Image forming apparatus, image forming system, and method for manufacturing two types of image forming apparatuses.

Abstract

To prevent a position from becoming a blank space in another model, even when a wireless communication unit is not arranged in the other model in the position where the wireless communication unit is arranged in one model, and to prevent the generation of wasted space.SOLUTION: An image forming device 100A having a common housing with an image forming device of another model, has a different electrical unit 30A from the image forming device of the other model and has a component 32 other than a wireless communication unit arranged at a position where the wireless communication unit connected to a board within the electrical unit in the image forming device of the other model is arranged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, an image forming system, and a method for manufacturing two types of image forming apparatuses.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an image forming apparatus having a common housing with another model of image forming apparatus is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes two types of image forming apparatuses having a common housing. In one model, a cooling device is added, and in the other model, this cooling device is not added.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, when a component is arranged at a position in one model but not in the other model, that position becomes a blank space in the other model, resulting in wasted space.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus having a common housing with another model of image forming apparatus, wherein the electrical unit is different from that of the other model of image forming apparatus, and at a position where a wireless communication unit connected to a substrate in the electrical unit of the other model of image forming apparatus is arranged, Fans it is arranged, which is characterized in that.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, even when the wireless communication unit is arranged at a position in one model but not in the other model, the position does not become a blank space in the other model, and the generation of wasted space can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of two printers that constitute the image forming system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic perspective view showing the general internal structure of the high-speed printer, one of the two models, as seen from the rear. [Figure 3] This is a schematic perspective view showing the general internal structure of the lower-speed printer, one of the two models, as seen from the rear. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of fan placement in a high-speed printer. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication unit in a low-speed printer. [Figure 6] A perspective view from below of the fan mounting position in a high-speed printer. [Figure 7] A perspective view from below of the mounting position of the wireless communication unit in a low-speed printer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The following describes one embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an image forming system including two image forming apparatuses that share a common housing. In this embodiment, the two image forming apparatuses are described using an electrophotographic color printer (hereinafter simply referred to as printer 100) as an example, but other image forming apparatuses such as inkjet printers or image forming apparatuses with functions other than printing may also be used.

[0009] First, the basic configuration (common configuration) of the two printer models 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic configuration of two printer models 100 in this embodiment. This printer 100 is a tandem-type color printer and is equipped with four photoreceptors 1a to 1d as image carriers located within the main body housing 101. Above the four photoreceptors 1a to 1d is an intermediate transfer device equipped with an intermediate transfer belt 3 as an intermediate transfer body.

[0010] On each of the four photoreceptors 1a to 1d, toner images of different colors are formed. In this embodiment, black toner images, cyan toner images, magenta toner images, and yellow toner images are formed on the four photoreceptors 1a to 1d, respectively. Although the photoreceptors 1a to 1d shown in Figure 1 are formed in a drum shape, an endless belt-shaped photoreceptor that is wound around multiple rollers and rotated can also be used as the photoreceptor.

[0011] The four photoreceptors 1a to 1d are in contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 3. The intermediate transfer belt 3 shown in Figure 1 is wrapped around the secondary transfer opposing roller 4, tension roller 5, backup roller 6, and inlet roller 7. One of these support rollers, the secondary transfer opposing roller 4, is configured as a drive roller driven by a drive source, and the intermediate transfer belt 3 is rotated in the direction of arrow A in Figure 1 by the drive of this secondary transfer opposing roller 4.

[0012] The intermediate transfer belt 3 may have either a multilayer or single-layer structure. If it is a multilayer structure, it is preferable that the base layer be made of, for example, a fluororesin, PVDF sheet, or polyimide resin with low elongation, and the surface be covered with a smooth coating layer such as a fluororesin. If it is a single layer, it is preferable to use a material such as PVDF, PC, or polyimide.

[0013] The formation of toner images on photoreceptors 1a to 1d and the transfer of each toner image to the intermediate transfer belt 3 are substantially identical for all four photoreceptors 1a to 1d, differing only in the color of the toner image formed. Therefore, we will only describe the formation of the yellow toner image on the yellow photoreceptor 1d, which is located on the upstream side in the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 3, and its transfer to the intermediate transfer belt 3.

