Electronic device, image forming apparatus, attachment / detachment apparatus, and fixing apparatus

Abstract

To make it easier to connect the connector properly. [Solution] The first engaged portion has a first region through which the first engaged portion passes when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated during the process of attaching the attachment device to the device body, and a second region through which the first engaged portion passes after at least a part of the first connector and at least a part of the second connector are mated during the process of attaching the attachment device to the device body. The range over which the first engaged portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in a direction intersecting the attachment direction is wider when passing through the second region than when passing through the first region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, an attaching / detaching device, and a fixing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an attaching / detaching device that is attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body, and an electronic device including the attaching / detaching device have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). For example, a fixing device that is attachable to and detachable from an apparatus main body, and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device correspond to the attaching / detaching device and the electronic device described above.

[0003] In such attaching / detaching devices and electronic devices, when the attaching / detaching device is mounted onto the apparatus main body, a second connector provided on the attaching / detaching device side approaches a first connector provided on the apparatus main body side, fits into the first connector, and the attaching / detaching device is moved in the mounting direction, whereby the first connector and the second connector are electrically connected to each other.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, with the conventional technology, there has been a problem that when mounting the attaching / detaching device onto the apparatus main body, the first connector and the second connector may not be properly connected in some cases.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing points, and an object of the present invention is to propose an electronic device, an image forming apparatus, an attaching / detaching device, and a fixing device that facilitate proper connection of connectors.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising: a device body; a detachable attachment device that is detachable from the device body; a first engaging portion provided on either the device body or the detachable attachment device, at least one end of the two ends in a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the detachable attachment device; and a first engaged portion provided on the other of either the device body or the detachable attachment device, which is capable of engaging with the first engaging portion, wherein the detachable attachment device further comprises a second connector that, when attached to the device body, approaches a first connector provided on the device body, engages with the first connector, and is capable of connecting to the first connector. The first engaged portion has a first region through which the first engaged portion passes when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated during the process of attaching the attachment device to the device body, and a second region through which the first engaged portion passes after at least a part of the first connector and at least a part of the second connector are mated during the process of attaching the attachment device to the device body, wherein the range over which the first engaged portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider when passing through the second region than when passing through the first region.

[0008] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus of the present invention has the above-mentioned electronic device, and the above-mentioned attachment / detachment device is the fixing device.

[0009] Furthermore, the attachment / detachment device of the present invention is an attachment / detachment device that is detachably attached to a device body, and is provided on at least one end of the two ends in a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device, and has a first engaged portion that can engage with a first engaging portion of the device body, and a second connector that, when attached to the device body, approaches a first connector provided on the device body and can mate with the first connector to connect to the first connector, wherein the first engaged portion has a first region through which the first engaged portion passes when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated during the process of attaching the attachment / detachment device to the device body, and a second region through which the first engaged portion passes after at least a part of the first connector and at least a part of the first connector are mated during the process of attaching the attachment / detachment device to the device body, wherein the range in which the first engaged portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider when the first engaged portion passes through the second region than when the first engaged portion passes through the first region.

[0010] Furthermore, the attachment / detachment device of the present invention has a second connector that is detachably attached to a device body and, when attached to the device body, approaches a first connector provided on the device body and engages with the first connector to connect to the first connector, and has a guide portion that extends in the attachment direction of the attachment / detachment device and guides the attachment of the attachment / detachment device, and the guide portion has a first range, a second range, a third range, and a fourth range that are positioned sequentially from the upstream side in the attachment direction, the width of the first range which is the length in the intersecting direction is greater than the width of the second range, and the width of the third range which is greater than the width of the fourth range.

[0011] Furthermore, the fixing device of the present invention includes the above-described attachment / detachment device, a heating section, and a pressurizing section.

[0012] In the present invention, when attaching the attachment / detachment device to the main body of the device, when the second connector provided on the attachment / detachment device is separated from the first connector provided on the main body of the device, the first engaging portion passes through the first region (second range), thereby restricting misalignment and tilting of the attachment / detachment device and guiding the second connector to the first connector with high accuracy. After at least a part of the second connector has mated with at least a part of the first connector (i.e., after the second connector has begun to mate with the first connector), the first engaging portion passes through the second region (first range), thereby absorbing misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors and making it easier to mate the first and second connectors. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize electronic devices, image forming apparatuses, attachment / detachment apparatuses, and fixing apparatuses that facilitate the proper connection of connectors. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printing mechanism of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration (1) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration (2) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration (3) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a top view showing the external configuration (1) of the fixing device mounting location according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a top view showing the external configuration (2) of the fixing device mounting location according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a three-view drawing showing the mounting state (1) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a three-view drawing showing the mounting state (2) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9]It is a three-view drawing showing the mounting state (3) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a three-view drawing showing the mounting state (4) of the fixing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the attachment portion of the drawer connector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view showing the connected state between connectors according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance configuration of the fixing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] It is a top view showing the external appearance configuration of the mounting position of the fixing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] It is a side view showing the mounting state of the fixing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance configuration of the fixing device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a top view showing the external appearance configuration (1) of the mounting position of the fixing device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 18] It is a top view showing the external appearance configuration (2) of the mounting position of the fixing device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] It is a cross-sectional view showing the mounting state of the fixing device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 20] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance configuration (1) of a fixing device according to another embodiment. [Figure 21] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance configuration (2) of a fixing device according to another embodiment. [Figure 22] It is a perspective view showing the external appearance configuration of the mounting position of the fixing device according to another embodiment. [Figure 23] It is a side view showing the configuration in a case where the fixing device according to another embodiment is mounted in the lateral direction. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration of the printing mechanism of an image forming apparatus] Figure 1 shows the configuration of the printing mechanism of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. This image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic printer and has a printing mechanism inside the roughly box-shaped apparatus body 2 for printing on a recording medium such as printing paper using a developer such as toner. Here, the right side of the apparatus body 2 in the figure is the right side of the image forming apparatus 1, the left side is the left side of the image forming apparatus 1, the front side is the front of the image forming apparatus 1, the back side is the rear of the image forming apparatus 1, the top side is the top of the image forming apparatus 1, and the bottom side is the bottom of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0017] A stacker 3 is provided on the top surface of the main body 2, from which the recording media printed by the image forming apparatus 1 are discharged. Inside the main body 2, a paper feed cassette 4 for storing the recording media is located at its lower part. Furthermore, a transport path Tr is formed inside the main body 2, connecting the paper feed cassette 4 and the stacker 3 and serving as a path for the recording media.

[0018] Inside the main body of the device 2, along the transport path Tr, in order from the upstream side in the transport direction (i.e., the side closer to the paper feed cassette 4), are the developing device 5, the transfer roller 6, and the fixing device 7. Inside the main body of the device 2, various rollers are provided for transporting the recording medium along the transport path Tr.

[0019] The paper feed cassette 4 is a component that stores the recording medium and has a hopping roller 8 that feeds the stored recording medium onto the transport path Tr. The recording medium fed from the paper feed cassette 4 onto the transport path Tr is transported along the transport path Tr to the developing device 5 and the transfer roller 6.

[0020] The developing device 5 has a photosensitive drum 9 as an image carrier. This photosensitive drum 9 is composed of a conductive support and a photoconductive layer. A transfer roller 6 is positioned below the photosensitive drum 9, with a transport path Tr in between. An LED head 10, which acts as an exposure device, is positioned above the photosensitive drum 9. A developer container 11 is also attached to the developing device 5. This developer container 11 is detachable from the developing device 5 and is replaceable.

[0021] The LED head 10 exposes the surface of the photoreceptor drum 9 based on the print data. This forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 9. The developing device 5 develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 9 using the developer supplied from the developer container 11. This forms a developer image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 9.

[0022] The transfer roller 6 transfers the developer image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum 9 to the recording medium as the recording medium passes between the photoreceptor drum 9 and the transfer roller 6.

[0023] The fixing device 7 includes a heating roller 12, which is an example of a heating section, and a pressure roller 13, which is an example of a pressure section. The fixing device heats and pressurizes the developer image transferred to the recording medium while the recording medium is being transported with the recording medium sandwiched in the nip between the heating roller 12 and the pressure roller 13. The recording medium on which the developer image has been fixed by the fixing device 7 is discharged to the stacker 3.

[0024] The fixing device 7 is detachably attached to the main body 2. Specifically, the fixing device 7 can be removed from the main body 2 by opening the upper cover of the main body 2 and pulling the fixing device 7 upward from the fixing device mounting location 2A of the main body 2. The fixing device 7 can also be attached to the main body 2 by opening the upper cover of the main body 2 and inserting the fixing device 7 into the fixing device mounting location 2A from above. The attachment of the fixing device 7 will be described in more detail later.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1, the fixing device 7 is mounted on the device body 2 at a slight inclination such that its front upper end is positioned in front of its front lower end.

[0026] [1-2. External Configuration of the Fixing Device] Figures 2, 3, 4, and 7 show the external configuration of the fixing device 7. The fixing device 7 has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing (referred to as the fixing housing) 20 as its exterior, which is long in the left-right direction (i.e., the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction). The front 20F, left side 20L, and right side 20R of this fixing housing 20 are formed by a cover front 21. Therefore, the front 20F, left side 20L, and right side 20R of the fixing housing 20 become the front 20F, left side 20L, and right side 20R of the cover front 21.

