Image forming device

Abstract

To provide a form of an image forming apparatus.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus comprises: an apparatus main body that has a control board; a drawer unit; and a door that is supported by the apparatus main body movably between a closed position and an open position and is opposite to the drawer unit at the closed position. The door has a door contact that is configured to be electrically connected with the control board, and be brought into contact with a unit contact when the door is located at the closed position to be electrically connected with the unit contact. The drawer unit has an opposing surface that is opposite to the door located at the closed position, and a grip part that is provided in a center part of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the axis of rotation. The unit contact is provided in an area on the outside of an end face of the grip part, the area being below the grip part in the vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus has been proposed that includes a drum unit that holds four developing cartridges and an openable cover that covers the housing of the drum unit (see Patent Document 1). The housing of the drum unit is provided with four electrical terminals that can be electrically connected to the IC chips of the respective developing cartridges, and these four electrical terminals are electrically connected to a relay board via a wiring section.

[0003] The relay board is disposed on the rear surface of a fourth frame plate disposed at the front end of the housing of the drum unit, and is electrically connected to an electrical contact surface provided on the front surface of the fourth frame plate. An electrical contact is provided on the cover, and this electrical contact comes into contact with the electrical contact surface when the cover is in the closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-28346 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In recent years, there is still room for improvement in image forming apparatuses incorporating the above-mentioned IC chips. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an embodiment of an image forming apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides an image forming apparatus comprising: a device main body having a control board; a photosensitive drum that carries a toner image and is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis; a developing unit that has a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information; and a unit contact that is electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit. a tray that detachably supports the developing unit; a drawer unit that can be moved from a first position where the photosensitive drum can form an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body, In the pull-out direction a drawer unit that can be pulled out; and a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is pulled out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position, the door having a door contact that is electrically connected to the control board and that is configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is positioned at the closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact, Tray a surface facing the door in the closed position, and a central portion of the surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis And the lower half of the area A handle portion provided on the a side surface disposed on one side of the developing unit in the axial direction and extending along the drawing direction; having The handle portion is disposed vertically below an upper end of the side surface, The unit contact is a region on the outer side of an end surface of the handle portion in the axial direction, The above The present invention is characterized in that the handle portion is provided in a region lower than the lower surface of the handle portion in the vertical direction. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, comprising: a device body having a control board; a photosensitive drum configured to carry a toner image and to be rotatable about a rotation axis; a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information; and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being capable of being pulled out from the device body from a first position at which the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position at which the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device body; a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is pulled out from the device body, and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position; and a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, the developing unit being capable of being pulled out from the device body to a second position at which the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device body. the door has a door contact that is electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact and be electrically connected to the unit contact when the door is in a closed position, and a protrusion that houses the engagement portion and protrudes toward the device body; the drawer unit has an opposing surface that faces the door in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in the center of the opposing surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis, and the unit contact is positioned on the engaging portion side of the end face of the handle portion in the axial direction, and is positioned on the end face side of the protrusion portion. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus, comprising a device main body having a control board, a photosensitive drum configured to carry a toner image and to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being supported by the device main body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device main body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out of the device main body, and an open position that opens the opening, and the drawer unit is supported by the device main body so as to be movable between the closed position and the open position, and a door facing a drawer unit, the door having a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact and be electrically connected to the unit contact when the door is in a closed position, the drawer unit having an opposing surface facing the door in the closed position and a handle portion provided in the center of the opposing surface in the axial direction of the rotation axis, the door having a convex portion protruding toward the device main body and not coming into contact with a drawer unit applicable to the device main body when the door moves from the open position to the closed position, and the unit contact is located outside an end face of the handle portion and on the same side as the convex portion with respect to the handle portion in the axial direction. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, one embodiment of an image forming apparatus can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall schematic view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus with a cartridge tray removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cartridge tray and a developing cartridge. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cartridge tray and a developing cartridge 8. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a cartridge tray, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view showing a front part of the cartridge tray. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a tray contact unit and tray memory contacts corresponding to each developing cartridge. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is installed, FIG. 1B is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is pulled out from its installed position, and FIG. 1C is a side view showing the cartridge tray when it is further pulled out. [Figure 8] 1A is an oblique view showing the front door and device main body in the closed position, FIG. 1B is an oblique view showing the device main body with the front door slightly open, and FIG. 1C is an oblique view showing the front door and device main body in the open position. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing the multi-tray unit during use, and FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a door contact unit and a tray contact unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit and its peripheral configuration. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the multi-tray frame and the multi-tray frame rails. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example of the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus during a closing operation of the front door. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the door contact unit is in contact with the tray contact unit. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a comparative example of the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion enclosed by a dashed line in an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a peripheral configuration of a door contact member of the door contact unit; [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] 23(a) is a perspective view showing the relative positions of the wire spring and the tag main body bundle wire, and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 23B-23B cross section of FIG. 23(a). [Figure 24] 13A is an enlarged perspective view showing a torsion coil spring according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a perspective view showing the torsion coil spring. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 26] 4A is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body and a cartridge tray, FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing an intermediate contact portion, and FIG. 4C is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate contact portion. [Figure 27] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion when the front door is closed, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion when the front door is open. [Figure 28] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 29] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the tag contact connector, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the tag contact connector. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the fifth embodiment. [Diagram 31] FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus with a front door open, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door open. [Diagram 32] FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus holding a cartridge tray positioned at a midway position, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus holding a cartridge tray positioned at a midway position. [Diagram 33]1A is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the front door is being closed, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the front door is being closed, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the front door is closed. [Diagram 34] 13A is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to a fifth embodiment with the front door open, and FIG. 13B is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door open. [Diagram 35] 34(b), (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 35A-35A in FIG. 34(b), and (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the section 35B-35B in FIG. 34(b). [Diagram 36] (a) is a partially enlarged view of Figure 35(a), and (b) is a partially enlarged view of Figure 35(b). [Figure 37] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cartridge tray is held at a midway position. [Figure 38] 38(a) is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door slightly open, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section 38B-38B of FIG. 38(a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-section 38C-38C of FIG. 38(a). [Figure 39] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit and the door contact unit with the front door slightly open. [Diagram 40] 13A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit with the front door further closed, and FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate with the front door 40 further closed. [Diagram 41] 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit when the front door is in the closed position, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate when the front door is in the closed position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In the following description, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and examples. However, the functions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, the functions, materials, shapes, etc. of the members once described in the following description are the same as those described in the initial description unless otherwise specified.

[0010] In the following description, the side of the image forming apparatus where the front door is provided is referred to as the front side, and the side opposite the front side is referred to as the rear side. Furthermore, when looking at the image forming apparatus from the front, the left side is referred to as the left side, and the right side is referred to as the right side.

[0011] Also, the direction extending on the drum axis of the photosensitive drum of the cartridge tray is referred to as the "first direction D1". Furthermore, the direction intersecting the first direction D1 (in this embodiment, the direction in which the developing cartridge is inserted into the cartridge tray) is referred to as the "second direction D2". In addition, the direction in which the cartridge tray is inserted into the image forming apparatus is referred to as the "third direction D3". The first direction D1 and the second direction D2 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other. The second direction D2 and the third direction D3 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other. The third direction D3 and the first direction D1 intersect with each other, preferably perpendicular to each other.

[0012] <First Example> [Overall structure] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is a four-color full-color laser beam printer that uses an electrophotographic image forming process, and forms a color image on a sheet S.

[0013] 1, the image forming apparatus 1 has an apparatus main body 2, a cartridge tray 3, and four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. The cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2. The cartridge tray 3 is a tray capable of holding the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. The cartridge tray 3 and the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K constitute a drawer unit 38.

[0014] In the following, the cartridge tray 3 with the four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K attached thereto will also be referred to simply as the cartridge tray 3, and the cartridge tray 3 in this state constitutes a drawer unit. The cartridge tray 3 (drawer unit) can be drawn out from the device main body 2 from an attached position, which is a first position where the photosensitive drums are capable of image formation, to a drawn out position, which is a second position where the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are exposed to the outside of the device main body 2. The image forming device 1 forms an image on a sheet S (e.g., printing paper) with developer (e.g., toner) supplied from the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K.

[0015] In this embodiment, four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are mounted on one cartridge tray 3. The four developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K accommodate developers of different colors (e.g., yellow, magenta, cyan, and black). However, the number of developing cartridges 8 mounted on the cartridge tray 3 may be one to three, or may be five or more.