[0014] The yellow photoreceptor 1d is rotated clockwise in Figure 1, as shown by arrow C in Figure 1. During this rotation, light from the static eliminator is shone onto the surface of the yellow photoreceptor 1d, and the surface potential of the yellow photoreceptor 1d is initialized. The surface of the initialized yellow photoreceptor 1d is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity (negative polarity in this embodiment) by the charging device 8. A light-modulated laser beam L emitted from the exposure device 9 is shone onto the surface of the thus charged yellow photoreceptor 1d, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the written information is formed on the surface of the yellow photoreceptor 1d. In the printer 100 shown in Figure 1, an exposure device 9 consisting of a laser writing device that emits a laser beam is used, but an exposure device having an LED array and imaging means can also be used.

[0015] The electrostatic latent image formed on the yellow photoreceptor 1d is made visible as a yellow toner image by the yellow developing device 10. Meanwhile, a yellow transfer roller 11d is positioned on the inside of the intermediate transfer belt 3, opposite the yellow photoreceptor 1d, with the intermediate transfer belt 3 in between. This yellow transfer roller 11d contacts the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 3, forming a proper transfer nip between the yellow photoreceptor 1d and the intermediate transfer belt 3.

[0016] A transfer voltage with the opposite polarity (positive polarity in this embodiment) to the toner charge polarity of the toner image formed on the yellow photoreceptor 1d is applied to the yellow transfer roller 11d. This creates a transfer electric field between the yellow photoreceptor 1d and the intermediate transfer belt 3, and the yellow toner image on the yellow photoreceptor 1d is electrostatically transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 3, which is rotated in sync with the yellow photoreceptor 1d. After the yellow toner image has been transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 3, any remaining transfer toner adhering to the surface of the yellow photoreceptor 1d is removed by the yellow cleaning device 12, and the surface of the yellow photoreceptor 1d is cleaned.

[0017] Similarly, magenta toner images, cyan toner images, and black toner images are respectively formed on the other three photoreceptors 1c, 1b, and 1a, and the toner images of each color are electrostatically transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 3 onto which the yellow toner image has been transferred, in sequence and one on top of another.

[0018] The printer 100 has two driving modes: a full-color mode that uses four colors of toner and a monochrome black mode that uses only black toner. In the full-color mode, the intermediate transfer belt 3 contacts the four photoreceptors 1a to 1d, and the toner images of the four colors are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt. On the other hand, in the monochrome black mode, only the black photoreceptor 1a contacts the intermediate transfer belt 3, and only the black toner is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt . At this time, the three photoreceptors 1b, 1c, and 1d for cyan, magenta, and yellow do not contact the intermediate transfer belt 3, and the three transfer rollers 11b, 11c, and 11d are separated from the photoreceptors 1b, 1c, and 1d by a contact / separation mechanism. At that time, in order to surely separate the intermediate transfer belt 3 from the three photoreceptors 1b, 1c, and (

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feeding device 14 is arranged at the lower part of the main body housing 101. The paper feeding device 14 feeds out a recording paper P, which is a recording medium, in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1 by the rotation of a paper feeding roller 15. The fed recording paper P hits against a registration roller pair 16 and stops temporarily.

[0020] A portion of the intermediate transfer belt 3 wound around the secondary transfer opposing roller , and a secondary transfer roller 17, which is a secondary transfer member arranged opposite thereto, are in contact with each other. A secondary transfer nip is formed by this contact portion. The recording paper P that has hit against the registration roller pair 16 is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip at a predetermined timing

[0021] . At this time, a predetermined transfer voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 17, whereby the toner images transferred on top of each other on the intermediate transfer belt 3 are secondarily transferred onto the recording paper P.

[0021] The recording paper P onto which the toner image has been secondarily transferred is further conveyed upward and passes through the fixing device 18. At this time, the toner image on the recording paper P is fixed by the action of heat and pressure in the fixing device 18. The recording paper P that has passed through the fixing device 18 is discharged outside the printer 100 by the paper discharge roller pair 19 provided in the paper discharge unit and stacked on the paper discharge tray 101a which is the upper surface part of the device.

[0022] After the toner image is transferred to the recording paper P, some toner remains on the intermediate transfer belt 3 as transfer residual toner. This transfer residual toner is removed from the intermediate transfer belt 3 by the belt cleaning device 20. In the belt cleaning device 20 in this embodiment, a blade-shaped cleaning blade 21 made of urethane or the like is used, and the cleaning blade 21 is abutted in a counter direction to the surface movement direction of the intermediate transfer belt 3. As the belt cleaning device 20, various types can be appropriately used. For example, the belt cleaning device 20 may be an electrostatic type.

