Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately arranging wiring.SOLUTION: When a part of a plurality of screws 203 for fastening a drive transmission unit 20 is arranged in a gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and a high voltage substrate unit 23, a bundle wire guide unit is arranged between the screws 203 and the high voltage substrate unit 23. A lower guide plate 30b of the bundle wire guide unit leads the bundle wire 28 guided by the upper guide plate 30a from an upper surface 300 to a lower surface 301, and wires the bundle wire 28 in a state of being covered with the lower guide plate 30b. As a result, even when it is difficult to secure a space for arranging the bundled wire 28, the wiring can be appropriately arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices that combine these devices are equipped with multiple electrical circuit boards to operate electrical components such as various motors, sensors, and switches. For example, electrical circuit boards such as a high-voltage board that applies high voltage and a main control board that performs various controls related to image formation operations are located on the rear side of the image forming device main body (hereinafter referred to as the device main body). The image forming device also includes a drive transmission unit having a motor for rotating, for example, a photosensitive drum, a developing sleeve, or an intermediate transfer belt. The drive transmission unit is also located on the rear side of the device main body. The drive transmission unit is electrically connected to the high-voltage circuit board by a bundle of multiple cables. In the device described in Patent Document 1, a bundle of multiple cables for applying charging voltages for four colors, developing voltages for four colors, and drum cleaning voltages for four colors is wired to the high-voltage circuit board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-126430 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been a growing demand for image forming apparatuses with faster printing speeds and smaller device bodies, and while the high-voltage boards and drive transmission units are becoming larger to achieve this speed, the space inside the device body is becoming smaller as the device body becomes more compact, making it difficult to secure space for arranging wiring such as bundled cables.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an image forming apparatus in which wiring can be arranged appropriately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An image forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an image forming unit that forms an image on a recording material, a cable, and a guide unit that guides the cable, wherein the guide unit has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a first guide plate having a first through hole that penetrates from the first surface to the second surface, wherein a first portion of the cable is arranged along the second surface on the side of the first guide plate that faces the second surface, and a second portion of the cable is pulled out from the side of the second surface through the first through hole to the side of the first guide plate that faces the first surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, wiring can be appropriately arranged in an image forming apparatus. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an image forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the drive transmission unit from the rear side. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a side view showing a manner in which the drive transmission unit is fastened to the rear side plate. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the high-voltage board unit and the cable guide unit as viewed from the opposite side of the drive transmission unit. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the high-voltage board unit and the cable guide unit as viewed from the drive transmission unit side. [Figure 10] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a cable guide unit, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view showing the cable guide unit. [Figure 11] (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the rear plate and the drive transmission unit before the fastening is released, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the rear plate and the drive transmission unit after the fastening is released. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <Image forming device> The present embodiment will be described below. First, the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIGS. 1 to 3 show an image forming apparatus 100 of an internal discharge type as an example. The image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an apparatus main body 100A and an original reading device 41 that reads image information of an original, and an output tray 19 that holds recording material S discharged from the apparatus main body 100A is formed between the apparatus main body 100A and the original reading device 41. The image forming apparatus 100 forms a toner image on the recording material in accordance with an image signal sent from an original reading device 900 or an external device (not shown) such as a personal computer.

[0010] The device main body 100A is provided with an operation unit 10 on the front side, which has a display unit capable of displaying various information and keys for inputting various information in response to user operations. In this specification, the side on which a user stands when operating the operation unit 10 to operate the image forming device 100 is referred to as the "front (front)," and the opposite side is referred to as the "rear (back)." Furthermore, the left side when viewing the image forming device 100 from the front is referred to as the "left," and the right side when viewing the image forming device 100 from the front is referred to as the "right."