[0016] The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K have the same configuration except for the color of the toner image. Therefore, only the configuration of the developing cartridge 8M will be described, and the description of the other developing cartridges 8Y, 8C, and 8K will be omitted. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridge 8M according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the cartridge tray 3 is provided with a photosensitive drum 4M that supports a toner image and rotates around a rotation axis extending in a first direction D1 in correspondence with the developing cartridge 8M. That is, the first direction D1 is the axial direction of the rotation axis of the photosensitive drum 4M. In addition, the cartridge tray 3 is provided with a charging roller 5 that acts on the photosensitive drum 4M, and a cleaning roller 7. The developing cartridge 8M has a developing roller 6 that develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 4.

[0017] 1, a laser scanner unit LB is provided above the cartridge tray 3. This laser scanner unit LB outputs a laser beam Z corresponding to image information. The laser beam Z passes through an exposure window 10 and scans and exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 4M.

[0018] An electrostatic attraction belt unit 11 is provided below the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K and the cartridge tray 3. This electrostatic attraction belt unit 11 has a drive roller 13 and a tension roller 14, and a plastic electrostatic attraction belt 12 is stretched around the drive roller 13 and the tension roller 14. The photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K provided in each developing cartridge are in contact with the upper surface of the electrostatic attraction belt 12.

[0019] Transfer rollers 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K are provided at positions facing the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K on the inner side of the electrostatic attraction belt 12. The toner images carried on the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are transferred onto the sheet S by applying a transfer bias to the transfer rollers 16Y, 16M, 16C, and 16K.

[0020] A feeding unit 18 is provided below the electrostatic adsorption belt unit 11. This feeding unit 18 has a feeding tray 19 on which sheets S are stacked and stored, and a feeding roller 20, and feeds the sheets S. A fixing unit 21 that fixes an image on the sheets S is disposed behind the electrostatic adsorption belt unit 11 (to the right in FIG. 1), and a discharge unit 22 that discharges the sheets S outside the apparatus is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus main body 2.

[0021] Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2(b) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 with the cartridge tray 3 removed. As shown in Fig. 2(a), after a front door 40 of the image forming apparatus 1 is opened, the cartridge tray 3 is installed so as to be movable in a third direction D3 along a guide rail 41 (see Fig. 2(b)) provided on the apparatus main body 2. Opening and closing of the front door 40 will be described in detail later. The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and K are individually replaceable with respect to the cartridge tray 3.

[0022] The device body 2 has an opening 25 through which the drawer unit 38 passes when the drawer unit 38 is drawn out from the device body 2. A front door 40 serving as a door is supported by the device body 2 so as to be movable between a closed position that covers the opening 25 and an open position that opens the opening 25.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K according to this embodiment. In Fig. 3, one developing cartridge 8M is removed. The developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are attached and detached through four slots provided in the cartridge tray 3.

[0024] 3, the developing cartridge 8M as a developing unit includes a memory tag unit 80M to which a memory tag 81M as a memory medium is attached. The memory tag 81M is, for example, a contact-type IC chip, and has an electrical contact portion. The memory tag 81M can be electrically connected to the image forming apparatus 1 by contacting with a tray memory contact 720M (see FIG. 6) provided on the cartridge tray 3. The memory tag 81M stores information related to the developing cartridge 8M.

[0025] 9, the image forming apparatus 1 has a control board 43 and a display unit 42. The control board 43 has a processor such as a CPU and various memories, and is configured, for example, by a circuit board, and executes various processes in the image forming apparatus 1 by the processor operating according to a program. In addition, the control board 43 is connected to memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K as described later, and performs information processing of the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K of the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K. This makes it possible to clearly display information such as the remaining amount of developer in the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K to the user by the display unit 42 provided in the image forming apparatus 1.

[0026] [Image formation operation] Next, the image forming operation will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 4. The operation for forming a full-color image is as follows: The cartridge tray 3 and the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K are completely mounted in the image forming apparatus 1 with the front door 40 closed.

[0027] When the front door 40 is closed, a drum drive coupling (not shown) provided in the image forming apparatus 1 engages with drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K (see FIG. 3) connected to the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. The drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K are rotationally driven via a drive output motor and gear (not shown) of the image forming apparatus 1. The photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 at a predetermined speed via the drum couplings 54Y, 54M, 54C, and 54K. The electrostatic adsorption belt 12 is also rotationally driven at a speed corresponding to the speed of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K.

[0028] At this time, the laser scanner unit LB is also driven to emit light. In synchronization with the emission of light from the laser scanner unit LB, the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charging roller 5. The laser scanner unit LB scans and exposes the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K with the laser light Z in accordance with the image signal for each color. As a result, an electrostatic latent image in accordance with the image signal for the corresponding color is formed on the surface of each photosensitive drum.

[0029] This electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing roller 6 which is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow E in Fig. 4 at a predetermined speed. Through such an electrophotographic image forming process, a yellow toner image corresponding to the yellow component of the full-color image is formed on the photosensitive drum 4Y. Meanwhile, the sheets S are separated and fed one by one at a predetermined controlled timing by the feeding unit 18. Then, the sheets S are transported along the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K by the electrostatic adsorption belt 12.

[0030] The sheet S reaches the photosensitive drum 4Y at a predetermined control timing, and the toner image on the photosensitive drum 4Y is transferred onto the sheet S. Similarly, toner images corresponding to the magenta, cyan, and black colors of the full-color image are formed on the photosensitive drums 4M, 4C, and 4K. Then, the toner images are transferred onto the sheet S in superimposed order of magenta, cyan, and black. In this way, an unfixed four-color full-color toner image of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black is formed on the sheet S.

[0031] The toner image transferred onto the sheet S is fixed by the fixing unit 21. Then, the sheet S that has passed through the fixing unit 21 is discharged onto a discharge tray 23 by a discharge unit 22.

[0032] [Cartridge tray configuration] Next, the configuration of the cartridge tray 3 will be described. Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the cartridge tray 3, and Fig. 5(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the front part of the cartridge tray 3. The cartridge tray 3 has a tray frame 30, a tray penetrating shaft 55, photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, 4K, charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, 5K, and cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, 27K. The cartridge tray 3 also has tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, 44K, tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, 45K, tray developing contacts (not shown), and the like.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5(a), the tray frame 30 is a frame consisting of four surfaces, a tray right side surface 30r, a tray left side surface 30l, a tray front surface 30f, and a tray rear surface 30b. The tray right side surface 30r is located on the outside of the device in the first direction D1 of the cartridge tray 3, and is a side surface covering the right side. Similarly, the tray left side surface 30l is located on the outside of the device in the first direction D1 of the cartridge tray 3, and is a side surface covering the left side. In addition, the tray front surface 30f and the tray rear surface 30b are surfaces connecting the tray right side surface 30r and the tray left side surface 30l, the tray front surface 30f is located on the front side of the cartridge tray 3, and the tray rear surface 30b is located on the rear side.

[0034] The tray penetration shaft 55 is supported by the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l, and both ends thereof protrude outward in the first direction D1 beyond the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l. A tray positioning groove 56 is formed on the rear side of the tray right side 30r and the tray left side 30l. Here, the tray penetration shaft 55 is supported by a tray shaft engaging portion 57 of the device main body 2 shown in FIG. 2(b), and the tray positioning groove 56 is supported by the tray positioning shaft 24 of the device main body 2 shown in FIG. 1. As a result, the cartridge tray 3 is positioned relative to the device main body 2.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 5(a), the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are supported by the tray right side surface 30r and the tray left side surface 30l and are attached rotatably about rotation shafts extending in the first direction D1. The charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K are rotatable about rotation shafts extending in the first direction D1 and are supported by the cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K so as to be in contact with and rotate following the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K, respectively. The cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K are supported by the tray right side surface 30r and the tray left side surface 30l.

[0036] Further, the tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, and 44K are provided on the side of the tray right side surface 30r, and are electrically connected to the charging rollers 5Y, 5M, 5C, and 5K. The tray charging contacts 44Y, 44M, 44C, and 44K are exposed on the right side surface of the cartridge tray 3, and contact with charging contacts (not shown) of the apparatus main body 2, thereby electrically connecting the charging roller 5 to the apparatus main body 2. The charging roller 5 uniformly charges the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K to a predetermined polarity and potential. Here, although the charging roller 5 is used as the charging section in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, and may be another configuration such as a corona charger.

[0037] As shown in Figures 4 and 5(a), the cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K are provided with cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K that are rotatable about rotation axes extending in the first direction D1. The tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, and 45K are provided on the side of the tray right side 30r, and are electrically connected to the cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K, respectively. The tray cleaner contacts 45Y, 45M, 45C, and 45K are exposed on the right side of the cartridge tray 3, and contact with cleaner contacts (not shown) of the device main body 2, thereby electrically connecting the cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K to the device main body 2.

