Unit and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of manufacturing a new unit and a recycled unit.SOLUTION: A unit can be mounted in an image forming apparatus, and comprises: an electrical connection part that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus; an electrical component that is controlled by a control section provided in the image forming apparatus; a cable that electrically connects the electrical connection part and the electrical component to each other; and a sub unit that holds the electrical connection part, the electrical component, and the cable, and is attached to the unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a unit detachable from an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile apparatus using an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, and an image forming apparatus including the unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a product that has reached the end of its life in the market or parts constituting the product are collected, disassembled, sorted by material such as resin and metal, and then crushed and melted for recycling. By effectively utilizing resources in this way, efforts are being made to reduce the environmental load.

[0003] In recent years, as an effort to reduce the environmental load, rather than the above-mentioned recycling, it has been required to reuse as it is a product that has reached the end of its life in the market or parts constituting the product. For example, when a unit that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus reaches the end of its life in the market, it is collected and sent to a recycling factory. Then, at the recycling factory, the parts constituting the unit are reused as they are to produce a recycled product of the unit (hereinafter referred to as circular recycling).

[0004] In recent years, circular recycling has been carried out more actively, and the number of production units of recycled products using recycled parts has also increased. A unit that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus has a large number of newly produced units and recycled product production units, and it is required to produce more units in a shorter time. Therefore, there is an even greater demand to reduce the man-hours required for unit assembly.

[0005] Therefore, a method has been proposed to simplify the component configuration of a unit that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses, as a unit that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus, a developing unit including an electrical connection portion that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus and electrical components such as an inductance sensor and a new product detection sensor. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which each cable from electrical components such as an inductance sensor and a new product detection sensor is routed around a plurality of surfaces of the developing unit and gathered at one electrical connection portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the case of the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operator needs to turn the surface around which the cable is routed during assembly toward the front of the operator. That is, the operator needs to change the orientation of the unit, which is a heavy object, during assembly. Therefore, the operation of routing the cable around the unit places a burden on the operator and inhibits efficient production when producing new and refurbished units.

[0008] In addition, the operation of routing the cable around the unit is required not only when producing new units but also when producing refurbished units, so the man-hours increase, and efficient production when producing new and refurbished units is inhibited.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable more efficient production of new and refurbished units.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] A representative configuration of the present invention is a unit detachable from an image forming apparatus, comprising an electrical connection part electrically connected to the image forming apparatus, an electrical component controlled by a control part provided in the image forming apparatus, a cable electrically connecting the electrical connection part and the electrical component, and a sub-unit holding the electrical connection part, the electrical component, and the cable and attached to the unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to snake the cable without changing the orientation of the unit during assembly, and the production of new and refurbished units can be carried out more efficiently.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

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Figure 11

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Figure 17

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail. Note that dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in the following embodiments should be appropriately changed according to the configuration and various conditions of the unit or apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only thereto. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the present invention. The present invention can be implemented in various applications such as printers, various printing machines, copiers, FAX, multifunction machines, etc.

[0014] 〔Example 1〕 (Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus) First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to Example 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to Example 1.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 60 includes an endless intermediate transfer belt (ITB) 61 as an intermediate transfer member, and four image forming units 600 from the upstream side to the downstream side along the rotation direction J (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1) of the intermediate transfer belt 61. Each of the image forming units 600 forms toner images of respective colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk).

[0016] The image forming unit 600 includes a drum unit 11 (image carrier unit) including a rotatable photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier. The image forming unit 600 also includes a charging roller 2 as charging means, a developing unit 3 as developing means, a primary transfer roller 4 as primary transfer means, and a photosensitive cleaner 5 as photosensitive cleaning means, which are arranged along the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1.

[0017] Here, the drum unit 11 has a charging roller 2 and a photosensitive cleaner 5 in addition to the photosensitive drum 1, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus 60. The developing unit 3 has a developing container 30 that houses a two-component developer (hereinafter simply referred to as a developer) including non-magnetic toner (hereinafter simply referred to as toner) and a magnetic carrier, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus 60. That is, the drum unit 11 and the developing unit 3 are detachable units with respect to the image forming apparatus 60.

[0018] Note that, here, the drum unit 11 and the developing unit 3 are exemplified as detachable units with respect to the image forming apparatus 60, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The detachable unit with respect to the image forming apparatus 60 may be another unit such as a process cartridge in which the drum unit and the developing unit are integrated.

[0019] Also, the toner cartridge 605 containing toners of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) is detachable from the image forming apparatus 60. The toners of each color contained in each toner cartridge 605 are each supplied to each developing unit 3 through a toner conveyance path.

[0020] The intermediate transfer belt 61 is stretched by a tension roller 6, a driven roller 7a, a primary transfer roller 4, a driven roller 7b, and a secondary transfer inner roller 66, and is conveyed and driven in the rotation direction J shown in FIG. 1. The secondary transfer inner roller 66 also serves as a driving roller for driving the intermediate transfer belt 61. As the secondary transfer inner roller 66 rotates, the intermediate transfer belt 61 rotates in the rotation direction J.

[0021] The intermediate transfer belt 61 is pressed by the primary transfer roller 4 from the back surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 61. Further, by bringing the intermediate transfer belt 61 into contact with the photosensitive drum 1, a primary transfer nip portion as a primary transfer portion is formed between the photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate transfer belt 61. An intermediate transfer body cleaner 8 as belt cleaning means is in contact with a position facing the tension roller 6 via the intermediate transfer belt 61.

[0022] Also, a secondary transfer outer roller 67 as secondary transfer means is disposed at a position facing the secondary transfer inner roller 66 via the intermediate transfer belt 61. The intermediate transfer belt 61 is sandwiched between the secondary transfer inner roller 66 and the secondary transfer outer roller 67. Thereby, a secondary transfer nip portion as a secondary transfer portion is formed between the secondary transfer outer roller 67 and the intermediate transfer belt 61. In the secondary transfer nip portion, by applying a predetermined pressing force and a transfer bias (electrostatic load bias), the toner image is adsorbed on the surface of the transfer material S (for example, paper, transparent film, etc.).

[0023] The transfer material S is stored in a state of being loaded in a transfer material storage unit 62 (for example, a feeding cassette, a feeding deck, etc.). The feeding unit 63 feeds the transfer material S in accordance with the image formation timing, using, for example, a friction separation method by feeding rollers or the like. The transfer material S sent out by the feeding unit 63 is conveyed to a registration roller 65 disposed in the middle of a conveyance path 64. After skew correction and timing correction are performed at the registration roller 65, the transfer material S is conveyed to a secondary transfer nip portion. At the secondary transfer nip portion, the timing of the transfer material S and the toner image coincides, and secondary transfer is performed.

