Information processing device

Abstract

To solve a problem that buckling deformation or the like of a contact part is damaged to make it difficult to bring into normal contact with a tag by approaching of a detachable replacement unit having the tag from an abnormal direction.SOLUTION: A printer 1 having a bent contact part 16a coming into contact with a detachable tag 6 includes a flexible part 16b for energizing the bent contact part 16a, and a contact cover 30 arranged near the bent contact part 16a to make the energized bent contact part 16a projectable, the flexible part 16b is energized in the direction of projecting from the contact cover 30 by the flexible part 16b in a state in which the tag 6 is separated from the bent contact part 16a and the contact cover 30, the flexible part 16b energizes the bent contact part 16a to come into contact with the tag 6 when the tag 6 is brought into contact with the bent contact part 16 to move within a normal range, and the bent contact part 16a is displaced against energization due to displacement of the contact cover 30 when the tag 6 is brought into contact with the contact cover 30 to move within the abnormal range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device having an electrical contact portion with an information transmission terminal provided on a mounting member that is detachably mounted on a main body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a tag for recording information has been provided on a replaceable unit, such as a development unit, which is a consumable item, to manage the wear status of the replaceable unit. In such an image forming apparatus, a spring-like contact member that abuts with a predetermined contact pressure against the tag of the installed replaceable unit is provided on the main body of the apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-234190 A (page 12, FIG. 13) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when attaching or detaching the replacement unit, depending on the direction in which the attachment / detachment part, such as a tag, approaches the contact part, the contact part may suffer damage such as buckling deformation.In this case, there is a problem in that poor contact occurs between the attachment / detachment part and the contact part, making it difficult to make normal contact with the attachment / detachment part. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information processing device according to the present invention is an information processing device having a contact portion that comes into contact with a detachable attachment / detachment portion, a flexible member that biases the contact portion; and a cover that is disposed near the contact portion and through which the contact portion biased by the flexible member can protrude, When the contact portion is separated from the contact portion and the cover, the contact portion is urged by the flexible member in a direction protruding from the cover, and when the contact portion moves in contact with the contact portion within a first range, the flexible member urges the contact portion in a direction protruding from the cover to bring it into contact with the contact portion, and when the contact portion moves in contact with the cover without coming into contact with the contact portion within a second range different from the first range, the contact portion displaces against the urging force as the cover displaces. Another information processing device according to the present invention is an information processing device to which a detachable unit having a connecting / disconnecting part is detachable, a displaceable contact member that comes into contact with the separation and engagement portion, and a movable cover that protects the contact member, wherein the contact member has a contact portion that protrudes from the cover and is capable of coming into contact with the separation and engagement portion, a biasing portion that biases the contact portion toward the separation and engagement portion with a predetermined biasing force, and an abutting portion that is provided between the contact portion and the biasing portion and abuts against the cover; When the detachable unit is attached to the information processing device, if the attachment / detachment portion presses the cover without contacting the contact portion, the contact member displaces together with the cover against the spring force with the abutment portion abutting the cover member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, damage to the contact portion caused by the approach direction of the separation portion to the contact portion can be suppressed, and therefore appropriate contact between the separation portion and the contact portion can be ensured. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of a printer 1 according to the present invention with a front cover 2 open. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a developing unit that is detachably mounted in a printer and is removed obliquely upward and not yet mounted. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a developing unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the tag contact mechanism section and its periphery shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the tag contact mechanism section as seen from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the tag contact mechanism as seen from below on the opposite side to that of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] The configuration of the tag contact mechanism is shown, where (a) is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A, (b) is an EE cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view at the center of the tag contact mechanism, i.e., an FF cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 8] 1 shows the configuration of the tag contact mechanism when the development unit is attached, (a) is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A, (b) is an EE cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) is an FF cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 9] This shows the state when the contact cover is pushed in from the direction of arrow D in the unattached state shown in Figure 7 where the development unit is removed, (a) is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A, (b) is an EE cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) is an FF cross-sectional view of (a). [Figure 10] 1A and 1B show the configuration of a tag contact mechanism unit equipped with a contact cover that is a modification of the contact cover as a first modification of the first embodiment, in which (a) is an external perspective view and (b) is a front view. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B show the configuration of only the contact cover of Modification 1, in which FIG. 1A is an external perspective view thereof, and FIG. 1B is an external perspective view thereof as seen from diagonally below on the opposite side to FIG. 1A. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a contact portion holding mechanism that replaces a contact spring as a second modification of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a partially enlarged view showing the periphery of tag 6 of development unit 3 (FIG. 3) as a third modification of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of a comparative example without a contact cover and the problems that arise when the contact cover is not provided, where FIG. 10A shows the configuration, and FIG. 10B shows a modified example caused by damage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer 1 as an information processing device of the present invention, showing the state in which the front cover 2 is open, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the state in which the development unit 3, which is removably attached to the printer 1, is removed diagonally upward and not yet attached.

