Image formation device

Abstract

To ensure rigidity of an image formation device even when a width in a vertical direction of a space part made between a plurality of longitudinally shaped parts extending in a horizontal direction in between frame parts extending in the vertical direction in one lateral surface of a frame to which a substrate is attached is larger than that in the vertical direction of the longitudinally shaped part.SOLUTION: An image formation device comprises a frame 4 which holds an image formation unit, and to which a substrate partially serving functions an image formation unit has is attached, in which the frame 4 has a width in a vertical direction of a space part made between a plurality of longitudinally shaped parts in between frame parts extending in a horizontal direction in one lateral surface 5 to which the substrate is attached is larger than that in the vertical direction of the longitudinally shaped part. A plurality of substrates exists, and at least one substrate is arranged in a form of coupling to between frame parts extending in the vertical direction. Of the coupled substrates, the substrate located at the uppermost part in the vertical direction and the substrate located at the lowermost part therein are arranged so that each substrate is located in a different area respectively when, in the horizontal direction, the frame is virtually divided by a center line Z1 to two areas 55 and 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a base portion of an image forming device structure which comprises frame base members arranged on the front, back, left and right sides to form a rectangular frame, mounting members arranged at the four corners of the rectangular frame to connect each frame base member in the front-back and left-right directions, respectively, and a bottom plate member, and in which a plurality of channel-shaped framework members are installed to form the image forming device structure, and which is characterized in that an intermediate mounting member is provided on the frame base member which forms the long side of the rectangular frame. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-31364 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, consider a case where a substrate is attached to one side of a frame of an image forming apparatus. In this case, the vertical width of the space between the longitudinal parts extending horizontally between the vertical frames on the side of the frame to which the substrate is attached may be made larger than the vertical width of the longitudinal parts, thereby reducing the area of ​​the frame and reducing costs. However, such a configuration may not ensure the rigidity required to operate the image forming apparatus. The object of the present invention is to ensure the rigidity of an image forming device even if the vertical width of the space formed between multiple longitudinal shaped portions extending horizontally between vertically extending frame portions on one side of the frame to which the substrate is attached is greater than the vertical width of the longitudinal shaped portions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 is an image forming device comprising a frame on which a substrate that holds an image forming unit and performs some of the functions of the image forming unit is attached, the frame having, on one side on which the substrate is attached, a space formed between a plurality of longitudinal shaped portions extending horizontally between vertically extending frame portions, the vertical width of the space being greater than the vertical width of the longitudinal shaped portions, the substrates being present in plurality, at least some of the substrates being arranged in a manner connected between the frame portions extending in the vertical direction, and the substrates located at the top and the bottom of the connected substrates being arranged so that when the frame is virtually divided horizontally along a center line into two regions, they are located in different regions. The invention described in claim 2 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of substrates are connected to each other in the horizontal direction. The invention described in claim 3 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the multiple substrates include a first substrate which is the uppermost substrate, a second substrate which is the lowermost substrate, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction, and the first substrate or the third substrate has a larger outer shape than the second substrate. The invention described in claim 4 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 3, characterized in that the first substrate has an outer shape larger than that of the third substrate. The invention described in claim 5 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the uppermost substrate and the lowermost substrate are attached in a manner such that they are connected to either the vertically extending frame portion or the horizontally extending elongated portion, and not connected to the other. The invention described in claim 6 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 5, characterized in that the aspect is connected to a frame portion extending in the vertical direction and not connected to a longitudinal portion extending in the horizontal direction. The invention described in claim 7 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that when a first substrate which is the uppermost substrate is attached to the one side surface by a first accommodating portion, a second substrate which is the lowermost substrate is attached to the one side surface by a second accommodating portion, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction is attached to the one side surface by a third accommodating portion, any of the first accommodating portion, the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion includes a thin plate accommodating portion having a plate thickness thinner than the frame. An eighth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein the third container is the thin plate container. The invention described in claim 9 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 8, characterized in that the thin plate housing section is the second housing section and the third housing section. The invention described in claim 10 is the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that on one side to which the substrate is attached, the area of ​​the frame occupies 2 / 3 or less of the total area of ​​the one side. