JP6992372B2 - Replacement unit and image forming device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an exchange unit and an image forming apparatus, and is applied to, for example, a toner cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus and is exchangeable, and an image forming apparatus provided with such an exchangeable toner cartridge. Is suitable.

Image forming devices such as electrophotographic printers, copiers, facsimiles, and multifunction devices are provided with, for example, a developing unit for developing (that is, forming an image) using toner as a developing agent for each color of toner. Further, a toner cartridge for accommodating toner is detachably attached to the developing unit of each color, and toner is supplied from this toner cartridge. In such an image forming apparatus, toner can be replenished by exchanging the toner cartridge.

Further, the toner cartridge is provided with a memory for storing and holding information, and the image forming apparatus communicates with the toner cartridge to read information from the toner cartridge memory and write information to the memory. There is.

In such a toner cartridge, the substrate on which the memory is mounted is housed in a board housing portion provided on the outer surface of the toner cartridge, and a cover covering at least a part of the housed board is attached to the toner cartridge. So, the board is fixed to the toner cartridge. More specifically, the cover is attached to the toner cartridge by press-fitting the press-fit pin provided in the cover into the mounting hole provided in the toner cartridge (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-149341

In the case of a conventional toner cartridge, if the diameter of the press-fit pin of the cover is made larger than the diameter of the mounting hole, the cover will not come off easily. As described above, if the cover is difficult to remove from the toner cartridge, the cover cannot be easily removed, for example, when the toner cartridge is discarded, and it becomes difficult to separate the toner cartridge from the substrate.

On the other hand, if the diameter of the press-fit pin of the cover is made smaller than the diameter of the mounting hole, the cover can be easily removed from the toner cartridge. As described above, when the cover is easily removed from the toner cartridge, the cover can be easily removed, for example, when the toner cartridge is discarded, and the toner cartridge and the substrate can be easily separated. However, on the other hand, since the cover is easily removed, the substrate is easily removed from the toner cartridge.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to propose a replacement unit and an image forming apparatus that can prevent the substrate from falling off and can easily remove the cover that fixes the substrate.

The present invention includes a substrate on which a storage unit for storing and holding information is mounted, an accommodating portion for accommodating the substrate, a cover for fixing the substrate accommodated in the accommodating portion, and a cover mounting portion for mounting the cover. The cover has a press-fit pin to be press-fitted into a mounting hole provided in the cover mounting portion, the press-fit pin has a press-fit margin, and the press-fit margin has the press-fit pin in the press-fit direction. It is formed only in the first portion when it is divided into a first portion and a second portion with a parallel virtual plane as a boundary, and further, the press-fit pin is formed in the first portion of the press-fit pin. Is formed so as to be partially thinned, and when the press-fitting pin is press-fitted into the mounting hole, the press-fitting pin is directed from the first portion to the second portion with respect to the mounting hole. It is held inside the mounting hole in a state of being tilted in the direction .

By forming the notch only in the first portion of the press-fitting pin of the cover in this way, the cover can be fixed to the cover mounting portion to the extent that the substrate does not fall off, and the cover can be mounted on the cover. When removing from the portion, if a certain force or more is applied to the cover, the press-fit pin breaks at the notch portion, so that the cover can be easily removed.

Thus, the present invention can realize a replacement unit and an image forming apparatus that can prevent the substrate from falling off and can easily remove the cover that fixes the substrate.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the image forming apparatus by 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the development unit and the toner cartridge by 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the toner cartridge by 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the RFID tag by 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the tag accommodating part and the tag cover by 1st Embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view which enlarged a part of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by 1st Embodiment. It is the top view and the side view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of the root of the press-fitting pin by 1st Embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the appearance structure of the tag cover by 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the dimension of the press-fitting pin and the mounting hole by 1st Embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the press-fitting pin pressed into the mounting hole according to the first embodiment is tilted. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the development unit by 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the memory tag by 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the tag accommodating part and the tag cover by 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the appearance structure of the tag accommodating part and the tag cover by 2nd Embodiment. 2 is a perspective view, a partial cross-sectional view, and a partially enlarged view showing an external configuration of the tag cover according to the second embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the state of removing the tag cover by 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by 2nd Embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional view showing how the press-fitting pin pressed into the mounting hole according to the second embodiment is tilted. It is the top view and the side view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by another embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of the root of the press-fitting pin by another embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view of the cover attachment part in the state which the tag cover is attached by another embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view which enlarged the tip part of the front side cover part by another embodiment. It is a front view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by another embodiment. It is a partial cross-sectional view which shows the state of removing the tag cover by another embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the cover attachment part by another embodiment. It is a front view which shows the appearance structure of the press-fitting pin by another embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter, referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[1. First Embodiment]
[1-1. Configuration of image forming apparatus]
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus 1 is an electrophotographic printer that prints an image on paper P as a recording medium in response to a printing instruction received from a higher-level device such as a PC (personal computer) (not shown). The image forming apparatus 1 has a substantially box-shaped apparatus housing 2. The right side in the drawing of the device housing 2 is the front surface, and the left side in the drawing is the rear surface. The direction from the lower side to the upper side is upward, the direction from the upper side to the lower side of the device housing 2 is downward, the direction from the front side to the back side in the figure of the device housing 2 is the right direction, and the device housing 2 The direction from the back side to the front side in the figure is the left direction.

Inside the device housing 2, a plurality of color toners handled by the image forming apparatus 1 (for example, four color toners of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C)) are placed above the device housing 2. Four development units 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C) corresponding to each color of the above are provided side by side in the front-rear direction along the transport path 4 of the paper P. These four developing units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C are detachably held by the apparatus housing 2.

Further, each developing unit 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C) contains a toner cartridge 5 (5K, 5Y, 5M,) containing toner of each color supplied to each developing unit 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C). 5C) is detachably attached. Further, in the upper vicinity of each toner cartridge 5 (5K, 5Y, 5M, 5C), there is a communication device 6 (6K, 6Y, 6M, 6C) that wirelessly communicates with each toner cartridge 5 (5K, 5Y, 5M, 5C). ) Is provided. Further, inside the apparatus housing 2, an exposure apparatus 7 (7K, 7Y, 7M, 7C) composed of an LED head or the like is located adjacent to each developing unit 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C). It is provided.

Further, inside the apparatus housing 2, each color formed by the four developing units 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C) below the four developing units 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C). A transfer device 8 for transferring the toner image of the above to the paper P is provided. Further, a paper tray 9 for accommodating the paper P is provided below the transfer device 8. The paper P is fed out from the paper tray 9 one by one to the transport path 4, and is conveyed to the transfer device 8. Toners of each color formed by the four developing units 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C). The image is transferred.

Further, on the downstream side (rear side) of the transfer device 8 in the paper transport direction, a fixing device 10 is provided for fixing the toner image transferred to the paper P to the paper P by heating and pressurizing. Further, on the downstream side (upper side) of the fixing device 10 in the paper transport direction, a paper stacker 11 exposed to the outside of the device housing 2 is provided. The paper P is discharged to the paper stacker 11 after the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 10. The overall configuration of the image forming apparatus 1 is as described above.

[1-2. Configuration of developing unit and toner cartridge]
Here, the configurations of the developing units 3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C and the toner cartridges 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Since the developing units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C have the same configuration, and the toner cartridges 5K, 5Y, 5M, and 5C also have the same configuration, only the developing unit 3K and the toner cartridge 5K will be described here.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configurations of the developing unit 3K and the toner cartridge 5K attached to the developing unit 3K. First, the configuration of the developing unit 3K will be described. The developing unit 3K is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 20, a photoconductor 20 as an image carrier that carries an electrostatic latent image based on image information, a charging roller 21 that uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 20, and the surface of the photoconductor 20. A developing roller 22 that develops a toner image by adhering toner to the electrostatic latent image, a supply roller 23 that supplies toner to the developing roller 22, and a developing blade 24 that regulates the layer thickness of the toner on the surface of the developing roller 22. It has a cleaning blade 25 for cleaning the surface of the photoconductor 20 and a toner storage chamber 26 for storing the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 5K.
To.

