Image forming apparatus equipped with wireless communication substrate

Abstract

Properly manage the cables connected to the wireless communication board. [Solution] The image forming apparatus 100 includes a controller box 300 that houses a control board 400 and a wireless communication board unit 700 having a wireless communication board 600. The control board 400 and the wireless communication board 600 are connected by a USB cable 720. The holder 701 of the wireless communication board unit 700 includes a board fixing part 701A and a cable storage part 701B integrated into one unit. The excess length portion 720B of the USB cable 720 is stored in the cable storage part 701B.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a wireless communication board can be attached and detached.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and printers are sometimes provided with wireless communication means. The image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a wireless communication board and a wireless unit including a resin holder that holds the wireless communication board. The wireless communication board is connected to a control board of the apparatus main body.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Literature 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, a cable is used to connect the wireless communication board and the control board. In this case, cable handling becomes a problem.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a control board, a wireless communication board, a holding member that holds the wireless communication board, and a cable that connects the wireless communication board and the control board, wherein the holding member is integrally provided with a board fixing portion to which the wireless communication board is fixed, and a cable storage portion that stores a part of the cable.

Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus in which cables are handled with a simple configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a wireless communication board unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication board according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a wireless communication board unit according to an embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described below with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, and relative positions of the components of the image forming apparatus shown below are not limited to those unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, common components and parts in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Repetitive explanations of these will be omitted as appropriate.

[0009] (Image forming apparatus) Figure 1 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. Figure 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0010] The image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment uses an electrophotographic process. Specifically, the image forming apparatus 100 is a tandem and intermediate transfer type four-color full-color laser printer. The image forming apparatus 100 forms a toner image on the sheet S based on image information input to the control circuit unit (not shown) from an external host device (not shown), such as a personal computer.

[0011] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2, the image forming apparatus 100 comprises four image forming units located approximately in the center of the apparatus. The four image forming units 22 form toner images of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner colors, respectively, from left to right.

[0012] The image forming units that create toner images of each color have a nearly identical configuration. To avoid complexity in the diagram, the cyan image forming unit is denoted by the symbol U, and the assignment of symbols to the other image forming units is omitted. Unless otherwise specified, the explanation of the cyan image forming unit U will be applied to the other image forming units.

[0013] The image forming unit U includes a drum unit equipped with a rotating drum-type electrophotographic photoreceptor (hereinafter referred to as the drum) 2 as an image carrier, and a developing unit equipped with a developing sleeve 5 for developing the toner image. The drum unit and the developing unit can be independently replaced or attached / detached. The drum unit comprises the drum 2, a charging roller 3 for charging the drum 2, and a drum cleaner part (not shown). In addition to the developing sleeve 5, the developing unit comprises a screw 7 for supplying toner to the developing sleeve and agitating the toner.

[0014] Furthermore, the image forming unit U includes an exposure unit 4 for exposing the drum 2. The exposure unit 4 is positioned between the drum unit and the developing unit. The exposure unit 4 is equipped with an LED light-emitting element.

[0015] Furthermore, an intermediate transfer belt unit 8 is positioned above the four image forming units U. A sheet cassette 12 is positioned below the four image forming units U. The intermediate transfer belt unit 8 comprises a belt 9 and four primary transfer rollers 6 positioned opposite each other to the drums 2 of each color. The sheet cassette 12 includes two cassettes: cassette 12A positioned on the upper level and cassette 12B positioned on the lower level. Each of cassettes 12A and 12B contains a sheet S.

[0016] Further, four-color toner bottles 22Y, 22M, 22C, and 22K are arranged above the intermediate transfer belt unit 8. Each toner bottle 22 stores replenishment toner for the image forming unit U of the corresponding color. The toner bottle 22 is a detachable and replaceable toner bottle unit. With this configuration, an appropriate amount of toner is replenished in a timely manner to the developing sleeves 5 provided in the image forming units U from the corresponding toner bottles 22 by a toner replenishing mechanism (not shown).

[0017] (Image Forming Process) In the image forming process, a latent image is formed on the drum 2 of the image forming unit U. As a preparation operation, a high voltage is applied to the charging roller 3 pressed against the drum 2, so that the surface of the drum 2 is uniformly charged as the drum 2 rotates. Instead of the charging roller 3, various chargers such as a corona charger may be used.

