Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To block heat from a heat generation source to a resin member and prevent fire spread due to ignition and fire spread caused by foreign matter while achieving low cost and space saving.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes: a metal plate 30; a gear 23 which has a shaft section 23s protruding from the metal plate 30; a hole 301a formed by cutting and raising a part of the metal plate 30; and a cut-and-raised bent section 301b cut and raised from the cut-and-raised hole 301a. The shaft section 23s protrudes from the cut-and-raised hole 301a. The cut-and-raised bent section 301b is positioned in a lower direction of the shaft section 23s in a vertical direction Z in a state that the shaft section 23s protrudes from the cut-and-raised hole 301a and covers the shaft section 23s when viewed from the lower direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, facsimiles, and multifunction machines thereof are provided with actuators such as motors and solenoids for driving the apparatus, and electric boards for controlling power supply thereto. In the event of a fire occurring due to, for example, an abnormality in an electric circuit within the electric board, an image forming apparatus provided with an electric board employs a configuration for preventing the spread of fire to other parts. For example, in Patent Document 1, by covering the electric board with a case formed of a flame-retardant material or a non-combustible material, the spread of fire to other parts in the case of a fire caused by the electric board is prevented.

[0003] In an image forming apparatus, even if an element on the electric board catches fire, a resin member within a certain distance or less from a component that may catch fire (hereinafter referred to as a "source of ignition") is provided with the following fire spread prevention measures so that the fire does not spread. For example, a highly flame-retardant material is used for the resin member, or when the target resin member cannot be made of a highly flame-retardant material, a fire spread prevention barrier is arranged between the source of ignition and the resin member, etc. Fire spread prevention measures are taken. In particular, fire spread prevention measures for components with low flame retardancy are important. Many gears for transmitting drive are used in image forming apparatuses. As the material for the gears, POM (Polyoxymethylene) is generally often used. Generally, POM has low flame retardancy and is often an HB material without self-extinguishing properties in the flame-retardant grade. These gears are often housed in a drive box composed of a metal plate. However, when a part of the gear is exposed from the metal plate, or when it is directly provided on the main body side plate and the distance from the source of ignition is short, countermeasures against fire spread are required.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-315640 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the addition of a highly flame-retardant fireproof sheet may lead to cost increases, and space for the fireproof sheet and the components for holding it is required, which may lead to an increase in the size of the device. Also, even when components are arranged at a sufficient distance from the ignition source, foreign objects may fall from above the ignition source, and there is a possibility that the fire will spread due to these foreign objects. Therefore, for locations where there is a risk of foreign object falling, measures such as providing a shielding member against the ignition source can be considered, but there are problems of cost increase and space similar to those of the above-described fireproof sheet.

[0006] The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to block heat from a heat source to a resin member while realizing low cost and space saving, and to prevent the spread of fire due to ignition or the spread of fire caused by foreign objects. Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has the following configuration.

[0008] (1) An image forming apparatus comprising a metal plate, a projecting member having a projecting portion projecting from the metal plate, a hole formed by raising a part of the metal plate, and a bent portion raised from the hole, wherein the projecting portion projects from the hole, the bent portion is located downward of the projecting portion in the vertical direction in a state where the projecting portion projects from the hole, and covers the projecting portion when viewed from below.

[0009] (2) A metal plate, a protruding member having a protruding portion protruding from the metal plate, and a shielding member provided below the protruding portion in the vertical direction, wherein the shielding member covers the protruding portion when viewed from below. An image forming apparatus characterized by this.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, while realizing low cost and space saving, it is possible to block heat from the heat source to the resin member and prevent the spread of fire due to ignition or the spread of fire caused by foreign matter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration and various conditions of the apparatus to which the invention is applied, and the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments.

