Image-forming device

Abstract

To provide an image-forming device capable of appropriately fitting a connector of the device body and a connector of an external unit when the device body and the external unit are fitted in a tilted state.SOLUTION: In a unit side connector section 350 of a casing 300A, a unit side connector support section 23 in which a unit side terminal section 351 is fixed is provided swingably relative to the casing 300A by a coil spring 22. In a body side connector section 250 of a casing 201A, a body side terminal section 251 is provided movably in a direction crossing a fitting direction relative to a body side connector support section 13 fixed to the casing 201A by a coil spring 12. When the casing 201A and the casing 300A are fitted in a tilted state, the unit side connector support section 23 is tilted and tolerance of position deviation is expanded by movement of the body side terminal section 251 in all directions crossing a fitting direction, such that the unit side terminal section 351 and the body side terminal section 251 can be fitted appropriately.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an external unit that is detachable from the main body of the apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which an apparatus main body and an external unit are detachably attached. The apparatus main body and the external unit are not only physically connected by their respective housings, but also electrically connected via a connector having a connection terminal (Patent Document 1). In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, one connector is provided movably relative to the other connector so that the connector of the apparatus main body and the connector of the external unit can be positioned within a range in which they can be fitted together when the apparatus main body and the external unit are attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-126270 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the past, when the device main body and the external unit were attached to each other, if the device main body and the external unit were tilted, there was a risk of poor contact between the connection terminals of the device main body and the external unit or damage to the connector after attachment.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an image forming device that can properly engage the connector of the device main body and the connector of the external unit even if the device main body and the external unit are tilted when attaching them to each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] 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 first housing and a second housing that are detachable from each other, a first connector portion arranged on the first housing and having a first terminal portion and a first support portion that supports the first terminal portion, a second connector portion arranged on the second housing and having a second terminal portion that is electrically connected to the first terminal portion by being engaged with the first terminal portion in a first predetermined direction, and a second support portion that is fixed to the second housing and supports the second terminal portion, a first elastic member connected between the first terminal portion and the first support portion or between the first support portion and the first housing, and a second elastic member connected between the second terminal portion and the second support portion or between the second support portion and the second housing. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, when a first housing in which a first connector portion is arranged and a second housing in which a second connector portion is arranged are attached to each other, the first terminal portion of the first connector portion and the second terminal portion of the second connector portion can be properly engaged with each other even if they are tilted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a sheet storage device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a unit side connector portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion. [Figure 9]11 is a cross-sectional view showing a time point when the guide pin starts to enter the guide hole in a case where the image forming apparatus main body is not inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body. FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a perspective view showing a state immediately before a guide pin enters a guide hole when the image forming apparatus main body is inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body. FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state immediately before a guide pin enters a guide hole when the image forming apparatus main body is inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a time point when the main body terminals start to fit into the unit terminals while the image forming apparatus main body is tilted relative to the sheet storage device main body. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] <Image forming device> The present embodiment will be described below. First, the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 201 of the present 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 that stacks sheets discharged from the housing 201A is formed between the housing 201A and the document reading device 20. The housing 201A 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.

[0010] 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".

[0011] Housing 201A is composed of a front plate provided on the front side of image forming apparatus 201, a rear plate provided on the rear side and supporting each unit together with the front plate, stays connecting the front plate and rear plate, pillars supporting the front plate, a bottom surface, and multiple sheet metal members, and is covered by an exterior cover that constitutes the exterior of image forming apparatus 201. As the exterior covers, front cover 110 is arranged on the front, side covers 120 on both the left and right sides, and rear cover 130 is arranged on the rear.

[0012] The image forming apparatus 201 of this embodiment includes a sheet storage device 300 below a housing 201A as a second housing. The sheet storage device 300 is an example of an external unit that is detachable from the image forming apparatus 201. The housing 201A is detachably provided with a housing 300A of the sheet storage device 300. The sheet storage device 300 is attached later in order to supply sheets of various sizes and types stored in large quantities in the housing 300A as a first housing to the image forming apparatus 201. The housing 201A and the housing 300A are provided so as to be physically connectable, and the image forming apparatus 201 and the sheet storage device 300 are connected via the housing 201A and the housing 300A.

[0013] Next, a schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus 201 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, 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.

[0014] 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 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.

[0015] 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).

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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 2510 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.