The development unit 3K has an appearance formed by a base frame member 30 forming the front surface and the like of the development unit 3K, a cover frame member 31 forming the upper surface and the rear surface, and side frame members (not shown) forming the left and right side surfaces and the like. Each member such as the photoconductor 20 and the charging roller 21 is held inside the base frame member 30, the cover frame member 31, and the side frame member.

The photoconductor 20 is composed of a conductive support and a photoconducting layer. For example, the photoconductor 20 is configured by sequentially laminating a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer as a photoconducting layer on a metal shaft such as aluminum as a conductive support. It is an organic photoconductor. The photoconductor 20 forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface by the irradiation light emitted from the exposure apparatus 7K (omitted in FIG. 2) based on the image information.

The charging roller 21 is, for example, a roller member composed of a metal shaft and semi-conductive epichlorohydrin rubber. The charging roller 21 is in contact with the photoconductor 20 with a predetermined pressure, and charges the surface of the photoconductor 20 uniformly and uniformly based on a charging bias voltage from a high voltage power source (not shown).

The developing roller 22 is, for example, a roller member in which ureturn rubber in which carbon black is dispersed is arranged on the outer periphery of a metal shaft such as stainless steel, and the surface thereof is treated with isocyanate. The developing roller 22 is arranged so as to be in pressure contact with the surface of the photoconductor 20, and supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 20 to develop the toner image.

The supply roller 23 is, for example, a roller member configured by disposing a semi-conductive foamed silicone sponge layer on the outer periphery of a metal shaft such as stainless steel. The supply roller 23 is in contact with the developing roller 22 with a predetermined pressure, and supplies the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 5K to the developing roller 22.

The developing blade 24 is a plate-shaped member made of a metal plate such as stainless steel, and one end thereof is arranged so as to abut in a counter direction at a predetermined position on the surface of the developing roller 22, and a toner layer on the surface of the developing roller 22 is provided. Uniformly regulate the thickness.

The cleaning blade 25 is a rubber material such as ureturn rubber, which is in contact with the photoconductor 20 with a predetermined pressure, and scrapes off the toner remaining on the photoconductor 20 after transfer. A waste toner transport member 32 made of a spiral or a coil spring is provided in the lower part of the cleaning blade 25, and the toner scraped off by the cleaning blade 25 is collected as waste toner in the toner cartridge 5K by the waste toner transfer member 32. Will be done.

The toner storage chamber 26 is a space for temporarily storing the toner supplied from the toner cartridge 5K attached to the upper side of the cover frame member 31, and is provided directly above the supply roller 23. Further, a toner supply port 33 is formed at the upper end of the cover frame member 31. The toner contained in the toner cartridge 5K is replenished to the toner storage chamber 26 through the toner replenishment port 33, and is further supplied from the toner storage chamber 26 to the supply roller 23. The configuration of the developing unit 3K is as described above.

Next, the configuration of the toner cartridge 5K will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the toner cartridge 5K. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the toner cartridge 5K includes a box-shaped outer cartridge 40, a cylindrical inner cartridge 41 provided on the inner lower end side of the outer cartridge 40, and one side surface of the outer cartridge 40 (for example,). The appearance is formed by a side cover plate 42 (FIG. 3) provided so as to cover the left side surface side).

As shown in FIG. 2, inside the outer cartridge 40, a toner accommodating chamber 43 for accommodating new toner to be supplied to the developing unit 3K is formed on the rear side above the inner cartridge 41, and the toner accommodating chamber 43 is formed from the inner cartridge 41. A waste toner storage chamber 44 for storing waste toner discharged from the developing unit 3K is formed on the upper front side.

Further, inside the inner cartridge 41, a stirring unit 45 for stirring the toner is provided. The stirring unit 45 includes a stirring space 45A formed by the inner cartridge 41 and a stirring bar 45B rotatably provided inside the stirring space 45A. The stirring unit 45 stirs the toner supplied from the toner accommodating chamber 43 to the stirring space 45A by the stirring bar 45B. Then, while stirring the toner with the stirring bar 45B, the stirring unit 45 has an opening 46 formed on the side surface of the inner cartridge 41, a toner supply port 47 provided at the lower end of the outer cartridge 40, and toner on the development unit 3K side. Toner is conveyed to the toner storage chamber 26 through the supply port 33 in order. The inner cartridge 41 can be rotated to align the position of the opening 46 with the position of the toner supply port 47 to open the toner supply port 47, and the position of the opening 46 can be set to the position of the toner supply port 47. The toner supply port 47 can be closed by removing it from the toner supply port 47. That is, the inner cartridge 41 also functions as a shutter for the toner supply port 47.

Further, the side cover plate 42 is provided with a concave tag accommodating portion 51 (FIG. 2) for accommodating the card-shaped RFID tag 50 at the upper end thereof, and the RFID tag 50 is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 51. ing. Further, a tag cover 52 is attached to the side cover plate 42 so as to cover the RFID tag 50 accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 51.

As shown in the external perspective view of FIG. 4, the RFID tag 50 has a circuit unit 50B having an antenna for wireless communication and a memory for storing and holding various information mounted on a rectangular plate-shaped substrate 50A. , The circuit portion 50B is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 51 toward the outside (that is, the upper side) of the tag accommodating portion 51. The configuration of the toner cartridge 5K is as described above.

The communication unit 6K on the image forming apparatus 1 side is located above the RFID tag 50 housed in the tag accommodating unit 51, and by performing short-range wireless communication with the RFID tag 50, the RFID tag 50 can be used. Information written in the memory is read out, and information is written in the memory of the RFID tag 50.

Here, the development operation by the development unit 3K will be briefly described. The developing unit 3K starts rotating the photoconductor 20 at a constant peripheral speed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 by a driving force transmitted from a driving source (not shown). Here, the charging roller 21 that is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor 20 with a predetermined pressure uniformly charges the surface of the photoconductor 20 based on a charging bias voltage applied from a high voltage power source (not shown). Next, the exposure device 7K disposed facing the photoconductor 20 irradiates the irradiation light corresponding to the image information, and the potential of the light-irradiated portion on the surface of the photoconductor 20 is attenuated to form an electrostatic latent image. It is formed.

Further, as the photoconductor 20 is driven to rotate, the supply roller 23 to which the drive of the photoconductor 20 is transmitted via a transmission means (not shown) starts to rotate in the direction of the arrow in FIG. As the supply roller 23 rotates, the stirring bar 45B of the stirring unit 45 arranged above the supply roller 23 rotates to stir the toner.

A developing bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 22 from a high-voltage power source (not shown), and the toner transferred from the supply roller 23 is adsorbed and the toner is rotationally conveyed to the photoconductor 20. Here, the developing blade 24 forms a toner layer by smoothing the toner adsorbed on the developing roller 22 to a uniform thickness.

Then, the developing roller 22 reverse-develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 20 with the toner to be carried. As a result, a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 20. Then, the toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 20 is transferred to the paper P by the transfer device 8. The development operation by the development unit 3K is as described above. Such a developing operation is sequentially performed by the developing units 3Y, 3M, and 3C following the developing unit 3K, and the toner image formed by the developing units 3K, 3Y, 3M, and 3C is sequentially transferred to the paper P. As a result, a color image is formed on the paper P.

