Image forming apparatus

Abstract

To solve the problem that bundled wires arranged in an image forming device may get damaged when attaching a cover with protrusions.SOLUTION: A clearance between a claw of a cover and a claw insertion opening of a main body is reduced and a sloped rib for guiding is provided on the claw so as to regulate an attachment / detachment trajectory of the cover and prevent the cover from touching bundled wires.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0006]

[0001] Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, there are arranged a bundle of wires, a cable, etc. that connect a unit that drives an image forming unit such as a developing device and a photoreceptor drum, and a drive control board that controls the drive unit. Also, there are arranged a bundle of wires, a cable, etc. that connect each board such as a control board that controls the entire system of the apparatus and the above-described drive control board.

[0002] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, they are arranged near the cover so that maintenance work on these control boards can be easily performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent image forming apparatuses, while the number of control components increases for the purpose of improving performance and functions, the components are arranged densely so that the apparatus does not become large, and the shape tends to become complicated so that each component can play a plurality of roles. Regarding the cover as well, in addition to the role of covering the conventional board and unit, etc., it may have a convex shape in order to play a plurality of roles such as the role as an air duct and the role of preventing foreign matter from falling into the image forming apparatus during maintenance. <000​​​​​ Therefore, the present invention aims to suppress deflection of the air duct when employing a configuration that has a transfer unit that can be pulled out relative to the frame, in order to suppress the influence of heat from the fixing unit on the intermediate transfer belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet, comprising: an apparatus body; a first substrate provided on the rear side in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus; a main body component provided on the front side in the front-rear direction; a second substrate provided on the side surface in the width direction of the image forming apparatus, positioned between the first substrate and the main body component in the front-rear direction, for controlling the image forming unit; a connecting wire provided on the side surface in the width direction, positioned vertically above the second substrate, for connecting the first substrate and the main body component; and a cover having a first surface facing the second substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface, which is detachable from the apparatus body, wherein the cover has a claw portion protruding from the first surface, which, when attached to the apparatus body, can be inserted into an opening provided in the apparatus body. The cover has a claw portion that is inserted, and a protrusion that protrudes from the first surface and is located vertically between the second substrate and the connecting wire when the cover is mounted on the device body, the claw portion has a lower claw extension portion located vertically below the opening when the cover is mounted on the device body, and an inclined rib connecting the lower claw extension portion and the first surface, the amount of protrusion of the claw portion relative to the first surface is greater than the amount of protrusion of the protrusion relative to the first surface, the length of the lower claw extension portion in the vertical direction is shorter than the length of the opening in the vertical direction, the inclined surface of the inclined rib is provided at least between the tip of the protrusion portion and the lower claw extension portion in the thickness direction of the second substrate, and in the vertical direction, the distance between the connecting wire and the protrusion portion when the cover is mounted on the device body is the same as the opening bottom It is characterized by being greater than the distance between the claw portion and the other portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in an image forming apparatus having multiple housings, the maintainability when replacing filters can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Schematic perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] schematic cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Schematic diagram of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment [Figure 4] Schematic top view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] Arrangement diagram of the cover according to the embodiment [Figure 6] Layout diagram of electrical components according to the embodiment [Figure 7] Detailed drawing of electrical components according to the embodiment [Figure 8] Arrangement diagram of the cover protrusions according to the embodiment [Figure 9] Diagram of a cover according to an embodiment [Figure 10] Schematic diagram of the cover and housing according to the embodiment [Figure 11] Schematic diagram of the cover and housing according to the embodiment [Figure 12] Schematic diagram of the cover and housing according to the embodiment [Figure 13] Schematic diagram of the cover and housing according to the embodiment [Figure 14] Diagram of the cover claw portion according to the embodiment [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described in the following embodiments should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions, and the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited only to those.

[0011] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the front side toward the image forming apparatus 2 is defined as the front direction F, the back side (rear side) is defined as the back direction B, the left side is defined as the left direction L, the right side is defined as the right direction R, the upper side is defined as the upper direction U, and the lower side is defined as the lower direction D.