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the invention of claim 1, the rigidity of the image forming device can be ensured even if the vertical width of the space formed between multiple longitudinal shaped portions extending horizontally between vertically extending frame portions on one side of the frame to which the substrate is attached is larger than the vertical width of the longitudinal shaped portions. According to the invention of claim 2, the rigidity of the plurality of substrates can be increased compared to a case where the substrates are not connected in the horizontal direction. According to the invention of claim 3, the multiple substrates include a first substrate which is the uppermost substrate, a second substrate which is the lowermost substrate, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction, and the first substrate or the third substrate has an outer shape larger than the second substrate, thereby increasing rigidity when substrates of different sizes are attached to the frame compared to a case in which the first substrate or the third substrate does not have a larger outer shape than the second substrate. According to the invention of claim 4, the rigidity can be further increased compared to a case where the first substrate does not have a configuration in which the outer shape is larger than that of the third substrate. According to the invention of claim 5, the uppermost substrate and the lowermost substrate are connected to either the frame portion extending in the vertical direction or the longitudinal portion extending in the horizontal direction, and are not connected to the other, thereby reducing manufacturing costs compared to a case in which they are not provided with a configuration in which they are attached in a manner in which they are not connected to the other. According to the invention of claim 6, the embodiment can increase rigidity compared to a case in which the embodiment does not have the configuration in which the embodiment is connected to a frame portion extending vertically and not connected to a longitudinal portion extending horizontally. According to the invention of claim 7, when the first substrate, which is the substrate located at the top, is attached to one side by the first accommodating portion, the second substrate, which is the substrate located at the bottom, is attached to one side by the second accommodating portion, and the third substrate, which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction, is attached to one side by the third accommodating portion, the rigidity can be increased compared to a case in which any of the first accommodating portion, the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion does not have a configuration in which the thin plate accommodating portion has a plate thickness thinner than the frame. According to the invention of claim 8, it is possible to increase rigidity compared to a case where the third housing portion is not provided as the thin plate housing portion. According to the invention of claim 9, the thin plate housing portion can have higher rigidity than a case not including the second housing portion and the third housing portion. According to the invention of claim 10, the frame can reduce the amount of material used as the frame compared to a case in which the frame does not have a configuration in which the area of ​​the frame occupies 2 / 3 or less of the total area of ​​the side surface to which the substrate is attached. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the present embodiment is applied; [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a frame that holds an image forming unit of the image forming apparatus. [Diagram 3] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a storage section attached to a frame. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram for explaining a frame with and without a storage unit attached, where (a) shows a modeled frame without a storage unit attached, and (b) and (c) show examples of mounting arrangements when a storage unit is attached to a frame. (b) and (c) show the frame as viewed from the side. [Diagram 5] This is a graph showing the flatness of the AA plane (see Figure 4(a)) when a displacement in the +Y direction is applied to measurement points B1 and B3 in each mounting arrangement example of Figures 4(a) to (c), where the vertical axis shows the flatness and the horizontal axis shows the B1 displacement and B3 displacement of each mounting arrangement example in Figure 4. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the connection modes between adjacent storage sections, where (a) is one connection mode, (b) is another connection mode, and (c) is a graph in which the vertical axis represents flatness and the horizontal axis represents the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in (a) and (b). [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the outer shape combination modes for changing the outer shape of the storage section, where (a) is one outer shape combination mode, (b) is another outer shape combination mode, (c) is another outer shape combination mode, and (d) is a graph showing the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in (a) to (c) on the horizontal axis and the flatness on the vertical axis. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining frame connection modes in which the storage section and the frame are connected, where (a) is one frame connection mode, (b) is another frame connection mode, (c) is another frame connection mode, and (d) is a graph in which the vertical axis is flatness and the horizontal axis shows the B1 displacement and B3 displacement in (a) to (c). [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining plate thickness combinations in which the plate thickness of the storage section is changed, (a) to (d) showing various plate thickness combinations. [Figure 10] 10 is a graph showing the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in FIGS. 9(a) to (d). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the size, thickness, and other dimensions of each part in the drawings referred to in the following description may differ from the actual dimensions. <Image forming apparatus 100> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 100 to which the present embodiment is applied. 1, image forming apparatus 100 includes document reading device 1 that reads information on document 10, image forming section 2 that forms an image on recording paper 16 based on information on the document (read image) read by document reading device 1, and paper feeding section 3 that feeds recording paper 16 to be supplied to image forming section 2. In this image forming apparatus 100, image forming section 2 and paper feeding section 3 are housed inside main body 101, while document reading device 1 is disposed above main body 101. Main body 101 has, on its upper surface, discharge and storage section 102 that discharges and stores recording paper 16 on which an image has been formed.

