controller board 111.

[0061] Therefore, in this embodiment, power is supplied from the DC power supply board 221 to the system controller board 111 via the main drive control board 201.

[0062] By adopting such a connection configuration, it is possible to eliminate the need for a cable that spans the unit (main drive unit 101) arranged between the boards. When removing the main drive unit 101 to be maintained from the image forming apparatus 1, it is only necessary to remove the cable from the main drive control board 201 arranged in the main drive unit 101 to be maintained. In other words, when removing a unit to be maintained, it is not necessary to access units that are not to be maintained. This improves the ease of installation and removal of the main drive unit 101 including the main drive control board 201 from the image forming apparatus 1.

[0063] Furthermore, main drive control board 201 is disposed on the rear side of main drive unit 101. First connectors 201a, 201b are disposed on the surface of main drive control board 201 opposite the surface facing main drive unit 101. Second connectors 201c, 201d are disposed on the same surface of main drive control board 201 as the first connectors 201a, 201b. This improves the ease of maintenance work.

[0064] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a unit to be maintained and arranged between two boards is to be removed from the image forming apparatus, the unit can be removed by disconnecting the cable from the board arranged on the unit. In other words, the workability can be improved when attaching and detaching the main drive unit 101 including the main drive control board 201 to and from the image forming apparatus.

[0065] Example 2 Next, a description will be given of an image forming apparatus according to embodiment 2. The schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus is almost the same as that of the above-described embodiment, so members having equivalent functions are given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Here, the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of this embodiment will be described in comparison with the arrangement of a comparative example, with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of Comparative Example 2. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the electrical arrangement of the main drive unit of Example 2.

[0067] First, the layout and configuration of the boards on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.

[0068] 5 and 6, like the image forming apparatus shown in Figures 3 and 4, includes a main drive unit 101 and a main drive control board 201 that controls the main drive unit 101. The image forming apparatus 1 further includes a system controller board 111 and power supply boards, that is, a DC power supply board 221 and an AC power supply board 222. The arrangement of these is the same as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0069] 5 and 6 is similar to the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but is also connected to a manual feed drive unit 104 that drives the manual feed unit 12. A paper type detection sensor 227 for determining the type of sheet S set in the manual feed tray 11 is built into the manual feed drive unit 104. That is, the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a paper type detection sensor 227 that is a detection means for detecting the sheet S as a recording material. The paper type detection sensor 227 is disposed on the other side (here, below) of the main drive control board 201 in the vertical direction, which is the first direction, on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0070] In other words, the main drive control board 201 is disposed on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 between the system controller board 111 and the paper type detection sensor 227.

[0071] The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment also has, as drive units, a main drive unit 101 which is a first drive unit, and a feed drive unit 105 which is a second drive unit. The feed drive unit 105 is removably attached to the rear side of the image forming apparatus 1 on the other side (here, the lower side) of the main drive unit 101 in the vertical direction which is the first direction.

[0072] The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment also includes, as drive control boards, a main drive control board 201 which is a first drive control board, and a feed drive control board 220 which is a second drive control board. The feed drive control board 220 is disposed on the rear side of the feed drive unit 105, and controls the feed drive unit 105.

[0073] In this embodiment, the drive unit is exemplified by the main drive unit 101 and the feed drive unit 105, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to have either one of the drive units. In this case, the drive control board for controlling the drive unit also has one of the drive control boards.

[0074] 5, a sensor signal line 501, which is a cable electrically connected to the paper type detection sensor 227, is routed so as to traverse the feed drive unit 105 and the main drive unit 101, and is directly connected to the system controller board 111. Therefore, information detected by the paper type detection sensor 227 is transmitted to the system controller board 111 via the sensor signal line 501, and the data is processed by the CPU in the system controller board 111 to determine the paper type.

