Image-forming device, image-forming system, and external unit

Abstract

To increase working efficiency for attaching or detaching an external unit to or from an image-forming device by a worker.SOLUTION: An attachable / detachable cover 500 has a connector cover section 501 and a window cover section 502 that are formed integrally. When the attachable / detachable cover 500 is mounted to an image-forming device 201, a bottom face opening 141 formed in a bottom face section 140 so as to expose a body side connector is blocked by the connector cover section 501. When mounting the image-forming device 201 to an external unit, an opening window section 131 formed in a back face cover 130 is blocked by the window cover section 502 such that a worker can visually observe a body side connector 281. Then, the worker can open the bottom face opening 141 and the opening window section 131 simply by removing the attachable / detachable cover 500 from the image-forming device 201. In this manner, the worker can block or open the bottom face opening 141 and the opening window section 131 simply by attaching or detaching the attachable / detachable cover 500.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a connector for electrically connecting a detachable external unit, an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and an external unit, and an external unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming system has been proposed in which an external unit is attached to an image forming apparatus as an optional device that can be added later. An example of the external unit is a sheet storage device that supplies sheets of various sizes and types to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus and the external unit are not only mechanically connected, but also electrically connected via a connector (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the case of the device described in Patent Document 1, the opening is closed by a connector cover so that the connector (called the main body side connector) provided in the image forming device is not exposed. The opening is opened as the connector cover is slid and moved, and the main body side connector is exposed from the opened opening so as to be able to be mated with the connector (called the unit side connector) provided in the external unit. Therefore, when attaching the external unit, the worker needs to slide the connector cover to open the opening. Also, the external unit can be attached to the image forming device while the worker checks the positions of the main body side connector and the unit side connector through a window (opening) formed in the exterior cover of the image forming device. A removable window cover is attached to this window, and the worker removes the window cover when attaching the external unit, and attaches the window cover after attaching the external unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-75611 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in the case of the device described in Patent Document 1, two cover members, a connector cover and a window cover, are provided. Therefore, when attaching or detaching an external unit to or from the image forming device, an operator must perform the operations of the connector cover and the window cover, which makes it time-consuming to attach or detach the external unit.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus, an image forming system including an image forming apparatus and an external unit, and an external unit, which can improve the ease with which an operator can attach and detach an external unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, and is characterized in that it comprises a housing including a first outer wall portion that forms at least a part of a first outer surface and a second outer wall portion that forms at least a part of a second outer surface that intersects with the first outer surface, a connector that is arranged inside the housing and electrically connects to an external unit that is attached to the first outer surface, and a cover member that is detachable from the housing, wherein the first outer wall portion has a first opening that exposes a connection terminal of the connector, and the second outer wall portion has a second opening that exposes components arranged inside the housing, and the cover member has a first cover portion that covers the first opening when attached to the housing, and a second cover portion that is formed integrally with the first cover portion and covers the second opening when attached to the housing.

[0008] An image forming system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an image forming system comprising an image forming device that forms an image on a recording material and an external unit that is attached to the image forming device, wherein the image forming device has a first housing including a first outer wall portion that forms at least a part of an opposing surface facing the external unit and a second outer wall portion that forms a part of an exterior surface that intersects with the opposing surface, and a main body side connector arranged inside the first housing, and the external unit has a second housing including a unit side outer wall portion that forms another part of the exterior surface, and a unit side connector electrically connected to the main body side connector, wherein an end of the second outer wall portion on the external unit side is provided with a recess that is recessed from the external unit toward the image forming device, and an end of the unit side outer wall portion on the image forming device side is provided with a protrusion that protrudes from the external unit toward the image forming device so as to fit into the recess, and when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the second outer wall portion, the protrusion overlaps the main body side connector.

