JP2004219691A - Electrophotographic image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently dehumidify a part to be air-conditioned by forcibly supplying dehumidified air whose moisture is absorbed by drying agent to the part to be air-conditioned necessitating the dehumidifying processing, as to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: As to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on the surface of an image carrier 13 to a recording medium, the apparatus is provided with a humidity adjusting part 11 for storing the drying agent for absorbing the moisture in the air, and an air blowing means for supplying the air coming in contact with the drying agent and passing through the humidity adjusting part 11 to the part to be air-conditioned 19. Then, when the air blowing means is driven, the dehumidified air whose moisture is absorbed while passing through the humidity adjusting part 11 and coming in contact with the drying agent is supplied to the part to be air-conditioned 19, then, the part 19 is efficiently dehumidified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, various inventions have been proposed in which dehumidification is performed using a drying agent (dehumidifying material) in order to adjust the humidity around an image carrier and an image forming process unit. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). If the surroundings of the image carrier and the image forming process unit become humid, the fluidity of the toner and the charge amount of the toner are reduced, and the toner is not suitable for image formation. Further, the characteristic values (hardness and Young's modulus) of the rubber component such as the cleaning blade are deteriorated, and the quality of the formed image is reduced.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-5-66651
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-6-110272
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the electrophotographic image forming apparatuses described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 described above, the drying agent is simply installed inside the apparatus, and the dehumidified air cannot be satisfactorily guided to the air conditioning target portion. The dehumidifying effect on the air conditioning target is low.
[0005]
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of efficiently supplying dehumidified air absorbed by a desiccant to a target air conditioning unit that needs to be dehumidified, thereby efficiently dehumidifying the target air conditioning unit. To provide.
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of supplying dehumidified air for a long period without replacing a desiccant.
[0007]
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus capable of generating humidified air using water dehumidified with a desiccant and supplying the humidified air to a target air conditioning unit as needed. It is to be.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on a surface of an image carrier to a recording medium by an image forming process means, wherein a desiccant for absorbing moisture in air is stored. And a blower that supplies air that has passed through the humidity controller in contact with the desiccant to the air-conditioned unit.
[0009]
Therefore, by driving the air blowing means, the dehumidified air passing through the inside of the humidity adjusting unit and absorbing moisture by contacting the desiccant is supplied to the air conditioning target unit, and the air conditioning target unit is efficiently dehumidified.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, a desiccant regenerating unit that separates moisture absorbed by the desiccant from the desiccant is provided in the humidity adjustment unit. It is characterized by having.
[0011]
Therefore, since the moisture absorbed by the desiccant is separated from the desiccant by the desiccant regeneration means and the desiccant is regenerated, dry air can be supplied for a long period of time without replacing the desiccant.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, a water storage unit for storing water separated from the desiccant by the desiccant regeneration unit, and water stored in the water storage unit A humidifying unit for humidifying the air with the air-conditioning unit, and a second blowing unit for supplying the air humidified by the humidifying unit to the air-conditioning target unit.
[0013]
Therefore, the water separated from the desiccant by the desiccant regenerating means is stored in the water storage section, the stored water is humidified into the air by the humidifying means, and the humidified air is supplied to the air-conditioned portion by the second blowing means. Thereby, humidification of the air-conditioning target part can be performed. In this humidification, since water separated from the desiccant is used, the work of replenishing water is not required.
[0014]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, zeolite is provided as the drying agent.
[0015]
Therefore, since the humidity adjustment unit using zeolite has an inexpensive structure, the humidity adjustment of the air-conditioning target unit can be performed with an inexpensive configuration. In addition, since zeolite has a high performance of adsorbing moisture, high dehumidification performance can be obtained.
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a humidity detection unit that detects humidity of the air-conditioning target unit and a detection result of the humidity detection unit. And a control unit for driving any one of the air blowing unit or the humidifying unit and the second air blowing unit based on the air blowing unit.
[0017]
Therefore, the humidity of the air-conditioning target portion is automatically controlled to the optimum humidity, and good image formation can be stably performed.
[0018]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the air-conditioning target portion is located in a region near the image carrier and the image forming process means. There is a feature.
[0019]
Therefore, by intensively adjusting the humidity only in the vicinity of the image carrier or the image forming process unit that requires the humidity adjustment, the area for the humidity adjustment becomes small, and the power consumption required for the humidity adjustment is reduced. .