[0019] When the sheet storage device 300 is attached, the image forming apparatus 201 receives a sheet P fed from the sheet storage device 300. The sheet storage device 300 includes a third feeding section 233 and a fourth feeding section 234. The third feeding section 233 includes a third cassette 243 that stores the sheet P, a third feeding roller pair 253 that feeds the sheet P stored in the third cassette 243, and a third pull-off roller pair 263. The fourth feeding section 234 includes a fourth cassette 244 that stores the sheet P, and a fourth feeding roller pair 254 and a fourth pull-off roller pair 264 that feed the sheet P stored in the fourth cassette 244.

[0020] The sheet storage device 300 receives power from a power supply unit 280 provided in the housing 201A, receives an electric control signal (hereinafter referred to as a control signal) from a control unit provided in the housing 201A, and performs an operation of supplying a sheet P to the image forming apparatus 201. The power supply unit 280 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 disposed in the housing 201A, as well as to supply power to the sheet storage device 300.

[0021] Cassettes 241 and 242 are capable of storing sheets P, and can be inserted into and removed from housing 201A of image forming apparatus 201. Cassettes 243 and 244 as storage bodies are capable of storing sheets P, and can be inserted into and removed from housing 300A of sheet storage device 300. The sheet P as recording material can be paper such as plain paper and thick paper, plastic film such as overhead projector sheet, cloth, sheet material with a surface treatment such as coated paper, or sheet material with a special shape such as an envelope or index paper.

[0022] Each of the feed roller pairs (2510, 252 to 254) includes a feed roller 257 that feeds the sheet P from the corresponding cassette 241 to 244, and a retard roller 258 that comes into contact with the feed roller 257. A driving force in a direction opposite to the rotation of the feed 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 feed roller 257 and the retard roller 258, thereby separating the sheet P conveyed by the feed roller 257 from other sheets. In this manner, each of the feed roller pairs (2510, 252 to 254) is configured to feed the sheets P from the cassettes 241 to 244 one by one.

[0023] The sheet P fed from each cassette 241-244 by the feeding roller pairs (2510, 252-254) 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 topmost 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. In this embodiment, the pair of feeding rollers 253 and 254 and the pair of drawing rollers 263 and 264 constitute a conveying section that conveys the sheets P stored in the cassettes 243 and 244 from the housing 300A to the housing 201A.

[0024] The image forming apparatus 201 is also provided with a manual feed unit 230 in which a user can set a sheet P as necessary. The sheet P set on the manual feed tray 240 is conveyed one by one toward the registration roller pair 270 by a feed roller pair 2501 consisting of a feed roller and a separation roller.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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 physically connected to the image forming device 201, but is also electrically connected to the image forming device 201 so as 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 achieve this, the image forming device 201 is provided with a main body side connector unit, and the sheet storage device 300 is provided with a unit side connector unit. The main body side connector unit and the unit side connector unit will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12. In addition, in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 10, in order to make the description easier to understand, a part of the main body side connector support unit 13 described later is cut out.

[0029] 3, an open bottom opening 141 is formed in the bottom surface 140 of the housing 201A. The body side connector 250 has a body side terminal portion 251, and is provided in the housing 201A such that a part of the body side terminal portion 251 is exposed from the bottom surface opening 141. The sheet storage device 300 is attached to the bottom surface 140 of the housing 201A. For this reason, the bottom surface 140 is provided with a positioning hole 501A through which a positioning pin 500A (see FIG. 4) of the sheet storage device 300 passes.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the sheet storage device 300 has a housing 300A. A third cassette 243 and a fourth cassette 244 are provided in the housing 300A so as to be able to be pulled out toward the front. The sheet storage device 300 is provided with a unit side connector section 350. The unit side connector section 350 has a unit side terminal section 351. The unit side terminal section 351 and the main body side terminal section 251 (see Fig. 3) can be fitted together in a fitting direction (first predetermined direction).

[0031] Furthermore, a positioning pin 500A is fixed to the top surface of the housing 300A. When the housing 201A is stacked on the housing 300A, the positioning pin 500A of the housing 300A fits into the positioning hole 501A of the housing 201A, and the relative positions of the housings 201A and 300A are determined. Similarly, the positioning pin 500B shown in FIG. 4 is provided on the housing 300A, and a positioning hole 501B (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface portion 140 of the housing 201A. In this way, the relative positions of the housings 201A and 300A may be determined by two pairs of positioning pins and positioning holes.