[0023] Next, the two types of printers 100A and 100B that constitute the image forming system of this embodiment will be described respectively. Generally, in order to meet the needs of customers, there may be cases where models with so-called model differences having a common housing are provided. As a typical example, for example, there are cases where two types of image forming devices with different image forming functions are provided, such as those having a common housing but different image forming speeds. For such two types of image forming devices, different electrical units are used according to their respective image forming functions. In this embodiment, one of the two types of printers 100A and 100B is the printer 100A with a high image forming speed, and the other type is the printer 10OB with a low image forming speed.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the internal schematic structure of the high-speed printer 100A among the two types of image forming devices when viewed from the back side. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the low-speed printer 100B, one of two image forming machines, as seen from the rear.

[0025] The electrical units 30A and 30B house electrical components such as control boards within an electrical box. In many models, wireless communication units 31A and 31B are attached to the electrical units 30A and 30B to enable wireless communication with external communication equipment. Since the electrical boxes that make up the electrical units 30A and 30B are usually made of radio wave shielding material such as metal, at least the antenna part (the part that emits or receives radio waves) of the wireless communication units 31A and 31B is located outside the electrical box (electrical units 30A and 30B).

[0026] In this embodiment, the two printer models 100A and 100B, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, use different electrical units 30A and 30B, and the arrangement of the wireless communication units 31A and 31B attached to each electrical unit 30A and 30B is different.

[0027] Specifically, in the high-speed printer 100A, as shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication unit 31A is positioned so as to be exposed on the side of the electrical unit 30A (the side of the printer 100A). It is preferable that the side of the electrical unit 30A be covered by the outer cover of the main body housing 101 and positioned inside the main body housing 101 so that users cannot easily access the wireless communication unit 31A.

[0028] On the other hand, in the low-speed printer 100B, the wireless communication unit 31B is positioned so as to be exposed on the top surface of the electrical unit 30B, as shown in Figure 3. To prevent users from easily accessing the wireless communication unit 31B, the top surface of the electrical unit 30A is covered by the outer cover 101b (see Figure 4) of the main body housing 101, and is located inside the main body housing 101.

[0029] As in this embodiment, the mounting positions of the wireless communication units 31A and 31B may differ between two printer models 100A and 100B that share a common housing 101. In this case, the wireless communication unit 31B is not installed in the high-speed printer 100A at the same location as the wireless communication unit 31B in the low-speed printer 100B, resulting in a blank space and wasted space.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, the wireless communication unit 31B, which is located outside the electrical unit 30B inside the housing 101 in the low-speed printer 100B, is not located in the same position in the high-speed printer 100A. Instead, a fan 32, a component that is not located in the low-speed printer 100B, is placed in that position in the high-speed printer 100A, as shown in Figure 2.

[0031] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the fan 32 in the high-speed printer 100A. The high-speed printer 100A has a faster image formation speed compared to the low-speed printer 100B, which makes the inside of the casing 101 more prone to overheating, thus requiring improved cooling of the casing 101. For this reason, in this embodiment, a fan 32, which is not present in the low-speed printer 100B, is placed in the high-speed printer 100A. In the high-speed printer 100A, the fan 32 is located in the passage of the exhaust duct 33 that exhausts air from inside the machine (indicated by the black arrow in the figure). By placing the fan 32 in this position, the exhaust capacity inside the casing 101 is increased, and the cooling function inside the casing 101 is improved.

[0032] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the wireless communication unit 31A in the low-speed printer 100B. As described above, the low-speed printer 100B does not require the fan 32 that is provided in the high-speed printer 100A, and therefore does not have a fan 32. Instead, in the low-speed printer 100B, the wireless communication unit 31B is located where the fan 32 is located in the high-speed printer 100A.

[0033] Thus, in the low-speed printer 100B, the wireless communication unit 31B is positioned in a location where the fan 32 would otherwise be a blank space, thereby suppressing the occurrence of blank space. Conversely, in the high-speed printer 100A, the position where the wireless communication unit 31B is located in the low-speed printer 100B could become a blank space, but the placement of the fan 32 in this position suppresses the occurrence of blank space.

[0034] Figure 6 is a perspective view from below of the mounting position of the fan 32 in the high-speed printer 100A. In this embodiment, the common housing 101 between the two printer models 100A and 100B includes an internal frame 101c to which the respective electrical units 30A and 30B are mounted. This internal frame 101c is positioned opposite the upper surface of the electrical units 30A and 30B and has a through hole 101d formed therein. In the high-speed printer 100A in this embodiment, the positioning projection 32a of the fan 32 engages with the through hole 101d of the internal frame 101c. That is, the through hole 101d in the high-speed printer 100A functions as a positioning hole for the fan 32.