[0009] The document reading device 1 has a housing 103. The document reading device 1 also has, on the upper surface of the housing 103, a light-transmitting document table 105 on which the document 10 is placed, and a document cover 106 that covers the document table 105 and can be opened and closed relative to the housing 103. The document cover 106 is provided with an automatic document feeder 107 that transports the document 10 to a reading position and discharges the document 10 after reading, a document tray 108 that holds the document 10 sent by the automatic document feeder 107, and a storage unit 109 that stores the document 10 discharged from the automatic document feeder 107.

[0010] The image forming section 2 includes image forming units 20 that form toner images of the respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K) by, for example, an electrophotographic method, an intermediate transfer unit 26 that conveys the toner images formed by the image forming units 20 until they are transferred onto the recording paper 16, and a fixing unit 27 that fixes the toner images transferred from the intermediate transfer unit 26 onto the recording paper 16. Thus, the image forming section 2 has multiple functions, such as development, transfer and fixing.

[0011] The image forming unit 2 is a printing mechanism that forms an image on the recording paper 16. Here, the image forming unit 2 is, for example, a printer, and it is preferable to use an electrophotographic system that transfers toner attached to a photoconductor onto the recording paper 16 to form an image, or an inkjet system that ejects ink onto the recording paper 16 to form an image.

[0012] The paper feed unit 3 has a drawer-type container 31 capable of holding a plurality of sheets of recording paper 16 of a predetermined size, type, etc., and a delivery device 32 that delivers the recording paper 16 contained in the container 31 to a delivery path one sheet at a time. Between the paper feed unit 3 and the image forming unit 2, a supply delivery path 28 is disposed to deliver the recording paper 16 delivered from the paper feed unit 3 to a secondary transfer position.

[0013] 2 is a perspective view illustrating the frame 4 that holds the image forming unit 2 of the image forming apparatus 100. The frame 4 constitutes a part of the main body 101 (see FIG. 1) described above. 2, the frame 4 includes vertical portions 41, 42 extending in the Y direction or vertical direction, and horizontal portions 43, 44, 45 extending in the Z direction or horizontal direction. The vertical portions 41, 42 and the horizontal portions 43, 44, 45 form a side surface 5 of the frame 4. The horizontal portion 45 may be attached by welding or by a screw.

[0014] Focusing on the space 61 formed between the horizontal portions 43 and 45, the width 61a in the Y direction of the space 61 is larger than the width 45a of the horizontal portion 45. The space 61 is an example of a space portion. The vertical direction here refers to the up-down or vertical direction of the frame 4 when the image forming apparatus 100 is placed on a surface such as a floor, and the horizontal direction refers to the left-right or horizontal direction of the frame 4.

[0015] More specifically, in the side surface 5, the vertical portion 41 and the horizontal portion 43 form a corner 51, and the vertical portion 42 and the horizontal portion 43 form a corner 52. The vertical portion 41 and the horizontal portion 44 form a corner 53, and the vertical portion 42 and the horizontal portion 44 form a corner 54. The vertical portions 41 and 42 are an example of a frame portion extending in the vertical direction, and the horizontal portions 43 to 45 are an example of a long portion extending in the horizontal direction. The side surface 5 is an example of one side surface.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the receiving portion 71 attached to the frame 4. As shown in FIG. The housing section 71 shown in the figure is a case attached to the frame 4, and houses a board 72 indicated by a dashed line. The board 72 is, for example, a printed circuit board, and performs at least some of the functions of the image forming section 2 described above. By housing the substrate 72 in the housing portion 71 serving as a shield case, electromagnetic waves are prevented from escaping if the substrate 72 becomes a source of electromagnetic waves, and the substrate 72 is made resistant to the surrounding electromagnetic environment.

[0017] More specifically, a plurality of the storage sections 71 are attached to the side surface 5 of the frame 4. More specifically, the plurality of storage sections 71 are arranged such that at least a portion of each of the storage sections 71 is connected to the vertical portions 41, .

[0018] In the present embodiment, the substrate 72 is attached to the frame 4 while being accommodated in the accommodation section 71, but this is not limiting, and it is also possible to attach the substrate 72 directly to the frame 4 without using the accommodation section 71. In other words, the configuration in which the substrate 72 is attached to the frame 4 includes a case in which the substrate 72 is attached to the frame 4 while being accommodated in the accommodation section 71, as well as a case in which the substrate 72 is attached to the frame 4 directly. In the following, as an example of mounting arrangement of the substrate 72 to the frame 4, a case where the substrate 72 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 71 will be described, and a description of the case where the substrate 72 is directly attached will be omitted, although the same can be done.

[0019] Furthermore, when there are multiple storage sections 71, they are distinguished as storage sections 71a, 71b, 71c, etc., and each of storage sections 71a to 71c is assumed to store substrates 72a to 72c. Each of substrates 72a to 72c may be composed of a single sheet, or may be arranged such that multiple substrates are stacked in two layers. Also, multiple substrates may be arranged horizontally in a plane.

[0020] Next, a description will be given of the influence of flatness on the presence or absence of mounting the housing portion 71 and on the mounting arrangement thereof. The flatness referred to here is a measure indicating the degree of flatness of a certain surface.