[0032] Next, the main body side connector section and the unit side connector section will be described. In the case of this embodiment, in the unit side connector section, the terminal section is fixed to the support section, and the support section is provided to the housing 300A via an elastic member. In contrast, in the main body side connector section, the terminal section is provided to the support section via an elastic member, and the support section is fixed to the housing 201A.

[0033] <Main unit connector> The configuration of the body-side connector portion 250 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the body-side connector portion and the unit-side connector portion. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the body-side connector portion. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the body-side connector portion 250 as the second connector portion has a body-side connector support portion 13 and a body-side terminal portion 251.

[0034] The body-side connector support 13 as the second support is fixed to the housing 201A. Here, the term "fixing" refers to a form of connection or engagement in which the range of movement is relatively small compared to a connection via an elastic member such as a mechanical spring or rubber. For example, fastening with a screw, welding, or bonding with an adhesive is used. Since this is only relative, a connection using an elastic member with a sufficiently high elastic modulus is also a form of fixing. Therefore, when the image forming device 201 (housing 201A) and the sheet storage device 300 (housing 300A) are attached, if the housing 201A is inclined relative to the housing 300A, the body-side connector 250 will be inclined integrally with the housing 201A. The body-side terminal 251 as the second terminal is supported on the attachment surface 13c of the body-side connector support 13 by shoulder screws 15 arranged at two locations on both the left and right ends so that a part of the body-side terminal 251 protrudes downward from an opening 13a formed in the body-side connector support 13.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the main body side connector section and the unit side connector section. As shown in FIG. 8, the step screws 15 are arranged at positions where they do not overlap each other when viewed from the left and right direction. That is, the positions of the two step screws 15 in the front-rear direction are different from each other. The main body side terminal section 251 is formed with a screw through hole 13b through which the shaft portion 15a of the step screw 15 as a fastening member passes. The shaft portion 15a extends along a fitting direction (first predetermined direction) in which the main body side terminal section 251 and the unit side terminal section 351 can be fitted together. The diameter of the screw through hole 13b is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 15a of the step screw 15, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 13b and the shaft portion 15a of the step screw 15. The gap is of a size that allows the main body side terminal section 251 to move in a direction (second predetermined direction) intersecting the fitting direction relative to the main body side connector support section 13.

[0036] A coil spring 12 serving as a second elastic member (second biasing member) is disposed around the shaft portion 15a of the stepped screw 15, with one end of the coil spring 12 abutting against the head portion 15b of the stepped screw 15. The coil spring 12 disposed between the head portion 15b (abutment portion) and the main body side connector support portion 13 is provided to bias the main body side terminal portion 251 toward the unit side connector portion 350 so as to be movable in any direction intersecting the fitting direction, specifically, in any direction intersecting the shaft portion 15a. Note that an annular elastic rubber member may be disposed instead of the coil spring 12.

[0037] Moreover, the coil spring 12 allows the body side terminal portion 251 to be displaced relative to the body side connector support portion 13 in the fitting direction. Therefore, the body side terminal portion 251 can also rotate about an arbitrary axis relative to the body side connector support portion 13. Thus, the movement in this embodiment includes both the horizontal movement of the body side terminal portion 251 relative to the body side connector support portion 13 and the rotation of the body side terminal portion 251 about an axis relative to the body side connector support portion 13. In the case of rotation, the movement range means the range of the rotation angle. This definition of movement is not limited to the body side terminal portion 251 and the body side connector support portion 13, but is similar for any two members.

[0038] Furthermore, the main body side connector support portion 13 is provided at a location on the rear side away from the main body side terminal portion 251 so that the guide portion 14 does not overlap with the main body side terminal portion 251 when viewed from the left and right direction. The guide portion 14 is formed with guide holes 14a at two locations away from each other in the left and right direction for inserting and removing the guide pins 24 provided in the unit side connector portion 350.

[0039] <Unit side connector> Next, the configuration of the unit side connector section 350 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view showing the unit side connector section. As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the unit side connector section 350 as a first connector section has a unit side terminal section 351, a unit side connector support section 23, and a guide pin 24 as a positioning member. The unit side terminal section 351 as a first terminal section is fixed to the unit side connector support section 23 by fixing screws 25 arranged on both the left and right ends. The unit side terminal section 351 is fitted with the main body side terminal section 251 to be electrically connected.