[0024] A fixing device 9 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the transfer material S from the secondary transfer nip portion. A predetermined pressure and heat amount are applied to the transfer material S conveyed to the fixing device 9, so that the toner image is melted and fixed on the surface of the transfer material S. The transfer material S on which the image is fixed in this way is discharged to a discharge tray 601 as it is by the forward rotation of a discharge roller 69. When performing double-sided image formation, after the transfer material S is conveyed by the forward rotation of the discharge roller 69 until the rear end of the transfer material S passes through a switching flapper 602, the discharge roller 69 is rotated reversely. As a result, the front and rear ends of the transfer material S are interchanged, and the transfer material S is conveyed to a double-sided conveyance path 603. Then, in accordance with the next image formation timing, the transfer material S is conveyed again to the conveyance path 64 by a refeeding roller 604.

[0025] (Image formation process) During image formation, the photoreceptor drum 1 is rotationally driven by a motor. The charging roller 2 uniformly charges the surface of the rotationally driven photoreceptor drum 1 in advance. The exposure device 68 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 charged by the charging roller 2 based on the signal of the image information input to the image forming apparatus 60. The developing unit 3 (developing device) has a rotatable developing sleeve 70 as a developer carrier for carrying the developer. The developing unit 3 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 by the exposure device 68 using the developer carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 70. As a result, toner adheres to the exposed areas on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 and is visualized. A transfer bias (electrostatic load bias) is applied to the primary transfer roller 4, and the toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61. The toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 after the primary transfer (transfer residual toner) is collected by the photoreceptor cleaner 5 and prepared again for the next image forming process.

[0026] The image forming processes for each color of Y, M, C, and Bk, which are processed in parallel by the respective color image forming units 600, are performed at the timing of sequentially superimposing on the toner image of the upstream color primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61. As a result, a full-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 61, and the toner image is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip portion. A transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer outer roller 67, and the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 61 is transferred onto the transfer material S conveyed to the secondary transfer nip portion. The toner remaining on the intermediate transfer belt 61 after the transfer material S has passed through the secondary transfer nip portion (transfer residual toner) is collected by the intermediate transfer body cleaner 8. The fixing device 9 fixes the toner image transferred onto the transfer material S. The transfer material S that has undergone the fixing process by the fixing device 9 is discharged to the discharge tray 601.

[0027] A series of image forming processes as described above is completed, and preparations are made for the next image forming operation.

[0028] (Circulation and regeneration of units) In addition, units responsible for respective internal functions are installed in the image forming apparatus 60. These units are detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus 60, and are consumables that have a shorter lifespan than the main body of the image forming apparatus 60 and are assumed to be replaced regularly. For example, the developing unit 3 and the drum unit 11 in the image forming apparatus 60 are detachably mounted on the image forming apparatus 60. The developing unit 3 and the drum unit 11 are examples of units (consumables) that are replaced regularly.

[0029] The lifespan of the unit (consumable) is calculated inside the image forming apparatus 60. When the unit reaches the end of its lifespan, the image forming apparatus 60 outputs a message prompting the replacement of the unit via the user interface. The user or service technician removes the unit from the image forming apparatus 60 in response to this message and replaces it with a new unit. The removed unit is collected by the service technician and then transported to a recycling factory, where only the parts that need to be replaced are replaced and the unit is recycled (hereinafter referred to as "circular recycling").

[0030] (Configuration of the Developing Unit) Next, the configuration of the developing unit 3 (developing device) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sectional views showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0031] The developing unit 3 is configured as a unit that can be replaced with respect to the image forming apparatus 60, and is configured to be replaceable independently of the photosensitive drum 1 (drum unit 11). One of the reasons for this is to reduce the running cost of the product by replacing the developing unit 3 and the photosensitive drum 1 (drum unit 11) individually due to the difference in their lifespans in the trend of the overall extended lifespan of current image forming apparatuses 60.

[0032] The developing unit 3 and the drum unit 11 are made independently replaceable. For this purpose, the image forming apparatus 60 includes a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the developing unit 3 between a developing position and a separated position. Note that the developing position is the position where the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 is developed, and the separated position is a position separated from the developing position.

[0033] The moving mechanism moves the developing unit 3 between the developing position and the separated position in accordance with the opening and closing of the exterior cover 611 of the image forming apparatus 60 and the opening and closing of the replacement door 610 of the developing unit 3 and the drum unit 11. The moving mechanism is composed of an elastic member such as a spring, and the developing unit 3 is pressed against the drum unit 11 by the moving mechanism with a predetermined pressing force. The pressing force by the moving mechanism is set so that a predetermined pressing force is applied to the drum unit 11 even when an external force is applied to the weight of the developing unit 3 or the developing unit 3. By moving the developing unit 3 between the developing position and the separated position by this moving mechanism, the relative position of the developing unit 3 attached to the image forming apparatus 60 with respect to the drum unit 11 is determined.

[0034] Furthermore, details of the developing unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the developing unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the developing unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the developing unit according to the first embodiment.

[0035] In the developing unit 3, the inside of the developing container 30 is partitioned by a partition wall 38 extending in the vertical direction into a developing chamber 31 as a first chamber and a stirring chamber 32 as a second chamber. The developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 are connected at both longitudinal ends via two communication portions 39 provided in the partition wall 38. Therefore, the developer can communicate between the developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 via the communication portion 39. The developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 38 is integrally formed with the developing container 30, but may be attached separately.

[0036] In the developing container 30, an opening is provided at a position corresponding to a developing area where the developing sleeve 70 faces the photosensitive drum 1. The developing sleeve 70 is rotatably arranged with respect to the developing container 30 such that a part of the developing sleeve 70 is exposed at the opening of the developing container 30. Inside the developing sleeve 70, a magnet roll 71 as a magnetic field generating means for generating a magnetic field for carrying a developer on the surface of the developing sleeve 70 is fixedly arranged, which has a plurality of magnetic poles along the rotation direction of the developing sleeve 70. The developer in the developing chamber 31 is pumped up by the influence of the magnetic field of the magnetic poles of the magnet roll 71 and supplied to the developing sleeve 70. Since the developer is supplied from the developing chamber 31 to the developing sleeve 70 in this way, the developing chamber 31 is also called a supply chamber.

[0037] In the developing chamber 31, a first conveying screw 33 as a conveying means for stirring and conveying the developer in the developing chamber 31 is arranged facing the developing sleeve 70. The first conveying screw 33 includes a rotating shaft 33a as a rotatable shaft portion and spiral blade portions 33b as a developer conveying portion provided along the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 33a, and is rotatably supported with respect to the developing container 30. Bearing members (not shown) are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 33a respectively.

[0038] Also, in the stirring chamber 32, a second conveying screw 34 as a conveying means for stirring the developer in the stirring chamber 32 and conveying it in a direction opposite to that of the first conveying screw 33 is arranged. The second conveying screw 34 includes a rotating shaft 34a as a rotatable shaft portion and spiral blade portions 34b as a developer conveying portion provided along the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 34a, and is rotatably supported with respect to the developing container 30. Bearing members are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 34a respectively.

[0039] Then, when the first conveying screw 33 and the second conveying screw 34 are rotationally driven, the developer circulates between the developing chamber 31 and the stirring chamber 32 through the communication portion 39.

[0040] Next, the insertion and removal direction G of the developing unit 3 (developing device) with respect to the image forming apparatus 60 and the arrangement of the toner supply port 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Note that the insertion direction of the developing unit 3 is indicated by G1, and the removal direction is indicated by G2.