[0018] Next, a high voltage is applied to the developing sleeve 5 through a path different from that for the charging roller 3, so that the charged toner inside the developing unit is uniformly coated on the surface of the developing sleeve 5. Inside the developing unit, toner is circulated and conveyed at a high speed by the screw 7. The rotation speed of the screw 7 is relatively much higher than the rotation speeds of the developing sleeve 5 and the drum 2. Therefore, the coating on the developing sleeve 5 can be performed uniformly without unevenness.

[0019] Then, an exposure unit 4 arranged between the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge forms an electrostatic latent image based on potential changes on the surface of the drum 2. The toner from the developing sleeve 5 adheres to the drum 2 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, whereby the electrostatic latent image on the drum 2 is developed as a toner image.

[0020] The toner image on the drum 2 is primarily transferred onto the surface of the belt 9, which is an intermediate transfer member, in the order of the aforementioned colors in accordance with the rotation of the belt 9. Accordingly, four-color toner images of YMCK are formed in a superimposed manner on the belt 9.

[0021] Inside the image forming apparatus 100, a sheet transport path for transporting the sheet S is provided on the right side. The sheet S is transported from bottom to top. The sheet transport path is equipped with, in order from bottom to top, a pair of sheet feeding rollers 13, a pair of registration rollers 15, a secondary transfer roller 16, a fuser 19, and a pair of discharge rollers 20. The secondary transfer roller 16 contacts the belt drive roller 10 on the right side of the intermediate transfer belt unit 8 with a predetermined pressing force via the belt 9. In this way, the secondary transfer roller 16 and the belt 9 form a secondary transfer nip section 17.

[0022] At this point, the paper feed roller pair 13 is driven at a predetermined control timing, separating the sheets (recording material, paper) S one by one from the sheet cassette 12 and introducing them into the sheet transport path. Then, the registration roller pair 15 transports the sheets S to the secondary transfer nip section 17 at a predetermined control timing. As a result, at the secondary transfer nip section 17, the four-color superimposed toner image on the belt 9 is transferred to the sheets S all at once, and an unfixed toner image is formed on the sheets S.

[0023] The sheet S that exits the secondary transfer nip section 17 is introduced into the fuser unit 19 and undergoes a toner image fixing process using heat and pressure. The sheet S that exits the fuser unit 19 is discharged as an image-formed product by the discharge roller pair 20 into the discharge tray 21 located on top of the toner bottle unit 22.

[0024] Furthermore, the transport unit and the sheets S that have undergone the fixing process need to be cooled to avoid image defects due to toner fusion and adhesion between sheets. For this reason, a cooling fan (not shown in Figure 2) is positioned above the fuser unit 19 on the rear side of the main unit, and the airflow exhausted to the rear dissipates heat from the transport unit and the sheets S.

[0025] Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in Figure 3, the first rear upper cover 200 is positioned behind the paper output transport section. A louver 201A is provided in the center of the rear upper cover 200. The aforementioned heat is dissipated through the louver 201A. The rear upper cover 200 is one of the exterior covers that make up the exterior of the image forming apparatus 100. As shown in Figure 3, the exterior of the image forming apparatus 100 also uses a second rear upper cover 201. The rear upper cover 200 is configured to be removable while the rear upper cover 201 remains attached to the image forming apparatus 100. Furthermore, a rear lower cover 202 is positioned below the rear upper cover 200 and the rear upper cover 201.

[0026] (Control board) The arrangement of the control board 400 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a rear perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100. In Figure 4, the rear upper cover 200 and rear upper cover 201 have been removed from the image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 3.

[0027] In Figure 4, the controller box 300, which houses the control board 400, is fixed to the rear panel 150. In Figure 4, the controller box 300 is shown with a portion of the electrical cover removed. Therefore, in Figure 4, the built-in control board 400 is visible. In this embodiment, the controller box 300 also serves as the fixing surface for the rear upper cover 201. Since the position of the rear upper cover 201 is determined by the depth of the main unit, the controller box 300 is fixed to the rear panel 150 at a predetermined distance away from the rear upper cover 201. In other words, there is a spatial gap between the controller box 300 and the rear panel 150. In addition, the fan 500 for cooling the transport section is positioned so as not to overlap with the controller box 300 and is fixed to the rear panel 150.