[0038] As a result, the cleaning rollers 7Y, 7M, 7C, and 7K effectively remove waste developer remaining on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K that has not been transferred during image formation. Here, in this embodiment, the cleaning roller 7 is used as the cleaning unit, but the cleaning unit does not necessarily have to be provided, and may be another configuration such as a rubber blade or a sheet.

[0039] 5(a) and 5(b), the tray front surface 30f is provided with a tray operation unit 30a and a pressed portion 751 that can be pressed by a protruding portion 40a of the front door 40, which will be described later. The pressed portion 751 may be configured so as not to be pressed by the protruding portion 40a. The tray front surface 30f as the opposing surface faces the front door 40 that is positioned in the closed position. The tray operation unit 30a and the pressed portion 751 protrude forward from the tray front surface 30f.

[0040] The tray operation part 30a as a handle is disposed at the center of the tray front surface 30f in the first direction D1, and has a downwardly concave shape so that a user can insert his / her hand from below to grip it. The pressed part 751 is disposed at the left end of the tray front surface 30f in the first direction D1. A recess 752 is formed between the tray operation part 30a and the pressed part 751 in the first direction D1.

[0041] Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219 and tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K corresponding to each developing cartridge. As shown in Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 6, the tray contact unit 219 is attached to the tray front surface 30f. The tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are attached to the ends of the cleaning frames 27Y, 27M, 27C, and 27K on the tray right side surface 30r side.

[0042] The tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are disposed at positions that allow connection to electrical contact portions of the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K, respectively. These tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are electrically connected to a tray contact unit 219, which serves as a unit contact, via a wiring portion 730 and a relay board (not shown).

[0043] [Inserting and removing the cartridge tray] Next, the operation of pulling out the cartridge tray 3 from the apparatus main body 2 will be described with reference to Figures 2(a)(b), 5(a), and 7(a), (b), and (c). Figures 7(a), (b), and (c) are diagrams showing the behavior of the cartridge tray 3 when it is pulled out from the apparatus main body 2, and show the transition of the states of the cartridge tray 3 and the apparatus main body 2 as viewed from the right side of the image forming apparatus 1.

[0044] 5, tray guides 49 are formed on the tray right side surface 30r and the tray left side surface 30l, protruding outward in the first direction D1. In addition, guide rollers 50 rotatably supported relative to the tray frame 30 are provided on the rear side of each tray guide 49 in the image forming apparatus 1.

[0045] 7(a), the lowermost portion 50a of the guide roller 50 is located below the tray guide 49. A tray guide inclined surface 49b is formed at the end of the tray guide 49 on the front side of the image forming apparatus 1. The tray guide inclined surface 49b is inclined upward as it approaches the terminal end on the front side of the tray guide 49.

[0046] 2(b), guide rails 41 are provided on both side surfaces of the housing portion of the cartridge tray 3 in the apparatus main body 2. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7(a), a rail inclined surface 41b is provided on the rear side of the guide rail 41 relative to the image forming apparatus 1, the rail inclined surface 41b being inclined downward as it approaches the rear end. Also, a tray stopper 41c is formed on the end of the guide rail 41 on the front side relative to the image forming apparatus 1, protruding upward from the rail lower surface.

[0047] 7(a), the position of the cartridge tray 3 attached to the apparatus main body 2 is defined as a first position. When the cartridge tray 3 is located at the first position, the guide roller 50 and the tray guide inclined surface 49b are disposed upstream of the rail inclined surface 41b and the tray stopper 41c, respectively, in the pulling-out direction of the cartridge tray 3. When replacing the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K, the user opens the front door 40 of the image forming apparatus 1 and pulls out the cartridge tray 3 from the first position to the front side with respect to the apparatus main body 2.

[0048] 7(b), the tray guide inclined surface 49b comes into contact with the tray stopper 41c, and the guide roller 50 comes into contact with the rail inclined surface 41b. Then, as the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out toward the front side of the image forming apparatus 1, it moves upward in the second direction D2 relative to the apparatus main body 2.

[0049] As a result, the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K are separated from the electrostatic adsorption belt 12, and the cartridge tray 3 can be pulled out without damaging the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 4Y, 4M, 4C, and 4K. Here, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the position of the cartridge tray 3 when the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out from the first position to the front side relative to the apparatus main body 2 and has risen completely upward in the second direction D2 is defined as the second position.

[0050] When the cartridge tray 3 is at the second position or closer to the front than the second position, the tray guide lower surface 49a and the tray stopper 41c come into contact, and the guide roller 50 and the guide rail 41 come into contact. As a result, the cartridge tray 3 is pulled out toward the front side of the apparatus main body 2 in the third direction D3 while maintaining its position in the second direction D2. After being pulled out, the user can easily replace the developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K because the upper side, which is the removal direction of the developer cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, and 8K, is open.

[0051] Moreover, when the cartridge tray 3 is inserted into the apparatus main body 2 from the pulled-out state, the cartridge tray 3 passes through the second position in the reverse order to that when it was pulled out and moves to the first position. In this case as well, the photosensitive drum 4 and the electrostatic adsorption belt 12 are separated from each other until the cartridge tray 3 is set in the first position, so that the insertion of the cartridge tray 3 can be completed without damaging the surface of the photosensitive drum 4.

[0052] [Opening and closing the front door] Next, the opening and closing operation of the front door 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a) to Fig. 9. Fig. 8(a) to (c) are perspective views showing the image forming apparatus 1 when the front door 40 is opened and closed in stages. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the front door 40.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 9, the front door 40 is provided with a left hinge 201 and a right hinge 202. The left hinge 201 and the right hinge 202 are disposed at different positions in the first direction D1. The left hinge 201 is provided with a left hinge rotation shaft 201a, and the right hinge 202 is provided with a right hinge rotation shaft 202a. The device body 2 is provided with a left hinge support portion 203 and a right hinge support portion 204, which are engaged with the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a, respectively. The front door 40 is held rotatably relative to the device body 2 around the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a.

[0054] Further, the front door 40 is provided with an open / close button 205, a left lock member 206, and a right lock member 207, and the device body 2 is provided with a left lock member holding portion 208 and a right lock member holding portion 209. When the front door 40 is closed, the left lock member 206 engages with the left lock member holding portion 208, and the right lock member 207 engages with the right lock member holding portion 209. Due to these engagements, the front door 40 is held in a closed position relative to the device body 2. Furthermore, the front door 40 is provided with a front door biasing member 210. When the front door 40 is in a closed state, the front door biasing member 210 applies a biasing force to the front door 40 and the device body 2. Due to this biasing force, the front door 40 is biased in a direction to be opened relative to the device body 2.

[0055] When a user opens the front door 40, first, the user presses the open / close button 205. When the open / close button 205 is pressed, the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 move via a link mechanism (not shown) and are disengaged from the left locking member holding portion 208 and the right locking member holding portion 209, respectively. When the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 are disengaged, the front door 40 rotates around the left hinge rotation shaft 201a and the right hinge rotation shaft 202a by the biasing force of the front door biasing member 210 from the position shown in FIG. 8(a) to the position shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0056] By moving to this position, the user is able to grasp the edge portion 40c of the front door 40. By manipulating this edge portion 40c, the user can open the front door 40 to a position rotated approximately 90 degrees from the closed state, as shown in FIG. 8(c). Here, a tension spring 306 (see FIG. 9) is provided on the right hinge 202. This tension spring 306 reduces the impact when the user opens the front door 40.

[0057] The left hinge 201 and the right hinge 202 are provided with a left hinge stopper portion and a right hinge stopper portion, not shown, respectively. When the front door 40 rotates to the position shown in Fig. 8(c), the left hinge stopper portion and the right hinge stopper portion abut against stoppers provided on the device body 2, not shown, and the front door 40 does not open any further and is restricted to this position. When the front door 40 is closed, it rotates in the reverse order to when it is opened, and the left locking member 206 and the right locking member 207 engage with the holding portions, thereby bringing the front door 40 into a closed state.

[0058] [Multi-tray unit configuration] Next, the configuration of the multi-tray unit 211 will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a) and Fig. 10(a) and (b). Fig. 10(a) is a perspective view showing the multi-tray unit 211 during use, and Fig. 10(b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the multi-tray unit.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 10(a) and (b), the multi-tray unit 211 as a stacking section has a multi-tray frame 212, a pair of multi-tray stoppers 213, and a multi-tray 214. When the multi-tray unit 211 is in an open state, sheets are stacked on a stacking surface 212e located on the upper surface of the multi-tray frame 212 and on the multi-tray 214. The multi-tray frame 212 is provided with a multi-tray frame handle 212a that can be grasped by a user. When a user uses the multi-tray unit 211, the user holds the multi-tray frame handle 212a and rotates the multi-tray unit 211 in the opening direction around the rotation shaft 212b.