[0041] The developing unit 3 needs to replenish the toner consumed by development into the developing unit 3. The toner conveyance path 605a provided in the image forming apparatus 60 and the toner supply port 41 of the developing unit 3 are separated or joined when the developing unit 3 is inserted into or removed from the image forming apparatus 60. At this time, since toner scatters at least from the joint portion S-A between the toner conveyance path 605a and the toner supply port 41, it is preferable that the joint portion S-A is provided on the back side (downstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the developing unit 3) of the image forming apparatus 60.

[0042] (Electrical components of the developing unit) The developing unit 3 has electrical components controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60. Here, as one of the electrical components, an inductance sensor 50 that detects the toner concentration inside the developing unit 3 and a storage device 51 that holds information regarding the developing unit are illustrated.

[0043] (Inductance sensor) Next, the arrangement of the inductance sensor 50 provided in the developing unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6.

[0044] Since the toner replenished from the toner supply port 41 into the developing unit 3 needs to be sufficiently agitated and mixed with the magnetic carrier, it is agitated by agitation members (screws 33, 34, etc.) provided inside the developing unit 3. The ratio of the agitated toner and the magnetic carrier is measured by the inductance sensor 50 (toner concentration detection sensor), the amount of toner concentration inside the developing unit 3 is judged, and the necessity of toner replenishment is determined.

[0045] Therefore, if the toner and the magnetic carrier are not sufficiently mixed, the toner concentration will not be uniform, making it difficult to accurately measure the toner concentration. From this, it is necessary to sufficiently stir the toner replenished from the toner replenishing port 41 with the magnetic carrier. Therefore, the inductance sensor 50 is preferably disposed at a position as far as possible from the toner replenishing port 41. Since the toner replenishing port 41 is disposed on the rear side of the developing unit 3 (downstream side in the insertion direction G1), the inductance sensor 50 will be disposed near the front side of the developing unit 3 (upstream side in the insertion direction G1). Here, the insertion direction G1 is the mounting direction of the developing unit 3 with respect to the image forming apparatus 60.

[0046] However, if the inductance sensor 50 is disposed near the region where the developer is lifted up on the developing sleeve 70, the toner concentration will not be uniform due to toner consumption or the like. Therefore, the inductance sensor 50 is appropriately disposed at a position as far as possible from the toner replenishing port 41 and just before the developer is lifted up on the developing sleeve 70. Specifically, it will be disposed on the screw 34 side within the developing unit 3.

[0047] Furthermore, in order to determine the toner concentration within the developing unit 3, it is necessary to be disposed below the toner powder surface accommodated within the developing unit 3 in the gravitational direction, and thus it will be disposed on the lower surface of the developing unit 3.

[0048] That is, the inductance sensor 50 will be disposed near the front side of the developing unit 3 (upstream side in the insertion direction G1), on the screw 34 side of the developing unit 3, and on the lower surface of the developing unit 3.

[0049] (Memory device) Next, the storage device 51 in which information about the developing unit 3 is written will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Here, as information about the developing unit 3, information on whether the developing unit 3 mounted on the image forming apparatus 60 is new or not, and individual information of the developing unit 3 are exemplified. However, the information about the developing unit 3 written in the storage device 51 is not limited to this, and may be other operation information or setting values of the unit.

[0050] The developing unit 3 performs calibration of the inductance sensor 50 (initialization operation of the developing unit) based on the toner concentration at the time of manufacture. That is, when the developing unit 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, a control unit (CPU) (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60 detects (judges) from the information written in the storage device 51 whether the developing unit 3 mounted on the image forming apparatus 60 is new or not. Then, when the control unit (CPU) of the image forming apparatus 60 determines from the information written in the storage device 51 that the mounted developing unit 3 is new, it automatically performs calibration of the inductance sensor 50 (initialization operation of the developing unit). Note that the storage device 51 only needs to be able to detect that the developing unit 3 has been replaced, and the means therefor may be a storage function (memory) or may be in the form of a fuse.

[0051] (Electrical connection between the inductance sensor and the storage device in the developing unit) Next, the electrical connection between the inductance sensor 50 provided in the developing unit 3 and the storage device 51 will be described.

[0052] The image forming apparatus 60 according to this embodiment has a control unit (not shown) including a CPU that controls power and signals for electrical components of various units. The developing unit 3 that is detachable from the image forming apparatus 60 has an electrical connection part that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 60. Here, the developing unit 3 has a connector 50a as the electrical connection part for power supply and communication to the inductance sensor 50 and the storage device 51 provided in the developing unit 3, and for connection to the cable 501 on the image forming apparatus 60 side.

[0053] Here, a connector is exemplified as the electrical connection part of the developing unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other electrical connection parts such as electrical contacts may be used.

[0054] The developing unit 3 according to this embodiment has a cable 500 that electrically connects the connector 50a, the inductance sensor 50, and the storage device 51. The cable 500 includes a cable 500a that electrically connects the connector 50a and the connector 51a of the storage device 51, and a cable 500b that electrically connects the inductance sensor 50 and the connector 51a of the storage device 51.

[0055] Also, in this embodiment, a connector (not shown) as an electrical connection part is provided also on the cable 501 on the image forming apparatus 60 side. The connector (not shown) of the cable 501 on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side have a male-female relationship. For example, when the connector (not shown) on the image forming apparatus 60 side has a male shape, the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side has a female shape. Alternatively, when the connector (not shown) on the image forming apparatus 60 side has a female shape, the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side has a male shape.

[0056] The connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is preferably arranged on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1. This is because when the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is arranged on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, the electrical path from the inductor sensor 50 to the connector 50a becomes shorter compared to the case where it is arranged on the downstream side in the insertion direction G1.

[0057] Also, the connector (electrical connection part) on the image forming apparatus 60 side is electrically connected to a control part (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 60 via a cable 501. In the insertion and removal direction G of the image forming apparatus 60, assume that the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is on the back side (downstream side in the insertion direction G1). In this case, first, when inserting (mounting) the developing unit 3 into the image forming apparatus 60, the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side are electrically connected on the front side (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60. After that, until the developing unit 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, it is necessary to further insert the developing unit 3 in the insertion direction G1. At this time, the free length of the cable 501 that connects the control part of the image forming apparatus 60 and the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side must be increased so that the electrical connection state between the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is maintained. For this reason, it becomes difficult to process and store the extra length of the cable 501 (electrical bundle) in the image forming apparatus 60.

[0058] Therefore, in this embodiment, in the insertion and removal direction G, the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is arranged on the front side (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60. Then, when inserting the developing unit 3 into the image forming apparatus 60, just before the developing unit 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side may be connected on the front side (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60. Thereby, the risk of difficulty in processing and storing the extra length of the cable 501 (electrical bundle) in the image forming apparatus 60 can be reduced.

[0059] Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the developing unit 3 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 60, and it is preferable to connect the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side immediately before the developing unit 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60. At that time, since the developing unit 3 is viewed from above from the perspective of the service technician, it is preferable for work that the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side is on the upper surface side of the developing unit 3.