[0028] The control board 400 oversees the control of the image forming apparatus 100, including control of part of the image forming process. Even when a user controls the image forming apparatus 100 via a network, this control is performed via the control board 400. The control board 400 is equipped with multiple connectors, including a LAN connector for connecting to the network (LAN: Local Area Network) of the installation environment. The side 300A of the controller box 300 is provided with multiple openings to allow access to these connectors on the control board 400. Of these connectors, those expected to be used by the user are accessible even when the rear upper cover 200 is attached, as shown in Figure 3. The connectors mounted on the control board 400 include general-purpose connectors such as USB connectors. Therefore, external devices with various functions can be connected to the image forming apparatus 100 using a USB cable.

[0029] (Wireless communication board unit) In recent years, with the development and widespread use of mobile devices (such as notebook PCs and smartphones), these mobile devices and the image forming apparatus 100 sometimes communicate via wireless LAN. For example, image data stored on a mobile device may be printed by the image forming apparatus 100 based on control from the mobile device. Therefore, to add wireless LAN functionality, a wireless communication board unit 700 (Figure 7) may be provided in the image forming apparatus 100.

[0030] A wireless communication board unit 700 in an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the wireless communication board unit 700. The wireless communication board unit 700 includes a wireless communication board 600 and a holder 701. The holder 700 is a holding member that holds the wireless communication board 600. The wireless communication board 600 is fixed to the holder 701 with screws 620.

[0031] The holder 701 integrally includes a substrate fixing portion 701A and a cable storage portion 701B. The wireless communication board 600 is fixed to the substrate fixing portion 701A. Figure 5 shows the wireless communication board unit 700 viewed from the front side of the wireless communication board 600. A USB connector is located on the back side of the wireless communication board 600 (not shown). The connector 720A of the USB cable 720 is connected to the USB connector of the wireless communication board 600. As shown in Figure 5, the excess length portion 720B of the USB cable 720 is housed in the cable storage portion 701B. The excess length portion 720B of the USB cable 720 is stored in the cable storage portion 701B in a wound state. The aforementioned connector 720A is provided at one end of the USB cable 720, and this connector 720A is connected to the wireless communication board 600. The other end of the USB cable 720 protrudes outside the wireless communication board unit 700. In this embodiment, the other end of the USB cable 720 is connected to the control board 400 (Figure 4).

[0032] As described above, the holder 701 has a substrate fixing portion 701A and a cable storage portion 701B that are formed as a single unit. For example, the substrate fixing portion 701A and the cable storage portion 701B can be formed from a single piece of resin. The holder 701 can be manufactured inexpensively by injecting the resin material into a mold and molding it. Furthermore, if interference to wireless communication by the communication board unit 700 is to be reduced, an insulating resin may be used. Of course, the material used for the holder 701 is not limited to resin, and various materials can be used depending on the purpose. In addition, multiple parts may be connected or joined in order to integrate the substrate fixing portion 701A and the cable storage portion 701B. Depending on the material, the joining method may include bonding with adhesive, fastening with screws or other fasteners, or engagement using an engagement structure. If the entire holder 701 can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus 100 while the substrate fixing part 701A and the cable storage part 701B are joined together, then the substrate fixing part 701A and the cable storage part 701B can be said to be a single unit, even if they are composed of multiple parts.

[0033] Because the substrate fixing section 701A and the cable storage section 701B are integrated, the length of the USB cable 720 extending from the wireless communication substrate unit 700 can be adjusted according to the mounting position of the wireless communication substrate unit 700. For example, when the wireless communication substrate unit 700 is placed relatively close to the control board 400, an excess length 720B is likely to occur in the USB cable 720. By housing the excess length 720 in the cable storage section 701B, the length of the USB cable 720 extending from the wireless communication substrate unit 700 can be shortened. Since it is possible to omit the excess length storage section on the outside of the wireless communication substrate unit 700, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 can be simplified.