[0027] Figure 2 is an external perspective view of the fixing device 7 from the front diagonal right. Figure 3 is an external perspective view of the fixing device 7 from the front diagonal left. Figure 4 is an external perspective view of the fixing device 7 from the rear diagonal downward. Figure 7 is a three-view external view showing (A) the left side 20L of the cover front 21, (B) the front 20F, and (C) the right side 20R. As will be explained in more detail later, Figures 7 to 10 are also transition diagrams showing the process from when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2, and in addition to the fixing device 7, various parts provided on the device body 2 side are also shown.

[0028] As shown in Figures 2 and 7(B), a guide groove 21F is formed near the right end of the front surface 20F of the cover front 21, extending vertically from the upper end to the lower end of the front surface 20F. The upper end portion and the central portion in the vertical direction of this guide groove 21F are wide sections 21Fa and 21Fb, which are wider (longer in the horizontal direction) than the other parts. The portion of the guide groove 21F between the wide sections 21Fa and 21Fb is designated as a narrow section 21Fc, and the portion below the wide section 21Fb is designated as a narrow section 21Fd. The reason for providing wide sections 21Fa, 21Fb and narrow sections 21Fc and 21Fd in the guide groove 21F will be explained later.

[0029] Furthermore, the guide groove 21F has an open lower end (i.e., the lower end of the narrow lower portion 21Fd) and a flared shape where the lower end widens downwards. As will be explained in more detail later, the reason why the lower end of the guide groove 21F is open and has a flared shape is to guide the two guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb (see Figure 7(A)) provided on the device body 2 side into the guide groove 21F from the lower end side when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0030] Furthermore, the guide groove 21F has a tapered shape in which the portions adjacent to the narrower portions 21Fc and 21Fd in the wider portions 21Fa and 21Fb gradually narrow towards the narrower portions 21Fc and 21Fd. The depth (length in the front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21F is constant throughout the entire guide groove 21F.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 7(C), a guide groove 21R is formed near the front end of the right side surface 20R of the cover front 21, extending vertically from the upper end to the lower end of the right side surface 20R. This guide groove 21R has wide sections 21Ra and 21Rb at the upper end and slightly below the center in the vertical direction, which are wider (longer in the front-to-back direction) than the other parts. The part of the guide groove 21R between the wide section 21Ra and the wide section 21Rb is designated as a narrow section 21Rc, and the part below the wide section 21Rb is designated as a narrow section 21Rd. The reason for providing wide sections 21Ra and 21Rb and narrow sections 21Rc and 21Rd in the guide groove 21R will be explained later.

[0032] Furthermore, the guide groove 21R is open at its lower end (i.e., the lower end of the narrower lower portion 21Rd), and has a flared shape where the width increases towards the bottom. As will be explained in more detail later, the reason for this is to guide the guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb (see Figure 7(C)) provided on the device body 2 side into the guide groove 21R from the lower end side when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0033] Furthermore, the guide groove 21R has a tapered shape in which the portions adjacent to the narrower portions 21Rc and 21Rd in the wider portions 21Ra and 21Rb gradually narrow towards the narrower portions 21Rc and 21Rd. The depth (length in the left-right direction) of the guide groove 21R is constant throughout the entire guide groove 21R.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 7(A), a guide groove 21L is formed near the front end of the left side surface 20L of the cover front 21, extending vertically from a position slightly below the vertical center of the left side surface 20L to the lower end. The upper end of this guide groove 21L is a wide section 21La, which is wider (longer in the front-to-back direction) than the other parts, and the part below the wide section 21La is a narrow section 21Lb. The reason for providing a wide section 21La and a narrow section 21Lb in the guide groove 21L will be explained later.

[0035] Furthermore, the guide groove 21L is open at its lower end (i.e., the lower end of the narrower lower portion 21Lb), and has a flared shape, widening towards the bottom. As will be explained in more detail later, the reason for this is to guide the guide pin 30L (see Figure 7(A)) provided on the device body 2 side into the guide groove 21L from the lower end side when attaching the fixing device 7 to the device body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0036] Furthermore, the guide groove 21L has a tapered shape in the portion adjacent to the narrow section 21Lb in the wider section 21La, gradually narrowing towards the narrow section 21Lb. The depth (length in the front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21L is constant throughout the entire guide groove 21L.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, a drawer connector 22 is provided on the rear side and a positioning hole 23 is provided on the front side near the right end of the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20. The drawer connector 22 is positioned facing downwards. As will be described in more detail later, this drawer connector 22 is a connector that mates with an upward-facing drawer connector 31 (see Figure 7(C)) provided on the device body 2 side when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The fixing device 7 is electrically connected to the device body 2 side when the drawer connector 22 mates with the drawer connector 31 on the device body 2 side and the attachment / detachment device is moved in the attachment direction. In this embodiment, the mating of the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 means that at least a part of the drawer connector 22 and at least a part of the drawer connector 31 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the attachment direction of the fixing device 7.

[0038] The positioning hole 23 is a hole that extends upward from the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20. As will be described in more detail later, this positioning hole 23 is a hole into which a positioning post 32 (see Figure 7(C)) provided on the device body 2 side is inserted when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1. The fixing device 7 is positioned relative to the device body 2 by the insertion (i.e., engagement) of the positioning post 32 on the device body 2 side into the positioning hole 23. In this embodiment, the engagement between the positioning hole 23 and the positioning post 32 means that at least a part of the positioning hole 23 and at least a part of the positioning post 32 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the fixing device 7.

[0039] Furthermore, the drawer connector 31 is provided to fit into a recess formed near the right edge of the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20, so that the position of the lower end of the drawer connector 31 and the position of the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20 are approximately the same in the vertical direction of the fixing housing 20.

[0040] Here, the sizes and positions of the guide grooves 21F, 21R, and 21L will be explained in more detail using Figures 7(A) to (C).

[0041] First, the vertical length of guide groove 21F and the vertical length of guide groove 21R are approximately the same. On the other hand, the vertical length of guide groove 21L is about one-third the length of guide grooves 21F and 21R.

[0042] Furthermore, in the guide groove 21R, the vertical length of the upper wide portion 21Ra is longer than that of the lower wide portion 21Rb.

[0043] Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the fixing housing 20, the positions of the lower end of the guide groove 21F, the lower end of the guide groove 21R, and the lower end of the guide groove 21L are almost identical.

[0044] Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the fixing housing 20, the position of the upper end of the guide groove 21F and the position of the upper end of the guide groove 21R are almost coincide. Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the fixing housing 20, the position of the wide portion 21Rb of the guide groove 21R and the position of the wide portion 21La of the guide groove 21L are almost coincide.

[0045] Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the fixing housing 20, the position of the wide portion 21Fb of the guide groove 21F is located above the wide portion 21Rb of the guide groove 21R and the wide portion 21La of the guide groove 21L.

[0046] [1-3. External configuration of the fixing device mounting area] Figures 5 and 6 show the external configuration of the fixing device mounting area 2A where the fixing device 7 is installed. Figures 5 and 6 are top views of the fixing device mounting area 2A as seen from above. Figure 5 shows the fixing device mounting area 2A without the fixing device 7 installed, and Figure 6 shows the fixing device mounting area 2A with the fixing device 7 installed.

[0047] As shown in Figure 5, at the mounting location 2A of the main body 2 of the device, a roughly box-shaped housing space Sc1 with an open top is formed by a front frame 40F facing the front surface 20F of the cover front 21 of the fixing device 7, a right frame 40R facing the right side surface 20R of the cover front 21, a left frame 40L facing the left side surface 20L of the cover front 21, a rear frame 40E facing the rear surface of the fixing housing 20, and a lower frame 40B facing the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20. Each frame is made of, for example, sheet metal. Each frame may be formed integrally or separately.

[0048] This housing space Sc1 is slightly larger than the fixing housing 20 of the fixing device 7, and is sized to accommodate the fixing housing 20. As shown in Figure 6, the main body of the device 2 can be fitted with the fixing device 7 by inserting the fixing device 7 into this housing space Sc1 formed at the fixing device mounting location 2A. The housing space Sc1 is slightly inclined so that the front upper end is located in front of the front lower end, and when the fixing device 7 is inserted into this housing space Sc1, it is fitted to the main body of the device 2 in a state where the front upper end is located in front of the front lower end, as shown in Figure 1.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, the front frame 40F is, for example, a beam sheet metal, and near the right end, an upper guide pin 30Fa (upstream side in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7) and a lower guide pin 30Fb (upstream side in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7) are provided with a vertical gap between them so as to protrude in the rearward direction. These two guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb are cylindrical in shape and have a diameter slightly larger than the width of the narrow sections 21Fc and 21Fd of the guide grooves 21F provided on the front surface 20F of the cover front 21 of the fixing device 7. Furthermore, these two guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb are provided in positions opposite to the guide grooves 21F, and when the fixing device 7 is mounted on the device body 2 (i.e., when it is inserted into the housing space Sc1), they are inserted into the guide grooves 21F and function as guides that guide the mounting together with the guide grooves 21F.

[0050] Furthermore, on the right frame 40R, near the front end, two guide pins are provided, one upper (upstream side in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7) and one lower (upstream side in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7), with a vertical gap between them, so as to protrude to the left. These two guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb are cylindrical in shape and have a diameter slightly larger than the width of the narrow sections 21Rc and 21Rd of the guide grooves 21R provided on the right side surface 20R of the cover front 21 of the fixing device 7. These two guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb are positioned opposite the guide grooves 21R, and when the fixing device 7 is mounted to the device body 2, they are inserted into the guide grooves 21R, functioning as guides that guide the mounting together with the guide grooves 21R.

