Image forming apparatus, coupling jig, and method for manufacturing image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that can reduce a twist between front-side panels divided into multiple portions and a depth-side panel, a method for manufacturing the image forming apparatus, and a coupling jig.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus 1 comprises a housing 2 accommodating an image forming unit 10, and front-side panel members 6 provided on the front side of the housing 2 and divided into multiple portions. The image forming apparatus further comprises a depth-side panel member 7 provided on the depth side of the hosing 2, and an upper attachment reference shaft 11 and a lower attachment reference shaft 12 provided projecting from the depth-side panel member 7 to determine the position of the image forming unit 10 attached between the front-side panel members 6 and the depth-side panel member. With the plurality of front-side panel members 6 being coupled and integrated using a coupling jig 20, the upper attachment reference shaft 11 is fitted to one or more of the plurality of front-side panel members 6 to fix the depth-side panel member 7 and the front-side panel members 6. After the fixing, the coupling jig 20 is removed from the plurality of front-side panel members 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a connecting jig, and a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the housing of an image forming apparatus includes plate-shaped panel members covering the front, rear, left, and right sides, a front panel member located in front of the user, and a rear panel member located in the rear. The front panel member is divided into a left panel member and a right panel member, and a predetermined gap is provided between the left panel member and the right panel member, allowing the user to access the image forming unit housed inside through the open space (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-13040 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a conventional housing, a mounting reference shaft is attached between a front panel member and a rear panel member in order to position the image forming unit housed therein. The mounting reference axis serves as a fulcrum when mounting the front panel member. Therefore, if the position of the mounting reference axis is misaligned in the left-right direction from the center of gravity of the front panel member in a side view due to shape or layout constraints, the front panel member will tilt under its own weight.

[0005] As a result, the relative position between the front panel member and the rear panel member is displaced, and the connected mounting reference shaft is fixed in a twisted state due to the play in the shaft hole of the mounting reference shaft, reducing the installation accuracy of the image forming unit. In this state, the positional accuracy of the various roller members and printer heads installed in the image forming unit decreases. For example, the paper transport rollers may tilt relative to the transfer roller, causing transport distortion. Also, the drum or transfer unit may tilt relative to the printer head that writes the image, causing the image to be skewed.

[0006] For this reason, in order to perform accurate positioning, the assembly worker must support and fix the panel having a predetermined weight so that it does not shift, and further improvement is required. The image forming apparatus, connecting jig, and manufacturing method of the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been made in consideration of the above-mentioned background, and have an object to reduce twisting of the divided multiple front and rear panels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above-mentioned problems of the present invention can be solved by the following configuration. (1) An image forming apparatus includes a housing that houses an image forming unit and a front panel member that is provided on the front side of the housing and is divided into multiple pieces. The image forming apparatus also includes a rear panel member that is provided on the rear side of the housing, and an attachment reference shaft that protrudes from the rear panel member and positions the image forming unit that is attached between the rear panel member and the front panel member. The image forming apparatus also includes a connecting jig that connects the multiple front panel members together. The connecting jig then fits the attachment reference shaft into one or more of the multiple front panel members in the integrated state, thereby fixing the rear panel member and the front panel members together. After fixing, the connecting jig is removed from the multiple front panel members, and the image forming apparatus is completed.

[0008] (2) The image forming apparatus according to (1), wherein the image forming unit is further positioned by the front panel member and the rear panel member.

[0009] (3) An image forming apparatus as described in (1), in which the position of the center of gravity of the multiple front panel members in a side view when connected by the connecting jig is the same as the position of the center of gravity of the rear panel member in a side view.

[0010] (4) A connecting jig used in the image forming apparatus described in (3), in which the weight of the front panel members when connected by the connecting jig is made the same as the weight of the rear panel member.

[0011] (5) A connecting jig used in the image forming apparatus described in (3), in which the front panel members and the rear panel members connected by the connecting jig are lifted upward on opposite sides of the center of gravity and then engaged with the mounting reference axis to fix them.

[0012] (6) A connecting jig used in the image forming apparatus described in (1), which is removably attached between the front panel members divided into multiple pieces, fixes each of the front panel members to the housing while connecting each of the front panel members, and is removed from each of the front panel members.