[0040] The unit side connector support part 23 as the first support part is attached to the housing 300A by stepped screws 26 arranged in three places, for example. The stepped screws 26 are arranged, for example, in two places at both ends in the left-right direction on the rear side and in one place in the center in the left-right direction on the front side. As shown in Fig. 8, the unit side connector support part 23 is formed with a screw through hole 23a through which the shaft part 26a of the stepped screw 26 passes. The diameter of the screw through hole 23a is larger than the diameter of the shaft part 26a of the stepped screw 26, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft part 26a of the stepped screw 26.

[0041] In this embodiment, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the fitting direction when the housing 300A and the housing 201A are attached is made to be freely inclined (direction intersecting the vertical direction) with respect to the fitting direction (vertical direction) when the housing 300A and the housing 201A are attached. To achieve this, the size of the gap between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft portion 26a of the stepped screw 26 is set, and the coil spring 22 is disposed between the head portion 26b of the stepped screw 26 and the housing 300A. In this way, the coil spring 22 as the first elastic member (first biasing member) biases the unit side connector support portion 23 toward the body side connector portion 250 above so as to be swingable with respect to the mounting surface 3011 on which the unit side connector support portion 23 is attached in the housing 300A.

[0042] It should be noted that an annular elastic rubber member may be disposed instead of the coil spring 22. The coil spring 22 allows the unit side connector support part 23 to be displaced relative to the housing 300A in the fitting direction. Therefore, the unit side connector support part 23 can also rotate about any axis relative to the housing 300A. As described above, the movement here includes both horizontal movement and rotation.

[0043] The above-mentioned body side terminal portion 251 and unit side terminal portion 351 each have a plurality of electrical contact portions. The body side terminal portion 251 has a convex housing with a side portion that faces the unit side terminal portion 351 when mated with the unit side terminal portion 351 formed in a convex shape. A plurality of electrical contact portions are arranged side by side in the left-right direction inside the convex housing. On the other hand, the unit side terminal portion 351 has a concave housing with a side portion that faces the body side terminal portion 251 when mated with the body side terminal portion 251 formed in a concave shape. The concave housing has a plurality of electrical contact portions arranged side by side in the same direction as the electrical contact portions of the body side terminal portion 251.

[0044] The main body side terminal portion 251 and the unit side terminal portion 351 are fitted together through the convex housing and the concave housing, so that their electrical contact portions come into contact with each other and are electrically connected. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the main body side terminal portion 251 is a male connector having a pin-shaped connection terminal 251a as an electrical contact portion. In contrast, the unit side terminal portion 351 is a female connector having a connection terminal 351a whose tip portion on the main body side terminal portion 251 side is bent to have elasticity as an electrical contact portion and which secures an electrical connection by sandwiching the connection terminal 251a of the main body side terminal portion 251. 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 a control signal are connected to the main body side terminal portion 251 and the unit side terminal portion 351. An example of such a main body side terminal portion 251 and the unit side terminal portion 351 is, for example, a drawer connector.

[0045] <Guide pin> 7 and 8, the unit-side connector support part 23 has the unit-side terminal part 351 fixed thereto, and is also provided with guide pins 24 protruding upward toward the body-side connector part 250. The guide pins 24 are provided at two locations on the rear side away from the unit-side terminal part 351 so as not to overlap the body-side terminal part 251 when viewed from the left-right direction. The guide pins 24 are inserted into and removed from the guide holes 14a of the body-side connector part 250.

[0046] 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the time when the guide pin 24 starts to enter the guide hole 14A when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are not tilted when they are attached. When the housing 201A and the housing 300A are not tilted when they are attached, the fitting direction of the main body side terminal part 251 and the unit side terminal part 351 is the same as in the state when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached. In this case, when the housing 300A and the housing 201A are attached, the force applied to each of the coil springs 22 arranged at three locations is the same, and the compression amount of each of the three coil springs 22 is not different, so the unit side connector part 350 does not tilt with respect to the housing 300A.

