Compound machine

Abstract

To provide a compound machine which can improve the design flexibility of a communication substrate without the need of excessively miniaturizing the communication substrate.SOLUTION: A compound machine 300 comprises: an image formation unit 305; a first housing 310; an image reading unit 302; a communication substrate 372; a second housing 320; and an operation panel 380. The second housing 320 comprises: a first side wall 321 which is located behind the operation panel 380, extends in the front-to-back direction and is located on one side in the width direction orthogonal to the front-to-back direction with respect to a reading sensor 302S; and a second side wall 322 which is located behind the operation panel 380, extends in the front-to-back direction and is located on the other side in the width direction with respect to the reading sensor 302S. An inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321 is opposed to a communication substrate 372. An outer surface 321A of the first side wall 321 has a mark 321M that indicates a position over which a communication object 399 for communicating with the communication substrate 372 is held.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a multifunction peripheral. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an MFP, which is an example of a conventional multifunction peripheral. This MFP includes a printing unit, a scanner unit, and an operation panel. The scanner unit is located above the printing unit. The operation panel is located in front of the scanner unit.

[0003] The operation panel houses a communication board in a narrow area adjacent to the front corner of the touch panel and display unit. The communication board has a communication antenna that enables near-field communication (NFC) or other short-range wireless communication with a communication target such as a smartphone or IC card carried by the user.

[0004] Furthermore, the operation panel has a mark on its top surface at a position corresponding to the communication board, which mark indicates the position over which the communication object should be held.

[0005] When a user holds a communication object over the mark, the communication board transmits and receives various information, such as image information, setting information, or authentication information, to and from the communication object via short-range wireless communication. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-129754 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the above-mentioned conventional multifunction peripherals, the operation panel tends to be thin in the vertical direction depending on the shapes of the touch panel and the display unit, and the area adjacent to the touch panel and the display unit tends to be narrow. Therefore, in order to place the communication board in the area adjacent to the touch panel, etc. on the operation panel, this multifunction peripheral tends to need to excessively miniaturize the communication board, which makes it difficult to increase the degree of freedom in designing the communication board.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and has as its object to provide a multifunction peripheral that does not require excessive miniaturization of the communication board and allows for greater freedom in designing the communication board. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The multifunction peripheral of the present invention comprises: an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; a first housing that houses the image forming unit; an image reading unit having a reading sensor for reading an image of a document; a communication board having a communication antenna capable of short-range wireless communication; a second housing located above the first housing and housing the image reading unit and the communication board; an operation panel located in front of the second housing, the second housing has a first side wall positioned rearward of the operation panel, extending in a front-rear direction, and positioned on one side of the reading sensor in a width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction; a second side wall located rearward of the operation panel, extending in the front-rear direction, and located on the other side of the width direction relative to the reading sensor; an inner surface of the first side wall faces the communication board; The outer surface of the first side wall has a mark indicating a position over which a communication object is to be held in order to communicate with the communication board.

[0010] In the multifunction peripheral of the present invention, the second housing is significantly larger than the operation panel because it houses the image reading unit with a bulky reading sensor. Therefore, the first side wall, which is located on one side of the width direction relative to the reading sensor, also tends to be large in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions. This makes it easy to ensure a large area on the inner surface of the first side wall for the communication board to face.

[0011] Therefore, the multifunction peripheral of the present invention does not require excessive miniaturization of the communication board, and the degree of freedom in designing the communication board can be increased.

[0012] Furthermore, in this multifunction device, the size of the communication board, which is located behind the operation panel, is unlikely to affect the operation panel, so that the operation panel can be prevented from becoming too large. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a side view of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a schematic configuration of an image forming unit, a front opening, a front cover, and a discharge tray for images formed thereon; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment, showing the relative relationships between a communication board, a panel board, a main board, a first cable, and a second cable. [Figure 5] 1A and 1B are partial perspective views of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment, illustrating an operation in which a user holds a communication target over a mark. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a top view of the multifunction peripheral of the embodiment, mainly showing the second housing with the automatic document feeder removed. [Figure 7] 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the internal configuration of a second housing and an automatic document feeder in the multifunction peripheral of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the multifunction peripheral according to the embodiment, illustrating the relative relationship between a communication board and a reading sensor. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a side view of the communication board and the shield member. [Figure 10] 10 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which the first to fourth ribs of the second housing sandwich the communication board. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a partial perspective view similar to FIG. 10, showing mainly the first to fourth ribs with the communication board removed. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (Example) As shown in Figure 1, a multifunction device 300 according to an embodiment is one example of a specific aspect of a multifunction device according to the present invention. In Figure 1, the side of the operation panel 380 of the multifunction device 300 is the front. The width direction of the multifunction device 300 is a direction that is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction and extends horizontally. The side that is to the left when facing the operation panel 380 is considered to be one side of the width direction. The directions shown in Figure 2 and subsequent figures are all displayed in accordance with the directions shown in Figure 1.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the multifunction peripheral 300 includes a first housing 310, an image forming unit 305, a second housing 320, an image reading unit 302, an operation panel 380, and an automatic document feeder 340.