[0021] 4 is a diagram illustrating the frame 4 with and without the storage section 71 attached, where (a) shows a modeled frame 4 without the storage section 71 attached, and (b) and (c) show examples of the mounting arrangement when the storage section 71 is attached to the frame 4. (b) and (c) show the frame 4 as viewed from the side surface 5. The AA plane shown in FIG. 4(a) is the XZ plane including the measurement points A1 and A3, and is used in the explanation of FIG. 5 etc. described later.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 4(a), in the modeled frame 4, the storage section 71 (see Fig. 3) is not attached to the side surface 5. As described above, the side surface 5 is composed of the vertical portions 41, 42 and the horizontal portions 43, 44. 4(a) corresponds to the already-mentioned corner 53 (see FIG. 2). Moreover, measurement points B3, A1, and A3 correspond to the already-mentioned corners 54, 51, and 52 (see FIG. 2), respectively.

[0023] In the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(b), the housing portions 71a, 71b, and 71c are arranged diagonally on the side surface 5 of the frame 4. That is, the housing portion 71a is arranged at the measurement point A3, the housing portion 71c is arranged at the measurement point B1, and the housing portion 71b is arranged between the housing portions 71a and 71c. The housing portion 71b is connected to the housing portions 71a and 71c.

[0024] More specifically, in the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(b), the housing portion 71b is arranged so as to include a virtual center line Z1, which is the center line of a virtual frame 4 in the horizontal direction, that is, the Z direction. In the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(b), the uppermost storage section 71a and the lowermost storage section 71c are located in different areas when the frame 4 is divided by the imaginary center line Z1 into two areas 55 and 56. That is, the storage section 71a is located in area 56, and the storage section 71c is located in area 55. In one example of the mounting shown in Fig. 4(b), the storage sections 71a to 71c are arranged to form a diagonal line. In the mounting arrangement example of FIG. 4(b), the accommodation portions 71a to 71c on the side surface 5 are not arranged symmetrically. In FIG. 4(b), the accommodation portion 71a is an example of a first substrate, the accommodation portion 71b is an example of a third substrate, and the accommodation portion 71c is an example of a second substrate.

[0025] In the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(c), the storage units 71a, 71b, and 71c are arranged in the same manner as in Fig. 4(b), but are not arranged diagonally. That is, the storage units 71a to 71c are arranged vertically in the center in the Z direction. More specifically, the storage unit 71a is located at the top, the storage unit 71c is located at the bottom, and the storage unit 71b is connected to the storage units 71a and 71c. The storage unit 71b is connected to the storage units 71a and 71c.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a graph showing the flatness of the AA plane (see Fig. 4(a)) when displacements in the +Y direction are applied to measurement points B1 and B3 in each of the mounting arrangement examples of Fig. 4(a) to (c), with the vertical axis showing flatness and the horizontal axis showing the B1 displacement and B3 displacement of each mounting arrangement example in Fig. 4. Note that the B1 displacement and B3 displacement are simulation results when measurement points B1 and B3 are forcibly displaced 10 mm in the Y direction. In the graph shown in Fig. 5, the smaller the flatness value, the more preferable the result. Comparing the flatness of each mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(a) to (c), the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(a) has the largest values ​​for both B1 displacement and B3 displacement. In the mounting arrangement examples shown in Fig. 4(b) and Fig. 4(c), both the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement are smaller than the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(a).

[0027] In the graph of FIG. 5, when the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(b) is compared with the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(c), the B3 displacement in the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(b) is smaller than that in the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(c). On the other hand, the B1 displacement is approximately the same value in the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(b) and in the mounting arrangement example shown in FIG. 4(c).

[0028] Thus, when focusing on the B3 displacement, the effect of the forced displacement of 10 mm in the Y direction is smaller in the mounting arrangement example shown in Fig. 4(b) than in the mounting arrangement examples shown in Fig. 4(a) and (c). Therefore, when the accommodation sections 71a to 71c are provided on the side surface 5, the effect of the forced displacement of 10 mm in the Y direction at the measurement points B1 and B3 is suppressed, and further, when the accommodation sections 71a to 71c are arranged on the side surface 5 in a diagonal line connecting the measurement points A3 and B1, the effect at the measurement point B3 is further suppressed compared to when they are arranged in a straight line. For example, if there is a measurement point (such as measurement point B3) where you want to suppress the effect of a forced displacement of 10 mm in the Y direction, this can be achieved by arranging multiple measurement points other than that measurement point diagonally.