[0013] (7) A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus includes a step of attaching a rear panel member to the rear side of a housing, and a step of protruding an attachment reference shaft from the rear panel member into the interior of the housing. The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus also includes a step of attaching an image forming unit to the interior of the housing using the attachment reference shaft as a reference. The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus also includes a step of detachably connecting a plurality of front panel members provided on the housing with a connecting jig. The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus also includes a step of inserting and engaging the attachment reference shaft with an engagement hole provided in the front panel member, and a step of fixing the plurality of front panel members to the housing. The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus also includes a step of removing the connecting jig from the plurality of front panel members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an image forming apparatus, a connecting jig, and a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus that can reduce twisting of a plurality of divided front and rear panels. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating the overall configuration of the housing of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of a housing of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the front panel member being attached to the housing using a connecting jig. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the front panel member and the rear panel member are fixed while being lifted up. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the housing and a connecting jig and a columnar jig used in assembly. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing the mounting of the rear panel member and the mounting reference shaft to the columnar jig. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the mounting stay is fixed to the rear panel member. [Figure 8]10 is a perspective view showing a state in which an attachment reference shaft is engaged with a shaft hole provided in a front panel member. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating how the device is fixed while being lifted upward. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating how the front panel member is fixed in place with the connecting jig attached. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the housing with the connecting jig removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a housing 2 that houses an image forming unit 10 in an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. 1, which is the transport direction of paper to be printed, is defined as the left-right direction of the image forming apparatus 1. In addition, in the embodiment, the height direction of the image forming apparatus 1 is defined as the up-down direction. In the embodiment, the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, from the front side where the user operating the image forming apparatus 1 stands to the back side, is defined as the front-rear direction.

[0017] The housing 2 of the embodiment mainly comprises a box-shaped frame portion 3 whose sides are made up of multiple frame materials, a caster portion 4 arranged at the bottom of the frame portion 3 to enable movement, and a plate-shaped panel portion 5 that covers the front, back, left and right sides of the frame portion 3.

[0018] Of these, the panel section 5 includes a front panel member 6 and a rear panel member 7. The front panel member 6 is provided on the front side of the housing 2 and is divided into multiple pieces. In this embodiment, the front panel member 6 is divided into two pieces: a left panel member 8 and a right panel member 9. The left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are fixed to the housing 2 with a certain gap left and right between them.

[0019] The rear panel member 7 is disposed on the rear side of the housing 2 (see FIG. 2). The rear panel member 7 is spaced apart by a certain distance so as to be parallel to the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. This provides a space within the housing in which the image forming unit 10 can be housed.

[0020] The housing 2 of the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a plurality of mounting reference axes for positioning the image forming unit 10. In the embodiment, the mounting reference axes are described using an upper mounting reference axis 11 and a lower mounting reference axis 12. The number of mounting reference axes may be one or three or more, and is not limited to two as described in the present embodiment. The upper and lower mounting reference shafts 11 and 12 are spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction and protrude from the rear panel member 7 toward the front panel member 6 .

[0021] The tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 is inserted into an upper engagement hole 15, which serves as an engagement hole, formed in the right panel member 9 of the front panel member 6. The tip 14 of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 is inserted into a lower engagement hole 16, which serves as an engagement hole, formed in the right panel member 9 of the front panel member 6. The upper engagement hole 15 is formed larger than the lower engagement hole 16. When the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 is engaged, a predetermined amount of play is provided, allowing for fine adjustment of the mounting position.

[0022] As a result, the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 are fixed between the rear panel member 7 and the right panel member 9, respectively. These upper mounting reference shaft 11 and lower mounting reference shaft 12 are used to position the image forming unit 10 when it is fixed inside the housing 2. The image forming unit 10 is further positioned by the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7.

[0023] In the manufacturing method of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, a connecting jig 20 is used to assemble the housing. The connecting jig 20 is made of a light alloy such as aluminum and has a flat plate shape. The connecting jig 20 has a pair of handles 21 on the left and right on the front surface.

[0024] An opening 22 is also formed in the connecting jig 20. The opening 22 is formed at a central position in the left-right direction. The opening 22 functions as a lightening hole to reduce the weight of the connecting jig 20. Furthermore, a portion of the opening 22 overlaps with the right panel member 9. During assembly, the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the tip 14 of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 can be made to protrude outside the connecting jig 20 without interfering with each other.

[0025] The connecting jig 20 of this embodiment is formed with a plurality of lightening holes 23, 24 for reducing weight and adjusting left-right balance. The lightening holes 23, 24 are arranged on the left and right sides of the opening 22. The shape and number of the lightening holes 23, 24 can be changed to adjust the position of the center of gravity 106 in a side view.

[0026] Furthermore, the positions of the lightening holes 23, 24 are aligned with the positions of a plurality of screw insertion holes provided in the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. This allows the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 to be fixed to the image forming unit 10 or the housing 2 via the lightening holes 23, 24 using fixing devices such as fixing screws when the connecting jig 20 is attached.