[0017] <First housing and image forming unit> 2 and 3, first housing 310 accommodates sheet cassette 305C in its lower portion. Sheet cassette 305C supports a stack of sheets on which images are to be formed.

[0018] Furthermore, first housing 310 accommodates image forming section 305 above sheet cassette 305C inside first housing 310. Image forming section 305 forms an image on a sheet conveyed from sheet cassette 305C by electrophotography.

[0019] The image forming section 305 has a drawer unit 305A. The drawer unit 305A includes a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, a toner container, and the like, which are not shown, and constitutes a part of the image forming section 305.

[0020] Furthermore, the first housing 310 has a front opening 310H and a front cover 317. The front opening 310H is an example of the "opening" in the present invention. The front cover 317 is an example of the "cover" in the present invention.

[0021] The front opening 310H is open above the sheet cassette 305C on the front surface of the first housing 310. The front opening 310H allows access to the drawer unit 305A of the image forming section 305 and the like.

[0022] The front cover 317 is an exterior cover that constitutes a portion located above the sheet cassette 305C on the front surface of the first housing 310, and closes the front opening 310H.

[0023] 3, when the user swings the front cover 317 forward, the upper end of the front cover 317 moves forward and downward, causing the front cover 317 to open the front opening 310H.

[0024] This allows the user to pull out drawer unit 305A, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 3, from inside first housing 310 through front opening 310H to perform maintenance work such as replacing consumables.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first housing 310 has, on its upper surface, a post-image-formation discharge tray 319 and support portions 318L, 318R, and 318B.

[0026] Post-image formation discharge tray 319 is located at the center in the width direction on the upper surface side of first housing 310. Support portions 318L, 318R, and 318B protrude above post-image formation discharge tray 319 and surround post-image formation discharge tray 319 from one side and the other side in the width direction and from the rear.

[0027] 3, the image forming unit 305 discharges the sheet on which the image has been formed facing forward from the rear side of the first housing 310. A post-image-formation discharge tray 319 supports the discharged sheet.

[0028] <Second housing and image reading unit> 1 to 4, second housing 320 is located higher than first housing 310. First housing 310 supports second housing 320 by means of supports 318L, 318R, and 318B.

[0029] 1 to 8, second housing 320 has scanner base 325 and frame 329. Scanner base 325 and frame 329 are each a resin molded product manufactured by injection molding of thermoplastic resin or the like.

[0030] Scanner base 325 is a flat, substantially box-shaped body whose vertical length is significantly smaller than that of first housing 310. As shown in Fig. 7, scanner base 325 has a bottom wall 324 that extends in the front-rear and width directions, and is open above bottom wall 324.

[0031] The scanner base 325 has a first side wall 321 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 8, and a second side wall 322 shown in FIGS.

[0032] 8, first side wall 321 is connected to a side edge located on one side in the width direction of bottom wall 324 and extends in the up-down direction, and also extends in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of second housing 320 as shown in Fig. 1. An outer surface 321A of first side wall 321 facing one side in the width direction forms a part of the exterior surface of second housing 320.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the first side wall 321 is located on one side in the width direction of the end portion 310L of the first housing 310, which is located on one side in the width direction.

[0034] Although not shown in the drawings, the second side wall 322 is connected to a side edge located on the other side in the width direction of the bottom wall 324. As shown in Fig. 3, the second side wall 322 extends in the up-down direction and also in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the second housing 320. The outer surface of the second side wall 322 facing the other side in the width direction forms part of the exterior surface of the second housing 320, similar to outer surface 321A of the first side wall 321.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the scanner base 325 supports the frame body 329 by a first side wall 321, a second side wall 322, a front wall connecting the front end of the first side wall 321 and the front end of the second side wall 322, and a rear wall connecting the rear end of the first side wall 321 and the rear end of the second side wall 322.

[0036] The frame 329 has a first opening 329A and a second opening 329B. The first opening 329A is a rectangular hole that opens widely from a position between the center CL1 in the width direction of the second housing 320 and the first side wall 321 to a position close to the second side wall 322. The second opening 329B is a rectangular hole that opens elongatedly in the front-rear direction between the first opening 329A and the first side wall 321.

[0037] 6 and 7, the second housing 320 accommodates the image reading unit 302 in a space defined by the scanner base 325 and the frame 329. The image reading unit 302 has a document support surface 302A, a reading surface 302B, a reading sensor 302S, a moving mechanism 302T, and a motor 302M.

[0038] The document support surface 302A is the upper surface exposed from a first opening 329A of a platen glass that covers the first opening 329A of the frame body 329 from below. The reading surface 302B is the upper surface exposed from a second opening 329B of another platen glass that covers the second opening 329B of the frame body 329 from below.