[0060] As described above, since the inductance sensor 50 is arranged on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, the connector 50a is arranged on the upper surface on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1. Also, it is preferable to arrange the storage device 51 on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 from the perspective of the electrical path from the connector 50a. This is preferable from the viewpoints of preventing the cable 500 from becoming complicated in its routing, miniaturizing the developing unit 3, and reducing the risk of electrical path failure. Also, since the service technician accesses the connector 50a on the upper surface on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, it is preferable to provide a certain space around the connector 50a.

[0061] Therefore, the storage device 51 is arranged on the unit front surface orthogonal to the insertion direction G1 on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, which is the position closest to the connector 50a while avoiding the said space.

[0062] The cable 500 is configured to branch into a cable 500a connected to the connector 50a starting from the connector connected to the connector 51a of the storage device 51 and a cable 500b connected to the inductance sensor 50. This time, each of the cables 500a and 500b is a collective wire of a plurality of lines such as ground, power, and signals to each electrical component.

[0063] For the reasons described above, the connector 50a is arranged on the unit upper surface, the storage device 51 is arranged on the unit front surface orthogonal to the insertion direction G1 on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, and the inductance sensor 50 is arranged on the unit lower surface, and the respective arrangement surfaces cannot be aligned.

[0064] With respect to the arrangement of the connector 50a, the memory device 51, and the inductance sensor 50 as described above, conventionally, in order to route the cable 500 around the unit surface, the cable 500 is routed around a plurality of surfaces within the unit.

[0065] In such a configuration, the operator changes the orientation of the unit during assembly in order to face the surface along which the cable 500 is routed towards the front of the operator.

[0066] Changing the orientation of the unit during assembly places a burden on the conversion operation of the unit, which is a heavy object, and inhibits efficient production during the production of new and refurbished units. In addition, there is a risk of damaging the unit by hitting delicate parts against scratches and dents on the developing sleeve or the like while changing the orientation of the unit.

[0067] Trying to avoid those risks complicates the assembly process, and the burden becomes significant in the case of units with a large production volume such as consumable units. Also, the fact that the assembly process is complicated means that the disassembly process is also complicated, so it is also a heavy burden in the recycling process of recovering the unit and replacing only some parts for reuse.

[0068] Therefore, the developing unit 3 according to the present embodiment includes a sub-unit 200 in which the connector 50a, the inductance sensor 50, the memory device 51, the cable 500, and the cable guide for holding them are integrated as shown in FIG. 6. By assembling this sub-unit 200 to the developing unit 3 at the end of the assembly process, the operation of routing the cable 500 directly around the developing unit 3 can be eliminated, and the above-described risks can be reduced.

[0069] (Sub-unit) Next, the configuration of the sub-unit 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are perspective views showing the configuration of the sub-unit according to the first embodiment.

[0070] The sub-unit 200 holds a connector 50a, an inductance sensor 50, a memory device 51, and a cable 500, and is attached to the developing unit 3.

[0071] The connector 50a is an electrical connection part that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 60. The inductance sensor 50 and the memory device 51 are electrical components controlled by a control part (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60. That is, the electrical components include the inductance sensor 50 as a first electrical component controlled by the control part, and the memory device 51 as a second electrical component controlled by the control part. The cable 500 is a cable that electrically connects the connector 50a, the inductance sensor 50, and the memory device 51.

[0072] The sub-unit 200 includes a first cable guide 201 that holds the inductance sensor 50 and the cable 500, and a second cable guide 202 that holds the memory device 51 and the cable 500 and is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the first cable guide 201.

[0073] In other words, the inductance sensor 50 and the connector 50a are attached to the first cable guide 201, and the memory device 51 is attached to the second cable guide 202. Since the cable 500 is connected to the connector 50a, the inductance sensor 50, and the memory device 51, it is attached across the cable guide 201 and the cable guide 202.

[0074] The first cable guide 201 and the second cable guide 202 are pivotally supported by a shaft portion 210 and are configured to be relatively movable with respect to each other. That is, the second cable guide 202 and the first cable guide 201 are rotatably supported by the shaft portion 210. By engaging the first cable guide 201 and the second cable guide 202 so as to be relatively movable, the sub-unit 200 can be directly attached to the developing unit 3.

[0075] Therefore, the sub-unit 200 according to this embodiment is composed of a connector 50a, an inductance sensor 50, a memory device 51, a cable 500, a cable guide 201, and a cable guide 202.

[0076] The details of the sub-unit 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 7(a).

[0077] As described above, the inductance sensor 50 is attached to the first cable guide 201. By attaching this first cable guide 201 (sub-unit 200) to the developing unit 3, the inductance sensor 50 is disposed on the lower surface (first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the developing unit 3.

[0078] The connector 50a is attached to the first cable guide 201. By attaching this first cable guide 201 (sub-unit 200) to the developing unit 3, the connector 50a is disposed on the upper surface (first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the developing unit 3.

[0079] The memory device 51 is attached to the second cable guide 202. By attaching this second cable guide 202 (sub-unit 200) to the developing unit 3, the memory device 51 is disposed on the front surface (second surface different from the first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the developing unit 3.

[0080] When the cable 500 is directly attached to the developing unit 3 without passing through the sub-unit 200, in order to connect the inductance sensor 50, the connector 50a, and the memory device 51 existing on different surfaces, the cable 500 will crawl on multiple surfaces of the developing unit 3. That is, the cable 500 will crawl on the lower surface, the front surface, and the upper surface of the developing unit 3.

[0081] Therefore, the inductance sensor 50 and the connector 50a are arranged on the first cable guide 201, and the storage device 51 is arranged on the second cable guide 202. Further, a cable 500 connecting the inductance sensor 50, the connector 50a, and the storage device 51 is assembled to the first cable guide 201 and the second cable guide 202. Here, when assembling the sub-unit 200, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the second cable guide 202 is rotated in the rotational direction A1 with respect to the first cable guide 201 about the shaft portion 210. Thereby, the surface on which the cable 500 crawls is directed toward the operator's front, and the cable 500 can be crawled without changing the orientation of the sub-unit 200.

[0082] Also, the first cable guide 201 and the second cable guide 202 are pivotally supported by the shaft portion 210. Thereby, when an assembly worker carries the sub-unit 200 after assembling the sub-unit 200, even when only one side of the cable guide is gripped, damage to the cable 500 can be prevented and the risk of disconnection or the like can be reduced.

[0083] Next, the procedure for attaching the sub-unit 200 to the developing unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a method of assembling the sub-unit according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are perspective views showing a method of assembling the sub-unit according to the first embodiment.

[0084] When attaching the sub-unit 200 to the developing unit 3, as shown in Fig. 8, with the first cable guide 201 and the second cable guide 202 opened in the rotational direction A1, attach the inductance sensor 50 in the direction of arrow B. That is, attach the first cable guide 201 to the developing unit 3. This is because the detection part 50d of the inductance sensor 50 protrudes from the surface of the inductance sensor 50 and it is necessary to insert the detection part 50d into the developing container 30, so it is assembled in such a direction. When the first cable guide 201 is moved in the direction of arrow B, the locking claw 201a of the first cable guide 201 engages with the locking part 30a of the developing unit 3, and the first cable guide 201 is fixed to the developing unit 3.