[1-3. Configuration of tag housing and tag cover]
Next, the configuration of the tag accommodating portion 51 formed on the side cover plate 42 of the toner cartridge 5K and the tag cover 52 covering the tag accommodating portion 51 will be described in more detail by using the external perspective views shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. explain. 5 (A) is an external perspective view showing the side cover plate 42 in a state where the RFID tag 50 and the tag cover 52 are removed, and FIG. 5 (B) is a view showing the side cover plate 42 to which the RFID tag 50 and the tag cover 52 are attached. It is an external perspective view which shows the side cover plate 42 in the laid state. Further, FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged external perspective view of the side cover plate 42 in a state where the RFID tag 50 and the tag cover 52 are removed.

As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6B, the side cover plate 42 is provided with a tag accommodating portion 51 at the upper end thereof. The tag accommodating portion 51 has a concave shape extending rearward along the upper surface 42B from the corner portion of the front surface 42A and the upper surface 42B of the side cover plate 42, and has a bottom surface 51A and a bottom surface 51A formed one step lower than the upper surface 42B. It is formed by both left and right wall surfaces 51B and 51C perpendicular to the left and right short sides, and a rear wall surface 51D perpendicular to the rear long side of the bottom surface 51A.

The tag accommodating portion 51 has a length in the left-right direction (that is, a distance between the left and right wall surfaces 51B and 51C) slightly longer than the long side of the RFID tag 50 so that the RFID tag 50 can be accommodated. That is, the length from the front end to the rear end of the left and right wall surfaces 51B and 51C is slightly longer than the short side of the RFID tag 50, and the length in the vertical direction (that is, the length from the lower end to the upper end of the left and right wall surfaces 51B and 51C). Is longer than the thickness of the RFID tag 50.

Further, in the tag accommodating portion 51, a protrusion 60 extending in the front-rear direction along the bottom surface 51A is projected on each of the left and right wall surfaces 51B and 51C, and the RFID tag 50 is provided below the protrusion 60. An insertion groove 61 for inserting the short side portion of the above is formed. The length of each of the left and right insertion grooves 61 in the vertical direction is slightly longer than the thickness of the RFID tag 50.

The RFID tag 50 is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 51 so that the left and right short side portions are inserted into the left and right insertion grooves 61. At this time, the position of the RFID tag 50 in the vertical direction is restricted by inserting the left and right short side portions into the left and right insertion grooves 61.

Further, cover mounting portions 62A and 62B for mounting the tag cover 52 are formed on both left and right sides of the tag accommodating portion 51 at the upper end of the front surface 42A of the side cover plate 42. The cover mounting portions 62A and 62B are formed one step lower than the front surface 42A of the side cover plate 42, respectively. The cover mounting portion 62A on the left side is formed with a mounting hole 63A having a circular cross section extending in a direction parallel to the insertion groove 61 (rear), and the cover mounting portion 62B on the right side is formed in a direction parallel to the insertion groove 61 (rear). ) Is formed with an oval-shaped mounting hole 63B.

On the other hand, the tag cover 52 has a plate-shaped front cover portion 52A that covers the front end of the tag accommodating portion 51 and the left and right cover mounting portions 62, and the upper end of the tag accommodating portion 51 that is orthogonal to the front cover portion 52A. It is composed of a plate-shaped upper cover portion 52B which is a portion covering the above, and has a substantially L-shaped cross section as a whole.

The front cover portion 52A is a plate-shaped member that is long in the left-right direction and has a thickness direction in the front-rear direction, and the length in the left-right direction is from the left end of the left cover mounting portion 62A to the right end of the right cover mounting portion 62B. The vertical length is approximately equal to the vertical length of the tag accommodating portion 51, and the thickness is approximately equal to the step between the front surface 42A of the side cover plate 42 and the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B. It has become.

The upper cover portion 52B is a plate-shaped member extending from the upper end of the rear surface of the front cover portion 52A in the thickness direction (that is, rearward) of the front cover portion 52A, and the length in the left-right direction is the length in the left-right direction of the front cover portion 52A. Shorter and approximately equal to the left-right length of the tag accommodating portion 51, the anteroposterior length is approximately equal to the anteroposterior length of the tag accommodating portion 51, and the thickness is greater than the vertical length of the tag accommodating portion 51. It's short enough.

Further, in the front cover portion 52A, the press-fit pin 64A press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A of the left cover mounting portion 62A is perpendicular to the rear surface (that is, the rear surface of the left end) of the portion located on the left side of the left end of the upper cover portion 52B. A press-fit pin 64B that is projected and fitted into the mounting hole 63B of the right cover mounting portion 62B is vertically projected on the rear surface (that is, the rear surface of the right end) of the portion located on the right side of the right end of the upper cover portion 52B. There is.

The tag cover 52 is left and right with the left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B provided in the front cover portion 52A facing the mounting holes 63A and 63B provided in the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B. By press-fitting the press-fitting pins 64A and 64B into the left and right mounting holes 63A and 63B, the covers are attached to the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B.

At this time, in the tag cover 52, the lower surface of the upper cover portion 52B abuts on the upper surfaces of the left and right protrusions 60 of the tag accommodating portion 51, and the rear surface of the front cover portion 52A abuts on the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B. It covers the upper end of the tag accommodating portion 51, and also covers the front end of the tag accommodating portion 51 and the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B. Further, when the tag cover 52 is attached to the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B, the RFID tag 50 housed in the tag accommodating portion 51 has the rear wall surface 51D of the tag accommodating portion 51 and the front cover portion 52A of the tag cover 52. The position in the front-rear direction is also restricted by being sandwiched between the rear surface and the rear surface.

By attaching the tag cover 52 to the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B in this way, the RFID tag 50 housed in the tag accommodating portion 51 is covered with the tag cover 52, and the position of the RFID tag 50 is fixed. It has become. The structure of the tag accommodating portion 51 and the tag cover 52 is as described above.

Next, the configurations of the left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B provided on the tag cover 52 (particularly, the configuration of the left press-fit pins 64A) will be described in more detail. The left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B have different configurations (size and shape), and the right press-fit pin 64B to be press-fitted into the mounting hole 63B having an oval cross section on the right side is mounted when it is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63B. It has a circular rod shape with a portion protruding from the hole 63B (this is called a press-fitting margin).

Here, the configurations of the left press-fit pin 64A to be press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A having a circular cross section on the left side are shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. 7 (A) and 7 (B) are external perspective views of the press-fit pin 64A, FIGS. 8 (A) and 8 (B) are front views of the press-fit pin 64A as viewed from the front side, and FIG. 9 (A) is. A top view of the press-fit pin 64A as viewed from above, and FIG. 9B is a side view of the press-fit pin 64A as viewed from the left side. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the press-fit pin 64A has a rod shape having a substantially T-shaped cross section orthogonal to the press-fit direction (that is, the extending direction of the press-fit pin 64A). The press-fitting pin 64A is provided on both the left and right sides of the upper portion 70A when divided into an upper portion 70A as a first portion and a lower portion 70B as a second portion with a virtual plane S parallel to the press-fitting direction and the left-right direction as a boundary. A press-fitting margin 71 that protrudes from the mounting hole 63A when press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A is provided. Further, the upper portion of the press-fit pin 64A is a flat surface 72 whose upper end portion (that is, a portion between the left and right press-fit margins 71) is perpendicular to the vertical direction (that is, parallel to the virtual plane S).

As described above, the upper portion 70A of the press-fitting pin 64A has a cross-sectional shape as if the upper end portion of the semicircle was cut out horizontally. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, both left and right ends of the upper portion 70A (that is, the portion of the press-fitting margin 71) are centered in the left-right direction located on the virtual plane S of the press-fitting pin 64A. It is formed in an arc shape with a radius R1 centered on P1 (centered on the press-fit pin 64A). This radius R1 is longer than the radius R0 of the mounting hole 63A having a circular cross section.