[0020]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the air-conditioning target portion is a transfer opening for transferring a toner image formed on a surface of the image carrier to a recording medium. It is characterized by being enclosed by a closed imaging case except for.
[0021]
Therefore, the dehumidified air and the humidified air supplied to the air-conditioning target stay in the image forming case for a long time, and the dehumidified air and the humidified air are effectively used, and the power consumption required for the humidity adjustment is reduced.
[0022]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a recording medium storage unit for storing a recording medium is added as the air conditioning target unit. Features.
[0023]
Therefore, the air whose humidity has been adjusted in the humidity adjustment unit is supplied to the recording medium storage unit, whereby the recording medium is prevented from excessively absorbing or drying, and the transportability and transferability of the recording medium are reduced. improves.
[0024]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, foreign matters in the air are removed from the air flow path through which the air supplied to the air-conditioning target portion flows. A foreign matter removing means for removing the foreign matter.
[0025]
Therefore, foreign matter contained in the air, such as dust and dirt, is removed by the foreign matter removing means from the air supplied to the air-conditioned part after the humidity is adjusted, so that the foreign matter is prevented from being contaminated by the foreign matter. Is done.
[0026]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the toner used for forming the toner image has a small particle diameter having an average particle diameter of 10 μm or less. It is characterized by being.
[0027]
In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, by using a small particle size toner having an average particle size of 10 μm or less, it is possible to form fine and high quality images. On the other hand, the cleaning conditions under which the cleaning blade can satisfactorily scrape off the residual toner from the image carrier become narrower, and the residual toner is less likely to be scraped off by the cleaning blade. For this reason, when using a toner having a small particle diameter, it is necessary to make the cleaning blade strongly contact the image carrier, and the contact causes abnormal noise from the contact portion, or the cleaning blade or the The life of the image carrier is shortened.
[0028]
Therefore, by supplying the air adjusted to the optimum humidity by the humidity adjusting unit to the air-conditioning target unit, particularly, in the vicinity of the image carrier, the charge amount of the toner and the amount of toner adhered to the image carrier are stabilized, and the cleaning is performed. Fluctuations in the characteristic value of the blade are reduced, and good cleaning characteristics are maintained even when a small particle size toner is used, and fine-grained images can be formed with high quality without being affected by residual toner.
[0029]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the humidity control unit is provided between the humidity control unit and the air conditioning target unit between the humidity control unit and the air conditioning target unit. An air circulation path for returning air supplied to the section to the humidity adjusting section is provided.
[0030]
Therefore, the humidity of the air supplied to the air-conditioning target unit is repeatedly adjusted, so that the power consumption required for the humidity adjustment is reduced and the humidity adjustment unit is compared with the case where new air is sucked in and the air is adjusted. The size can be reduced.
[0031]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a schematic structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an image forming module.
[0032]
In the apparatus main body 1 of the image forming apparatus, a recording medium transport path 4 is formed from a recording medium storage unit 2 in which recording media are stacked and held to a paper discharge unit 3 from which an image-formed recording medium is discharged. A registration roller 5, an image forming module 6, a transfer unit 7, a fixing unit 8 and the like are arranged along the recording medium transport path 4. Exposure means 9 for forming an electrostatic latent image on an outer peripheral surface of an image carrier, which will be described later, by emitting laser light as latent image forming light in accordance with image data, An exhaust unit 10 for exhausting air from the inside, and a humidity adjusting unit 11 for adjusting the humidity of air supplied into the image forming module 6 as described later are provided.
[0033]
The image forming module 6 includes a drum-shaped photosensitive member 13 serving as an image carrier, a static eliminator 14 serving as an image forming process unit, a charger 15 serving as an image forming process unit, and an image forming unit 12 in an image forming case 12. It is formed by housing a developing unit 16 as a process unit and a cleaning unit 17 as an image forming process unit. The image forming case 12 is formed in a structure in which a portion excluding a transfer opening 18 for transferring a toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 13 to a recording medium is closed. A region surrounded by the photoconductor 13 and the image forming process units 14 to 17 surrounded by the image forming case 12 is an air-conditioning target unit 19 to which the humidity adjusted air is supplied from the humidity adjustment unit 11. The image forming case 12 is formed with an air inlet 21 through which air supplied from the humidity controller 11 via the supply pipe 20 flows, and an air outlet 22 through which air is exhausted from the image forming case 12. ing. The air exhausted from the air exhaust port 22 flows through an exhaust pipe (not shown) and is exhausted outside the apparatus main body 1. Further, a slit-shaped exposure port 23 for exposing the surface of the photoconductor 13 with laser light (latent image forming light) emitted from the exposure unit 9 is formed in the image forming case 12. The exposure port 23 is covered with a transparent plate 24 such as glass or resin.