[0011] The recording material conveyance process of the image forming apparatus 100 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, recording materials S are stored in a stack in a cassette 42 and are fed one by one to a conveyance path 11 by a supply roller 16 in accordance with the image formation timing. Alternatively, recording materials S stacked on a manual feed tray (not shown) may be fed one by one to the conveyance path 11. The recording material S is conveyed to a registration roller 9 disposed midway along the conveyance path 11, where the registration roller 9 corrects skew and timing of the recording material S before sending it to a secondary transfer portion T2. ​​The secondary transfer portion T2 is a transfer nip formed by an opposing inner secondary transfer roller 65 and outer secondary transfer roller 66. At the secondary transfer portion T2, a secondary transfer voltage is applied to the inner secondary transfer roller 65, thereby secondarily transferring the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt 14 to the recording material S.

[0012] The image forming process for an image sent to the secondary transfer unit T2 at the same timing as the process for transporting the recording material S to the secondary transfer unit T2 described above will now be described. First, the image forming units 3Y, 3M, 3C, and 3K will be described. However, the image forming units 3Y to 3K are configured almost identically except that the toner colors used in the developing units 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are different: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. Therefore, the following description will be given using the yellow image forming unit 3Y as a representative example, and descriptions of the other image forming units 3M, 3C, and 3K will be omitted.

[0013] The image forming unit 3Y includes a photosensitive drum 6Y, a charger 8Y as a charging unit, a developer 4Y as a developing unit, and a drum cleaner 7Y. The photosensitive drum 6Y is uniformly charged by the charger 8Y when a charging voltage is applied, and then an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface by an exposure unit 15 driven based on image information signals. The electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 6Y is developed into a toner image using developer by the developer 4Y when a developing voltage is applied. Then, a predetermined pressure and primary transfer voltage are applied by a primary transfer roller 5Y, which is disposed opposite the image forming unit 3Y across the intermediate transfer belt 14, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 6Y is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 14. Any residual toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 6Y after the primary transfer is removed by the drum cleaner 7Y, preparing it for the next image creation process. The image forming unit 3Y is integrally provided as a process cartridge that can be replaced in the apparatus main body 100A.

[0014] The intermediate transfer belt 14 is stretched by a secondary transfer inner roller 65 and multiple tension rollers 62, 63, and is driven to move counterclockwise. The image formation process for each color performed by the image forming units 3Y to 3K is performed at a timing such that the image is sequentially superimposed on the toner image of the color upstream in the movement direction that has been primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 14. As a result, a full-color toner image is finally formed on the intermediate transfer belt 14 and is transported to the secondary transfer unit T2. Note that any residual toner remaining after passing through the secondary transfer unit T2 is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 14 by a secondary transfer cleaner (not shown).

[0015] Through the conveying process and image creation process described above, the timing of the recording material S and the full-color toner image are synchronized at the secondary transfer portion T2, and the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 14 to the recording material S. The recording material S is then conveyed to the fixing device 45, where the toner image is fixed to the recording material S by applying pressure and heat thereto. In the case of single-sided printing, the recording material S with the fixed toner image is discharged to the discharge tray 19 by the forward-rotating discharge rollers 18. On the other hand, in the case of double-sided printing, the recording material S is conveyed by the forward-rotating discharge rollers 18 until the trailing edge of the recording material S passes the switching member 800, and then the discharge rollers 18 are switched to reverse rotation, and the leading and trailing edges are swapped, and the recording material S is conveyed to the double-sided conveying path 31. The recording material S is then sent back to the conveying path 11 by the re-conveying rollers 17. The subsequent conveying and the image creation process for the second side are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0016] Note that toner bottles 32Y-32K containing replenishment toner to be supplied to the developing devices 4Y-4K are detachably attached to a toner supply mechanism (not shown) above the intermediate transfer belt 14. The toner supply mechanism supplies the corresponding developing devices 4Y-4K with an appropriate amount of toner at an appropriate time from the toner bottles 32Y-32K.