[0009] An external unit according to one embodiment of the present invention is an external unit that can be attached to the outer wall of a housing of an image forming device that forms an image on a recording material, and comprises a unit side housing including a unit side outer wall forming at least a part of an exterior surface that intersects with a surface that faces the outer wall of the housing, and a unit side connector that protrudes toward the image forming device beyond the surface that faces the outer wall of the housing and is electrically connectable to the image forming device, and is characterized in that the unit side outer wall has a protrusion that protrudes from an end of the unit side outer wall in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the unit side connector and overlaps with the unit side connector when viewed from outside the unit side outer wall. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the ease with which an operator can attach and detach an external unit to and from an image forming apparatus can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming system according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming system as viewed from the rear side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus as viewed from the rear side. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the removable cover as seen from the inside, and FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the guide rail on the housing side. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the sheet accommodating device is attached, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the sheet accommodating device has been attached. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the removable cover. [Figure 12] 12A to 12C are schematic diagrams for explaining the opening and closing operation of the detachable cover shown in FIG. 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] <Image forming device> The present embodiment will be described below. First, an outline of the image forming system and image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the image forming system as seen from the front side. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the image forming system as seen from the rear side. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus as seen from the rear side.

[0013] 1 and 2, an image forming system 1 of this embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 201 and a sheet storage device 300 provided below the image forming apparatus 201. The sheet storage device 300 is an example of an external unit, and is provided as an optional device that can be detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 201 afterwards. The sheet storage device 300 can store sheets of various sizes and types therein, and supplies these sheets to the image forming apparatus 201.

[0014] The image forming apparatus 201 of this embodiment is a so-called internal discharge type image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 201 includes a housing 201A and a document reading device 20 that reads image information of a document, and a discharge tray 601 for stacking sheets discharged from the housing 201A is formed between the housing 201A and the document reading device 20. The housing 201A as the first housing is provided with an operation unit 30 having a display unit capable of displaying various information on the front side and keys capable of inputting various information according to user operations.

[0015] In this specification, the side on which a user stands when operating operation unit 30 to operate image forming apparatus 201 is referred to as the "front" and the opposite side is referred to as the "rear". Additionally, the left side when viewing image forming apparatus 201 from the front is referred to as the "left", and the right side when viewing image forming apparatus 201 from the front is referred to as the "right".

[0016] The housing 201A includes a front plate provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus 201, a rear plate provided on the rear side and supporting each unit together with the front plate, a stay connecting the front plate and the rear plate, a support column supporting the front plate, a bottom surface portion, and a plurality of sheet metal members such as an exterior cover that constitutes the exterior of the image forming apparatus 201. As the exterior cover, a front cover 110 is provided on the front side, side covers 120 are provided on both the left and right sides, and a rear cover 130 is provided on the rear side. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear cover 130 of this embodiment is provided in a direction intersecting with the bottom surface portion 140 and so as to be continuous with the end of the bottom surface portion 140. The rear cover 130 forms a part of the exterior surface on the rear side. Note that the exterior surface does not necessarily have to be a single plane, and may have a step as shown in FIG. 3. The bottom surface portion 140 forms a part of the exterior surface on the bottom side. The exterior surface on the bottom side and the exterior surface on the rear side are in a mutually intersecting relationship. Furthermore, when an external unit (e.g., sheet storage device 300) is attached to the image forming apparatus 201, the surface formed by the bottom surface portion 140 becomes an opposing surface facing the external unit. In this embodiment, when the sheet storage device 300 is not attached to the image forming apparatus 201, as will be described in detail later, the removable cover 500 is attached to the housing 201A so as to cover the opening window portion 131 (see FIG. 5 described later) of the rear cover 130. Here, as an example, the removable cover 500 is detachably provided at a position on the right side of the rear surface of the image forming apparatus 201.

[0017] Next, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 201 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows the image forming apparatus 201 equipped with a sheet storage device 300. As shown in Fig. 4, the image forming apparatus 201 includes an image forming unit 201B that forms a toner image on a sheet P. The image forming unit 201B is an electrophotographic unit of an intermediate transfer type.

[0018] The image forming section 201B has a laser scanner 210 and four process cartridges PY, PM, PC, and PK that form toner images of four colors, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each of the process cartridges PY to PK is an image forming unit that includes a photosensitive drum 212, a charger 213, and a developing device 214. The image forming section 201B also includes an intermediate transfer unit 201C disposed above the process cartridges PY to PK, and a fixing section 220. A toner cartridge 215 for supplying toner to each developing device 214 is attached above the intermediate transfer unit 201C.

[0019] The intermediate transfer unit 201C has an intermediate transfer belt 216 wound around a drive roller 216a and a tension roller 216b. On the inner side of the intermediate transfer belt 216, a primary transfer roller 219 is provided which contacts the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing each photosensitive drum 212. The intermediate transfer belt 216 is rotated counterclockwise by a drive roller 216a which is driven by a drive unit (not shown).