[0047] 9, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other, the tip 24a of the guide pin 24 enters the guide hole 14a of the body-side connector part 250 before the connection terminal 251a of the body-side terminal part 251 is inserted into the connection terminal 351a of the unit-side terminal part 351. Thereafter, the guide pin 24 is appropriately inserted into the guide hole 14a, thereby positioning the unit-side connector support part 23 and the body-side connector support part 13. The guide pin 24 is, for example, a rod-shaped member with a circular cross section, and the tip 24a has an inclined surface formed in an inclined shape so that the diameter of the tip side becomes smaller in order to facilitate insertion into the guide hole 14a when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other.

[0048] Next, the operation of the main body side connector 250 and the unit side connector 350 when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 to Fig. 12. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the state immediately before the guide pin 24 enters the guide hole 14a when the image forming apparatus main body (housing 201A) is inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body (housing 300A). Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the state immediately before the guide pin 24 enters the guide hole 14a when the image forming apparatus main body is inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the time when the main body side terminal 251 starts to fit into the unit side terminal 351 while the image forming apparatus main body is inclined with respect to the sheet storage device main body.

[0049] When the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other, the housing 201A and the housing 300A may become tilted as shown in Fig. 10. As described above, since the body-side connector support portion 13 is fixed to the housing 201A, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are tilted as shown in Fig. 11, the body-side terminal portion 251 becomes tilted with respect to the unit-side terminal portion 351.

[0050] If the main body side terminal portion 251 remains tilted relative to the unit side terminal portion 351 when the housing 201A is lowered toward the housing 300A, the guide pin 24 is unlikely to enter the guide hole 14a straight. Therefore, the guide pin 24 is likely to encounter large resistance as it enters the guide hole 14a. As a result, the connection terminal 251a of the main body side terminal portion 251 and the connection terminal 351a of the unit side terminal portion 351 are subjected to a force greater than expected, which may cause poor contact between the connection terminals 251a, 351a or damage to the connectors (250, 350) themselves.

[0051] Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, the unit-side connector part 350 is configured to swing and tilt with respect to the housing 300A in response to contact between the main body-side connector part 250 and the unit-side connector part 350. For example, when a downward external force is applied to the unit-side connector part 350 via the guide pin 24, the unit-side connector part 350 moves downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 22, as shown in Fig. 12. At this time, depending on the location where the external force is applied to the unit-side connector part 350, the force applied to each of the coil springs 22 arranged at three locations differs, and the compression amount of each of the three coil springs 22 differs, and the tilt of the unit-side connector part 350 changes.

[0052] By tilting the unit-side connector part 350 in this way, the guide pin 24 can enter the guide hole 14a straight. If this happens, the guide pin 24 is properly inserted into the guide hole 14a, and the unit-side connector support part 23 and the main body-side connector support part 13 are positioned.

[0053] However, there is a gap between the guide pin 24 and the guide hole 14a. Also, the position of the body-side terminal portion 251 in the body-side connector support portion 13 and the position of the unit-side terminal portion 351 in the unit-side connector support portion 23 may differ from device to device. Therefore, even if the guide pin 24 is properly inserted into the guide hole 14a, the unit-side terminal portion 351 and the body-side terminal portion 251 may not be properly positioned to fit together.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, in response to contact between the body-side connector part 250 and the unit-side connector part 350, the body-side terminal part 251 is made movable up and down along the shaft part 15a of the shoulder screw 15 against the biasing force of the coil spring 12 and in any direction intersecting the shaft part 15a. In this way, if the guide pin 24 is properly inserted into the guide hole 14a, the body-side terminal part 251 and the unit-side terminal part 351 can be moved to a position where they can be properly fitted together.

[0055] It is desirable that the biasing force (elastic force) of the coil spring 12 biasing the main body side terminal portion 251 is greater than the biasing force (elastic force) of the coil spring 22 biasing the unit side connector support portion 23. In this way, even if the main body side terminal portion 251 abuts against the unit side terminal portion 351 with a large force when the image forming apparatus 201 and the sheet storage device 300 are attached, the main body side terminal portion 251 retracts from the unit side terminal portion 351. This prevents the connection terminal 251a of the main body side terminal portion 251 and the connection terminal 351a of the unit side terminal portion 351 from receiving a force greater than expected. In addition, when the unit side terminal portion 351 and the main body side terminal portion 251 are positioned at a position where they can be fitted together, the fitting state between the connection terminal 251a of the main body side terminal portion 251 and the connection terminal 351a of the unit side terminal portion 351 can be improved.