[0051] Furthermore, the left frame 40L is provided with a guide pin 30L near its front end that protrudes to the right. This guide pin 30L is cylindrical in shape and has a diameter slightly larger than the width of the narrow section 21Lb of the guide groove 21L provided on the left side surface 20L of the cover front 21 of the fixing device 7. This guide pin 30L is also positioned opposite the guide groove 21L and, when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2, is inserted into the guide groove 21L, thereby functioning as a guide part that guides the attachment together with the guide groove 21L.

[0052] Furthermore, the lower frame 40B is provided with an upward-facing drawer connector 31 on the front side near the right end, and a positioning post 32 that protrudes upward on the rear side near the right end. The drawer connector 31 is positioned opposite to the downward-facing drawer connector 22 provided on the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20 of the fixing device 7, and is designed to engage with the drawer connector 22 when the fixing device 7 is attached to the device body 2.

[0053] Specifically, as shown in Figure 7(C), the upward-facing drawer connector 31 on the device body 2 side consists of a plate-shaped base 31B, which is attached to the lower frame 40B (omitted in Figure 7(C)) by a screw 41, and a roughly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped projection 31M that protrudes upward from the base 31B. As shown in the enlarged view of the area around the screw 41 in Figure 11, the base 31B is attached to the lower frame 40B by the screw 41, but by providing play (gap) between the base 31B and the screw 41, the drawer connector 31 can move in each direction relative to the lower frame 40B by the amount of play (i.e., within a predetermined range). In addition, the drawer connector 31 has a terminal (not shown) at the back of a hole provided on the upper surface of the projection 31M (see Figure 7(C)).

[0054] On the other hand, the downward-facing drawer connector 22 on the fixing device 7 side is composed of a plate-shaped base portion 22B, which is fixed to the bottom surface 20B of the fixing housing 20 (omitted in Figure 12(A)), and a protruding portion 22M that protrudes downward from the base portion 22B, as shown in the external perspective view in Figure 12(A) in addition to Figure 7(C). The protruding portion 22M is roughly box-shaped with an open bottom, and the insertion space 22S provided inside is slightly larger than the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31, allowing the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 to be inserted into the insertion space 22S. In addition, the drawer connector 22 has terminals (not shown) at the back of the insertion space 22S.

[0055] As shown in Figures 12(A) to (C), the drawer connector 31 on the main unit 2 and the drawer connector 22 on the fixing device 7 are connected as the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 is inserted into the insertion space 22S of the drawer connector 22, causing the protruding portion 22M of the drawer connector 22 and the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 to engage. As shown in Figure 12(C), when the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 is inserted all the way into the insertion space 22S of the drawer connector 22, the terminals of the two connectors come into contact and make an electrical connection.

[0056] Furthermore, it is assumed that at least a portion of the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 is inserted into the insertion space 22S of the drawer connector 22, and at least a portion of the protruding portion 22M of the drawer connector 22 and at least a portion of the protruding portion 31M of the drawer connector 31 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the drawer connector 31 (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the fixing device 7), in which case at least a portion of the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 are fitted together.

[0057] As shown in Figure 7(C), the positioning post 32 is a roughly cylindrical shape with a pointed tip and has a diameter slightly smaller than the positioning hole 23 provided in the fixing housing 20 of the fixing device 7. This positioning post 32 is positioned opposite the positioning hole 23 and is inserted into the positioning hole 23 when the fixing device 7 is mounted on the device body 2. The upper end of the positioning post 32 is positioned slightly lower than the upper end of the protrusion 31M of the drawer connector 31. Therefore, when mounting the fixing device 7 on the device body 2, the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23 after the drawer connector 22 and drawer connector 31 begin to engage.

[0058] Here, the positions of the guide pins 30Fa, 30Fb, 30Ra, 30Rb, and 30L will be explained in more detail using Figures 7(A) to (C). As mentioned above, the fixing device 7 is mounted on the device body 2 at a slight incline, but for the sake of simplicity, Figures 7 to 10 omit this incline.

[0059] In the vertical direction of the main body 2 of the device, the positions of the guide pin 30Fa provided on the front frame 40F and the guide pin 30Ra provided on the right frame 40R are approximately the same.

[0060] Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the main body 2 of the device, the position of the guide pin 30Rb provided on the right frame 40R and the position of the guide pin 30L provided on the left frame 40L are almost identical.

[0061] Furthermore, in the vertical direction of the main body 2 of the device, the position of the guide pin 30Fb provided on the front frame 40F is located above the guide pin 30Rb on the right frame 40R and the guide pin 30L on the left frame 40L.

[0062] [1-4. Installation of the fixing device] Next, the mounting of the fixing device 7 will be explained using Figures 7 to 10. As mentioned above, the fixing device 7 is mounted on the main body 2 at a slight incline, but for the sake of simplicity, Figures 7 to 10 omit this incline. In other words, in Figures 7 to 10, the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 is shown as downward, but strictly speaking, the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 is diagonally downward and backward.

[0063] When attaching the fixing device 7 to the main body 2, first, the lower end of the guide groove 21F provided on the front surface 20F (Figure 2) of the fixing device 7 is positioned above the upper guide pin 30Fa provided on the front frame 40F (Figure 5) of the main body 2, and the lower end of the guide groove 21R provided on the right side surface 20R (Figure 2) of the fixing device 7 is positioned above the upper guide pin 30Ra provided on the right frame 40R (Figure 5) of the main body 2. After aligning the fixing device 7 above the housing space Sc1 (Figure 5), the fixing device 7 is inserted into the housing space Sc1.

[0064] As a result, as shown in Figure 7(B), the upper guide pin 30Fa is inserted into the guide groove 21F from the lower end side of the guide groove 21F, and as shown in Figure 7(C), the upper guide pin 30Ra is inserted into the guide groove 21R from the lower end side of the guide groove 21R.

[0065] Here, Figure 7 shows the state in which the upper guide pin 30Fa passes through the lower narrow portion 21Fd of the guide groove 21F, and the upper guide pin 30Ra passes through the lower narrow portion 21Rd of the guide groove 21R.

[0066] At this time, as shown in Figure 7(B), the upper guide pin 30Fa is restricted from moving in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F. In other words, the movement of the guide pin 30Fa in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F is limited to the width of the narrow section 21Rd. As a result, the fixing device 7 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction indicated by arrow F1. Also at this time, as shown in Figure 7(C), the upper guide pin 30Ra is restricted from moving in the width direction (front-back direction) of the guide groove 21R. As a result, the fixing device 7 is restricted from moving in the front-back direction indicated by arrow R1. At this point, the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 is separated from the drawer connector 31 of the device body 2. In other words, at this point, the drawer connector 31 of the device body 2 is located away from the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7.

[0067] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 8, when the fixing device 7 is inserted until just before the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 are mated, as shown in Figure 8(B), the upper guide pin 30Fa reaches the upper narrow portion 21Fc of the guide groove 21F, and the lower guide pin 30Fb is inserted into the guide groove 21F and reaches the lower narrow portion 21Fd.

[0068] As a result, the movement of the guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F is restricted. Therefore, in addition to the left-right movement indicated by arrows F2 and F3, the tilt in the left-right direction indicated by arrow F4 of the fixing device 7 is restricted.

[0069] At this time, as shown in Figure 8(C), the upper guide pin 30Ra reaches the upper narrow portion 21Rc in the guide groove 21R, and the lower guide pin 30Rb is inserted into the guide groove 21R and reaches the lower narrow portion 21Rd.

[0070] As a result, the movement of the guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21R is restricted. Therefore, in addition to the movement in the front-to-back direction indicated by arrows R2 and R3, the tilt in the front-to-back direction indicated by arrow R4 of the fixing device 7 is restricted.

[0071] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8(A), the guide pin 30L of the device body 2 is inserted into the guide groove 21L of the fixing device 7 and reaches the narrow portion 21Lb of the guide groove 21L. As a result, the movement of the guide pin 30L in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21L is restricted. Therefore, the movement of the fixing device 7 in the front-to-back direction indicated by arrow L1 is restricted.

[0072] In this way, when the fixing device 7 is attached to the main body 2 of the image forming apparatus 1, the movement and tilt of the fixing device 7 in the front-back, left-right, and right-right directions are restricted, and the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 is guided to the drawer connector 31 of the main body 2. In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 can restrict the misalignment and tilt of the fixing device 7 and guide the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 to the drawer connector 31 of the main body 2 with high precision.

[0073] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 9, the fixing device 7 is inserted until the lower end of the drawer connector 22 and the upper end of the drawer connector 31 begin to engage (see Figure 12(B)) and the upper end of the positioning post 32 begins to be inserted into the positioning hole 23. The drawer connector 31 moves in accordance with the position of the drawer connector 22 and begins to engage with the drawer connector 31.

[0074] At this time, as shown in Figure 9(A), the guide pin 30L passes through the narrow portion 21Lb of the guide groove 21L. As a result, the movement of the guide pin 30L in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21L is restricted. Therefore, the movement of the fixing device 7 in the front-to-back direction indicated by arrow L2 is restricted.