[0027] 2, a panel attachment / detachment section 25 is provided on the back surface of connecting jig 20. Left panel member 8 and right panel member 9 are detachably attached to panel attachment / detachment section 25. Left panel member 8 and right panel member 9 can be attached and detached from the front surface of connecting jig 20 using a plurality of screws.

[0028] In the manufacturing method of the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are attached to the panel attachment / detachment section 25. As a result, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are connected to each other by the connecting jig 20. The left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are then attached to the front surface of the housing 2 while being connected and integrated by the connecting jig 20. During attachment, first, the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 is inserted into and engaged with the upper engagement hole 15 formed in the right panel member 9. Then, the tip 14 of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 is inserted into and engaged with the lower engagement hole 16 formed in the right panel member 9. This temporarily secures the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 to the front surface of the housing 2. However, this is not limited thereto, and the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 may be fitted into one or more of the plurality of front panel members 6 to secure the rear panel member 7 and the front panel member 6, and then the connecting jig 20 may be removed from the plurality of front panel members 6, and this is not a limitation.

[0029] The left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are then fixed using fixing screws to the image forming unit 10 and the housing 2 at accurate mounting positions. After fixing, the connecting jig 20 is configured to be released from the connection with the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 and removed.

[0030] 3, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are integrally connected by a connecting jig 20. In the connected state, the position of the center of gravity 106 of the front panel member 6 in a side view is aligned with the position of the center of gravity 107 of the rear panel member 7, which is located midway between them in the left-right direction, in a side view, in the front-to-rear direction of the housing 2. In the embodiment, the weight of the multiple front panel members 6 connected by the connecting jig 20 is made the same as the weight of the rear panel member 7.

[0031] Therefore, unlike when the right panel member 9 is attached to the housing 2 in one piece, the center of gravity 108 is biased to the right from the lower attachment reference axis 12 in side view, so the right panel member 9 does not rotate clockwise under its own weight and tilt.

[0032] 4, during assembly, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are connected together by a connecting jig 20 and are integrated into one piece. Therefore, the front panel member 6 can be lifted upward on the side opposite the lower mounting reference shaft 12 using a pair of front and rear spring members 30, 30, with the center of gravity 109, which is integrated with the back panel member 7, sandwiched between them, and then fitted into the mounting reference shaft to be fixed.

[0033] As a result, the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7 are assisted in a clockwise direction around the lower mounting reference shaft 12 as the center of rotation while maintaining their parallel relative positions. Therefore, when fixing the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9, the assembly worker can more easily align them, and can fix them by fitting them with the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12. In this way, in the image forming apparatus 1, the image forming unit 10 can be assembled in the desired accurate position.

[0034] The members used for lifting are not limited to the pair of front and rear spring members 30, 30. For example, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9, which are integrated with the connecting jig 20, may be lifted together with the rear panel member 7 using a wire member or a string member.

[0035] As a result, the left panel member 8, the right panel member 9, and the rear panel member 7 are assisted in the clockwise direction around the lower mounting reference axis 12. This makes it even easier to assemble the multiple divided panels to the housing 2. Furthermore, the image forming unit 10 can be accurately mounted at the desired position by the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12. This improves the positional accuracy of the various roller members and printer heads provided in the image forming unit 10, eliminating conveyance deviation and image tilt.

[0036] FIG. 5 illustrates the configuration of components that constitute the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment. In the image forming apparatus 1, a left mounting stay 17 and a right mounting stay 18 are fixed between the rear panel member 7 and the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 constituting the front panel member 6, respectively.

[0037] Of these, the right mounting stay 18 mounts the image forming unit 10 between the rear panel member 7 and the front panel member 6. The image forming unit 10 is positioned by an upper mounting reference shaft 11 and a lower mounting reference shaft 12 that protrude from the rear panel member 7 toward the front panel member 6. As a result, the image forming unit 10 is fixed in an accurate position, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the various roller members or printer heads provided in the image forming unit 10. As a result, the image forming device 1 can prevent the paper from being conveyed skewed or the image printed on the paper from being tilted.

[0038] In this embodiment, a square pillar-shaped front columnar jig 28 and a square pillar-shaped rear columnar jig 29 are used when assembling the housing 2. The front columnar jig 28 and the rear columnar jig 29 are disposed on the outside of the rear panel member 7 and the front panel member 6, respectively. Each of the front columnar jigs 28 and the rear columnar jigs 29 has a locking hole into which the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 are inserted for support. The locking holes are formed at intervals in the vertical direction on the side surfaces facing the rear panel member 7 and the front panel member 6. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 can further improve the positioning accuracy of the image forming unit 10.

