JP2005017881A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that can efficiently cool equipment in the apparatus, which is an object on which air needs to be blown, has an excellent outward appearance, and can reduce a feeling of annoyance that a user has. <P>SOLUTION: The image forming apparatus is equipped with an air intake 42 formed in the front of a housing 2a, an air outlet 51 formed in the bottom surface of the housing 2a on its back side, and an air blowing fan 700 which generates an air flow guided from the air intake 42 to the air outlet hole 51 to cool the object to be cooled in the housing. The air intake 42 is provided in a recess 40 formed at a proper place in the front of the housing 2a. A cover member 20 in a shape conforming with the recess 40 is fitted in the recess 40 while covering the front side of the air intake 42. A gap 60 which communicates with the air outlet 42 is provided between the entire peripheral edge of the cover member 20 and the recess 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, a scanner apparatus, and a facsimile apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that needs to blow an internal mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, there are in-apparatus equipment that raises the internal atmosphere in accordance with its operation. For example, in image printing on a sheet, first, a predetermined toner image is formed by electrophotographic process on a sheet conveyed from a sheet feeding unit in an image forming unit, and then heat and pressure are applied to the toner image in a fixing unit. After fixing, it is performed by a process of discharging onto a paper discharge tray. In the fixing unit, heat and pressure are applied by a high-temperature heating roller, and the internal atmosphere becomes high temperature by this heating roller.
[0003]
If the inside of the device is left in such a high temperature atmosphere, there is a risk that the influence of this temperature will affect the peripheral equipment in the surroundings. The air inside the apparatus is cooled by changing the atmosphere in the apparatus by discharging the high temperature air and taking in the outside air (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Specifically, in Patent Document 1, an intake port for taking outside air into the apparatus is provided on one side surface of the image forming apparatus, and an exhaust port for exhausting air inside the apparatus to the outside is provided on the other side surface of the apparatus. An axial fan for forming an air flow from the intake port to the exhaust port is provided between the intake port and the exhaust port, and the device is blown to the device in the apparatus by the air flow. An air-cooled image forming apparatus is disclosed.
[0005]
Further, in this type of image forming apparatus, the in-apparatus devices are elongated from the front side to the back side of the image forming apparatus, and these in-apparatus devices are arranged in the left-right direction, which is the paper transport direction in the image forming apparatus. Generally, it is provided.
[0006]
Therefore, the air flowing in from the intake port is exhausted from the exhaust port after sequentially cooling the devices in the device including the fixing unit provided at the substantially central portion in the device along the sheet conveyance direction. Has been made.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2003-76253 A
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such an image forming apparatus, the in-apparatus devices are arranged side by side in the left-right direction so that the paper can be sequentially conveyed. It is difficult to cool the in-apparatus equipment by ventilating with the equipment inside the apparatus being detoured to the front side or the back side and efficiently blowing air.
[0009]
Moreover, in recent years, finishers that perform post-processing such as sorting and stapling and large-capacity paper feed units are sometimes installed on both sides of the image forming apparatus. The position is constrained, and more efficient ventilation is difficult.
[0010]
On the other hand, an image forming apparatus in which an air inlet is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus is also known. This is transmitted directly to the user, causing discomfort to the user. In particular, dust and the like adhere to the periphery of the air intake port, and the dust attached to the device may adhere to the user who is operating the device.
[0011]
This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, can blow efficiently with respect to the in-device apparatus which is a ventilation target object, is excellent in an external appearance, and can reduce the discomfort given to a user. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus that can be used.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an intake portion having an intake port formed on a front surface of a housing, an exhaust portion having an exhaust port and formed on the back side of the housing, and In the image forming apparatus including a blower fan that is led from the intake port to the exhaust port and generates an air flow for blowing air to an internal target object, the intake unit is provided at an appropriate position in front of the housing. A recess having the air inlet formed in the bottom, and a cover member fitted in the recess and covering the air inlet and having an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the recess, and A gap communicating with the intake port is provided between the entire periphery of the cover member and the recess.
[0013]
According to the present invention, an air intake portion having an intake port formed on the front surface of the housing and an exhaust portion having an exhaust port and formed on the back side of the housing are provided, and an air flow connecting these intake and exhaust ports is provided. Is generated by the fan for blowing air, so that the outside air taken in from the front side can be spread evenly by sewing the gaps between the devices in the apparatus that are the air blowing target object, and efficiently blow the air to the air blowing target object. . In addition, the finisher and the paper feed unit are not always installed on the front side of the image forming apparatus, so there is no restriction on the position where the air inlet is provided, and the air blowing efficiency is improved in relation to the apparatus in the apparatus. Therefore, for example, the cooling efficiency can be increased.
