This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2014-206611 filed on Oct. 7, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an electrographic image forming apparatus.
Conventionally, an electrographic image forming apparatus includes various units, such as a photosensitive drum unit, a developing unit and a transferring unit, and so on. These units are used for an image forming process on a recording medium.
For example, an image forming apparatus, which includes a unit used for an image forming process on a recording medium, a high-voltage board configured to supply a high-voltage current to the unit and a connecting mechanism configured to connect the high-voltage board and the unit, is known.
There is a case that a high-voltage contact is formed by a pair of spring terminals at an inside of the connecting mechanism. In such a case, it is necessary to consider the spring pressures of both spring terminals when the pressure of the high-voltage contact is set and it is difficult to set the pressure of the high-voltage contact easily and precisely.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes a unit, a high-voltage board and a connecting mechanism. The unit is used for an image forming process on a recording medium. The high-voltage board is configured to supply a high-voltage current to the unit. The connecting mechanism is configured to electrically connect the high-voltage board and the unit. The connecting mechanism includes a first connecting member, a first holding member, a coupling member and a second connecting member. The first connecting member includes a first spring terminal. The first holding member is configured to hold the first connecting member. With the coupling member, the first holding member is coupled. The second connecting member includes a second spring terminal configured to be contactable with the first spring terminal. The first spring terminal includes a first large diameter part and a first small diameter part. The first large diameter part is composed of a compressible coil spring. The first small diameter part is composed of a tightly wound coil spring, has a smaller outer diameter than the first large diameter part and is configured to be contactable with the second spring terminal. The first holding member has a first contact part configured to come into contact with an end part of the first small diameter part at a side of the first large diameter part in a state where the first holding member is coupled with the coupling member. The coupling member has a second contact part configured to come into contact with an end part of the first large diameter part at a side of the first small diameter part in the state where the first holding member is coupled with the coupling member.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure is shown by way of illustrative example.
Firstly, with reference to
The color printer 1 includes a box-formed printer main body 2 (apparatus main body). In a lower part of the printer main body 2, a sheet feeding cartridge 3 storing a sheet (a recording medium) is arranged. In an upper part of the printer main body 2, an ejected sheet tray 4 is arranged.
In a middle part of the printer main body 2, an intermediate transferring unit 5 is arranged. The intermediate transferring unit 5 is provided with an intermediate transferring belt 6 (image carrier) disposed around a plurality of rollers. Below the intermediate transferring belt 6, an exposure device 7 composed of a laser scanning unit (LSU) is arranged. At a lower side of the intermediate transferring belt 6, four image forming parts 8 are arranged for respective colors (e.g. four colors of magenta, cyan, yellow and black) of a toner. In each image forming part 8, a photosensitive drum 9 is rotatably arranged. Around the photosensitive drum 9, a charger 10, a developing device 11, a primary transferring part 12, a cleaning device 13 and a static eliminator 14 are located in order of first transferring processes. Above the developing device 11, toner containers 15 corresponding to the respective image forming parts 8 are arranged for the respective colors (e.g. four colors of magenta, cyan, yellow and black) of toner.
At a right side part of the printer main body 2, a conveying path 16 for the sheet is arranged in upper and lower direction. At an upstream end of the conveying path 16, a sheet feeding part 17 is arranged. At an intermediate stream part of the conveying path 16, a secondary transferring unit 18 (unit) is arranged at a right end side of the intermediate transferring belt 6. The secondary transferring unit 18 includes a secondary transferring roller 19. At a downstream part of the conveying path 16, a fixing device 20 is arranged. At a downstream end of the conveying path 16, a sheet ejection port 21 is arranged.
Next, an image forming process on the sheet in the color printer 1 having such a configuration will be described.
When the power is supplied to the color printer 1, various parameters are initialized and initial determination, such as temperature determination of the fixing device 20, is carried out. Subsequently, when image data is inputted and a printing start is directed from a computer or the like connected with the color printer 1, the image forming process on the sheet is carried out as follows.
Firstly, the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 is electrically charged by the charger 10. Then, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 9 by a laser light (refer to an arrow P) from the exposure device 7. The electrostatic latent image is developed to a toner image in the developing device 11 by the toner supplied from each toner container 15. The toner image is primarily transferred to the surface of the intermediate transferring belt 6 in the primary transferring part 12. The above-mentioned operation is repeated in order by the respective image forming parts 8, thereby forming the toner image of full color on the intermediate transferring belt 6. Incidentally, toner and electric charge remained on the photosensitive drum 9 are removed by the cleaning device 13 and the static eliminator 14.
On the other hand, the sheet fed from the sheet feeding cartridge 3 or a manual bypass tray (not shown) by the sheet feeding part 17 is conveyed to the secondary transferring unit 18. Then, by the secondary transferring roller 19 of the secondary transferring unit 18, the toner image of full color on the intermediate transferring belt 6 is secondary transferred to the sheet. The sheet with the secondary transferred toner image is conveyed to a downstream side on the conveying path 16 to enter the fixing device 20, and then, the toner image is fixed on the sheet in the fixing device 20. The sheet with the fixed toner image is ejected from the sheet ejection port 21 on the ejected sheet tray 4.
Next, the printer main body 2 will be further described. In the printer main body 2, the secondary transferring unit 18 is housed.
As shown in
Next, a high-voltage board 36 disposed in the printer main body 2 will be described.
As shown in
Next, a connecting mechanism 39 which electrically connects the high-voltage board 36 and the secondary transferring unit 18 will be described.