[0020] A secondary transfer roller 217 for transferring a toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 216 to a sheet P is provided at a position facing the drive roller 216a of the intermediate transfer unit 201C. A fixing section 220 is provided above the secondary transfer roller 217, and a first discharge roller pair 225a, a second discharge roller pair 225b, and a double-sided reversing section 201D are disposed above the fixing section 220. The double-sided reversing section 201D is provided with a reversing roller pair 222 that can rotate forward and backward, and a re-conveying path R for conveying the sheet having an image formed on one side to the image forming section 201B again.

[0021] The image forming operation of the image forming unit 201B will be described. The image of the document is read by the document reading device 20, and after image processing by a control unit (not shown), it is converted into an electric signal and transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming unit 201B. In the image forming unit 201B, the photosensitive drum 212, the surface of which is uniformly charged to a potential of a predetermined polarity by the charger 213, is irradiated with laser light from the laser scanner 210, and the surface of the rotating photosensitive drum 212 is exposed. As a result, electrostatic latent images corresponding to images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 of each process cartridge PY to PK. These electrostatic latent images are developed and visualized by the toner of each color supplied from the developing unit 214, and then are primarily transferred from the photosensitive drum 212 to the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer voltage applied to the primary transfer roller 219.

[0022] The image forming apparatus 201 includes a first feeding section 231 and a second feeding section 232. The first feeding section 231 includes a first cassette 241 that stores sheets P, a first feeding roller pair 251 that feeds the sheets P stored in the first cassette 241, and a first pulling roller pair 261. The second feeding section 232 includes a second cassette 242 that stores sheets P, a second feeding roller pair 252 that feeds the sheets P stored in the second cassette 242, and a second pulling roller pair 262.

[0023] When the sheet storage device 300 is installed, the image forming apparatus 201 receives sheets P fed from the sheet storage device 300. The sheet storage device 300 as a storage section includes a third feeding section 233 and a fourth feeding section 234. The third feeding section 233 includes a third cassette 243 that stores sheets P, a third feeding roller pair 253 that feeds the sheets P stored in the third cassette 243, and a third pulling roller pair 263. The fourth feeding section 234 includes a fourth cassette 244 that stores sheets P, and a fourth feeding roller pair 254 and a fourth pulling roller pair 264 that feed the sheets P stored in the fourth cassette 244.

[0024] The sheet storage device 300 receives power from a power supply unit 280 provided in the image forming apparatus 201, receives an electric control signal (hereinafter referred to as a control signal) from a control unit provided in the image forming apparatus 201, and performs an operation of supplying a sheet P to the image forming apparatus 201. The power supply unit 280 of the image forming apparatus 201 is electrically connected to an external commercial power source via a commercial power outlet and a power cord (not shown), and is used to supply power from the commercial power source to each unit of the image forming apparatus 201, as well as to supply power to the sheet storage device 300.

[0025] Each of the cassettes 241 to 244 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 201 A. As the sheet P, paper such as plain paper and thick paper, plastic film such as an overhead projector sheet, cloth, a sheet material with a surface treatment such as coated paper, and a recording material with a special shape such as an envelope or index paper can be used.

[0026] Each of the pairs of feeding rollers 251-254 includes a feeding roller 257 that feeds the sheet P from the corresponding cassette 241-244, and a retard roller 258 that comes into contact with the feeding roller 257. A driving force in a direction opposite to the rotation of the feeding roller 257 is input to the retard roller 258 via, for example, a torque limiter. The retard roller 258 applies a frictional force to the sheet P that enters a separation nip between the feeding roller 257 and the retard roller 258, thereby separating the sheet P conveyed by the feeding roller 257 from other sheets. In this way, each of the pairs of feeding rollers 251-254 is configured to feed the sheets P from the cassettes 241-244 one by one.

[0027] The sheet P fed from each cassette 241-244 by the feeding roller pairs 251-254 is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 270 via the drawing roller pairs 261-264, which are conveying roller pairs that convey the sheet. At this time, the sheet P fed from the cassettes 242-244 other than the top one is handed over to the drawing roller pairs 261-263 corresponding to the uppermost cassette, and is conveyed upward toward the registration roller pair 270. For example, the sheet P fed from the third feeding section 233 of the sheet storage device 300 is fed from the third cassette 243 by the third feeding roller pair 253, and conveyed to the registration roller pair 270 via the third drawing roller pair 263, the second drawing roller pair 262, and the first drawing roller pair 261 in this order.