[0017] The image forming apparatus 100 has an operation panel 46 on the front side for user convenience, while a drive transmission unit 20 is disposed on the rear side, as shown in FIG. 3 . As will be described in detail later, the drive transmission unit 20, which serves as a first unit, has a drive source that generates drive force to drive, for example, the photosensitive drums 6Y-6K, the inner secondary transfer roller 116a, the developing devices 4Y-4K, and a primary transfer roller separation mechanism (not shown) as rotating parts. The drive transmission unit 20 is detachably mounted on a rear side plate 26, which constitutes part of the frame of the apparatus main body 100A, with screws. In this embodiment, a cable guide unit 30 for guiding cables or bundles of cables is partially disposed on the front side, overlapping with a portion of the drive transmission unit 20 when viewed perpendicularly to the rear side plate 26. The cable guide unit 30 is fixed to the rear side plate 26 with screws. The user can detach the drive transmission unit 20 from the rear side panel 26 by removing the screws, without removing the cable guide unit 30. The primary transfer roller contact / separation mechanism is a mechanism for moving the primary transfer rollers 5Y to 5K between a position where they contact the intermediate transfer belt 14 and a position where they are separated from the intermediate transfer belt 14.

[0018] <Electrical circuit board> The image forming apparatus 100 is also provided with various electrical circuit boards on which, for example, a CPU, memory, electronic components, electrical components, connectors, etc. are mounted. On the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100, there are provided a main control board 211 that performs various controls in response to the execution of a program such as an image formation job, a sub-control board 210 that supplements some of the controls performed by the main control board 211, and a secondary transfer high-voltage board 222 that supplies a secondary transfer voltage to the inner secondary transfer roller 65. Within the apparatus main body 100A, below the drive transmission unit 20, a high-voltage board unit 23 and a power supply board unit 25 are arranged vertically side by side on the rear side plate 26. The drive transmission unit 20 is provided on the rear side plate 26 with a gap between it and the high-voltage board unit 23.

[0019] The high-voltage board unit 23, which serves as the second unit, has a charging high-voltage board 220 that applies a charging voltage to the chargers 8Y-8K and a developing high-voltage board 221 that applies a developing voltage to the developers 4Y-4K. The power supply board unit 25 has a plurality of power supply control boards 240 that control the power supplied from an external power source, and supplies power to, for example, the main control board 211, the sub-control board 210, the secondary transfer high-voltage board 222, the charging high-voltage board 220, and the developing high-voltage board 221. Note that the electrical boards are not limited to those described above, and other boards may be provided, such as a transport control board that controls transport motors that drive the supply roller 16, registration roller 9, discharge roller 18, re-transport roller 17, etc. (see FIG. 2) that transport the recording material S.

[0020] In this embodiment, four sensors 24Y, 24M, 24C, and 24K for detecting whether the replaceable process cartridges are new or old are provided on the rear side panel 26. These sensors 24Y to 24K need to be disposed in close proximity to each of the four process cartridges, and are therefore arranged so as to overlap the rear side of the drive transmission unit 20 that drives the photosensitive drums 6Y to 6K and the developing units 4Y to 4K. The sensors 24Y to 24K are connected to the main control board 211 by cables (not shown) to transmit detection signals.

[0021] Each of the above-mentioned electrical boards is connected to electrical components such as various motors, sensors, and switches via cables (not shown) to operate the electrical components. Generally, cables connected to the respective electrical components are bundled together and connected to the electrical board to make it easier to route the cables inside the device main body 100A and to connect the cables to the electrical board. Furthermore, the electrical boards are interconnected by bundled wires (not shown) as needed to transmit various electrical signals (hereinafter, "electrical signals").

[0022] <Drive transmission unit> Next, the drive transmission unit 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 and FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drive transmission unit 20, a simplified rear side panel 26, and the photosensitive drums 6Y to 6K engaged with the drive transmission unit 20, as viewed from the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive transmission unit 20 has a drive source 207CL, a drive source 207K, a drive source 207S, and four drive sources 207G, each of which is provided with, for example, a drive motor or a drive gear. The drive transmission unit 20 drives and rotates the three photosensitive drums 6Y, 6M, and 6C integrally by the single drive source 207CL, and drives and rotates the remaining photosensitive drum 6K independently from the others by the drive source 207K. The drive transmission unit 20 also drives the inner secondary transfer roller 65 with a drive source 207K, the primary transfer roller contact / separation mechanism (not shown) with a drive source 207S, and the developing devices 4Y to 4K with four drive sources 207G, respectively.