[0009] In these figures, printer 1 is configured as an electrophotographic monochrome printer and includes, for example, a front cover 2 and a development unit 3. The development unit 3 must be replaced when it reaches the end of its life, and is therefore detachably attached to the printer 1 body in the direction of the outlined arrow (Fig. 2). The front cover 2 is opened and closed when attaching or detaching the development unit 3 or when clearing a paper jam, and is rotatably provided on the front side of the printer body when viewed from the direction of arrow A (X direction) shown in Fig. 1.

[0010] 2, the printer 1 has a tag contact board holding frame 11, which has a tag contact mechanism 13 fixed to its left end, disposed on the front surface above the storage section for the development unit 3, which appears when the front cover 2 is opened. As will be described later, the tag contact mechanism 13 has contacts for contacting the tag 6 (FIG. 3) of the development unit 3 to communicate information recorded in the tag 6, and is fixed to the tag contact board holding frame 11 at a position opposite the tag 6.

[0011] Note that the X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 1 are defined as follows: the Y direction is the direction of the rotation axis of the front cover 2 when the printer 1 is placed on a horizontal surface; the X direction is the direction perpendicular to the Y direction and parallel to the horizontal surface; and the Z direction is the direction perpendicular to both of these directions. Therefore, the Z direction is the vertical direction. Furthermore, when the X, Y, and Z directions are shown in other figures described below, these directions refer to the same directions. In other words, the X, Y, and Z directions in each figure indicate the arrangement direction when the depicted parts of each figure constitute the printer 1 shown in FIG. 1.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the development unit 3. As shown in FIG.

[0013] As shown in the figure, a tag 6 is provided as a contact / separation part on the upper right side of the development unit 3 when viewed from the direction of arrow B (-X direction). The tag 6 is a circuit board having a memory that stores information on the specifications and usage status of the development unit 3 and a contact terminal 6a, and is provided in a position that faces a tag contact mechanism part 13 provided in the printer 1 body when the development unit 3 is attached to the printer 1 body.

[0014] Figure 4 is an enlarged partial view of the area around the tag contact mechanism unit 13 shown in Figure 2, Figure 5 is an exploded oblique view of the tag contact mechanism unit 13 viewed from above, and Figure 6 is an exploded oblique view of the tag contact mechanism unit 13 viewed from below, on the opposite side to Figure 5.

[0015] 7 shows the configuration of the tag contact mechanism 13, with (a) being a front view seen from the direction of arrow A (X direction), (b) being an E-E cross-sectional view of (a), and (c) being a cross-sectional view at the center of the tag contact mechanism 13, i.e., an F-F cross-sectional view of (a). The E-E cross-sectional view of (b) is a cross-sectional view passing through the center of the right-side contact spring 16 when viewed from the direction of arrow A, but the cross-sectional view passing through the center of the left-side contact spring 16 has a similar configuration, so its description will be omitted here. Note that FIGS. 4 to 7 show a non-installed state in which the developing unit 3 is not installed.