[0085] After that, as shown in Fig. 9(a), rotate the second cable guide 202 in the rotational direction A2 around the shaft part 210. That is, relatively move the second cable guide 202 with respect to the first cable guide 201 fixed to the developing unit 3. Thereby, the locking claw 202a of the second cable guide 202 engages with the locking part 30b of the developing unit 3, and the second cable guide 202 is fixed to the developing unit 3.

[0086] In this way, the second cable guide 202 is attached to the second surface (here, the front surface) of the developing unit 3 after the first cable guide 201 is attached to the first surfaces (here, the upper and lower surfaces) of the developing unit 3, and the relative movement is restricted. That is, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the sub-unit 200 is fixed to the developing unit 3.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the first cable guide 201 is attached to the side surface which is the first surface of the developing unit. Further, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the second cable guide 202 is attached to the front surface which is the second surface different from the first surface of the developing unit 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the sub-unit 200 is attached near the upstream end in the mounting direction (insertion direction G1) of the developing unit 3 with respect to the image forming apparatus 60. Further, the connector 50a is disposed on the upper surface side of the sub-unit 200. Therefore, when the developing unit 3 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 60 and immediately before the developing unit 3 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 50a on the developing unit 3 side may be connected on the front side (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60. In addition, it is possible to reduce the risk that it becomes difficult to process and store the extra length of the cable 501 (see FIG. 3) in the image forming apparatus 60.

[0088] As described above, the connector 50a, the inductance sensor 50, the storage device 51, and the cable 500 connecting them are sub-united, and the sub-unit 200 is attached to the developing unit 3 by the engagement of the locking claw and the locking portion. Thereby, assembly is possible without changing the orientation of the developing unit 3, and the risk of breakage and the number of assembly man-hours can be reduced, and production can be efficiently performed.

[0089] In addition, with respect to the life of the developing unit 3, the life of the electrical components is often long. By making the sub-unit 200 in which the electrical components and the cable are integrated, the sub-unit 200 is removed together from the recovered developing unit 3. Then, by transplanting the removed sub-unit 200 to another developing unit 3 in which parts other than the sub-unit 200 are replaced with new parts, the man-hours for newly assembling the sub-unit 200 can be reduced, and a recycled product of the unit can be efficiently produced.

[0090] Further, the sub-unit 200 is removably attached to the developing unit 3. The procedure for removing the sub-unit 200 from the developing unit 3 is to release the engagement between the locking claw 202a of the second cable guide 202 and the locking portion 30b of the developing unit 3, and rotate the second cable guide 202 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction A2 shown in Fig. 9(a) (the rotation direction A1 shown in Fig. 8) about the shaft portion 210. Then, the engagement between the locking claw 201a of the first cable guide 201 and the locking portion 30a of the developing unit 3 is released, and the first cable guide 201 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow direction B shown in Fig. 8. Thereby, the sub-unit 200 can be removed from the developing unit 3.

[0091] As described above, by sub-unitizing the electrical components and cables inside the developing unit 3, the man-hours and risks during assembly can be reduced with a simple configuration, and the new production and recycling of the developing unit, which is a consumable unit, can be carried out more efficiently.

[0092] 〔Example 2〕 Next, the configuration of the unit and the image forming apparatus according to Example 2 will be described. In the above-described example, an example in which the present invention is applied to the developing unit 3 was described. In this example, an example in which the present invention is applied to the drum unit 11 will be described. Since the schematic configuration of the image forming apparatus is the same as that of the above-described example, the description will be omitted here. Also, in this example, the description of the parts overlapping with those of the above-described Example 1 will be omitted.

[0093] (Configuration of the drum unit) The drum unit 11 according to Example 2 will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11. Figs. 10(a) and 10(b) are perspective views showing the configuration of the drum unit 11 according to Example 2. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the drum unit 11 according to Example 2.

[0094] The drum unit 11 is configured as an exchangeable unit for the image forming apparatus 60 and is configured to be independently exchangeable from the developing unit 3. As described above, one of the reasons is that they can be individually exchanged due to the difference in the service life between the developing unit 3 and the drum unit 11, thereby reducing the running cost of the product.

[0095] The drum unit 11 includes a drum frame 111 that rotatably supports the photosensitive drum 1. The photosensitive drum 1 rotates about the photosensitive drum axis by the transmission of a driving force through a drum coupling 112 provided at one end.

[0096] Also, in order to electrically connect the image forming apparatus 60 and the drum unit 11, the drum unit 11 includes a cable 700. The cable 700 is connected to the cable 800 of the image forming apparatus 60 at an electrical connection portion 70a and is connected to the drum storage device 116 and the light emitter 117.

[0097] Inside the drum unit 11, a charging roller 2 for charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 to a uniform potential is disposed. A cleaning roller 113 for cleaning the charging roller 2 is provided at a position different from the position where the photosensitive drum 1 contacts the charging roller 2. Inside the drum unit 11, there are a cleaning blade 114 for scraping off the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 without being transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 61, and a recovery conveyance screw 115 for conveying the scraped-off remaining toner outside the drum unit 11.

[0098] (Electrical components of the drum unit) The drum unit 11 has electrical components controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60. Here, as one of the electrical components, a light emitter 117 that irradiates light on the photosensitive drum 1 and a drum storage device 116 that holds information regarding the drum unit 11 are exemplified.

[0099] (Light emitter) Next, the light-emitting body 117 provided for irradiating light onto the photoreceptor drum 1 of the drum unit 11 will be described.

[0100] The charging roller 2 uniformly charges the surface of the rotatably driven photoreceptor drum 1 in advance. The exposure device 68 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 charged by the charging roller 2 based on the signal of the image information input to the image forming apparatus 60. The developing unit 3 has a rotatable developing sleeve 70 as a developer carrier for carrying the developer. The developing unit 3 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 by the exposure device 68 using the developer carried on the surface of the developing sleeve 70. As a result, toner adheres to the exposed portions (portions irradiated with light) on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 and is visualized. A transfer bias is applied to the primary transfer roller 4, and the toner image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61. The toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 after the primary transfer (residual transfer toner) is collected by the cleaning blade 114 and the recovery conveyance screw 115 and is prepared again for the next image forming process.

[0101] At this time, there are portions on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 that were irradiated with light by the exposure device 68 and portions that were not irradiated during the previous image formation, and there is a difference in the drum surface potential between these portions. If the photoreceptor drum 1 is charged again by the charging roller 2 in this state, a difference will remain in the surface potential after charging, which will cause poor image formation.

[0102] Therefore, between after the primary transfer and before charging, the light-emitting body 117 irradiates light over the entire longitudinal direction of the photoreceptor drum 1 to return the drum surface potential to a uniform state.

