HOUSING COVER, OPTICAL BOX AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Abstract

To provide a housing cover which can reduce a transportation cost.SOLUTION: A housing cover 64 comprises: a closing part for closing an opening of a housing; a side wall part 78; and a plurality of claw parts 82 which are engaged with a plurality of protrusions provided on the outer side surface of the housing. The claw part comprises: a protruding portion 86 which is formed in the trapezoidal shape such that the width thereof becomes narrower as heading downward; and a recess 88 which is formed in such a shape that the protruding portion can be inserted from above. Two virtual insertion reference lines V1, V2 passing through both ends P1, P2 in the width direction of a base end 86b of the protruding portion and extending in the vertical direction are arranged on the inner side of two virtual reception reference lines X1, X2 passing through both ends Q1, Q2 in the width direction of an opening end 88b of the recess and extending in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing cover, an optical box, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a housing cover used for an optical box that houses optical components, and an optical box and an image forming apparatus including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional optical box is disclosed in Patent Document 1. The optical box in Patent Document 1 includes a housing having an opening that opens upward, and a lid that closes the opening of the housing. A side wall of the housing is provided with a plurality of recesses that are recessed inward, and each recess is provided with a protrusion. The lid has a dustproof wall that is fitted to the side wall of the housing from the outside, and the dustproof wall is provided with a U-shaped claw that protrudes downward from its lower end. When the opening of the housing is closed with the lid, the U-shaped claw hooks onto the protrusion of the housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-54803 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When transporting the lids (housing covers) of the optical box, it is desirable to stack multiple lids closely together in order to reduce the transportation cost. However, in the lids of the optical box of Patent Document 1, a tab protrudes from the lower end of the dustproof wall, so when the lids are stacked, the tab of the upper lid hits the upper surface of the lower lid, creating a gap. This causes the overall volume of the stacked lids to increase, which causes a problem of high transportation costs.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel housing cover, an optical box, and an image forming apparatus.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a housing cover, and an optical box and an image forming apparatus including the housing cover, which can reduce transportation costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention is a housing cover for covering an opening at the top of a housing that stores optical components, the housing cover comprising a blocking portion that blocks the opening, a side wall portion that protrudes downward from the peripheral edge of the blocking portion, and a plurality of claw portions that are elastically deformable outwardly on the side wall portion and engage with a plurality of protrusions provided on the side of the housing, the claw portions having a protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower end of the side wall portion and a recess formed above the protrusion into which the protrusion can be inserted from above. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to this invention, a plurality of housing covers can be stacked one on top of the other, which reduces the transportation costs of the housing covers.

[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of an image forming apparatus in which an optical box according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an optical box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of an optical box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a part of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a part of FIG. 3. [Figure 6]2 is an enlarged front view showing a configuration of a main part of a housing cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is an enlarged front view showing a state in which the housing covers shown in FIG. 6 are stacked in two stages. [Figure 8] 4 is a front view showing a state in which the housing covers shown in FIG. 3 are stacked in five stages. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of an image forming apparatus 10 incorporating an optical box 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The optical box 60 of this embodiment is a housing that houses each optical component of an exposure unit 32 that constitutes the image forming apparatus 10. In the following, first, the configuration of the image forming apparatus 10 will be described, and then the configuration of the optical box 60 will be described in detail.

[0012] [Configuration of image forming device] As shown in FIG. 1, an image forming apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine having a copying function, a printer function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, etc., and forms a multicolor or monochrome image on paper (recording medium) by electrophotography.

[0013] In this embodiment, the front-rear direction (depth direction) of the image forming apparatus 10 and its components is defined with the surface facing the standing position of the user who operates the image forming apparatus 10, that is, the surface on which an operation panel (not shown) is provided, as the front (front). The left-right direction (horizontal direction) of the image forming apparatus 10 and its components is defined with reference to the state in which the user sees the image forming apparatus 10. The front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions each correspond to the directions indicated by the arrows in the figure.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, image forming apparatus 10 includes apparatus main body 12 and image reading device 14 disposed above it. Image reading device 14 is provided with document placement platform 16 formed of transparent material. Document pressing cover 18 is attached to the top of document placement platform 16 via a hinge or the like so as to be able to be opened and closed freely. Document pressing cover 18 is provided with document placement tray 20 and ADF (automatic document feeder) 24 which automatically feeds documents placed on document placement tray 20 to image reading position 22 one by one.

[0015] Although not shown, an operation panel that accepts input operations such as print instructions from a user is provided on the front side of the document placement table 16. This operation panel is appropriately provided with a display such as a touch panel display and various operation buttons, etc.