[0039] 7, the scanner base 325 has a support wall 323. The support wall 323 protrudes upward from the bottom wall 324 at a position spaced apart from the first side wall 321 on the other side in the width direction, and extends in the front-rear direction.

[0040] The upper end of the support wall 323 and the lower surface of the frame 329 sandwich an edge located on one side in the width direction of the platen glass having the reading surface 302B.

[0041] The document support surface 302A supports a document to be scanned. The document to be scanned may be paper, a sheet such as an OHP sheet, a book, etc. The scanning surface 302B is used when a transport mechanism 304 of the automatic document transport unit 340, which will be described later, is activated.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the reading sensor 302S is a well-known image reading sensor such as a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and is elongated in the front-rear direction.

[0043] Although not shown in the figure, the moving mechanism 302T has a well-known configuration including a guide shaft that extends in the width direction below the document support surface 302A and the reading surface 302B and slidably supports the reading sensor 302S, a drive pulley located at one end of the guide shaft in the width direction, a driven pulley located at the other end of the guide shaft in the width direction, and a timing belt that is wound around the drive pulley and driven pulley and connected to the reading sensor 302S.

[0044] The motor 302M transmits a driving force to the moving mechanism 302T, causing the drive pulley of the moving mechanism 302T to rotate in the forward and reverse directions. This causes the moving mechanism 302T to move the reading sensor 302S from one side to the other in the width direction and from the other side to one side in the width direction. Figure 6 shows the movement area R1 of the reading sensor 302S.

[0045] One end in the width direction of the movement region R1 is a standby position of the reading sensor 302S, which is a position between the reading surface 302B and the support wall 323 shown in FIG.

[0046] When the image reading unit 302 reads an image of a document supported on the document support surface 302A, the reading sensor 302S moves from one side in the width direction to the other side below the document support surface 302A, i.e., in the main scanning direction, by operation of the motor 302M and the movement mechanism 302T, while reading the image of the document in a line in the front-to-back direction, i.e., in the sub-scanning direction. When the reading sensor 302S reaches the other end of the movement region R1 in the width direction, it finishes reading the image and returns to the standby position by operation of the motor 302M and the movement mechanism 302T.

[0047] When the transport mechanism 304, which will be described later, is operated, the reading sensor 302S moves to a stationary reading position below the reading surface 302B by the operation of the motor 302M and the moving mechanism 302T, and stops there.

[0048] 6 and 7, the first side wall 321 is located on one side in the width direction relative to the read sensor 302S. As shown in Fig. 6, the second side wall 322 is located on the other side in the width direction relative to the read sensor 302S.

[0049] <Operation panel> 6, operation panel 380 is located in front of scanner base 325 and frame body 329 of second housing 320. Operation panel 380 is located close to first side wall 321 with respect to center CL1 in the width direction of second housing 320. One side surface of operation panel 380 in the width direction is flush with outer surface 321A of first side wall 321.

[0050] 4, the first side wall 321 is located behind the operation panel 380. The front end of the first side wall 321 faces the rear end of one widthwise side of the operation panel 380. As shown in FIG. 3, the second side wall 322 is also located behind the operation panel 380.

[0051] 1, the top surface of operation panel 380 slopes gently downward toward the front end so that the front end is positioned lower than the rear end. Accordingly, the vertical length of one widthwise side of operation panel 380 gradually decreases from the rear end to the front end. Note that the vertical length of operation panel 380 at the front end is shorter than the vertical length of communication board 372, which will be described later.

[0052] Operation panel 380 has input / output unit 380A on its top surface. Input / output unit 380A has a transmissive touch panel and an LCD panel located below the touch panel.

[0053] The input / output unit 380A receives, via a touch panel, operation instruction inputs made by a user to the image forming unit 305, the image reading unit 302, the transport mechanism 304 (described later), etc. The input / output unit 380A also displays, via an LCD panel, images indicating the operating states and settings of the image forming unit 305, the image reading unit 302, the transport mechanism 304 (described later), etc.

[0054] <Automatic document feeder> 1, automatic document feeder 340 is located above second housing 320. The rear end of automatic document feeder 340 is swingably connected to the rear end of second housing 320 via a hinge (not shown).

[0055] The bottom surface of automatic document feeder 340 is a flat surface that can cover the entire frame 329 of second housing 320. In other words, automatic document feeder 340 also serves as a document cover that covers a document placed on document support surface 302A of second housing 320.

[0056] Although not shown, when the user swings automatic document feeder 340 upward, the front end of automatic document feeder 340 moves upward and backward. As a result, automatic document feeder 340 opens document support surface 302A. In this state, the user can place a document on document support surface 302A and remove the document.

[0057] 1 and 7, automatic document feeder 340 has a supply tray 358 and a discharge tray 359. Supply tray 358 and discharge tray 359 are located on the other side of automatic document feeder 340 in the width direction.

[0058] The supply tray 358 is located above the discharge tray 359. The supply tray 358 supports a stack of sheet-shaped documents to be scanned.