[0075] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(B), at this time, the upper guide pin 30Fa reaches the upper wide portion 21Fa of the guide groove 21F, and the lower guide pin 30Fb reaches the lower wide portion 21Fb. As a result, the restriction on the movement of the guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F is relaxed. In other words, the movement of the guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F is limited to the width of the wide portions 21Fa and 21Fb, which are wider than the narrow portions 21Fc and 21Fd. Therefore, the restriction on the movement of the fixing device 7 in the left-right direction is relaxed, as is the restriction on tilting in the left-right direction.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(C), at this time, the upper guide pin 30Ra reaches the upper wider portion 21Ra of the guide groove 21R, while the lower guide pin 30Rb passes through the lower narrow portion 21Rd. As a result, the restriction on the movement of the guide pin 30Ra in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21F is relaxed, while the movement of the guide pin 30Rb in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21F is restricted. Therefore, the fixing device 7 is restricted from moving in the front-to-back direction indicated by arrow R5, while the restriction on tilting in the front-to-back direction is relaxed.

[0077] Thus, in the image forming apparatus 1, when the fixing device 7 is attached to the apparatus body 2, as the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 and the drawer connector 31 of the apparatus body 2 begin to engage and the positioning post 32 begins to be inserted into the positioning hole 23, that is, when at least a part of the positioning hole 23 and at least a part of the positioning post 32 overlap in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the positioning post 32 (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the mounting direction of the fixing device 7), the movement of the fixing device 7 in the front-to-back direction is restricted, while the tilt in the front-to-back direction and the movement and tilt in the left-to-right direction are relaxed.

[0078] More precisely, in the image forming apparatus 1, the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23 after the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 have begun to engage. Therefore, the guide pins 30Fa and 30Ra reach the wide portions 21Fa and 21Ra, respectively, when the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 begin to engage (i.e., before the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23).

[0079] In this way, in the image forming apparatus 1, when the drawer connector 22 of the fixing device 7 and the drawer connector 31 of the apparatus body 2 begin to engage, and when the positioning post 32 begins to be inserted into the positioning hole 23, the fixing device 7 tilts in the forward, backward, left, and right directions, or moves in the left and right directions, thereby absorbing positional errors caused by manufacturing errors in the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31, allowing them to engage properly without hindering the engagement of the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31. Similarly, positional errors caused by manufacturing errors in the positioning hole 23 and the positioning post 32 allow the positioning post 32 to be inserted into the positioning hole 23 properly without hindering its insertion.

[0080] Subsequently, as the fixing device 7 is further inserted into the housing space Sc1, as shown in Figure 6, the fixing device 7 is housed in the housing space Sc1, and at this time, as shown in Figure 10, the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 are mated together until their terminals make contact and are electrically connected (see Figure 12(C)), and almost the entire positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23. At this point, the fixing device 7 is considered to be fully mounted to the device body 2.

[0081] At this time, as shown in Figure 10(A), the guide pin 30L reaches the wide portion 21La in the guide groove 21L. As a result, the restriction on the movement of the guide pin 30L in the width direction (front-back direction) of the guide groove 21L is eased.

[0082] At this time, as shown in Figure 10(B), the upper guide pin 30Fa remains positioned in the upper wide portion 21Fa of the guide groove 21F, and the lower guide pin 30Fb remains positioned in the lower wide portion 21Fb. As a result, the restriction on the movement of the guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb in the width direction (left-right direction) of the guide groove 21F remains relaxed.

[0083] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10(C), the upper guide pin 30Ra remains positioned in the upper wide portion 21Ra of the guide groove 21R, while the lower guide pin 30Rb reaches the lower wide portion 21Rb. As a result, the restriction on the movement of the guide pin 30Ra in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21F is relaxed, and the restriction on the movement of the guide pin 30Rb in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21F is also relaxed.

[0084] Thus, in the image forming apparatus 1, once the fixing device 7 is attached to the apparatus body 2, the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 are mated, and the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23, the fixing device 7 is positioned relative to the apparatus body 2 by the positioning post 32, thereby easing all restrictions on movement and tilt of the fixing device 7.

[0085] [1-5. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1, which is an example of an electronic device, is provided with an apparatus body 2, a fixing device 7, which is an example of a detachable device that can be attached to the apparatus body 2, a guide pin 30Ra, which is an example of a first engaging portion and a first protruding portion, provided on the apparatus body 2 and on one end side in a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 (left-right direction) (i.e., provided on the right frame 40R), and a guide groove 21R, which is an example of a first engaged portion and a first groove, provided on the fixing device 7 and capable of engaging with the guide pin 30Ra and extending in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7.

[0086] Furthermore, the fixing device 7 is provided with a drawer connector 22, which is an example of a second connector, that approaches the drawer connector 31, which is an example of a first connector provided on the device body 2, and can be mated with and connected to the drawer connector 31 when it is attached to the device body 2.

[0087] Furthermore, the guide groove 21R is provided with a narrow section 21Rc, which is an example of a first region through which the guide pin 30Ra passes when the drawer connector 31 and the drawer connector 22 are separated and not engaged during the process of mounting the fixing device 7 to the device body 2 (the state in Figure 8), and a wide section 21Ra, which is an example of a second region through which the guide pin 30Ra passes after at least a part of the drawer connector 31 is engaged with at least a part of the drawer connector 22 (the state in Figures 9 and 10).

[0088] Furthermore, it was determined that the range of movement of the guide pin 30Ra relative to the guide groove 21R is wider when the guide pin 30Ra passes through the wider section 21Ra of the guide groove 21R than when the guide pin 30Ra passes through the narrow section 21Rc of the guide groove 21R, in the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 (the width direction of the guide groove 21R, which is the front-to-back direction). More specifically, it was determined that the range of movement of the guide pin 30Ra relative to the guide groove 21R is wider when the guide pin 30Ra passes through the wider section 21Ra of the guide groove 21R than when the guide pin 30Ra passes through the narrow section 21Rc of the guide groove 21R, in the direction intersecting both the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 (downward direction) and the direction from one end of the fixing device 7 to the other end (the longitudinal direction, which is the left-to-right direction) (the width direction of the guide groove 21R, which is the front-to-back direction).

[0089] In this way, when the image forming apparatus 1 attaches the fixing device 7 to the apparatus body 2, if the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 are separated, the guide pin 30Ra passes through the narrow part 21Rc of the guide groove 21R, thereby restricting misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 7 and guiding the drawer connector 22 to the drawer connector 31 with high precision.

[0090] Furthermore, after at least a portion of the drawer connector 22 has mated with at least a portion of the drawer connector 31 (i.e., after the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 have begun to mate), the image forming apparatus 1 allows the guide pin 30Ra to pass through the wide portion 21Ra of the guide groove 21R, thereby easing restrictions such as misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 7, absorbing misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and enabling proper mating of the drawer connector 22 and the drawer connector 31 without hindering their mating. Thus, according to the image forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to make it easier to properly connect the connectors.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a guide pin 30Rb, which is an example of a second engaging portion, located downstream of the guide pin 30Ra in the mounting direction of the fixing device 7, on the apparatus body 2. Furthermore, the guide groove 21R, which is an example of the first engaged portion and the second engaged portion, is provided with a narrow portion 21Rd, which is an example of a third region through which the guide pin 30Rb passes when the guide pin 30Ra passes through the wide portion 21Ra.

[0092] Furthermore, in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the guide groove 21R, the range of movement of the guide pin 30Rb passing through the narrow section 21Rd, which is an example of a third region, is narrower than that of the guide pin 30Ra passing through the wide section 21Ra, which is an example of a second region.

[0093] In other words, after at least a portion of the drawer connector 22 is engaged with at least a portion of the drawer connector 31, the image forming apparatus 1 restricts the movement of the guide groove 21R in the width direction on the side of the fixing device 7 closer to the drawer connector 22 (narrow portion 21Rd side), and relaxes the restriction on movement in the width direction on the side further away from the drawer connector 22 (wide portion 21Ra side).

[0094] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 can tilt the fixing device 7 in the width direction of the guide groove 21R by moving the side of the fixing device 7 that is farther from the drawer connector 22, without moving the side of the fixing device 7 that is close to the drawer connector 22. This allows the connectors to be properly fitted together by absorbing misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors without damaging them.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a fixing device 7 that, when mounted on the apparatus body 2, approaches the positioning post 32, which is an example of a positioning engagement portion provided on the apparatus body 2, and after the drawer connector 31 begins to fit into the drawer connector 22, a positioning hole 23 is provided, which is an example of a positioning engagement portion that engages with the positioning post 32.

[0096] Furthermore, the guide pin 30Rb is positioned to pass through the narrow section 21Rd until the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23 (i.e., engages with the positioning hole 23). In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 can insert the positioning post 32 into the positioning hole 23 with high accuracy by restricting misalignment in the part close to the positioning hole 23 until the positioning post 32 is inserted into the positioning hole 23, and can properly position the fixing device 7.

[0097] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a wide section 21Rb, which is an example of a fourth region, downstream of the narrow section 21Rc in the mounting direction of the guide groove 21R, which functions as a guide section together with the guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb. When the fixing device 7 is installed, the guide pin 30Ra is positioned in the wide section 21Ra and the guide pin 30Rb is positioned in the wide section 21Rb. In other words, the guide groove 21R is provided with a wide section 21Ra as a first region, a narrow section 21Rc as a second region, a wide section 21Rb as a third region, and a narrow section 21Rd as a fourth region, which are positioned sequentially from the upstream side in the mounting direction. When the fixing device 7 is installed, the guide pins 30Ra and Rb are positioned in the wide sections 21Ra and 21Rb.

[0098] In this way, when the fixing device 7 is installed, the image forming apparatus 1 can relax all restrictions imposed by the guide pins 30Ra, 30Rb and the guide groove 21R.

[0099] Furthermore, the main body of the device 2 is provided with a guide pin 30L, which is an example of an engaging portion and a protruding portion, located on the other end side in the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 (left-right direction) (i.e., located on the left frame 40L), and a guide groove 21L, which is an example of an engaged portion and a guide portion located on the fixing device 7 and capable of engaging with the guide pin 30L.