Embodiment

[0013] [Image Forming Apparatus] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 100 is a laser printer using electrophotographic recording technology, and its operation will be briefly described below. When the image forming apparatus 100 receives a print instruction, the scanner unit 3 emits a laser beam L corresponding to the image information. The photosensitive drum 1 charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 2 is scanned by the laser beam L, and thus an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. Then, the developing device 4 supplies toner to the photosensitive drum 1 to form a toner image corresponding to the image information on the photosensitive drum 1. The toner image that has reached the transfer position formed by the photosensitive drum 1 and the transfer roller 5 due to the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 in the direction of arrow R1 is transferred to the recording material P fed by the pickup roller 7 from the cassette 6. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 that has passed through the transfer position is cleaned by the cleaner 8. The recording material P onto which the toner image has been transferred is subjected to a fixing process by applying heat and pressure with the heating device 9. Thereafter, the recording material P is discharged to the tray 11 by the discharge roller 10. Note that the image forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is a monochrome image forming apparatus including one photosensitive drum 1, but the number of photosensitive drums 1 is not limited to one, and the present invention can also be applied to a color image forming apparatus including a plurality of photosensitive drums 1.

[0014] [Motor 20 and Electric Substrate] FIG. 2 shows an example of an electric substrate 201, a motor 20, gears for rotationally driving a plurality of rollers as rotating members shown in FIG. 1, and a metal plate 30 to which they are attached. The metal plate 30 has a surface 301a to which the electric substrate 201 is attached and a surface 30b on the side opposite to the surface 301a to which the gears 23 and the like are attached. Note that the metal plate 30 may be attached to a frame (main body side plate) included in the image forming apparatus 100, or the frame itself may be the metal plate 30. FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view seen from the front side of the motor 20, and FIG. 2(B) is a perspective view seen from the back side thereof. FIG. 2(A) shows the main body of the motor 20 and the electric substrate 201 that is integrated with the motor 20 and supplies power to the motor 20.

[0015] FIG. 2(B) shows a motor gear 21 attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 20, a gear 22 that meshes with the motor gear 21 to transmit the driving force, a metal shaft 24 that supports the gear 22, and a gear 23 that meshes with the gear 22. Further, FIG. 2(A) shows a raised hole 301a and a raised bent portion 301b formed in the metal plate 30 for attaching a bearing that supports the shaft portion 23s (protruding member) of the gear 23. Further, FIG. 2(A) shows a bearing 25 that is attached to the raised hole 301a on the surface 30a side and holds the shaft portion 23s of the gear 23. The shaft portion 23s of the gear 23 protrudes from the raised hole 301a on the surface 30a side. In this embodiment, the motor gear 21, the gears 22 and 23 are made of POM from the viewpoint of slidability, and the bearing 25 is made of PC + ABS.

[0016] Here, various electrical components are arranged on the electric substrate 201 shown in FIG. 2(A). Some of the electrical components may burn and generate flames, sparks, or red heat in the event of an abnormality in the electrical circuit, and are hereinafter referred to as ignition sources. For this reason, safety measures are taken so that even if ignition occurs from an ignition source, it will not spread to other parts.

[0017] The distance at which the fire cannot reach even when ignition occurs from an ignition source is called the flame spread prevention distance. For example, arrange so that the distance from the ignition source to the resin part is equal to or greater than the flame spread prevention distance, or if the resin part must be arranged within the flame spread prevention distance, set the flame retardant grade of the material to UL94 V-1 or higher. Also, when parts with a low flame retardant grade must be arranged within the flame spread prevention distance, measures are taken such as arranging a shielding member made of metal or a highly flame retardant material by another part between the ignition source and the target part.

[0018] Examples of ignition sources include transistors, ICs, LSIs, optical elements (such as LEDs, semiconductor lasers, light-receiving elements, optical composite function elements, etc.), resistors, diodes, switches, relays, printer head modules, ceramic capacitors, inductors, connectors, electric wires, brush motors, aluminum electrolytic capacitors, etc. Note that a ceramic capacitor 202 is disposed on the back surface of the electric substrate 201 shown in Fig. 2 (the surface of the electric substrate 201 facing the metal plate 30) and is used as an element for driving the motor 20. In Fig. 2, the ceramic capacitor 202 is shown by a dashed line.

