JP2002278389A - Filter fitting structure and image forming device with the same structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filter fitting structure which makes it easy to attach and detach a filter and an image forming device having the structure. SOLUTION: A slit 42 is formed in an intermediate plate 48 of a housing 2. A duct 23 which has a couple of slide guides 35 are connected to an air intake 5. The duct 23 is fitted to the housing 2 and then the slide guides 35 are connected to the lower part of the slit 42. The filter 41 is inserted into the slit 42 from above the housing 2, slid along the slide guides 35, and fitted.

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 printer, a facsimile, and the like, and more particularly, to an improvement in a suction unit for sucking air from outside the apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an image forming apparatus having an image forming section including a photosensitive drum, a main charger, an LED print head, a developing device, and the like. In this type of image forming apparatus, a so-called electrostatic latent image is written on the photosensitive drum after the surface thereof is uniformly charged by a main charger and selectively exposed by an LED print head. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image by a developing device, and the toner image is transferred to recording paper.

[0003] Since heat is generated from the LED print head, it is necessary to cool the image forming section. In addition, there is a problem that oxidation products such as ozone and NOx are generated by the discharge of the main charger. Therefore, an image forming apparatus has been proposed in which an intake port is provided in a housing of the image forming apparatus and a fan is provided in the vicinity of an image forming unit.
In this type of image forming apparatus, when the fan is operated, air outside the apparatus is guided into the apparatus through the air inlet, thereby cooling the image forming unit and generating oxidation products generated by the discharge of the main charger. The toner is dispersed in the apparatus so that it does not stay around the photosensitive drum.

[0004]

The air to be sucked in contains dust and tar due to cigarette smoke, and if these are not removed, it adversely affects image formation. Therefore, generally, a filter is attached to the intake port formed on the back plate of the housing or the like from the back side by, for example, screws. For this reason, when cleaning or replacing the filter, it is necessary to tighten and loosen the screws to attach and detach the filter, which is troublesome.

[0005] Further, since the image forming apparatus is usually installed with its back surface facing a wall or the like, the image forming apparatus must be moved in order to attach and detach the filter attached to the back plate of the housing. It was troublesome. In particular,
An image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a wide sheet of paper such as the A row 0 (hereinafter referred to as “A0”) size of Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) is large and difficult to move. Was troublesome.

The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a filter mounting structure in which a filter can be easily attached and detached and an image forming apparatus having the structure.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a filter mounting structure for filtering air flowing through an air passage in a housing, wherein the filter mounting structure comprises: An air passage disposed adjacent to the inner surface of the housing, a slit formed in the housing and facing the air passage in a crossing direction, and a filter inserted through the slit to hold the filter so as to cross the air passage. And a holding means for performing the above operation.

[0008] The outer shape of the image forming apparatus is partitioned by a substantially rectangular housing. At the upper part of the back plate of the housing, air inlets for taking in air outside the housing into the housing are formed at both left and right ends. Normal,
The image forming apparatus is installed with its back surface facing a wall or the like. According to the configuration of the present invention, the filter can be attached by inserting the filter from the slit formed in the housing. Therefore, the filter can be easily attached and detached without moving the image forming apparatus.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the air passage is defined by an inner surface of the housing and a duct attached to the inner surface, and the holding means is formed on an inner surface of the duct. The filter mounting structure according to claim 1, further comprising a slide guide for guiding an end of the filter. According to this configuration, the filter inserted from the slit can be slid and attached by the slide guide, so that the filter can be easily attached and detached.

Further, since the ventilation path can be defined by using the inner surface of the housing 2, the sectional area of the ventilation path can be increased. Therefore, the duct can be arranged even in a narrow space. The invention according to claim 3 is
The filter mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a middle plate that appears when a part of the housing is opened, and the slit is formed in the middle plate.

According to this configuration, the filter can be attached by inserting the filter from the slit formed in the middle plate. When not cleaning or replacing the filter,
By closing a part of the housing, the filter can be prevented from being exposed to the outside, so that the appearance is good. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming section, and a ventilation path for guiding outside air to the image forming section, wherein the ventilation path has a configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects, and An image forming apparatus, wherein the air passage is provided with the filter mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an image forming apparatus having a filter mounting structure having the above effects. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming section, a photosensitive drum that is arranged in such a manner that an axis thereof extends in parallel to a back plate of the housing, and is long in the axial direction, and the back plate of the housing and the photosensitive member A developing device disposed so as to extend in the left-right direction between the developing device and the drum, wherein the ventilation path is disposed adjacent to an upper plate of the housing so as to pass above right and left sides of the developing device. And the slit is
5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the image forming apparatus is formed on an upper plate of the housing.