[0034]
A humidity sensor 25 is provided in the image forming case 12 as humidity detecting means for detecting the humidity of the air-conditioning target portion 19. It is preferable that the installation position of the humidity sensor 25 be as close as possible to the photoconductor 13 and the charger 15. The humidity sensor 25 stores the value of the set optimum humidity, compares the optimum humidity with the detection result of the humidity sensor 25, and controls and drives the humidity adjustment unit 11 according to the comparison result (FIG. (Not shown). The control unit includes a ROM that stores fixed data such as an optimal humidity value, a RAM that temporarily stores variable data such as a detection result from the humidity sensor 25, and the like, and performs arithmetic processing according to the fixed data and the variable data. It is configured as a microcomputer with a CPU to perform.
[0035]
In the cleaning unit 17, a cleaning blade 17a is provided. The cleaning blade 17a is a rectangular member formed of urethane rubber, is disposed in a direction extending in parallel with the rotation center of the photoconductor 13, and its edge portion is brought into contact with the surface of the photoconductor 13 with a predetermined pressure. ing.
[0036]
In the developing unit 16, a small particle size toner formed by a polymerization method or the like and having an average particle size of 10 μm or less is stored.
[0037]
Next, the structure of the humidity adjustment unit 11 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the humidity adjusting unit 11 includes a dehumidifying unit 26, an intake pipe 27, a dehumidified air supply pipe 28, a water storage tank 29 serving as a water storage unit, a transpiration sheet 30, a heater 31, a fan 32, a duct 33, a humidifying unit. It is composed of an air supply pipe 34, a humidified air exhaust pipe 35, and the like. The humidified air supply pipe 34 and the humidified air exhaust pipe 35 are merged and connected to the blowing path 20.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 4, the dehumidifying section 26 is formed in a rotor shape using zeolite as a desiccant as a material, and the rotor desiccant 36 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow by a motor (not shown), and a fan 37 as a blowing means , A heater 38, a fan 39, a radiator 40 and the like are housed in a dehumidifying case 26a. When the fan 37 is driven, air inside the apparatus main body 1 or outside the apparatus main body 1 is sucked into the dehumidifying case 26a through the intake pipe 27, and the sucked air comes into contact with the rotatable rotor desiccant 36 being driven. In the process, the moisture contained in the air is adsorbed into the cavities in the zeolite constituting the rotor-like desiccant 36 and dehumidified. The dehumidified air is supplied to the air-conditioned portion 19 through the dehumidified air supply pipe 28 and the supply pipe 20, and the air-conditioned portion 19 is dehumidified.
[0039]
The portion of the rotor-like desiccant 36 that rotates while adsorbing moisture in the air is heated by the heater 38 to generate high-humidity and high-temperature moisture, and the humidity is generated in the radiator 40 by driving the fan 39. The water is cooled in the radiator 40 to become water, and the water is stored in the water storage tank 29. The radiator 40 is cooled by the air sucked by driving the fan 37. Here, a desiccant regenerating means 42 for regenerating the rotor desiccant 36 by separating water from the rotor desiccant 36 by the heater 38 and the fan 39 is configured.
[0040]
Note that a switching mechanism may be provided that discharges high humidity generated by heating the rotor desiccant 36 with the heater 38 to the outside of the apparatus main body 1 without passing through the radiator 40. It is effective to switch the switching mechanism so as to release high humidity to the outside of the apparatus main body 1 when, for example, a sensor that detects the amount of water stored detects that the amount of water stored in the water storage tank 29 exceeds a predetermined amount. .
[0041]
As the desiccant constituting the rotor desiccant 36, silica gel or the like can be used in addition to the above-mentioned zeolite.
