Image formation device and electric unit

Abstract

To improve shield performance for an electric substrate.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes an electric unit. The electric unit includes: an electric substrate having a mounting surface on which electric components are mounted; a case body 20 having a bottom plate 21; and a support member 30 having a plate part 31 disposed at the same side with the bottom plate 21 with reference to the mounting surface of the electric substrate. The bottom plate 21 has a first opening 25d penetrating through the bottom plate 21 in a thickness direction of the bottom plate 21, and the plate part 31 covers at least a part of the first opening 25d when viewed along the thickness direction of the bottom plate 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an electrical unit for the image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] An image forming apparatus is equipped with an electric board on which electronic components are mounted. Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which a shield case is provided to house and electromagnetically shield such an electric board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-191797 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose the material that constitutes the shielding case. When the shielding case is formed from a metal member such as a metal sheet, openings may be formed during processing. The inventors of the present application have discovered a problem in that such openings may reduce the shielding performance of the shielding case.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus and an electrical unit that can improve the shielding performance for electrical boards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus of the present invention is an image forming apparatus equipped with an electrical unit, wherein the electrical unit comprises an electrical board having a mounting surface on which electrical components are mounted, a first metal plate having a first plate portion, and a second metal plate having a second plate portion arranged on the same side as the first plate portion with respect to the mounting surface of the electrical board, wherein a first opening is formed in the first plate portion, penetrating the first plate portion in the thickness direction of the first plate portion, and when viewed from a line of sight along the thickness direction of the first plate portion, the second plate portion covers at least a portion of the first opening.

[0007] In addition, the electrical unit of the present invention is an electrical unit for an image forming device, and comprises an electrical board having a mounting surface on which electrical components are mounted, a first metal plate having a first plate portion, and a second metal plate having a second plate portion arranged on the same side as the first plate portion with respect to the mounting surface of the electrical board, wherein a first opening is formed in the first plate portion, penetrating the first plate portion in the thickness direction of the first plate portion, and when viewed from a line of sight along the thickness direction of the first plate portion, the second plate portion covers at least a portion of the first opening. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the shielding performance for the electric circuit board in the image forming apparatus and the electric unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electrical unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are exploded perspective views showing the shield case according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A shows the shield case before the electrical components are attached, and FIG. 1B shows the shield case after the electrical components are attached. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the shield case according to the embodiment as viewed from the rear. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shield case according to the embodiment as viewed from the back. [Figure 6] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a shield case according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the front. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view showing the shield case according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. Note that the components described in the following embodiment are merely examples, and various conditions, such as the configuration, function, dimensions, materials, shape, and relative arrangement of the device to which the present invention is applied, can be modified or changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and are not limited to the following embodiment. First, a schematic configuration of an image forming device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the front side of the device refers to the front side of the image forming device 1, where the operation unit and the like are located and where the user is positioned when using or operating the device. In the drawings, the front side is represented as the forward direction F, the rear side as the rearward direction B, the upper side as the upward direction U, the lower side as the downward direction D, the right side as viewed from the front as the rightward direction R, and the left side as the leftward direction L.

[0011] 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, viewed from the rear side (rear B side). The image forming apparatus 1 includes, for example, an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, a transport unit that transports a sheet from a sheet cassette through the image forming unit to an output tray, an operation unit, and a control unit that controls each of these units (all not shown). An electric circuit board (hereinafter referred to as a circuit board) on which electrical components of each unit are mounted is housed in a shielding case 2 and attached to, for example, the rear side (rear B side) of the image forming apparatus 1 as an electrical unit 10. In other words, the electrical unit 10 is an electrical unit for the image forming apparatus.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electrical unit 10 according to this embodiment. The electrical unit 10 has a shielding case 2 and electrical components 5 (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)) that are supported and housed in the shielding case 2 and are electromagnetically shielded. The shielding case 2 has a box-shaped case body 20 having an opening 20a on the rearward direction B side, a support member 30 (see FIG. 4), and a case cover 40 that is provided on the case body 20 to cover the opening 20a (see FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b)). The case body 20, the support member 30, and the case cover 40 are all made of metal. In this embodiment, the case body 20, the support member 30, and the case cover 40 are each made of a bent sheet metal.

[0013] FIG. 3(a) is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding case 2 before the electrical components 5 are attached, and FIG. 3(b) is an exploded perspective view showing the shielding case 2 after the electrical components 5 are attached. The case body 20 is an example of a first sheet metal. The case body 20 has a bottom plate 21 and multiple (four in this example) side plates 22. The bottom plate 21 is an example of a first plate portion. In this embodiment, the thickness direction of the bottom plate 21 is conveniently referred to as a first direction D1. The side plates 22 are an example of a side wall portion. The side plates 22 extend from the edge of the bottom plate 21 toward the opening 20a (case cover 40) in a first intersecting direction intersecting the plane formed by the bottom plate 21. In this embodiment, the first intersecting direction intersecting the plane formed by the bottom plate 21 is the same direction as the thickness direction of the bottom plate 21, i.e., the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the shielding case 2 is arranged so that the first direction D1 is the rear direction B. The bottom plate 21 and the four side plates 22 form a housing portion 20b for housing the electrical component 5 therein.