As shown in
The first connecting member 40 is formed by using a conductive metal wire, for example. As shown in
The unit-side spring terminal 46 is composed of a compressible coil spring. The unit-side spring terminal 46 is elongated in left and right direction (a depth direction in
As shown in
The first holding member 41 is made of a resin having a high electric insulating property, for example. As shown in
As shown in
The coupling member 42 is made of a resin having a high electric insulating property, for example. As shown in
The coupling member main body 59 includes a pair of upper and lower hooks 61. Each hook 61 engages with each hook hole 33 provided at the rear side frame 32 of the printer main body 2. Thus, the coupling member 42 is fixed to the rear side frame 32 of the printer main body 2.
The first housing 60 penetrates the through hole 34 formed at the rear side frame 32 of the printer main body 2. As shown in
The second connecting member 43 is formed by using a conductive metal wire, for example. As shown in
The board side spring terminal 66 is composed of a compressible coil spring. The board side spring terminal 66 extends along the front and rear direction. The board side spring terminal 66 is in contact with the secondary transferring transformer 37 of the high-voltage board 36.
As shown in
The second holding member 44 is made of a resin having a high electric insulating property, for example. As shown in
At the right end part of the second holding member main body 80, a supporting plate part 84 is provided, and, at a front side of this supporting plate part 84, the second conductive wire 67 of the second connecting member 43 is arranged. Each terminal holding part 81 includes three terminal housing parts 85, and, in each terminal housing part 85, a terminal 90 is housed. In the board side spring terminal housing 82, the board side spring terminal 66 of the second connecting member 43 is housed.
As shown in
In the color printer 1 applying the above-mentioned configuration, an AC current supplied from the power supply board (not shown) to the high-voltage board 36 is subjected to DC conversion and high-voltage conversion and is converted into a high-voltage current by the secondary transferring transformer 37 of the high-voltage board 36. As indicated by an arrow I in
Next, an assembly of the connecting mechanism 39 will be described.
As shown in
When the connecting mechanism 39 is assembled, as shown in
In this case, it is possible to freely deform the first small diameter part 51 of the first spring terminal 48 with respect to the boss part 56 of the first holding member 41 as described above. Consequently, as shown in
When the first holding member 41 is coupled with the coupling member 42, as shown in
Further, when the first holding member 41 is coupled with the coupling member 42 as described above, as shown in
Next, as shown in
In the present embodiment, as described above, the first holding member 41 is provided with the first contact part 57 which comes into contact with the front end part 51Fr (the end part at the side of the first large diameter part 50) of the first small diameter part 51 of the first spring terminal 48 in a state where the first holding member 41 is coupled with the coupling member 42, and the coupling member 42 is provided with the second contact part 64 which comes into contact with the rear end part 50Rr (the end part at the side of the first small diameter part 51) of the first large diameter part 50 of the first spring terminal 48 in a state where the first holding member 41 is coupled with the coupling member 42. By applying this configuration, it is possible to prevent a spring pressure of the first spring terminal 48 from having influence on the pressure of the high-voltage contact B composed of the first and second spring terminals 48 and 68. Hence, it is possible to set the pressure of the high-voltage contact B based only on the spring pressure of the second spring terminal 68, and easily and precisely set the pressure of the high-voltage contact B.
Further, the first contact part 57 is arranged at the rear end face (distal end face) of the boss part 56 of the first holding member 41. By applying this configuration, it is possible to form the first contact part 57 while applying a simple configuration.
Further, the second contact part 64 is arranged between the first insertion part 62 and the second insertion part 63 of the first housing 60 of the coupling member 42. By applying this configuration, it is possible to form the second contact part 64 while applying a simple configuration.
Further, the second spring terminal 68 includes the second large diameter part 70 which is composed of a compressible coil spring and the second small diameter part 71 which is composed of a tightly wound coil spring, has the smaller outer diameter than the second large diameter part 70 and is contactable with the first small diameter part 51. By applying this configuration, it is possible to reliably place the first spring terminal 48 and the second spring terminal 68 in contact with each other.
Further, in the present embodiment, the secondary transferring unit 18 which secondarily transfers a toner image on the intermediate transferring belt 6 to a sheet is used as a unit. By applying this configuration, it is possible to reliably supply a high-voltage current to the secondary transferring unit 18 from the high-voltage board 36.
In the present embodiment, the secondary transferring unit 18 including the secondary transferring roller 19 is used as a unit. In another embodiment, an intermediate transferring unit including the intermediate transferring belt 6, an exposure unit including the exposure device 7, a photosensitive drum unit including the photosensitive drum 9, a developing unit including the developing device 11 or a fixing unit including the fixing device 20 or the like may be used as a unit. That is, every unit which is used for an image forming process on the sheet may be used as a unit.
In the present embodiment, the second spring terminal 68 is composed of the second large diameter part 70 composed of the compressible coil spring and the second small diameter part 71 composed of the tightly wound coil spring. In another embodiment, the second spring terminal 68 may be composed only of a compressible coil spring.
In the present embodiment, the configuration of the present disclosure is applied to the color printer 1. In another embodiment, the configuration of the present disclosure may be applied to another image forming apparatus, such as a monochrome printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or a multifunction peripheral.
While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2014-206611 | Oct 2014 | JP | national |
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Number | Date | Country |
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2013-250326 | Dec 2013 | JP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160098006 A1 | Apr 2016 | US |