On the other hand, the lower portion 70B of the press-fit pin 64A has a shape in which the central portion in the left-right direction protrudes downward, and the lower end portion is formed in an arc shape having a radius R2 centered on the center P1 of the press-fit pin 64A. The radius R2 is shorter than the radius R0 and the radius R1. Further, the portion between the left and right ends of the upper 70A and the lower end of the lower 70B (that is, the left and right ends of the lower 70B) has an R shape recessed toward the center P1 of the press-fit pin 64A. Due to the upper 70A and the lower 70B, the press-fit pin 64A forms a substantially T-shaped cross section as a whole.

Further, in the upper portion 70A of the press-fit pin 64A, a notch 73 for making the press-fit pin 64A easy to break is formed on the upper side of the root portion. The notch 73 is formed above the center P1 of the press-fit pin 64A, and has a vertical thickness of the press-fit pin 64A toward the root of the press-fit pin 64A (that is, a thickness in a direction orthogonal to the virtual plane S). It has a tapered shape that makes it thinner. Here, FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the root of the press-fit pin 64A. As shown in FIG. 10, the press-fitting pin 64A has a notch 73 formed in the root portion so that the thickness in the vertical direction parallel to the external force F1 in the vertical direction becomes thin, so that the press-fit pin 64A has a vertical direction at the root portion. When the external force F1 is applied, the stress is concentrated on the portion (thick line portion in the figure) orthogonal to the external force F1 and the material is easily broken.

As shown in FIG. 11A as a partial cross-sectional view of the tag cover 52 viewed from the left side, the notch 73 of the press-fit pin 64A has an angle (this is referred to as a notch angle) α with respect to the rear surface of the front cover portion 52A. Is formed so as to be in the range of 60 degrees ± 15 degrees. Further, the corner portion between the notch 73 and the rear surface of the front cover portion 52A has an edge shape instead of an R shape so that the press-fit pin 64A can be easily broken.

Here, an example of the sizes of the mounting hole 63A on the left side and the press-fitting pin 64A on the left side will be briefly described. Since the size is expressed as a ratio here, the unit of size is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, the diameter φ of the mounting hole 63A is φ = 1.98 ± 0.02. On the other hand, the maximum length L1 in the vertical direction of the press-fit pin 64A is L1 = 1.75 ± 0.05, and the maximum length L2 in the left-right direction is L2 = 2.25 ± 0.05. Further, the radius R1 (FIG. 8 (B)) of the arc portion of the upper 70A of the press-fit pin 64A (the left and right end portions provided with the press-fit margin 71) is R1 = 1.125, and the arc portion (lower end portion) of the lower 70B. The radius R2 (FIG. 8 (B)) of is R2 = 0.8. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the depth D1 of the notch 73 is D1 = 0.7.

As described above, the press-fitting pin 64A has a maximum length L2 in the left-right direction larger than the diameter φ of the mounting hole 63A, and when the press-fitting pin 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A, the press-fitting pin 64A is pressed in the left-right direction with respect to the mounting hole 63A. Input is added. The left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B provided on the tag cover 52 are configured as described above.

[1-4. Attaching and removing the tag cover]
Next, the operation when the tag cover 52 is attached to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B, and the operation when the tag cover 52 is removed from the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B will be described. First, the operation when the tag cover 52 is attached to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B will be described. When the tag cover 52 is attached to the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B, the left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B of the tag cover 52 are provided on the left and right cover mounting portions 62A and 62B as shown in FIGS. 5A and 6. With the front cover portion 52A facing the mounted mounting holes 63A and 63B, push the central portion of the left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B into the left and right mounting holes 63A and 63B with the pad of a finger or the like. Then, the left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B are press-fitted into the left and right mounting holes 63A and 63B.

At this time, in the tag cover 52, the lower surface of the upper cover portion 52B abuts on the upper surfaces of the left and right protrusions 60 of the tag accommodating portion 51, so that the center of the left press-fit pin 64A is as shown in FIG. The left and right press-fit pins 64A and 64B are the left and right mounting holes 63A, with the movement of P1 restricted in the direction orthogonal to the press-fit direction so that the position of P1 coincides with the position of the center P0 of the left mounting hole 63A. It is designed to be press-fitted into 63B.

When the press-fitting pin 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A in this way, the press-fitting pin 64A is provided with a press-fitting margin 71 only on the upper 70A side. The entire press-fitting pin 64A is tilted downward inside the mounting hole 63A so that the position of the center P1 is displaced downward from the position of the center P0 of the mounting hole 63A in an attempt to equalize the pressure input to the mounting hole 63A. As a result, the press-fitting pin 64A press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A has three places shown by the thick line in FIG. It will come into contact with the inner wall of the hole 63A, and it will be difficult to pull it out sufficiently.

Here, since the upper end portion of the upper portion 70A is a flat surface 72, it does not come into contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 63A. Therefore, the pressure input applied to the upper end portion of the inner wall of the mounting hole 63A is sufficiently smaller than the pressure input applied to the portion in contact with the press-fitting margin 71. The reason why the pressure input applied to the upper end of the inner wall of the mounting hole 63A is reduced in this way is that the mounting hole 63A is located near the upper surface 42B of the side cover plate 42 as shown in FIG. This is because the wall thickness on the upper end side of the mounting hole 63A is thin, and if the pressure input is made too strong, whitening occurs on the upper end side of the mounting hole 63A. That is, the press-fitting pin 64A has a flat surface 72 whose upper end portion of the upper portion 70A does not come into contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 63A, so that the thin wall on the upper end portion side of the mounting hole 63A when press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A. It is designed to prevent whitening from occurring in the part.

Further, as described above, when the press-fitting pin 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A, the entire press-fitting pin 64A is tilted downward. Here, as shown in FIG. 13A, assuming that the notch angle after press-fitting is β, this notch angle β is larger than the notch angle α before press-fitting. The larger notch angle means that the press-fit pin 64A is more likely to break. That is, when the press-fit pin 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A, it is more likely to break than before the press-fitting.

Since the press-fitting pin 64A has a notch 73 formed above the center P1, the center P1 can be press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A by pushing it toward the mounting hole 63A so that the press-fitting pin 64A can be press-fitted without breaking. It has become.

In this way, the tag cover 52 can be attached to the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B by press-fitting the left and right press-fitting pins 64A and 64B into the left and right mounting holes 63A and 63B. The operation when the tag cover 52 is attached to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B is as described above.

Next, the operation when the tag cover 52 is removed from the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B will be described. When the tag cover 52 is removed from the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B, the pad of a finger or the like is pressed against the upper surface of the upper cover portion 52B of the tag cover 52, and the tag cover 52 is pushed down by licking forward. Then, an external force (upper external force F1 shown in FIG. 10) in the direction of widening the notch angle is applied to the root portion of the press-fit pin 64A on the left side. Then, when this force applied to the root portion of the press-fit pin 64A exceeds a certain level, the press-fit pin 64A breaks at the root portion. As a result, the tag cover 52 is in a state in which only the right-side press-fit pin 64B is press-fitted into the right-side mounting hole 63B, and can be easily removed. After that, when the tag cover 52 is continuously pushed down by the front lick, the press-fit pin 64B on the right side comes out from the mounting hole 63B on the right side, and the tag cover 52 is removed.

As described above, the tag cover 52 can be easily removed by breaking the press-fit pin 64A on the left side when a certain force or more is applied to remove the tag cover 52. The operation when the tag cover 52 is removed from the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B is as described above.

In the toner cartridge 5K, the press-fit pin 64A on the left side can be broken when the tag cover 52 is removed, so that the toner cartridge 5K can be prevented from being sold by a third party who is not the manufacturer. ing.

