초록 ▼

The present invention provides an image forming device, which facilitates maintenance and replacement of an intermediate transfer body and an image carrier, and prevents a deterioration in image quality which accompanies the formation of the intermediate transfer body and the image carrier as separa

The present invention provides an image forming device, which facilitates maintenance and replacement of an intermediate transfer body and an image carrier, and prevents a deterioration in image quality which accompanies the formation of the intermediate transfer body and the image carrier as separate structures, having an image carrier on which a toner image is formed, and an intermediate transfer body conveying the toner image, which is formed on the image carrier, to a transfer medium, the image forming device including a supporting frame in which the intermediate transfer body is mounted, a suspension portion suspending the image carrier at the supporting frame to face the image carrier to the intermediate transfer body, and an attaching/removing portion at which the supporting frame is installed, and which is for attaching and removing the supporting frame to and from a device main body of the image forming device.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An image forming device having image carriers on which a toner image is formed, and intermediate transfer bodies conveying the toner image, which is formed on the image carriers, to a transfer medium, the image forming device comprising: an intermediate transfer body unit str

What is claimed is: 1. An image forming device having image carriers on which a toner image is formed, and intermediate transfer bodies conveying the toner image, which is formed on the image carriers, to a transfer medium, the image forming device comprising: an intermediate transfer body unit structured by a first supporting frame in which the intermediate transfer bodies are mounted; an image carrier unit structured by a second supporting frame in which the image carriers are mounted; a suspension portion formed on the first supporting frame, the suspension portion attachably/detachably suspending the image carriers at the first supporting frame to mount the image carrier unit on the intermediate transfer body unit; and an attaching/removing portion at which the intermediate transfer body unit is installed, and which is for attaching and removing the intermediate transfer body unit to and from a device main body of the image forming device. 2. The image forming device of claim 1, wherein the image carrier unit further comprises: charging portions which are disposed at upstream sides, in rotating directions of the image carriers, of scanning regions of the image carriers, and which charge the image carriers; and recovering/holding portions which are disposed at upstream sides, in the rotating directions of the image carriers, of the charging portions, and which recover toner remaining on the image carriers and temporarily hold the toner. 3. The image forming device of claim 2, wherein the image carrier unit has four image carriers at which are formed single-color toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. 4. The image forming device of claim 1, further comprising: image carrier rotating shafts projecting in an axial direction from both axial direction end portions of the image carriers, and suspended at the suspension portion; intermediate transfer body rotating shafts projecting in an axial direction from both axial direction end portions of the intermediate transfer bodies; positioning holes formed in the device main body, and when the image carriers and the intermediate transfer bodies are pushed into the device main body, the positioning holes respectively fit one axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts and one axial direction end portion of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts; a pushing/fixing portion fixing another axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts by pushing the other axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts to abut the suspension portion; and a positioning/fixing portion positioning and fixing another axial direction end portion side, in the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts direction, of an intermediate transfer body unit, which is structured by the first supporting frame at which the intermediate transfer bodies are mounted, at the device main body. 5. The image forming device of claim 4, wherein the suspension portion is structured by a plurality of hook portions which are provided at an end portion, in the axial direction of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts, of the first supporting frame and at which a groove portion in which the image carrier rotating shafts are inserted is formed. 6. The image forming device of claim 5, wherein the suspension portion is structured by a plurality of pairs of the hook portions, provided at both end portions, in the axial direction of the intermediate transfer bodies rotating shafts, of the first supporting frame. 7. An image forming device having image carriers on which a toner image is formed, and intermediate transfer bodies conveying the toner image, which is formed on the image carriers, to a transfer medium, the image forming device comprising: an intermediate transfer body unit structured by a first supporting frame in which the intermediate transfer bodies are mounted; an image carrier unit structured by a second supporting frame in which the image carriers are mounted; a suspension portion formed on the first supporting frame, the suspension portion attachably/detachably suspending the image carriers at the first supporting frame to mount the image carrier unit on the intermediate transfer body unit; and an attaching/removing portion at which the intermediate transfer body unit is installed, and which is for attaching and removing the intermediate transfer body unit to and from a device main body of the image forming device, wherein the suspension portion is structured by groove portions which are formed at end portions, in an axial direction of the intermediate transfer bodies, of the first supporting frame, and at which axial direction end portions of a rotating shaft of at least one of the image carriers are respectively inserted. 