Image-forming device

Abstract

To provide an image-forming device capable of easily positioning a connector of a device body and a connector of an external unit in a fittable position when fitting the device body and the external unit.SOLUTION: In a unit side connector section 350, a unit side connector support section 23 in which a unit side terminal section 351 is fixed is provided movably relative to a casing of an external unit by a coil spring 22. In a body side connector section 250, a body side terminal section 251 is provided movably relative to a body side connector support section 13 fixed to a device body by a coil spring 12. A movable range for a casing of the unit side connector support section 23 is larger than a movable range for the body side connector support section 13 of the body side terminal section 251. In this manner, when fitting the device body and the external unit, tolerance of position deviation between the unit side terminal section 351 and the body side terminal section 251 can be expanded, such that the unit side terminal section 351 and the body side terminal section 251 are easily positioned in a fittable position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

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 attaching the external unit to the main body of the apparatus, it was sometimes difficult to position the connector of the main body of the apparatus and the connector of the external unit at a position where they could be fitted together.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide an image forming apparatus in which, when attaching an external unit to the apparatus main body, the connector of the apparatus main body and the connector of the external unit can be easily positioned to be engaged with 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 comprises a first housing and a second housing that are detachable from each other, a first connector portion having a first terminal portion and a first support portion that supports the first terminal portion, a second connector portion 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 direction, and a second support portion that supports the second terminal portion, wherein the first support portion is movably provided relative to the first housing, the first terminal portion is fixed to the first support portion, the second support portion is fixed to the second housing, the second terminal portion is movably provided relative to the second support portion, and a movable range of the first support portion relative to the first housing is greater than a movable range of the second terminal portion relative to the second support portion.

[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 comprises a first housing and a second housing that are detachable from each other, a first connector portion having a first terminal portion and a first support portion that supports the first terminal portion, a second connector portion 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 direction, and a second support portion that supports the second terminal portion, wherein the first support portion is arranged to be movable in a second direction intersecting the first direction relative to the first housing, the first terminal portion is arranged to be movable in the second direction relative to the first support portion, the second support portion is fixed to the second housing, and the second terminal portion is fixed to the second support portion, and the movable range of the first support portion in the second direction relative to the first housing is greater than the movable range of the first terminal portion in the second direction relative to the first support portion. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, when attaching a first housing in which a first connector portion is arranged and a second housing in which a second connector portion is arranged, it becomes easier to position the first terminal portion of the first connector portion and the second terminal portion of the second connector portion at a position where they can be engaged with each other. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [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. 2 is a perspective view showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a unit side connector portion. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion in an attached state. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view showing the time when the guide pin starts to enter the guide hole. [Figure 10] FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion of the first embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the unit-side connector portion is inclined relative to the main body-side connector portion. FIG. [Figure 12] 13A is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion of a second embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 13] 13A is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion of a third embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 14] 13A is a schematic diagram showing a main body side connector portion and a unit side connector portion of a fourth embodiment, and FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [First embodiment] <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.

[0011] 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".

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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.

[0014] 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.

[0015] 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.

[0016] 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).

[0017] 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.

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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 10(b). In addition, in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in order to make the description easier to understand, a part of the main body side connector support unit 13 described later is cut away.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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 direction).

[0032] 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 housing 300A is provided with a positioning pin 500B shown in FIG. 4, and the bottom surface portion 140 of the housing 201A is provided with a positioning hole 501B (not shown). In this way, the relative positions of the housings 201A and 300A may be determined by two pairs of positioning pins and positioning holes.

[0033] 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.

[0034] <Main unit connector> Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the main body side connector portion. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the main body side connector portion 250 as the second connector portion has a main body side connector support portion 13 and a main body side terminal portion 251.