[0023] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the drive transmission unit 20. As shown in FIG. 5, drive from each of the above-mentioned drive sources (207CL, 207K, 207S, 207G) is transmitted to the photosensitive drums 6Y-6K, the secondary transfer inner roller 65, a primary transfer roller contact / separation mechanism (not shown), and the developing devices 4Y-4K via a drive train 201 formed of a number of drive gears 206 arranged within the drive transmission unit 20. Viscous grease is often applied to the gear tooth surfaces of these drive gears 206 for lubrication or quietness during rotation. In such cases, if foreign matter such as toner or paper dust gets into the drive train 201, the foreign matter may become trapped by the viscous grease, causing gear noise or preventing the drive from being properly transmitted.

[0024] Therefore, in the drive transmission unit 20, the first metal plate 200a and the second metal plate 200b are fastened with screws at fastening portions 205 so that the drive train 201 is sandwiched between them, thereby making it difficult for foreign matter such as toner and paper dust to enter the drive transmission unit 20. It is preferable to provide the fastening portions 205 for fastening the second metal plate 200b to the first metal plate 200a within or near the drive train 201, as this allows the drive transmission unit 20 to be made more compact.

[0025] 6 is a schematic diagram showing the drive transmission unit 20 from the rear side. In this embodiment, the drive transmission unit 20 has a plurality of fastening portions 204 provided on the outer periphery of a first metal plate 200a, and is fastened to the rear side plate 26 of the image forming apparatus 100 at the fastening portions 204 with screws 203. The drive transmission unit 20 is fastened to the rear side plate 26 with the plurality of screws 203 using a tool such as a screwdriver. Some of the plurality of screws 203 are positioned in the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23 (see FIG. 3) and fasten the drive transmission unit 20 to the rear side plate 26.

[0026] 7 is a side view showing how the drive transmission unit 20 is fastened to the rear side plate 26. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the drive train 201 is surrounded by a first metal plate 200a and a second metal plate 200b, and the drive transmission unit 20 is fastened to the rear side plate 26 by a fastening portion 204 extending from the first metal plate 200a. This prevents foreign matter from entering the drive train 201.

[0027] The various boards and drive transmission unit 20 described above are arranged together on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100, and the bundled wires connecting them are wired to minimize their length. If the bundled wires are long, costs increase, noise is more likely to be mixed into the electrical signals, and there is also a risk that the bundled wires may get caught during assembly, causing the cable insulation to tear and break. Therefore, the bundled wires are wired to keep their length as short as possible.

[0028] Additionally, ensuring ease of assembly, maintenance, and replacement is also important for electrical components such as various motors, sensors, and switches. This is because electrical components deteriorate over time as the image forming apparatus 100 operates, and various conditions, such as the electrical components' limited lifespan, can occasionally lead to breakdowns or malfunctions. Therefore, to facilitate assembly and maintenance and to quickly replace components in the event of a breakdown, attention must be paid to the ease of assembly, replacement, and maintenance of electrical components. The same applies to the various circuit boards, each of which is designed to be individually detachable from the device main body 100A. The drive transmission unit 20 and various electrical circuit boards (210, 211, 220, 221, 222, 240) located on the rear side of the image forming apparatus 100 (see FIG. 3) can be detached from the device main body 100A by removing the rear cover (not shown). That is, the drive transmission unit 20 and various electrical boards (210, 211, 220, 221, 222, 240) are designed to be detachable from the rear side of the apparatus main body 100A.

[0029] As previously mentioned, image forming apparatuses 100 are required to be faster and more compact. While the various circuit boards and drive transmission unit 20 are becoming larger to accommodate the increased speed, the space inside the device body 100A is becoming smaller due to the smaller size. In this case, cables are routed through the narrow gap below the drive transmission unit 20 to efficiently utilize the space inside the device body 100A. However, even when the cable length is minimized, there is a risk of the cable getting caught on something when attaching or detaching the drive transmission unit 20, resulting in damage such as tearing of the cable sheath. Specifically, when removing the drive transmission unit 20 from the rear panel 26, a user must use a screwdriver to remove the screws 203 (see FIG. 6 ). To do this, the user must pass the screwdriver through the narrow gap below the drive transmission unit 20, which increases the risk of the user catching the screwdriver on the cable and damaging it. Alternatively, when a user moves the drive transmission unit 20, the drive transmission unit 20 itself may get caught on the cable, causing damage to the cable.