[0075] 5, when removing the feed drive unit 105 or the main drive unit 101 to be maintained from the image forming apparatus 1, it was necessary to remove the cable from the system controller board 111 or the manual feed unit 12, which are not to be maintained. Then, it was necessary to move the cable (bundle) away from the feed drive unit 105 or the main drive unit 101 to access the main drive unit 101. Therefore, it was necessary to access a unit other than the feed drive unit 105 or the main drive unit 101 to be maintained and remove the sensor signal line 501, which deteriorated the workability during maintenance.

[0076] In contrast, the configuration of this embodiment shown in Figure 6 is configured to make it easy to remove the unit by cutting the cable bundle at the entrance / exit of the unit when an electrical path spanning multiple units occurs.

[0077] Specifically, the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 6 has the following configuration in addition to the configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

[0078] The system controller board 111 has a connector 111c for electrically connecting a cable, and a controller side control line 603, which is a first cable, is connected to the connector 111c.

[0079] The main drive control board 201 has a first connector 201e that connects a controller side control line 603, which is a first cable electrically connected to the system controller board 111. The main drive control board 201 further has a second connector 201f that connects a feed side control line 602, which is an intermediate cable. In the main drive control board 201, the second connector 201f is electrically connected to the first connector 201e.

[0080] More specifically, the first connector 201e is disposed on one side (here, the upper side) of the main drive control board 201 in the vertical direction. Meanwhile, the second connector 201f is disposed on the other side (here, the lower side) of the main drive control board 201. In other words, the first connector 201e that connects the controller side control line 603, which is a first cable electrically connected to the system controller board 111, is disposed on the system controller board side. Also, the second connector 201f that connects the feed side control line 602, which is an intermediate cable electrically connected to the feed drive control board 220, is disposed on the feed drive control board side.

[0081] The feed drive control board 220 has a first connector 220b that connects the feed side control line 602, which is the intermediate cable electrically connected to the main drive control board 201. The feed drive control board 220 further has a second connector 220a that connects a manual feed side sensor signal line 601, which is a second cable electrically connected to a paper type detection sensor 227 built into the manual feed unit 12. In the feed drive control board 220, the second connector 220a is electrically connected to the first connector 220b.

[0082] More specifically, the second connector 220a is disposed on the right side in the left-right direction on the feed drive control board 220. Also, the second connector 220a is disposed on the vertically lower side of the feed drive control board 220 compared to the first connector 220b. That is, the second connector 220a is disposed on the manual feed unit side of the feed drive control board 220. Also, the first connector 220b is disposed on the vertically upper side of the feed drive control board 220. That is, the first connector 220b is disposed on the main drive control board side of the feed drive control board 220.

[0083] The second connector 220a and the first connector 220b of the feed drive control board 220 are electrically connected to the feed drive control board 220. That is, the manual insertion side sensor signal line 601 connected to the lower side (right side) of the feed drive control board 220 is wired inside the board and is output again as a feed side control line 602 from the vertically upper side of the feed drive control board 220. Therefore, the detection signal of the paper type detection sensor 227 is output to the main drive control board 201 together with the control signal between the main drive control board 201 and the feed drive control board 220.

[0084] In this way, the feed side control line 602 is connected vertically below the main drive control board 201. The feed side control line 602 connected to the lower side of the main drive control board 201 is wired inside the board and is output again vertically above the main drive control board 201 as a controller side control line 603. The controller side control line 603 is connected to the system controller board 111. The detection signal of the paper type detection sensor 227 is output to the system controller board 111 together with a control signal between the main drive control board 201 and the system controller board 111.

[0085] Therefore, in this embodiment, the transmission of a signal from the paper type detection sensor 227 to the system controller board 111 is performed via the feed drive control board 220 and the main drive control board 201 .

[0086] By adopting such a connection configuration, it is possible to eliminate a cable that straddles a unit (main drive unit 101 or feed drive unit 105) arranged between the boards. When removing the main drive unit 101 or the feed drive unit 105 to be maintained from the image forming apparatus 1, it is only necessary to remove the cable from the main drive control board 201 arranged in the main drive unit 101 to be maintained. Or, it is only necessary to remove the cable from the feed drive control board 220 arranged in the feed drive unit 105 to be maintained. In other words, when removing a unit to be maintained, it is not necessary to access a unit that is not the object of maintenance. This improves the workability when attaching and detaching the main drive unit 101 including the main drive control board 201 to and from the image forming apparatus 1. It is also possible to improve the workability when attaching and detaching the feed drive unit 105 including the feed drive control board 220 to and from the image forming apparatus 1.