[0019] [Lifting bend part] Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the ceramic capacitor 202 and the gear 23, and is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane passing through the center of the motor 20 and extending in the vertical direction Z. The ceramic capacitor 202 is also an ignition source. For preventing the spread of fire, it is preferably safe that within a range of 40 mm around, parts with a combustion grade less than V-1 are not arranged, and if parts with a combustion grade less than V-1 must be arranged, a shielding member for preventing the spread of fire is provided.

[0020] Here, the vertical direction Z is downward, and the direction opposite to the vertical direction Z is upward. In the vertical direction Z, the distance from the upper end 202a of the ceramic capacitor 202 to the lower end 23a of the shaft portion 23s of the gear 23 is defined as L1. In this embodiment, the shaft portion 23s (protruding portion) of the gear 23 protruding from the metal plate 30 is a POM member with a flame retardant grade of HB and is arranged within a range of 40 mm from the ceramic capacitor 202. That is, the distance L1 is at most 40 mm. Therefore, between the ceramic capacitor 202 and the shaft portion 23s of the gear 23, in case the ceramic capacitor 202 catches fire, a shielding plate (shielding member) for preventing the spread of fire is required. Conventionally, it was necessary to arrange a separate member with flame retardancy. However, in this embodiment, the lifting bend part 301b is configured as a shielding plate for preventing the spread of fire from the ceramic capacitor 202 which is an ignition source.

[0021] The bent portion 301b is disposed between the ceramic capacitor 202 disposed below the shaft portion 23s and the shaft portion 23s. The bent portion 301b as a shielding plate has a shape that completely covers the shaft portion 23s from the ignition source when viewed in the vertical direction (vertical direction Z). In the normal direction X of the surface 30a, let the distance from the surface 30a to the end portion 23b on the surface 30a side of the shaft portion 23s be L2. Also, in the normal direction X of the surface 30a, let the distance (protrusion length) from the surface 30a to the end portion 301c of the bent portion 30b be L3. In this embodiment, the bent portion 301b is provided such that the distance L3 is greater than the distance L2 (L3 > L2). Further, when viewed in the normal direction X of the metal plate 30, in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and the normal direction X, the length (width) of the bent portion 301b is longer than the length (width) of the shaft portion 23s (see Fig. 2(A)). Thereby, when viewed from the downward direction in the vertical direction Z, the bent portion 301b covers the shaft portion 23s.

[0022] Also, as an effective arrangement of the shielding plate, the following has been found from experiments. That is, when the ignition source ignites, in order to prevent the spread of fire of the resin shaft disposed above it, it has been found from experiments that the shielding effect is high when the shielding plate covers the resin shaft and is disposed in the vicinity of the resin shaft so that the flame does not reach the resin shaft. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance between the shaft portion 23s and the bent portion 301b of the cut-up is set to 2 mm. Specifically, in the vertical direction Z, when the distance between the lower end portion 23a of the shaft portion 23s and the bent portion 301b is L4, the distance L4 is set to 2 mm. Note that, as will be described later, the distance L4 preferably does not exceed 3 mm.

[0023] When the size of the shielding plate is approximately the same as that of the resin shaft to be shielded, even if the distance between the shielding plate and the resin shaft is about 10 mm, the shielding effect can be expected. However, even when the flame and heat are blocked by the shielding plate, the flame and heat may sometimes penetrate inside the shielding plate, that is, to the resin shaft side, along with the upward air current, so there are cases where the flame and heat cannot be completely shielded. If the size of the shielding plate is sufficiently large with respect to the resin shaft, the effect can be expected sufficiently even if the distance between the shielding plate and the resin shaft is large. However, considering cost and space, a configuration that can achieve the maximum effect with the smallest possible shielding plate is required. For this reason, in this embodiment, the shaft portion 23s, which is a resin shaft with low flame retardancy, is completely covered, and the raised bending portion 301b, which is approximately the same size, is arranged very close to the lower side of the shaft portion 23s, enabling effective shielding of flames and heat without taking up space.