[0028] The image forming apparatus 201 of this embodiment is also provided with a manual feed unit 230 where a user can set a sheet P as necessary. The sheet P set on the manual feed tray 240 is conveyed one by one by a feed roller pair 250 toward a registration roller pair 270.

[0029] The pair of registration rollers 270 corrects the skew of the sheet P, and then sends the sheet P toward a secondary transfer section 218 formed between the secondary transfer roller 217 and the intermediate transfer belt 216 based on the start timing of toner image creation by the image forming section 201B. In the secondary transfer section 218, a secondary transfer voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 217, so that the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 216 to the sheet P. The sheet P to which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is transported to a fixing section 220, and the fixing section 220 applies heat and pressure to the sheet P, so that the toner image is fixed to the sheet P.

[0030] Thereafter, the sheet P is stacked on a discharge tray 601 arranged at the bottom of the discharge space S by a first discharge roller pair 225a or a second discharge roller pair 225b provided downstream of the fixing unit 220. When forming images on both sides of the sheet P, the sheet P with the image formed on the first side is conveyed to a re-conveyance path R by a reversal roller pair 222. Then, when the sheet P reaches the registration roller pair 270 again by the re-conveyance roller pairs 224, 225, and 226 arranged on the re-conveyance path R, the sheet P is conveyed to the image forming unit 201B by the registration roller pair 270. The sheet P with the image formed on the second side opposite to the first side by the image forming unit 201B is discharged to the discharge tray 601 by the first discharge roller pair 225a or the second discharge roller pair 225b.

[0031] The image forming unit 201B is not limited to the intermediate transfer type described above, and may be, for example, an image forming unit of a direct transfer type in which a toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 212 is directly transferred to the sheet P. Also, the image forming unit is not limited to such an electrophotographic type, and may be an inkjet type or an offset printing type.

[0032] <Connector> As described above, the sheet storage device 300 can be operated by receiving power from the power supply unit 280 of the image forming device 201 and receiving a control signal from the control unit (not shown) of the image forming device 201. Therefore, the sheet storage device 300 is not only mechanically connected to the image forming device 201, but also electrically connected to receive power from the image forming device 201 and to receive a control signal. In this embodiment, the sheet storage device 300 and the image forming device 201 can be electrically connected by simply placing the image forming device 201 on the sheet storage device 300 without an operator using a connection cable or the like. To do this, the image forming device 201 is provided with a main body side connector, and the sheet storage device 300 is provided with a unit side connector that can be fitted with the main body side connector. The main body side connector and the unit side connector will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the rear cover 130 as a second outer wall portion forming at least a part of the second exterior surface has a cutout at a lower end portion to form an opening window portion 131 as a second opening. Specifically, a recessed portion is provided at the end portion of the rear cover 130 on the sheet storage device 300 side (external unit side) from the sheet storage device 300 toward the image forming device 201 to form the opening window portion 131. On the other hand, the bottom portion 140 as a first outer wall portion forming at least a part of the first exterior surface has a bottom opening portion 141 as a first opening that reaches an edge portion 140a with the lower end portion of the rear cover 130 and opens continuously with the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130. The main body side connector 281 is disposed in the housing 201A so as to be exposed from the bottom opening portion 141 when the removable cover 500 described later is not attached. More specifically, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of the image forming apparatus 201, the connection terminals of the main body side connector 281 are exposed through the bottom opening 141.

[0034] Further, the main body side connector 281 is arranged in the housing 201A so that an operator can visually check the main body side connector 281 from the outside by looking through the opening window 131 when the removable cover 500 described later is not attached. That is, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the image forming apparatus 201, the main body side connector 281 is exposed through the opening window 131. In this embodiment, the main body side connector 281 is a component arranged inside the housing 201A exposed from the opening window 131. As a modified example, a component other than the main body side connector 281 may be exposed from the opening window 131. For example, the main body side connector 281 may be covered by a guide member for aligning the image forming apparatus 201 and the sheet storage device 300. That is, even if the main body side connector 281 is not visually recognized, it is sufficient that the opening window 131 and the main body side connector 281 are in a positional relationship where they overlap when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rear surface of the image forming apparatus 201.