[0035] Figure 7 is a perspective view from below of the mounting position of the wireless communication unit 31B in the low-speed printer 100B. In the low-speed printer 100B of this embodiment, a flat cable 34 connecting the wireless communication unit 31B and the circuit board in the electrical unit 30B is inserted through the through-hole 101d of the internal frame 101c. In other words, the through-hole 101d in the low-speed printer 100B functions as a hole through which the flat cable 34 of the wireless communication unit 31B passes.

[0036] In this way, by utilizing the through-hole 101d formed in the common housing 101 between the two printer models 100A and 100B for the fan 32 and wireless communication unit 31B, which are located in the same positions on each printer 100A and 100B, a configuration with minimal waste can be achieved.

[0037] The above is just one example; each of the following embodiments produces its own unique effects. [First aspect] The first embodiment is an image forming apparatus (e.g., a high-speed printer 100A) that shares a housing 101 with another model of image forming apparatus (e.g., a low-speed printer 100B), characterized in that the electrical unit 30A is different from that of the other model of image forming apparatus, and components other than the wireless communication unit (e.g., a fan 32) are arranged in the same position as the wireless communication unit 31B connected to the circuit board within the electrical unit 30B in the other model of image forming apparatus. Generally, to meet customer needs, two models of image forming machines with common housings are sometimes provided. A typical example is providing two models of image forming machines with common housings but different image forming functions, such as different image forming speeds. Such two models of image forming machines use different electrical units according to their respective image forming functions. A wireless communication unit is usually attached to an electrical unit, but since an electrical unit is usually covered with radio wave shielding material such as metal, at least the antenna part (the part that emits or receives radio waves) of the wireless communication unit is located outside the electrical unit. When different electrical units are used, the position in which the wireless communication unit is attached may differ. In this case, if the wireless communication unit, which is located outside the electrical unit in one model, is located inside the housing, then in the other model, the wireless communication unit is not located in that position, resulting in a blank space and wasted space. Therefore, in this embodiment, the component is configured to be placed in the position where the wireless communication unit is located in other types of image forming apparatuses (a position where the wireless communication unit is not located in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment). According to this embodiment, the position where the wireless communication unit is located in other types of image forming apparatuses does not become a blank space, and the generation of wasted space can be suppressed.

[0038] [Second aspect] The second embodiment is an image forming apparatus (for example, a low-speed printer 100B) that shares a housing 101 with another model of image forming apparatus (for example, a high-speed printer 100A), wherein the electrical unit 30B is different from that of the other model of image forming apparatus, and the position where the wireless communication unit 31B connected to the circuit board within the electrical unit is located is the same as the position where other components (for example, a fan 32) are located in the other model of image forming apparatus. According to this embodiment, the wireless communication unit is positioned in the location where components are placed in the other image forming apparatus (a location where such components are not placed in the image forming apparatus according to this embodiment), so that location does not become a blank space, and the generation of wasted space can be suppressed.

[0039] [Third aspect] The third embodiment is an image forming system including two image forming apparatuses (for example, a high-speed printer 100A and a low-speed printer 100B) having a housing 101 common to both, wherein the two image forming apparatuses have different electrical units 30A and 30B, and one image forming apparatus (for example, a low-speed printer 100B) has a wireless communication unit 31B connected to a circuit board in the electrical unit, while the other image forming apparatus (for example, a high-speed printer 100A) does not have the wireless communication unit 31B in the aforementioned position, but instead has components other than the wireless communication unit (for example, a fan 32) in the aforementioned position. In this embodiment, if the wireless communication unit is located in one model but not in the other model, the other model is configured to have components other than the wireless communication unit located in that position. If these components are not located in one model, then the one model does not require space to accommodate them, while the other model does. By locating such components in the position where the wireless communication unit is located in one model (and where the wireless communication unit is not located in the other model), the other model does not have a blank space, and the generation of wasted space can be suppressed.

[0040] [Fourth aspect] The fourth aspect is characterized in that, in the third aspect, the component is a component that is not arranged in the image forming apparatus of the one model mentioned above. Components that are not placed in one of the aforementioned models are those for which space is not required in the one model, but which require space in the other model. By placing such components in the location where the wireless communication unit is located in the one model (where the wireless communication unit is not located in the other model), that location does not become a blank space in the other model, and the generation of wasted space can be suppressed. Furthermore, as mentioned above, since these components are not placed in the one model, no blank space for these components is created in the one model.