[0030] <Wire bundle guide unit> In view of the above, in this embodiment, the cable guide unit 30 is designed to protect and guide the cable so that it is less likely to get caught when attaching or detaching the drive transmission unit 20, even if the cable is routed through a narrow gap below the drive transmission unit 20. The cable guide unit 30 that achieves this will be described below using FIGS. 8 to 11(b) with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the high-voltage board unit 23 and the cable guide unit 30 as seen from the opposite side (rear side) of the drive transmission unit 20. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the high-voltage board unit 23 and the cable guide unit 30 as seen from the drive transmission unit 20 side (front side).

[0031] The cable guide unit 30 serving as a guide section can be broadly divided into an upper guide plate 30a and a lower guide plate 30b. In this embodiment, the upper guide plate 30a extends from the lower guide plate 30b along the rear side plate 26 toward the drive transmission unit 20 in a direction intersecting the lower guide plate 30b, and is provided to guide the cable 28 heading from the drive transmission unit 20 toward the high-voltage board unit 23 toward the lower guide plate 30b.

[0032] <Upper guide plate> As shown in Fig. 8, the upper guide plate 30a serving as the second guide plate has four memory boards 27 on a surface 400 opposite the rear plate 26 (rear side), and as shown in Fig. 9, has four charging high-voltage contacts 304 (charging unit contacts), four developing high-voltage contacts 305 (developing unit contacts), and one secondary transfer high-voltage contact plate 306 on a surface 401 facing the rear plate 26 (front side). The cable guide unit 30 is electrically connected to the charging high-voltage board 220 and the developing high-voltage board 221 by cable (not shown) via a relay connector 29. The charging high-voltage board 220 is electrically connected to the charging high-voltage contact 304, and the developing high-voltage board 221 is electrically connected to the developing high-voltage contact 305.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 8, the upper guide plate 30a has four protruding portions 320 protruding upward, and the protruding portions 320 form four fitting portions 320a into which the four drive sources 207G (see FIG. 4) of the drive transmission unit 20 respectively fit. A memory board 27 is attached to a surface 400 of the protruding portion 320 opposite the rear side plate 26. The memory board 27 has a non-volatile memory chip (not shown) and electrode portions 27a (see FIG. 9) that come into contact with and electrically connect to main body side electrode portions (not shown) provided on the rear side plate 26. Cables 28 connected to the memory board 27 are guided to a relay connector 29 provided on the lower guide plate 30b. The guided cable 28 is connected to the relay connector 29, which is electrically connected to the main control board 211 and relays electrical signals between the memory board 27 and the main control board 211 so that electrical signals can be input and output.

[0034] Furthermore, the upper guide plate 30a has a plurality of holding members 30a1 (second holding members) on a surface 400 opposite the rear side plate 26 for holding the cables 28 and guiding them to the lower guide plate 30b. The main control board 211 writes and stores replacement information related to the timing of process cartridge replacement, such as the cartridge individual number for each color process cartridge and usage history, in the memory chip of the memory board 27 in response to replacement of the process cartridge. Providing the memory board 27 in this way on the cable guide unit 30 is preferable to providing the memory board 27 on the rear side plate 26, as this can prevent damage to the cables 28 and makes replacement of the memory board 27 easier.

[0035] 9, the charging high-voltage contact 304 is an elastic body that can expand and contract in the front-rear direction, and is formed on a surface 401 of the upper guide plate 30a on the rear side plate 26 side. The charging high-voltage contact 304 is pressed when the process cartridge is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A, and a high voltage is applied to the chargers 8Y to 8K from the charging high-voltage board 220 of the high-voltage board unit 23. The developing high-voltage contact 305 is also an elastic body that can expand and contract in the front-rear direction, and is pressed when the process cartridge is inserted into the apparatus main body 100A, and a high voltage is applied to the developing devices 4Y to 4K from the developing high-voltage board 221 of the high-voltage board unit 23.