[0035] The sheet storage device 300 that can be attached to the bottom surface portion 140 (see FIG. 3) of the image forming apparatus 201 has a unit side housing 300A including a unit side rear cover 302 as a unit side outer wall portion provided in a direction intersecting with a surface facing the bottom surface portion 140, as shown in FIG. 6. The unit side housing 300A as the second housing is provided with a third cassette 243 and a fourth cassette 244 that can be pulled out toward the front. The sheet storage device 300 is provided with a unit side connector 351. The unit side connector 351 is disposed at a position where it can be electrically connected to the main body side connector 281 (see FIG. 5) of the image forming apparatus 201 when the sheet storage device 300 is placed at a predetermined position of the image forming apparatus 201. Here, as an example, the unit side connector 351 is disposed at a position on the right side of the back of the sheet storage device 300. Further, a part of the unit side connector 351 is provided so as to protrude toward the side where it is attached to the image forming apparatus 201 beyond the top surface 301 that faces the bottom surface portion 140 (see FIG. 5) of the housing 201A.

[0036] Although not shown in the figures, the above-mentioned main body side connector 281 and unit side connector 351 each have a plurality of electrical contact parts. The main body side connector 281 has a convex housing with a side portion that faces the unit side connector 351 when connected to the unit side connector 351 formed in a convex shape. A plurality of electrical contact parts are arranged side by side in one direction inside the convex housing. On the other hand, the unit side connector 351 has a concave housing with a side portion that faces the main body side connector 281 when connected to the main body side connector 281 formed in a concave shape. The concave housing has a plurality of electrical contact parts arranged side by side in the same direction as the electrical contact parts of the main body side connector 281.

[0037] The main body side connector 281 and the unit side connector 351 are fitted together by fitting the convex housing and the concave housing into each other, and the respective electrical contact portions are in contact with each other and are electrically connected. For example, the main body side connector 281 is a male connector whose electrical contact portion is formed in a pin shape. In contrast, the unit side connector 351 is a female connector whose electrical contact portion is formed so that the tip portion on the main body side connector 281 side is bent to have elasticity and is easily contacted with the electrical contact portion of the main body side connector 281. A power supply line for supplying power from the image forming apparatus 201 to the sheet storage device 300 and a signal line for transmitting and receiving control signals are connected to the unit side connector 351. An example of such a main body side connector 281 and unit side connector 351 is a drawer connector.

[0038] 6, the sheet storage device 300 is provided with positioning pins 352 at two positions, one on the front side and one on the back side, away from the center, in order to position the sheet storage device 300 relative to the housing 201A when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the housing 201A. These positioning pins 352 protrude from the top surface 301 toward the side where the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming device 201. The sheet storage device 300 is positioned relative to the housing 201A by the positioning pins 352, so that the main body side connector 281 and the unit side connector 351 are positioned to face each other.

[0039] <Detachable cover> As shown in Fig. 3, the image forming apparatus 201 is provided with a removable cover 500 as a cover member, which is removable from the housing 201A. The removable cover 500 is attached to the housing 201A by using, for example, screws or snap-fitting. The removable cover 500 of this embodiment is attached to the image forming apparatus 201 when the sheet storage device 300 is not attached, and has both a function as a window cover that covers the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130 and a function as a connector cover that covers the bottom opening portion 141 of the bottom portion 140. The removable cover 500 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 7(a) to 10(b) and Fig. 5.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 7(b), the removable cover 500 has a connector cover portion 501 and a window cover portion 502, and is a substantially L-shaped member in which the connector cover portion 501 and the window cover portion 502 are integrally formed so as to intersect. The connector cover portion 501 as a first cover portion is provided to extend in the mounting direction (arrow X direction) of the removable cover 500. The window cover portion 502 as a second cover portion is provided to extend vertically upward at a substantially right angle from the upstream end of the connector cover portion 501 with respect to the mounting direction. The connector cover portion 501 is formed to a size that covers the bottom opening portion 141 of the bottom portion 140, and the window cover portion 502 is formed to a size that covers the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130.