[0029] Next, more preferred embodiments of the oblique arrangement of the storage sections 71a to 71c shown in Fig. 4(b) will be described. More specifically, the following will be described: a connection mode between the storage sections 71a to 71c, an external shape combination mode that changes the external shape of the storage sections 71a to 71c, a frame connection mode that connects the storage sections 71a to 71c to the frame 4, and a plate thickness combination mode that changes the plate thickness of the storage sections 71a to 71c. In addition to adopting any one of the connection mode, the external shape combination mode, the frame connection mode, and the plate thickness combination mode, it is also possible to adopt a combination of any two or more of the modes.

[0030] 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the connection modes of adjacent storage sections 71a to 71c, where (a) shows one connection mode, (b) shows another connection mode, and (c) is a graph showing the flatness on the vertical axis and the B1 displacement and B3 displacement in (a) and (b) on the horizontal axis. Note that the graph in (c) shows the case in FIG. 4A for comparison.

[0031] In one connection mode shown in FIG. 6(a), adjacent storage sections 71a to 71c are connected to each other by a surface extending in the Y direction. That is, surface 74a of storage section 71a is connected to surface 73b of storage section 71b, and surface 74b of storage section 71b is connected to surface 73c of storage section 71c. In other words, in one connection mode shown in FIG. 6(a), the storage sections are joined in the lateral direction, and the multiple storage sections are connected to each other in the horizontal direction. As described above, when multiple boards are attached to side surface 5 without using multiple storage sections, a configuration in which the multiple boards are connected to each other horizontally is also possible.

[0032] In another connection mode shown in Fig. 6(b), adjacent storage sections 71a to 71c are connected to each other along a surface extending in the Z direction. That is, surface 76a of storage section 71a is connected to surface 75b of storage section 71b, and surface 76b of storage section 71b is connected to surface 75c of storage section 71c. In other words, in the other connection mode shown in Fig. 6(b), the connection between the storage sections is in the vertical direction.

[0033] In the graph shown in Figure 6(c), when comparing the connection modes of Figures 6(a) and (b) with focus on the B3 displacement, the value in the connection mode shown in Figure 6(a) is smaller than that in the connection mode shown in Figure 6(b). More specifically, the B3 displacement in the connection state shown in FIG. 6(b) is smaller than that shown in FIG. 4(a), but the result shows that there is almost no B3 displacement in the connection state shown in FIG. 6(a).

[0034] 6(a), that is, when the connection between the storage parts is horizontal rather than vertical, the effect of the forced displacement of 10 mm in the Y direction can be eliminated. Therefore, in terms of the flatness of the measurement point B3, it is preferable to connect the adjacent storage parts 71a-71c to each other on the Y direction surface.

[0035] 7 is a diagram for explaining the combination of different outer shapes of the housings 71a to 71c, where (a) is one combination of outer shapes, (b) is another combination of outer shapes, (c) is another combination of outer shapes, and (d) is a graph showing the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in (a) to (c) on the horizontal axis and the flatness on the vertical axis. Note that the graph in (d) shows the case in FIG. 4(a) for comparison.

[0036] In one external shape combination embodiment shown in Fig. 7(a), of the storage sections 71a to 71c, the storage section 71b has a larger external shape than the storage sections 71a and 71c. The storage sections 71a and 71c have the same external shape. In one external shape combination embodiment shown in Fig. 7(a), the storage section 71b having the larger external shape is located in the middle of the arrangement of the storage sections 71a to 71c.

[0037] In another external shape combination embodiment shown in FIG. 7(b), among the storage sections 71a to 71c, the storage section 71a has a larger external shape than the storage sections 71b and 71c, and the storage section 71b has a larger external shape than the storage section 71c. That is, the external shapes of the storage sections 71a to 71c are different sizes. The storage section 71a attached to the measurement point A3 is the largest, and the storage section 71c attached to the measurement point B1 is the smallest. In another external shape combination embodiment shown in FIG. 7(b), the storage section 71a with the larger external shape is arranged on top.

[0038] In another external shape combination embodiment shown in FIG. 7(c), of the housing portions 71a to 71c, the housing portion 71c has an external shape larger than the housing portions 71a and 71b, and the housing portion 71b has an external shape larger than the housing portion 71a.

[0039] In this way, the outer shapes of the storage sections 71a to 71c are different sizes, as in the case of Fig. 7(b). The storage section 71c attached to the measurement point B1 is the largest, and the storage section 71a attached to the measurement point A3 is the smallest. In another outer shape combination embodiment shown in Fig. 7(c), the storage section 71c with the larger outer shape is arranged at the bottom.

[0040] The outer shape of each of the accommodating sections 71a to 71c is sized to correspond to the size of the substrates 72a to 72c (see FIG. 3). For example, if the accommodating section 71a has a larger outer shape than the other accommodating sections 71b, 71c, the substrate 72a accommodated in the accommodating section 71a will have a larger outer shape than the other substrates 72b, 72c. As described above, in addition to the case where the boards 72a to 72c are attached to the frame 4 by the corresponding receiving portions 71a to 71c, the boards 72a to 72c may also be attached directly to the frame 4.