[0035] The body-side connector support part 13 as the second support part 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 one of the means. Since it is only relative, a connection using an elastic member with a sufficiently high elastic modulus is also one form of fixing. Therefore, when the image forming device 201 (housing 201A) is attached to the sheet storage device 300 (housing 300A), the body-side connector part 250 moves integrally with the housing 201A. The body-side terminal part 251 as the second terminal part is supported on the attachment surface 13c of the body-side connector support part 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 part 251 protrudes downward from an opening 13a formed in the body-side connector support part 13.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing the main body side connector section and the unit side connector section. As shown in FIG. 8, the stepped 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 stepped 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 251b through which the shaft portion 15a of the stepped screw 15 as a fastening member passes. The shaft portion 15a extends along the fitting direction (first 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 251b is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 15a of the stepped screw 15, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 251b and the shaft portion 15a of the stepped screw 15.

[0037] A coil spring 12 serving as a 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 provided between the head portion 15b (abutment portion) and the body-side connector support portion 13 biases the body-side terminal portion 251 toward the unit-side connector portion 350 so that the body-side terminal portion 251 is movable in a direction intersecting the fitting direction relative to the body-side connector support portion 13, 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] <Unit side connector> Fig. 7 is an enlarged view showing the unit side connector part. As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the unit side connector part 350 as a first connector part has a unit side terminal part 351, a unit side connector support part 23, and a guide pin 24 as a positioning member. The unit side terminal part 351 as a first terminal part is fixed to the unit side connector support part 23 by fixing screws 25 arranged on both the left and right ends. The unit side terminal part 351 is fitted with the main body side terminal part 251 and electrically connected.

[0041] The unit side connector support part 23 as the first support part is attached to the housing 300A by the stepped screws 26 arranged in three places, for example, and the coil spring 22. 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 portion 26a of the stepped screw 26 passes. The diameter of the screw through hole 23a is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 26a of the stepped screw 26, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft portion 26a of the stepped screw 26.

[0042] In this embodiment, a coil spring 22 is disposed between the head portion 26b of the shoulder screw 26 and the housing 300A. The coil spring 22 as a first biasing member biases the unit side connector support portion 23 toward the upper main body side connector portion 250 so that the unit side connector support portion 23 can move the unit side connector portion 350 in a direction intersecting the fitting direction, specifically, in any direction intersecting the shaft portion 26a, with respect to the mounting surface 3011 on which the unit side connector portion 350 is mounted in the housing 300A. Note that an annular elastic rubber member may be disposed instead of the coil spring 22.

[0043] Furthermore, 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 an arbitrary axis relative to the housing 300A. As described above, the movement here includes both horizontal movement and rotation.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] <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.

[0047] 9 is a side cross-sectional view showing the time when the guide pin 24 starts to enter the guide hole 14A. As shown in FIG. 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, so that the unit side connector support part 23 and the body side connector support part 13 are positioned. 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 make it easier to insert the guide hole 14a when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other.

[0048] 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the body-side connector part 250 and the unit-side connector part 350, and FIG. 10(b) is a schematic diagram showing the movable range of the body-side connector part 250 and the unit-side connector part 350. As shown in the upper part of FIG. 10(a), in the body-side connector part 250, the body-side connector support part 13 is fixed to the housing 201A. The body-side terminal part 251 is provided movably relative to the body-side connector support part 13 by the stepped screw 15 and the coil spring 12. The diameter of the screw through hole 251b formed in the body-side terminal part 251 is larger than the diameter of the shaft part 15a of the stepped screw 15, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 251b and the shaft part 15a of the stepped screw 15. The gap is large enough to allow the body-side terminal part 251 to move relative to the body-side connector support part 13 in a direction (second direction) intersecting the fitting direction.

[0049] 10(a), in the unit-side connector section 350, the unit-side terminal section 351 is fixed to the unit-side connector support section 23 by the fixing screw 25, and the unit-side connector support section 23 is provided movably relative to the housing 300A by the stepped screw 26 and the coil spring 22. The diameter of the screw through hole 23a formed in the unit-side connector support section 23 is larger than the diameter of the shaft section 26a of the stepped screw 26, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft section 26a of the stepped screw 26. The gap is of a size that allows the unit-side connector support section 23 to move relative to the housing 300A in a direction (second direction) in which the main body-side terminal section 251 is movable relative to the main body-side connector support section 13.

