IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT, AND CARTRIDGE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus for communicating with a plurality of cartridges without increasing its circuit dimension.

SOLUTION: This image forming apparatus includes a control circuit having an output terminal for outputting a clock signal and data signal used to generate a transmission signal to the cartridge and an input terminal for receiving a transmission signal from the cartridge. This image forming apparatus includes N connectors each having the first electrode which is connected to the first electrode surface of each cartridge and the second electrode which is connected to the second electrode surface. The image forming apparatus includes a 1-to-N first signal line for connecting the input terminal to the N first electrodes and a 1-to-N second signal line for connecting the output terminal to the N second electrodes. The image forming apparatus includes N switching parts which are interposed between 1-to-N branch points and the second electrodes on the second signal line to switch the connecting states of the second electrodes and the control circuit based on a switching signal which is output from the control circuit.

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