[0012] (Image Forming System) As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment includes an image forming apparatus 2 which is, for example, a tandem type full-color printer, and a post-processing apparatus 103 which is arranged adjacent to the L side in the width direction of the image forming apparatus 2 and performs processing on the formed sheet S. Further, the image forming system 1 includes a large-capacity paper feeder 105 which is arranged adjacent to the R side in the width direction of the image forming apparatus 2 and houses the transfer material S fed to the image forming apparatus 2.

[0013] In the present embodiment, a tandem type full-color printer will be described as an example of the image forming apparatus 2, but the present invention is not limited to the tandem type image forming apparatus 2, and other types of image forming apparatuses may be used. Further, the present invention is not limited to forming full-color images, and image forming apparatuses that form monochrome or monocolor images may also be used.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 2 includes an image forming apparatus main body (hereinafter referred to as the apparatus main body) 10. Further, the apparatus main body 10 includes a toner supply unit 20, a sheet feeding unit 30, an image forming unit 40, a sheet conveyance unit 50, a sheet discharge unit 60, an electrical unit 70, and an operation unit 80. Here, the operation unit 80 is provided on the front side in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 2, and the electrical unit 70 is provided on the back side in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 2.

[0015] The sheet S, which is the recording material, is for forming a toner image. Specific examples include plain paper, a synthetic resin sheet that is a substitute for plain paper, cardboard, a sheet for an overhead projector, and the like.

[0016] The sheet feeding unit 30 is disposed at the lower part of the apparatus main body 10 and includes a sheet cassette 31 for loading and accommodating the sheet S and a feeding roller 32, and is configured to feed the sheet S to the image forming unit 40.

[0017] The image forming unit 40 includes an image forming unit 41, a toner bottle 42, an exposure device 43, an intermediate transfer unit 44, a secondary transfer unit 45, and a fixing device 46, and is configured to perform image formation.

[0018] The image forming unit 41 includes four image forming units 41y, 41m, 41c, and 41k for forming toner images of four colors: yellow (y), magenta (m), cyan (c), and black (k). These are each detachably attached to the apparatus main body 10 by the user.

[0019] For example, the image forming unit 41y includes a photosensitive drum 47y for forming a toner image, a charging roller 48y, a developing sleeve 49y, a drum cleaning blade (not shown), toner, and the like.

[0020] Also, toner is supplied to the image forming unit 41y from a toner bottle 42y filled with toner. For the other image forming units 41m, 41c, and 41k, since they have the same structure as the image forming unit 41y except that the toner colors are different, detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0021] The exposure device 43y is an exposure means for exposing the surface of the photosensitive drum 47y to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 47y.

[0022] The intermediate transfer unit 44 is located below the image forming unit 41 in direction D. The intermediate transfer unit 44 includes a drive roller 44a and a plurality of rollers such as primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k, and an intermediate transfer belt 44b wrapped around these rollers.

[0023] The primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k are positioned opposite the photoreceptor drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k, respectively, via the intermediate transfer belt 44b, and are in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 44b. The primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k apply a positive transfer bias to the intermediate transfer belt 44b, causing the toner images with negative polarity from the photoreceptor drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k to be sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 44b. As a result, a full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 44b.

[0024] The secondary transfer section 45 includes a secondary transfer inner roller 45a and a secondary transfer outer roller 45b. By applying a positive polarity secondary transfer bias to the secondary transfer outer roller 45b, the full-color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 44b is transferred to the sheet S.

[0025] Furthermore, the secondary transfer inner roller 45a is located inside the intermediate transfer belt 44b and stretches the intermediate transfer belt 44b, while the secondary transfer outer roller 45b is positioned opposite the secondary transfer inner roller 45a, with the intermediate transfer belt 44b in between.

[0026] The fixing device 46 includes a fixing roller 46a and a pressure roller 46b. The sheet S is held and conveyed between the fixing roller 46a and the pressure roller 46b, so that the toner image transferred to the sheet S is pressed and heated and fixed to the sheet S.

[0027] The sheet transport unit 50 transports the sheet S supplied from the sheet feeding unit 30 from the image forming unit 40 to the sheet discharge unit 60, and includes a secondary transfer transport path 51, a pre-fixing transport path 52, a discharge path 53, and a re-transport path 54.