[0050] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the movable range of the unit-side connector support portion 23 relative to the housing 300A is set to be larger than the movable range of the body-side terminal portion 251 relative to the body-side connector support portion 13. To achieve this, the sizes of the screw through holes 23a, 251b and the step screws 26, 15 are adjusted so that the gap between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft portion 26a of the step screw 26 is larger than the gap between the screw through hole 251b and the shaft portion 15a of the step screw 15. The means for limiting the movable range is not limited to the means for limiting the movable range of the step screw in the screw through hole. Other position restriction members may be added as appropriate to limit the movable range instead of the screw through hole.

[0051] In this way, in the first embodiment, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the unit side connector support portion 23 can move significantly relative to the housing 300A, so that the body side connector support portion 13 and the unit side connector support portion 23 can be easily positioned at a position where the guide pin 24 can be inserted into the guide hole 14a. Then, in a state where the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a, the relative position of the unit side connector support portion 23 and the body side connector support portion 13 is restricted within a certain range. On the other hand, in this state, the body side terminal portion 251 can move relatively over a wider range with respect to the unit side terminal portion 351 fixed to the unit side connector support portion 23. This allows the unit side terminal portion 351 and the body side terminal portion 251 to be properly fitted together.

[0052] In addition, it is desirable to set the biasing force of the coil spring 22 biasing the unit side connector support portion 23 smaller than the biasing force of the coil spring 12 biasing the main body side terminal portion 251. By reducing the biasing force of the coil spring 22, the unit side connector support portion 23 can be smoothly tilted and moved with respect to the housing 300A when attaching the housing 201A to the housing 300A. This makes it easier to correct the angle and position of the main body side connector support portion 13 and the unit side connector support portion 23 so that the guide pin 24 can be inserted into the guide hole 14a. As a result, the installation work of the image forming device 201 to the sheet storage device 300 is facilitated.

[0053] In addition, the biasing force of the coil spring 12 biasing the body-side terminal portion 251 is greater than the biasing force of the coil spring 22 biasing the unit-side connector support portion 23. Therefore, when the mounting of the housing 201A and the housing 300A is completed, the unit-side terminal portion 351 is grounded on the upper surface of the housing 300A, and the body-side terminal portion 251 and the unit-side connector support portion 23 can take a stable posture without being tilted relative to the housing 201A and the housing 300A. As a result, when the unit-side terminal portion 351 and the body-side terminal portion 251 are fitted together, contact between the connection terminal 351a and the connection terminal 251a is easily ensured.

[0054] As described above, in the case of this embodiment, in the unit-side connector section 350, the unit-side terminal section 351 is fixed to the unit-side connector support section 23, and the unit-side connector support section 23 is provided movably relative to the housing 300A by the coil spring 22. In contrast, in the body-side connector section 250, the body-side terminal section 251 is provided movably relative to the body-side connector support section 13 by the coil spring 12, and the body-side connector support section 13 is fixed to the housing 201A. The movable range of the unit-side connector support section 23 relative to the housing 300A is larger than the movable range of the body-side terminal section 251 relative to the body-side connector support section 13.

[0055] The effect obtained by such a configuration will be described. When the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the housing 201A and the housing 300A may be inclined. In such a case, the main body side terminal portion 251 and the unit side terminal portion 351 can be appropriately fitted together. As described above, in this embodiment, the main body side terminal portion 251 and the unit side terminal portion 351 start to be fitted together after the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a. When the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a and the terminal portions are not in contact with each other, the guide pin 24 and the guide hole 14a restrict the relative angle and position of the unit side connector portion 350 and the main body side connector portion 250 within a certain range. In other words, the unit side connector support portion 23 of the unit side connector portion 350 moves integrally with the main body side connector portion 250. Therefore, the unit side connector support portion 23 is displaced relative to the housing 300A according to the inclination of the housing 201A. Since the movable range of the unit-side connector support portion 23 with respect to the housing 300A is relatively large, the unit-side connector support portion 23 can follow even a large inclination.