[0041] The removable cover 500 also has cover-side guide walls 503 extending vertically upward at both ends of the connector cover portion 501 in a width direction that intersects with the mounting direction and the vertical direction. The upstream end of the cover-side guide wall 503 in the mounting direction is connected to the window cover portion 502. The cover-side guide wall 503 is formed with guide ribs 504 extending from the inner surface of the window cover portion 502 in the mounting direction. The guide ribs 504 are formed, for example, by bending the vertical upper end of the cover-side guide wall 503 outward.

[0042] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 8, the bottom surface portion 140 of the housing 201A is provided with housing-side guide walls 132 extending vertically upward at both ends sandwiching the bottom surface opening 141 in the width direction. However, for convenience of illustration, Fig. 8 shows only one housing-side guide wall 132. The housing-side guide wall 132 has an upstream end in the mounting direction (arrow X direction) of the detachable cover 500 connected to the rear cover 130. A guide rail 133 is formed on the housing-side guide wall 132 so as to extend from the inner surface of the rear cover 130 in the mounting direction.

[0043] The guide ribs 504 of the cover-side guide wall 503 described above fit into the guide rails 133 of the housing-side guide wall 132, so that the removable cover 500 slides along the guide rails 133 and is attached to the housing 201A. The guide ribs 504 and the guide rails 133 form a guide section for guiding the removable cover 500 slidably in the attachment direction intersecting with the rear cover 130.

[0044] When the removable cover 500 is attached to the housing 201A, the bottom opening 141 of the bottom part 140 is blocked by the connector cover part 501 of the removable cover 500, as shown in Fig. 9. In this manner, the bottom opening 141 is blocked by the connector cover part 501, so that the main body side connector 281 provided in the image forming apparatus 201 is not exposed from the bottom opening 141, and the main body side connector 281 is protected from being touched by an operator. Note that in Fig. 9, the main body side connector 281 is not shown in order to make the explanation easier to understand.

[0045] Furthermore, when the detachable cover 500 is attached to the housing 201A, the opening window 131 of the rear cover 130 is blocked by the window cover portion 502 of the detachable cover 500. In this way, the opening window 131 is blocked by the window cover portion 502, so that external dust and the like do not enter the housing 201A through the opening window 131, thereby suppressing the occurrence of poor electrical contact caused by dust and the like adhering to the main body side connector 281.

[0046] In this embodiment, when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus 201, the removable cover 500 is removed from the image forming apparatus 201. By removing the removable cover 500, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 is opened, and the main body side connector 281 is exposed from the bottom opening 141. By exposing the main body side connector 281 from the bottom opening 141, it is possible to electrically connect the main body side connector 281 by fitting it to the unit side connector 351. In addition, by removing the removable cover 500, the opening window 131 of the rear cover 130 is opened. By opening the opening window 131, the operator can see the positions of the main body side connector 281 and the unit side connector 351 from the opening window 131 and can reliably fit them together.

[0047] However, if the open window 131 is left open while the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus 201, there is a risk of dust and the like entering through the open window 131. Therefore, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), the sheet storage device 300 is provided with a protrusion 380 that protrudes from an end of the unit-side rear cover 302 toward the side where the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the bottom surface portion 140. The protrusion 380 protrudes from the end of the unit-side rear cover 302 in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the unit-side connector 351, and when viewed from the outside of the unit-side rear cover 300b, so as to cover a part of the unit-side connector 351.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 10(b), when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus 201, the protrusion 380 closes the opening window 131 of the rear cover 130. To achieve this, a protrusion 380 is provided on the end of the unit-side rear cover 302 on the image forming apparatus 201 side (image forming apparatus side) so as to protrude from the sheet storage device 300 toward the image forming apparatus 201 and fit into the opening window 131. The protrusion 380 is formed to have approximately the same size as the opening window 131. In this way, as shown in FIG. 10(b) or FIG. 2, the opening window 131 is closed by the protrusion 380, so that it is possible to prevent dust and the like from entering through the opening window 131.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, by attaching the removable cover 500 to the single image forming apparatus 201, the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 is blocked by the connector cover portion 501 of the removable cover 500. Since the window cover portion 502 is integrally formed with the connector cover portion 501 of the removable cover 500, the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130 is blocked by the window cover portion 502 of the removable cover 500. In addition, when attaching the sheet storage device 300 to the image forming apparatus 201, the worker can open the bottom opening 141 and the opening window portion 131 simply by removing the removable cover 500 from the image forming apparatus 201. In other words, the worker can block or open the bottom opening 141 and the opening window portion 131 simply by attaching and detaching the removable cover 500, so that it is not time-consuming. In this way, in this embodiment, the workability of attaching and detaching the sheet storage device 300 to and from the image forming apparatus 201 by the worker can be improved.