[0042]
Instead of the rotor-shaped desiccant 36, a belt-shaped desiccant in which the desiccant is formed in a belt shape may be used. In short, it is effective as long as the surface area of the desiccant can be increased.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 5, the water stored in the water storage tank 29 is sucked up in a wide area by the transpiration sheet 30, the air heated by the heater 31 is blown by the fan 32, and becomes humidified air to form a duct. 33. Here, the heater 31, the fan 32, and the transpiration sheet 30 constitute a humidifying unit 43 that humidifies the air using the water stored in the water storage tank 29.
[0044]
In the duct 33, as shown in FIG. 6, a switching shutter 44 that can be switched so as to guide the humidified air flowing into the duct 33 to the humidified air supply pipe 34 side or the humidified air exhaust pipe 35 side. Is provided. When the humidified air is guided into the humidified air supply pipe 34, the humidified air is supplied to the air conditioning target 19 through the supply pipe 20, and the air conditioning target 19 is humidified. Here, the fan 32 functions as a second blowing unit that supplies the air humidified by the humidifying unit 43 to the air conditioning target unit 19. On the other hand, when the humidified air is guided to the humidified air exhaust pipe 35, the humidified air is exhausted from the distal end side of the humidified air exhaust pipe 35 to the outside of the apparatus main body 1.
[0045]
In such a configuration, when the control unit determines that dehumidification of the air-conditioning target unit 19 is necessary based on the detection result from the humidity sensor 25, the rotor desiccant 36 is driven to rotate and the fan 37 , Heater 38 and fan 39 are driven. When the fan 37 is driven, air inside the apparatus main body 1 or outside the apparatus main body 1 is sucked into the dehumidifying case 26a through the suction pipe 27, and the sucked air comes into contact with the rotor-like desiccant 36 and passes therethrough. At the same time, the air is dehumidified during the passage. The dehumidified air is supplied to the air-conditioned portion 19 through the dehumidified air supply pipe 28 and the supply pipe 20, and the air-conditioned portion 19 is dehumidified. On the other hand, when the heater 38 and the fan 39 are driven, water is separated from the rotating rotor desiccant 36 and the rotor desiccant 36 is regenerated, and the moisture is cooled by the radiator 40 to become water. The water is stored in the water storage tank 29.
[0046]
If the control unit determines that the air conditioning target unit 19 needs to be humidified based on the detection result of the humidity sensor 25, the heater 31 and the fan 32 are driven, and the switching shutter 44 connects the duct 33 and the humidified air. The position is switched to a position communicating with the supply pipe 34. As a result, humidified air is generated by the humidifying means 43, and the humidified air is supplied to the air conditioning target portion 19 through the humidified air supply pipe 34 and the supply pipe 20, and the air conditioning target portion 19 is humidified.
[0047]
On the other hand, the switching shutter 44 is switched to a position where the duct 33 and the humidified air exhaust pipe 35 communicate with each other, and the fan 32 and the heater 31 are driven to humidify the air humidified by the water stored in the water storage tank 29. It can be automatically disposed of outside the apparatus main body 1 through the air exhaust pipe 35. Accordingly, when a predetermined amount of water accumulates in the water storage tank 29, an operation of discarding the water as needed is not required.
[0048]
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted (the same applies to the following embodiments).
[0049]
The basic configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, a recording medium storage section 2a is added as an air-conditioning target section. As a structure for supplying the humidity-adjusted air from the humidity adjustment unit 11 to the recording medium storage unit 2a, a branch supply pipe 20a branched from the supply pipe 20 is provided, and a distal end of the branch supply pipe 20a is provided. Are connected to the recording medium storage 2a.
[0050]
In such a configuration, the air (dehumidified air or humidified air) whose humidity has been adjusted by the humidity adjustment unit 11 can be supplied to the recording medium storage unit 2a. This prevents the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage unit 2a from excessively absorbing or drying excessively, and prevents the recording medium from excessively absorbing moisture and becoming stiff, resulting in transportability. The transfer failure and the double feed caused by the decrease and the excessive increase in the resistance value due to the excessive drying of the recording medium are prevented.