[0056] On the other hand, restricting the relative angle and position of the unit-side connector portion 350 and the body-side connector portion 250 to within a certain range can be a constraint for properly fitting the body-side terminal portion 251 and the unit-side terminal portion 351. Therefore, by allowing the body-side terminal portion 251 and the body-side connector support portion 13 to move relatively, the body-side terminal portion 251 and the unit-side terminal portion 351 can be properly fitted together as the attachment of the housing 201A to the housing 300A progresses. In order to obtain this effect only, the relative movement of the unit-side connector support portion 23 with respect to the housing 300A may be only rotation about an arbitrary axis.

[0057] A case where another effect is obtained will be described. When the housing 201A is stacked on the housing 300A, the lower positioning pin 500A fits into the upper positioning hole 501A to determine the position between the housings. However, each part may have manufacturing or assembly errors with respect to the design size. Therefore, even if the positioning pin 500A and the positioning hole 501A are fitted, a positional deviation may occur between the unit side connector part 350 and the main body side connector part 250. Therefore, since the movable range of the unit side connector support part 23 with respect to the housing 300A is relatively large, even if such a positional deviation of the connector part occurs, the guide pin 24 can be appropriately inserted into the guide hole 14a. The advantage of fitting the terminal parts together after the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a is as described above. If only this effect is to be obtained, the relative movement of the unit side connector support part 23 with respect to the housing 300A may be only a horizontal movement in a direction intersecting the fitting direction. If the misalignment of shoulder screws 26 of housing 300A relative to main body-side connector support portion 13 is large due to component precision, the movable range of unit-side connector support portion 23 relative to housing 300A may be expanded to the maximum possible misalignment amount.

[0058] If mating is started while the main body side terminal portion 251 is tilted relative to the unit side terminal portion 351, the main body side terminal portion 251 may come into contact with the inner wall of the unit side terminal portion 351 or get caught on the edge of the inner wall, resulting in a force greater than expected. In such a case, there is a risk that the main body side terminal portion 251, the unit side terminal portion 351, the unit side connector portion 350, or the main body side connector portion 250 may be damaged.

[0059] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the possibility of the main body side terminal portion 251, the unit side terminal portion 351, or the unit side connector portion 350, the main body side connector portion 250 being damaged can be reduced. Specifically, as described above, in response to contact between the main body side connector portion 250 and the unit side connector portion 350, the unit side connector support portion 23 moves relative to the housing 300A and the unit side connector portion 350 tilts relative to the housing 300A. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the unit side connector portion 350 tilts relative to the main body side connector portion 250. As shown in FIG. 11, since the main body side connector support portion 13 is fixed to the housing 201A, the main body side connector portion 250 tilts integrally with the housing 201A.

[0060] When the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached to each other, the fitting direction when the housing 300A and the housing 201A are attached can be tilted (direction intersecting the vertical direction) with respect to the fitting direction (vertical direction) when the housing 300A and the housing 201A are attached to each other. For example, when a downward external force is applied to the unit side connector part 350 via the guide pin 24, as shown in Fig. 11, the unit side connector part 350 is moved downward against the biasing force of the coil spring 22. 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 inclination of the unit side connector part 350 changes.

[0061] By tilting the unit-side connector portion 350 in this way, the guide pin 24 can enter straight into the guide hole 14a. In this way, the guide pin 24 is properly inserted into the guide hole 14a, so that the relative angle and position of the unit-side connector support portion 23 and the body-side connector support portion 13 can be regulated within a certain range. In this way, even if the unit-side terminal portion 351 and the body-side terminal portion 251 are misaligned due to the housing 201A and the housing 300A being mounted at an angle, the guide pin 24 being inserted into the guide hole 14a makes it easier to position the unit-side terminal portion 351 and the body-side terminal portion 251 at an angle and position that allows them to be fitted together.