[0100] Furthermore, the guide groove 21L is provided with a narrow section 21Lb, which is an example of the area through which the guide pin 30L passes when the drawer connector 31 and the drawer connector 22 are separated and not mated during the process of the fixing device 7 being mounted to the device body 2 (the state in Figure 8), and a wide section 21La, which is an example of the area through which the guide pin 30L passes after at least a part of the drawer connector 31 has mated with at least a part of the drawer connector 22 (the state in Figures 9 and 10).

[0101] Furthermore, it was determined that the range of movement of the guide pin 30L relative to the guide groove 21L is wider when the guide pin 30L passes through the wider section 21La of the guide groove 21L than when the guide pin 30L passes through the narrower section 21Lb of the guide groove 21L, in the direction that intersects the mounting direction of the fixing device 7 and the direction from one end to the other end of the fixing device 7 (left-right direction) (the width direction of the guide groove 21L, which is the front-back direction).

[0102] In this way, the image forming apparatus 1 can be attached to the apparatus body 2 more smoothly by positioning guide pins 30L and 30Ra and guide grooves 21L and 21R on both the left and right sides of the fixing device 7, respectively.

[0103] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the mechanism for attaching the fixing device 7 to the main body 2. The following will mainly describe the parts that differ from the first embodiment. To distinguish it from the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1, main body 2, and fixing device 7 of the second embodiment will be referred to as the image forming apparatus 100, main body 110, and fixing device 120, respectively.

[0104] [2-1. External Configuration of the Fixing Device] Figure 13 shows the external configuration of the fixing device 120 in the second embodiment. Note that Figure 13 is an external perspective view of the fixing device 120 seen from the front diagonal right direction, and the external configuration of the fixing device 120 is shown in a simplified manner. The fixing device 120 has a fixing housing 121 as its exterior, which is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction.

[0105] As shown in Figure 13, the right side surface 121R of the fixing housing 121 is provided with an upper guide pin 122Ra and a lower guide pin 122Rb that protrude to the right, spaced apart in the vertical direction. These guide pins 122Ra and 122Rb are the same type of guide pins as the guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb in the first embodiment, and are inserted into guide grooves 131 provided in the device body 110 when the fixing device 120 is attached to the device body 110.

[0106] Furthermore, the left side surface 121L of the fixing housing 121 has a stepped shape where the upper part 121Lu is recessed to the right relative to the lower part 121Lb. In addition, a downward-facing drawer connector 123 is provided near the right end of the bottom surface 121B of the fixing housing 121. This drawer connector 123 is the same type of drawer connector as the drawer connector 22 of the first embodiment, and is designed to engage with the drawer connector 133 provided on the device body 110 when the fixing device 120 is attached to the device body 110.

[0107] [2-2. External configuration of the fixing device mounting area] Figure 14 shows the external configuration of the fixing device mounting area 110A provided on the main body 110 of the image forming apparatus 100. Figure 14 is a top view of the fixing device mounting area 110A as seen from above, showing the fixing device mounting area 110A with the fixing device 120 installed.

[0108] As shown in Figure 14, at the mounting location 110A of the fixing device, a roughly box-shaped housing space Sc2 with an open top is formed by a front frame 130F facing the front surface 121F of the fixing housing 121 of the fixing device 120, a right frame 130R facing the right side surface 121R of the fixing housing 121, a left frame 130L facing the left side surface 121L of the fixing housing 121, a rear frame 130E facing the rear surface of the fixing housing 121, and a lower frame 130B facing the bottom surface 121B of the fixing housing 121. Note that each frame may be formed integrally or separately.

[0109] The main body 110 of the image forming apparatus 100 is designed so that the fixing device 120 can be mounted by inserting it into the housing space Sc2 formed in the fixing device mounting area 110A. The length of the housing space Sc2 in the left-right direction is longer than the length of the fixing device 120 in the left-right direction. For this reason, when inserting the fixing device 120 into the housing space Sc2, the fixing device 120 is moved towards the right frame 130R side by the pressing part 132, which will be described later.

[0110] A guide groove 131 is formed in the right frame 130R that forms the housing space Sc2, extending vertically from the upper end to near the lower end. The guide groove 131 is similar to the guide groove 21R in the first embodiment, and although not shown, it has a wide section and a narrow section, similar to the guide groove 21R, so that the guide pins 122Ra and 122Rb provided on the fixing device 120 are inserted when the fixing device 120 is attached to the device body 110.

[0111] Furthermore, the left frame 130L is provided with a pressing portion 132 at its upper part. This pressing portion 132 consists of a contact portion 132A that temporarily contacts the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing housing 121 (but does not contact the upper part 121Lu) when the fixing device 120 is attached to the device body 110, and a biasing member 132B such as a spring that biases the contact portion 132A away from the left frame 130L.

[0112] This pressing portion 132 is a member that, when attaching the fixing device 120 to the device body 110, presses the fixing housing 121 toward the right frame 130R of the device body 110 by the biasing force of the biasing member 132B while the contact portion 132A is in contact with the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing housing 121.

[0113] Furthermore, the lower frame 130B is provided with an upward-facing drawer connector 133 near its right end. This drawer connector 133 is similar to the drawer connector 31 in the first embodiment, and is designed to engage with the drawer connector 123 provided on the device body 110 when the fixing device 120 is attached to the device body 110.

[0114] [2-3. Installation of the fixing device] Next, the mounting of the fixing device 120 will be explained using Figures 15(A) and (B). Note that Figures 15(A) and (B) are front views of the fixing device mounting location 110A as seen from the front, and the front frame 130F is omitted. Also, as in the first embodiment, the fixing device 120 is mounted on the device body 110 in a slightly tilted position, but for the sake of simplicity, this tilt is omitted in Figure 15.

[0115] Furthermore, the positional relationship between the guide groove 131 and the guide pins 122Ra and 122Rb when mounting the fixing device 120 is the same as in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0116] Figure 15(A) shows the state in which the fixing device 120 is being inserted into the housing space Sc2, the lower guide pin 122Rb provided on the fixing device 120 is inserted into the guide groove 131 provided on the device body 110, and the contact portion 132A of the pressing portion 132 provided on the device body 110 is in contact with the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120.

[0117] Furthermore, the contact portion 132A of the pressing portion 132 is inclined diagonally upward to the left at its upper end, while the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120 is almost parallel to it. This allows the fixing device 120 to be smoothly housed in the housing space Sc2 while being moved towards the right side.

[0118] As shown in Figure 15(A), the fixing device 120 is pressed by the pressing part 132 and moved towards the right frame 130R side of the device body 110, and the guide pin 122Rb provided on the fixing device 120 is securely inserted into the guide groove 131 provided on the device body 110. As a result, the movement of the fixing device 120 in the forward, backward, left, and right directions, as well as tilting in the left and right directions, is restricted.

[0119] Subsequently, as the fixing device 120 is further inserted, the upper guide pin 122Ra is inserted into the guide groove 131 in addition to the lower guide pin 122Rb provided on the fixing device 120. As a result, the movement and tilt of the fixing device 120 in the front-back, left-right, and right-hand directions are restricted.

[0120] Then, as shown in Figure 15(B), insert the fixing device 120 until the lower end of the drawer connector 123 and the upper end of the drawer connector 133 begin to engage.

[0121] At this time, the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120 passes the pressing part 132, and the pressing part 132 separates from both the upper part 121Lu and the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120, thereby releasing the pressure applied by the pressing part 132. As a result, the lateral movement and tilt of the fixing device 120, which were restricted by the pressure applied by the pressing part 132, are alleviated.

[0122] In this way, the image forming apparatus 100 can accurately guide the drawer connector 123 to the drawer connector 133 by restricting the misalignment and tilt of the fixing device 120 until the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 begin to mate. Once the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 begin to mate, the restrictions on the misalignment and tilt of the fixing device 120 are relaxed to absorb misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 can be properly mated without hindering their mating.

[0123] Subsequently, as the fixing device 120 is further inserted into the housing space Sc2, the fixing device 120 is housed in the housing space Sc2, and at this time, the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 are mated together until their terminals make contact and make an electrical connection. At this point, the fixing device 120 is considered to be fully attached to the device body 110. At this time, the guide pins 122Ra and 122Rb of the fixing device 120 reach the wide part of the guide groove 131, and all restrictions on movement and tilt are relieved.

[0124] In this embodiment, the positioning holes and positioning posts are omitted, but as in the first embodiment, positioning holes and positioning posts may be provided to position the fixing device 120. Alternatively, in the first embodiment, the positioning holes and positioning posts may be omitted, as in this embodiment.

[0125] [2-4. Summary and Effects] As explained above, in the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus 100, which is an example of an electronic device, is provided with a main body 110 and a fixing device 120, which is an example of a detachable device that can be attached to the main body 110.

[0126] Furthermore, the fixing device 120 is provided with a drawer connector 123, which is an example of a second connector, that approaches the drawer connector 133, which is an example of a first connector provided on the device body 110, when it is attached to the device body 110, and can be mated with and connected to the drawer connector 133.

[0127] Furthermore, the fixing device 120 is configured such that the upper part 121Lu of the left side surface 121L is recessed to the right of the lower part 121Lb. In addition, the device body 110 is provided with a pressing part 132 on the left frame 130L that can contact the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120 and press towards the right frame 130R.