[0016] The image reading device 14 also includes an image reading unit 26 that includes a light source, multiple mirrors, an imaging lens, a line sensor, and the like. The image reading unit 26 exposes the surface of the document to the light source, and guides the light reflected from the document surface to the imaging lens via multiple mirrors. The imaging lens then forms an image of the reflected light on the light receiving element of the line sensor. The line sensor detects the luminance and chromaticity of the reflected light that forms an image on the light receiving element, and generates image data based on the image of the document surface. A CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CIS (Contact Image Sensor), or the like is used as the line sensor.

[0017] A control unit 28 including a CPU, memory, etc., and an image forming unit 30 are built into the device main body 12. The control unit 28 transmits control signals to each part of the image forming device 10 in response to an input operation on an operation unit such as a touch panel, and causes the image forming device 10 to perform various operations.

[0018] The image forming section 30 includes an exposure unit 32, a developing unit 34, a photoconductor drum 36, a cleaner unit 38, a charger 40, an intermediate transfer belt unit 42, a transfer roller 44, and a fixing unit 46, and forms an image on paper conveyed from a paper feed tray 48 or the like, and discharges the paper on which the image has been formed onto a paper discharge tray 50. As image data for forming an image on the paper, image data read by the image reading section 26 or image data transmitted from an external computer, etc., are used.

[0019] The image data handled by the image forming apparatus 10 corresponds to color images of four colors: black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). For this reason, four of each of the developing units 34, photoconductor drums 36, cleaner units 38, and chargers 40 are provided so as to form four types of latent images corresponding to each color, and these constitute four image stations.

[0020] The photoconductor drum 36 is an electrostatic latent image carrier having a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of a cylindrical conductive base body, and is rotatable about its axis by a drive unit (not shown). The charger 40 is a member that charges the surface of the photoconductor drum 36 to a predetermined potential.

[0021] The exposure unit 32 is configured as a laser scanning unit equipped with optical components such as a laser diode (LD) 32a and a polygon mirror 32b, and is disposed below the photoconductor drum 36. The exposure unit 32 exposes the charged surface of the photoconductor drum 36 to light, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image data on the surface of the photoconductor drum 36. The optical components constituting the exposure unit 32 are housed in an optical box 60, which will be described later.

[0022] The developing unit 34 visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 36 with four color (YMCK) toners (forms a toner image), and includes a developing roller that supplies toner to the photoconductor drum 36. The cleaner unit 38 removes and collects toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor drum 36 after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 52.

[0023] The intermediate transfer belt unit 42 includes an intermediate transfer belt 52, a drive roller, a driven roller, and four intermediate transfer rollers 54, and is disposed above the photosensitive drums 36. The intermediate transfer belt 52 is disposed so as to contact each of the photosensitive drums 36. The intermediate transfer rollers 54 are used to transfer the toner images of each color formed on each of the photosensitive drums 36 to the intermediate transfer belt 52 in a sequentially overlapping manner, thereby forming a multi-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 52. In addition, a transfer roller 44 is disposed near the drive roller, and the toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 52 is transferred to the paper by the paper passing through the nip area between the intermediate transfer belt 52 and the transfer roller 44.

[0024] The fixing unit 46 includes a heat roller and a pressure roller, and is disposed above the transfer roller 44. The heat roller is set to a predetermined fixing temperature, and as the paper passes through the nip area between the heat roller and the pressure roller, the toner image transferred to the paper is melted, mixed and pressed against the paper, thereby thermally fixing the toner image to the paper.

[0025] Also formed within the device body 12 is a first paper transport path L1 for sending paper from the paper feed tray 48 or the like to the paper output tray 50 via the registration rollers 56, the transfer roller 44 and the fixing unit 46. Also provided within the device body 12 is a second paper transport path L2 for returning the paper after one-sided printing is completed and the paper has passed through the fixing unit 46 to the first paper transport path L1 upstream of the transfer roller 44 in the paper transport direction when performing double-sided printing on the paper. A plurality of transport rollers 58 for providing auxiliary propulsion force to the paper are appropriately provided in the first paper transport path L1 and the second paper transport path L2.

[0026] [Optical box configuration] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the optical box 60, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the optical box 60. Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view of Fig. 3. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the optical box 60 includes a housing 62 (first housing) that houses the optical components of the exposure unit 32 (Fig. 3), and a housing cover 64 (second housing) that is detachably attached to the upper part of the housing 62.