[0060] Here, a front door rail 40d having an elongated hole shape is formed in the front door 40, and a multi-tray frame rail 212c is formed in the multi-tray frame 212, which rises in the thickness direction of the sheets loaded on the multi-tray 214. The multi-tray frame rail 212c as an engagement portion protrudes from the loading surface 212e toward the device main body 2. A long hole portion 212d is formed in the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

[0061] The multi-tray stopper 213 as a holding portion is slidably held by the front door rail 40d and the long hole portion 212d of the multi-tray frame rail 212c. That is, the long hole portion 212d slidably engages with the multi-tray stopper 213. When the multi-tray unit 211 rotates to the position shown in Fig. 10(a), the multi-tray stopper 213 abuts against the front door rail 40d and the end of the long hole portion 212d of the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

[0062] At this time, the rotational force due to the weight of the multi-tray unit 211 acts in a direction to open the multi-tray unit 211, and the multi-tray stopper 213 acts to stop the rotational force of the multi-tray unit 211, thereby maintaining the position of the multi-tray unit 211. Then, the user can use the multi-tray unit 211 while holding the multi-tray unit 211 in the position shown in Figure 10(a).

[0063] A width regulating plate 215 is supported on the multi-tray frame 212 so as to be movable in the first direction D1. Sheets are loaded by a user on the loading surface 212e of the multi-tray frame 212 and the multi-tray 214, and the positions of these sheets in the first direction D1 are regulated by the width regulating plate 215. During image formation, the sheets loaded on the multi-tray 214 are fed by a feeding roller 216 (see FIG. 1).

[0064] [Tray contact unit configuration] Next, the tray contact unit 219 will be described with reference to Fig. 5(a), Fig. 6 and Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219. As described above, when the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K are mounted on the cartridge tray 3, the electrical contact portions of the developing cartridges 8Y, 8M, 8C, 8K are connected to the tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, 720K.

[0065] 6, the tray memory contacts 720Y, 720M, 720C, and 720K are connected to a relay board (not shown) provided on the tray front surface 30f via a wiring portion 730. The relay board is provided with a drum memory tag (not shown) which is a memory medium having information about each photosensitive drum.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 5(a), a tray contact unit 219 is provided on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. As shown in Fig. 11, the tray contact unit 219 is composed of a tray contact board 220, a contact board holding member 221, a contact board pressing spring 222, and a tray contact frame 223. The tray contact board 220 is electrically connected to the relay board by a wiring section (not shown).

[0067] The tray contact board 220 is fixed to the contact board holding member 221 by any method such as adhesion, double-sided tape, or heat caulking. The contact board pressing spring 222 is a compression spring that abuts against the contact board holding member 221 and the cartridge tray 3, respectively, and is in a compressed state from the natural spring state. The spring force of the contact board pressing spring 222 holds the holding member regulating portion 221a of the contact board holding member 221 and the tray contact frame regulating portion 223a of the tray contact frame 223 in abutting state. The tray contact frame 223 is fixed to the cartridge tray 3.

[0068] The tray contact frame 223 is provided with a float holding portion 223b. The float holding portion 223b is arranged on four sides so as to surround the contact board holding member 221. The float holding portion 223b and the contact board holding member 221 are arranged with a clearance between them, whereby the contact board holding member 221 is held by the tray contact frame 223 so as to be movable a certain amount in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[0069] [Door contact unit peripheral configuration] Next, the peripheral configuration of the door contact unit 224 provided on the front door 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 14. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the door contact unit 224 and its peripheral configuration. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the multi-tray frame 212 and the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

[0070] 12 to 14, a door contact unit 224 serving as a door contact is disposed so as to come into contact with and be electrically connected to a tray contact unit 219 provided on the cartridge tray 3 when the front door 40 is closed. The door contact unit 224 has a door contact holder 226 fixed to the front door 40, and a door contact member 225 held by the door contact holder 226.

[0071] The door contact holder 226 is formed in a box shape with an open side facing the device body 2, and the door contact member 225 is housed in the door contact holder 226. An edge of the door contact holder 226 constitutes a contact positioning portion 226a formed in a tapered shape toward the door contact member 225, and the contact positioning portion 226a positions the tray contact unit 219 when the front door 40 is closed. The door contact member 225 has a metal contact portion and is connected to the tag body bundle 305 as a bundle.

[0072] Moreover, the front door 40 is disposed to the left of the door contact unit 224 in the first direction D1, and has a protruding portion 40a that protrudes toward the cartridge tray 3 attached to the apparatus main body 2. As shown in Fig. 14, the multi-tray frame rail 212c is housed within the protruding portion 40a, and the protruding portion 40a is formed to protrude toward the cartridge tray 3 so as not to interfere with the multi-tray frame rail 212c.

[0073] The door contact unit 224 is disposed inside the device in the first direction D1, i.e., to the right, of the protruding portion 40a. This is to reduce the size of the front door 40 in the third direction D3, thereby reducing the size of the image forming apparatus 1. Fig. 15 shows a comparative example in which the door contact unit 224 is disposed in an area overlapping with the protruding portion 40a in the first direction D1. In this comparative example, as shown in Fig. 15, the distance from the front surface of the multi-tray frame 212 of the front door 40 to the back surface of the door contact unit 224 is a distance L3.

[0074] 14, in this embodiment, the distance from the front surface of the multi-tray frame 212 to the rear surface of the door contact unit 224 is distance L2. Distance L2 is smaller than distance L3. In this manner, by disposing the door contact unit 224 offset from the protruding portion 40a in the first direction D1, the image forming apparatus 1 can be made smaller.

[0075] 5(b), the tray operation unit 30a has a downward concave shape and is configured to be held by inserting the hand from below. For this reason, if the tray contact unit 219 and the tray operation unit 30a are arranged in the same area in the first direction D1, the door contact unit 224 may get in the way of the user's operation, or there may be a high risk that the user may touch the door contact unit 224. Here, as described above, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are arranged in the same area in the first direction D1 because they are configured to be in contact with each other.

[0076] 12, in this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed outside the device in the first direction D1 from the left end surface 130 of the tray operation section 30a. Also, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed in a region lower than the tray operation section 30a in the second direction D2, which is the vertical direction. This makes it difficult for the user to touch the tray contact unit 219 even when the user has the front door 40 open, and therefore damage to the tray contact unit 219 can be reduced.

[0077] 12 to 14, a protrusion 753 and a reinforcing rib 40b protruding from the rear surface of the front door 40 are provided near the door contact unit 224. The protrusion 753 has two projections 753a and 753b, and the reinforcing rib 40b as a rib is integrally formed with the projection 753a.

[0078] When the front door 40 is closed, the protrusion 753 is disposed at a position facing a recess 752 provided on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. Therefore, when the front door 40 is closed relative to the apparatus main body 2, the protrusion 753 provided on the front door 40 fits into the recess 752 of the cartridge tray 3. At this time, the protrusion 753 is disposed with a slight gap between it and the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3.

[0079] The convex portion 753 and the concave portion 752 are configured to enable attachment of only a cartridge tray 3 that is applicable to the apparatus main body 2. For example, when a cartridge tray that is not applicable to the apparatus main body 2 and does not have the concave portion 752 is attached to the apparatus main body 2, even if an attempt is made to close the front door 40, the convex portion 753 comes into contact with the attached cartridge tray, and the front door 40 cannot be closed securely. Also, when a cartridge tray 3 that is applicable to the apparatus main body 2 and has the concave portion 752 is attached to the apparatus main body 2, the convex portion 753 does not come into contact with the cartridge tray 3, and the front door 40 can be closed securely. This makes it possible to prevent attachment of a cartridge tray that is incompatible with the image forming apparatus 1.

[0080] Moreover, the reinforcing rib 40b is disposed so as to avoid interference with the tray operation portion 30a, thereby ensuring the rigidity of the front door 40. The door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 are disposed on the outer side of the device, i.e., on the left side, in the first direction D1, from the reinforcing rib 40b.

[0081] Therefore, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are preferably disposed in an area L1 in the first direction D1 as shown in Fig. 12. The area L1 is an area that is closer to the outside of the device than the end surface 130 of the tray operation unit 30a, i.e., closer to the multi-tray frame rail 212c, and closer to the tray operation unit 30a than the multi-tray frame rail 212c, in the first direction D1. More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed closer to the tray operation unit 30a than the protrusion 40a in the first direction D1.