[0016] As shown in each of these figures, the tag contact mechanism part 13 comprises a circuit board 14, a connection cable 15 (Figure 5), a pair of contact springs 16, a contact spring holder 17, a contact cover 30, etc., and as shown in Figure 4, the circuit board 14 is fixed and held by a board holding part 11a formed on the tag contact board holding frame 11 in a state where it is parallel to the surface of the tag contact board holding frame 11 and protrudes forward (in the -X direction).

[0017] The circuit board 14 has a circuit that connects a pair of contact springs 16 and a connection cable 15, and the connection cable 15 is wired inside the printer 1 body to transmit signals to a control circuit (not shown) in the printer 1 body.

[0018] The contact spring 16 as a pair of contact members is pressed against the contact terminal 6a (Fig. 3) of the tag 6 of the developing unit 3 to transmit signals, and is made of a metal leaf spring material with good conductivity, and as shown in Fig. 7(b), consists of a bent contact portion 16a, a flexible portion 16b, an arm portion 16c, a free end portion 16d, and a board connection portion 16e.

[0019] The bent contact portion 16a as a contact portion is a portion that comes into direct contact with the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6 of the developing unit 3 at a predetermined pressure, and for example, the surface is gold-plated to improve conductivity, and the flexible portion 16b as a biasing portion or flexible member is a portion that elastically deforms, and realizes that the bent contact portion 16a comes into contact with the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6 of the developing unit 3 at a predetermined pressing force.

[0020] The arm portion 16c is a straight portion that connects the flexible portion 16b to the bent contact portion 16a, the free end portion 16d is the free end portion of the contact spring 16, and the board connection portion 16e is fixedly connected to the circuit board 14 at the end opposite to the free end portion 16d, for example, by soldering.

[0021] The contact spring holder 17 (Fig. 5) holds a pair of contact springs 16 and is integrally formed with the circuit board 14, and includes a rectangular frame 18, a pair of board fixing portions 19 (Fig. 6), a pair of contact spring storage portions 20, a pair of openings 21, a pair of contact spring restricting engagement groove portions 22 (Fig. 7(b)), a contact cover rotation support engagement groove portion 23, and a contact cover restricting engagement groove portion 24 (Fig. 7(c)).

[0022] The rectangular parallelepiped frame 18 is composed of an upper surface 18a, left and right side surfaces 18b, a lower surface 18c (Figure 7(b)), and a front surface 18d, and the contact spring holder 17 is fixed to the circuit board 14 by fitting a pair of board fixing portions 19 into a pair of openings 14a (Figure 6) formed at opposing positions on the circuit board 14 and fixing them.

[0023] The pair of contact spring storage sections 20 are sections that store the flexible sections 16b of each contact spring 16, and the pair of openings 21 are sections that expose the section of each contact spring 16 from the arm section 16c to the bent contact section 16a to the outside.

[0024] The contact spring restricting engagement groove 22 is a groove for hooking and restricting the free end 16d of the contact spring 16 by the locking portion 18e to prevent it from protruding outside the contact spring holder 17, the contact cover rotation support engagement groove 23 is a part that engages with the rotation support rib 31 of the contact cover 30 to rotate the contact cover 30, and the contact cover restricting engagement groove 24 is a groove that engages with the restricting hook 32 of the contact cover 30 to prevent the contact cover 30 from protruding beyond a predetermined position.

[0025] Furthermore, the pair of contact spring storage sections 20, openings 21, and contact spring restricting engagement groove sections 22 are formed symmetrically on the left and right via the contact cover rotation support engagement groove section 23 and the contact cover restricting engagement groove section 24, which are arranged adjacent to each other above and below in the center of the rectangular frame 18 in the direction of arrow Y.

[0026] The contact cover 30 serves as a cover to guard the pair of contact springs 16 and prevent damage caused by careless operation by the user, and is composed of a parallelepiped frame 35, a hole 36, a protruding rib 37, a rotation support rib 31, a regulating hook 32, and a bias receiving portion 38.