[0059] 7, the automatic document feeder 340 has a feed mechanism 304, a feed guide 350, and a back-side reading sensor 302U. The feed mechanism 304, the feed guide 350, and the back-side reading sensor 302U are located inside the automatic document feeder 340 on one side in the width direction.

[0060] The transport mechanism 304 has a feeding roller 341, a separation roller 342, a separation pad 342A, a first transport roller pair 343, a second transport roller pair 344, and a discharge roller pair 348, which are well known components.

[0061] The feed roller 341 faces from above an end portion located on one side in the width direction of the supply tray 358. The separation roller 342 and separation pad 342A are located on one side of the feed roller 341 in the width direction.

[0062] The first conveying roller pair 343 and the second conveying roller pair 344 are located at one conveying end 349 in the width direction of the automatic document conveying unit 340. The first conveying roller pair 343 is located above the second conveying roller pair 344.

[0063] The pair of discharge rollers 348 is located above one end of the discharge tray 359 in the width direction.

[0064] The transport guide 350 has a first portion 351, a second portion 352, and a third portion 353. The first portion 351, the second portion 352, and the third portion 353 are made up of parts of a plurality of chute members located inside the automatic document transport unit 340, ribs protruding downward from the rear surface of the upper cover of the automatic document transport unit 340, and the like.

[0065] The first portion 351 is a guide that guides the document from one end of the supply tray 358 in the width direction to the first conveying roller pair 343 that is located at the conveying end 349 .

[0066] The second portion 352 is a guide that guides the document from the second transport roller pair 344 located at the transport end 349 toward the discharge tray 359, that is, to the discharge roller pair 348.

[0067] More specifically, the second portion 352 guides the document from the second conveying roller pair 344 to the reading surface 302B in a downward inclination, and then passes the document over the reading surface 302B, i.e., above the reading sensor 302S at the stationary reading position. Thereafter, the second portion 352 guides the document to the discharge roller pair 348 in an upward inclination.

[0068] The third portion 353 is connected to the first portion 351 and the second portion 352 at the conveying end portion 349. The third portion 353 is a guide that guides the document so as to make a U-turn from the first conveying roller pair 343 to the second conveying roller pair 344.

[0069] The back surface reading sensor 302U faces from above the middle of the portion of the second section 352 that slopes downward from the second conveying roller pair 344 to the reading surface 302B. The back surface reading sensor 302U is the same type of image reading sensor as the reading sensor 302S.

[0070] The transport mechanism 304 transports the documents supported on the supply tray 358 one by one, and the transport guide 350 guides the transported documents to pass above the reading sensor 302S, whereby the reading sensor 302S reads the image on the front side of the document. When reading images on both sides of the document, the back side reading sensor 302U reads the image on the back side of the document before the reading sensor 302S. Thereafter, the pair of discharge rollers 348 discharges the document whose image has been read toward the discharge tray 359, which supports the document.

[0071] <Main board, panel board and second cable> 2 and 4, the image forming unit 305 has a main board 371. The main board 371 is located inside the first housing 310 on one side in the width direction.

[0072] The main board 371 has circuits for controlling the image forming unit 305, the image reading unit 302, and the transport mechanism 304, transmitting and receiving various information to and from them, and adjusting the power supply thereto.

[0073] Operation panel 380 has a panel substrate 378. Panel substrate 378 is located inside operation panel 380 below input / output unit 380A.

[0074] The panel board 378 has a circuit for controlling the input / output unit 380A to operate the image forming unit 305, the image reading unit 302, and the transport mechanism 304.

[0075] 4, the multifunction device 300 further includes a second cable 378FC. The second cable 378FC is routed from the inside of the first housing 310 to the inside of the operation panel 380 while being bent multiple times, thereby connecting the panel board 378 and the main board 371.

[0076] The second cable 378FC is a so-called flat cable in which a plurality of coated electric wires for transmitting signals and feeding power are joined together in a belt shape.

[0077] <Communication board, first cable, mark and shielding material> As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 6 to 10, the multifunction device 300 includes a communication board 372. As shown in Figures 1, 4, 5, and 8, an outer surface 321A of the first side wall 321 of the second housing 320 has a mark 321M. As shown in Figures 6, 7, and 9, the second housing 320 houses a shielding member 373. As shown in Figure 4, the multifunction device 300 further includes a first cable 372FC.

[0078] The communication board 372 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape that extends in the up-down and front-rear directions, and includes a communication antenna 372C and a communication circuit 372E.

[0079] The communication antenna 372C is a loop antenna capable of short-distance wireless communication. The communication circuit 372E is a circuit for controlling short-distance wireless communication and transmitting and receiving signals to and from the main board 371.

[0080] The first cable 372FC is routed from the inside of the second housing 320 to the inside of the operation panel 380 while being bent multiple times, thereby connecting the communication board 372 and the panel board 378.