[0082] More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed on the same side of the tray operation unit 30a as the convex portion 753 in the first direction D1. More preferably, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed closer to the multi-tray frame rail 212c than the reinforcing rib 40b.

[0083] [Door contact operation] Next, the contact operation of the door contact unit 224 with the tray contact unit 219 will be described with reference to Figures 12, 13, 16 and 17. Figure 16 is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1 in the middle of closing the front door. Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where the door contact unit 224 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 219.

[0084] When the front door 40 is closed from an open state, the contact positioned portion 221b of the contact board holding member 221 and the contact positioning portion 226a of the door contact holder 226 engage with each other as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. As described above, the contact board holding member 221, which is held to be movable to a certain extent in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, is restricted from moving in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 by this engagement. By this restriction, the tray contact board 220 held by the contact board holding member 221 and the door contact member 225 held by the door contact holder 226 are aligned in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. In this state, the contact portion provided on the tray contact board 220 and the contact portion of the door contact member 225 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected.

[0085] In this embodiment, the movement of the tray contact unit 219 in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is restricted by the door contact unit 224, but this is not limiting. For example, the contact board holding member 221 of the door contact unit 224 may be configured to be movable in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, and the movement of the contact board holding member 221 may be restricted by the tray contact unit 219. In addition, the configuration of the contact is not limited to a board, and may be something else, such as a spring or a metal wire.

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed within the region L1 in the first direction D1 as shown in Fig. 12. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the device, without impeding the operability of the tray operation section 30a, and to reduce the possibility of the user touching the door contact unit 224. In this way, this embodiment can provide one form of an image forming device that is both easy to operate and compact.

[0087] In this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 are disposed on the left side of the tray operation unit 30a, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 may be disposed on the right side of the tray operation unit 30a.

[0088] In this embodiment, the tray contact unit 219 is provided in a region below the tray operation unit 30a in the second direction D2, but is not limited to this. For example, the tray contact unit 219 may be provided at the same height as the tray operation unit 30a, or may be provided above the tray operation unit 30a.

[0089] <Second Example> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment with measures taken against electrostatic discharge. Therefore, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be described by omitting illustrations or by using the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0090] [assignment] Fig. 18 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus 1001 as a comparative example. For the sake of explanation, Fig. 18 shows the front door open state, with the left side exterior and the paper feed tray exterior not shown. As shown in Fig. 18, the front door 40 is supported by a left hinge 201 and a right hinge 202 so as to be openable and closable relative to the apparatus body 2. A tag main body cable 305 is electrically connected to a door contact member 225 of a door contact unit 224 provided on the front door 40. The tag main body cable 305 is electrically connected to a control board 43 via the left hinge 201.

[0091] The image forming apparatus 1001 as the comparative example has the following problems. When a conductor or a user carrying static electricity approaches or touches the door contact member 225 or the tag body cable 305, electrostatic discharge (ESD) may occur. If a current caused by ESD reaches the control board 43, for example, from the door contact member 225 via the tag body cable 305, the elements on the control board 43 may be electrically destroyed.

[0092] In particular, in the image forming apparatus 1001, a user operates the tray operation unit 30a to install or remove the cartridge tray 3. When the front door 40 is in an open state, the door contact member 225 faces an area that the user's hand accesses, so that the user is likely to approach or come into contact with the door contact member 225.

[0093] [composition] Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Figs. 19 to 22(b). Fig. 19 is an enlarged perspective view showing the dashed portion of the image forming apparatus 1B. Fig. 20 is an enlarged perspective view showing the peripheral configuration of the door contact member 225 of the door contact unit 224. Fig. 21 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tension spring 306 and the wire spring 309. Fig. 22 is a perspective view showing the peripheral configuration of the left hinge 201. Fig. 23(a) is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the wire spring 309 and the tag main body bundle wire 305, and Fig. 23(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the 23B-23B cross section of Fig. 23(a). For the sake of explanation, Fig. 19 does not show the left exterior, rear exterior, and paper feed tray exterior.

[0094] 19, image forming apparatus 1B has a left side plate 300, a rear metal plate 301, and a left front metal plate 302, and left side plate 300 is electrically connected to rear metal plate 301 and left front metal plate 302 by screw fastening. Rear metal plate 301 is connected to an earth pin 303 of an inlet via an earth pin cable 304 and a screw. Left front metal plate 302 is positioned by hook portions 307a and 307b of mold frame 397.

[0095] In this embodiment, the electrical connections between the above-mentioned components are made by screw fastening and cables, but are not limited to this. For example, other methods such as welding and contact springs may be used as long as the electrical connections between the components are possible.

[0096] The left hinge 201 is provided with a tension spring 306 that biases the front door 40 in a direction to close the front door 40 relative to the device body 2 in order to reduce the impact when the front door 40 is opened. The tension spring 306 is an elastic body having electrical conductivity. One end 306a of the tension spring 306 is held by a spring hook portion 302a of the left front metal plate 302. The biasing force (elastic force) of the tension spring 306 is maximum when the front door 40 is open. Therefore, when the front door 40 is open, the contact pressure between the tension spring 306 and the left front metal plate 302 is maximum, and the tension spring 306 and the left front metal plate 302 are stably electrically connected.

[0097] Next, the configuration around the front door 40 will be described with reference to Figures 20 and 21. As shown in Figure 20, the front door 40 is held in the open position by a front door link 227 and a front door rod 228. For the sake of explanation, the front door link 227, the front door rod 228, and the cable bundle protection cover 308 are not shown in Figure 21.

[0098] 20, the door contact member 225 of the door contact unit 224 is electrically connected to the control board 43. When the front door 40 is in the closed position, the door contact unit 224 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 219 and is electrically connected to the tray contact unit 219. When the front door 40 is in the open position, the door contact unit 224 is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1B without coming into contact with the tray contact unit 219.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 21, the other end 309b of the wire spring 309 having conductivity is fastened to the other end 306b of the tension spring 306 by a screw, and the tension spring 306 and the wire spring 309 are electrically connected. As a result, the wire spring 309, the tension spring 306, the left front metal plate 302, the left side plate 300, the earth pin cable 304, and the earth pin 303 are electrically connected, and the wire spring 309 and the tension spring 306 function as an electrical earth. That is, the tension spring 306 constitutes a grounded part and a biasing part that are grounded. In this embodiment, the wire spring 309 is used as the conductive member, but the shape and material of the conductive member are not limited. For example, a conductive member in the shape of a sheet or plate may be used as the conductive member. The wire spring 309 is provided so as not to be electrically connected to the electrical path from the door contact unit 224 to the control board 43.

[0100] 21 and 22, the tag main body cable 305 is connected to the door contact member 225. When the front door 40 is closed, the tag main body cable 305 is connected to the door contact member 225 and the tray contact unit 219, thereby enabling the tag main body cable 305 to transmit information of the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the respective developing cartridges to the control board 43.

[0101] 20 to 22, the tag main body cable 305 runs from the door contact member 225 toward the left hinge 201. At this time, a cable protection cover 308 that covers the tag main body cable 305 is provided above the tag main body cable 305. This reduces the risk of the user touching the tag main body cable 305 and damaging the control board 43 due to ESD. Note that a small gap is always generated between the front door 40 and the cable protection cover 308, and even this small gap may cause a discharge phenomenon between the user and the tag main body cable 305.

[0102] As shown in Fig. 22, the tag main body cable 305 passes through the left hinge rotation shaft 201a which is the rotation shaft of the front door 40, and is held by the cable holder 310 shown in Fig. 19. Furthermore, the tag main body cable 305 is routed to the rear of the device and connected to the control board 43.

[0103] Incidentally, a user accesses the cartridge tray 3 from above the image forming apparatus 1B. For this reason, the tension spring 306 and the tag main body cable 305 are arranged on the left hinge 201, which is one of the left and right hinges, as shown in Fig. 21. In other words, both the tension spring 306 and the tag main body cable 305 are arranged on the left hinge 201, which serves as the first hinge, and are not arranged on the right hinge 202, which serves as the second hinge. This allows the tension spring 306 to protect the tag main body cable 305 from ESD, and reduces damage to the control board 43.

[0104] 20 to 23(b), the wire spring 309 is arranged above the tag main body cable 305 along the tag main body cable 305. Furthermore, one end 309a of the wire spring 309 is arranged near the door contact member 225 so as to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1B when the front door 40 is in the open position. More specifically, one end 309a of the wire spring 309 is arranged above the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 and arranged so as to surround the door contact member 225. The other end 309b of the wire spring 309 is electrically connected to the tension spring 306. By arranging the wire spring 309 in this manner, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the hand of a user or a conductor, which is usually accessed from above, will come into contact with the door contact member 225 without touching the wire spring 309.