[0050] In addition, in the case of this embodiment, an operator can easily understand from the outside that the removable cover 500 is attached to the single image forming apparatus 201 and the bottom opening 141 and the opening window 131 are blocked. As described above, if the removable cover 500 is attached, the bottom opening 141 and the opening window 131 are blocked by the removable cover 500. Therefore, when the operator removes the sheet storage device 300 from the image forming apparatus 201, the operator can check at a glance whether the removable cover 500 is attached to the image forming apparatus 201. In this way, in this embodiment, it is also possible to prevent the operator from forgetting to attach the removable cover 500, and therefore the risk of the operator accidentally touching the main body side connector 281 exposed from the bottom opening 141 and receiving an electric shock due to forgetting to attach the removable cover 500 can be reduced.

[0051] As described above, the sheet storage device 300 is provided with the protrusion 380, and when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming device 201, the protrusion 380 closes the opening window 131 of the rear cover 130. This makes it possible to prevent dust and the like from entering through the opening window 131, thereby making it possible to prevent poor electrical contact when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming device 201.

[0052] <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the protrusion 380 is provided on the unit-side rear cover 302 of the sheet storage device 300 in order to close the open window 131 of the rear cover 130 when the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming device 201, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the unit-side rear cover 302 may not be provided with the protrusion 380, and after the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming device 201, the worker may reattach the removable cover removed from the image forming device 201, so that only the open window 131 can be closed by the removable cover. The removable cover 500A that can achieve this will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the following, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified or omitted.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 11, the removable cover 500A has connector cover parts (501a, 501b) and a window cover part 502, and is a substantially L-shaped member in which the connector cover parts (501a, 501b) and the window cover part 502 are arranged to intersect. The connector cover parts (501a, 501b) extend in the mounting direction (arrow X direction) of the removable cover 500A. However, unlike the above-mentioned removable cover 500 (see Fig. 7(a)), the connector cover parts (501a, 501b) have a lower cover part 501a as a fixed part fixed to the window cover part 502, and an upper cover part 501b as a movable part provided so as to be slidable relative to the lower cover part 501a.

[0054] The upper cover portion 501b is biased in a direction to close the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 by a coil spring 510 as a biasing member having one end supported by the window cover portion 502. In other words, the upper cover portion 501b is provided so as to be able to open the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 against the biasing force of the coil spring 510. When the removable cover 500A is attached to the image forming apparatus 201 to which the sheet storage device 300 is not attached, the upper cover portion 501b is biased by the coil spring 510 to close the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 together with the lower cover portion 501a. The window cover portion 502 blocks the open window portion 131 of the rear cover 130.

[0055] 12, when an operator attaches the removable cover 500A in a state in which the sheet storage device 300 is attached to the image forming apparatus 201, the tip of the upper cover portion 501b abuts against the unit side connector 351 of the sheet storage device 300, and the movement in the attachment direction (arrow X direction) is restricted. In contrast, the movement of the lower cover portion 501a in the attachment direction is not restricted, so the upper cover portion 501b and the lower cover portion 501a move relatively. In this way, the upper cover portion 501b slides on the lower cover portion 501a against the biasing force of the coil spring 510 toward the window cover portion 502. By sliding the upper cover portion 501b, the removable cover 500A is attached while the bottom opening 141 of the bottom portion 140 is left open. Here, the upper cover portion 501b abuts against the unit side connector 351 to restrict movement in the mounting direction, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the sheet storage device 300 may be provided with a restricting member that restricts movement of the upper cover portion 501b in the mounting direction.