[0014]
Here, when the air inlet is provided on the front side of the image forming apparatus, there is a concern that the internal operation sound is directly transmitted to the user and the appearance is impaired. However, in the present invention, the air inlet is provided in the housing. A cover member having an outer peripheral shape corresponding to the outer peripheral shape of the recess is fitted in the recess so as to cover the front side of the intake port. As the cover member is sound-insulated, the internal operating sound is not directly transmitted to the user, thereby reducing the discomfort given to the user, while the cover member is housed in the recess so as to be inconspicuous. Therefore, the appearance appearance can be improved. In addition, since a gap communicating with the intake port is provided between the entire peripheral edge of the cover member and the concave portion, the outside air can be sufficiently taken in and even if dust or the like adheres to the gap, the outer edge of the cover member It is inconspicuous by being dissolved in the glass, and a good appearance can be maintained for a relatively long time. Further, since the cover member is disposed in the recess and dust or the like adheres to the bottom of the recess, the dust or the like does not adhere to the user even if the user touches the front of the image forming apparatus.
[0015]
In this invention, it is preferable that the outer periphery shape of the said cover member is formed in decoration shapes, such as a specific pattern and a symbol (Claim 2). If comprised in this way, even if dust etc. adhere and darken, it will melt | dissolve in the outer edge of a decoration shape, and will become still more inconspicuous.
[0016]
In this case, the color of the peripheral portion of the cover member is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the cover member is colored with a color with low brightness (Claim 3). If comprised in this way, the outer edge of the cover member as a decoration member will become clear, the decoration effect of a cover member will not only improve, but even if dust etc. adhere, it does not stand out and maintains a favorable external appearance. be able to.
[0017]
In this case, if the cover member is colored with a high brightness color (Claim 4), the decorative effect of the cover member is further improved.
[0018]
Although the installation position of the blower fan and the formation position of the intake port are not particularly limited, for example, the blower fan is disposed at least at the same height or above the object to be cooled, It is preferable that the intake port is provided at a height corresponding to the blower fan. If comprised in this way, the high temperature air etc. inside an apparatus can be discharged | emitted effectively, and it can ventilate efficiently with respect to the apparatus in an apparatus.
[0019]
Further, in the present invention, an intake guide member having an intake guide port through which air introduced into the intake port is guided is provided between the cover member and the bottom of the recess, and the intake guide port is viewed from the front. In this case, it is preferably formed at a position shifted from the intake port. With this configuration, since the intake guide port is formed at a position shifted from the intake port in a front view, the air introduced from the peripheral edge of the cover member does not flow directly into the intake port and is bent. As a result, the introduction of dust or the like into the apparatus is reduced. In addition, the presence of the intake guide member improves the sound insulation effect against the operating noise inside the apparatus.
[0020]
In the present invention, the exhaust section has a duct formed on the back side of the housing, and the duct is installed at a position where one end of the duct substantially faces the intake port, and the other end is a bottom surface of the housing. It is preferable that it is installed at a position substantially opposite to the exhaust port formed in the above (Claim 7). If comprised in this way, the formation position of an exhaust port can be set to the bottom face of a housing, maintaining the ventilation efficiency inside an apparatus at a high level.
[0021]
Further, the present invention is suitably employed when the object requiring air blowing is a fixing unit that fixes a toner image formed on a sheet by heating or a charging unit that charges a photosensitive drum (claim). Item 8 and Claim 9). That is, since the fixing unit fixes the toner image formed on the paper by heating, it is necessary to efficiently blow air around the fixing unit to cool the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, since the discharge product gas generated when charging is generated in the charging portion, it is necessary to remove it. Therefore, when the object to be blown is an in-apparatus device, it is possible to blow efficiently.
[0022]
Further, in the present invention, the air intake port includes an image forming unit that forms a predetermined toner image on the sheet in front view and a toner image on the sheet that is disposed adjacent to the image forming unit in front view. It is preferable to be positioned at a substantially central portion between the fixing portion to be fixed by heating. With this configuration, high-temperature air around the fixing unit does not flow into the image forming unit, and the blowing functions as a so-called air curtain. Therefore, the influence of heat in the image forming unit can be suppressed as much as possible, and the atmosphere around the fixing unit can be efficiently cooled.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are overall schematic views showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described as a multifunction machine having functions such as a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. For example, a copier, a printer apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, and a scanner are described. It can also be applied to devices and the like.
[0024]
The image forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 having an image forming unit 300 in a housing 2a, a paper supply device 3 installed on the side of the apparatus main body 2 (right side in FIG. 2), The side on which the apparatus 3 is installed comprises a finisher 6 installed on the other side.
[0025]
The apparatus main body 2 includes a paper feeding unit 100 disposed at a lower portion of the apparatus main body 2, a paper transport unit 200 disposed on the side and above the paper feeding unit 100, and a paper feeding unit 100. An image forming unit 300 disposed above the image forming unit 300, a fixing unit 400 disposed on the side of the image forming unit 300, and an image reading unit disposed above the image forming unit 300 and the fixing unit 400. 500. These in-apparatus devices, that is, the image forming unit 300, the fixing unit 400, and the like are elongated in the apparatus main body unit 2 along the width direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction, and the image forming unit is disposed in the upper part of the housing 2a. The fixing unit 400 and the fixing unit 400 are sequentially arranged in parallel along the sheet conveyance direction (left-right direction).