[0028] The sheet discharge section 60 comprises a pair of discharge rollers 61 located downstream of the discharge path 53 and a discharge port 62 located on the left side (L) of the main body of the device 10. The pair of discharge rollers 61 feeds the sheet S conveyed from the discharge path 53 from the nip section and discharges it from the discharge port 62. The discharge port 62 is capable of feeding the sheet S to a post-processing device 103 located on the left side (L) of the main body of the device 10.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the electrical unit 70 incorporates an image controller 71, which is a control board including a control unit, and a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) 72, which is a removable mass storage device. The control board provided inside the electrical unit 70 is an example of a first board.

[0030] The image controller 71 is composed of a computer, and includes, for example, a CPU 73, a ROM 74 for storing programs that control each part, a RAM 75 for temporarily storing data, and an input / output circuit (I / F) 76 for inputting and outputting signals to and from the outside.

[0031] The HDD72 is a removable, high-capacity storage device for storing electronic data, primarily image processing programs, digital image data, and associated information for digital image data. During image formation, image data is read from the HDD72.

[0032] The CPU 73 is a microprocessor that controls the entire image forming apparatus 2 and is the main component of the system controller. The CPU 73 is connected to the sheet feeding unit 30, image forming unit 40, sheet transport unit 50, sheet discharge unit 60, HDD 72, and operation unit 80 via the input / output circuit 76, and exchanges signals with each unit and controls their operation. The image controller 71 allows the user to operate and set the image forming apparatus 2 through commands from a computer (not shown) connected to the main body 10 of the apparatus, or through operations on the operation unit 80.

[0033] Next, the image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 2 configured in this way will be described. When the image forming operation starts, the photoreceptor drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k first rotate and their surfaces are charged by the charging rollers 48y, 48m, 48c, and 48k. Then, the exposure apparatus 43y, 43m, 43c, and 43k emit laser light onto the photoreceptor drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k based on the image information, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drums 47y, 47m, 47c, and 47k. Toner adheres to this electrostatic latent image, causing it to be developed and visualized as a toner image, which is then transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 44b.

[0034] Meanwhile, in parallel with the toner image formation operation, the feed roller 32 rotates, feeding the top sheet S of the sheet cassette 31 while separating it. Then, in time with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 44b, the sheet S is transported to the secondary transfer section 45 via the pre-secondary transfer transport path 51. Furthermore, the image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 44b to the sheet S, and the sheet S is transported to the fixing device 46, where the unfixed toner image is heated and pressurized to fix it to the surface of the sheet S, and then discharged from the discharge port 62 by the discharge roller pair 61 and supplied to the post-processing device 103.

[0035] (Regarding the cover design) In the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a top view of the image forming system 1 as seen from above. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the AA section of Figure 4, showing the position of the cover 101 in this embodiment.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the cover 101 of this embodiment is provided on the upper left side of the housing surrounding the image forming unit and is positioned inside the buffer door 104 in Figure 1.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 is located inside the cover 101. The cover 101 serves to cover the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 so that the operator does not touch it when opening the buffer door 104 to clear paper jams or perform maintenance. The primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 applies the primary transfer bias to the primary transfer rollers 44y, 44m, 44c, and 44k. The primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 is located on the side in the width direction of the image forming apparatus, between the electrical unit 70 and the power switch 114 in the front-to-back direction, and is an example of a second substrate that controls the primary transfer rollers as an image forming unit.

[0038] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the cross-section AA with the cover 101 removed, and Figure 7 shows a magnified view of the area around the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 in the AA cross-section.

[0039] The primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102 is connected to the electrical unit 70 by the electrical unit wiring harness 107, and is capable of conducting electricity. In addition, the primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102 and the contact point of the primary transfer roller are connected by the secondary transfer roller connection wiring harness 106.

[0040] As shown in Figure 7, an electrical unit connector 109 is located on the lower side of the primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102, and the electrical unit wiring harness 107 is connected to it. The electrical unit wiring harness 107 is attached to an electrical unit wiring harness holder 112 provided on the lower side of the primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102, and is connected to a connector 113 for connecting the electrical unit 70.