[0024] In this embodiment, the raised bending portion 301b is shaped to completely cover the shaft portion 23s, but it is not necessarily the case that the shielding effect cannot be obtained unless it is completely covered. For example, if there are small holes with a diameter of about φ2 or slits of about 1 mm in the raised bending portion 301b so that the flame does not penetrate, or if the end of the bending portion 301b is slightly chipped, the flame and heat can be shielded.

[0025] Also, by using the raised bending, there is no need to attach a new shielding member, and it is possible to take measures to prevent the spread of fire without incurring costs. When the bending portion is created by the raised process, holes with the same area as the bending portion are formed. However, in this embodiment, the shaft portion 23s protrudes from the raised hole 301a, and the raised hole 301a is arranged above the raised bending portion 301b that serves as the shielding plate, so that the hole 301a itself is also shielded from the flame and heat from the ignition source. In this embodiment, further, a bearing 25, which is a V1 material that supports the shaft portion 23s, is attached to the raised hole 301a, filling the gap of the hole 301a and preventing the flame and heat from spreading through the hole 301a to the opposite side (surface 30b side) of the metal plate 30.

[0026] [Another reason for arranging the bent portion near the shaft portion 23s] Figure 4(A) is a diagram showing the state in which the shaft portion 23s is softened and comes into contact with the bent portion 301b, and Figure 4(B) is a diagram showing the state in which a part of the shaft portion 23s melts and becomes a droplet-shaped portion 23d and comes into contact with the bent portion 301b. The advantages of arranging the bent portion 301b of the cut-up and the shaft portion 23s in the vicinity of each other are not limited to the above points. Even if a potential ignition source ignites and generates heat and does not spread and ignite to the shaft portion 23s, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 4(B), the resin may soften and drip due to heat. At that time, the bent portion 301b can receive the resin that has dripped and deformed from the shaft portion 23s. At this time, since the bent portion 301b is arranged below in the vertical direction Z and in the vicinity of the shaft portion 23s, the dripping resin can be reliably received.

[0027] Also, when the dripping resin comes into contact with the bent portion 301b, the heat of the dripping resin can be dissipated to the bent portion 301b and the metal plate 30 (arrow H). Even when a part (portion 23d) of the shaft portion 23s is completely melted by heat and the melted resin tries to drip, if the bent portion 301b is in the lower vicinity, the bent portion 301b can similarly receive the dripping resin and dissipate the heat of the resin.

[0028] At this time, if the dripping resin completely separates from the main body of the shaft portion 23s, the heat of the main body of the shaft portion 23s cannot be dissipated. Therefore, it is preferable that the clearance (the distance L4 described above) between the shaft portion 23s and the bent portion 301b is within about 3 mm so that the resin that is about to drip and becomes droplet-shaped (portion 23d) contacts the bent portion 301b before separating from the shaft portion 23s. Also, by setting such a distance relationship, even if the shaft portion 23s catches fire, if resin dripping occurs during the combustion process of the shaft portion 23s, the dripping resin can contact the bent portion 301b before separating from the main body of the shaft portion 23s. Then, the heat of the dripping resin can be dissipated to the bent portion 301b and the metal plate 30, and it becomes possible to extinguish the shaft portion 23s earlier.

[0029] [Modification example 1 of the bent portion] FIG. 5(a) shows another example of the shape of the bent portion 301b. FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane passing through the center of the gear 23 and perpendicular to the metal plate 30. In the bent portion 301b of the cut-up, a throttle 301e is provided as a concave portion protruding downward in the vertical direction Z on the surface 301d facing the shaft portion 23s. By providing the throttle 301e, in the event that resin drips from the shaft portion 23s, the dripped resin accumulates in the throttle 301e and is less likely to spill from the bent portion 301b. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the risk that the melted resin drips onto the ignition source and the spread of the fire spreads starting from the dripped resin.