[0039] Next, a method for manufacturing the image forming apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described along the assembly order of the housing 2.

[0040] First, in the manufacturing method of the embodiment, in the step of starting assembly of the housing 2 as shown in Fig. 6, the rear ends of the upper and lower mounting reference shafts 11 and 12 are inserted into the locking holes of the rear columnar jig 29. The rear ends are inserted into and locked into the locking holes through insertion holes in the rear panel member 7. As a result, the upper and lower mounting reference shafts 11 and 12 protrude from the rear panel member 7 toward the inside of the housing 2 (see Fig. 3). The rear panel member 7 is attached to the rear surface of the housing 2 and is locked by the upper and lower mounting reference shafts 11 and 12 so as not to fall off.

[0041] 7, a left mounting stay 17 and a right mounting stay 18 are fixed to the inner side surface of the rear panel member 7. A paper discharge unit (not shown) and the like are attached and fixed to the left mounting stay 17. 8, the image forming unit 10 is fixed to the right mounting stay 18. The image forming unit 10 is attached and fixed to the right mounting stay 18 in a state where it is housed inside the housing 2 with the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 as references.

[0042] 2, connecting jig 20 detachably connects and integrates left panel member 8 and right panel member 9. Then, an assembly worker grasps a pair of left and right handles 21 provided on connecting jig 20 and brings left panel member 8 and right panel member 9 into contact with the front surface of housing 2.

[0043] 8, the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 is inserted into the upper engagement hole 15 of the right panel member 9 and engaged with a loose fit. Also, the tip 14 of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 is inserted into the lower engagement hole 16 and engaged. The upper engagement hole 15 is formed larger than the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11, allowing for a certain amount of play. Therefore, the tip 13 can be fastened and fixed at any position within the upper engagement hole 15.

[0044] In addition, the front panel member 6 can be swung left and right around the lower mounting reference axis 12. As shown in Figure 4, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are integrated by a connecting jig 20. This allows the worker to move them in a direction that aligns the position of the center of gravity 106 in a side view with the position of the center of gravity 107 of the rear panel member 7 (see Figure 3).

[0045] The front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7 rotate counterclockwise around the lower mounting reference shaft 12 due to their own weights. This prevents the upper mounting reference shaft 11 from twisting. As a result, the image forming unit 10 can be mounted in the desired, accurate position using the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 as references.

[0046] 9, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7 may be lifted upward using spring members 30, 30. The lower ends of the spring members 30 are connected to the upper edge of the end on the opposite side of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 across the centers of gravity 106, 107, so that they can be lifted simultaneously with the same force.

[0047] As a result, the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7 are assisted in a clockwise direction around the lower mounting reference axis 12 while maintaining their relative parallel positions. Therefore, when fixing the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9, the assembly worker can more easily align them. In particular, in the manufacturing method of the embodiment, the weight of the front panel member 6 increases due to the attachment of the connecting jig 20. Even in such a case, the force that moves the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7 to the desired mounting position is assisted by a predetermined force of the spring member 30. This reduces the labor required for assembly by the assembly worker.

[0048] Next, in the manufacturing method of the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 10, the front columnar jig 28 is attached from the outside of the connecting jig 20. At this time, an opening 22 is formed in the connecting jig 20. The opening 22 partially overlaps the insertion hole of the right panel member 9. Therefore, the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the tip 14 of the lower mounting reference shaft 12 protrude outward from the connecting jig 20 without interfering with each other.

[0049] As a result, with the connecting jig 20 still attached, the tip 13 and the tip 14 can be inserted into the locking holes formed on the back surface of the front columnar jig 28. Therefore, the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12 are supported in parallel between the opposing front columnar jig 28 and rear columnar jig 29.

[0050] In this state, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are each fixed to the front surface of the housing 2. In this embodiment, the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are fastened and fixed to the image forming unit 10 using fasteners such as fixing screws. At this time, the rear panel member 7 is similarly fastened to the back surface side of the image forming unit 10 by tightening fixing screws.

[0051] In the next and final step, as shown in Figure 11, the connecting jig 20 is removed from the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. In this embodiment, the front columnar jig 28 and the rear columnar jig 29 are removed first. Next, the fastening members are released from the outside of the connecting jig 20. This allows the connecting jig 20 to be easily removed from the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. The connecting jig 20 can be reused the next time another image forming apparatus 1 is assembled.