[0027] The parallelepiped frame 35 is composed of an upper surface 35a, left and right side surfaces 35b having an approximately parallelogram shape, a lower surface 35c, and a front surface 35d, and the hole portion 36 is a portion for exposing the curved contact portion 16a of the contact spring 16 to the outside in a partial area below the front surface 35d, and the protruding rib 37 is a rib that is raised at a predetermined height from the surface below the hole portion 36 in order to reduce the height gap from the front surface 35d to the curved contact portion 16a of the contact spring 16 protruding from the front surface 35d.

[0028] The rotation support rib 31 is a rib that engages with the contact cover rotation support engagement groove 23 of the contact spring holder 17, thereby allowing the contact cover 30 to rotate around its rotation center 30a, and the regulating hook 32 is a hook that regulates the contact cover 30 so that it does not protrude beyond a predetermined position, and engages with the contact cover regulating engagement groove 24 of the contact spring holder 17.

[0029] The biased force receiving portion 38 as an acting portion is located at the upper edge portion forming the hole portion 36, and abuts against an opposing abutment portion as a transmission portion of the arm portion 16c of the contact spring 16. Note that this opposing abutment portion abuts against the biased force receiving portion 38 in a state in which the biased force of the contact spring 16 biases the biased force receiving portion 38.

[0030] Here, the configuration is such that the bias receiving portion 38 of the upper edge portion forming the hole portion 36 abuts against the opposing abutment portion (transmission portion) of the arm portion 16c, but it is also possible to configure it so that, for example, the lower edge portion forming the hole portion 36 abuts against a predetermined point between the bent contact portion 16a and the free end portion 16d of the contact spring 16.

[0031] In the above configuration, we will explain the operation of the tag contact mechanism 13. Figure 8 shows the configuration of the tag contact mechanism 13 when the development unit 3 is attached, with Figure 8(a) being a front view seen from the direction of arrow A (X direction), Figure 8(b) being an E-E cross-sectional view of Figure 8(a), and Figure 8(c) being an F-F cross-sectional view of Figure 8(a).

[0032] For example, as shown in Figure 2, when the development unit 3 as an attachment part, detachable unit, or replacement unit is inserted toward a predetermined attachment position in the printer 1 body, the surface of the tag 6 (see Figure 3) of the development unit 3 first abuts against the bent contact portion 16a of the contact spring 16 and the protruding rib 37 of the contact cover 30.

[0033] 8, when the contact spring 16 is further inserted to the correct mounting position, its flexible portion 16b is bent, causing the bent contact portion 16a to elastically deform so as to rotate around the flexible portion 16b, and the bent contact portion 16a is pressed against the tag 6 while being pushed in. Furthermore, the protruding rib 37 of the contact cover 30 is pressed by the tag 6, causing the contact cover 30 to be pushed in while rotating around the rotation center portion 30a.

[0034] Here, the flexible portion 16b includes a portion formed in an arc shape, and the arm portion 16c is formed on an extension line from the center of the arc shape, so the center of rotation of the contact spring 16 can be considered to be approximately the arc center portion 16f of the arc-shaped portion (Figure 7(b)).

[0035] On the other hand, when the contact cover 30 rotates, the center of rotation is the front upper end 18f, which serves as the fulcrum of the rectangular parallelepiped frame 18 of the contact spring holder 17, as viewed from the direction of arrow A, and the rotation center 30a of the contact cover 30 itself is the abutment portion with this front upper end 18f. This abutment portion may shift within a predetermined range due to structural constraints, and therefore the rotation center 30a does not indicate an absolute position.

[0036] Here, the distance from the rotation center 30a of the contact cover 30 to the protruding rib 37 is longer than the distance from the arc center 16f of the flexible portion 16b of the contact spring 16 to the bent contact portion 16a. Furthermore, at this time, the amount of pressure applied by the tag 6 is greater for the contact spring 16 because the bent contact portion 16a protrudes beyond the protruding rib 37.