8. The image forming device of claim 7, wherein the intermediate transfer body unit further comprises: removing portions removing toner remaining on the intermediate transfer bodies; and conveying portions conveying the toner, which has been removed from the intermediate transfer bodies by the removing portions, to an exterior of the intermediate transfer body unit. 9. The image forming device of claim 7, wherein the image carrier unit has image carrier gears disposed at axial direction one end portions of the image carriers, and the intermediate transfer body unit has intermediate transfer body gears disposed at axial direction one end portions of the intermediate transfer bodies which contact the image carriers having the image carrier gears at the axial direction one end portions thereof, the intermediate transfer body gears meshing with the image carrier gears and transmitting driving force to the image carriers. 10. The image forming device of claim 9, wherein a relationship between a diameter D1 of the image carriers and a diameter D2 of the intermediate transfer bodies is D1=D2��1/n, where n is a natural number of 2 or more, and at the intermediate transfer body unit, mounted positions, in a rotating direction, of the intermediate transfer body gears and the intermediate transfer bodies are adjusted such that phases, in the rotating direction, are substantially the same at all of the intermediate transfer bodies at a time when the toner image is transferred from an upstream intermediate transfer body which is disposed at upstream side in conveying direction of the toner image, to a downstream intermediate transfer body which is disposed at downstream side in the conveying direction of the toner image. 11. The image forming device of claim 10, wherein, at the intermediate transfer body unit, a first intermediate transfer body and a second intermediate transfer body are disposed as upstream intermediate transfer bodies, and a third intermediate transfer body is disposed as the downstream intermediate transfer body. 12. The image forming device of claim 11, wherein the image carrier unit has four image carriers at which are formed single-color toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively, and the first intermediate transfer body conveys toner images from two image carriers among the four image carriers and the second intermediate transfer body conveys toner images from the other two image carriers. 13. The image forming device of claim 7 further comprising: charging portions which are disposed at upstream sides, in rotating directions of the image carriers, of scanning regions of the image carriers, and which charge the image carriers; and recovering/holding portions which are disposed at upstream sides, in the rotating directions of the image carriers, of the charging portions, and which recover toner remaining on the image carriers and temporarily hold the toner. 14. The image forming device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of image carriers are formed of single-color toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively. 15. The image forming device of claim 7, further comprising: image carrier rotating shafts projecting in an axial direction from both axial direction end portions of the image carriers, and suspended at the suspension portion; intermediate transfer body rotating shafts projecting in an axial direction from both axial direction end portions of the intermediate transfer bodies; positioning holes formed in the device main body, and when the image carriers and the intermediate transfer bodies are pushed into the device main body, the positioning holes respectively fit one axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts and one axial direction end portion of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts; a pushing/fixing portion fixing another axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts by pushing the other axial direction end portion of the image carrier rotating shafts to abut the suspension portion; and a positioning/fixing portion positioning and fixing another axial direction end portion side, in the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts direction, of an intermediate transfer body unit, which is structured by the first supporting frame at which the intermediate transfer bodies are mounted, at the device main body. 16. The image forming device of claim 15, wherein the image carrier rotating shafts project in the axial directions from both axial direction end portions of the image carriers, and at least one image carrier rotating shaft is suspended at the suspension portion, the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts project in the axial direction from both axial direction end portions of the intermediate transfer bodies, and each one axial direction end portion of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts projects in the axial direction from the first supporting frame, intermediate transfer body rotating shaft positioning holes and image carrier rotating shaft positioning holes as the positioning holes are provided in the device main body, and when the image carriers and the intermediate transfer bodies are pushed into the device main body, the intermediate transfer body rotating shaft positioning holes and the image carrier rotating shaft positioning holes respectively fit the one axial direction end portions of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts and the one axial direction end portions of the image carrier rotating shafts. 17. The image forming device of claim 16, wherein both axial direction end portions of at least one of the image carrier rotating shafts are suspended at the suspension portion, and one axial direction end portion of at least one of the image carrier rotating shafts is suspended at the suspension portion. 18. The image forming device of claim 15, wherein the suspension portion is structured by a plurality of hook portions which are provided at an end portion, in the axial direction of the intermediate transfer body rotating shafts, of the first supporting frame and at which a groove portion in which the image carrier rotating shafts are inserted is formed. 19. The image forming device of claim 18, wherein the suspension portion is structured by a plurality of pairs of the hook portions, provided at both end portions, in the axial direction of the intermediate transfer bodies rotating shafts, of the first supporting frame.