[0062] [Second embodiment] Next, the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12(a) and Fig. 12(b). Fig. 12(a) is a schematic diagram showing the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the second embodiment, and Fig. 12(b) is a schematic diagram showing the movable range of the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the second embodiment. Note that in the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified or omitted.

[0063] In the first embodiment, (1) At the unit side connector, (1-a) The terminal portion is fixed to the support portion, (1-b) The support portion is provided on the housing 300A via an elastic member. On the other hand, (2) the connector on the main body side, (2-a) the terminal portion is provided on the support portion via an elastic member, (2-b) The support portion is fixed to the housing 201A. In contrast, in the second embodiment, (1) At the unit side connector, (1-a) the terminal portion is provided on the support portion via an elastic member, (1-b) The support portion is fixed to the housing 300A. On the other hand, (2) the connector on the main body side, (2-a) The terminal portion is fixed to the support portion, (2-b) The support portion is fixed to the housing 201A via an elastic member.

[0064] As shown in the upper part of FIG. 12(a), the body side connector section 250A (corresponding to the first connector section) has a body side connector support section 131 and a body side terminal section 251. The body side connector support section 131 is provided with a guide section 14. The body side connector support section 131 is provided movably with respect to a protruding support section 132 protruding from the housing 201A by a shoulder screw 19 and a coil spring 12. The body side terminal section 251 is fixed to the body side connector support section 131 by a fixing screw 18.

[0065] The body-side connector support part 131 has a screw through hole 131b through which the shaft part 19a of the stepped screw 19 passes. The shaft part 19a extends along a fitting direction (first direction) in which the body-side terminal part 251 and the unit-side terminal part 351 can be fitted together. The diameter of the screw through hole 131b is larger than the diameter of the shaft part 19a of the stepped screw 19, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 131b and the shaft part 19a of the stepped screw 19. A coil spring 12 is disposed around the shaft part 19a of the stepped screw 19. The coil spring 12 biases the body-side connector support part 131 toward the unit-side connector part 350 so that the body-side connector support part 131 can move in a direction (second direction) intersecting the fitting direction relative to the protruding support part 132, here in any direction intersecting the shaft part 19a. Moreover, the coil spring 12 allows the main body side connector support portion 131 to be displaced in the fitting direction relative to the protruding support portion 132. Therefore, the main body side connector support portion 131 can also rotate about an arbitrary axis relative to the protruding support portion 132.

[0066] On the other hand, as shown in the lower part of Fig. 12(a), in the unit side connector section 350A (corresponding to the second connector section), the unit side connector support section 23 is fixed to the housing 300A. The unit side terminal section 351 is provided movably relative to the unit side connector support section 23 by the stepped screw 29 and the coil spring 22. The unit side terminal section 351 is formed with a screw through hole 351b through which the shaft section 29a of the stepped screw 29 passes. The diameter of this screw through hole 351b is larger than the diameter of the shaft section 29a of the stepped screw 29, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 351b and the shaft section 29a of the stepped screw 29.

[0067] In this embodiment, a coil spring 22 is disposed between the head of the shoulder screw 29 and the unit-side connector support part 23. The coil spring 22 biases the unit-side terminal part 351 toward the upper body-side connector part 250 so that the unit-side terminal part 351 can move relative to the unit-side connector support part 23 in a direction intersecting the fitting direction of the unit-side connector part 350. Note that an annular elastic rubber member may be disposed instead of the coil spring 22. The coil spring 22 also allows the unit-side terminal part 351 to be displaced relative to the unit-side connector support part 23 in the fitting direction. Therefore, the unit-side terminal part 351 can also rotate about an arbitrary axis relative to the unit-side connector support part 23.