[0041] In the graph shown in Fig. 7(d), the connection modes of Fig. 7(a), (b) and (c) are compared, focusing on not only the B3 displacement but also the B1 displacement. The connection mode shown in Fig. 7(c) has the smallest B3 displacement, but the connection mode shown in Fig. 7(c) has the largest B1 displacement. Therefore, the connection modes shown in Fig. 7(a) and (b), which have small B3 displacement, are preferable in terms of flatness. Therefore, when the outer shapes of the accommodating portions 71a to 71c are different, it is preferable to arrange the accommodating portion having the larger outer shape among the accommodating portions 71a to 71c on the upper side (Y direction).

[0042] 8 is a diagram for explaining frame connection modes in which the housing sections 71a to 71c are connected to the frame 4, where (a) is one frame connection mode, (b) is another frame connection mode, (c) is another frame connection mode, and (d) is a graph showing the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in (a) to (c) on the horizontal axis, with the vertical axis showing the flatness. Note that the graph in (d) shows the case in FIG. 4(a) for comparison.

[0043] In one frame connection mode shown in Fig. 8(a), the storage section 71a is connected to the vertical section 42 but is not connected to the horizontal section 43. In addition, the storage section 71c is connected to the vertical section 41 but is not connected to the horizontal section 44.

[0044] 8(b), the storage section 71a is connected to the horizontal portion 43 but is not connected to the vertical portion 42. The storage section 71c is connected to the horizontal portion 44 but is not connected to the vertical portion 41.

[0045] In another frame connection mode shown in Figure 8(c), as in the case of the one frame connection mode shown in the same figure (a), the storage section 71a is connected to the vertical section 42 but is not connected to the horizontal section 43, and the storage section 71c is connected to the vertical section 41 but is not connected to the horizontal section 44. 8(c), the position where the storage section 71a is connected to the vertical portion 42 is lower than in the one frame connection mode shown in FIG. 8(a) and is further away from the horizontal portion 43. The position where the storage section 71c is connected to the vertical portion 41 is higher than in the one frame connection mode shown in FIG. 8(a) and is further away from the horizontal portion 44.

[0046] Thus, in the frame connection mode shown in Figures 8(a) to (c), the uppermost storage section 71a and the lowermost storage section 71c are attached in a manner such that they are connected to either the vertically extending longitudinal sections 41, 42 or the horizontally extending transverse sections 43, 44, but are not connected to the other (see Figures 8(a) to (c)). 8(a) and 8(c) show frame connection modes in which the storage sections 71a and 71c are connected to the vertical portions 41 and 42 but are not connected to the horizontal portions 43 and 44. In the frame connection modes shown in FIG. As described above, it is also possible that the boards 72a to 72c (see FIG. 3) are directly attached to the frame 4, rather than being housed in the housing sections 71a to 71c. In such a case, the "housing section 71a", "housing section 71b", and "housing section 71c" in the above description of the same paragraph are replaced with "board 72a", "board 72b", and "board 72c".

[0047] Focusing on the B3 displacement in the graph shown in Figure 8(d), the frame connection mode shown in Figure 8(a) has the smallest value, followed by the frame connection mode shown in Figure 8(c) and the frame connection mode shown in Figure 8(b), in that order. Also, looking at the B1 displacement in the graph, the frame connection mode shown in Figure 3(c) has the smallest value, followed by the frame connection mode shown in Figure 3(a) and the frame connection mode shown in Figure 3(b). For this reason, when attention is paid not only to the B3 displacement but also to the B1 displacement, a frame connection mode in which the housing portion 71a is connected to the vertical portion 42 and the housing portion 71c is connected to the vertical portion 41 is preferable.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining plate thickness combination modes in which the plate thicknesses of the storage sections 71a to 71c are changed, and (a) to (d) show various plate thickness combination modes. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the B1 displacement and the B3 displacement in FIGS. 9(a) to (d). Note that the graph in FIG. 10 shows the case of FIG. 4(a) for comparison. Note that in the plate thickness combination modes, the storage section 71a is an example of a first storage section, the storage section 71b is an example of a third storage section, and the storage section 71c is an example of a second storage section.

[0049] 9(a), the plate thickness t of the storage portion 71a among the storage portions 71a to 71c is 1 mm, which is the same as that of the frame 4, and the plate thickness t of the other storage portions 71b and 71c is 0.6 mm, which is thinner than that of the frame 4. In this case, the storage portions 71b and 71c are an example of a thin plate storage portion.