For example, when a third party refills an empty toner cartridge 5K with cheap toner and sells it, the genuine RFID tag 50 is removed from the toner cartridge 5K, and the genuine RFID tag 50 is copied. Need to be replaced with an RFID tag.

In order to replace the RFID tag 50 with another RFID tag, the tag cover 52 must be removed. As described above, in the toner cartridge 5K of the present embodiment, when the tag cover 52 is removed, the left side is press-fitted. Since the pin 64A is broken, the removed tag cover 52 cannot be reused. As a result, another RFID tag cannot be fixed to the toner cartridge 5K by the tag cover 52, and the toner cartridge 5K cannot be reused.

Further, it is conceivable to fix the RFID tag to the toner cartridge 5K by using a label or the like instead of the tag cover 52. In this case, the toner cartridge 5K is refilled with toner by a third party. Since it is possible to easily determine the existence, it is possible to suppress the sale of the toner cartridge 5K by a third party. Further, by suppressing the sale of the toner cartridge 5K refilled with inexpensive toner by a third party, it is possible to provide the user with the toner cartridge 5K that guarantees high-quality printing, and the printing of the image forming apparatus 1 can be provided. You can also maintain the quality.

[1-5. Summary and effects]
As described above, in the toner cartridge 5K of the first embodiment, the RFID tag 50 is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 51 formed on the side cover plate 42, and the tag accommodating portion 51 is provided with the cover mounting portion. The RFID tag 50 is fixed to the toner cartridge 5K by covering with the tag cover 52 attached to 62A and 62B.

Further, the tag cover 52 is provided with press-fitting pins 64A and 64B that are press-fitted into the mounting holes 63A and 63B provided in the cover mounting portions 62A and 62B. Further, regarding one of the press-fitting pins 64A, the cross section orthogonal to the press-fitting direction is a rod shape formed in a substantially T shape, and the upper 70A and the lower 70B are divided by a virtual plane S parallel to the press-fitting direction and the left-right direction. Of these, a press-fitting margin 71 was provided only on the upper 70A side.

As a result, the press-fit pin 64A of the tag cover 52 is placed in the mounting hole 63 in a state where the press-fitting margins 71 provided at the left and right ends on the upper 70A side and the lower end of the lower 70B are in contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 63. Be retained. Thus, in the toner cartridge 5K, the tag cover 52 can be easily attached to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B, and the RFID tag 50 is fixed to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B with sufficient strength so as not to fall off. Can be done.

Further, the press-fitting pin 64A of the tag cover 52 is provided with a notch 73 at the root portion of the side surface facing the direction of the force applied when the tag cover 52 is removed. By doing so, in the toner cartridge 5K, when the tag cover 52 attached to the cover attachment portions 62A and 62B is to be removed and a certain force or more is applied to the tag cover 52, the press-fit pin 64A is easy at the root portion. The tag cover 52 can be easily removed by folding the tag cover 52. Further, since the tag cover 52 can be easily removed in this way, the toner cartridge 5K and the RFID tag 50 can be easily separated.

According to the above configuration, the toner cartridge 5K can prevent the RFID tag 50 from falling off, and the tag cover 52 for fixing the RFID tag 50 can be easily removed.

Further, the press-fit pin 64A of the tag cover 52 is provided with a flat surface 72 at the upper end of the upper portion 70A so as not to come into contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 63A when press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A. By doing so, when the tag cover 52 is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A, it is possible to prevent whitening from occurring in the thin wall portion on the upper end side of the mounting hole 63A.

Further, in the toner cartridge 5K, the press-fitting pin 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A with the center P1 of the press-fitting pin 64A of the tag cover 52 aligned with the center P0 of the mounting hole 63A. As the 64A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 63A, the entire press-fitting pin 64A is tilted in the direction of widening the notch angle, so that the notch angle becomes larger than that before the press-fitting.

By doing so, in the toner cartridge 5K, the press-fit pin 64A after press-fitting becomes easier to break than before press-fitting, and when the tag cover 52 is removed, the press-fit pin 64A can be broken with a smaller force. It can be easily removed.

[2. Second Embodiment]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. In this second embodiment, the developing unit 3 (3K, 3Y, 3M, 3C) and the toner cartridge 5 (5K, 5Y, 5M, 5C) are integrated as a process unit, and the process unit is integrated. It is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus 1. The process unit is provided with a tag accommodating portion for accommodating a memory tag, which will be described later, and a tag cover for fixing the memory tag accommodated in the tag accommodating portion. Since it is the same as the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

[2-1. Appearance configuration of process unit]
First, the appearance configuration of the process unit 90 (90K, 90Y, 90M, 90C) will be described. Since the appearance configurations of the process units 90K, 90Y, 90M, and 90C are the same, the appearance configuration of the process unit 90K will be described here as an example. FIG. 14 shows the external configuration of the process unit 90K.

As shown in FIG. 14, the process unit 90K includes a base frame member 91 forming the front surface of the process unit 90K, a cover frame member 92 forming the upper surface and the rear surface, and side frames forming the left and right side surfaces. The appearance is formed by the member 100.

The process unit 90K has a concave tag accommodating portion for accommodating the card-shaped memory tag 101 in the lower portion of the left side frame member 100 (that is, the lower portion of the left side surface of the process unit 90K) among the left and right side frame members 100. A 102 is provided, and the memory tag 101 is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102. Further, a tag cover 103 is attached to the lower portion of the left side frame member 100 so as to cover a part of the memory tag 101 accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102.

As shown in the external perspective view of FIG. 15, the memory tag 101 is connected to a memory (not shown) for storing and holding various information on a rectangular plate-shaped substrate 101A and a connection terminal on the image forming apparatus 1 side. The connection portion 101B is mounted, and the connection portion 101B is accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102 toward the outside (that is, the left side) of the tag accommodating portion 102. Two connecting portions 101B are provided at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 101A. The tag cover 103 covers a portion other than these two connecting portions 101B. That is, the tag cover 103 covers a part of the memory tag 101 so as to expose the connection portion 101B. The appearance configuration of the process unit 90K is as described above.

A connection terminal (not shown) is provided on the image forming apparatus 1 side at a position facing the connection portion 101B of the memory tag 101 accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102, and the process unit 90K is attached to the apparatus housing 2. When attached, this connection terminal contacts the connection portion 101B of the memory tag 101 to read the information written in the memory of the memory tag 101 or write the information to the memory of the memory tag 101. It has become like.

[2-2. Configuration of tag housing and tag cover]
Next, FIGS. 16 and 17 relate to the configuration of the tag accommodating portion 102 formed in the side frame member 100 of the process unit 90K and the tag cover 103 covering a part of the memory tag 101 accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102. Will be described in more detail with reference to. Note that FIG. 16A is an external perspective view showing a peripheral portion of the tag accommodating portion 102 in a state where the memory tag 101 and the tag cover 103 are removed, and FIG. 16B is an external perspective view showing the memory tag 101 and the tag cover. It is an external perspective view which shows the peripheral part of the tag accommodating part 102 in the state which 103 is attached. Further, FIG. 17 is a plan view showing a peripheral portion of the tag accommodating portion 102 in a state where the memory tag 101 and the tag cover 103 are attached.

As shown in FIG. 16A, the tag accommodating portion 102 formed in the side frame member 100 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped recess having substantially the same size as the memory tag 101, and is one step lower than the left side surface of the side frame member 100. It is formed by the formed bottom surface 102A, the wall surfaces 102B and 102C extending vertically from both ends (front and rear ends) in the long side direction of the bottom surface 102A, and the wall surface 102D extending vertically from one end (upper end) in the short side direction of the bottom surface 102A. ing. Further, on the other end (lower end) side of the tag accommodating portion 102 in the short side direction, the contact portion 102E, which abuts on the long side of the memory tag 101 at the center and one end (rear end) in the long side direction, respectively. 102F is projected.