[0034] This effect is particularly pronounced when a common wireless communication board unit 700 is implemented in multiple image forming apparatuses with different configurations. A wireless communication board 600 that corresponds to a specific communication standard is expected to be used continuously until the communication standard is updated. Therefore, it is sometimes designed to be usable in common across multiple image forming apparatuses in order to reduce board costs through economies of scale. To further enhance these economies of scale, it is desirable that the USB cable 720 connected to the wireless communication board 600 also be of a standard cable length. In this case, the standard cable length is set so that it can be used even in models where the distance between the control board 400 and the wireless communication board unit 700 is long. Therefore, in models where the distance between the control board 400 and the wireless communication board unit 700 is relatively short, excess length is likely to occur. Thus, when a common wireless communication board unit 700 is implemented in multiple models, a situation in which excess length of USB cable 720 is likely to occur. For this reason, the effect of simplifying the configuration of the image forming apparatus 100 by integrating the board fixing part 701A and the cable storage part 701B is even more pronounced.

[0035] Specifically, in this embodiment, a 1m long USB cable 720 is used. The cable storage section 701B is designed to have sufficient volume to accommodate this 1m USB cable 720. The diameter of a USB cable 720 is generally about 5mm to 8mm. Even when a 1m long cable is wound up and made compact, it still requires a large volume. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, the cable storage section 701B is designed to have a volume equal to or greater than the size of the wireless communication board 600.

[0036] Next, the wireless communication board 600 will be described. Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of the mounting surface (front) of the wireless communication board 600. Passive elements such as resistors, capacitors, and coils, as well as functional IC (Integral Circuit) chips with specific functions, are mounted on the mounting surface of the wireless communication board 600.

[0037] The wireless communication board 600 of this embodiment performs Wi-Fi communication. Therefore, a Wi-Fi chipset 602, which controls the wireless function, is mounted as a functional IC. A USB connector is located on the back surface of the wireless communication board 600 in the area indicated by the dashed line 603. Antenna sections 604 and 605 are located on the outer periphery of the wireless communication board 600. These antenna sections 604 and 605 include an antenna element for transmitting radio waves and an antenna element for receiving radio waves. To improve the range of wireless communication, it is preferable to position the wireless communication board 600 away from materials that have a radio wave shielding effect, such as sheet metal.

[0038] Furthermore, the wireless communication board 600 is provided with pilot holes 601 for screw fastening. By inserting fasteners such as screws into the pilot holes 601, the wireless communication board 600 is fixed to the board fixing part 701A.

[0039] The wireless communication board 600 is grounded from the standpoint of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Therefore, a grounding area is formed on the back surface of the wireless communication board 600 around the pilot holes 601 for screw fixing. The grounding area is made of a conductive material, such as copper. A conductive sheet metal 710 is attached to the holder 701. By fixing the wireless communication board 600 to the holder 701 with conductive screws, the wireless communication board 600 becomes electrically connected to the rear plate 150 via the grounding area on the back surface of the wireless communication board 600 and the conductive sheet metal 710. In this way, the wireless communication board 600 is grounded.

[0040] (Wireless communication board unit layout) The method of arranging and fixing the wireless communication board unit 700 to the image forming apparatus in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a perspective view of the image forming apparatus 100. The image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 7 is the same as the image forming apparatus 100 shown in Figure 3, with the rear upper cover 200 removed. The same reference numerals are used for parts that are the same as in Figure 3 or Figure 4, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0041] As mentioned above, the wireless communication board unit 700 is connected to the control board 400 via a USB cable 720. As shown in Figure 7, the USB connector 401 of the control board 400 is located on the side 300A of the controller box 300. Therefore, it is preferable to position the wireless communication board unit 700 near the side 300A of the controller box 300. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the wireless communication board unit 700 is positioned on the cooling fan 500 in the vertical direction. The wireless communication board unit 700 has a conductive sheet metal 710 (Figure 5). The wireless communication board unit 700 is screw-fixed to the rear plate 150 via this conductive sheet metal 710.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wireless communication board unit 700 can be installed and removed simply by removing the rear upper cover 200. When viewing the image forming apparatus 100 from the rear, the rear upper cover 200 is positioned to cover the wireless communication board unit 700. The rear upper cover 200, which covers the wireless communication board unit 700, can be removed while the other exterior covers (rear upper cover 201, rear lower cover 202) remain attached to the image forming apparatus 100. This configuration simplifies the installation and removal of the wireless communication board unit 700, and as a result, makes the assembly of the image forming apparatus 100 easier.