[0036] The cable guide unit 30 is fixed to the rear side plate 26 by fastening the upper guide plate 30a to the rear side plate 26 with screws. When the cable guide unit 30 is fixed to the rear side plate 26, the tool holes 309 provided in the upper guide plate 30a are positioned so as to overlap with some of the fastening portions 204 (see FIG. 6 ) disposed below the drive transmission unit 20, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the rear side plate 26. The some of the fastening portions 204 disposed below the drive transmission unit 20 are inserted through the tool holes 309. The tool holes 309 (second through holes) are through holes for passing a screwdriver used to fasten the screws 203 as fastening members to the some of the fastening portions 204 from outside the image forming apparatus 100. Therefore, with the cable guide unit 30 remaining fixed to the rear side plate 26, the user can use a tool such as a screwdriver to fasten or release the screws 203 to some of the fastening portions 204 from the rear side of the apparatus main body 100A. This allows the user to remove the drive transmission unit 20 independently with the cable guide unit 30 attached to the rear side plate 26, improving the ease of assembly and replacement of the drive transmission unit 20.

[0037] <Lower guide plate> The lower guide plate 30b is fixed to the upper guide plate 30a with screws. As shown in FIG. 8, the lower guide plate 30b has a secondary transfer high-voltage contact spring (substrate side) 310. The secondary transfer high-voltage contact spring 310 is an elastic body that stretches toward the nearby secondary transfer high-voltage board 222 and is pressed against the secondary transfer high-voltage board 222. The secondary transfer high-voltage contact spring 310 is in contact with a secondary transfer high-voltage contact spring (contact side) 311 at the contact surface between the upper guide plate 30a and the lower guide plate 30b. The secondary transfer high-voltage contact spring 311 is pressed against the secondary transfer high-voltage contact plate 306 at the top of the cable guide unit 30. The end of the high-voltage contact spring (substrate side) 311 is a compression spring, and when the upper guide plate 30a and the lower guide plate 30b are fastened together with screws, the compression spring establishes electrical continuity between the high-voltage contact spring (substrate side) 311 and the high-voltage contact spring (contact side) 310. Furthermore, the high-voltage contact spring (substrate side) 311 has a spring portion at its end on the secondary transfer high-voltage side, and when the spring portion is sandwiched between the secondary transfer high-voltage contact plate 306, the secondary transfer high-voltage contact plate 306 and the high-voltage contact spring (substrate side) 311 are electrically connected. When the secondary transfer high-voltage contact plate 306 is pressed against an elastic body extending from the inner secondary transfer roller 65, a high voltage is applied to the inner secondary transfer roller 65 by the secondary transfer high-voltage board 222.

[0038] The high-voltage board unit 23 holds the charging high-voltage board 220 and the developing high-voltage board 221 inside, and is equipped with a fan 308 on the side for cooling them. The lower guide plate 30b is fixed to the high-voltage board unit 23 with screws (not shown). This allows the user to remove the high-voltage board unit 23 with the cable guide unit 30 still attached to the apparatus body, improving the ease of assembly and replacement of the high-voltage board unit 23.

[0039] The lower guide plate 30b, which serves as a first guide plate, guides the cable 28 to the drive transmission unit 20 while covering at least a portion (first portion) of the cable 28. The drive transmission unit 20 is disposed on the upper surface 300 (first surface) side of the lower guide plate 30b. As can be seen from FIGS. 8 and 10(a), the lower guide plate 30b has a through hole 307 (first through hole) for passing the cable 28 from the upper surface 300 (first surface) on the drive transmission unit 20 side (first unit side) to the lower surface 301 (second surface) opposite the upper surface 300. A portion (first portion) of the cable 28 is disposed along the lower surface 301 of the lower guide plate 30b on the side of the lower surface 301. The other portion (second portion) of the cable 28 is drawn out from the lower surface 301 side through the through hole 307 to the first surface side of the lower guide plate 30b.