As shown in FIGS. 16B and 17, the memory tag 101 accommodates the connection portion 101B in the tag accommodating portion 102 with the connection portion 101B facing the opposite side (that is, the outside) of the bottom surface 102A of the tag accommodating portion 102. Will be done. At this time, the outer periphery of the memory tag 101 comes into contact with the wall surfaces 102B, 102C, 102D of the tag accommodating portion 102 and the contact portions 102E, 102F, so that the positions in the short side direction and the long side direction are restricted. ..

Further, on the left side surface of the side frame member 100, as shown in FIG. 16A, a cover mounting portion 104 for mounting the tag cover 103 is formed around the tag accommodating portion 102. The cover mounting portion 104 is a recess formed lower than the left side surface of the side frame member 100, and is a substantially L-shape formed so as to surround the outside of the upper long side and the rear short side of the tag accommodating portion 102. It has become.

The cover mounting portion 104 is formed so as to surround the outside of the short side portion 104A formed so as to surround the outside of the short side on the rear side of the tag accommodating portion 102 and the outside of the upper long side of the tag accommodating portion 102. It is composed of a long side side portion 104B and a square portion 104C located between the short side side portion 104A and the long side side portion 104B, thereby forming a substantially L-shaped shape as a whole.

Further, in the cover mounting portion 104, a mounting hole 105A having a circular cross section extending in a direction perpendicular to the left side surface (right direction) of the side frame member 100 is formed at the bottom of the short side side portion 104A, and is formed on the long side side. At the bottom of the portion 104B, a mounting hole 105B having an oval cross section extending in the same direction as the mounting hole 105A is formed.

On the other hand, the tag cover 103 is a substantially L-shaped plate-shaped member having substantially the same size as the tag accommodating portion 102. The tag cover 103 includes a short side side portion 103A that fits in the short side side portion 104A of the cover mounting portion 104, and a long side side portion 103B that fits in the long side side portion 104B of the cover mounting portion 104. It is composed of a corner portion 103C that is a portion that fits in the corner portion 104C of the cover mounting portion 104, and forms a substantially L-shaped shape as a whole.

Here, the details of the configuration of the tag cover 103 are shown in FIGS. 18A to 18C. 18 (A) is an external perspective view of the tag cover 103 as viewed from the back side (that is, the side facing the cover mounting portion 104), and FIG. 18 (B) shows the tag cover 103 in FIG. 18 (A). FIG. 18C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 18C, which is a partially enlarged view of the short side side portion 103A of the tag cover 103 as viewed from the back side.

As shown in FIGS. 18A to 18C, the tag cover 103 is mounted on the back surface of the short side side portion 103A (the surface on the cover mounting portion 104 side) and on the short side side portion 104A of the cover mounting portion 104. The press-fitting pin 106A to be press-fitted into the provided mounting hole 105A is vertically projected and is press-fitted into the mounting hole 105B provided on the long-side side portion 104B of the cover mounting portion 104 on the back surface of the long-side side portion 103B. The press-fit pin 106B is vertically projected.

Since the press-fitting pins 106A and 106B have the same configuration as the press-fitting pins 64A and 64B of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted. It has a substantially T-shaped rod shape, and the press-fit pin 106B has a circular cross-section like the press-fit pin 64B.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18C, the tag cover 103 has a protrusion 103D that abuts on the wall surface of the cover mounting portion 104 on the outer periphery of the short side side portion 103A on the side opposite to the tag accommodating portion 102. Is projected.

Then, the tag cover 103 press-fits the press-fit pins 106A and 106B into the mounting holes 105A and 105B with the press-fit pins 106A and 106B facing the mounting holes 105A and 105B provided in the cover mounting portion 104. As a result, it can be attached to the cover attachment portion 104.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 16B and 17, in the tag cover 103, a part of the short side side portion 103A protrudes to the tag accommodating portion 102 side, and the protruding part of the tag covers the tag. It covers one end (rear end) in the long side direction of the memory tag 101 housed in the storage portion 102. Further, at this time, in the tag cover 103, a part of the long side side portion 103B protrudes to the tag accommodating portion 102 side, and the protruding portion of the memory tag 101 accommodated in the tag accommodating portion 102. Cover one end (upper end) in the short side direction. As a result, the position of the memory tag 101 in the thickness direction is also restricted, and the memory tag 101 is held by the tag cover 103 and the tag accommodating portion 102 so as not to fall off from the tag accommodating portion 102.

Further, when the tag cover 103 is removed from the cover mounting portion 104, for example, as shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 19, a screwdriver or the like is inserted into the gap between the long side side portion 103B of the tag cover 103 and the memory tag 101. , The long side side portion 103B is lifted first (that is, the press-fit pin 106B on the long side side portion 103B side is pulled out first) to remove it. At this time, while the surface of the tag cover 103 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A in the drawing, the press-fit pin 106A tries to stay inside the mounting hole 105A, so that the tag cover 103 is at the root of the press-fit pin 106A. A force is applied in the same direction as the direction indicated by the arrow A in the figure so as to be pulled toward the surface side of the.

Therefore, the press-fit pin 106A having a substantially T-shaped cross section provided on the tag cover 103 has a flat surface 72 and a notch 73 on the tag accommodating portion 102 side so as to be easily broken when a force in such a direction is applied. It is provided so as to face. That is, the press-fitting pin 106A has a notch angle γ widened by the force applied when the tag cover 103 is removed. The configuration of the tag accommodating portion 102 and the tag cover 103 is as described above.

[2-3. Attaching and removing the tag cover]
Next, an operation when the tag cover 103 is attached to the cover attachment portion 104 and an operation when the tag cover 103 is removed from the cover attachment portion 104 will be described. First, the operation when the tag cover 103 is attached to the cover attachment portion 104 will be described. When the tag cover 103 is attached to the cover mounting portion 104, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the press-fitting pins 106A and 106B of the tag cover 103 are attached to the mounting holes 105A and 105B provided in the cover mounting portion 104. The press-fitting pins 106A and 106B are press-fitted into the mounting holes 105A and 105B by pushing the surface of the tag cover 103 with the pad of a finger or the like in a state of facing the cover.

At this time, in the tag cover 103, the protrusion 103D provided on the outer periphery of the short side side portion 103A comes into contact with the wall surface of the cover mounting portion 104, so that the center of the press-fit pin 106A is as shown in FIG. The press-fitting pins 106A and 106B are press-fitted into the mounting holes 105A and 105B while the movement in the direction orthogonal to the press-fitting direction is restricted so that the position of P1 coincides with the position of the center P0 of the mounting hole 105A. It has become.

When the press-fit pin 106A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 105A in this way, the press-fit pin 106A is shown by a thick line in the figure as shown in FIG. 20 (B), similarly to the press-fit pin 64A of the first embodiment. The portion comes into contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 105A, which makes it difficult to pull out sufficiently.

Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the press-fitting pin 106A is easily broken because the entire press-fitting pin 106A is tilted in the direction of widening the notch angle in an attempt to equalize the press-fitting input to the mounting hole 105A.

In this way, the tag cover 103 can be attached to the cover mounting portion 104 by press-fitting the press-fitting pins 106A and 106B into the mounting holes 105A and 105B. The operation when the tag cover 103 is attached to the cover attachment portion 104 is as described above.