[0027] 2 and 3, the housing 62 has a bottom plate portion 66 that is rectangular in plan view, an annular side wall portion 68 that is formed rising from the periphery of the bottom plate portion 66, and a plurality of (eight in this embodiment) protrusions 70. As shown in Fig. 3, an upper end 68a and a lower end 68b of the side wall portion 68 are formed parallel to each other, and the upper end portion of the side wall portion 68 forms an opening portion 72 that constitutes the opening G. The plurality of protrusions 70 are provided on an outer surface 68c of the side wall portion 68, i.e., the outer surface 62a of the housing 62.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, each of the multiple protrusions 70 has an inclined surface 70a formed so as to be inclined so that the distance from the outer surface 62a of the housing 62 increases as it goes downward, and a stopper surface 70b formed perpendicular to the outer surface 62a and connected to the lower end of the inclined surface 70a. As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, two protrusions 70 are provided horizontally spaced apart from each other on each of the four walls constituting the side wall portion 68, i.e., the front wall portion 74a, the rear wall portion 74b, the left wall portion 74c, and the right wall portion 74d. Also, each protrusion 70 is provided downward from the upper end 68a of the side wall portion 68 at a fixed interval.

[0029] 3, the housing cover 64 includes a closing portion 76 for closing the opening G at the top of the housing 62, and a side wall portion 78 (fitting wall portion) that fits from the outside into the opening 72 of the housing 62. The closing portion 76 is formed in a quadrangular plate shape in a plan view, and four rectangular windows 76a that pass light emitted from the optical components of the exposure unit 32 are formed in the closing portion 76, extending in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. In addition, linear reinforcing ribs 80 are formed at the front and rear ends of the closing portion 76, extending in the left-right direction.

[0030] The side wall portion 78 is provided to protrude downward from the peripheral edge of the closing portion 76. An upper end 78a and a lower end 78b of the side wall portion 78 are formed parallel to each other, so that the vertical length (height) of the housing cover 64 is determined to be uniform.

[0031] The housing cover 64 also has a plurality of claws 82 (eight in this embodiment) that are engaged (hooked) with a plurality of protrusions 70 provided on the outer surface 62a of the housing 62. In this embodiment, the side wall 78 of the housing cover 64 is formed in a rectangular frame shape having four walls, i.e., a front wall 84a, a rear wall 84b, a left wall 84c, and a right wall 84d, and two claws 82 are provided on each of the four walls 84a, 84b, 84c, and 84d in correspondence with the protrusions 70 of the housing 62. The claws 82 provided on the two walls (the front wall 84a and the rear wall 84b) that face each other in the extending direction of the window 76a (front-rear direction) are provided at positions that are off the extension line of the window 76a in a plan view.

[0032] 5, each of the claws 82 has a protrusion 86 provided to protrude downward from a lower end 78b of a side wall 78 of the housing cover 64, and a recess 88 formed above the protrusion 86 with a shape and size that allows the protrusion 86 to be inserted (accepted) from above. A positioning protrusion 90 that abuts against the stopper surface 70b of the protrusion 70 from below is provided to protrude upward from the bottom of the recess 88. Each of the claws 82 is provided on the side wall 78 of the housing cover 64 so as to be elastically deformable outward. In other words, the entire housing cover 64 is formed by injection molding of synthetic resin, and as a result, the claws 82 are elastically deformable in the thickness direction.

[0033] In this embodiment, the inner surface (not shown) and the outer surface 86c of the protruding portion 86 are formed flush with the inner surface (not shown) and the outer surface 78c of the side wall portion 78. Therefore, the inner periphery 92 of the recess 88, which is part of the side wall portion 78, is continuous with the protruding portion 86 at the same thickness, and the inner periphery 92 and the protruding portion 86 are integrated to form the claw portion 82.

[0034] Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view showing the configuration of the main parts of the housing cover 64. As shown in Fig. 6, when the direction parallel to the surface of the side wall 78 and perpendicular to the up-down direction is taken as the width direction, each of the protrusion 86 and the recess 88 is formed in a trapezoidal shape that is symmetrical in the width direction such that the width direction length (width) gradually narrows downward.

[0035] When the protruding length of the protruding portion 86 from the lower end 78b of the side wall portion 78 is h, the apparent depth of the recess 88 from the upper end 78a of the side wall portion 78 is d, and the protruding length of the positioning protrusion 90 is t, the effective depth (hereinafter simply referred to as "depth") D of the recess 88 can be expressed as "D=dt". The protruding length h of the protruding portion 86 and the depth D of the recess 88 satisfy the relationship "D>h". Note that the positioning protrusion 90 may be omitted, in which case "t=0".