[0014] The electrical components 5 include a first board 3 and a second board 4. The first board 3 and the second board 4 are electrical boards used in the control unit, image forming unit, etc. The first board 3 and the second board 4 are housed in the housing portion 20b of the case body 20 so that the mounting surfaces on which the electrical components are mounted face the front-rear direction. That is, an imaginary line perpendicular to each mounting surface of the first board 3 and the second board 4 is a line along the first direction D1. The first board 3 and the second board 4 are arranged so as to at least partially overlap when viewed along the first direction D1 (front-rear direction). In this embodiment, the first board 3 is located upstream of the second board 4 in the first direction D1, i.e., closer to the bottom plate 21. That is, the bottom plate 21, the first board 3, and the second board 4 are arranged in this order in the first direction D1.

[0015] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the case body 20 and the support member 30 when the shield case according to this embodiment is viewed from the back, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the shield case according to this embodiment when viewed from the back. The support member 30 is attached to the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 from the front direction F toward the first direction D1. The support member 30 is an example of a second sheet metal. The support member 30 has a plate portion 31. The plate portion 31 is an example of a second plate portion. It is attached to the bottom plate 21 by crimping. Fig. 4 shows the respective shapes and combined form of the case body 20 and the support member 30 before they are fastened together, and Fig. 5 shows the combined form after the case body 20 and the support member 30 are fastened together.

[0016] A plurality of first support portions 24a to 24g that support the first substrate 3 are formed on the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20. For example, the first support portion 24d is formed at the tip of a first extension portion 23d that is formed by cutting and raising the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20. More precisely, the first support portion 24d is formed by forming a structure (such as a screw hole) for supporting the first substrate 3 in a part of the tip of the first extension portion 23d. Furthermore, a first opening is formed in the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 by cutting and raising the first extension portion and the first support portion. For example, a first opening 25d is formed by cutting and raising the first extension portion 23d and the first support portion 24d. In other words, the bottom plate 21, the first extension portion 23d, and the first support portion 24d are integrally formed from a single sheet of metal that has been subjected to a bending process. Each first extension portion is formed by cutting and raising, and therefore extends from the edge of the first opening in a first intersecting direction (the same direction as first direction D1 in this embodiment) that intersects with the plane of bottom plate 21. The description of first extension portion 23d and first support portion 24d also applies to first extension portions 23a to 23g and first support portions 24a to 24g.

[0017] Meanwhile, a plurality of second support portions 34a to 34c that support the second substrate 4 are formed on the plate portion 31 of the support member 30. For example, the first support portion 34c is formed at the tip of a second extension portion 33c that is formed by cutting and raising the plate portion 31 of the support member 30. Similar to the first extension portion 23d of the case body 20, a structure (such as a screw hole) for supporting the second substrate 4 is formed at a part of the tip of the second extension portion 33c, thereby forming the second support portion 34c. Furthermore, a second opening is formed in the plate portion 31 by cutting and raising the second extension portion and the second support portion. For example, a second opening 35c is formed by cutting and raising the second extension portion 33c and the second support portion 34c. In other words, the plate portion 31, the second extension portion 33c, and the second support portion 34c are integrally formed from a single sheet of metal that has been subjected to a bending process. Each second extension portion is formed by cutting and raising, and therefore extends from the edge of the second opening in the first direction D1. That is, the second extension portion is inserted into the first opening and supports the second substrate 4. The description of the second extension portion 33c and the second support portion 34c also applies to the second extension portions 33a-33b and the second support portions 34a-34b.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first support portions 24a to 24g of the case body 20 support the first substrate 3, and the second support portions 34a to 34c of the support member 30 support the second substrate 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the second substrate 4 is provided downstream of the first substrate 3 in the first direction D1. For this reason, the distance from the bottom plate 21 to the second support portions 24a to 24g is set to be longer than the distance from the bottom plate 21 to the first support portions 24a to 24g. Therefore, the second openings formed for cutting and raising the second support portions and second extension portions are often larger than the first openings formed for cutting and raising the first support portions and first extension portions.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a drawn portion 26 is formed on the bottom plate 21 of the shield case 2 to prevent the bottom plate 21 from interfering with other units of the image forming apparatus 1. The drawn portion 26 is a shaped portion that protrudes toward the housing portion 20b by drawing the bottom plate 21. Here, if a high drawn height is required, it is difficult to form the part by drawing the drawn portion 26 while keeping the entire periphery connected to the bottom plate 21. For this reason, in this embodiment, a high drawn shape is achieved by forming slits 27a and 27b on two opposing sides of the drawn portion 26. That is, the case body 20 has the slits 27a and 27b, which are slit-shaped holes that penetrate the bottom plate 21, and the drawn portion 26, which is continuous with the edges of the slits 27a and 27b and has a drawn shape that protrudes from the bottom plate 21 in the first direction D1. In this embodiment, the drawn portion 26 is adjacent to the edges of the slits 27a and 27b.