[0050] In the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 1(b), the plate thickness t of the receiving portion 71b is 1 mm, and the plate thickness t of the other receiving portions 71a and 71c is 0.6 mm. In this case, the receiving portions 71a and 71c are an example of a thin plate receiving portion. In the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 1(c), the plate thickness t of the receiving portion 71c is 1 mm, and the plate thickness t of the other receiving portions 71a and 71b is 0.6 mm. In this case, the receiving portions 71a and 71b are an example of a thin plate receiving portion.

[0051] Thus, in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the plate thickness t of any one of the accommodation portions 71a to 71c is 1 mm, and the plate thickness t of the others is 0.6 mm. In the plate thickness combination embodiment shown in FIG. 9(d), the plate thickness t of each of the accommodation portions 71a to 71c is 1 mm.

[0052] In the graph shown in Fig. 10, focusing on the B3 displacement, the result was that in the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 9(c), the value of the B3 displacement was almost 0. Also, in the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 9(a), the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 9(b), and the plate thickness combination shown in Fig. 9(d), the value of the B3 displacement was larger in this order.

[0053] Furthermore, in the graph shown in Figure 10, focusing on the B1 displacement, the results show that the value of the B1 displacement is smallest in the plate thickness combination shown in Figure 9(a), and increases in the order of the plate thickness combination shown in Figure 9(b), the plate thickness combination shown in Figure 9(c), and the plate thickness combination shown in Figure 9(d).

[0054] To explain further, when focusing on both the B3 displacement and the B1 displacement, the most preferable case is the plate thickness combination shown in FIG. 9(a). The next most preferable case is the plate thickness combination shown in FIG. 9(c). Next, the plate thickness combination shown in FIG. 9(b) and the plate thickness combination shown in FIG. 9(d) are the most preferable cases. In other words, the thicker the plate thickness t, the worse the flatness. Therefore, in the plate thickness combination cases, it is preferable that the plate thickness t of any one of the storage sections 71a to 71c is thinner than that of the frame 4.

[0055] Now, frame 4 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. In the side surface 5 to which the housing portions 71a-71c (see FIG. 4(b), for example) of the frame 4 are attached, the ratio of the area of ​​the frame 4 to the total area of ​​the side surface 5 is 2 / 3 or less. In the case of such a ratio, the significance of the reinforcement provided by attaching the boards 72a-72c to the side surface 5 via the housing portions 71a-71c is enhanced. The same applies to the case where the above-mentioned boards 72a-72c are directly attached to the side surface 5.

[0056] The total area of ​​side surface 5 here includes the area of ​​the region surrounded by vertical portions 41, 42 and horizontal portions 43, 44, and the areas of vertical portions 41, 42 and horizontal portions 43, 44 on side surface 5. The area of ​​frame 4 refers to the total area of ​​side surface 5 minus the area of ​​space 61 on side surface 5 and the area of ​​cutouts, etc.

[0057] <Additional Notes> (((1))) a frame that holds an image forming unit and to which a substrate that performs some of the functions of the image forming unit is attached, the frame having, on one side to which the substrate is attached, a vertical width of a space formed between a plurality of elongated portions that extend horizontally between vertically extending frame portions being larger than the vertical width of the elongated portions; There are a plurality of the substrates, and at least some of the substrates are arranged in a manner that they are connected between the frame portions extending in the vertical direction, and among the connected substrates, the substrate located at the top and the substrate located at the bottom in the vertical direction are arranged so that they are located in different regions when the frame is virtually divided horizontally by a center line into two regions. Image forming device. (((2))) The plurality of substrates are connected to each other in the horizontal direction. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction. (((3))) the plurality of substrates include a first substrate which is the substrate located at the top, a second substrate which is the substrate located at the bottom, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction; The first substrate or the third substrate has an outer shape larger than that of the second substrate. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: (((4))) The first substrate has a larger outer size than the third substrate. The image forming apparatus according to (((3))) is characterized in that (((5))) The uppermost board and the lowermost board are attached in a manner that they are connected to either one of the vertically extending frame portion and the horizontally extending elongated portion, and are not connected to the other. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus comprises: (((6))) The aspect is an aspect in which the frame portion is connected to the frame portion extending in the vertical direction and is not connected to the elongated portion extending in the horizontal direction. The image forming apparatus according to (((5))) is characterized in that (((7))) When a first substrate which is the substrate located at the top is attached to the one side surface by a first housing portion, a second substrate which is the substrate located at the bottom is attached to the one side surface by a second housing portion, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction is attached to the one side surface by a third housing portion, Any one of the first housing portion, the second housing portion, and the third housing portion includes a thin plate housing portion having a plate thickness thinner than that of the frame. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction. (((8))) The third storage section is the thin plate storage section. The image forming apparatus according to (((7))) is characterized in that (((9))) The thin plate accommodating portion is the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion, The image forming apparatus according to (((8))) is characterized in that (((10))) The frame has a side surface to which the substrate is attached, and the area of ​​the frame occupies 2 / 3 or less of the total area of ​​the side surface. 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