[0036] Furthermore, assuming a virtual reference line T extending in the up-down direction, when the inclination angle of the widthwise side edge 86a of the protrusion 86 with respect to the virtual reference line T is θ1 and the inclination angle of the widthwise side edge 88a of the recess 88 with respect to the virtual reference line T is θ2, the relationship of "0 degrees < θ1 < 90 degrees" and "θ1 = θ2" is satisfied. As a result, the protrusion 86 and the recess 88 have a trapezoidal shape that is symmetrical in the width direction, and the widthwise side edge 86a of the protrusion 86 and the widthwise side edge 88a of the recess 88 are parallel to each other.

[0037] Furthermore, two imaginary insertion reference lines V1, V2 extending in the vertical direction through both widthwise ends P1, P2 at the base end 86b of the protrusion 86 are disposed inside two imaginary receiving reference lines X1, X2 extending in the vertical direction through both widthwise ends Q1, Q2 at the opening end 88b of the recess 88. In other words, when the distance between the imaginary insertion reference line V1 and the imaginary receiving reference line X1 is δ1 and the distance between the imaginary insertion reference line V2 and the imaginary receiving reference line X2 is δ2, the relationship "δ1>0" and "δ2>0" are satisfied.

[0038] For example, when d=11.5 mm, t=1.00 mm, h=5.60 mm, θ1=θ2=21.49 degrees, and δ1=δ2=0.30 mm, the above relational expressions are satisfied. In this case, the width W of the positioning protrusion 90 is set to, for example, 3.00 mm. In order to ensure sufficient strength of the claw portion 82 by widening the gap between the widthwise side edge 86a of the protrusion 86 and the widthwise side edge 88a of the recess 88, it is desirable to satisfy the relationship "15 degrees<θ1<60 degrees, (θ1=θ2)". In this case, the gaps δ1 and δ2 are in the range of "0 mm<δ1<5.1 mm, (δ1=δ2)".

[0039] Fig. 7 is an enlarged front view showing the state in which the housing covers 64 shown in Fig. 6 are stacked in two layers. As shown in Fig. 7, when the housing covers 64 satisfying the above relational expressions are stacked in two layers, the protrusions 86 are completely housed in the recesses 88. This allows the lower end 78b of the side wall portion 78 of the upper housing cover 64 to come into contact with the upper end 78a of the side wall portion 78 of the lower housing cover 64, allowing the two housing covers 64 to be stacked closely together.

[0040] Fig. 8 is a front view showing the state where the housing covers 64 shown in Fig. 3 are stacked in five layers. As described above, the housing covers 64 can be stacked closely together with no gaps, so even if the number of housing covers 64 is increased, the overall volume can be kept small. This allows the packaging material to be made more compact.

[0041] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the optical box 60 and the housing cover 64 of the embodiment, the above-mentioned configuration can provide the following effects. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the claw portion 82 has a protrusion 86 and a recess 88 into which the protrusion 86 can be inserted from above, so that when two housing covers 64 are stacked one on top of the other, the protrusion 86 of the upper housing cover 64 can be accommodated in the recess 88 of the lower housing cover 64. Also, the lower end 78b of the side wall portion 78 of the upper housing cover 64 and the upper end 78a of the side wall portion 78 of the lower housing cover 64 can be brought into contact with each other without any gaps. This allows a plurality of housing covers 64 to be stacked closely together, thereby reducing the overall volume and reducing transportation costs.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 7, the protrusion 86 of the claw portion 82 is formed so that its width gradually narrows toward the bottom, so that when two housing covers 64 are stacked one on top of the other, the protrusion 86 of the upper housing cover 64 can be easily inserted into the recess 88 of the lower housing cover 64. In addition, since the inclination angle θ1 and the inclination angle θ2 are the same at this time (Fig. 6), the widthwise side edge 86a of the protrusion 86 can be brought into line or surface contact with the widthwise side edge 88a of the recess 88, so that the movement of the protrusion 86 in the width direction can be effectively restricted. Furthermore, since the protrusion 86 and the recess 88 can be brought into contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the claw portion 82 is elastically deformed, damage to the claw portion 82 can be suppressed.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the protruding portion 86 and the side wall portion 78 can be formed into a continuous plate shape, so that the structure is simple and the housing cover 64 can be manufactured inexpensively.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the side wall portion 78 is formed into a rectangular frame shape having four walls 84a, 84b, 84c, and 84d, and the claw portion 82 is provided on each of the four walls 84a, 84b, 84c, and 84d, thereby effectively restricting movement of the housing cover 64 in each of the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions relative to the housing 62.