[0041] Multiple primary transfer roller connectors 108 are provided on the upper side of the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102, and primary transfer roller connection bundles 106 are connected to them. The primary transfer roller connection bundles 106 pass through multiple primary transfer roller connection bundle clamps 110 provided on the device body 10 above the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 and primary transfer roller connection bundle edge clamps 111 provided on the housing, and are connected to the contacts of the primary transfer rollers.

[0042] As shown in Figure 7, a power switch wire bundle 115 and a power switch wire bundle clamp 116 are provided above the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 and the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle clamp 110. The power switch wire bundle 115 is the wire bundle that connects the power switch 114 shown in Figures 1 and 4 to the electrical unit 70. The power switch wire bundle clamp 116 is also used to allow the passage of optional wire bundles when using options such as the card reader 117 shown in Figures 1 and 4. The power switch 114 and card reader 117 are examples of main body components provided on the front side in the front-rear direction of the image forming apparatus 2. The power switch wire bundle 115 is provided on the side in the width direction of the image forming apparatus 2, above the primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102 in the vertical direction, and is an example of a connection wire that connects the electrical unit 70 to the power switch 114.

[0043] When adding optional wiring harnesses to the power switch wiring harness clamp 116, first remove the upper cover 118 located on the top surface of the image forming apparatus. Then, add the optional wiring harnesses to the power switch wiring harness clamp 116 and pass them through, connecting optional units such as the card reader 117 to the electrical unit 70. The card reader 117 is an example of an authentication unit for user authentication.

[0044] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the BB cross section of Figure 4, showing the position of the protrusion 119 when the cover 101 is attached. As shown in Figure 8, the protrusion 119 provided on the cover 101 is located on the lower side of the power switch wiring clamp 116. Therefore, when removing the upper cover 118 and adding optional wiring to the power switch wiring clamp 116, the protrusion 119 prevents objects such as screws, clips, or pens from entering the main unit if the worker drops them.

[0045] Furthermore, the protrusion 119 is a protrusion that projects from the first surface 101a of the cover 101 and, when mounted on the device body 10, is located vertically between the primary transfer high-voltage substrate 102 and the power switch wire bundle 115.

[0046] Furthermore, the protrusion 119 also functions as an air duct, separating the space where the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 is placed from the outside of the cover, thereby blocking the exchange of heat within the main body.

[0047] In this configuration, where the protrusion 119 is positioned between the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 and the power switch wire bundle 115, there is a risk that the protrusion 119 may come into contact with the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 and the power switch wire bundle 115 when the cover 101 is attached. If the cover 101 is pushed against the main body in an attempt to attach it while the protrusion 119 is in contact with each wire bundle, there is a risk that the wire bundles may be damaged, broken, or severed.

[0048] Furthermore, the protrusion 119 may come into contact with the clamp opening / closing parts of the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle clamp 110 and the power switch clamp 116, potentially causing the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle clamp 110 and the power switch clamp 116 to open. If the wire bundle comes off the clamp, the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 and the power switch wire bundle 115 will become scattered. In that case, the protrusion 119 or other parts may come into contact with the wire bundle when installed, potentially damaging and causing the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 and the power switch wire bundle 115 to break.

[0049] Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to prevent the protrusion 119 from coming into contact with the primary transfer roller connection bundle 106 and the power switch bundle 115 when attaching the cover 101, a configuration is provided to restrict the trajectory of the cover 101 when it is attached or detached.

[0050] As shown in Figure 9, the cover 101 has claws 122 that can be temporarily held in place by the housing 120 during installation. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the housing 120 has openings 121 for inserting the claws of the cover 101. When installing the cover 101, the claws 122 are inserted into the openings 121 provided in the housing 120.

[0051] Here, the surface of the cover 101 on which the protrusions 119 and claws 122 are provided is the first surface 101a facing the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102, and the surface opposite to this first surface is the second surface 101b. The claws 122 are claws that protrude from the first surface 101a and are inserted into the opening 121 provided in the device body when the cover 101 is attached to the device body 10.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the claw 122 has an extended lower portion 123 that extends in the direction of gravity. As a result, when the cover 101 is attached, as shown in Figure 11, when the extended lower portion 123 of the claw of the cover 101 passes through the claw insertion opening 121, the claw 122 catches on the claw insertion opening 121, and the cover 101 becomes temporarily held in place. The position immediately after the extended lower portion 123 of the claw passes through the claw insertion opening 121 shown in Figure 11, where the claw's hook becomes effective and temporary holding is possible, is referred to as the "set position," and the position shown in Figure 13, where the cover 101 is completely attached to the housing 120, is referred to as the "attached position."