[0058] According to the invention (((1))), the rigidity of the image forming device can be ensured even if the vertical width of the space formed between multiple elongated portions extending horizontally between vertically extending frame portions on one side of the frame to which the substrate is attached is larger than the vertical width of the elongated portions. According to the invention (((2))), the rigidity of the plurality of substrates can be increased compared to a case where the substrates are not connected in the horizontal direction. According to the invention (((3))), the multiple substrates include a first substrate which is the uppermost substrate, a second substrate which is the lowermost substrate, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction, and the first substrate or the third substrate has an outer shape larger than the second substrate, thereby increasing rigidity when substrates of different sizes are attached to the frame compared to a case in which the first substrate or the third substrate does not have a larger outer shape than the second substrate. According to the invention (((4))), the rigidity can be increased further compared to a case where the first substrate does not have a configuration in which the outer shape is larger than that of the third substrate. According to the invention (((5))), the uppermost substrate and the lowermost substrate are connected to either the frame portion extending in the vertical direction or the elongated portion extending in the horizontal direction, and are attached in a manner not connected to the other, thereby reducing manufacturing costs compared to a case in which the configuration is not provided. According to the invention (((6))), the aspect can increase rigidity compared to a case in which the aspect is connected to a frame portion extending vertically and not connected to a longitudinal portion extending horizontally. According to the invention (((7))), when a first substrate which is the uppermost substrate is attached to one side by a first accommodating portion, a second substrate which is the lowermost substrate is attached to one side by a second accommodating portion, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction is attached to one side by a third accommodating portion, the rigidity can be increased compared to a case in which any of the first accommodating portion, the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion does not have a configuration in which the first accommodating portion, the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion is a thin plate accommodating portion having a thickness thinner than the frame. According to the invention (((8))), the rigidity can be increased compared to a case where the third housing portion is not provided as the thin plate housing portion. According to the invention (((9))), the thin plate housing portion can have higher rigidity than when it is not provided with the configuration of the second housing portion and the third housing portion. According to the invention (((10))), the frame can reduce the amount of material used for the frame compared to a case in which the frame does not have a configuration in which the area of ​​the frame occupies 2 / 3 or less of the total area of ​​one side to which the substrate is attached. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 2...image forming unit, 5...side surface, 41, 42...vertical portion, 43-45...horizontal portion, 45a...width, 55, 56...area, 61...space, 61a...width, 71, 71a, 71b, 71c...accommodating portion, 72, 72a, 72b, 72c...substrate, 100...image forming device, Z1...imaginary center line

Claims

1. a frame that holds an image forming unit and to which a substrate that performs some of the functions of the image forming unit is attached, the frame having, on one side to which the substrate is attached, a vertical width of a space formed between a plurality of elongated portions that extend horizontally between vertically extending frame portions being larger than the vertical width of the elongated portions; the substrate is present in plurality, and at least some of the substrates are arranged in a manner that they are connected between frame portions extending in the vertical direction, and among the connected substrates, the substrate located at the top and the substrate located at the bottom in the vertical direction are arranged so that when the frame is virtually divided horizontally along a center line into two regions, they are located in different regions. Image forming device.

2. The plurality of substrates are connected to each other in the horizontal direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. the plurality of substrates include a first substrate which is the substrate located at the top, a second substrate which is the substrate located at the bottom, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction; The first substrate or the third substrate has an outer shape larger than that of the second substrate.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

4. The first substrate has a larger outer shape than the third substrate.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The uppermost board and the lowermost board are attached in a manner that they are connected to either one of the vertically extending frame portion and the horizontally extending elongated portion, and are not connected to the other.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

6. The aspect is an aspect in which the frame portion is connected to the frame portion extending in the vertical direction and is not connected to the elongated portion extending in the horizontal direction.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. When a first substrate which is the substrate located at the top is attached to the one side surface by a first housing portion, a second substrate which is the substrate located at the bottom is attached to the one side surface by a second housing portion, and a third substrate which is located between the first substrate and the second substrate in the vertical direction is attached to the one side surface by a third housing portion, Any one of the first housing portion, the second housing portion, and the third housing portion is a thin plate housing portion having a plate thickness thinner than that of the frame.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

8. The third storage portion is the thin plate storage portion.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. The thin plate accommodating portion is the second accommodating portion and the third accommodating portion, 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8,

10. the frame has a side surface to which the substrate is attached, and the area of ​​the frame occupies 2 / 3 or less of the total area of ​​the side surface; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

Images