[0045] The portion of the blocking portion 76 shown in FIG. 3 that is located on the extension line of the window 76a has a lower strength than other portions, but since the claw portion 82 is provided at a position that is off the extension line of the window 76a in a planar view, damage to that portion can be suppressed.

[0046] [Variations] Note that the specific configurations of the image forming device 10 given in this specification are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate according to the specifications of the actual product. For example, the image forming device 10 does not necessarily have to be a multifunction device, and may be any one of a copier, a facsimile, and a printer, or a multifunction device that combines at least two of these. Furthermore, the image forming device 10 may be a monochrome device that forms a single-color image on a recording medium.

[0047] In addition, the specific part shapes, number of parts, dimensions, etc. described in the above embodiment are merely examples and can be appropriately changed according to the needs of product specifications, etc. For example, in the above embodiment, two protrusions 70 are formed on each of the four walls 74a, 74b, 74c, and 74d that constitute the side wall portion 68 of the housing 62, but the number of protrusions 70 may be appropriately changed. For example, one or three or more protrusions 70 may be formed on each of the four walls 74a, 74b, 74c, and 74d. In addition, one or more protrusions 70 may be formed on each of the front wall portion 74a and the rear wall portion 74b, and one or more protrusions 70 may be formed on each of the left wall portion 74c and the right wall portion 74d. In these cases, the number and positions of the claws 82 of the housing cover 64 are determined according to the number and positions of the protrusions 70.

[0048] Furthermore, the protrusions 86 and the recesses 88 constituting the claws 82 may be formed in an asymmetric shape in the width direction, or in a shape other than a trapezoid. For example, the protrusions 86 may be formed in a shape in which the tip end is curved in an arc shape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10...Image forming device T … Virtual reference line V1, V2 … Virtual insertion reference line X1, X2 ... Virtual acceptance reference line 60…Optical box 62a...outer surface 62…Housing 64 ... Housing cover 70...Protrusion 76...Occluded part 78 ... Side wall 82 ... Claw part 84a~84d…Wall part 86...Protrusion 88 ...Recess

Claims

1. A housing cover for closing an opening at an upper portion of a housing for accommodating optical components, A blocking portion that blocks the opening; A side wall portion provided on a peripheral edge of the closing portion so as to protrude downward; and a plurality of claws provided on the side wall portion so as to be elastically deformable outward and adapted to be engaged with a plurality of protrusions provided on a side surface of the housing; The claw portion has a protrusion that protrudes downward from the lower end of the side wall portion, and a recess that is formed above the protrusion and into which the protrusion can be inserted from above, the housing cover.

2. When a direction parallel to a surface of the side wall portion and perpendicular to a vertical direction is defined as a width direction, the protrusion is formed such that a width direction length gradually becomes narrower toward a downward direction, 2. A housing cover as described in claim 1, wherein two imaginary insertion reference lines extending in the vertical direction through both widthwise ends of the base end of the protrusion are positioned inside two imaginary receiving reference lines extending in the vertical direction through both widthwise ends of the opening end of the recess.

3. 3. The housing cover according to claim 2, wherein when a protruding length of said protruding portion is h and a depth of said recessed portion is D, the relationship "D>h" is satisfied.

4. The protrusion and the recess are formed symmetrically in the width direction, The inclination angle of the width direction side edge of the protrusion with respect to a virtual reference line extending in the vertical direction is defined as θ1, When the inclination angle of the width direction side edge of the recess with respect to a virtual reference line extending in the vertical direction is θ2, 4. The housing cover according to claim 3, which satisfies the relationship "0 degrees < θ1 < 90 degrees" and "θ1 = θ2".

5. The housing cover according to claim 1 , wherein an inner surface and an outer surface of the protrusion are formed flush with an inner surface and an outer surface of the side wall portion.

6. The blocking portion is formed in a quadrangle in a plan view, The side wall portion is formed in a rectangular frame shape having four walls, The housing cover according to claim 1 , wherein the claw portion is provided on each of the four wall portions.

7. the blocking portion has a rectangular window through which light emitted from the optical component passes, The housing cover according to claim 6 , wherein the claws provided on the two walls opposing each other in the extending direction of the window are provided at positions that are not aligned with an extension line of the window in a plan view.

8. A housing for containing the optical components; and An optical box comprising a housing cover according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An image forming apparatus comprising the optical box according to claim 8.

Images