[0052] The image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment configured as described above can easily assemble a plurality of divided panels. That is, the assembly worker does not need to support and fix the front panel member 6, which has a certain weight, in order to perform accurate alignment. This allows the right panel member 9 to be fixed easily. Therefore, the upper mounting reference axis 11 is fixed accurately in a state parallel to the lower mounting reference axis 12, reducing twisting and tilting.

[0053] Therefore, the image forming unit 10 can be fixed in an accurate position, for example, to the right mounting stay 18 or between the front panel member 6 and the rear panel member 7, using these upper mounting reference axis 11 and lower mounting reference axis 12 as references.

[0054] This improves the positional accuracy of the various roller members or printer heads provided in the image forming unit 10. As a result, the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment can achieve practically beneficial effects such as preventing paper from being conveyed skewed and preventing the image printed on the paper from being tilted.

[0055] After the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 are fixed to the housing 2, the connecting jig 20 is released from the connection with the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9 and removed. Therefore, the connecting jig 20 can be reused the next time another image forming apparatus 1 is assembled, thereby improving parts efficiency.

[0056] 3, the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment is integrated with the connecting jig 20 by connecting the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. This makes it easy to align the position of the center of gravity 106 of the front panel member 6 in a side view with the position of the center of gravity 107 of the back panel member 7 in a side view.

[0057] Therefore, unlike the conventional case where a single right panel member 9 is attached to the housing 2, the center of gravity 108 does not shift to the right side of the lower attachment reference axis 12, and the panel does not rotate clockwise and tilt due to its own weight. At this time, by temporarily fixing the left panel member 8 to the left side of the housing 2, the force for rotating around the lower mounting reference shaft 12 can be reduced. Therefore, the installer can easily fine-tune the position of the tip 13 of the upper mounting reference shaft 11 within the range of play in the upper engagement hole 15 and fix it accurately.

[0058] The worker can reuse the connecting jig 20 by detaching it from the left panel member 8 and the right panel member 9. Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment can be used as is without changing the components on the housing 2 side, such as the left panel member 8, the right panel member 9, or the upper mounting reference shaft 11 and the lower mounting reference shaft 12, and no design changes are required. This provides a practically beneficial effect, such as the ability to suppress increases in the manufacturing costs of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0059] Although the embodiments and their modifications of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take on various other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0060] For example, in the image forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the front panel member 6 is divided into two panels, a left panel member 8 and a right panel member 9. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, the front panel member 6 may be divided into three or more panels. In other words, as long as the panels can be connected and integrated by the connecting jig 20, the shape, number, and combination of the front panel members 6 are not limited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1. Image forming device 2. Case 6 Front panel member 7 Rear panel member 8 Left panel member 9 Right panel member 10 Image forming unit 11 Upper mounting reference axis 12 Lower mounting reference axis 20 Connecting jig 30 Spring member 106~109 Center of gravity

Claims

1. a housing that houses an image forming unit; a front panel member provided on a front side of the housing and divided into a plurality of parts; a rear panel member provided on a rear side of the housing; an attachment reference shaft that projects from the rear panel member and that positions the image forming unit that is attached between the rear panel member and the front panel member; An image forming device is configured in such a way that a plurality of the front panel members are connected together using a connecting jig, the mounting reference axis is fitted into one or more of the front panel members to fix the rear panel member and the front panel member, and then the connecting jig is removed from the front panel members.

2. the image forming unit is further positioned by the front panel member and the rear panel member; The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. 2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position of the center of gravity of the front panel members in a side view when connected by the connecting jig is the same as the position of the center of gravity of the rear panel member in a side view.

4. The weight of the front panel members in a state where they are connected by the connecting jig is set to be equal to the weight of the rear panel member. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. The image forming apparatus of claim 3, wherein the front panel members and the rear panel members connected by the connecting jig are fixed by engaging with the mounting reference axis while being lifted upward on opposite sides of the center of gravity.

6. A connecting jig for use in the image forming apparatus described in claim 1, which is removably attached between the multiple divided front panel members, fixes each of the front panel members to the housing while connecting each of the front panel members, and is then removed from each of the front panel members.

7. attaching a rear panel member to a rear side of the housing; a step of protruding an attachment reference shaft from the rear panel member into the housing; a step of mounting an image forming unit inside the housing using the mounting reference axis as a reference; a step of detachably connecting a plurality of front panel members provided on the housing using a connecting jig; a step of inserting the mounting reference shaft into an engagement hole provided in the front panel member and engaging the mounting reference shaft; fixing the plurality of front panel members to the housing; and removing the connecting jig from the plurality of front panel members.

Images