[0087] Other Examples In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the vertical direction is exemplified as the first direction in the configuration in which the main drive control board is disposed between the system controller board and the power supply board. In addition, a configuration in which the system controller board is disposed vertically above the main drive control board and the power supply board is disposed vertically below the main drive control board is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the system controller board may be disposed vertically below the main drive control board and the power supply board may be disposed vertically above the main drive control board. For example, the first direction may be the left-right direction, and the system controller board may be disposed on one side of the left-right direction and the power supply board on the other side of the left-right direction with respect to the main drive control board. Alternatively, the first direction may be an oblique direction combining the vertical direction and the left-right direction, and the system controller board may be disposed on one side of the oblique direction (for example, the upper right side) and the power supply board on the other side of the left-right direction (for example, the lower left side) with respect to the main drive control board. Even in such an arrangement, the same effect can be obtained by applying the present invention.

[0088] In the above-mentioned embodiment, a copying machine is exemplified as an image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be other image forming apparatuses such as a printer or a facsimile machine, or other image forming apparatuses such as a multifunction machine combining the functions of these. 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. It may be 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. Similar effects can be obtained by applying the present invention to these image forming apparatuses. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1. Image forming device 3...Photosensitive drum (photoconductor) 5. Feeding unit 7...Intermediate transfer unit 7a ... intermediate transfer body 20...Developing device 40 ... Drum drive motor 42 ... Development drive motor 100 ... Controller box unit 101 ... Main drive unit 105 ... Feeding drive unit 111 ... System controller board 111a, 111c … connector 201 ... Main drive control board 201a, 201c, 201e, 201f … Connectors 215...Operation unit (UI) 218...High voltage board unit 220 ... Feed drive control board 220a, 220b … Connector 221…DC power supply board 222…AC power supply board 227 ...Paper type detection sensor 228 ... Power supply fan 301 ... control line 302…Power line 401 ... Power supply control line 402…Power supply side power line 403 ...Controller side control line 404 ... Controller side power line 501 ... sensor signal line 601 ... Manual feed sensor signal line 602 ... Feeding side control line 603 ...Controller side control line

Claims

1. a drive unit removably mounted on the image forming apparatus; a drive control board that is disposed on the rear side of the drive unit and controls the drive unit; A first unit; A second unit; a first cable that electrically connects the first unit and the drive control board; a second cable that electrically connects the second unit and the drive control board, The drive control board a first connector to which the first cable is connected; a second connector to which the second cable is connected; and wiring electrically connecting the first connector and the second connector. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The first unit includes a power supply board that supplies power, the second unit includes a controller board that controls the image forming apparatus in an integrated manner, power is supplied from the power supply board to the controller board via the first cable, the wiring, and the second cable; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. The first unit includes a detection unit for detecting a recording material, the second unit includes a controller board that controls the image forming apparatus in an integrated manner, a signal is transmitted from the detection unit to the controller board via the first cable, the wiring, and the second cable; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. The drive control board is disposed between the first unit and the second unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. The first connector is arranged along an edge of the drive control board on the side of the first unit, the second connector is disposed along an edge of the drive control board on the side of the second unit; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. The drive control board has a first surface facing the drive unit and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first connector and the second connector are disposed on the second surface; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

7. the drive unit has a motor that drives a rotating body, The drive control board controls the operation of the motor.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. A photoreceptor; a developing unit that develops the latent image formed on the photosensitive member, the drive unit includes a first motor that drives the photosensitive member and a second motor that drives the developing unit; the drive control board controls the operation of the first motor and the operation of the second motor; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

9. A conveying section for conveying the recording material, the drive unit has a motor that drives the conveying section, The drive control board controls the operation of the motor.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

Images