[0068] 12(b), the movable range of the main body-side connector support part 131 relative to the housing 201A is set to be larger than the movable range of the unit-side terminal part 351 relative to the unit-side connector support part 23. To achieve this, as an example of a means for restricting the movable range, the sizes of the screw through holes 131b, 351b and the step screws 19, 29 are adjusted so that the gap between the screw through hole 131b and the shaft part 19a of the step screw 19 is larger than the gap between the screw through hole 351b and the shaft part 29a of the step screw 29.

[0069] With this configuration, the second embodiment can also achieve the same effect as the first embodiment. Specifically, in the second embodiment, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the main body side connector support portion 131 can move significantly relative to the housing 201A, so that the main body side connector support portion 131 and the unit side connector support portion 23 can be easily positioned at a position where the guide pin 24 can be inserted into the guide hole 14a. Then, in a state where the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a, the unit side connector support portion 23 and the main body side connector support portion 13 do not move relative to each other, and only the main body side terminal portion 251 can move relative to the unit side terminal portion 351 fixed to the unit side connector support portion 23. This achieves the same effect as the first embodiment described above, that the unit side terminal portion 351 and the main body side terminal portion 251 can be appropriately fitted together. In the second embodiment, the main body side connector support portion 131 may be inclined relative to the housing 201A.

[0070] [Third embodiment] Next, the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13(a) and Fig. 13(b). Fig. 13(a) is a schematic diagram showing the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the third embodiment, and Fig. 13(b) is a schematic diagram showing the movable range of the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the third embodiment. Note that in the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments described above are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified or omitted.

[0071] In the first and second embodiments, in each connector, one of the terminal and the support is elastically supported, and the other is fixed. In contrast, in the third embodiment, in the unit-side connector, the terminal is provided on the support via an elastic member, and the support is provided on the housing 300A via an elastic member. In the main-body-side connector, both the terminal and the support are fixed.

[0072] 13(a), in the body-side connector section 250B (corresponding to the second connector section), the body-side connector support section 13 is fixed to the housing 201A, and the body-side terminal section 251 is fixed to the body-side connector support section 13 by a fixing screw 18. That is, the body-side connector support section 13 and the body-side terminal section 251 do not move relative to the housing 201A.

[0073] 13(a), in the unit side connector section 350 (corresponding to the first connector section), the unit side connector support section 23 is provided movably relative to the housing 300A by the stepped screw 26 and the coil spring 22A. The diameter of the screw through hole 23a formed in the unit side connector support section 23 is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 26a of the stepped screw 26, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft portion 26a of the stepped screw 26.

[0074] The unit side terminal portion 351 is movably provided with respect to the unit side connector support portion 23 by the stepped screw 29 and the coil spring 22B. A screw through hole 351b through which the shaft portion 29a of the stepped screw 29 passes is formed in the unit side terminal portion 351. The diameter of this screw through hole 351b is larger than the diameter of the shaft portion 29a of the stepped screw 29, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 351b and the shaft portion 29a of the stepped screw 29.

[0075] 13(b), the movable range of the unit-side connector support part 23 with respect to the housing 300A is set to be larger than the movable range of the unit-side terminal part 351 with respect to the unit-side connector support part 23. To achieve this, as an example of a means for restricting the movable range, the sizes of the screw through holes 23a, 351b and the stepped screws 26, 29 are adjusted so that the gap between the screw through hole 23a and the shaft part 26a of the stepped screw 26 is larger than the gap between the screw through hole 351b and the shaft part 29a of the stepped screw 29. In addition, it is desirable to set the biasing force of the coil spring 22A that biases the unit-side connector support part 23 smaller than the biasing force of the coil spring 29 that biases the unit-side terminal part 351.