[0020] Furthermore, the plate portion 31 of the support member 30 has a through-hole 36 formed in a position corresponding to the narrowing portion 26 in the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20. This prevents other units of the image forming apparatus 1 from interfering with the plate portion 31. The plate portion 31 also has upright wall portions 37a and 37b formed by bending in the first direction D1 at positions corresponding to the hole positions of the slit portions 27a and 27b of the narrowing portion 26 in the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20. The upright wall portions 37a and 37b are cut and raised from the plate portion 31, thereby forming third openings 38a and 38b in the plate portion 31. That is, the upright wall portions 37a and 37b are an example of third extension portions, and extend in the first direction D1 from the edges of the third openings 38a and 38b of the plate portion 31 and penetrate the slit portions 27a and 27b in the first direction D1. Furthermore, the standing wall portions 37a, 37b close at least a part of the slit portions 27a, 27b from a direction intersecting the first direction D1, that is, from the up-down direction in this embodiment.

[0021] The configuration of the shield case 2 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state shown in FIG. 4 as viewed from the opposite side (the front side of the device), and FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the state shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the opposite side (the front side of the device). First, in this embodiment, the mounting surface of the first substrate 3, the plane formed by the bottom plate 21, and the plane formed by the plate portion 31 are parallel to one another. That is, the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the first substrate 3, the thickness direction of the bottom plate 21, and the thickness direction of the plate portion 31 are the same direction. The bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 and the plate portion 31 of the support member 30 are arranged on the same side with respect to the mounting surface of the first substrate 3. In other words, in the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the first substrate 3, i.e., in the first direction D1, the plate portion 31 of the support member 30, the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20, and the first substrate 3 are arranged in this order.

[0022] The bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 has a first opening formed by cutting and raising the multiple first support portions 24a to 24g. The plate portion 31 of the support member 30 has a second opening formed by cutting and raising the multiple second support portions 34a to 34c. When the case body 20 and the support member 30 are combined, at least a portion of any one of the first openings of the bottom plate 21 is covered by the plate portion 31 of the support member 30. In this embodiment, further, at least a portion of any one of the second openings of the plate portion 31 is covered by the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20. Here, the plate portion 31 covering the first opening means that the plate portion 31 covers the first opening when viewed from a line of sight along the thickness direction of the bottom plate 21 (i.e., the first direction D1). The same applies to the relationship between the bottom plate 21 and the second opening. In this manner, in this embodiment, the cutting and raising directions of the first support portions 24a to 24g and the second support portions 34a to 34c are set so that they are positioned so as to block at least a portion of each other's holes when the case body 20 and the support member 30 are combined.

[0023] As an example, the relationship between the second extension portion 33c and the first opening 25d will be specifically described. In this case, the edge of the second opening where the second extension portion 33c is formed overlaps the first opening 25d. As a result, a portion of the first opening 25d is blocked by the support member 30. That is, the support member 30 is attached to the case body 20 so that the second extension portion 33c penetrates the first opening 25d in the first direction D1 and the plate portion 31 blocks a portion of the first opening 25d.

[0024] After the case body 20 is assembled with the support member 30, the case body 20 and the support member 30 are fastened together by crimping at the crimping positions 60. The support member 30 is a single component, and is fastened together by crimping at multiple locations using a press machine at once, which reduces the time required for assembly. Note that, although the assembly work is reduced by using crimping in this embodiment, this is not limiting. For example, a joining method such as welding may be used instead of or in addition to crimping.

[0025] As described above, the shielding case 2 of this embodiment is configured by combining the case main body 20 and the support member 30. This allows the support member 30 to block at least a portion of the opening formed in the case main body 20, for example, by forming the support portion. This improves the electromagnetic shielding performance of the shielding case 2. In particular, when multiple boards are stacked and housed in the shielding case 2, the area of ​​the opening tends to increase as the support portion length increases. This poses a significant problem of a decrease in shielding performance. In such cases, the configuration of this embodiment that blocks the opening can be more effective. Note that this embodiment employs a configuration in which the bottom plate 21 of the case main body 20 covers the opening in the plate portion 31 of the support member 30. However, even if the opening in the plate portion 31 of the support member 30 is not completely covered, the plate portion 31 of the support member 30 covering the opening in the bottom plate 21 still provides the effect of improving shielding performance.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the shield case 2 of this embodiment, the slits 27a, 27b formed in association with the formation of the narrowed portion 26 in the bottom plate 21 of the case body 20 are closed by the upright walls 37a, 37b provided on the support member 30. This improves the electromagnetic shielding performance of the shield case 2.