[0081] The first cable 372FC is a flat cable similar to the second cable 378FC, but has fewer coated wires than the second cable 378FC, and the core material of each wire is also thinner.

[0082] The communication board 372 and the main board 371 are connected by a first cable 372FC, a panel board 378, and a second cable 378FC. This shortens the first cable 372FC, making it possible to suppress an increase in resistance. Also, power can be supplied again to the first cable 372FC from the panel board 378.

[0083] 7 and 10, the communication board 372 has a first board surface 372A and a second board surface 372B. The first board surface 372A is a substantially flat surface facing one side in the width direction. The communication antenna 372C is formed on the first board surface 372A and faces one side in the width direction. The second board surface 372B faces the opposite side from the first board surface 372A, i.e., is a substantially flat surface facing the other side in the width direction.

[0084] A first board surface 372A of the communication board 372 faces an inner surface 321B facing the other widthwise direction of the first side wall 321. The configurations of the first ribs 331A and 331B, second ribs 332A and 332B, third rib 333, and fourth rib 334 that sandwich the communication board 372 shown in FIG. 10 will be described later.

[0085] 6, the communication board 372 is located between the first side wall 321 and the movement region R1 of the reading sensor 302S in the width direction. As shown in Fig. 8, when the communication board 372 and the reading sensor 302S are viewed in the width direction, an upper portion of the communication board 372 overlaps with a front portion of the reading sensor 302S.

[0086] 6, a first range A1 in which the communication board 372 exists in the front-rear direction is separated forward from a second range A2 in which the motor 302M exists in the front-rear direction. A third range A3 in which the communication board 372 exists in the width direction is separated to one side in the width direction from a fourth range A4 in which the motor 302M exists in the width direction.

[0087] 4, the communication board 372 is located forward of the center CL2 in the front-rear direction of the first side wall 321. More specifically, the communication board 372 is located near the front end of the first side wall 321. In addition, the communication antenna 372C of the communication board 372 faces the inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 7, the communication board 372 is located below the third portion 353 of the conveyance guide 350.

[0089] 4, the outer surface 321A of the first side wall 321 has a mark 321M. Similar to the communication board 372, the mark 321M is located forward of the center CL2 of the first side wall 321 in the front-to-rear direction. More specifically, the mark 321M is located near the front end of the first side wall 321. When viewed in the width direction, in other words, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the first board surface 372A of the communication board 372, the mark 321M is located inside the loop-shaped communication antenna 372C.

[0090] 5, mark 321M indicates the position over which communication object 399 is held to communicate with communication board 372. The shape of mark 321M is just an example, and any shape may be used as long as the design allows a user to easily understand the meaning when looking at it.

[0091] The communication object 399 is, for example, a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone, an IC card, etc. When the user holds the communication object 399 over the mark 321M, the communication board 372 transmits and receives weak radio waves to and from the communication object 399 via the communication antenna 372C, thereby performing short-range wireless communication with the communication object 399.

[0092] The main board 371 receives information about the image to be formed on the sheet and setting information from the communication object 399 through short-range wireless communication between the communication object 399 and the communication board 372, transmits information to the communication object 399, and performs authentication based on information from the communication object 399.

[0093] 9, the shielding member 373 is a flat plate member made of a conductive material capable of shielding electromagnetic waves. In this embodiment, the shielding member 373 is a sheet metal member manufactured by pressing and bending a steel plate.

[0094] The vertical length of the shield member 373 is slightly greater than the vertical length of the communication board 372. The front-rear length of the upper part of the shield member 373 is slightly greater than the front-rear length of the communication board 372.

[0095] 7, the shielding member 373 is located on the other side in the width direction relative to the communication board 372. The upper end of the shielding member 373 is bent to one side in the width direction to cover the upper end of the communication board 372 from above.

[0096] 6 and 7, the shield member 373 is located between the reading sensor 302S and the communication board 372. The shield member 373 blocks noise generated from the communication board 372 and prevents the noise from reaching the reading sensor 302S.

[0097] <First to fourth ribs that hold the communication board> 11, the second housing 320 has first ribs 331A and 331B, second ribs 332A and 332B, a third rib 333, and a fourth rib 334. The first to fourth ribs 331A to 334 are formed integrally with the scanner base 325.

[0098] The first rib 331A protrudes from the inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321 toward the other side in the width direction and extends in the up-down direction.

[0099] The first rib 331B protrudes from the inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321 toward the other side in the width direction at a position spaced rearward from the first rib 331A, and extends in the up-down direction.

[0100] The second rib 332A protrudes upward from the bottom wall 324 at a position spaced apart from the first ribs 331A and 331B in the other width direction by the thickness of the communication board 372.

[0101] The second rib 332B protrudes upward from the bottom wall 324 at a position spaced rearward from the second rib 332A and spaced apart in the other width direction from the first ribs 331A and 331B by the thickness of the communication board 372.