[0076] With this configuration, the third embodiment can also obtain the same effect as the first and second embodiments. Specifically, in the third embodiment, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the unit side connector support portion 23 can move significantly relative to the housing 300A, so that the main body side connector support portion 13 and the unit side connector support portion 23 can be easily positioned at a position where the guide pin 24 can be inserted into the guide hole 14a. Then, in a state where the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a, the unit side connector support portion 23 and the main body side connector support portion 13 do not move relative to each other, and only the unit side terminal portion 351 can move relative to the main body side terminal portion 251 fixed to the main body side connector support portion 13. This provides the same effect as the first and second embodiments described above, that is, the unit side terminal portion 351 and the main body side terminal portion 251 can be appropriately fitted together. In the third embodiment, the unit side connector support portion 23 may be inclined relative to the housing 300A.

[0077] [Fourth embodiment] Next, the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14(a) and Fig. 14(b). Fig. 14(a) is a schematic diagram showing the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the fourth embodiment, and Fig. 14(b) is a schematic diagram showing the movable range of the main body side connector portion and the unit side connector portion of the fourth embodiment. Note that in the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments described above are given the same reference numerals, and the description will be simplified or omitted.

[0078] In the first and second embodiments, in each connector, one of the terminal and the support is elastically supported, and the other is fixed. In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, in the unit-side connector, both the terminal and the support are fixed. In the main-body-side connector, the terminal is provided on the support via an elastic member, and the support is provided on the housing 201A via an elastic member.

[0079] As shown in the upper part of FIG. 14(a), the body side connector section 250C (corresponding to the first connector section) has a body side connector support section 131 and a body side terminal section 251. The body side connector support section 131 is provided with a guide section 14. The body side connector support section 131 is provided movably with respect to a protruding support section 132 protruding from the housing 201A by means of a stepped screw 19 and a coil spring 12B. The diameter of a screw through hole 131b formed in the body side connector support section 131 is larger than the diameter of the shaft section 19a of the stepped screw 19, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 131b and the shaft section 19a of the stepped screw 19.

[0080] The body side terminal portion 251 is provided movably with respect to this body side connector support portion 131 by means of the stepped screw 15 and the coil spring 12A. A screw through hole 251b through which the shank 15a of the stepped screw 15 passes is formed in the body side terminal portion 251. The diameter of this screw through hole 251b is larger than the diameter of the shank 15a of the stepped screw 15, and a gap is provided between the screw through hole 251b and the shank 15a of the stepped screw 15.

[0081] 14(a), in the unit-side connector section 350C (corresponding to the second connector section), the unit-side connector support section 23 is fixed to the housing 300A, and the unit-side terminal section 351 is fixed to the unit-side connector support section 23 by a fixing screw 25. In other words, the unit-side connector support section 23 and the unit-side terminal section 351 do not move relative to the housing 300A.

[0082] 14(b), the movable range of the body-side connector support part 131 with respect to the housing 201A is set to be larger than the movable range of the body-side terminal part 251 with respect to the body-side connector support part 131. To achieve this, as an example of a means for restricting the movable range, the sizes of the screw through holes 131b, 251b and the stepped screws 19, 15 are adjusted so that the gap between the screw through hole 131b and the shaft part 19a of the stepped screw 19 is larger than the gap between the screw through hole 251b and the shaft part 15a of the stepped screw 15. In addition, it is preferable that the biasing force of the coil spring 12B that biases the body-side connector support part 131 is smaller than the biasing force of the coil spring 15 that biases the body-side terminal part 251.

[0083] With this configuration, the fourth embodiment can also obtain the same effect as the first to third embodiments. Specifically, in the fourth embodiment, when the housing 201A and the housing 300A are attached, the main body side connector support portion 131 can move significantly with respect to the housing 201A, so that the main body side connector support portion 131 and the unit side connector support portion 23 can be easily positioned at a position where the guide pin 24 can be inserted into the guide hole 14a. Then, in a state where the guide pin 24 is inserted into the guide hole 14a, the unit side connector support portion 23 and the main body side connector support portion 131 do not move relative to each other, and only the main body side terminal portion 251 can move with respect to the unit side terminal portion 351 fixed to the unit side connector support portion 23. This provides the same effect as the first embodiment described above, that the unit side terminal portion 351 and the main body side terminal portion 251 can be appropriately fitted together. In the fourth embodiment, the main body side connector support portion 131 may be inclined with respect to the housing 201A.