[0040] 10(b), the lower guide plate 30b is screwed to the upper guide plate 30a with the cables 28 extending from each memory board 27 routed along the surface 400 of the upper guide plate 30a. Because the through holes 307 of the lower guide plate 30b are present so as to straddle the cables 28, the cables 28 are not pinched between the upper guide plate 30a and the rear plate 26 when the cable guide unit 30 is screwed to the rear plate 26. The lower guide plate 30b has a plurality of holding members 30b1 (first holding members) on its lower surface 301 that hold the cables 28. The cables 28 that pass through the through holes 307 and are routed on the lower surface 301 are held by the holding members 30b1 and guided to the relay connector 29.

[0041] Figure 11(a) shows the state immediately before the drive transmission unit 20 is released from the rear side plate 26 by the screws 203 using an external driver 50. Figure 11(b) shows the state in which the drive transmission unit 20, which has been released from the rear side plate 26 by the screws 203, is being removed. As shown in Figure 11(a), there is a gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the upper surface 300 of the lower guide plate 30b, into which a tool (such as a screwdriver) can be inserted to perform the fastening operation with the screws 203.

[0042] The lower guide plate 30b is disposed between the screws 203 and the high-voltage board unit 23 in the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23, and guides the cable 28 by changing the direction of the cable 28 from traveling from the drive transmission unit 20 toward the high-voltage board unit 23 to a direction away from the rear side plate 26. When removing the screws 203 of the drive transmission unit 20 with a screwdriver 50, the user must pass the screwdriver 50 through the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23. In this embodiment, the cable 28 is guided from the upper surface 300 to the lower surface 301 of the lower guide plate 30b and is wired while covered by the lower guide plate 30b. Therefore, the cable 28 is not present in the gap where the screw 203 is fastened by the screwdriver 50. This makes it less likely that the cable 28 will be caught by the screwdriver 50 and the cable coating will be torn.

[0043] 11(b), when the drive transmission unit 20 is inserted into or removed from the rear side plate 26 in the front-to-rear direction, the fastening portion 204 of the drive transmission unit 20 passes near the lower guide plate 30b. In this embodiment, as described above, the cable 28 is covered by the lower guide plate 30b, and therefore the cable 28 is not present in the insertion / removal path along which the fastening portion 204 passes. Therefore, the drive transmission unit 20 is less likely to catch the cable 28 and cause damage such as tearing the cable coating.

[0044] As described above, when some of the multiple screws 203 for fastening the drive transmission unit 20 are located in the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23, the cable guide unit 30 is located between those screws 203 and the high-voltage board unit 23. In this embodiment, the lower guide plate 30b of the cable guide unit 30 guides the cable 28 guided by the upper guide plate 30a from the upper surface 300 to the lower surface 301 of the lower guide plate 30b, and the cable 28 is routed with at least a portion of the cable 28 covered by the lower guide plate 30b. This allows the cable 28 to be routed appropriately even when it is difficult to secure space to route the cable 28.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the screwdriver 50 is inserted into the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23 to remove the screws 203 of the drive transmission unit 20, the cable 28 is covered by the lower guide plate 30b as described above, and therefore the cable 28 does not get caught on the driver 50. Furthermore, when attaching or detaching the drive transmission unit 20, the cable 28 does not get caught on the drive transmission unit 20. In this way, even if the gap between the drive transmission unit 20 and the high-voltage board unit 23 is narrow, the cable 28 is unlikely to get caught when attaching or detaching the drive transmission unit 20, which is fastened by the screws 203 placed in the gap.