[0037] Therefore, when the contact spring 16 and contact cover 30 are pushed into the correct installation position shown in the same figure, the rotation angle of the contact cover 30 becomes smaller than the rotation angle of the contact spring 16, so the arm portion 16c of the contact spring 16 becomes separated from the force receiving portion 38 of the contact cover 30.

[0038] As a result, when the development unit 3 is installed in the correct position in the printer 1, the contact spring 16 is not in contact with the force receiving portion 38 of the contact cover 30, so the force is not wasted on the contact cover 30 and the bent contact portion 16a can be urged against the corresponding contact terminal 6a of the tag 6, allowing them to be electrically connected with the desired pressure contact force.

[0039] When the contact surface of the tag 6 is approximately parallel to the vertical direction as shown in Fig. 8(b) at the stage when the tag 6 contacts the bent contact portion 16a, the tag can be attached without any problem from any direction within the range from the horizontal direction of arrow A (arrow X direction) to the approximately vertical downward direction of arrow C. The range of directions in which normal attachment is possible may be referred to as the normal range hereinafter. The normal range here corresponds to the first range.

[0040] Figure 9 shows the state when the contact cover 30 is pushed in from the direction of arrow D in the unattached state shown in Figure 7 where the development unit 3 has been removed, where Figure 9(a) is a front view seen from the direction of arrow A (X direction), Figure 9(b) is an EE cross-sectional view of Figure 9(a), and Figure 9(c) is an FF cross-sectional view of Figure 9(a).

[0041] If an obstacle such as the housing frame of the development unit 3 or a finger enters the contact spring 16 from below the horizontal direction (the direction of arrow A), for example from the direction of arrow D, due to improper operation by the operator, under normal conditions, the lower surface 35c of the parallelepiped frame 35 of the contact cover 30 covers the lower surface of the contact spring 16 as shown in Figure 7, thereby preventing the obstacle from directly hitting the contact spring 16.

[0042] In this case, the parallelepiped frame 35 of the contact cover 30 around the corner formed by the bottom surface 35c and the front surface 35d hits the obstacle and is pushed in. As a result, the contact cover 30 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation center 30a due to the action of the rotation support rib 31.

[0043] Furthermore, with the arm portions 16c of the contact springs 16 pressed against the biasing receiving portions 38 of the contact cover 30, the flexible portions 16b are bent, and the contact springs 16 are pushed in so as to rotate about the arc center portion 16f (FIG. 7(b)) of the flexible portions 16b. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the bent contact portions 16a of the contact springs 16 relative to the protruding ribs 37 of the contact cover 30 remains small and remains approximately the same as before the contact cover 30 was pushed in. As described above, the contact cover 30 is held by the contact spring holder 17 so as to be rotatable while covering the pair of contact springs 16.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the configuration when there is no contact cover 30 as a comparative example, and the problems involved, where FIG. 14(a) shows the configuration, and FIG. 14(b) shows a modified example due to damage.

[0045] Fig. 1(a) corresponds to a configuration in which the contact cover 30 is removed from the tag contact mechanism 13 shown in Fig. 7. In this case, if an operator performs an inadvertent operation and an obstacle plunges toward the contact spring 16 from the free end 16d side of the contact spring 16, for example, from the direction of arrow G, the contact spring 16 is likely to be damaged due to its weak strength, and there is a risk that the contact spring 16, particularly the arm portion 16c, may bend and deform as shown in Fig. 1(b).

[0046] Here, the above-mentioned problem occurs when an obstacle comes into contact with any point from the bent contact portion 16a to the free end 16d of the contact spring 16 from a direction below the horizontal (arrow A direction), that is, from a direction within the range from the horizontal arrow A direction to the substantially vertically upward arrow H direction. The range of the obstacle's approach direction in which such a problem occurs is sometimes referred to as the abnormal range. Incidentally, the abnormal range here corresponds to the second range, and the direction of arrow D shown in Figure 9(b) above as the approach (entry) direction in which the obstacle directly contacts the contact cover 30 also falls within this abnormal range.