According to this structure, slits can be provided on both left and right sides of the rear portion of the upper plate of the housing. Accordingly, the filter can be attached and detached by reaching out from the front side of the image forming apparatus, so that there is no need to move the image forming apparatus even if there is no space on both left and right sides of the image forming apparatus. The effect is particularly high in a large-sized image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a wide sheet.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Although a copying machine will be described as an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the copying machine, and can be applied to an image forming apparatus such as a printer and a facsimile. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a copying machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side. The copying machine 1 is an image forming apparatus capable of forming an image on a wide sheet such as an A0 size sheet. In FIG. 1, the right rear side is the front, and the left front side is the rear.

The outer shape of the copying machine 1 is partitioned by a substantially rectangular housing 2. On the upper surface of the housing 2,
A document transport device 3 for transporting a document is attached. The upper surface of the housing 2 forms a document transport path for transporting the document.
A mounting table 4 for setting a document is provided. The document set on the mounting table 4 is moved by the document conveying device 3.
The document is conveyed backward through the space between the upper surface of the housing 2 and the document conveying device 3. A scanner (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the housing 2 so as to face the document feeder 3. The document set on the mounting table 4 is transported rearward by the document feeder 3. The image is read by the scanner.

At the upper part of the back plate 2a of the housing 2, air inlets 5 for taking in air outside the housing 2 into the housing 2 are formed at both left and right ends. Usually, the copying machine 1 is installed with its back surface facing a wall or the like. A rear end of the upper surface of the housing 2 is provided with an openable / closable cover 6.
It consists of. The opening / closing cover 6 is rotatably held by a rotating shaft 6a provided along the rear edge (see FIG. 4). An operating section 7 is projected from both left and right ends of the upper surface of the opening / closing cover 6. It can be rotated and opened.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of the copying machine 1. The copying machine 1 includes a paper storage unit 11 for storing paper such as roll paper, and a paper conveyance path 1 from the paper storage unit 11.
An image forming unit 14 for transferring a toner image based on the image of the document read by the scanner 13 onto the paper conveyed through the printer 2, and a fixing device 15 for fixing the toner image transferred to the paper And so on. The image forming unit 14 is arranged at an upper part in the housing 2,
In FIG. 2, the photosensitive drum 16 is driven to rotate counterclockwise. The photoconductor drum 16 is a member elongated in the axial direction, and the axis thereof is
Is arranged on the near side of the back plate 2a so as to extend in parallel to

The photosensitive drum 16 has a photosensitive layer on its outer peripheral surface, and after being uniformly charged by the discharge of the main charger 17, LED printing is performed based on the image of the original read by the scanner 13. Exposure is performed by light emitted from the head 18. As a result, a so-called electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 16. Between the back plate 2a of the housing 2 and the photosensitive drum 16,
The developing device 19 is arranged to extend in the left-right direction. Toner is adhered to the surface of the photosensitive drum 16 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed by the developing device 19 to form a toner image. When the photosensitive drum 16 is further rotated,
The transfer device 20 moves the paper transport path 1
The toner image is transferred to the sheet conveyed through the sheet 2. The toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 16 after the transfer of the toner image is collected by the cleaning device 21.

The sheet on which the toner image has been transferred is placed in a fixing device 1
5, the toner image is fixed by the fixing device 15, and then discharged to the outside of the housing 2 by the discharge roller 22. A duct 23 is provided at an upper rear portion inside the housing 2.
Are connected to the intake port 5. The duct 23 is provided with a fan 24 for taking in air outside the housing 2 from the air inlet 5 into the housing 2. The fan 24 and the duct 23 allow air outside the housing 2 to enter the image forming unit 14. Is to be led. Accordingly, the image forming unit 14 can be cooled, and oxidation products such as ozone and NOx generated by the discharge of the main charger 15 can be dispersed in the apparatus so as not to be stuck around the photosensitive drum 16. it can.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the duct 23 as viewed obliquely from above. The duct 23 is integrally formed of, for example, resin, and has an upper surface opened. The duct 23 is attached such that the upper end surfaces 31 a of the both side plates 31 abut the housing 2 from inside. Since the upper surface of the duct 23 can be partitioned using the housing 2, the cross-sectional area of the ventilation path can be increased. Therefore, the duct 23 can be arranged even in a narrow space.