[0105] Furthermore, ESD may occur when a user's hand or a conductor is in close proximity, but the wire spring 309 is disposed closer to the user's hand or the conductor than the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 or the tag main body bundled wire 305. Therefore, even if ESD occurs, current does not flow through the contact portion 225a of the door contact member 225 or the tag main body bundled wire 305, but through the grounded wire spring 309 or tension spring 306. This makes it possible to reduce damage to the control board 43. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide one form of an image forming apparatus in which damage to the control board 43 is reduced.

[0106] In this embodiment, the electrical product to be protected from ESD is, for example, the door contact member 225, but is not limited to this, and other electrical components such as motors and sensors may be configured to be protected from ESD.

[0107] <Third Example> Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described, in which tension spring 306 of the second embodiment is replaced with torsion coil spring 311. For this reason, the same components as those of the second embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals or will not be shown in the figures.

[0108] [Torsion coil spring peripheral configuration] 24(a) and (b) are perspective views showing torsion coil spring 311. As shown in Fig. 24(a) and (b), torsion coil spring 311 has coil portion 311a, one end portion 311b extending in one direction from coil portion 311a, and the other end portion 311c extending in the other direction from coil portion 311a. Coil portion 311a of torsion coil spring 311 is pivotally supported by left hinge rotation shaft 201a, and one end portion 311b is engaged with spring receiving portion 302b of left front metal plate 302.

[0109] The other end 311c of the torsion coil spring 311 is electrically connected to the wire spring 309 by a screw. The other end 311c of the torsion coil spring 311 presses a spring bearing portion 201b provided on the left hinge 201, thereby mitigating the impact when the front door 40 is opened.

[0110] As in the second embodiment, the biasing force (elastic force) of torsion coil spring 311 is maximum when front door 40 is open. Therefore, when front door 40 is open, the contact pressure between torsion coil spring 311 and left front metal sheet 302 is maximum, and torsion coil spring 311 and left front metal sheet 302 are stably electrically connected to each other.

[0111] [effect] With this configuration, the wire spring 309 and the torsion coil spring 311 function as an electrical earth. As in the second embodiment, the wire spring 309 and the torsion coil spring 311 protect the tag main body cable 305 and the door contact member 225 from ESD, and damage to the control board 43 can be reduced. In addition, the torsion coil spring 311 can be selected in accordance with the layout constraints around the left hinge 201, improving design freedom. Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide one form of an image forming apparatus that reduces damage to the control board 43 while improving design freedom.

[0112] <Fourth Example> Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is a modification of the door contact member 225 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment will be described by omitting illustrations or by using the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0113] [assignment] In the first embodiment, in a configuration in which the door contact member 225 arranged on the front door 40 is electrically connected to the control board 43 via the tag body cable 305 passing through the left hinge 201, the following problems arise.

[0114] ESD may occur when a conductor or a user carrying static electricity approaches or comes into contact with the door contact member 225 or the tag body cable 305. If a current caused by ESD reaches the control board 43, for example, from the door contact member 225 via the tag body cable 305, the elements on the control board 43 may be electrically destroyed.

[0115] In particular, when the front door 40 is open, the door contact member 225 faces an area that is accessed by the user's hand, increasing the possibility that the user will approach or come into contact with the door contact member 225.

[0116] [composition] Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Figs. 25 to 27(b). Fig. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus 1D according to this embodiment. Fig. 26(a) is a perspective view showing an apparatus main body 402 and a cartridge tray 403, Fig. 26(b) is a perspective view showing an intermediate contact portion 450, and Fig. 26(c) is an enlarged perspective view showing the intermediate contact portion 450. Fig. 27(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion 450 in a state where the front door 440 is closed, and Fig. 27(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the intermediate contact portion 450 in a state where the front door 440 is open.

[0117] 25 to 26(c), image forming apparatus 1D has an apparatus main body 402 and a front door 440 supported by apparatus main body 402 so as to be openable and closable. A cartridge tray 403 is attached to apparatus main body 402 so as to be removable, and a tray contact board 420 serving as a unit contact is provided on a tray front surface 403f of cartridge tray 403 serving as a unit holder. A main body contact board 422 is provided in apparatus main body 402, and main body contact board 422 serving as a main body contact is disposed above tray contact board 420.

[0118] The tray contact board 420 is a board-shaped contact member, and has a tray contact board contact surface 420a that faces the front door 440 in the closed state. The tray contact board 420 is disposed at a position close to the control board 43 in the first direction D1, and can shorten a main body contact bundle 423 connected to a main body contact board 422 described later.

[0119] The main body contact board 422 is provided on the front surface 402f of the device main body 402, and is a board-like contact arranged above the tray contact board 420 in the second direction D2. The main body contact board 422 has a main body contact board contact surface 422a facing the front door 440 in the closed state, and is connected to the control board 43 provided on the side of the device main body 402 via a main body contact cable 423.

[0120] The device main body 402 has an LB stay 489 that holds the laser scanner unit LB (see FIG. 1), and the main body contact board 422 is disposed near the LB stay 489 as a grounding member. Since the LB stay 489 is earthed, the main body contact board 422 can be protected from ESD even if the user's hand approaches or touches the main body contact board 422. In this way, ESD measures can be taken for the main body contact board 422 without adding any components.

[0121] An intermediate contact portion 450 is disposed on the front door 440, and the intermediate contact portion 450 has an intermediate contact spring 451 and an intermediate contact holder 452. The intermediate contact spring 451 as an elastic member is supported by the intermediate contact holder 452 and is composed of a plurality of spring wires having electrical conductivity and elasticity. The number of the spring wires corresponds to the number of contacts on the tray contact board contact surface 420a.

[0122] 27(b), the intermediate contact spring 451 has its center pressed by the pressing rib 452a of the intermediate contact holder 452, and both ends 451c, 451d are held by the retaining ribs 452b, 452c of the intermediate contact holder 452. In this manner, the intermediate contact spring 451 is held by the intermediate contact holder 452 in a state where it is pressed by the pressing rib 452a and elastically deformed, and when the front door 440 is open, there is no gap between both ends 451c, 451d and the retaining ribs 452b, 452c.

[0123] The intermediate contact spring 451 has a first intermediate contact 451a electrically connectable to a tray contact board contact surface 420a of the tray contact board 420, and a second intermediate contact 451b electrically connectable to a body contact board contact surface 422a of the body contact board 422. The first intermediate contact 451a constitutes a first contact, and the second intermediate contact 451b constitutes a second contact.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 27(a), when the front door 440 is closed relative to the apparatus body 402, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are pressed against the body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively.

[0125] Then, the intermediate contact spring 451 is elastically deformed, and the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b are held in a state in which they are biased toward the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively. In other words, the intermediate contact spring 451 is elastically deformed so that the first intermediate contact 451a is pressed against the tray contact board 420, and the second intermediate contact 451b is pressed against the main body contact board 422. As a result, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are stably in contact with the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, and an electrical connection can be ensured. Therefore, the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of each developing cartridge are reliably electrically connected to the control board 43 via the tray contact board 420, the intermediate contact spring 451, and the main body contact board 422.

[0126] When the front door 440 is closed, the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b are pressed by the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, to form a gap x between the both ends 451c, 451d and the pressing ribs 452b, 452c. That is, the intermediate contact holder 452 is provided with a play that allows the both ends 451c, 451d of the intermediate contact spring 451 to be retracted. This makes it possible to more reliably press the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b against the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is closed.

[0127] In other words, the first intermediate contact 451a contacts the tray contact board 420 and is electrically connected to the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is in the closed position. The first intermediate contact 451a is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1D without contacting the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is in the open position. The second intermediate contact 451b contacts the main body contact board 422 and is electrically connected to the main body contact board 422 when the front door 440 is in the closed position. The second intermediate contact 451b is configured to be exposed to the outside of the image forming apparatus 1D without contacting the main body contact board 422 when the front door 440 is in the open position.

[0128] In addition, the intermediate contact holder 452 is positioned to face the multi-tray 214 across the front door 440, and is shaped to avoid the width restriction plate 415 so that the multi-tray 414 can be closed regardless of the position of the width restriction plate 415 in the first direction D1.

[0129] [effect] As described above, in this embodiment, the cartridge tray 403, the apparatus main body 402, and the front door 440 are respectively provided with the tray contact board 420, the main body contact board 422, and the intermediate contact portion 450. As a result, when the front door 440 is closed, the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the respective developing cartridges are electrically connected to the control board 43, and the control board 43 can read information on the memory tags.