[0047] On the other hand, even in the configuration of this comparative example, if the tag 6 approaches from the normal range as described in Figure 8, when the tag 6 is attached to the correct position on the printer 1, the relationship between the tag 6 and the contact spring 16 will be the same as in embodiment 1.

[0048] (Variation 1) Fig. 10 shows the configuration of a tag contact mechanism 113 equipped with a contact cover 130, which is a modification of the contact cover 30, as a first modification of the first embodiment, Fig. 10(a) is an external perspective view thereof, and Fig. 10(b) is a front view thereof. Fig. 11 shows the configuration of only the contact cover 130 of the first modification, Fig. 11(a) is an external perspective view thereof, and Fig. 11(b) is an external perspective view thereof as seen from diagonally below on the opposite side to Fig. 11(a).

[0049] As shown in these figures, the contact cover 130 of variant 1 differs from the contact cover 30 of embodiment 1 described above in that a pair of hole portions 136 through which a pair of contact springs 16 are each exposed to the outside are separated by a central convex portion 101 formed in the center of the hole portions 136, and that side end side convex portions 102 that protrude forward from the front surface 135d of the contact cover 130 are formed on the left side edge portion of the left hole portion 136 and the right side edge portion of the right hole portion 136 when viewed from the direction of arrow A, and further that a bottom end side convex portion 103 is formed on the bottom edge portion of each hole portion 136.

[0050] The central protrusion 101 also protrudes forward from the front surface 135d of the contact cover 130. Therefore, the pair of left and right hole portions 136 is surrounded on three sides (left, right, and bottom) by the central protrusion 101, the side end protrusions 102, and the bottom end protrusions 103, which protrude forward from the front surface 135d.

[0051] According to the above configuration, the end side of the contact cover 130, which is slightly away from the contact spring 16, has little protrusion, so the tag 6 can move freely within a range where it will not come into contact with the contact spring 16. On the other hand, even if an obstacle approaches the bent contact portion 16a of the contact spring 16 not only from below but also from an abnormal direction on the left or right, the obstacle will likely come into contact with the central convex portion 101, the side end convex portion 102, or the bottom end convex portion 103 formed around the bent contact portion 16a.

[0052] As a result, even when an obstacle approaches from an abnormal direction, either left or right, it presses against contact cover 130, so the amount of protrusion of bent contact portion 16a remains small and remains approximately the same as before contact cover 130 was pushed in. As described above, contact cover 130 is held by contact spring holder 17 so as to be rotatable while covering pair of contact springs 16 in response to an obstacle approaching from three directions.

[0053] (Variation 2) FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a contact portion holding mechanism 156 that replaces the contact spring 16 as a second modification of the first embodiment.

[0054] As shown in the same figure, the contact portion holding mechanism 156 here comprises a contact portion 156a as a contact portion, a rotating member 156c that holds the contact portion 156a, a base 156e that is fixed to the circuit board 14 and holds the rotating member 156c so that it can rotate freely, a torsion spring 156b that is arranged on the rotating shaft 156f and serves as a flexible member that biases the rotating member 156c, and an abutment portion 156g that is biased by the torsion spring 156b and biases the bias receiving portion 38 of the contact cover 30.

[0055] Here, when the development unit 3 equipped with the tag 6 is removed and not yet attached, the contact portion 156a protrudes to the outside from the hole portion 36 (Figure 4) of the contact cover 30, and the abutment portion 156g biased by the torsion spring 156b abuts against the bias receiving portion 38 of the contact cover 30 and biases it.

[0056] That is, the contact portion holding mechanism 156 takes the place of the contact spring 16 in Fig. 7, for example, and the contact portion 156a corresponds to the bent contact portion 16a of the contact spring 16. Although not shown here, it is assumed that a conductive member disposed on the contact portion 156a and electrically contacting the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6 is connected to the connection cable 15 (Fig. 6) by an electrical wiring means.