The duct 23 is not limited to an integrally molded product made of resin, but may be formed by processing a metal or the like. Further, the duct 23 is not limited to the shape in which the upper surface is opened, and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape having an upper surface. In this case, since the duct 23 does not need to be brought into contact with the inner surface of the housing 2, the duct 23 may be arranged away from the inner surface of the housing 2.

A substantially rectangular window 32 is provided at an intermediate portion in the duct 23.
Is formed, and this partition plate 33
The rear side has a fan housing portion 34 for housing the fan 24.
Has made. A pair of slide guides 35 extending in the vertical direction are provided on the inner surfaces of both side plates 31 of the duct 23, respectively, in front of the partition plate 33. The pair of slide guides 35 are for supporting a side edge of a filter (not shown) so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for describing a mounting structure of the filter 41.
Is opened and the filter 41 is removed. The housing 2 includes a middle plate (upper plate) 48 that appears when the cover 6 is opened. A slit 42 extending in the left-right direction is formed in the middle plate 48 so that the duct 2
When the 3 is attached to the middle plate 48, the pair of slide guides 35 are connected below the slit 42.

The filter 41 includes a holder 43 and a holder 4
3 attached to the filter member 44. Holder 43
Are inserted portion 45 inserted into duct 23 and inserted portion 4
The filter member 44 is attached to the back surface of the insertion portion 45. The filter 41 is used by the operator to pinch the holding portion 46 and
The insertion portion 45 is inserted into the slit 42 from above the housing 2 by reaching from the front side of the.
Insertion part 45 of filter 41 inserted in slit 42
Is slid along the slide guide 35 and attached inside the duct 23. The filter 41 is inserted through a slit 42 formed on the upper surface of the housing 2.
Can easily be attached and detached. In particular, the filter 41 is installed from the front side of the copying machine 1.
Can be attached and detached, so that there is no need to move the copying machine 1 even if there is no space on the left and right sides of the copying machine 1.

When the fan 24 is operated, the blades 25 provided in the fan 24 rotate, and air outside the housing 2 is guided into the housing 2 as shown by arrows in FIG. If the fan 24 is operated while the filter 41 is installed in the duct 23, the air taken in the housing 2 may pass through the filter member 44, and the air may be absorbed by dust or smoke contained in the air. Foreign matter such as tar attaches to the filter member 44. Therefore, it is possible to prevent such foreign matter from entering the housing 2 and adversely affecting image formation.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, if the fan 24 is
The configuration is not limited to the configuration provided on the intake port 5 side, and the filter 41 may be provided on the intake port 5 side of the fan 24. In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust and tar from adhering to the blades 25 of the fan 24, the motor for rotating the blades 25, and the like.

The filter may be used not only for taking in air outside the device but also for discharging air inside the device. The filter 41 may filter the air when discharging the air in the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a copying machine according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear side.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a configuration of a copying machine.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the duct as viewed obliquely from above.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a main part for describing a filter mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Copier 2 Housing 2a Back plate 16 Photoconductor drum 19 Developing device 23 Duct 35 Slide guide 41 Filter 42 Slit 48 Middle plate (upper plate)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yamazaki 1-2-28 Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Kyocera Mita Corporation (reference) 2C061 AP03 AP04 AQ06 CN02 CN08 CN13 2H027 JB03 JB13 JB15 2H071 AA59 DA08 DA15 EA04 4D058 JA12 KA04 KC04 KC32 KC37 QA01 QA13 QA21 SA20

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A filter mounting structure for filtering air flowing through an air passage in a housing, the air passage being disposed adjacent to an inner surface of the housing, and the air passage formed in the housing. And a holding means for holding the filter so that the filter inserted from the slit crosses the ventilation path. 2. The air passage according to claim 1, wherein the air passage is provided on an inner surface of the housing.
The filter according to claim 1, wherein the filter is partitioned by a duct attached to the inner surface, and the holding means includes a slide guide formed on an inner surface of the duct and guiding an end of the filter. Mounting structure. 3. The filter mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the housing includes a middle plate that appears when a part of the housing is opened, and the slit is formed in the middle plate. . 4. An image forming section, and a ventilation path for guiding outside air to the image forming section, wherein the ventilation path has a configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the ventilation An image forming apparatus, wherein the road is provided with the filter mounting structure according to claim 1. 5. An image forming section comprising: a photosensitive drum elongated in an axial direction arranged so that an axis thereof extends in parallel with a back plate of a housing; A developing device arranged so as to extend in the left-right direction between the developing device, wherein the ventilation path is disposed adjacent to an upper plate of the housing so as to pass above right and left sides of the developing device. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the slit is formed in an upper plate of the housing.