Image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11079701-B2
Application number	US-202017061076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2020
Priority date	Oct 10, 2019
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A transfer unit includes a reading unit to read an image on a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path, a first signal transmission member having a flat shape and is connected to the reading unit, and a relay member connected to the first signal transmission member. The relay member relays a signal from the first signal transmission member, and a second signal transmission member having a round shape and is connected to the relay member. The second signal transmission member leads into an apparatus body from an inner portion of the transfer unit in an axial direction of a first rotation shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body having an image forming unit including an intermediate transfer belt and configured to form a toner image and to cause the intermediate transfer belt to bear the formed toner image;
a transfer unit including a transfer member configured to secondarily transfer the toner image from the intermediate transfer belt to a sheet, wherein the transfer unit is configured to be rotatable about a first rotation shaft with respect to the apparatus body;
a fixing unit configured to fix the toner image secondarily transferred to the sheet as an image on the sheet; and
a duplex conveyance unit configured to convey the sheet having passed through the fixing unit toward the image forming unit again,
wherein the transfer unit includes:
a reading unit configured to read the image fixed on the sheet conveyed along a conveyance path in the duplex conveyance unit,
a first signal transmission member that has a flat shape and that is connected to the reading unit,
a relay member connected to the first signal transmission member and configured to relay a signal from the first signal transmission member, and
a second signal transmission member having a round shape, wherein the second signal transmission member is connected to the relay member, and

wherein the second signal transmission member leads into the apparatus body from an inner portion of the transfer unit in an axial direction of the first rotation shaft.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transfer unit includes a support shaft that is supported by the apparatus body as the first rotation shaft, and
wherein the second signal transmission member is disposed in the support shaft in the sight of the axial direction of the first rotation shaft.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transfer unit includes a support shaft that is supported by the apparatus body as the first rotation shaft, and
wherein the second signal transmission member is disposed near the support shaft in the sight of the axial direction of the first rotation shaft.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the transfer unit includes a groove portion into which the second signal transmission member is inserted.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the apparatus body includes a support member configured to support the support shaft,
wherein the support member has a hole portion through which the second signal transmission member runs, and
wherein the second signal transmission member moves in the hole portion as the transfer unit is rotated with respect to the apparatus body.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first signal transmission member is an electric wire bundle including a plurality of electric wires bundled in a flat shape and is bendable in a planar direction.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second signal transmission member includes an electric wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires is bundled in a round shape.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the relay member is an electric board that couples the first signal transmission member to the second signal transmission member, and
wherein the first signal transmission member and the second signal transmission member are electrically coupled via the electric board.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the transfer unit includes a guide on an opposite side of a side on which the transfer member is supported, and
wherein, the guide forms a part of the conveyance path for a sheet to be conveyed by the duplex conveyance unit.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an apparatus body including an image forming unit configured to form an image on a sheet; and
a rotation unit configured to rotate about a first rotation shaft with respect to the apparatus body,
wherein the rotation unit includes:
a reading unit configured to read the image on the sheet conveyed along a conveyance path;
a first signal transmission member that has a flat shape and that is connected to the reading unit;
a relay member connected to the first signal transmission member and configured to relay a signal from the first signal transmission member; and
a second signal transmission member that has a round shape and that is connected to the relay member, and

wherein the second signal transmission member leads into the apparatus body from an inner portion of the rotation unit in an axial direction of the first rotation shaft.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 ,
wherein the rotation unit includes a support shaft that is supported by the apparatus body as the first rotation shaft, and
wherein the second signal transmission member is disposed near the support shaft in the sight of the axial direction of the first rotation shaft.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the first signal transmission member is an electric wire bundle including a plurality of electric wires bundled in a flat shape and is bendable in a planar direction.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the second signal transmission member includes an electric wire bundle in which a plurality of electric wires is bundled in a round shape.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the relay member is an electric board that couples the first signal transmission member to the second signal transmission member, the first signal transmission member and the second signal transmission member being electrically coupled via the electric board.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Kaiga Miho
• Suzuki Yohei
• Ochi Junichi
• Kawarago Atsushi
• Kitamura Toshifumi
• Fujii Kenichi

Classifications

• G03G15/1605 Primary

  using at least one intermediate support (G03G15/1625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G03G2215/1638

  Wires · CPC title

• G03G15/6555

  Handling of sheet copy material taking place in a specific part of the copy material feeding path · CPC title

• H04N1/00572 Primary

  with refeeding for double-sided scanning, e.g. using one scanning head for both sides of a sheet · CPC title

• G03G2215/0043

  Refeeding path (G03G2215/00421 takes precedence) · CPC title