[0053] As shown in Figure 10, the claw 122 has an upper extended portion 124 that extends in the direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and the upper extended portion 124 has an inclined shape portion 125.

[0054] Furthermore, the lower claw extension portion 123 is located vertically below the opening 121 when the cover 101 is attached to the device body 10. The upper claw extension portion 124 is an example of an inclined rib connecting the first surface 101a of the cover 101 and the lower claw extension portion 123, and the inclined shape portion 125 is an example of an inclined surface that guides the movement of the cover 101 when attaching the cover 101 to the device body 10.

[0055] Furthermore, the amount of protrusion of the claw 122 in the thickness direction (cover mounting direction) of the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102 is greater than the amount of protrusion of the convex portion 119 in the same direction. Also, the length of the lower extension portion 123 of the claw in the vertical direction is shorter than the length of the opening 121 in the same direction.

[0056] Furthermore, the inclined portion 125 of the upper claw extension portion 124 is provided at least between the tip of the protrusion 119 and the tip of the lower claw extension portion 123 in the thickness direction (cover mounting direction) of the primary transfer high-pressure substrate 102.

[0057] Then, as shown in Figure 12, when the cover 101 moves to a region where the protrusion 119 and either the power switch wiring harness 115 or the power switch clamp 116 overlap when viewed from the direction of gravity, the relationship between the distances is as follows: The vertical distance d1 between the power switch wiring harness 115 or the power switch clamp 116 and the protrusion 119 is longer than the vertical distance e between the upper surface of the claw insertion opening 128 and the inclined shape portion 125 of the upper extension of the claw.

[0058] Furthermore, when the cover 101 moves to an area where the protrusion 119 overlaps with either the primary transfer roller connecting wire bundle 106 or the clamp 110 for the primary transfer roller connecting wire bundle, the positional relationship between them is as follows: The vertical distance f1 between the primary transfer roller connecting wire bundle 106 or the clamp 110 for the primary transfer roller connecting wire bundle and the protrusion 119 is longer than the vertical distance g1 between the lower surface of the claw insertion opening 127 and the lower surface of the claw portion 126.

[0059] Furthermore, in the mounting position shown in Figure 13, the distance d2 between the power switch wire bundle 115 or power switch clamp 116 and the protrusion 119 in the vertical direction is longer than the distance b between the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening and the upper extension portion 124 of the claw. Also, the vertical distance f2 between the primary transfer roller connection wire bundle 106 or primary transfer roller connection wire bundle clamp 110 and the protrusion 119 is longer than the vertical distance g2 between the lower surface 127 of the claw insertion opening and the lower side surface 126 of the claw.

[0060] As shown in Figures 11-13, as the claws 122 are inserted into the claw insertion opening 121, the clearance between the claw insertion opening 121 and the claws 122 is narrowed, thereby restricting the cover 101 in the vertical direction. This allows the cover 101 to be installed without the protrusions 119 coming into contact with the power switch wiring bundle 115 and the power switch wiring bundle clamp 116, and the primary transfer roller connection wiring bundle 106 and the primary transfer roller connection wiring bundle clamp 110.

[0061] The inclined portion 125 in this embodiment is positioned to improve workability when attaching the cover 101, but it is not required. Also, the distance a between the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening and the surface of the claw 122 facing the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening at the set position in Figure 11 is longer than the distance b between the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening and the upper extension portion 124 of the claw facing the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening at the mounting position in Figure 13. Note that distance a is the distance between the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening and the surface of the claw 122 facing the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening when the lower surface 127 of the claw insertion opening is in contact with the lower surface 126 of the claw portion 122. This allows for stricter control of the vertical position of the cover 101 at a position closer to the mounting position than at the set position. Furthermore, when attaching the cover 101, it is possible to avoid the protrusion 119 coming into contact with the clamp opening / closing parts of the primary transfer roller connection bundle 106, the power switch bundle 115, the primary transfer roller connection bundle clamp 110, and the power switch clamp 116.