[0057] (Variation 3) FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged view showing the periphery of tag 6 of development unit 3 (FIG. 3) as a third modification of the first embodiment.

[0058] Here, a protruding portion 6b (hatched portion) that protrudes slightly beyond the contact surface of the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6 is formed around the tag 6 of the developing unit 3. This protruding portion 6b may be used as a support member that supports the tag 6 to the main body of the developing unit 3 so that the tag 6 does not come off from the developing unit 3.

[0059] Furthermore, the protrusion 6b is arranged at least at one point above, below, left or right toward the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6, and when the protrusion 6b is provided, it protrudes beyond the contact terminal 6a on the outside where the tag 6 is arranged, and is electrically insulated from the contact terminal of the tag 6 to act as the above-mentioned obstacle, and the protrusion 6b may also press the contact cover 30 when the contact spring 16 and the contact cover 30 are separated within the normal range (as long as they are within the range where they are separated).

[0060] In this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the tag 6 as the attachment / detachment part and the bent contact part 16a or contact part 156a as the contact part are electrically connected, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible for these attachment / detachment parts and contact parts to be configured to exchange magnetic, thermal, optical, mechanical, liquid, or gaseous information, and various other forms are possible.

[0061] As described above, according to the printer 1 of this embodiment, when the development unit 3 is not installed, at least the portion of the contact spring 16 from the bent contact portion 16a to the free end 16d side is covered and protected by the contact cover 30, and when the contact cover 30 is pushed in, the contact spring 16 is pushed in together.

[0062] Therefore, when an obstacle approaches from the direction of the abnormal range, the contact spring 16 is protected and the free end 16d side of the contact spring 16 is prevented from being pushed in from the bent contact portion 16a, thereby preventing damage to the contact spring 16. Furthermore, even when the contact cover (30, 130) is fitted, the exposed amount of the contact spring 16 does not increase, so the free end 16d side of the contact spring 16 is prevented from being pushed in from the bent contact portion 16a.

[0063] Furthermore, by rotating the contact covers (30, 130) together with the contact springs 16 in the pushing direction, it is possible to accommodate insertion from a wide range of entry directions as the normal range, just as when there are no contact covers, so operability is not sacrificed compared to when there are no contact covers (30, 130).

[0064] Furthermore, since the biasing of the bent contact portion 16a to the contact terminal 6a of the tag 6 and the biasing of the arm portion 16c to the biasing receiving portion 38 of the contact cover 30 are performed only by the contact spring 16, there is no need to prepare a new dedicated biasing means, and the configuration can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0065] Furthermore, in the description of the above-mentioned embodiment, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" are used, but these are for convenience and do not limit the absolute positional relationship in the state in which the information processing device is placed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0066] In this embodiment, a mono printer has been used as the information processing device, but it can also be applied to a copying machine, a fax machine, a laser beam printer, and a multifunction machine that combines these, etc. Also, in this embodiment, it has been described as a tag communication contact, but it can also be applied to general electrical connections, magnetic connections, thermal connections, optical connections, mechanical connections, liquid connections, or gas connections. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 printer, 2 front cover, 3 developing unit, 6 tag, 6a contact terminal, 6b protrusion, 11 tag contact board holding frame, 11a board holding portion, 13 tag contact mechanism, 14 circuit board, 14a opening, 15 connection cable, 16 contact spring, 16a bent contact portion, 16b flexible portion, 16c arm portion, 16d free end portion, 16e board connection portion, 16f arc center portion, 17 contact spring holder, 18 rectangular frame, 18a top surface, 18b left and right side surfaces, 18c bottom surface, 18d front surface, 18e locking portion, 18f upper end portion on the front side, 19 board fixing portion, 20 contact spring storage portion, 21 opening, 22 Contact spring restricting engagement groove, 23 Contact cover rotation support engagement groove, 24 Contact cover restricting engagement groove, 30a Rotation center, 31 Rotation support rib, 32 Restriction hook, 35 Parallelepiped frame, 35a Upper surface, 35b Left and right side surfaces, 35c Lower surface, 35d Front surface, 36 Hole portion, 37 Protruding rib, 38 Force receiving portion, 101 Central convex portion, 102 Side end side convex portion, 103 Lower end side convex portion, 113 Tag contact mechanism portion, 130 Contact cover, 135d Front surface, 136 Hole portion, 156 Contact portion holding mechanism, 156a Contact portion, 156b Torsion spring, 156c Rotating member, 156e Base portion, 156f Rotating shaft, 156g Contact part.