[0130] Moreover, when the front door 440 is in an open state, no other electrical components are electrically connected to the intermediate contact portion 450 provided on the front door 440. As a result, even if a current flows through the intermediate contact spring 451 due to the occurrence of ESD, other electrical components will not break down, and an ESD protection component for the contact component on the front door 440 side is not required. Also, there is no need to provide a path for the main body contact bundle 423 around the hinge of the front door 440, which makes it possible to improve the replaceability of the front door 440 during service replacement. In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide one form of an image forming apparatus that reduces damage to the control board 43 while reducing costs.

[0131] [Modification of the Fourth Example] In this embodiment, the LB stay 489 is used to protect the main body contact board 422 from ESD, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, ESD protection may be provided by arranging the main body contact board 422 near another earthed component, instead of using the LB stay 489.

[0132] In this embodiment, the intermediate contact spring 451 is held by the intermediate contact holder 452, but the intermediate contact spring 451 may be held directly by the front door 440. As the intermediate contact spring 451, a material or shape other than spring wire may be used as long as it has electrical conductivity and elasticity.

[0133] Furthermore, the intermediate contact spring 451 may be made of a non-elastic body so long as the first intermediate contact 451a and the second intermediate contact 451b of the intermediate contact spring 451 are configured to be pressed against the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420, respectively, when the front door 440 is closed. For example, the intermediate contact holder 452 may elastically hold the intermediate contact spring 451, or the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 may be made elastic.

[0134] In this embodiment, the intermediate contact portion 450 is used to electrically connect the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K of the respective developer cartridges to the control board 43, but is not limited to this. For example, the intermediate contact portion 450 may be used to connect the charging contact, the contact of the remaining toner amount detection portion, and the contact of the sheet detection portion to the control board 43.

[0135] Further, the positional relationship between the tray contact board 420, the main body contact board 422, and the intermediate contact portion 450 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, as shown in Fig. 28, the tray contact board 420 and the main body contact board 422 may be arranged side by side in the first direction D1.

[0136] In this embodiment, the main body contact board 422 and the tray contact board 420 are connected by the intermediate contact spring 451 of the intermediate contact portion 450, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 29(a)(b), a tag contact connector 460 may be applied instead of the intermediate contact spring 451.

[0137] The tag contact connector 460 has a first contact connector 460a as a first connector facing the tray contact board 420 when the front door 440 is closed, and a second contact connector 460b as a second connector facing the main body contact board 422. The tag contact connector 460 also has an intermediate contact bundle 461 as a wiring section that connects the first contact connector 460a and the second contact connector 460b.

[0138] The second contact connector 460b is disposed above the first contact connector 460a. The first contact connector 460a has a first contact portion 462 electrically connected to the tray contact board 420, and the second contact connector 460b has a second contact portion 463 electrically connected to the main body contact board 422.

[0139] As described above, it is possible to reduce the space occupied by the contacts by using the tag contact connector 460. In this embodiment, two rows of tag contact connectors 460 are used, but tag contact connectors 460 of any shape may be used.

[0140] <Fifth Example> Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described, which is a modification of the first embodiment in terms of the pressing configuration of the front door 40 against the cartridge tray 3. For this reason, the same configurations as those in the first embodiment will be described by omitting illustrations or by assigning the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0141] [assignment] Fig. 30 to Fig. 33(c) are diagrams showing an image forming apparatus 1002 as a comparative example. Fig. 30 is an overall cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus 1002. Fig. 31(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 with the front door 40 open. Fig. 31(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 with the front door 40 open.

[0142] Fig. 32(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 holding the cartridge tray 3 at the midway position. Fig. 32(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the image forming apparatus 1002 holding the cartridge tray 3 at the midway position. Figs. 33(a) to (c) are cross-sectional views showing the state in which the front door 40 is being closed.

[0143] As shown in Figures 30 to 31(b), an image forming apparatus 1002 as a comparative example has an apparatus main body 602 that removably holds a cartridge tray 3, and a front door 40 that is supported on the apparatus main body 602 so as to be openable and closable.

[0144] A tray contact unit 591 electrically connected to the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3) of the respective developing cartridges is disposed on the tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. The tray contact unit 591 protrudes forward from the tray front surface 30f.

[0145] A door contact unit 590 is disposed on the front door 40 for electrical connection to the control board 43 via a tag body cable 305 passing through the left hinge 201 (see FIG. 9). When the front door 40 is closed and the door contact unit 590 comes into contact with the tray contact unit 591, the control board 43 is electrically connected to the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3).

[0146] 29(a) and 29(b), the cartridge tray 3 is held in an intermediate position, pulled out slightly from the mounting position. In other words, the cartridge tray 3 in the intermediate position is not firmly mounted in the apparatus main body 602.

[0147] When the front door 40 is closed in this state, as shown in Fig. 30(a), the door contact unit 590 collides with the tray contact unit 591. Then, when the front door 40 is further closed, as shown in Figs. 30(b) and (c), the door contact unit 590 provided on the front door 40 presses the tray contact unit 591, causing the cartridge tray 3 to be pushed into the mounting position.

[0148] When such an operation is performed, a large load is applied to the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591, and unintended friction occurs, which may damage the contact portions of the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591. If the contact portions of the door contact unit 590 and the tray contact unit 591 are damaged, it becomes impossible to read the information in the memory tags 81Y, 81M, 81C, and 81K (see FIG. 3).

[0149] [composition] Next, a configuration for solving the above problem will be described with reference to Figs. 34(a) to 41(b). Fig. 34(a) is a perspective view showing the image forming apparatus 1E with the front door 40 open. Fig. 34(b) is a front view showing the image forming apparatus 1E with the front door 40 open. Fig. 35(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section taken along line 35A-35A in Fig. 34(b). Fig. 35(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section taken along line 35B-35B in Fig. 34(b). Fig. 36(a) is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 35(a). Fig. 36(b) is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 35(b). The cross section taken along line 35A-35A is a cross-sectional view passing through the center of the tray contact unit 219.

[0150] As shown in Fig. 34(a) to Fig. 36(b), the image forming apparatus 1E according to this embodiment has an apparatus main body 2 and a front door 40 supported by the apparatus main body 2 so as to be openable and closable. The cartridge tray 3 is attached to the apparatus main body 2 so as to be removable, and a tray contact unit 219 is provided on a tray front surface 30f of the cartridge tray 3. A contact portion 219c in the tray contact unit 219 is disposed a distance L4 behind the tray front surface 30f, as shown in Fig. 36(a). The tray front surface 30f may include a pressed portion 751, or may not be provided with the pressed portion 751.

[0151] The front door 40 has a door contact unit 224 and a front door assist plate 501. The front door assist plate 501 protrudes upward when the front door 40 is in the open position, and protrudes toward the apparatus body 2 when the front door 40 is in the closed position. The front door assist plate 501 is disposed at a position corresponding to the tray left side surface 30l of the cartridge tray 3 in the first direction D1. The front door 40 has a curved surface 501a on the upper surface side.

[0152] Further, a slope portion 512 is formed on the tray left side surface 30l of the cartridge tray 3. The slope portion 512 slopes downward from the same plane as the tray front surface 30f toward the rear. The slope portion 512 is configured to be able to accommodate the front door assist plate 501 when the cartridge tray 3 is located at the mounting position and the front door 40 is located at the closed position. The slope shape of the slope portion 512 is a shape that follows the curved surface 501a of the front door assist plate 501.

[0153] 34(a) and (b), the front door assist plate 501 is disposed at a position different from the tray contact unit 219 in the first direction D1. This can reliably prevent the front door assist plate 501 and the tray contact unit 219 from coming into contact with each other when the front door 40 is closed.

[0154] 37 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cartridge tray 3 is held in an intermediate position, which is a third position between the mounted position and the pulled-out position. That is, the cartridge tray 3 in the intermediate position is not firmly mounted to the apparatus main body 2.

[0155] Hereinafter, a case where the front door 40 is closed from the open position to the closed position with the cartridge tray 3 located at the midway position will be described. Fig. 38(a) is a front view showing the image forming apparatus with the front door 40 slightly open. Fig. 38(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section taken along line 38B-38B in Fig. 38(a). Fig. 38(c) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section taken along line 38C-38C in Fig. 38(a). Fig. 39 is an enlarged perspective view showing the tray contact unit 219 and the door contact unit 224 with the front door 40 slightly open.

[0156] Fig. 40(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit 219 with the front door 40 further closed. Fig. 40(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate 501 with the front door 40 further closed. Fig. 41(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section passing through the tray contact unit 219 with the front door 40 located at the closed position. Fig. 41(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section near the front door assist plate 501 with the front door 40 located at the closed position.