[0128] Then, during the process of mounting the fixing device 120 to the device body 110, the pressing part 132 contacts the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120 when the drawer connector 133 and the drawer connector 123 are separated and not engaged (state shown in Figure 15(A)), pressing the fixing device 120 toward the right frame 130R, and after at least a part of the drawer connector 133 is engaged with at least a part of the drawer connector 123 (state shown in Figure 15(B)), the pressing part 132 separates from the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120.

[0129] In this way, when the image forming apparatus 100 attaches the fixing device 120 to the apparatus body 110, if the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 are separated, the pressing part 132 presses the fixing device 120 and moves it toward the right frame 130R side, thereby restricting the positional displacement and tilt of the fixing device 120 and guiding the drawer connector 123 to the drawer connector 133 with high precision.

[0130] Furthermore, after at least a portion of the drawer connector 123 has mated with at least a portion of the drawer connector 133 (i.e., after the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 have begun to mate), the pressing portion 132 moves away from the lower part 121Lb of the left side surface 121L of the fixing device 120 (facing the upper part 121Lu), thereby easing restrictions on misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 120, absorbing misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and enabling proper mating of the drawer connector 123 and the drawer connector 133 without hindering their mating.

[0131] Thus, the image forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment can obtain the same effects as the image forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

[0132] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. This third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the mechanism for attaching the fixing device 7 to the main body 2. The following will mainly describe the parts that differ from the first embodiment. To distinguish it from the first embodiment, the image forming apparatus 1, main body 2, and fixing device 7 of the third embodiment will be referred to as the image forming apparatus 200, main body 210, and fixing device 220, respectively.

[0133] [3-1. External Configuration of the Fixing Device] Figure 16 shows the external configuration of the fixing device 220 in the third embodiment. Note that Figure 16 is an external perspective view of the fixing device 220 seen from the front diagonal right direction, and the external configuration of the fixing device 220 is shown in a simplified manner. The fixing device 220 has a fixing housing 221 as its exterior, which is a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the left-right direction.

[0134] As shown in Figure 16, positioning holes 222R and 222L are provided near the right and left ends of the fixing housing 221, respectively, penetrating from the top surface 221U to the bottom surface 221B. Positioning hole 222R is a roughly cylindrical hole extending in the vertical direction, and consists of an upper large-diameter portion 222Ru and a smaller-diameter portion 222Rb located below the large-diameter portion 222Ru and having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion 222Ru. Furthermore, the portion of the large-diameter portion 222Ru adjacent to the smaller-diameter portion 222Rb has a tapered shape, with the diameter gradually decreasing towards the smaller-diameter portion 222Rb. Positioning hole 222L has the same size and shape as positioning hole 222R.

[0135] These positioning holes 222R and 222L are holes into which positioning posts 231R and 231L (see Figure 17) provided on the device body 210 are inserted when the fixing device 220 is attached to the device body 210.

[0136] Furthermore, near the right end of the bottom surface 221B of the fixing housing 221, a downward-facing drawer connector 223 is provided behind the positioning hole 222R. This drawer connector 223 is the same type of drawer connector as the drawer connector 22 in the first embodiment, and is designed to engage with the drawer connector 232 provided on the device body 210 when the fixing device 220 is attached to the device body 210.

[0137] [3-2. External configuration of the fixing device mounting area] Figures 17 and 18 show the external configuration of the fixing device mounting area 210A provided on the main body 210 of the image forming apparatus 200. Figures 17 and 18 are top views of the fixing device mounting area 210A as seen from above. Figure 17 shows the fixing device mounting area 210A with the fixing device 220 installed, and Figure 18 shows the fixing device mounting area 210A without the fixing device 220 installed.

[0138] As shown in Figures 17 and 18, at the mounting location 210A of the fixing device, a roughly box-shaped housing space Sc3 with an open top is formed by a front frame 230F facing the front surface 221F of the fixing housing 221 of the fixing device 220, a right frame 230R facing the right side surface 221R of the fixing housing 221, a left frame 230L facing the left side surface 221L of the fixing housing 221, a rear frame 230E facing the rear surface of the fixing housing 221, and a lower frame 230B facing the bottom surface 221B of the fixing housing 221. Note that each frame may be formed integrally or separately.

[0139] This housing space Sc3 is slightly larger than the fixing housing 221 of the fixing device 220, and is sized to accommodate the fixing housing 221. The main body 210 of the image forming apparatus 200 is configured to accommodate the fixing device 220 by inserting it into this housing space Sc3 formed at the fixing device mounting location 210A.

[0140] The lower frame 230B, which forms the housing space Sc3, is provided with positioning posts 231R and 231L extending upward near its right and left ends, respectively. As shown in Figure 19(B), which is a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the right end portion of the fixing device mounting area 210A along the AA cutting line shown in Figure 17, the positioning post 231R is approximately cylindrical with a pointed tip, and its vertical length is approximately the same as the vertical length of the positioning hole 222R of the fixing device 220. Figure 19(B) shows the state in which the fixing device 220 is being inserted into the housing space Sc3.

[0141] Furthermore, the positioning post 231R has an upper large-diameter portion 231Ru and a lower small-diameter portion 231Rb located below the large-diameter portion 231Ru, with the portion of the large-diameter portion 231Ru adjacent to the small-diameter portion 231Rb having a tapered shape in which the diameter gradually decreases toward the small-diameter portion 231Rb. In addition, the diameter of the large-diameter portion 231Ru of the positioning post 231R is slightly smaller than the diameter of the small-diameter portion 222Rb of the positioning hole 222R. The positioning hole 222L has the same size and shape as the positioning hole 222R.

[0142] These positioning posts 231R and 231L are inserted into positioning holes 222R and 222L provided on the device body 210 when the fixing device 220 is attached to the device body 210.

[0143] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 17, an upward-facing drawer connector 232 is provided near the right end of the lower frame 230B, behind the positioning post 231R. This drawer connector 232 is similar to the drawer connector 31 in the first embodiment, and is designed to engage with the drawer connector 223 provided on the fixing device 220 when the fixing device 220 is attached to the device body 210.

[0144] [3-3. Installation of the fixing device] Next, the mounting of the fixing device 220 will be explained using Figures 19(A) and (B). Note that, as in the first embodiment, the fixing device 220 is mounted on the device body 210 at a slight inclination; however, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 19 omits this inclination.

[0145] When attaching the fixing device 220 to the main body 210, the fixing device 220 is first inserted into the housing space Sc3 by inserting the two positioning posts 231R and 231L provided on the main body 210 into the two positioning holes 222R and 222L provided on the fixing device 220.

[0146] Figure 19(A) shows the state in which the fixing device 220 is being inserted into the housing space Sc3, and the large-diameter portion 231Ru of the positioning post 231R is passing through the small-diameter portion 222Rb of the positioning hole 222R. Although not shown, at this time the large-diameter portion of the positioning post 231L is also passing through the small-diameter portion of the positioning hole 222L.

[0147] At this time, there is only a small gap between the large-diameter portion 231Ru of the positioning post 231R and the small-diameter portion 222Rb of the positioning hole 222R, and similarly, there is only a small gap between the large-diameter portion of the positioning post 231L and the small-diameter portion of the positioning hole 222R, so the movement and tilting of the fixing device 220 in the front, back, left, and right directions are restricted.

[0148] Subsequently, as the fixing device 220 is further inserted, the lower end of the drawer connector 223 and the upper end of the drawer connector 232 begin to engage, as shown in Figure 19(B).

[0149] At this time, the entire large-diameter portion 231Ru of the positioning post 231R passes through the small-diameter portion 222Rb of the positioning hole 222R and reaches the large-diameter portion 222Ru, and the small-diameter portion 231Rb of the positioning post 231R passes through the small-diameter portion 222Rb of the positioning hole 222R. Although not shown in the figures, at this time, the entire large-diameter portion of the positioning post 231L also passes through the small-diameter portion of the positioning hole 222L and reaches the large-diameter portion, and the small-diameter portion of the positioning post 231L passes through the small-diameter portion of the positioning hole 222L.

[0150] At this time, the gap between the positioning post 231R and the positioning hole 222R becomes larger, and similarly, the gap between the positioning post 231L and the positioning hole 222R also becomes larger, so the restrictions on movement and tilting of the fixing device 220 in the front, back, left, and right directions are relaxed.

[0151] In this way, the image forming apparatus 200 can accurately guide the drawer connector 223 to the drawer connector 232 by restricting the misalignment and tilt of the fixing device 220 until the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 begin to mate. Once the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 begin to mate, the restrictions on the misalignment and tilt of the fixing device 220 are relaxed to absorb misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 can be properly mated without hindering their mating.

[0152] Subsequently, as the fixing device 220 is further inserted into the housing space Sc3, the fixing device 220 is housed in the housing space Sc3, and at this time, the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 are mated together until their terminals make contact and are electrically connected. At this point, the fixing device 220 is considered to be fully attached to the device body 210.

[0153] [3-4. Summary and Effects] As explained above, in the third embodiment, the image forming apparatus 200, which is an example of an electronic device, is provided with a main body 210 and a fixing device 220, which is an example of a detachable device that can be attached to or detached from the main body 210.

[0154] Furthermore, the fixing device 220 is provided with a drawer connector 223, which is an example of a second connector, that approaches the drawer connector 232, which is an example of a first connector provided on the device body 210, when it is attached to the device body 210, and can be mated with and connected to the drawer connector 232.