[0041] [Fifth aspect] The fifth embodiment is characterized in that, in the third or fourth embodiment, the other model of image forming apparatus is a high-speed machine (for example, a high-speed printer 100A) that has a faster image forming speed than the one model of image forming apparatus, and the component is a fan 32. High-speed machines, compared to low-speed machines, have a faster image formation speed, which makes the inside of the chassis more prone to overheating, thus requiring enhanced cooling capabilities. In this embodiment, a fan, which is not present in the low-speed machine, is placed in the high-speed machine, thereby improving the cooling capacity inside the chassis of the high-speed machine. On the other hand, in the low-speed machine, where this fan is unnecessary, the wireless communication unit is placed in the location where the fan would be in the high-speed machine, thus eliminating any blank space in that location.

[0042] [Sixth aspect] The sixth embodiment is characterized in that, in any of the third to fifth embodiments, the position is the outer surface of a housing frame (e.g., an internal frame 101c) to which the electrical unit is mounted, the housing frame has a through hole 101d through which a cable (e.g., a flat cable 34) connecting the wireless communication unit and the circuit board in the electrical unit is inserted, and the component engages with the through hole in the housing frame. According to this embodiment, a configuration with minimal waste can be achieved by utilizing through-holes formed in a common housing frame between two image forming apparatuses for components and wireless communication units located at the same positions in each apparatus.

[0043] [Seventh aspect] The sixth aspect is a method for manufacturing two types of image forming apparatus (for example, a high-speed printer 100A and a low-speed printer 100B) in which the housing 101 is common to both and the electrical units 30A and 30B are different to each other, characterized in that one type of image forming apparatus (for example, a low-speed printer 100B) has a wireless communication unit 31B connected to a circuit board in the electrical unit, and the other type of image forming apparatus (for example, a high-speed printer 100A) does not have the wireless communication unit in the aforementioned position, but instead has components other than the wireless communication unit (for example, a fan 32) in the aforementioned position. According to this embodiment, even if a wireless communication unit is located in one model but not in the other model, that location does not become a blank space in the other model, thus suppressing the generation of wasted space. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1a~1d: Photoreceptor 3: Intermediate transfer belt 4: Secondary transfer opposing roller 8: Charging device 9: Exposure equipment 10: Developing device 11a~11d: Transfer roller 12: Cleaning device 14: Paper feeder 16: Resistola vs. 17: Secondary transfer roller 18: Fixing device 19: Paper output roller pair 20: Belt cleaning device 30A, 30B: Electrical Unit 31A, 31B: Wireless communication department 32: Fan 32a: Positioning projection 33: Exhaust duct 34: Flat Cable 100A: Printer (high-speed model) 100B: Printer (low-speed model) 101: Cabinet 101a: Paper output tray 101b: Exterior cover 101c: Internal frame 101d: Through hole P: Recording paper [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0045] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-18373

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus whose housing is the same as that of other image forming apparatus models, The electrical unit differs from that of the other image forming apparatuses mentioned above. An image forming apparatus characterized in that a fan is positioned at the same location where a wireless communication unit connected to a circuit board in the electrical unit of the aforementioned other image forming apparatus is located.

2. An image forming apparatus whose housing is the same as that of other image forming apparatus models, The electrical unit differs from that of the other image forming apparatuses mentioned above. The image forming apparatus is characterized in that the position where the wireless communication unit connected to the circuit board within the electrical unit is located is the same as the position where a fan is located in the image forming apparatus of the other model.

3. An image forming system including two image forming apparatuses whose housings are common to each other, The two image forming apparatuses mentioned above have different electrical units. In one model of image forming apparatus, a wireless communication unit connected to the circuit board within the electrical unit is positioned in a predetermined location. The other model of the image forming apparatus is characterized in that, instead of arranging the wireless communication unit in the aforementioned position, a fan is arranged in the aforementioned position.

4. In the image forming system according to claim 3, The image forming apparatus of the other model is a high-speed machine that has a faster image forming speed than the image forming apparatus of the first model, and is a picture forming system.

5. In the image forming system according to claim 3 or 4, The aforementioned position is the outer surface of the housing frame to which the electrical unit is mounted. The housing frame has through holes formed therein for inserting cables that connect the wireless communication unit and the circuit board in the electrical unit. The image forming system is characterized in that the fan engages with the through-hole of the housing frame.

6. A method for manufacturing two image forming apparatuses that share a common housing but have different electrical units, In one model of image forming apparatus, a wireless communication unit connected to the circuit board within the electrical unit is positioned in a predetermined location. A method for manufacturing two types of image forming apparatuses, characterized in that, for the other type of image forming apparatus, a fan is placed in the aforementioned position instead of the wireless communication unit.

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