[0103] When the light-emitting body 117 cannot be arranged near the photoreceptor drum 1, as shown in FIG. 11, the light from the light-emitting body 117 is guided to the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 using the light guide member 118. At this time, the light irradiated from the light-emitting body 117 passes through the inside of the light guide member 118 and is irradiated from the end portion 118a on the photoreceptor drum 1 side toward the photoreceptor drum 1.

[0104] (Memory device) Next, the drum storage device 116 in which information about the drum unit 11 is written will be described.

[0105] The drum storage device 116 is arranged in front of the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the drum unit 11.

[0106] In the drum storage device 116, life information of the drum unit 11 is stored as information about the drum unit 11. The control unit (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 60 uses the life information written in the drum storage device 116 to adjust the voltage applied to the charging roller 2 when charging the photoreceptor drum 1, and as a trigger for delivering the next drum unit to the user before the drum unit 11 reaches the end of its life.

[0107] Here, the life information of the drum unit is exemplified as information about the drum unit 11. However, the information about the drum unit 11 is not limited to this, and other operation information or setting values of the unit may be used.

[0108] (Electrical connection between the light-emitting body in the drum unit and the drum storage device) Next, the electrical connection between the light-emitting body 117 provided in the drum unit 11 and the drum storage device 116 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the sub-unit 200 according to the second embodiment.

[0109] As described above, the image forming apparatus 60 has a control unit (not shown) including a CPU that controls power and signals for electrical components of various units. The drum unit 11 that is detachable from the image forming apparatus 60 has an electrical connection unit that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 60. Here, the drum unit 11 has a connector 70a as an electrical connection unit for supplying power and communicating with a light emitter 117 and a drum storage device 116 provided in the drum unit 11, and for connecting to a cable 800 on the image forming apparatus 60 side.

[0110] Here, a connector is exemplified as the electrical connection unit of the drum unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other electrical connection units such as electrical contacts may be used.

[0111] Also, in the present embodiment, a connector (not shown) as an electrical connection unit is provided in the cable 800 on the image forming apparatus 60 side. The connector (not shown) of the cable 800 on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side have a male-female relationship. For example, when the connector (not shown) on the image forming apparatus 60 side is male, the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is female. Alternatively, when the connector (not shown) on the image forming apparatus 60 side is female, the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is male.

[0112] The connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is preferably arranged on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1. This is because when the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is arranged on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1, the electrical path from the light emitter 117 to the connector 70a is shorter than when it is arranged on the downstream side in the insertion direction G1.

[0113] Also, the connector (electrical connection part) on the image forming apparatus 60 side is electrically connected to a control part (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 60 via a cable 800. Assuming that in the insertion / removal direction G, the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is on the back side (downstream side in the insertion direction G1). In this case, first, when inserting (mounting) the drum unit 11 into the image forming apparatus 60, the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side are electrically connected on the front side (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60. Then, until the drum unit 11 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, it is necessary to further insert the drum unit 11 in the insertion direction G1. At this time, the free length of the cable 800 that connects the control part of the image forming apparatus 60 and the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side must be increased so that the electrical connection state between the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is maintained. For this reason, it becomes difficult to process and store the extra length of the cable 800 (electrical harness) in the image forming apparatus 60.

[0114] Therefore, it is preferable to perform the connection process between the image forming apparatus 60 and the drum unit 11 after the mounting of the drum unit 11 is completed. Thus, in the present embodiment, in the insertion / removal direction G, the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side is arranged on the front face perpendicular to the insertion direction G1 in front of (upstream side in the insertion direction G1) of the image forming apparatus 60.

[0115] The drum storage device 116 needs to be connected to the image forming apparatus 60 in order to exchange information such as operation information with the image forming apparatus 60. Therefore, when arranging the drum storage device 116 in the drum unit 11, it is preferable to arrange it on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 from the viewpoint of the electrical path from the connector 70a. This is also preferable from the viewpoints of preventing the cable from being routed in a complicated manner, miniaturizing the drum unit 11, and reducing the risk of electrical path failure. Therefore, the drum storage device 116 is arranged on the front face on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1.

[0116] The light emitter 117 needs to irradiate light over the entire longitudinal direction of the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1 in order to make the surface potential of the photoreceptor drum 1 uniform and reset the potential to the initial state. Therefore, the light emitter 117 is arranged over the entire longitudinal direction on the side surface of the drum unit 11. The light from the light emitter 117 passes through the light guide member 118 and is irradiated from the end portion 118a on the drum side of the light guide member 118 toward the photoreceptor drum 1.

[0117] The cable 700 having the connector 70a is configured to branch into a cable 700a connected to the light emitter 117 starting from the connector 70a side and a cable 700b connected to the drum storage device 116. Each of the cables 700a and 700b is a bundled wire of a plurality of wires such as ground, power, and signal to each electrical component.

[0118] The connector 70a and the drum storage device 116 are arranged on the front of the unit perpendicular to the insertion direction G1 on the upstream side of the insertion direction G1, and the light emitter 117 is arranged on the side surface of the unit. Their arrangement surfaces cannot be aligned, and the same problem as that of the developing unit 3 described above occurs.

[0119] Therefore, the drum unit 11 according to the present embodiment includes a sub-unit 900 in which the connector 70a, the light emitter 117, the drum storage device 116, the cable 700, and a cable guide for holding them are integrated as shown in FIG. 12. By assembling this sub-unit 900 to the drum unit 11 at the end of the assembly process, the operation of routing the cable 700 directly around the drum unit 11 is eliminated, and the above-described problem can be solved.

[0120] (Sub-unit) Next, the configuration of the sub-unit 900 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13(a), 13(b), and 14. FIGS. 13(a), 13(b), and 14 are perspective views showing the configuration of the sub-unit according to the second embodiment.

[0121] In the drum unit 11 as well, since there are electrical components on multiple surfaces within the unit, the cable 700 also runs along multiple surfaces. Therefore, the same problems as those in the aforementioned developing unit 3 occur in the drum unit 11 as well, but these can be solved by sub-unitizing the electrical components and the cable.

[0122] Specifically, the sub-unit 900 holds the connector 70a, the light emitter 117, the drum storage device 116, and the cable 700, and is attached to the drum unit 11.

[0123] The connector 70a is an electrical connection part that is electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 60 and is provided at one end of the cable 700. The light emitter 117 and the drum storage device 116 are electrical components that are controlled by a control part (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 60. That is, the electrical components include the light emitter 117 as the first electrical component controlled by the control part and the drum storage device 116 as the second electrical component controlled by the control part. The cable 700 is a cable that electrically connects the connector 70a, the light emitter 117, and the drum storage device 116.

[0124] The sub-unit 900 includes a second cable guide 901 that holds the drum storage device 116 and the cable 700, and a first cable guide 902 that holds the light emitter 117 and the cable 700 and is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the second cable guide 901.

[0125] In other words, the light emitter 117 is attached to the first cable guide 902, and the drum storage device 116 and the connector 70a are attached to the second cable guide 901. Since the cable 700 is connected to the light emitter 117, the drum storage device 116, and the connector 70a, it is attached across the cable guide 901 and the cable guide 902.