[0155] Furthermore, the fixing device 220 is provided with positioning holes 222R and 222L near the right and left ends of the bottom surface 221B, respectively, which extend from the bottom surface 221B toward the top surface 221U, and into which positioning posts 231R and 231L provided in the device body 210 are inserted when the fixing device 220 is attached to the device body 210.

[0156] Furthermore, the positioning posts 231R and 231L are designed to be narrower at the bottom than at the top, and similarly, the positioning holes 222R and 222L are also designed to be narrower at the bottom than at the top.

[0157] Then, during the process of mounting the fixing device 220 to the device body 210, when the drawer connector 232 and the drawer connector 223 are separated and not mated (state as shown in Figure 19(A)), the thicker parts (large diameter parts) of the positioning posts 231R and 231L pass through the thinner parts (small diameter parts) of the positioning holes 222R and 222L. After at least a part of the drawer connector 232 has mated with at least a part of the drawer connector 223 (state as shown in Figure 19(B)), the thicker parts (large diameter parts) of the positioning posts 231R and 231L pass through the thicker parts (large diameter parts) of the positioning holes 222R and 222L.

[0158] In this way, when the image forming apparatus 200 attaches the fixing device 220 to the apparatus body 210, if the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 are separated, the thicker parts (large diameter parts) of the positioning posts 231R and 231L pass through the thinner parts (small diameter parts) of the positioning holes 222R and 222L, thereby restricting misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 220 and guiding the drawer connector 223 to the drawer connector 232 with high precision.

[0159] Furthermore, after at least a portion of the drawer connector 223 has mated with at least a portion of the drawer connector 232 (i.e., after the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 have begun to mate), the thicker portions (large diameter portions) of the positioning posts 231R and 231L pass through the thicker portions (large diameter portions) of the positioning holes 222R and 222L, thereby easing restrictions on misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 220, absorbing misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and enabling proper mating of the drawer connector 223 and the drawer connector 232 without hindering their mating.

[0160] Thus, the image forming apparatus 200 of this embodiment can obtain the same effects as the image forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

[0161] [4. Other Embodiments] [4-1. Other Embodiments 1] In the first embodiment described above, guide grooves 21F, 21R, and 21L are provided on the fixing device 7 side, and guide pins 30Fa, 30Fb, 30Ra, 30Rb, and 30L are provided on the device body 2 side. However, the invention is not limited to this configuration, and guide pins may be provided on the fixing device 7 side and guide pins on the device body 2 side.

[0162] For example, as shown in Figure 20 corresponding to Figure 2, Figure 21 corresponding to Figure 3, and Figure 22, a perspective view of the right side of the fixing device mounting location 2A from above, guide pins 30Fa, 30Fb, 30Ra, 30Rb, and 30L may be provided on the fixing device 7 side, and guide grooves 21F, 21R, and 21L (not shown) may be provided on the device body 2 side. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0163] [4-2. Other Embodiments 2] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the present invention was applied to an image forming apparatus 1 in which the fixing device 7 is inserted into the housing space Sc1 provided in the apparatus body 2 from above, that is, an image forming apparatus 1 in which the fixing device 7 is mounted in a downward direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to an image forming apparatus in which the fixing device is mounted in a horizontal direction.

[0164] Here, Figure 23 shows an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus in which the fixing device is mounted in the lateral direction. Figure 23 is a side view of the fixing device mounting location 310A and the fixing device 320 provided on the apparatus body 310, viewed from the side.

[0165] The fixing housing 321 of the fixing device 320 is provided with, for example, a guide pin 322La on the upper part near the front end of the left side surface 321L, and a guide pin 322Lb is provided diagonally downward and rearward from the guide pin 322La on the left side surface 321L (in the center of the left side surface 321L in the vertical and front-to-back directions). Furthermore, the fixing housing 321 is provided with, for example, a forward-facing drawer connector 323 at the lower end of the front surface 321F.

[0166] On the other hand, a roughly box-shaped housing space Sc4 with an open rear surface is formed at the fixing device mounting location 310A. Furthermore, a guide groove 331La extending in the front-rear direction from the upper rear end to the front end is formed on the left frame 330L which forms the left side of the housing space Sc4. Additionally, a guide groove 331Lb is formed on the left frame 330L which extending in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the central part in the vertical direction to a position slightly in front of the center in the front-rear direction.

[0167] Guide groove 331La has a wide section 331La1 at its rear end and a narrow section 331La2 in front of the wide section 331La1. Similarly, guide groove 331Lb has a wide section 331Lb1 at its rear end and a narrow section 331Lb2 in front of the wide section 331Lb1. The length of the wide section 331La1 in the front-to-back direction is longer than that of the wide section 331Lb1. Furthermore, the front frame 330F that forms the front of the storage space Sc4 is provided with a rearward-facing drawer connector 332 at its lower end.

[0168] At this fixing device mounting location 310A, the fixing device 320 can be installed by inserting it from the rear side of the housing space Sc4 of the device body 310 and housing it in the housing space Sc4.

[0169] Furthermore, in this configuration, as the fixing device 320 is mounted to the main body 310, when the drawer connector 323 and the drawer connector 332 begin to mate, the upper guide pin 322La reaches the wider portion 331La1 of the upper guide groove 331La (the lower guide pin 322Lb is still passing through the narrower portion 331Lb2). This relieves restrictions on misalignment and tilting of the fixing device 320, absorbs misalignment due to manufacturing errors between the connectors, and allows the drawer connector 323 and the drawer connector 332 to mate properly without hindering their mating.

[0170] [4-3. Other Embodiments 3] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, two guide pins 30Fa and 30Fb are provided for the guide groove 21F, and two guide pins 30Ra and 30Rb are provided for the guide groove 21R. In other words, multiple guide pins are inserted into a single guide groove.

[0171] This is not limited to this configuration; separate guide grooves may be provided for each guide pin. For example, two guide grooves may be provided on the right side surface 20R of the fixing device 7, spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and one guide pin may be provided on the right frame 40R of the device body 2, at positions corresponding to each of the two guide grooves. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0172] [4-4. Other Embodiments 4] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, drawer connectors 22 and 31 were used as connectors to connect the fixing device 7 and the device body 2. However, other connectors besides drawer connectors may be used, as long as they are configured to gradually engage during the process of attaching the fixing device 7 to the device body 2. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0173] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the drawer connector 31 on the device body 2 side is attached to the device body 2 so as to be movable within a predetermined range. However, the drawer connector 31 may be fixed to the device body 2. On the other hand, the drawer connector 22 on the fixing device 7 side may be attached to the fixing device 7 so as to be movable within a predetermined range. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0174] [4-5. Other Embodiments 5] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, guide grooves 21F, 21R, and 21L were provided on the front 20F, right side 20R, and left side 20L of the fixing device 7. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the guide grooves only need to be provided at a position on the fixing device 7 that is at least one end in any direction (front-to-back direction or left-to-right direction) perpendicular to the mounting direction. The guide pins only need to be provided on the device body 2 at a position that allows them to be inserted into the guide width. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0175] [4-6. Other Embodiments 6] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the present invention was applied to image forming apparatuses 1, 100, and 200, which are monochrome printers with detachable fuser units 7, 120, and 220. However, the present invention is not limited to these and can be applied to various image forming apparatuses such as color printers, copiers, facsimile machines, and MFPs (Multi-Function Peripherals) with detachable fuser units. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to these and can be applied to various electronic devices equipped with detachable attachments that can be attached to the main body of the apparatus.

[0176] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the present invention was applied to fixing devices 7, 120, and 220 that are detachable from the main body 2, 110, and 210 of the apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to these and can be applied to various detachable devices that are detachable from the main body of the apparatus. For example, it can be applied to detachable consumables that involve electrical connections, such as developer cartridges and additional cassettes, and can also be applied to apparatuses other than image forming apparatuses that have consumables that involve electrical connections, such as developer cartridges and additional cassettes.

[0177] [4-7. Other Embodiments 7] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention also extends to embodiments that arbitrarily combine some or all of the embodiments described above and other embodiments.

[0178] [5. Addendum] The various aspects of the present invention are summarized below as appendices.

[0179] [5-1. Appendix 1] The main body of the device, A detachable attachment device to the main body of the aforementioned device, A first engaging portion is provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and is provided on at least one end of the two ends in a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device, A first engaged portion is provided on either the main body of the device or the detachable device, and is capable of engaging with the first engaging portion. It has, The aforementioned attachment / detachment device is When attached to the device body, it further has a second connector that approaches the first connector provided on the device body, mates with the first connector, and is capable of connecting to the first connector. The first engaged portion is, During the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated, the first region through which the first engaging portion passes, In the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, after at least a portion of the first connector and at least a portion of the second connector are mated, the second region through which the first engaging portion passes and It has, When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range over which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider than when the first engaging portion passes through the first region. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

[0180] [5-2. Appendix 2] The first engaging portion is a first protrusion, The first engaged portion is a first groove that guides the first protruding portion, The second region of the first groove has a wider groove width in the intersecting direction than the first region. The electronic device described in Appendix 1, characterized by the features described herein.

[0181] [5-3. Appendix 3] A plurality of engaging portions are provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and are provided on one end and the other end of the attachment / detachment device in the longitudinal direction intersecting the mounting direction, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the plurality of engaged portions that can engage with the plurality of engaging portions It has, The first engagement portion is one of the plurality of engagement portions, The first engaged portion is one of the plurality of engaged portions, The first engaging portion is located on the side of the longitudinal direction where the first connector is provided, between the one end and the other end. The electronic device described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, characterized by the above.