[0102] The third rib 333 protrudes from the first side wall 321 toward the other side in the width direction at a position spaced forward from the first ribs 331A, 331B and the second ribs 332A, 332B, and extends in the up-down direction.

[0103] The fourth rib 334 protrudes from the first side wall 321 toward the other side in the width direction and extends vertically at a position rearward from the first ribs 331A, 331B and the second ribs 332A, 332B, and rearward from the third rib 333 by the length of the communication board 372 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 10, the communication board 372 is lowered from above the second housing 320 toward the first to fourth ribs 331A to 334.

[0105] As a result, the first ribs 331A and 331B come into contact with a first board surface 372A of the communication board 372 that faces the inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321. The second ribs 332A and 332B come into contact with a second board surface 372B of the communication board 372 that faces away from the first board surface 372A.

[0106] The third rib 333 abuts against the front end of the communication board 372. At this time, the small rib 333D protruding rearward from the third rib 333 abuts against the lower portion of the front end of the communication board 372 from the other side in the width direction.

[0107] The fourth rib 334 abuts against the rear end of the communication board 372. At this time, the small rib 334D protruding forward from the fourth rib 334 abuts against the lower portion of the rear end of the communication board 372 from the other side in the width direction.

[0108] As a result, the first and second ribs 331A-332B hold the communication board 372 in the width direction, and the third and fourth ribs 333, 334 hold the communication board 372 in the front-rear direction. In this way, in this multifunction device 300, the communication board 372 can be easily assembled to the second housing 320, and the communication antenna 372C of the communication board 372 can be accurately positioned with respect to the mark 321M on the first side wall 321.

[0109] <Action and effect> In the multifunction peripheral 300 of the embodiment, the second housing 320 houses the image reading unit 302 having the bulky reading sensor 302S and the moving mechanism 302T as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and is therefore significantly larger than the operation panel 380 which houses the thin input / output unit 380A and the panel board 378 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0110] Therefore, the first side wall 321 located on one side of the reading sensor 302S in the width direction also tends to be large in the front-rear and up-down directions. As a result, the multifunction device 300 can easily secure a large area on the inner surface 321B of the first side wall 321 for the communication board 372 to face.

[0111] Therefore, in the multifunction peripheral 300 of the embodiment, it is not necessary to make the communication board 372 excessively small, and the degree of freedom in designing the communication board 372 can be increased.

[0112] Furthermore, in this multifunction device 300, the size of the communication board 372, which is located behind the operation panel 380, is unlikely to affect the operation panel 380, so that the operation panel 380 can be prevented from becoming large.

[0113] 6, in this multifunction device 300, the operation panel 380 is located near the first side wall 321 with respect to the center CL1 in the width direction of the second housing 320. With this configuration, the position where the user stands in front of the multifunction device 300 when operating the operation panel 380 is close to or the same as the position where the user stands in front of the multifunction device 300 when holding the communication object 399 over the mark 321M, as shown in FIG.

[0114] Furthermore, in this multifunction device 300, as shown in Fig. 6, the communication board 372 is located between the first side wall 321 and the movement area R1 of the reading sensor 302S in the width direction. As shown in Fig. 8, when the communication board 372 and the reading sensor 302S are viewed in the width direction, an upper portion of the communication board 372 overlaps with a front portion of the reading sensor 302S. With this configuration, the empty space between the first side wall 321 and the movement area R1 of the reading sensor 302S can be effectively utilized, thereby realizing a compact multifunction device 300.

[0115] 6 and 7, in the multifunction peripheral 300, the second housing 320 can block electromagnetic waves by a shielding member 373 located between the reading sensor 302S and the communication board 372. This configuration makes it difficult for noise generated from the communication board 372 to reach the reading sensor 302S, thereby suppressing a decrease in the reading quality of the reading sensor 302S.

[0116] 6, in this multifunction device 300, a first range A1 in which the communication board 372 exists in the front-to-rear direction is spaced forward from a second range A2 in which the motor 302M exists in the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, a third range A3 in which the communication board 372 exists in the width direction is spaced to one side in the width direction from a fourth range A4 in which the motor 302M exists in the width direction. These configurations make it difficult for noise generated by the motor 302M to reach the communication board 372, thereby preventing communication failures of the communication board 372.

[0117] 7, in this multifunction device 300, the communication board 372 is located below the third portion 353 of the conveyance guide 350. With this configuration, the empty space below the third portion 353 can be effectively utilized, thereby realizing a compact multifunction device 300.

[0118] Furthermore, in this multifunction device 300, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel 380 has a panel board 378. The image forming unit 305 has a main board 371. The multifunction device 300 also has a first cable 372FC and a second cable 378FC. If the communication board 372 and the main board 371 were connected with a single cable, the cable would be longer and have an increased resistance, which would likely reduce the signal level when transmitting information between the communication board 372 and the main board 371. In this regard, the multifunction device 300 connects the communication board 372 and the main board 371 with the first cable 372FC, the panel board 378, and the second cable 378FC. With this configuration, the communication board 372 and the panel board 378 are connected with the short first cable 372FC, which can suppress an increase in resistance, and the panel board 378 can resupply power to the first cable 372FC. As a result, the multifunction device 300 can suppress a decrease in the signal level when transmitting information between the communication board 372 and the main board 371.