[0062] The distance b between the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening and the upper extension portion 124 of the claw facing the upper surface 128 of the claw insertion opening at the mounting position shown in Figure 13 is preferably 1.5 mm or less, taking into account the tolerances of each component such as the housing 120 and cover 101, and the ease of workability. Furthermore, in order to improve the ease of workability when mounting the cover 101, the insertion length of the claw 122 may be increased, and it is desirable that the distance c (Figure 12) from the claw insertion opening 121 to the tip of the claw 122 be 5 mm or more. Moreover, as shown in Figure 14, a claw lower extension portion extension area 129 may be provided at the tip of the lower extension portion 123 of the claw to serve as a guide when inserting the claw 122 into the claw insertion opening 121. After the cover 101 is in the mounting position, the mounting of the cover 101 is completed by fastening the cover 101 to the image forming apparatus body with screws. The final position of the cover can be determined by screw fitting, or by providing recessed and protruding parts for fitting in a separate location. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Image forming system 2 Image forming apparatus 10 Main unit of the device 40 Image forming unit 70 Electrical Unit 80 Control section 101 Cover 102 Primary transfer high-pressure substrate 103 Post-processing device 104 Buffer Door 105 Paper feeder 106 Primary transfer roller connection bundle 107 Electrical Unit Wiring 108 Connector for primary transfer roller 109 Connector for electrical unit 110 Primary transfer roller connection clamp for wire bundling 111 Primary transfer roller connecting edge clamp for wire bundling 112 Electrical unit wiring harness holder 113 Connector for connecting to the electrical unit 114 Power switch 115 Wiring bundle for power switch 116 Power switch cable bundling clamp, optional cable bundling clamp 117 Card Reader 118 Top cover 119 Convex part 120 cabinets 121 Opening 122 Nails 123 Lower nail extension part 124 Upper claw extension part 125 Upper claw extension part inclined shape part 126 Lower side of nail 127 Lower surface of opening for nail insertion 128 Top surface of the opening for nail insertion 129 Lower nail extension area

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus having an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, The main body of the device, A first substrate provided on the rear side in the front-to-back direction of the image forming apparatus, The main body components provided on the front side in the front-rear direction, A second substrate, which controls the image forming unit, is located on the side surface in the width direction of the image forming apparatus, between the first substrate and the main body components in the front-rear direction, A connecting wire is provided on the side surface in the width direction, above the second substrate in the vertical direction, and connects the first substrate and the main body component, The device comprises a cover having a first surface facing the second substrate and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and which is detachable from the main body of the device, The cover has a claw portion that protrudes from the first surface and is inserted into an opening provided in the device body when mounted on the device body, and a convex portion that protrudes from the first surface and is located vertically between the second substrate and the connecting wire when mounted on the device body. The claw portion has a lower claw extension portion located vertically below the opening when the cover is attached to the main body of the device, and an inclined rib connecting the lower claw extension portion and the first surface. The amount of the claw portion protruding from the first surface is greater than the amount of the convex portion protruding from the first surface. The length of the lower extension portion of the claw in the vertical direction is shorter than the length of the opening in the vertical direction. The inclined surface of the inclined rib is provided in the thickness direction of the second substrate at least between the tip of the protrusion and the lower extension of the claw, In the aforementioned vertical direction, when the cover is attached to the main body of the device, the distance between the connecting wire and the protrusion is greater than the distance between the lower surface of the opening and the claw portion. An image forming apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the cover is attached to the main body of the apparatus, the distance from the opening in the thickness direction of the second substrate to the tip of the claw portion is 5 mm or more.

3. The image forming apparatus according to either claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the claw portion has an extended portion that further extends in the thickness direction of the second substrate from the tip of the lower extended portion of the claw.

4. A photoreceptor on which a toner image is formed, A transfer belt onto which the toner image formed on the photoreceptor is transferred, The system further comprises a primary transfer roller facing the photoreceptor via the transfer belt, The second substrate is a control substrate that applies a primary transfer bias to the primary transfer roller. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned main component is a power switch that switches the power supply of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The aforementioned main component is an authentication unit for performing user authentication. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images