[0126] The first cable guide 902 and the second cable guide 901 are pivotally supported by a shaft portion 910 and are configured to be relatively movable with respect to each other. That is, the first cable guide 902 and the second cable guide 901 are rotatably supported by the shaft portion 910. By engaging the first cable guide 902 and the second cable guide 901 so as to be relatively movable, the sub-unit 900 can be directly attached to the drum unit 11.

[0127] Therefore, the sub-unit 900 according to the present embodiment is composed of a light emitter 117, a drum storage device 116, a connector 70a, a cable 700, a cable guide 901, and a cable guide 902.

[0128] Details of the sub-unit 900 will be described.

[0129] As described above, the drum storage device 116 is attached to the second cable guide 901. By attaching this second cable guide 901 (sub-unit 900) to the drum unit 11, the drum storage device 116 is disposed on the front surface (first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the drum unit 11.

[0130] The connector 70a is provided at one end of the cable 700 and is attached to the second cable guide 901. By attaching this second cable guide 901 (sub-unit 900) to the drum unit 11, the connector 70a is disposed on the front surface (first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the drum unit 11 and is further disposed above the front surface.

[0131] The light emitter 117 is attached to the first cable guide 902. By attaching this first cable guide 902 (sub-unit 900) to the drum unit 11, the light emitter 117 is disposed on the lower surface (second surface different from the first surface) on the upstream side in the insertion direction G1 of the drum unit 11.

[0132] When the cable 700 is directly attached to the drum unit 11 without passing through the sub-unit 900, in order to connect the light emitter 117 and the drum storage device 116 which are on different surfaces, the cable 700 will be routed around multiple surfaces of the drum unit 11. That is, the cable 700 will be routed around the front and bottom surfaces of the drum unit 11.

[0133] Therefore, the drum storage device 116 is arranged on the second cable guide 901, and the light emitter 117 is arranged on the first cable guide 902. Further, the drum storage device 116 and the light emitter 117 are connected, and a cable 700 having a connector 70a at one end is assembled to the second cable guide 901 and the first cable guide 902. Here, when assembling the sub-unit 900, as shown in FIG. 14, the first cable guide 902 is rotated in the rotation direction D1 with respect to the second cable guide 901 (901a) around the shaft portion 910. Thereby, the surface where the cable 700 is routed can be directed towards the operator's front, and the cable 700 can be routed without changing the orientation of the sub-unit 900.

[0134] After that, a cable guide cover 901b is attached to the second cable guide 901. The cable guide 901 and the cable guide 902 are pivotally supported by the shaft portion 910. Thereby, when the assembler carries the sub-unit 900 after assembling the sub-unit 900, even when only one side of the cable guide is gripped, damage to the cable 700 can be prevented and the risk of disconnection and the like can be reduced.

[0135] Next, the procedure for attaching the sub-unit 900 to the drum unit 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15(a), 15(b), 16(a), and 16(b). FIGS. 15(a), 15(b), 16(a), and 16(b) are perspective views showing the assembling method of the sub-unit according to the second embodiment.

[0136] When attaching the sub-unit 900 to the drum unit 11, with the second cable guide 901 and the first cable guide 902 rotated in the rotation direction D1 as shown in Fig. 15(a) and Fig. 16(b), attach the second cable guide 901 in the direction of arrow E. That is, attach the second cable guide 901 to the drum unit 11. This is because in order to position the second cable guide 901 with respect to the photoreceptor drum 1, it is necessary to assemble it in the rotational axis direction of the photoreceptor drum 1, and this is the assembly direction. When the second cable guide 901 is moved in the direction of arrow E, the locking portion 901c of the second cable guide 901 engages with the locking claw 11a of the drum unit 11, and the second cable guide 901 is fixed to the drum unit 11.

[0137] After that, as shown in Fig. 16(a), rotate the first cable guide 902 in the rotation direction D2 about the shaft portion 910. That is, relatively move the first cable guide 902 with respect to the second cable guide 901 fixed to the drum unit 11. As a result, the locking claw 902a of the first cable guide 902 engages with the locking portion 11b of the drum unit 11, and the first cable guide 902 is fixed to the drum unit 11.

[0138] In this way, after the second cable guide 901 is attached to the second surface (here the front surface) of the drum unit 11, the first cable guide 902 is attached to the first surface (here the lower surface) of the drum unit 11, and the relative movement is restricted. That is, as shown in Fig. 16(b), the sub-unit 900 is fixed to the drum unit 11.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 16(a), the second cable guide 901 is attached to the front surface, which is the first surface of the drum unit 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the first cable guide 902 is attached to the lower surface, which is a second surface different from the first surface of the drum unit 11. That is, as shown in FIG. 16(b), the sub-unit 900 is attached near the upstream end in the mounting direction (insertion direction G1) of the drum unit 11 to the image forming apparatus 60. Further, the connector 70a is disposed on the front side (and the upper side of the front) of the sub-unit 900. Therefore, when the drum unit 11 is inserted into the image forming apparatus 60, immediately before (or after) the drum unit 11 is mounted on the image forming apparatus 60, the connector on the image forming apparatus 60 side and the connector 70a on the drum unit 11 side may be connected on the front side of the image forming apparatus 60 (the upstream side in the insertion direction G1). In addition, the risk of difficulty in processing and storing the excess length of the cable 800 in the image forming apparatus 60 can be reduced.

[0140] As described above, the light emitter 117, the drum storage device 116, and the cable 700 connecting them and having the connector 70a at one end are sub-united, and the sub-unit 900 is attached to the drum unit 11 by the engagement of the locking claw and the locking portion. Thereby, assembly is possible without changing the orientation of the drum unit 11, and the risk of damage and the number of assembly steps can be reduced, and production can be efficiently performed.

[0141] In addition, with respect to the lifespan of the drum unit 11, the lifespan of the electrical components is often long. By making the sub-unit 900 in which the electrical components and the cable are integrated, the sub-unit 900 is removed together from the recovered drum unit 11. Then, by transplanting the removed sub-unit 900 to another drum unit 11 in which components other than the sub-unit 900 are replaced with new components, the man-hours for newly assembling the sub-unit 900 can be reduced, and remanufactured units can be efficiently produced.

[0142] Further, the sub-unit 900 is removably attached to the drum unit 11. The procedure for removing the sub-unit 900 from the drum unit 11 is to release the engagement between the locking claw 902a of the first cable guide 902 and the locking portion 11b of the drum unit 11, and rotate the first cable guide 902 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction D2 shown in Fig. 16(a) (the rotation direction D1 shown in Fig. 15(a)) about the shaft portion 910. Then, the engagement between the locking portion 901c of the second cable guide 901 and the locking claw 11a of the drum unit 11 is released, and the second cable guide 902 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow direction E shown in Fig. 15(a). Thereby, the sub-unit 900 can be removed from the drum unit 11.

[0143] As described above, by sub-uniting the electrical components and cables inside the drum unit 11, the man-hours and risks during assembly can be reduced with a simple configuration, and the new production and recycling of the drum unit, which is a consumable unit, can be performed more efficiently.