[0056] 11, the removable cover 500A is fixed to an attachment portion 650 provided on the housing 201A by, for example, screws 600. At this time, the window cover portion 502 covers the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130. In this manner, when the removable cover 500A is reattached with the sheet storage device 300 attached to the image forming apparatus 201, the opening window portion 131 of the rear cover 130 is covered with the bottom opening portion 141 of the bottom portion 140 being open.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the sheet storage device 300 is attached as an optional device below the image forming device 201, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention may be applied to a case where a different type of sheet storage device is attached as an optional device to the right side surface of the image forming device 201, or a finisher device that performs a punching process to make holes in sheets P or a stapling process to bundle and staple multiple sheets P is attached to the left side surface of the image forming device 201. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1...image forming system, 130...second outer wall portion (rear cover), 131...second opening (opening, opening window portion), 133...guide portion (guide rail), 140...first outer wall portion (outer wall portion, bottom portion), 141...first opening (bottom opening), 201...image forming apparatus, 201A...housing (first housing), 281...connector (main body side connector), 300...external unit (storage portion, sheet storage device), 300A...second housing (unit side housing), 302... unit side outer wall portion (unit side rear cover), 351... unit side connector, 380... protrusion, 500... cover member (detachable cover), 501... first cover portion (connector cover portion), 501a... fixed portion (lower cover portion), 501b... moving portion (upper cover portion), 502... second cover portion (window cover portion), 504... guide portion (guide rib), 510... biasing member (coil spring), P... recording material (sheet)

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, a housing including a first exterior wall portion forming at least a part of a first exterior surface and a second exterior wall portion forming at least a part of a second exterior surface intersecting the first exterior surface; a connector disposed inside the housing and electrically connected to an external unit attached to the first exterior surface; A cover member that is detachable from the housing, the first outer wall portion has a first opening through which a connection terminal of the connector is exposed, the second outer wall portion has a second opening through which a component disposed inside the housing is exposed, The cover member has a first cover portion that closes the first opening when attached to the housing, and a second cover portion that is integrally formed with the first cover portion and closes the second opening when attached to the housing.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. a guide portion for slidably guiding the cover member in a mounting direction along the first exterior surface when the cover member is mounted on the housing; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The guide portion is a guide rail formed on an inner surface of the second outer wall portion of the housing and extending in the mounting direction; A guide rib is formed on the cover member and fitted into the guide rail.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

4. The component exposed from the second opening is the connector.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

5. The connection terminal of the connector is supplied with power to be supplied to the external unit.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

6. the first cover portion has a fixed portion fixed to the second cover portion, a movable portion slidably movable relative to the fixed portion, and a biasing member biasing the movable portion in an installation direction intersecting with the second outer wall portion, The moving portion is provided to be able to open the first opening against the biasing force of the biasing member.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

7. An image forming system including an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, and an external unit that is attached to the image forming apparatus, The image forming apparatus includes: a first outer wall portion forming at least a part of an opposing surface facing the external unit; a first housing including a second outer wall portion forming a part of an exterior surface intersecting the opposing surface; a main body side connector disposed inside the first housing, The external unit includes: a second housing including a unit side outer wall portion forming another part of the exterior surface; a unit-side connector electrically connected to the main body-side connector, a recessed portion recessed from the external unit toward the image forming apparatus is provided at an end portion of the second outer wall portion on the external unit side, a projection that projects from the external unit toward the image forming device so as to fit into the recess, the projection being provided at an end of the unit-side outer wall portion on the image forming device side; When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the second outer wall portion, the protrusion overlaps the main body side connector.

1. An image forming system comprising:

8. The external unit is attached below the image forming apparatus.

8. The image forming system according to claim 7.

9. the external unit is a storage unit that stores a recording material to be supplied to the image forming apparatus; 8. The image forming system according to claim 7.

10. An external unit that can be attached to an outer wall of a housing of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, a unit side housing including a unit side outer wall portion forming at least a part of an exterior surface intersecting a surface facing the outer wall portion of the housing; a unit-side connector that protrudes toward the image forming device from a surface of the housing that faces an outer wall portion and is electrically connectable to the image forming device, The unit side outer wall portion is a protrusion protruding from an end of the unit-side outer wall portion in a direction perpendicular to a protruding direction of the unit-side connector and overlapping with the unit-side connector when viewed from the outside of the unit-side outer wall portion; An external unit characterized by:

11. the protrusion closes an opening formed in a second outer wall portion disposed in a direction intersecting the outer wall portion of the image forming apparatus and so as to be continuous with an end portion of the outer wall portion when the external unit is attached to the outer wall portion of the image forming apparatus.

11. An external unit according to claim 10.

12. The external unit is attached below the image forming apparatus.

11. An external unit according to claim 10.

13. the external unit is a storage unit that stores a recording material to be supplied to the image forming apparatus; 11. An external unit according to claim 10.

Images