[0046] <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the bundled wires 28 connected to the memory board 27 are covered by the lower guide plate 30b, but the bundled wires 28 covered by the lower guide plate 30b are not limited to this. For example, when the chargers 8Y to 8K are connected to the charging high-voltage board 220 by a cable, or when the developing units 4Y to 4K are connected to the developing high-voltage board 221 by a cable, the bundled wire may be a bundle of those cables.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100 is described as an intermediate transfer type in which a toner image is primarily transferred from the photosensitive drums 6Y to 6K of each color to the intermediate transfer belt 14, and then the toner image is secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 14 to the recording material S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The above-described embodiment is also applicable to a direct transfer type image forming apparatus in which a toner image is directly transferred to the recording material S from the photosensitive drums 6Y to 6K of each color that rotate while carrying a toner image. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 3Y, 3M, 3C, 3K...image forming unit (process cartridge), 4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K...developing unit (developer), 6Y, 6M, 6C, 6K...rotating unit (photosensitive drum), 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K...charging unit (charger), 20...first unit (drive transmission unit), 23...second unit (high-voltage board unit), 26...frame body (rear side plate), 27...memory board, 28...cable (bundled wires), 29...relay connector, 30...guide unit (bundled wire guide unit), 30a...second guide plate (upper guide plate), 30a 1...second holding member, 30b...guide plate (first guide plate, lower guide plate), 30b1...first holding member, 50...tool (driver), 100...image forming apparatus, 203...fastening member (screw), 204...fastening portion, 207CL, 207G, 207K, 207S...driving motor (driving source), 211...electrical circuit board (main control board), 304...charging section contact (high voltage charging contact), 305...developing section contact (high voltage development contact), 307...first through hole (through hole), 309...second through hole (hole for tool), 320a...fitting portion, S...recording material

Claims

1. an image forming section for forming an image on a recording material; Cable and a guide portion that guides the cable, the guide portion includes a first guide plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a first through hole extending from the first surface to the second surface; the first portion of the cable is disposed along the second surface on the side of the first guide plate facing the second surface, a second portion of the cable is drawn from the second surface side through the first through hole to the first surface side of the first guide plate; An image forming apparatus characterized by:

2. A frame body, a first unit attached to the frame body, The first unit is disposed on the first surface side of the first guide plate.

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

3. the guide portion includes a second guide plate extending from the first surface in a direction intersecting the first surface on the first surface side of the first guide plate, the first unit has a fastening portion that is fastened to the frame body by a fastening member, The second guide plate is provided with a second through hole, The fastening portion of the first unit is inserted into the second through hole.

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

4. a gap into which a tool for performing a fastening operation using the fastening member can be inserted is provided between the first unit and the first surface of the first guide plate; 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

5. the image forming unit has a rotating unit that rotates, the first unit includes a drive motor that generates a drive force for rotating the rotating part, and a gear that transmits the drive force; 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

6. the guide portion includes a second guide plate extending from the first surface in a direction intersecting the first surface on the side of the first guide plate facing the first surface, The second guide plate is provided with a fitting portion into which the drive motor is fitted.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5,

7. the image forming unit has a charging unit, The cable is electrically connected to the charging unit.

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

8. the guide portion includes a second guide plate extending from the first surface in a direction intersecting the first surface on the side of the first guide plate facing the first surface, The second guide plate is provided with a charging unit contact for electrically connecting the cable to the charging unit.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7,

9. the image forming unit has a developing unit, the cable is electrically connected to the developing unit; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

10. the guide portion includes a second guide plate extending from the first surface in a direction intersecting the first surface on the side of the first guide plate facing the first surface, The second guide plate is provided with a developing unit contact for electrically connecting the cable to the developing unit.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9,

11. the guide plate has a plurality of first holding members for holding and guiding the first portion of the cable along the second surface.

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

12. The guide portion includes a second guide plate extending from the first surface in a direction intersecting the first surface on the side of the first guide plate facing the first surface.

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

13. a frame body for fixing the second guide plate; a second holding member disposed on a surface of the second guide plate opposite to the frame body, the second holding member holding and guiding the second portion of the cable; 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12.

14. Equipped with an electrical board that can input and output signals, the first guide plate has a relay connector to which the guided cable is connected for relaying signals to the electrical board so as to input and output signals therefrom; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

15. a process cartridge replaceably provided in the image forming apparatus and having the image forming unit; a memory board for storing replacement information of the process cartridge, the cable is connected to the memory board; 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is a recording medium.

Images