[0027] In the above-described embodiment, the support member 30 is attached to the case body 20 so that the plate portion 31 covers a portion of the first opening 25d, but this is not limiting. For example, the support member 30 may be attached to the case body 20 so that the plate portion 31 covers the entire first opening 25d. In this case, the shielding performance can be significantly improved.

[0028] In the above-described embodiment, the case body 20 has the drawn portion 26. However, this is not limited thereto, and the drawn portion 26 may be absent. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the first substrate 3 and the second substrate 4 are arranged overlapping each other is described. However, this is not limited thereto, and the substrates may not overlap. Alternatively, the number of electric substrates is not limited to two, but may be one, or three or more. In the above-described embodiment, the first extension portion of the case body 20 supports the first substrate 3, and the second extension portion of the support member 30 supports the second substrate 4. This example is not limiting, and the following configurations may be optionally applied for one or more substrates: (1) supported only by the first extension portion of the case body 20; (2) supported only by the second extension portion of the support member 30; and (3) supported by the first extension portion of the case body 20 and the second extension portion of the support member 30.

[0029] In the above-described embodiment, the shield case 2 is described as a case in which it houses an electric circuit board of the image forming apparatus 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shield case 2 can be widely applied as a shield case 2 that houses a general electric circuit board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 2...Shielding case, 3...First board, 4...Second board, 5...Electrical component, 10...Electrical unit, 20...Case body (first metal sheet), 20b...Storage section, 21...Bottom plate (first plate section), 22...Side plate (side wall section), 23d...First extension section, 24a to 24g...First support section, 25d...First opening, 26...Drawing section, 27a, 27b...Slit section, 30...Support member (second metal sheet), 31...Plate section (second plate section), 33c...Second extension section, 34a to 34c...Second support section, 35c...Second opening, 36a, 36b...Upright wall section (third extension section), 37a, 37b...Third opening, D1...First direction

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus including an electrical component unit, The electrical unit includes: an electric substrate having a mounting surface on which electric components are mounted; a first metal plate having a first plate portion; a second metal plate having a second plate portion disposed on the same side as the first plate portion with respect to the mounting surface of the electric board, a first opening penetrating the first plate portion in a thickness direction of the first plate portion is formed in the first plate portion; When viewed in a thickness direction of the first plate portion, the second plate portion covers at least a portion of the first opening. An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. The first metal plate has a first extension portion extending from an edge of the first opening in a first intersecting direction intersecting a plane formed by the first plate portion.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

3. the electrical substrate includes at least a first electrical substrate; the first extension portion supports the first electric board; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

4. The first plate portion and the first extension portion are integrally formed from a single sheet metal that has been subjected to bending processing.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. The second metal plate has a second extension portion extending from a portion of the second plate portion covering the first opening in a second intersecting direction intersecting a plane formed by the second plate portion, The second extension portion is inserted into the first opening.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. The second plate portion and the second extension portion are integrally formed from a single sheet metal that has been subjected to bending processing.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. the electrical substrates include at least a first electrical substrate and a second electrical substrate; the first metal plate has a first extension portion extending from an edge of the first opening in a first intersecting direction intersecting a plane formed by the first plate portion, The second metal plate has a second extension portion extending from a portion of the second plate portion covering the first opening in a second intersecting direction intersecting a plane formed by the second plate portion, the first extension portion supports the first electric board; the second extension portion is inserted into the first opening and supports the second electric board; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

8. When viewed along the thickness direction of the first plate portion, the first electric board and the second electric board at least partially overlap each other.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. a slit portion penetrating the first plate portion in the thickness direction is formed in the first plate portion; The first metal plate has a drawn portion adjacent to an edge of the slit portion and protruding from the first plate portion in the thickness direction.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

10. The second metal plate has a third extension portion extending from the second plate portion in the thickness direction and inserted into the slit portion.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

11. the first metal plate has a side wall portion extending from an edge of the first plate portion in the thickness direction, the first plate portion and the side wall portion form a housing portion that houses the electric board; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

12. An electrical unit for an image forming apparatus, an electric substrate having a mounting surface on which electric components are mounted; a first metal plate having a first plate portion; a second metal plate having a second plate portion disposed on the same side as the first plate portion with respect to the mounting surface of the electric board, a first opening penetrating the first plate portion in a thickness direction of the first plate portion is formed in the first plate portion; When viewed in a thickness direction of the first plate portion, the second plate portion covers at least a portion of the first opening. An electrical unit characterized by:

Images