[0030] Further, since the shaft portion 23s is a sliding member, there is a possibility that the chips generated by repeated sliding friction may fall downward, or in the case where lubricating grease is applied to the shaft portion 23s, the lubricating grease may drip. Regarding such foreign matter falling from the shaft portion 23s, it can be received by the bent portion 301b of the cut-up in the same manner as the aforementioned dripped resin. Also, the fallen foreign matter can be stored in the throttle 301e. Thereby, it becomes possible to reduce the risk that the foreign matter falls onto the ignition source and the spread of the fire spreads starting from the fallen foreign matter.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the shaft portion 23s is a resin shaft, but even if the shaft portion 23s is a metal shaft, there is a possibility that chips may fall due to friction or lubricating grease may drip. Therefore, by applying the present invention also in the case of a metal shaft, it is possible to reduce the risk that the spread of the fire spreads starting from the fallen foreign matter.

[0032] [Modification Example 2 of Bent Portion] Next, another example to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B) are perspective views showing a part of the metal plate 31 provided in the image forming apparatus 100 and a bearing member 26 (protruding member) that holds a shaft (not shown) attached to the metal plate 31. Here, the metal plate 31 has a surface 31a to which the bearing member 26 is attached and a surface 31b on the opposite side of the surface 31a to which an electric substrate (not shown) is attached. FIG. 6(A) shows the state as seen from the front side of the metal plate 31, and FIG. 6(B) shows the state as seen from the back side of the metal plate 31. FIG. 6(C) shows the state of attaching the bearing member 26 to the metal plate 31.

[0033] The bearing member 26 is a member capable of holding a shaft member (not shown) in the bearing portion 26a. First, the engaging portion 26b is inserted into the hole 311b on the metal plate 31, the engaging portion 26c is inserted into the hole 311c on the metal plate 31, and the shaft portion 26d is inserted into the burring hole 311a. Thereafter, the shaft portion 26d is attached to the metal plate 31 while rotating counterclockwise about the center of the burring hole 311a of the metal plate 31.

[0034] The convex portion 26e (protruding portion) shown in FIG. 6 is a retaining portion of the bearing member 26 of the bearing member 26 and is adapted to fit into the raised hole 312a on the metal plate 31. Here, the bearing member 26 is made of POM for bearing, and the flame retardant grade is HB. However, the bent portion 312b (flap member) of the raised portion below the raised hole 312a is disposed very close to the lower side of the convex portion 26e and is disposed at a position of 2 mm. That is, in the vertical direction Z, when the distance between the lower end portion 26f of the convex portion 26e and the bent portion 312b is L5, the distance L5 is set to 2 mm (≦ 3 mm). The bent portion 312b may have a concave portion protruding downward in the same manner as the bent portion 301b.

[0035] The raised bending portion 312b sufficiently covers the convex portion 26e in the vertical direction. Similar to the aforementioned raised bending portion 301b (Figure 2), the raised bending portion 312b functions as a shielding plate. The bending portion 312b can reduce the risk of flame spread from the ignition source when the ignition source is disposed below the convex portion 26e to shield the flame and heat from the lower ignition source. As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the raised bending portion, when viewed from the downward direction of the vertical direction Z, may have a circular shape like the bending portion 301a, a rectangular shape like the bending portion 312b, or even another shape as long as the bending portion covers the resin member.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, in order to prioritize cost, when the hole provided at the required position is used as the raised hole, the raised hole is raised downward in the vertical direction Z, and the raised bending portion is used as a shielding plate. However, even when another member having the same shape is used as the shielding plate and attached, a similar shielding effect can be obtained. Further, the raised bending portion may be provided according to the position of the element mounted on the electric substrate.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, since the shaft portion of POM is inserted into the raised hole, the raised bending portion is provided below the raised hole, but it is not limited thereto. When there is a member with a low combustion grade above the raised hole and a heat source below the raised hole, the raised bending portion may be provided above the raised hole to function as a shielding plate for the member above the raised hole.

[0038] As described above, according to the embodiment, while realizing low cost and space saving, it is possible to block the heat from the heat source to the resin member and prevent the spread of fire due to ignition and the spread of fire caused by foreign matter.