Claims

1. In an information processing device having a contact part that comes into contact with a detachable contact part, a biasing portion that biases the contact portion; a cover that is disposed near the contact portion and allows the contact portion, when biased by the biasing portion, to protrude; and When the contact portion is separated from the contact portion and the cover, the contact portion is biased by the biasing portion in a direction in which the contact portion protrudes from the cover, When the separating / separating portion moves within a first range in which the separating / separating portion contacts the contact portion, the biasing portion biases the contact portion in a direction in which the contact portion protrudes from the cover to bring the contact portion into contact with the separating / separating portion, An information processing device characterized in that when the separation portion, which is different from the first range, moves within a second range in which it contacts the cover without contacting the contact portion, the contact portion displaces against the biasing force as the cover displaces.

2. a detachable unit that is detachable from the information processing device and has the detachable portion; and a contact member that has the contact portion, a flexible member as the biasing portion, and the abutting portion, The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the detachable unit is attached or detached, if the attachment / detachment portion presses the cover without contacting the contact portion, the contact member displaces together with the cover against the biasing force with the abutment portion abutting the cover member.

3. An information processing device to which a detachable unit having a connecting / disconnecting part is detachable, a displaceable contact member that comes into contact with the contact portion; a movable cover for protecting the contact members; Equipped with The contact member is a contact portion that protrudes from the cover and is capable of contacting the contact and separation portion; a biasing portion that biases the contact portion toward the contact and separation portion with a predetermined biasing force; and an abutting portion that is provided between the contact portion and the biasing portion and abuts against the cover, When the detachable unit is attached to the information processing device, if the attachment / detachment portion presses the cover without contacting the contact portion, the contact member displaces together with the cover against the spring force with the abutment portion abutting the cover member.

4. a transmission portion that transmits force between the flexible member serving as the biasing portion and the cover; an action portion disposed on the cover and capable of coming into contact with the transmission portion; the flexible member causes the contact portion to protrude from the cover in a state where the transmission portion and the action portion are in contact with each other; When the detachable attachment part having the contact portion approaches the contact portion within the second range, the cover is pushed and displaced to bend the flexible member via the transmission portion, and the contact portion moves without changing the amount of protrusion from the cover, 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the mounting component approaches the contact portion within the first range and the contact portion is pressed by the contact portion, the flexible member bends and the transmission portion is separated from the action portion.

5. the flexible member, the contact portion, and the transmission portion are formed of contact springs; The contact spring is a flexible portion formed in a generally arcuate shape that is easily flexible; a bent contact portion formed in a bent shape and contacting the contact portion; an arm portion that connects the flexible portion and the bent contact portion and is capable of contacting the action portion; 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

6. a contact member including the contact portion and the flexible member; a fulcrum for supporting the cover in the vicinity of the flexible member away from the contact portion; Equipped with 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, wherein the cover is arranged to cover at least the area between the contact portion of the contact member and a free end portion on the opposite side of the contact portion from the flexible member.

7. 7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the contact member has the transmission portion between the contact portion and the flexible member or between the contact portion and the free end portion.

8. The contact and separation unit is Contact points and a protrusion on the outside of the contact point for supporting the contact-separation part on the mounting part; Equipped with 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the contacts are not in contact with the contact portions but the protrusions are in contact with the cover and move, the cover is displaced.

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