[0084] <Other embodiments> In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, 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 a plurality of sheets P is attached to the left side surface of the image forming device 201. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 12... second biasing member (coil spring), 13... second support portion (main body side connector support portion), 14a... guide hole, 15... fastening member (step screw), 15a... shaft portion, 15b... abutment portion (head portion), 22... 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 unit, 243, 2 44... 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 having a first terminal portion and a first support portion that supports the first terminal portion; a second connector portion including a second terminal portion that is fitted into the first terminal portion in a first direction to be electrically connected to the first terminal portion, and a second support portion that supports the second terminal portion; The first support portion is provided movably with respect to the first housing, the first terminal portion is fixed to the first support portion, The second support portion is fixed to the second housing, The second terminal portion is provided movably relative to the second support portion, a movable range of the first support portion relative to the first housing is larger than a movable range of the second terminal portion relative to the second support portion; 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. 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,

3. 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,

4. a first biasing member that biases the first support portion toward the second connector portion; a second biasing member that biases the second terminal portion toward the first connector portion, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

5. One of the first support portion and the first housing has a shaft portion extending along the first direction, the other of the first support portion and the first housing has a through hole through which the shaft portion passes, the through hole has a gap between the first support portion and the shaft portion such that the first support portion is movable relative to the first housing in a second direction intersecting the first direction, The first support portion is capable of tilting with respect to the first housing.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. the first 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.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. One of the second terminal portion and the second support portion has a shaft portion extending along the first 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 relative to the second support portion in a second direction intersecting the first direction; 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

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 support portion is provided to be movable with respect to the first housing in a second direction intersecting the first direction, The second terminal portion is provided to be movable relative to the second support portion in the second direction, a movable range of the first support portion in the second direction relative to the first housing is larger than a movable range of the second terminal portion in the second direction relative to the second support portion; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

10. 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 having a first terminal portion and a first support portion that supports the first terminal portion; a second connector portion including a second terminal portion that is fitted into the first terminal portion in a first direction to be electrically connected to the first terminal portion, and a second support portion that supports the second terminal portion; the first support portion is provided to be movable in a second direction intersecting the first direction with respect to the first housing, the first terminal portion is provided to be movable in the second direction relative to the first support portion, The second support portion is fixed to the second housing, the second terminal portion is fixed to the second support portion, a movable range of the first support portion in the second direction relative to the first housing is larger than a movable range of the first terminal portion in the second direction relative to the first support portion; 1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

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

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

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

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

13. a first biasing member that biases the first support portion toward the second connector portion; a second biasing member that biases the first terminal portion toward the second connector portion.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

14. One of the first support portion and the first housing has a shaft portion extending along the first direction, the other of the first support portion and the first housing has a through hole through which the shaft portion passes, the through hole has a gap between the first support portion and the shaft portion such that the first support portion is movable in the second direction relative to the first housing, The first support portion is capable of tilting with respect to the first housing.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13.

15. the first 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.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 14.

16. One of the first terminal portion and the first support portion has a shaft portion extending along the first direction, the other of the first terminal portion and the first support portion has a through hole through which the shaft portion passes, the through hole has a gap between the shaft portion and the first terminal portion so that the first terminal portion is movable in the second direction relative to the first support portion; 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13.

17. 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.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16.

18. the first support portion is provided to be movable with respect to the first housing in the second direction, The second terminal portion is provided to be movable relative to the second support portion in the second direction, a movable range of the first support portion in the second direction relative to the first housing is larger than a movable range of the second terminal portion in the second direction relative to the second support portion; 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10.

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

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1,

20. 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, 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 17.

Images