[0119] 11, second housing 320 has two first ribs 331A and 331B, two second ribs 332A and 332B, a third rib 333, and a fourth rib 334. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 10, by lowering communication board 372 from above second housing 320 toward first to fourth ribs 331A to 334, communication board 372 is sandwiched between first and second ribs 331A to 332B in the width direction and between third and fourth ribs 333 and 334 in the front-rear direction. As a result, multifunction device 300 allows communication board 372 to be easily assembled to second housing 320 and allows communication antenna 372C of communication board 372 to be accurately positioned with respect to mark 321M on first side wall 321.

[0120] 2 and 3, the first housing 310 of the multifunction peripheral 300 has a front opening 310H and a front cover 317. With this configuration, the multifunction peripheral 300 has a so-called front access configuration, so that the user can be positioned in front of the multifunction peripheral 300 and perform various tasks on the image forming unit 305. The position where the user stands at that time is close to or the same as the position where the user stands in front of the multifunction peripheral 300 when holding the communication object 399 and holding it over the mark 321M, as shown in FIG. 5, so that user convenience can be improved.

[0121] 3, in this multifunction device 300, image forming unit 305 discharges a sheet facing forward from the rear side of first housing 310, and the sheet is supported on post-image-formation discharge tray 319. With this configuration, multifunction device 300 has a so-called front-access configuration, so that a user can stand in front of multifunction device 300 and remove a sheet supported by post-image-formation discharge tray 319. The position where the user stands at this time will be close to or the same as the position where the user stands in front of multifunction device 300 when holding communication object 399 and holding it over mark 321M, as shown in FIG. 5, so that user convenience can be improved.

[0122] 2, in this multifunction device 300, first side wall 321 of second housing 320 is located on one side in the width direction of end 310L, which is located on one side in the width direction of first housing 310. With this configuration, second housing 320 protrudes outward in the width direction more than first housing 310, so first housing 310 is less likely to get in the way when holding communication object 399 over mark 321M.

[0123] 4, in this multifunction device 300, the communication board 372 and the mark 321M are located forward of the center CL2 in the front-to-rear direction of the first side wall 321. More specifically, the communication board 372 and the mark 321M are located near the front end of the first side wall 321. With this configuration, the user can easily hold the communication target object 399 over the mark 321M by simply extending their hand slightly rearward from the position of their hand when operating the operation panel 380.

[0124] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above examples and can be modified and applied as appropriate within the scope of the invention.

[0125] In the embodiment, inner surface 321B of first side wall 321 faces communication board 372, and outer surface 321A of first side wall 321 has mark 321M, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the present invention also includes a configuration in which one side and the other side in the width direction in the embodiment are reversed, and the inner surface of second side wall 322 faces communication board 372 and the outer surface of second side wall 322 has a mark similar to mark 321M.

[0126] In this embodiment, the discharge tray 359 is located below the supply tray 358, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the discharge tray may be located above the supply tray.

[0127] In the embodiment, multifunction device 300 includes automatic document feeder 340, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the present invention also includes a configuration in which multifunction device 300 does not include automatic document feeder 340 and instead includes only a document cover that covers a document placed on document support surface 302A of second housing 320.

[0128] In the embodiment, there are a plurality of first ribs 331A, 331B and a plurality of second ribs 332A, 332B, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and one of them may be reduced to one.

[0129] In the embodiment, the first side wall 321 has a shape that follows the front-rear and up-down directions, i.e., a wall shape that is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the first side wall may have a wall shape that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that its upper end is located on the other side of the width direction than its lower end, and its outer surface faces slightly upward, or it may have a wall shape that is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that its upper end is located on one side of the width direction than its lower end, and its outer surface faces slightly downward. In these cases, it is preferable that the communication board be arranged along the inner surface of the first side wall.

[0130] In the embodiment, the operation panel 380 is located at a position offset to one side in the width direction from the center CL1 of the second housing 320 in the width direction, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the width length of the operation panel may be the same as the width length of the second housing. Furthermore, the operation panel may be located at a position including the center of the second housing in the width direction, and the width length of the operation panel may be shorter than the width length of the second housing.

