Cable Guide Layout for Compact Image Forming Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for faster printing speeds and miniaturization of image forming apparatuses has led to a challenge in securing adequate space for arranging wiring, as high-voltage boards and drive transmission units become larger, making it difficult to route wire bundles without risking damage during assembly and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a wire bundle guide unit with a first and second guide portion, featuring a through hole, to guide cables efficiently and protect them from being caught during mounting and dismounting operations, ensuring proper routing and reducing the risk of damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-voltage boards and drive transmission units are enlarged to achieve faster printing speeds, then printing speed is improved, but the space available for routing wire bundles decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire bundle guide unit utilizes the thickness dimension of the rear side plate by forming guide portions that extend in the thickness direction. This allows wire bundles to be routed through the plate structure itself rather than occupying surface area, effectively using three-dimensional space to resolve the two-dimensional space constraint.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire bundle guide unit is integrated into the rear side plate structure, with guide portions formed as protrusions from the plate. The wire bundles are nested within the spaces created by these guide portions, allowing the wiring system to be embedded within the structural component rather than occupying separate space.
2Area of stationary object
If wire bundles are routed in limited space, then space utilization is improved, but the risk of wire bundle damage during assembly and maintenance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portions act as intermediary structures between the rear side plate and the wire bundles. These guide portions provide a protected pathway that mediates the interaction between the rigid plate structure and the flexible wire bundles, preventing direct contact and potential damage while maintaining compact routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide portions are formed in advance as integral parts of the rear side plate structure, creating protective pathways before wire bundles are installed. This pre-formed guidance structure cushions and protects wire bundles from mechanical damage during subsequent assembly and maintenance operations.
3Area of stationary object
If wire bundles are tightly routed to maximize space, then space efficiency is improved, but the ease of assembly and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portions are pre-formed as integral structures on the rear side plate before wire bundle installation. This preliminary structuring of the routing pathways simplifies the subsequent wire bundle installation process by providing clear, pre-defined routes, thereby improving assembly ease while maintaining compact space utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a frame body, a first unit secured to the frame body, a cable, and a guide unit configured to guide the cable. The guide unit includes a first guide portion having a first surface which faces to a first side and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface and faces to a second side. A first through hole penetrating from the first surface to the second surface is provided in the first guide portion. The first unit is arranged on the first side of the first guide portion. The cable includes a second-side part arranged on the second side of the first guide portion and along the second surface of the first guide portion, and a first-side part drawn out from the second side through the first through hole to the first side of the first guide portion.