JP2000019931A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the noise at the one side print mode time by optimizing an exhausting (device inside cooling) capacity of an image forming device, in the respective one side/both sides print mode. SOLUTION: This image forming device is allowed to exhaust hot air generated in the device to the outside through an open part 3a on a external cover 3, by a fan 2 provided in a duct 1 for cooling the device inside. The device is allowed to optimize the exhausting (device inside cooling) capacity in the respective print mode of one side/both sides, by controlling rotary speed of the fan 2 by the controlling part 4 so as to be made higher in the both sides printing mode time than the one side print mode time. Thereupon, in the one side print mode time, the rotary speed of the fan is lowered comparing to the both sides printing mode time, the noise at the one side printing time can be lowered as compared to the conventional device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile, and a printer having an exhaust means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The main body of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine includes many components and devices that generate heat when operating. Deterioration of performance of parts and equipment due to temperature rise inside the machine caused by this heat,
In general, in order to prevent the life of the apparatus from being shortened, many apparatuses are provided with an exhaust fan and an exhaust port for forcibly exhausting the air in the apparatus main body.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-204221
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-12108 discloses an image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-12108, in which noise is suppressed by controlling the number of revolutions of a fan in accordance with a change in load current for cooling.
As in the fan motor rotation control method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No.
When the temperature of the heat fixing unit decreases to a predetermined value, the number of revolutions of the fan motor is also reduced to a predetermined value to suppress noise, such as a control device of an image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-197922. Various noise reduction techniques have been proposed, such as those that realize appropriate fan motor control states in accordance with three operations of warm-up, copy, and standby of the image forming apparatus to suppress noise.

In general, in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, the exhaust (cooling inside the apparatus) ability is reduced even in the double-sided print mode even though the amount of heat generated inside the apparatus is larger than in the single-sided print mode. The design is appropriate for the mode and overlooked for the single-sided print mode.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of reducing the noise in the single-sided print mode by optimizing the exhaust (in-machine cooling) capacity in each of the single-sided and double-sided print modes. The purpose is to:

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus which controls an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of an apparatus and a rotation speed of the exhaust fan in order to achieve the above object. In the image forming apparatus provided with the control unit, the control unit controls the number of rotations of the exhaust fan in the double-sided print mode to be higher than that in the single-sided print mode.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of the apparatus; and an adjusting unit for adjusting an opening area of an exhaust port for exhausting air by the exhaust fan. However, in the double-sided print mode, the opening area of the air outlet is controlled to be larger than that in the single-sided print mode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of the apparatus; a louver provided at an exhaust port for exhausting air by the exhaust fan; and an adjusting means for adjusting an angular position of the louver. In the apparatus, the adjusting means includes:
It is characterized in that the angle position of the louver in the double-sided print mode is controlled so that the exhaust air resistance is smaller than in the single-sided print mode.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an exhaust air volume adjusting unit of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a duct, 2 is a fan, 3 is an exterior cover, 4
Is a control unit. Further, solid arrows in the drawing indicate the direction in which air flows.

The duct 1 is a passage for guiding the air inside the apparatus to the outside of the apparatus. Inside the duct 1, a fan 2 for cooling the inside of the apparatus is provided. Then, the hot air generated in the apparatus is covered by the outer cover 3 by the rotation of the fan 2.
Through the opening 3a. The control unit 4
In the double-sided print mode, the rotation speed of the fan 2 is controlled to be higher than in the single-sided print mode. By such control, the exhaust (in-machine cooling) capacity is optimized in each of the single-sided and double-sided print modes, and the fan rotation speed in the single-sided print mode is lower than that in the double-sided print mode. In comparison, noise reduction in the single-sided print mode is achieved.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the exhaust air amount adjusting means of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a duct 1 and a fan 2 are also provided, but these are not shown. Further, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to the above embodiment, and the overlapping description will be omitted. In the drawing, reference numeral 10 denotes an adjusting plate, 11 denotes a spring, and 12 denotes a solenoid. The adjusting plate 10 has one end connected to a solenoid 12 fixed to the apparatus main body and the other end connected to a spring 11 also fixed to the apparatus main body. It is slidably mounted in the direction of the solid arrow in the figure.