[0157] 37 to 39, when the user closes the front door 40 with the cartridge tray 3 located at the midway position, the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3. At this time, before the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3, neither of the members of the front door 40 nor the cartridge tray 3 collides with each other. That is, the front door assist plate 501 collides with the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3 before the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 come into contact with each other.

[0158] 40(a) and 40(b), when the front door 40 is further closed, the front door assist plate 501 presses the inclined surface 512 of the cartridge tray 3, and the cartridge tray 3 moves toward the mounting position. Even in this state, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 do not come into contact with each other.

[0159] 41(a) and 41(b), when the front door 40 is in the closed position, the cartridge tray 3 reaches the mounting position by the front door assist plate 501, and the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 come into contact with each other. At this time, the front door assist plate 501 is slightly spaced from the inclined surface portion 512 so that a large load is not applied to the front door assist plate 501 and the cartridge tray 3. This is achieved by the curvature of the curved surface 501a of the front door assist plate 501 and the inclined surface shape of the inclined surface portion 512.

[0160] It should be noted that a positioning mechanism may be provided separately for positioning the cartridge tray 3 at the mounting position when the cartridge tray 3 is at the mounting position and the front door 40 is at the closed position.

[0161] [effect] As described above, in this embodiment, when the front door 40 is closed from the open position to the closed position, the cartridge tray 3 can be pressed by the front door assist plate 501. The door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 do not come into contact with each other until the front door 40 is positioned at the closed position. This reduces the application of large loads and frictional forces to the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 even when the cartridge tray 3 is held at an intermediate position, for example, and reduces damage to these contact units. Thus, this embodiment provides one form of an image forming apparatus in which damage to the contact units is reduced.

[0162] In addition, the cartridge tray 3 located in the middle position can be reliably moved to the mounting position where image formation is possible, thereby reducing image formation errors. When the cartridge tray 3 is located in the mounting position and the front door 40 is located in the closed position, the front door assist plate 501 is slightly spaced from the inclined surface portion 512, so that a large load is not applied to the front door assist plate 501 and the cartridge tray 3, thereby reducing damage.

[0163] In this embodiment, when the cartridge tray 3 is located at the mounting position and the front door 40 is located at the closed position, the front door assist plate 501 is separated from the slope portion 512, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the front door assist plate 501 may be configured to abut against the slope portion 512 when the cartridge tray 3 is located at the mounting position and the front door 40 is located at the closed position. In this case, it is preferable that at least one of the front door assist plate 501 and the slope portion 512 is made of an elastic material. This makes it possible to reliably position the cartridge tray 3 at the mounting position while reducing damage to the front door assist plate 501 and the slope portion 512.

[0164] In addition, in this embodiment, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 are configured to come into contact with each other only when the front door 40 reaches the closed position, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if no large load or frictional force acts on the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219, the door contact unit 224 and the tray contact unit 219 may come into contact with each other when the front door 40 is located in front of the closed position.

[0165] In addition, in this embodiment, the inclined surface portion 512 and the tray contact unit 219 are disposed on the lower part of the cartridge tray 3, but this is not limiting. For example, the inclined surface portion 512 and the tray contact unit 219 may be disposed on the upper part of the cartridge tray 3.

[0166] In addition, in this embodiment, the contact portion 219c of the tray contact unit 219 is disposed behind the tray front surface 30f, but this is not limiting. The contact portion 219c of the tray contact unit 219 may be disposed so as not to come into contact with the door contact unit 224 until the front door 40 is positioned at the closed position during the process of closing the front door 40 with the cartridge tray 3 positioned at the mid-position. For example, if the door contact unit 224 is disposed closer to the multi-tray frame 212 than the position shown in Fig. 39, that is, downstream of the tray contact unit 219 in the door opening direction, the tray contact unit 219 may be disposed at a position closer to the front door 40.

[0167] All of the above-described embodiments may be combined with each other in any desired manner. [Explanation of symbols]

[0168] 1, 1B, 1D, 1E: Image forming apparatus / 2, 402: Apparatus body / 4M: Photosensitive drum / 8M: Development unit (developing cartridge) / 30a: Handle portion (tray operation portion) / 30f: Opposing surface (tray front surface) / 38: Drawer unit / 40, 440: Door (front door) / 40a: Protruding portion / 40b: Rib (reinforcement rib) / 43: Control board / 81M: Memory medium (memory tag) / 130: End surface / 201: First hinge (left hinge) / 202: Second hinge (right hinge) / 211: Loading portion (multi-tray unit) / 212c: Engagement portion (multi-tray frame rail) / 212d: Long hole portion / 212e: Loading surface / 213: Holding portion (multi-tray stopper) / 219: Unit contact (tray contact unit) / 224: Door contact (door contact unit 225a: Contact part / 305: Wire bundle (tag body wire bundle) / 306: Ground part, biasing part, tension spring / 309: Conductive member (wire spring) / 309a: One end / 309b: Other end / 311: Biasing part, torsion coil spring / 403: Unit holder (cartridge tray) / 420: Unit contact (tray contact board) / 422: Main body contact (main body contact board) / 451: Elastic member (intermediate contact spring) / 451a: first contact (first intermediate contact) / 451b: second contact (second intermediate contact) / 460a: first connector (first contact connector) / 460b: second connector (second contact connector) / 461: wiring section (intermediate contact bundle) / 489: grounding member (LB stay) / 753: convex portion / D1: axial direction (first direction) / D2: vertical direction (second direction)

Claims

1. A device main body having a control board; a photosensitive drum carrying a toner image and configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, and a tray for detachably supporting the developing unit, the drawing unit having a drawer unit that can be drawn out from the device main body in a drawing direction from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body; a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position; the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is in a closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact; the tray has an opposing surface facing the door when the door is in the closed position, a handle portion provided in a central portion and a lower half region of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis, and a side surface disposed on one side of the developing unit in the axial direction and extending along the pull-out direction, The handle portion is disposed vertically below an upper end of the side surface, The unit contact is provided in a region that is outer than an end surface of the handle portion in the axial direction and is lower than a lower surface of the handle portion in the vertical direction.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

2. A device main body having a control board; a drawer unit including a photosensitive drum that carries a toner image and is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being capable of being drawn out of the device main body from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body; a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position; a loading section provided on the door in an openable and closable manner and capable of loading sheets; a holding portion that holds the loading portion in an open state relative to the door, the stacking portion has a stacking surface on which sheets are stacked, and an engagement portion that protrudes from the stacking surface toward the device body and engages with the holding portion, the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is located at a closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact, and a protrusion that houses the engagement portion and protrudes toward the device body; the drawer unit has an opposing surface facing the door when the door is in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in a central portion of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis, The unit contact is disposed on the engaging portion side of the end face of the handle portion and on the end face side of the protrusion portion in the axial direction.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

3. the door has a rib that is disposed on a side of the engaging portion relative to the end surface of the handle portion in the axial direction and protrudes toward the device body, The unit contact is disposed closer to the engagement portion than the rib in the axial direction.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2,

4. The holding portion is slidably supported by the device body and the engagement portion.

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

5. The engaging portion has an elongated hole portion that slidably engages with the holding portion.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The protrusion of the door is arranged to be offset from the door contact point in the axial direction.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first and second electrodes are arranged in a first direction.

7. A device main body having a control board; a drawer unit including a photosensitive drum that carries a toner image and is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis, a developing unit having a developing roller for carrying toner and supplying toner to the photosensitive drum and a memory medium for storing information, and a unit contact electrically connected to the memory medium of the developing unit, the drawer unit being capable of being drawn out of the device main body from a first position where the photosensitive drum is capable of forming an image to a second position where the developing unit is exposed to the outside of the device main body; a door supported by the device body so as to be movable between a closed position that covers an opening of the device body through which the drawer unit passes when the drawer unit is drawn out from the device body and an open position that opens the opening, the door facing the drawer unit in the closed position; the door has a door contact electrically connected to the control board and configured to come into contact with the unit contact when the door is in a closed position and to be electrically connected to the unit contact; the drawer unit has an opposing surface facing the door when the door is in the closed position, and a handle portion provided in a central portion of the opposing surface in an axial direction of the rotation axis, the door has a protrusion that protrudes toward the device body and does not come into contact with a drawer unit that is applicable to the device body when the door moves from the open position to the closed position, and comes into contact with a drawer unit that is not applicable to the device body; The unit contact is disposed on the outer side of an end surface of the grip portion and on the same side as the protrusion with respect to the grip portion in the axial direction.

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images