[0043] As shown in Figure 7, a portion of the wireless communication board unit 700, more specifically the cable storage section 701B of the holder 701, is located in the space between the controller box 300 and the rear plate 150. This arrangement allows for miniaturization of the image forming apparatus 100.

[0044] On the other hand, when viewed from the rear, the substrate fixing portion 701A of the holder 701 is exposed and not covered by the controller box 300. This point will be explained in detail with reference to Figure 8.

[0045] Figure 8 schematically shows a cross-section of the wireless communication board unit 700 as viewed from the direction of arrow A in Figure 7. In Figure 8, the front of the image forming apparatus 100 faces to the left in the figure, and conversely, the rear of the image forming apparatus 100 faces to the right in the figure. The cross-section in Figure 8 shows the relative arrangement of the rear plate 150, the controller box 300, and the wireless communication board unit 700. Furthermore, a conductive sheet metal 710 connecting the wireless communication board unit 700 and the rear plate 150 is shown.

[0046] Furthermore, in Figure 8, the position of the wireless communication board 600 in the wireless communication board unit 700 is indicated by a dashed line. As mentioned above, it is preferable that the antenna portions 604 and 605 of the wireless communication board 600 are not covered by a conductive material such as sheet metal. As shown in Figure 8, when viewed from the rear, the wireless communication board 600 is positioned so as not to overlap with the controller box 300.

[0047] In this embodiment, in the arrangement of the wireless communication board unit 700 shown in Figures 7 and 8, the USB cable 720 is pulled out from the cable storage section 701B to the USB connector 401 to which it is connected, so as to be without excess length. The pulled-out USB cable 720 is then connected to the USB connector 401 of the control board 400. In other words, the holder 701 in this embodiment is configured to adjust the amount of the USB cable 720 pulled out from the cable storage section 701B. With such a configuration, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the wireless communication board unit 700 is improved. As a result, there is also the secondary effect of improving the performance of the image forming apparatus 100, and in this embodiment, the wireless communication range.

[0048] Although this embodiment has been described above, the scope of this technology is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the wireless standard used in the wireless communication board 600 is not limited to Wi-Fi. Other communication standards, such as NFC or Bluetooth®, may be used. Also, the interface connector and cables are not limited to USB. Other standards, such as HDMI® or IEEE1394, may be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 100 Image forming apparatus 150 Rear plate 200, 201 Rear upper cover 202 Rear lower cover 300 Controller Box 400 Control Board 600 Wireless Communication Boards 700 Wireless Communication Board Unit 701 Holder 701A Board fixing part 701B Cable storage compartment 720 USB cable 720A connector 720B (Excess length of USB cable)

Claims

1. Control board and Wireless communication board and A holding member for holding the wireless communication board, The system includes a cable connecting the wireless communication board and the control board, The holding member integrally comprises a substrate fixing portion to which the wireless communication board is fixed and a cable storage portion for housing a part of the cable. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. When the image forming apparatus is viewed from a predetermined direction, the first outer cover covering the holding member and It comprises a second outer cover provided on the same surface as the first outer cover, When the first exterior cover is removed while the second exterior cover is still attached, at least a portion of the retaining member is exposed. The image forming apparatus according to feature 1.

3. A controller box containing the aforementioned control board, The device comprises the retaining member and the sheet metal member to which the controller box is attached, A portion of the holding member is positioned between the sheet metal member and the controller box. The image forming apparatus according to feature 1.

4. The wireless communication board has an antenna section, The cable storage portion of the retaining member is positioned between the sheet metal member and the controller box. The antenna section is positioned so as to be exposed from the controller box. The image forming apparatus according to feature 3.

5. When the image forming apparatus is viewed from a predetermined direction, the first outer cover covering the holding member and It comprises a second outer cover provided on the same surface as the first outer cover, When the first exterior cover is removed while the second exterior cover is still attached, at least a portion of the retaining member is exposed. The first exterior cover is attached to the controller box. The image forming apparatus according to feature 4.

6. The collection includes a sheet metal member to which the retaining member is attached, The holding member is provided with a conductive member that connects the wireless communication board and the sheet metal member electrically. The image forming apparatus according to feature 1.

7. The area of ​​the cable storage section is larger than the area of ​​the wireless communication board. The image forming apparatus according to feature 1.

Images