[0144] 〔Other embodiments〕 In the first and second embodiments, the configuration in which the cable guides of the sub-units are provided so as to be relatively movable by rotation about the shaft portion is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As shown in Fig. 17, the cable guides of the sub-unit 3000 attached to the consumable unit 4000 may be relatively moved linearly by a sliding mechanism. At this time, the cable guide 1000 has imaging electrical components 1001 (inductance sensors and light emitters), and the cable guide 2000 has interface components 2001 (electrical connection parts and storage devices) connected to the image forming apparatus 60.

[0145] That is, the sub-unit 3000 holds the imaging electrical components 1001, the interface components 2001, and the cable 5000 that electrically connects them, and is removably attached to the consumable unit 4000.

[0146] Furthermore, the sub-unit 3000 includes a first cable guide 1000 that holds the imaging electrical component 1001 and the cable 5000, and a second cable guide 2000 that holds the interface component 2001 and the cable 5000. The second cable guide 2000 is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the first cable guide 1000 by a slide mechanism (not shown). That is, the first cable guide 1000 and the second cable guide 2000 are supported by the slide mechanism so as to be reciprocally movable in the linear motion direction F, which is one direction. Here, the linear motion direction F of the cable guide is the same as the insertion / removal direction G of the unit.

[0147] When attaching the sub-unit 3000 to the consumable unit 4000, first attach the first cable guide 1000 to the lower surface (first surface) of the consumable unit 4000 (Fig. 17(b)). Thereby, the imaging electrical component 1001 held by the first cable guide 1000 is disposed on the lower surface of the consumable unit 4000.

[0148] Thereafter, move the second cable guide 2000 in the linear motion direction F with respect to the fixed first cable guide 1000 by the slide mechanism, and attach it to the front surface (second surface different from the first surface) of the consumable unit 4000. Thereby, the interface component 2001 held by the second cable guide 2000 is disposed on the front surface of the consumable unit 4000. Also, when attaching the second cable guide 2000 to the consumable unit 4000, the excess length of the cable 5000 is housed in the second cable guide 2000 as shown in Fig. 17(c).

[0149] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the sub-unit has two relatively movable cable guides is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and there may be three or more relatively movable cable guides.

[0150] Even with such a configuration, by sub-unitizing the electrical components and cables within the consumable unit, the man-hours and risks during assembly can be reduced with a simple configuration, and the new production and recycling of the consumable unit can be carried out more efficiently.

[0151] Also, in the above-described embodiments, four image forming units are used, but the number of units used is not limited and can be appropriately set as needed.

[0152] Also, in the above-described embodiments, the unit detachable from the image forming apparatus is not limited to the above-described developing unit and drum unit. For example, the unit may be other units such as a process cartridge integrally having a photosensitive drum, a charging unit, a developing unit, and a cleaning unit as process means acting on the photosensitive drum.

[0153] Also, in the above-described embodiments, a printer is exemplified as the image forming apparatus, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, other image forming apparatuses such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, or a multifunction machine combining these functions may be used. Further, an image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member, sequentially stacking toner images of each color on the intermediate transfer member and transferring them, and collectively transferring the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, an image forming apparatus using a transfer material carrier and sequentially stacking toner images of each color on the transfer material carried on the transfer material carrier and transferring them may be used. By applying the present invention to the unit detachable from these image forming apparatuses, the same effect can be obtained.

[0154] Also, in the above-described embodiments, the electrophotographic method is exemplified as the recording method, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other recording methods such as an inkjet method may be used.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0155] 1... Photosensitive drum (image carrier) 2... Charging roller 3... Developing unit 11 … Drum unit 11a, 201a, 202a, 902a … Locking claw 11b, 30a, 30b, 901c … Locking part 31 … Developing chamber 32 … Stirring chamber 33 … First conveying screw 34 … Second conveying screw 38 … Partition wall 39 … Communication part 50 … Inductance sensor (electrical component) 50a, 70a … Connector (electrical connection part) 50d … Detection part 51 … Memory device (electrical component) 60 … Image forming apparatus 70 … Developing sleeve (developer carrier) 111 … Drum frame 112 … Drum coupling 116 … Drum memory device (electrical component) 117 … Light emitter (electrical component) 118 … Light guide member 118a … End part 200, 900 … Sub-unit 201, 202, 901, 902 … Cable guide 210, 910 … Shaft part 500, 500a, 500b, 700, 700a, 700b, 800 … Cable 600 … Image forming part 901b … Cable guide cover

Claims

1. A unit detachable from an image forming apparatus, comprising: an electrical connection part electrically connected to the image forming apparatus; an electrical component controlled by a control part provided in the image forming apparatus; a cable electrically connecting the electrical connection part and the electrical component; a sub-unit that holds the electrical connection part, the electrical component, and the cable and is attached to the unit. A unit characterized by the above.

2. The electrical component includes: a first electrical component controlled by the control part; and a second electrical component controlled by the control part. The sub-unit includes: a first cable guide that holds the first electrical component and the cable; and a second cable guide that holds the second electrical component and the cable and is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the first cable guide. The unit according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The first cable guide is attached to a first surface of the unit. The second cable guide is attached to a second surface of the unit different from the first surface of the unit. The unit according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

4. The second cable guide is attached to the second surface of the unit after the first cable guide is attached to the first surface of the unit, whereby relative movement is restricted. The unit according to claim 3, characterized by the above.

5. The first cable guide and the second cable guide are rotatably supported by a shaft portion. The unit according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

6. The first cable guide and the second cable guide are supported so as to be movable in one direction by a slide mechanism. The unit according to claim 2, characterized by the above.

7. The electrical component includes: a first electrical component controlled by the control part; and a second electrical component controlled by the control part. The sub-unit includes: a second cable guide that holds the second electrical component and the cable; and a first cable guide that holds the first electrical component and the cable and is provided so as to be relatively movable with respect to the second cable guide. The unit according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

8. The first cable guide is attached to a first surface of the unit. The second cable guide is attached to a second surface different from the first surface of the unit. The unit according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. After the second cable guide is attached to the second surface of the unit, the first cable guide is attached to the first surface of the unit, so that relative movement is restricted. The unit according to claim 8, characterized in that.

10. The first cable guide and the second cable guide are rotatably supported by a shaft portion. The unit according to claim 7, characterized in that.

11. The sub-unit is attached near an end on the upstream side in the mounting direction of the unit to the image forming apparatus. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

12. The electrical connection portion is disposed on the upper surface side of the sub-unit. The unit according to claim 11, characterized in that.

13. The unit is a developing unit including a developer carrier that carries a developer. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

14. One of the electrical components is an inductance sensor that detects the toner concentration inside the developing unit. The unit according to claim 13, characterized in that.

15. The unit is a drum unit including an image carrier. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

16. One of the electrical components is a light emitter that irradiates light onto the image carrier. The unit according to claim 15, characterized in that.

17. One of the electrical components is a storage device that holds information about the unit. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

18. The sub-unit is removably attached to the unit. The unit according to claim 1, characterized in that.

19. The unit according to any one of claims 1 to 18, and a control unit that controls the unit. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that.

Images