Image forming apparatus having feeding and fixing modules provided on a transfer frame

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11809122-B2
Application number	US-202117532445-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2021
Priority date	Dec 25, 2019
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an image forming apparatus includes a feeding module, an image forming module, and a fixing module. The feeding module feeds a recording material. The image forming module includes a photosensitive drum and forms a developer image on the recording material fed to the image forming module by the feeding module. The fixing module fixes the developer image formed by the image forming module to the recording material. The image forming module includes a scanner frame that supports an exposure unit configured to expose the photosensitive drum. The feeding module is installed on the scanner frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a feeding module configured to feed a recording material;
an image forming module including a transfer frame configured to support a transfer member, and including a scanner frame configured to support an exposure unit configured to expose a photosensitive drum of a cartridge to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum; and
a fixing module configured to fix the toner image,
wherein, when the recording material is fed by the feeding module, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred by the transfer member to the fed recording material and the fixing module fixes the transferred toner image to the recording material,
wherein the feeding module is positioned with respect to a bottom surface of the transfer frame in a vertical direction and the fixing module is positioned with respect to a top surface of the transfer frame in the vertical direction, wherein the image forming module further includes a first side plate configured to guide a first end of the cartridge in an axial direction of the photosensitive drum, and a second side plate configured to guide a second end of the cartridge in the axial direction, and
wherein the scanner frame includes a supporting face which extends in a horizontal direction, and the first side plate, the second side plate, and the transfer frame are positioned with respect to the supporting face.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding module is positioned with respect to a bottom surface of the scanner frame.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first side plate includes a first side plate boss and the second side plate includes a second side plate boss, and are each positioned with respect to the supporting face in such a manner that the first side plate boss and the second side plate boss are inserted into respective supporting face boss holes formed in the supporting face.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner frame further includes an intersecting face configured to extend in a direction intersecting the supporting face.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the scanner frame is made of a single component, and the supporting face and the intersecting face are formed by bending the single component.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the image forming module further includes a scanner reinforcement plate connected to an end of the supporting face and to an end of the intersecting face.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a first end of the scanner reinforcement plate in the axial direction is fixed to the first side plate, and a second end of the scanner reinforcement plate in the axial direction is fixed to the second side plate.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the scanner reinforcement plate has a first opening through which light emitted from the exposure unit irradiates the photosensitive drum, and
wherein the exposure unit is configured to be supported at a second opening formed in the intersecting face.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the scanner frame further includes a first protruding portion and a second protruding portion,
wherein the first protruding portion is configured to protrude from thea first end of the scanner frame in the axial direction, and the second protruding portion is configured to protrude from a second end of the scanner frame in the axial direction, and
wherein the first protruding portion is inserted into a first side plate protruding portion hole provided in the first side plate so that the first side plate is positioned with respect to the scanner frame, and the second protruding portion is inserted into a second side plate protruding portion hole formed in the second side plate so that the second side plate is positioned with respect to the scanner frame.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the feeding module includes a feeding module boss on a surface opposed to the bottom surface of the transfer frame, and
wherein the feeding module is positioned with respect to the transfer frame by the feeding module boss being inserted into a transfer frame boss hole provided in the transfer frame.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the transfer frame includes a transfer frame boss on the top surface of the transfer frame opposed to the fixing module, and
wherein the fixing module is positioned with respect to the transfer frame by the transfer frame boss being inserted into a fixing module boss hole provided in the fixing module.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the scanner frame further includes a supporting member which is positioned with respect to a top surface of the scanner frame and supports the exposure unit.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the exposure unit is positioned with respect to the supporting member.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the feeding module is fixed below the transfer frame, and
wherein the fixing module is fixed above the transfer frame in a direction opposite of a direction below the transfer frame.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the image forming module further includes a scanner reinforcement plate,
wherein, in the supporting face of the scanner frame, an elevated face is formed in such a manner as to protrude vertically upward within a space surrounded by the scanner frame and the scanner reinforcement plate, and
wherein exposure unit bosses of the exposure unit are inserted into elevated face boss holes formed in the elevated face of the scanner frame.

16. An image forming apparatus comprising:
a feeding module configured to feed a recording material;
an image forming module including a transfer frame configured to support a transfer member, and including a scanner frame configured to support an exposure unit configured to expose a photosensitive drum of a cartridge to form a toner image on the photosensitive drum; and
a fixing module configured to fix the toner image,
wherein, when the recording material is fed by the feeding module, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum is transferred by the transfer member to the fed recording material and the fixing module fixes the transferred toner image to the recording material,
wherein the feeding module is positioned with respect to a bottom surface of the transfer frame in a vertical direction and the fixing module is positioned with respect to a top surface of the transfer frame, and
wherein the scanner frame and the transfer frame are fixed to each other, and the feeding module is positioned with respect to a bottom surface of the scanner frame.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein, by inserting feeding module bosses of the feeding module into transfer frame boss holes formed in the transfer frame, the feeding module is positioned with respect to the transfer frame, and
wherein, by inserting transfer frame bosses formed on the transfer frame into fixing module boss holes of the fixing module, the fixing module is positioned with respect to the transfer frame.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 16 ,
wherein the scanner frame includes a supporting member which is positioned with respect to a top surface of the scanner frame and supports th

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Hashimoto Yoshinori
• Miyakawa Shogo
• Yoshimura Akira
• Fujinaka Hiromi
• Matsuoka Isao
• Hoashi Shigeru
• Kuruma Tomoya

Classifications

• G03G21/1619 Primary

  Frame structures · CPC title