[0131] In the embodiment, the communication board 372 and the main board 371 are connected by a first cable 372FC, a panel board 378, and a second cable 378FC, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the communication board and the main board may be connected directly by a cable without going through the panel board. [Industrial Applicability]

[0132] The present invention can be used, for example, in a multifunction peripheral that includes an image reading unit and an image forming unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 300... multifunction device, 305... image forming unit, 310... first housing 302...image reading unit, 320...second housing, 380...operation panel 302S...reading sensor, 321...first side wall, 322...second side wall 321B...inner surface of the first side wall, 321A...outer surface of the first side wall 372C...communication antenna, 372...communication board, 399...communication object 321M...mark, CL1...width center of the second housing R1: Reading sensor movement area, 373: Shielding member 302T...movement mechanism, 302M...motor, A1...first range A2...Second range, A3...Third range, A4...Fourth range 340...automatic document feeder, 358...supply tray 304...transport mechanism, 350...transport guide, 359...discharge tray 349...conveying end portion, 351...first portion, 352...second portion 353...third part, 378...panel board, 371...main board 372FC...1st cable, 378FC...2nd cable 372A...1st board surface, 372B...2nd board surface 331A, 331B...first rib, 332A, 332B...second rib 333...3rd rib, 334...4th rib, 310H...opening (front opening) 317... Cover (front cover), 319... Discharge tray after image formation 310L: End portion located on one side in the width direction of the first housing CL2: Center of the first side wall in the front-to-back direction

Claims

1. an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet; a first housing that houses the image forming unit; an image reading unit having a reading sensor for reading an image of a document; a communication board having a communication antenna capable of short-range wireless communication; a second housing located above the first housing and housing the image reading unit and the communication board; an operation panel located in front of the second housing, the second housing has a first side wall positioned rearward of the operation panel, extending in a front-rear direction, and positioned on one side of the reading sensor in a width direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction; a second side wall located rearward of the operation panel, extending in the front-rear direction, and located on the other side of the width direction relative to the reading sensor; an inner surface of the first side wall faces the communication board; The multifunction peripheral is characterized in that the outer surface of the first side wall has a mark indicating a position where a communication target object is to be held over in order to communicate with the communication board.

2. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1 , wherein the operation panel is located closer to the first side wall than the center of the second housing in the width direction.

3. the reading sensor is movable in the width direction, the communication board is located between the first side wall and a movement area of the reading sensor in the width direction; 3. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein when the communication board and the reading sensor are viewed in the width direction, at least a portion of the communication board overlaps with the reading sensor.

4. 4. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the second housing is located between the reading sensor and the communication board and houses a shielding member capable of blocking electromagnetic waves.

5. the image reading unit includes a moving mechanism that moves the reading sensor in the width direction; a motor that drives the movement mechanism, 5. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein a first range in which the communication board exists in the front-rear direction is separated from a second range in which the motor exists in the front-rear direction.

6. the image reading unit includes a moving mechanism that moves the reading sensor in the width direction; a motor that drives the movement mechanism, 6. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein a third range in which the communication board exists in the width direction is separated from a fourth range in which the motor exists in the width direction.

7. further comprising an automatic document feeder located above the second housing; The automatic document transport unit includes a supply tray for supporting documents; a transport mechanism for transporting the documents supported on the supply tray; a conveyance guide that guides the document conveyed by the conveyance mechanism to pass above the reading sensor; a discharge tray that supports the document that has passed above the reading sensor, the transport guide includes a first portion that guides the document from the supply tray toward the one transport end portion in the width direction of the automatic document transport unit; a second portion that guides the document from the conveying end toward the discharge tray; a third portion that connects to the first portion and the second portion at the conveying end portion and turns the document around; 7. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the communication board is located below the third portion.

8. the operation panel has a panel substrate for operating the image reading unit and the image forming unit, the image forming unit has a main board for controlling the image reading unit and the image forming unit, a first cable connecting the communication board and the panel board; 8. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, further comprising a second cable connecting the panel board and the main board.

9. the second housing includes a first rib that protrudes from the first side wall toward the other side in the width direction and extends in a vertical direction and abuts against a first board surface of the communication board that faces the inner surface of the first side wall; a second rib that protrudes upward from the first rib at a position spaced apart from the other side in the width direction and abuts against a second board surface of the communication board that faces away from the first board surface; a third rib that protrudes from the first side wall toward the other side in the width direction at a position spaced forward from the first rib and the second rib, extends in the up-down direction, and abuts against a front end of the communication board; a fourth rib that protrudes from the first side wall toward the other side in the width direction at a position rearwardly spaced apart from the first rib and the second rib, extends in the up-down direction, and abuts against a rear end of the communication board; 9. The multifunction device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first rib and the second rib is provided in plural.

10. the first housing has an opening on a front surface thereof that allows access to the image forming unit; 10. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, further comprising a cover that opens and closes the opening.

11. the first housing has a post-image-formation discharge tray that supports sheets on which images have been formed by the image forming unit, 11. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit ejects a sheet from the rear side of the first housing facing forward and supports the sheet on the ejection tray after image formation.

12. 12. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1, wherein the first side wall of the second housing is positioned further in the width direction than an end portion of the first housing that is positioned in the width direction.

13. The multifunction peripheral according to claim 1 , wherein the communication board and the mark are located forward of the center of the first side wall in the front-rear direction.

Images