[0051]
If an appropriate humidity value is different between the air-conditioning target section 19 in the image forming case 12 and the recording medium storage section 2a, a humidity sensor is also provided in the recording medium storage section 2a. It is effective to provide an opening adjustment valve that adjusts the opening in accordance with the detection value of the humidity sensor 25 at the connection between the supply pipe 20 and the branch supply pipe 20a.
[0052]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a filter 51, which is a foreign matter removing unit for removing foreign matter in the air, for example, dust, is provided in a supply pipe 20, which is an air flow path through which air supplied to the air-conditioning target units 19, 2a flows. Is provided.
[0053]
In such a configuration, foreign substances such as dust and dirt included in the air are removed from the air supplied to the air-conditioning target portions 19 and 2a after the humidity is adjusted (dehumidified or humidified). Therefore, foreign matter in the air is prevented from entering the air-conditioning target portions 19, 2a, and contamination of the air-conditioning target portions 19, 2a by the foreign matter is prevented.
[0054]
The position where the filter 51 is provided is not limited to the position on the supply pipe 20, and may be on the inflow side of the air into the humidity adjustment unit 11.
[0055]
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, an air circulation path 61 is provided between the humidity adjustment unit 11 and the air conditioning target unit 19 so as to return the air supplied from the humidity adjustment unit 11 to the air conditioning target unit 19 to the humidity adjustment unit 11. I have. This air circulation path 61 can be constituted by a pipe connecting the air exhaust port 22 formed in the image forming case 12 and the dehumidifying case 26a, and the supply pipe 20 described in each of the above-described embodiments. .
[0056]
In such a configuration, according to the present embodiment, the humidity is repeatedly adjusted for the air supplied to the air-conditioning target unit 19, and compared with the case where new air is sucked in and the humidity is adjusted. The power consumption required for the humidity adjustment can be reduced, and the humidity adjustment unit 11 can be downsized.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
According to the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, by driving the blowing means, the dehumidified air that has passed through the humidity adjustment unit and contacted the desiccant to absorb moisture has been subjected to air conditioning. The air conditioner can be efficiently supplied to the air conditioner.
[0058]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, a desiccant regenerating unit that separates moisture absorbed by the desiccant from the desiccant is provided in the humidity adjustment unit. The desiccant can be regenerated by separating moisture absorbed by the desiccant from the desiccant by the desiccant regeneration means, and the dry air can be air-conditioned for a long time without replacing the desiccant. Can be supplied to the target part.
[0059]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, a water storage unit for storing water separated from the desiccant by the desiccant regenerating means and water stored in the water storage unit. Humidifying means for humidifying the air with the humidified water is provided in the humidity control unit, and second air blowing means for supplying the air humidified by the humidifying means to the air-conditioned unit is provided. The water separated from the desiccant is stored in the water storage unit, the stored water is humidified into the air by the humidifying unit, and the humidified air is supplied to the air-conditioned unit by the second blowing unit, thereby humidifying the air-conditioned unit. In this humidification, water separated from the desiccant is used, so that the operation of replenishing water can be eliminated.
[0060]
According to the invention described in claim 4, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, since zeolite is provided as the desiccant, the humidity adjustment unit using zeolite is Since the structure is inexpensive, the humidity of the air-conditioning target can be adjusted with an inexpensive configuration.
[0061]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a humidity detecting unit configured to detect a humidity of the air-conditioning target unit, and a humidity detecting unit configured to detect the humidity. Since it has a control unit that drives one of the blowing unit or the humidifying unit and the second blowing unit based on the result, it is possible to automatically control the humidity of the air conditioning target unit to the optimal humidity, Good image formation can be stably performed.
[0062]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the air-conditioning target part is located near the image carrier and the image forming process means. Since it is an area, it is possible to intensively adjust the humidity only in the area near the image carrier and the image forming process means that require humidity adjustment, and to reduce the humidity adjustment area to reduce the power consumption required for humidity adjustment. Can be reduced.
[0063]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the air-conditioning target section is configured to transfer a toner image formed on a surface of the image carrier to a recording medium. Since it is surrounded by the closed imaging case except for the opening, the dehumidified air and humidified air supplied to the air-conditioned area can stay in the imaging case for a long time, and the dehumidified air and humidified air can be removed. It can be used effectively and the power consumption required for humidity adjustment can be reduced.