[0056] As described above, in the case of the present embodiment, in the unit side connector section 350 arranged in the housing 300A, the unit side connector support section 23 to which the unit side terminal section 351 is fixed is provided by the coil spring 22 so as to be able to swing with respect to the housing 300A. In contrast, in the body side connector section 250 arranged in the housing 201A, the body side terminal section 251 is provided by the coil spring 12 so as to be able to move in a direction intersecting the fitting direction with respect to the body side connector support section 13 fixed to the housing 201A. In this way, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other, the allowable range of positional deviation between the unit side terminal section 351 and the body side terminal section 251 can be expanded. In particular, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are inclined, the unit side connector support section 23 is inclined, and the body side terminal section 251 moves in any direction intersecting the fitting direction, making it easier to attach the unit side terminal section 351 and the body side terminal section 251. Therefore, even if a misalignment occurs between the unit side terminal portion 351 and the body side terminal portion 251 due to the housing 201A and the housing 300A being attached at an angle, the misalignment can be corrected so that the unit side terminal portion 351 and the body side terminal portion 251 are properly engaged with each other.

[0057] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the main body side connector section 250 is arranged in the housing 201A, and the unit side connector section 350 is arranged in the housing 300A, but the present invention is not limited to this. The main body side connector section 250 may be arranged in the housing 300A, and the unit side connector section 350 may be arranged in the housing 201A.

[0058] 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]

[0059] 12...second elastic member (second biasing member, coil spring), 13...second support portion (main body side connector support portion), 14a...guide hole, 15a...shaft portion, 15b...contact portion (head portion), 22...first elastic member (first biasing member, coil spring), 23...first support portion (unit side connector support portion), 24...positioning member (guide pin), 201...image forming apparatus, 201A...second housing (housing), 201B...image forming portion, 243, 244... storage body (cassette), 250... second connector portion (main body side connector portion), 251... second terminal portion (main body side terminal portion), 251b... through hole (screw through hole), 253, 254... conveying portion (feed roller pair), 263, 264... conveying portion (pulling roller pair), 300A... first housing (housing), 350... first connector portion (unit side connector portion), 351... first terminal portion (unit side terminal portion), P... recording material (sheet)

Claims

1. In an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording material, A first housing and a second housing which are detachable from each other; a first connector portion disposed in the first housing and having a first terminal portion and a first support portion supporting the first terminal portion; a second connector portion disposed in the second housing, the second connector portion having a second terminal portion that is fitted with the first terminal portion in a first predetermined direction to be electrically connected to the first terminal portion, and a second support portion that is fixed to the second housing and supports the second terminal portion; a first elastic member coupled between the first terminal portion and the first support portion, or between the first support portion and the first housing; a second elastic member connected between the second terminal portion and the second support portion, or between the second support portion and the second housing.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. the first elastic member includes a first biasing member that biases the first support portion toward the second connector portion so as to be pivotable with respect to the first housing such that the first predetermined direction when the first housing and the second housing are attached can be inclined with respect to the first predetermined direction when the first housing and the second housing are attached to each other, the second elastic member includes a second biasing member that biases the second terminal portion toward the first connector portion in a manner movable in a second predetermined direction intersecting the first predetermined direction with respect to the second support portion fixed to the second housing, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The first support portion has a guide hole, The second support portion has a positioning member inserted into the guide hole.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

4. The second support portion has a guide hole, The first support portion has a positioning member inserted into the guide hole.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

5. The elastic force of the second elastic member is greater than the elastic force of the first elastic member.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

6. The biasing force of the second biasing member is greater than the biasing force of the first biasing member.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

7. One of the second terminal portion and the second support portion has a shaft portion extending along the first predetermined direction, the other of the second terminal portion and the second support portion has a through hole through which the shaft portion passes, the through hole has a gap between the shaft portion and the second terminal portion so that the second terminal portion is movable in the second predetermined direction relative to the second support portion; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

8. the second biasing member is a coil spring disposed around the shaft portion, the shaft portion has an abutment portion that abuts against one end of the coil spring, The coil spring is provided between the other member and the abutment portion.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. The first housing is attached below the second housing.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

10. an image forming section provided in the second housing and configured to form an image on a recording material; a storage body provided in the first housing and capable of storing a recording material; a conveying section provided in the first housing and configured to convey the recording material stored in the container from the first housing to the second housing, 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

Images