[0039] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations. (Configuration 1) A metal plate, A protruding member having a protruding portion protruding from the metal plate, A hole formed by raising a part of the metal plate, The bent portion raised from the hole, and comprising The protruding portion protrudes from the hole, The bent portion is located downward of the protruding portion in the vertical direction and covers the protruding portion when viewed from the downward direction in a state where the protruding portion protrudes from the hole. An image forming apparatus characterized by this. (Configuration 2) The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 1, wherein the bent portion has a concave portion in which a surface facing the protruding portion protrudes downward. (Configuration 3) The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 1 or Configuration 2, wherein the protruding member is a sliding member. (Configuration 4) In the vertical direction, the distance between the lower end of the protruding portion and the surface of the bent portion facing the protruding portion is 3 mm or less. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, characterized by this. (Configuration 5) A rotating member, A motor for driving the rotating member, A gear having a shaft portion for transmitting the drive of the motor to the rotating member, An electric substrate to which the motor is attached, An element mounted on the electric substrate, comprising The electric substrate is attached to the metal plate, The protruding portion is the shaft portion of the gear, The image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, wherein the element is located downward of the bent portion in the vertical direction. (Configuration 6) A metal plate, A protruding member having a protruding portion protruding from the metal plate, A shielding member provided downward of the protruding portion in the vertical direction, comprising The shielding member covers the protruding portion when viewed from the downward direction. An image forming apparatus characterized by this. (Configuration 7) The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 6, wherein the roof member has a concave portion that protrudes downward on a surface facing the protruding portion. (Configuration 8) In the vertical direction, the distance between the lower end of the protruding portion and the roof member facing the protruding portion is 3 mm or less. The image forming apparatus according to Configuration 6 or Configuration 7. (Configuration 9) A shaft member, A bearing member having a convex portion to which the shaft member is attached, An electric substrate attached to the metal plate, An element mounted on the electric substrate, And comprising, The bearing member is attached to the metal plate, The protruding portion is the convex portion of the bearing member, The element is located downward of the roof member in the vertical direction. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 6 to 8. (Configuration 10) The protruding member is a resin member. The image forming apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 9.

Explanation of Signs

[0040] 23 Gear 23e Shaft portion 30 Metal plate 301a Raised hole 302b Raised bent portion

Claims

1. A metal plate, a protruding member having a protruding portion protruding from the metal plate, a hole formed by raising a part of the metal plate, a bent portion raised from the hole, and comprising, the protruding portion protrudes from the hole, the bent portion is located downward of the protruding portion in the vertical direction with the protruding portion protruding from the hole, and covers the protruding portion when viewed from the downward direction, an image forming apparatus characterized by this.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bent portion has a concave portion with a surface facing the protruding portion protruding downward.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the protruding member is a sliding member.

4. In the vertical direction, the distance between the lower end of the protruding portion and the surface of the bent portion facing the protruding portion is 3 mm or less, the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by this.

5. A rotating member, a motor for driving the rotating member, a gear having a shaft portion for transmitting the drive of the motor to the rotating member, an electric substrate to which the motor is attached, an element mounted on the electric substrate, and comprising, the electric substrate is attached to the metal plate, the protruding portion is the shaft portion of the gear, the element is located downward of the bent portion in the vertical direction, the image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized by this.

6. A metal plate, a protruding member having a protruding portion protruding from the metal plate, a shielding member provided downward of the protruding portion in the vertical direction, and comprising, the shielding member covers the protruding portion when viewed from the downward direction, an image forming apparatus characterized by this.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the shielding member has a concave portion with a surface facing the protruding portion protruding downward.

8. In the vertical direction, the distance between the lower end of the protruding portion and the shielding member facing the protruding portion is 3 mm or less, the image forming apparatus according to claim 6 characterized by this.

9. A shaft member, a bearing member having a convex portion to which the shaft member is attached, an electric substrate attached to the metal plate, an element mounted on the electric substrate, and comprising, the bearing member is attached to the metal plate, the protruding portion is the convex portion of the bearing member, The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the element is located downward of the eaves member in the vertical direction.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 6, wherein the protruding member is a resin member.

Images