[0064]
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a recording medium storage unit that stores a recording medium is added as the air conditioning target unit. Therefore, it is possible to supply the air whose humidity has been adjusted in the humidity adjustment unit to the recording medium storage unit, and to prevent the recording medium stored in the recording medium storage unit from excessively absorbing or drying excessively. The transportability and transferability of the recording medium can be improved.
[0065]
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the foreign matter in the air is present in the air flow path through which the air supplied to the air conditioning target flows. Is provided, the foreign matter contained in the air, such as dust, can be removed by the foreign matter removing means from the air adjusted to the humidity and supplied to the air-conditioned object portion. In addition, it is possible to prevent the air-conditioning target portion from being stained by such foreign matters.
[0066]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the toner used for forming the toner image has a small average particle diameter of 10 μm or less. Since the toner is a diameter toner, the air adjusted to the optimal humidity by the humidity adjustment unit is supplied to the air-conditioning target unit, especially near the image carrier, so that the charge amount of the toner and the amount of toner attached to the image carrier are stabilized. And the characteristic value fluctuation of the cleaning blade can be reduced, good cleaning characteristics can be maintained even when a small particle size toner is used, and a high quality image can be formed with a fine texture and not affected by residual toner. .
[0067]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the humidity adjustment unit is provided between the humidity adjustment unit and the air-conditioning target unit. Since the air circulation path for returning the air supplied to the air-conditioning target to the humidity adjusting unit is provided, it is possible to repeatedly adjust the humidity of the air supplied to the air-conditioning target, and to inhale new air. As compared with the case of adjusting the humidity of the air, the power consumption required for the humidity adjustment can be reduced, the size of the humidity adjustment unit can be reduced, and the like.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a schematic structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an image forming module.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a temperature adjustment unit.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure of a dehumidifying unit.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a humidifying unit.
FIG. 6 is a front view showing a switching structure using a switching shutter.
FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional front view showing a schematic structure of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a front view showing a part of a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a part of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Device body
2a Air conditioning target unit, recording medium storage unit
11 Humidity adjustment unit
12 Image Case
13 Image carrier
14 Image forming process means
15 Image forming process means
16 Image forming process means
17 Image forming process means
18 Transfer opening
19 Air-conditioning target part
20 Air flow path
25 Temperature detection means
29 Reservoir
32 Second blowing means
36 Desiccant, zeolite
37 Blowing means
42 Desiccant regeneration means
43 Humidifying means
51 Foreign matter removal means
61 Air circulation path

Claims (11)

In an electrophotographic image forming apparatus for transferring a toner image formed on a surface of an image carrier by an image forming process unit to a recording medium,
A humidity adjustment unit that stores a desiccant that absorbs moisture in the air,
Blowing means for supplying air that has passed through the humidity adjustment unit in contact with the desiccant to the air conditioning target unit,
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus, comprising: 2. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a desiccant regenerating unit for separating moisture absorbed by the desiccant from the desiccant is provided in the humidity adjusting unit. A water storage unit for storing water separated from the desiccant by the desiccant regeneration unit and a humidification unit for humidifying air with water stored in the water storage unit are provided in the humidity control unit, and are humidified by the humidification unit. 3. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a second blowing unit for supplying the air to the air-conditioning target unit. 4. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein zeolite is provided as said desiccant. A humidity detecting unit that detects the humidity of the air-conditioning target unit, and a control unit that drives one of the blowing unit or the humidifying unit and the second blowing unit based on a detection result of the humidity detecting unit. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air-conditioning target area is a region near the image carrier and the image forming process unit. 7. The air-conditioning target unit is surrounded by a closed image forming case except for a transfer opening for transferring a toner image formed on a surface of the image carrier to a recording medium. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus as described in the above. 8. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a recording medium storage unit for storing a recording medium is added as the air conditioning target unit. The electrophotographic system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a foreign matter removing unit for removing foreign matter in the air is provided in an air flow path of the air supplied to the air conditioning target unit. Image forming device. 10. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the toner used for forming the toner image is a small particle diameter toner having an average particle diameter of 10 [mu] m or less. An air circulation path is provided between the humidity adjustment unit and the air-conditioning target unit, the air circulation path configured to return air supplied from the humidity adjustment unit to the air-conditioning target unit to the humidity adjustment unit. Item 11. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 10.

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