Next, the operation when the tag cover 103 is removed from the cover mounting portion 104 will be described. When removing the tag cover 103 from the cover mounting portion 104, as shown in FIG. 19, a screwdriver or the like is inserted into the gap between the long side side portion 103B of the tag cover 103 and the memory tag 101, and the long side side portion 103B is used. Lift first. Then, a force is applied to the root portion of the press-fit pin 106A in the direction of widening the notch angle. When this force applied to the root portion of the press-fit pin 106A exceeds a certain level, the press-fit pin 106A breaks at the root portion and the tag cover 103 is removed from the cover mounting portion 104.

As described above, the tag cover 103 can be easily removed by breaking the press-fit pin 106A on the left side when a certain force or more is applied to remove the tag cover 103. The operation when the tag cover 103 is removed from the cover mounting portion 104 is as described above.

In the process unit 90K, the press-fit pin 106A is made to break when the tag cover 103 is removed, so that the removed tag cover 103 can be prevented from being reused and the process unit 90K can be prevented from being reused. It is also.

[2-4. Summary and effects]
As described above, the process unit 90K of the second embodiment accommodates the memory tag 101 in the tag accommodating portion 102 formed in the side frame member 100, and covers a part of the memory tag 101. The memory tag 101 is fixed to the process unit 90K by covering it with the tag cover 103 attached to the attachment portion 104.

Further, the tag cover 103 is provided with press-fitting pins 106A and 106B that are press-fitted into the mounting holes 105A and 105B provided in the cover mounting portion 104. Further, one of the press-fitting pins 106A has the same shape as the press-fitting pin 64A of the first embodiment.

As a result, the press-fit pin 106A of the tag cover 103 is held in the mounting hole 105A in a state where three points are in contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole 105A, similarly to the press-fit pin 64A. Thus, the process unit 90K can easily attach the tag cover 103 to the cover attachment portion 104, and can fix the tag cover 103 to the cover attachment portion 104 with sufficient strength so that the memory tag 101 does not fall off.

Further, the press-fitting pin 106A of the tag cover 103 is provided with a notch 73 at the root portion of the side surface facing the direction of the force applied when the tag cover 103 is removed. By doing so, in the process unit 90K, when a certain force or more is applied to the tag cover 103 in an attempt to remove the tag cover 103 attached to the cover mounting portion 104, the press-fit pin 106A breaks at the root portion. , The tag cover 103 can be easily removed. Further, since the tag cover 103 can be easily removed in this way, the process unit 90K and the memory tag 101 can be easily separated.

According to the above configuration, the process unit 90K can prevent the memory tag 101 from falling off, and can easily remove the tag cover 103 that fixes the memory tag 101.

Further, in the process unit 90K, the press-fitting pin 106A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 105A with the center P1 of the press-fitting pin 106A of the tag cover 103 aligned with the center P0 of the mounting hole 105A. As the 106A is press-fitted into the mounting hole 105A, the entire press-fitting pin 106A is tilted in the direction of widening the notch angle, so that the notch angle becomes larger than that before the press-fitting.

By doing so, in the process unit 90K, the press-fit pin 106A after press-fitting becomes easier to break than before press-fitting, and when the tag cover 103 is removed, the press-fit pin 106A can be broken with a smaller force. It can be easily removed.

[3. Other embodiments]
[3-1. Other Embodiment 1]
In the first embodiment described above, the press-fitting pin 64A is divided into an upper portion 70A and a lower portion 70B by the virtual plane S, and the base portion of the upper portion 70A has a thickness in the vertical direction (that is, orthogonal to the virtual plane S). A tapered notch 73 is provided in which the thickness in the direction of the surface is narrowed toward the root. Not limited to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, the thickness in the left-right direction (that is, the thickness in the direction parallel to the virtual plane S) faces the root on both the left and right sides of the root portion of the upper portion 70A of the press-fit pin 64A. It is also possible to provide tapered notches 200A and 200B that become thinner.

The notches 200A and 200B are formed so that the notch angle δ is in the range of 60 degrees ± 15 degrees, for example. Further, the corners between the notches 200A and 200B and the rear surface of the front cover portion 52A have an edge shape instead of an R shape so that the press-fit pin 64A can be easily broken. Further, the depth D2 of the notches 200A and 200B is, for example, D2 = 0.5.

When the press-fit pin 64A is provided with the notches 200A and 200B as the second notch in addition to the notch 73 as the first notch, the press-fit pin 64A is shown in FIG. 23 as a basic cross-sectional view. When an external force F3 in the left-right direction is applied, stress is concentrated on a portion orthogonal to the external force F3 (thick line portion in the vertical direction in the figure), and the portion is easily broken. That is, the press-fitting pin 64A in this case breaks when a certain force or more is applied in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction.

In the first embodiment, when the tag cover 52 is removed from the cover mounting portion 62, a force in the vertical direction is applied to the press-fit pin 64A, so that a notch 73 that is easily broken in the vertical direction is provided. On the other hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 24, a screwdriver or the like is inserted into the gap between the left end (or right end) of the front cover portion 52A of the tag cover 52 and the wall surface 201 of the cover mounting portion 62A facing the left end. Then, when the tag cover 52 is removed, a force in the left-right direction is applied to the press-fit pin 64A. Therefore, as described above, if the press-fit pin 64A is provided with notches 200A and 200B that are easily broken in the left-right direction, the press-fit pin 64A can be easily folded even when the tag cover 52 is removed by such a removal method. The tag cover 52 can be easily removed.

If the direction of the force applied to the press-fit pin 64A when the tag cover 52 is removed is limited, the press-fit pin 64A may be provided with only the notch 200A or the notch 200B, or the notch may be provided. 73 and one of the notches 200A and 200B may be provided.

On the other hand, the tag cover 52 should be removed by inserting a driver or the like into the gap between the left end (or right end) of the front cover portion 52A of the tag cover 52 and the wall surface 201 of the cover mounting portion 62A facing the left end. If not, as shown in FIG. 25, the left and right ends of the front cover portion 52A of the tag cover 52 may be tapered toward the tip.

[3-2. Other Embodiment 2]
Further, in the first embodiment described above, the press-fitting pin 64A is divided into an upper portion 70A and a lower portion 70B by a virtual plane S, and a flat surface 72 is provided at the upper end portion of the upper portion 70A. Here, for example, if the wall thickness on the upper end side of the mounting hole 63A into which the press-fitting pin 64A is press-fitted has a thickness that does not cause whitening even when a press-fitting input is applied, FIG. 26 As shown in the above, the entire outer periphery of the upper portion 70A may be press-fitted 71 without providing the flat surface 72 at the upper end portion of the press-fitting pin 64A. Similarly, in the second embodiment, the flat surface 72 may be omitted from the press-fit pin 106A.

[3-3. Other Embodiment 3]
Further, in the second embodiment described above, a driver or the like is inserted into the gap between the long side side portion 103B of the tag cover 103 and the memory tag 101 so that the long side side portion 103B is lifted first. , The tag cover 103 is removed from the cover mounting portion 104. At this time, as shown in FIG. 27 (A), the back surface 103E near the outer periphery of the short side side portion 103A of the tag cover 103 opposite to the tag accommodating portion 102 comes into contact with the bottom of the cover mounting portion 104 and the tag. It becomes a fulcrum when the cover 103 is removed, and stress is dispersed between the root portion and the fulcrum of the press-fit pin 64A, so that the press-fit pin 64A may not be easily broken.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 27B and 28, when the cover mounting portion 104 is provided with a recess 202 in the portion of the short side side portion 103A of the tag cover 103 facing the back surface 103E and the tag cover 103 is removed. The back surface 103E of the short side side portion 103A of the tag cover 103 may be inserted into the recess 202 so as not to come into contact with the bottom of the cover mounting portion 104.