In this embodiment, in the double-sided print mode, the opening 10a of the adjusting plate 10 is located at a position (maximum opening area of the air outlet) coincident with the opening 3a of the outer cover 3, and in the single-sided print mode, The control unit 4 controls the solenoid 12 so that the portion 10a is slightly shifted from the opening 3a of the exterior cover 3 (the opening area of the exhaust port is small).
N / OFF operation is controlled. With such control, the exhaust (in-machine cooling) capacity is optimized in each of the single-sided and double-sided print modes, and the opening area of the air outlet is smaller in the single-sided print mode than in the double-sided print mode. Noise is reduced in the single-sided print mode.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the configuration and operation of the exhaust air amount adjusting means of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, a duct 1 and a fan 2 are also provided, but these are not shown. Further, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to the above embodiment, and the overlapping description will be omitted. In the figure, 20 is a louver, 21 is a support shaft, 22 is a spring, 23 is a wire, and 24 is a solenoid. The louver 20 is rotatably supported on a support shaft 21 fixed to the apparatus main body (or the outer cover 3), and has one end connected to a wire 23. The wire 23 has one end connected to a solenoid 24 fixed to the apparatus main body and the other end connected to a spring 22 also fixed to the apparatus main body.
The angular position of the louver 20 can be changed by the balance between the FF operation and the urging force of the spring 22.

In this embodiment, the louver 20 is horizontal (posture of FIG. 3B) in the double-sided print mode, and the louver 20 is inclined (posture of FIG. 3A) in the single-sided print mode.
So that the control unit 4 turns ON / OFF the solenoid 24.
Controls F operation. By such control, the exhaust (in-machine cooling) capacity is optimized in each of the single-sided / double-sided print modes. In the single-sided print mode, sound leakage is reduced due to the change in the angular position of the louvers compared to the double-sided print mode. The noise in the single-sided print mode is reduced as compared with the conventional machine.

[0015]

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect controls the rotation speed of the exhaust fan in the double-sided print mode to be higher than that in the single-sided print mode. In each print mode, the exhaust capacity can be optimized, and the number of rotations of the exhaust fan is reduced as compared with the double-side print mode, so that the noise in the single-side print mode can be reduced.

According to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, as described above, the opening area of the air outlet in the double-sided print mode is controlled to be larger than that in the single-sided print mode. In the print mode, the exhaust capacity can be optimized, and the noise reduction in the single-sided print mode can be achieved by reducing the opening area of the air outlet compared to the double-sided print mode.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, as described above, the angle position of the louver in the double-sided print mode is controlled so that the exhaust resistance is smaller than that in the single-sided print mode. The exhaust capacity can be optimized in each of the two-sided print modes, and the sound leakage can be reduced due to the change in the angular position of the louver compared to the two-sided print mode, so that noise can be reduced in the one-sided print mode.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an exhaust air amount adjusting unit of an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of an exhaust air amount adjusting unit of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration and an operation of an exhaust air amount adjusting unit of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Duct 2 Fan 3 Exterior cover 3a Opening of exterior cover 4 Control part 10 Adjustment plate 10a Opening of adjustment plate 11 Spring 12 Solenoid 20 Louver 21 Support shaft 22 Spring 23 Wire 24 Solenoid

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of an apparatus; and control means for controlling the number of revolutions of the exhaust fan. An image forming apparatus characterized in that control is performed higher than in a mode. 2. An image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of an apparatus; and an adjusting unit that adjusts an opening area of an exhaust port for exhausting air by the exhaust fan.
An image forming apparatus, wherein an opening area of the air outlet in the double-sided print mode is controlled to be larger than that in the single-sided print mode. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising: an exhaust fan for cooling the inside of a machine, a louver provided in an exhaust port for exhausting air by the exhaust fan, and an adjusting unit for adjusting an angular position of the louver. An image forming apparatus for controlling the angular position of the louver in the double-sided print mode so that the air discharge resistance is smaller than in the single-sided print mode.