[0182] [5-4. Appendix 4] A plurality of engaging portions are provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and are provided on one end side, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the plurality of engaged portions that can engage with the plurality of engaging portions It has, The first engagement portion is one of the plurality of engagement portions, The first engaged portion is one of the plurality of engaged portions, The first engaging portion is located furthest upstream in the mounting direction among the plurality of engaging portions. The electronic device described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, characterized by the above.

[0183] [5-5. Appendix 5] The plurality of engagement portions each have a second engagement portion located downstream of the first engagement portion in the mounting direction. Each of the plurality of engaged portions has a second engaged portion that can engage with the second engaged portion. The second engaged portion has a third region through which the second engaged portion passes when the first engaged portion passes through the second region. When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range in which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is narrower than the range in which the second engaging portion can move relative to the second engaged portion in the intersecting direction when the second engaging portion passes through the third region. The electronic device described in Appendix 4, characterized by the features described herein.

[0184] [5-6. Appendix 6] A positioning engagement portion provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the positioning engaged portion is engaged with the positioning engaging portion. It has, When the attachment / detachment device is mounted to the main body of the device, the positioning engagement portion and the positioning engaged portion approach each other and engage, The second engaging portion passes through the third region until it engages with the positioning engaging portion and the positioning engaged portion. The electronic device described in Appendix 5, characterized by the features described herein.

[0185] [5-7. Appendix 7] The first connector is supported so as to be movable within a predetermined range relative to the main body of the device. An electronic device as described in any of Appendix 1 to Appendix 6, characterized by the features described herein.

[0186] [5-8. Appendix 8] Having an electronic device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 7, The aforementioned attachment / detachment device is a fixing device. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

[0187] [5-9. Appendix 9] A detachable attachment device that can be attached to the main body of the device, A first engaged portion is provided on at least one end of the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device, and is capable of engaging with a first engaging portion of the device body, When attached to the device body, a second connector approaches the first connector provided on the device body, mates with the first connector, and connects to the first connector. It has, The first engaged portion is, During the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated, the first region through which the first engaging portion passes, In the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, after at least a portion of the first connector and at least a portion of the second connector are mated, the second region through which the first engaging portion passes and It has, When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range over which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider than when the first engaging portion passes through the first region. A detachable device characterized by the following features.

[0188] [5-10. Appendix 10] A detachable device having a second connector that is detachably attached to the main body of the device and, when attached to the main body of the device, approaches a first connector provided on the main body of the device and engages with the first connector to connect to the first connector, It has a guide portion that extends in the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device and guides the attachment / detachment device, The aforementioned guide section is It has a first range, a second range, a third range, and a fourth range, which are positioned sequentially from the upstream side in the mounting direction. The width of the first range, which is the length in the intersecting direction, is greater than the width of the second range. The width of the third range is greater than the width of the fourth range. A detachable device characterized by the following features.

[0189] [5-11. Appendix 11] The guide portion is located on the side where the second connector is provided, of the two ends in the longitudinal direction of the attachment / detachment device that intersects the mounting direction. In the aforementioned mounting direction, the third range is shorter than the first range. The attachment / detachment device described in Appendix 10, characterized by the features described herein.

[0190] [5-12. Appendix 12] The attachment / detachment device described in Appendix 10 or Appendix 11, and the heating section and pressurizing section are included. A fixing device characterized by the following features. [Industrial applicability]

[0191] This invention can be widely used, for example, in image forming apparatuses with detachable fixing devices. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0192] 1...Image forming apparatus, 2...Apparatus body, 2A...Fuser mounting area, 7...Fuser, 20...Fuser housing, 21F...Guide groove, 21Fa, 21Fb...Wide section, 21Fc, 21Fd...Narrow section, 21L...Guide groove, 21La, 21Lb...Narrow section, 21R...Guide groove, 21Ra, 21Rb...Wide section, 21Rc, 21Rd...Narrow section, 22, 31...Drawer connector, 23...Positioning hole, 30Fa, 30Fb, 30L, 30Ra, 30Rb...Guide pin, 32...Positioning post, 100...Image forming apparatus, 110...Apparatus body, 110A...Fuser mounting area, 120...Fuser, 121...Fuser housing, 122Ra, 122Rb...Guide pin, 123, 133...Drawer connector, 131...Ga Side groove, 132... Pressing part, 200... Image forming apparatus, 210... Apparatus body, 210A... Fixing device mounting area, 220... Fixing device, 221... Fixing housing, 222L, 222R... Positioning hole, 222Rb... Small diameter part, 222Ru... Large diameter part, 223, 232... Drawer connector, 231L, 231R... Positioning post, 231Rb... Small diameter part, 231Ru... Large diameter part, 310... Apparatus body, 310A... Fixing device mounting area, 320... Fixing device, 321... Fixing housing, 322La, 322Lb... Guide pin, 323, 332... Drawer connector, 331La... Guide groove, 331La1... Wide part, 331La2... Narrow part, 331Lb... Guide groove, 331Lb1... Wide part, 331Lb2... Narrow part.

Claims

1. The main body of the device, A detachable attachment device to the main body of the aforementioned device, A first engaging portion is provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and is provided on at least one end of the two ends in a direction intersecting the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device, A first engaged portion is provided on either the main body of the device or the detachable device, and is capable of engaging with the first engaging portion. It has, The aforementioned attachment / detachment device is When attached to the device body, it further has a second connector that approaches the first connector provided on the device body, and is able to mate with and connect to the first connector. The first engaged portion is, During the process of attaching the attachment / detachment device to the main body of the device, when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated, the first region through which the first engaging portion passes, In the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, after at least a portion of the first connector and at least a portion of the second connector are fitted together, the second region through which the first engaging portion passes and It has, When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range over which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider than when the first engaging portion passes through the first region. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

2. The first engaging portion is a first protrusion, The first engaged portion is a first groove that guides the first protruding portion, The second region of the first groove has a wider groove width in the intersecting direction than the first region. The electronic device according to feature 1.

3. A plurality of engaging portions are provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and are provided on one end and the other end of the attachment / detachment device in the longitudinal direction intersecting the mounting direction, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the plurality of engaged portions that can engage with the plurality of engaging portions It has, The first engagement portion is one of the plurality of engagement portions, The first engaged portion is one of the plurality of engaged portions, The first engaging portion is located on the side of the longitudinal direction where the first connector is provided, between the one end and the other end. The electronic device according to feature 1.

4. A plurality of engaging portions are provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, and are provided on one end side, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the plurality of engaged portions that can engage with the plurality of engaging portions It has, The first engagement portion is one of the plurality of engagement portions, The first engaged portion is one of the plurality of engaged portions, The first engaging portion is located furthest upstream in the mounting direction among the plurality of engaging portions. The electronic device according to feature 1.

5. The plurality of engagement portions each have a second engagement portion located downstream of the first engagement portion in the mounting direction. Each of the plurality of engaged portions has a second engaged portion that can engage with the second engaged portion. The second engaged portion has a third region through which the second engaged portion passes when the first engaged portion passes the second region. When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range in which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is narrower than the range in which the second engaging portion can move relative to the second engaged portion in the intersecting direction when the second engaging portion passes through the third region. The electronic device according to feature 4.

6. A positioning engagement portion provided on either the main body of the device or the attachment / detachment device, The other of the device body or the attachment / detachment device is provided, and the positioning engaged portion is engaged with the positioning engaging portion. It has, When the attachment / detachment device is mounted to the main body of the device, the positioning engagement portion and the positioning engaged portion approach each other and engage, The second engaging portion passes through the third region until it engages with the positioning engaging portion and the positioning engaged portion. The electronic device according to feature 5.

7. The first connector is supported so as to be movable within a predetermined range relative to the main body of the device. The electronic device according to feature 1.

8. Having the electronic device described in claim 1, The aforementioned attachment / detachment device is a fixing device. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

9. A detachable attachment device that can be attached to the main body of the device, A first engaged portion is provided on at least one end of the direction intersecting the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device, and is capable of engaging with a first engaging portion of the device body, When attached to the device body, the second connector approaches the first connector provided on the device body, mates with the first connector, and connects to the first connector. It has, The first engaged portion is, During the process of attaching the attachment / detachment device to the main body of the device, when the first connector and the second connector are separated and not mated, the first region through which the first engaging portion passes, In the process of attaching the attachment device to the main body of the device, after at least a portion of the first connector and at least a portion of the second connector are fitted together, the second region through which the first engaging portion passes and It has, When the first engaging portion passes through the second region, the range over which the first engaging portion can move relative to the first engaged portion in the intersecting direction is wider than when the first engaging portion passes through the first region. A detachable device characterized by the following features.

10. A detachable device having a second connector that is detachably attached to the main body of the device and, when attached to the main body of the device, approaches a first connector provided on the main body of the device and engages with the first connector to connect to the first connector, It has a guide portion that extends in the mounting direction of the attachment / detachment device and guides the attachment / detachment device, The aforementioned guide section is It has a first range, a second range, a third range, and a fourth range, which are positioned sequentially from the upstream side in the mounting direction. The width of the first range, which is the length in the intersecting direction, is greater than the width of the second range. The width of the third range is greater than the width of the fourth range. A detachable device characterized by the following features.

11. The guide portion is located on the side where the second connector is provided, of the two ends in the longitudinal direction of the attachment / detachment device that intersects the mounting direction. In the aforementioned mounting direction, the third range is shorter than the first range. The attachment / detachment device according to feature 10.

12. The attachment / detachment device according to claim 10, and the device comprising a heating section and a pressurizing section. A fixing device characterized by the following features.

Images