By doing so, when the tag cover 103 is removed, stress is concentrated on the root portion of the press-fit pin 106A, so that the press-fit pin 106A is easily broken. As described above, when the tag cover 103 is removed, the recess for preventing the portion of the tag cover 103 other than the press-fitting pin 106A from coming into contact with the cover mounting portion 104 so that the stress is concentrated only on the root portion of the press-fitting pin 106A. 202 may be provided in the cover mounting portion 104.

[3-4. Other Embodiment 4]
Further, in the first embodiment described above, the press-fit pin 64A has a substantially T-shaped cross section. Not limited to this, a shape other than the substantially T-shaped cross section may be used as long as the cross-sectional shape is provided with the press-fitting margin 71 only on the upper 70A side. Further, in the first embodiment described above, the R shape recessed toward the center P1 between the arc portions at the left and right ends of the upper 70A and the arc portions as the contact portions at the lower ends of the lower 70B in the press-fit pin 64A. I tried to connect with the curved surface of. Not limited to this, as shown in FIGS. 29 (A) and 29 (B), the arc portion of the upper 70A and the arc portion of the lower 70B may be connected by a plurality of planes so as to be recessed toward the center P1 side. good. The same applies to the second embodiment.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the press-fitting margin 71 provided in the upper portion 70A of the press-fitting pin 64A has an arcuate shape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to the arcuate shape as long as it protrudes. It may be formed in a shape.

[3-5. Other Embodiment 5]
Further, in the first embodiment described above, the present invention is applied to the toner cartridge 5K as a replaceable exchange unit. Further, in the second embodiment described above, the present invention is applied to the process unit 90K as a replaceable exchange unit. Not limited to this, if it can be replaced with a predetermined device, it can be applied to a replacement unit other than the toner cartridge 5K and the process unit 90K. For example, it can be applied to a developing unit 3, a transfer device 8, a paper tray 9, a fixing device 10, and the like, which are interchangeably provided with respect to the image forming apparatus 1.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the present invention is applied to the image forming apparatus 1 which is an electrophotographic printer. Not limited to this, as long as it can detachably hold a replacement unit such as a toner cartridge or a process unit, it can be applied to other image forming devices such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a multifunction device thereof.

[3-6. Other Embodiment 6]
Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the RFID tag 50 and the memory tag 101 are used as specific examples of the substrate on which the memory as the storage unit is mounted, but the storage unit is not limited to this. As long as it is a mounted board, a board other than the RFID tag 50 or the memory tag 101 may be used. Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the tag cover 52 and the tag cover 103 are used as specific examples of the cover for fixing the substrate, but the present invention is not limited to this, as long as the cover for fixing the substrate is used. , A cover having a configuration different from that of the tag cover 52 or the tag cover 103 may be used.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the tag cover 52 is provided with the press-fit pin 64A as the first press-fit pin and the press-fit pin 64B as the second press-fit pin, but the present invention is not limited to this. The tag cover 52 may be provided with only the press-fit pin 64A. Further, the press-fit pin 64B and the mounting hole 63B as the second mounting hole may have the same shape as the press-fit pin 64A and the mounting hole 63A as the first mounting hole. Further, in the second embodiment described above, the tag cover 103 is provided with the press-fit pin 106A as the first press-fit pin and the press-fit pin 106B as the second press-fit pin, but the present invention is not limited to this. , The tag cover 103 may be provided with only the press-fit pin 106A. Further, the press-fit pin 106B and the mounting hole 105B as the second mounting hole may have the same shape as the press-fit pin 106A and the mounting hole 105A as the first mounting hole.

[3-7. Other Embodiment 7]
Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, the present invention has an scope of application to an embodiment in which a part or all of the above-mentioned embodiment and other embodiments are arbitrarily combined, and an embodiment in which a part is extracted.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely used in a toner cartridge for fixing a substrate with a cover, a process unit, and an image forming apparatus in which such a toner cartridge or a process unit can be replaced.

1 ... Image forming device, 3 ... Development unit, 5 ... Toner cartridge, 42 ... Side cover plate, 50 ... RFID tag, 51, 102 ... Tag housing, 52, 103 ... Tag cover, 62 , 104 ... cover mounting part, 63, 105 ... mounting hole, 64,106 ... press-fit pin, 70A ... upper, 70B ... lower, 71 ... press-fit margin, 72 ... flat surface, 73, 200 ... ... notch, 90 ... process unit, 100 ... side frame member, 101 ... memory tag, 202 ... recess, P ... paper.

Claims (10)

A board on which a storage unit that stores and holds information is mounted,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the substrate and
A cover for fixing the substrate housed in the housing portion and
It is provided with a cover mounting part for mounting the cover.
The cover is
It has a press-fit pin that is press-fitted into the mounting hole provided in the cover mounting portion.
The press-fit pin
It has a press-fitting margin, and the press-fitting margin is formed only in the first portion when the press-fitting pin is divided into a first portion and a second portion with a virtual plane parallel to the press-fitting direction as a boundary. hand,
Further, in the first portion of the press-fitting pin,
A notch is formed so that the press-fit pin is partially narrowed .
The press-fit pin
When it is press-fitted into the mounting hole, it is held inside the mounting hole in a state of being inclined in a direction from the first portion to the second portion with respect to the mounting hole.
A replacement unit that features that. The notch is
Claim 1 is provided at a root portion of the press-fit pin and is formed so that the thickness of the press-fit pin in the direction orthogonal to the virtual plane becomes thinner toward the root of the press-fit pin. The replacement unit described in. The notch is
Claim 1 is provided at a root portion of the press-fitting pin and is formed so that the thickness of the press-fitting pin in a direction parallel to the virtual plane becomes thinner toward the root of the press-fitting pin. The replacement unit described in. At the root of the first portion of the press-fit pin,
A first notch formed in the press-fit pin in a direction orthogonal to the virtual plane toward the root of the press-fit pin, and the press-fit pin toward the root of the press-fit pin. The exchange unit according to claim 1 , wherein a second notch formed so as to be thin in a direction parallel to the virtual plane is provided. The notch is
A claim characterized in that the thickness of the press-fitting pin is formed so as to be thinner in a direction parallel to the direction of a force applied when the cover of the press-fitting pin is removed from the cover mounting portion. The replacement unit according to any one of Items 1 to 3 . The first portion of the press-fit pin
The replacement unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein when the press-fit pin is press-fitted into the mounting hole, a flat surface that does not come into contact with the inner wall of the press-fit pin is formed. The flat surface is
It is provided parallel to the virtual plane and
The press-fitting margin of the first portion is
Provided on both sides of the flat surface so as to connect between the flat surface and the second portion.
The second part of the press-fit pin
On the opposite side of the flat surface, a contact portion that comes into contact with the inner wall of the mounting hole is provided.
The press-fit pin
The replacement unit according to claim 6 , wherein the replacement unit is formed in a rod shape having a substantially T-shaped cross section as a whole. The cover mounting portion has
Claims 1 to 7 are characterized in that, when the cover is removed from the cover mounting portion, a recess is formed to prevent a portion of the cover other than the press-fit pin from coming into contact with the cover mounting portion. The replacement unit described in any of. The cover is
It has a first press-fit pin to be press-fitted into the first mounting hole provided in the cover mounting portion, and a second press-fit pin to be press-fitted into the second mounting hole.
The first press-fit pin is
It has a press-fitting margin, and the press-fitting margin is formed only in the first portion when the press-fitting pin is divided into a first portion and a second portion with a virtual plane parallel to the press-fitting direction as a boundary. hand,
Further, in the first portion of the first press-fit pin,
A notch is formed so that the first press-fit pin is partially narrowed .
The first press-fit pin is
When press-fitted into the first mounting hole, the inside of the first mounting hole is inclined in a direction from the first portion toward the second portion with respect to the first mounting hole. Be held
The replacement unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 . An image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , wherein the exchange unit is detachably held.

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