[0026]
The sheet feeding unit 100 feeds a stack of sheets stacked and loaded in the sheet feeding cassette 111 one by one from the uppermost sheet to the sheet conveying unit 200 by the rotation operation of the sheet feeding roller 112. The paper transport unit 200 transports the paper fed from the paper feed unit 100 or the paper feeder 3 to the image forming unit 300 by various roller pairs 202 and 203, and further forms an image in the image forming unit 300 and the fixing unit 400. The sheet subjected to the above is conveyed to the finisher 6 by the conveying roller pair 205. In double-sided printing, the sheet is conveyed again to the image forming unit 300 after the image transfer surface is reversed by the switchback unit 206. When the finisher 6 is not installed, the sheet is discharged to a discharge tray provided on the side of the apparatus main body 2 by a conveying roller pair 205 (discharge roller pair).
[0027]
The image reading unit 500 irradiates a document placed on the contact glass 501 with light from an exposure lamp, and guides the reflected light to a photoelectric conversion unit including a CCD line sensor or the like via a reflecting mirror. The image information is read.
[0028]
The image forming unit 300 is disposed below the image reading unit 500 and forms a predetermined toner image on a sheet by an electrophotographic process. The image forming unit 300 is a photoconductive photoconductive having a shaft supported rotatably. A charging drum 302, an exposure unit 303, a developing unit 304, a transfer unit 305, a cleaning unit 306, and a charge eliminating unit 307 are provided around the photosensitive drum 301 along the rotation direction thereof.
[0029]
The fixing unit 400 is disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit 300 in the sheet conveying direction, and the sheet on which the toner image has been transferred in the image forming unit 300 is transferred by a pair of fixing rollers including a heating roller 401 and a pressure roller 402. The toner image is fixed on the paper by being sandwiched and heated.
[0030]
The paper feeding device 3 accommodates a large amount of paper and feeds the paper toward the paper transport unit 200 of the apparatus main body 2. In the sheet feeding device 3, the lift unit 310 on which a large amount of sheets are stacked moves up and down so that the uppermost part of the stacked sheets is conveyed to the apparatus main body 2 side by the separation roller 320 and the conveying roller pair 330. It has become.
[0031]
The finisher 6 performs post-processing such as punching and stapling on the paper transported from the transport roller pair 205 of the apparatus main body 2 and book binding processing for folding the paper at the center and binding the book. After that, the paper is discharged to the discharge trays 622 and 623.
[0032]
The basic operation state of the image forming apparatus 1 will be briefly described. The photosensitive drum 301 that rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 by the charging unit 302 is uniformly charged, and the image read by the image reading unit 500 is read. Based on the information, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive drum 301 by a laser beam from the exposure unit 303 (laser operation unit or the like), and a developer (toner) is attached to the electrostatic latent image by the developing unit 304. A toner image is formed.
[0033]
A sheet is conveyed from the sheet feeding device 3 or the sheet feeding unit 100 to the image forming unit 300 through the sheet conveying unit 200 toward the photosensitive drum 301 on which the toner image is formed as described above. The toner image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 301 is transferred onto a sheet by a transfer unit 305 including a transfer roller. The sheet onto which the toner image has been transferred is separated from the photosensitive drum 301 and conveyed to the fixing unit 400 to fix the toner image. The sheet that has passed through the fixing unit 400 is conveyed to the finisher 6 through the conveying roller 205, and is discharged to the sheet discharge trays 622 and 623 after predetermined post-processing such as stapling and punching.
[0034]
Then, after the transfer by the transfer unit 305, the photosensitive drum 301 is charged by the charging unit 302 again as necessary after removing residual toner and residual charge by the cleaning unit 306 and the charge removal unit 307.
[0035]
By operating as described above, the image forming apparatus 1 generates heat from each apparatus in the apparatus such as the image forming unit 300 and the fixing unit 400, particularly the fixing unit 400, and the inside of the housing 2a of the apparatus main body 2 is compared. A hot atmosphere. In addition, when the charging unit 302 charges the photosensitive drum 301, a discharge generated gas is generated.
[0036]
If this high temperature atmosphere is left as it is, there is a risk of adversely affecting the equipment in the apparatus. On the other hand, since it is necessary to remove the discharge generated gas, the image forming apparatus 1 replaces the atmosphere in the housing and each apparatus. It is supposed to blow air to the internal equipment.
[0037]
In other words, the image forming apparatus 1 is provided with the intake portion 10 on the front surface of the housing 2a in the apparatus main body 2 and the exhaust portion 50 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) on the back surface of the housing. A blower fan 700 comprising an axial fan is provided between the exhaust part 50 and the exhaust part 50, and an air flow is formed by the blower fan 700, and outside air is taken in from the intake part 10, while the exhaust part 50 takes in the housing 2 a. It is supposed to be able to discharge air.
[0038]
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the arrangement position of the intake section 10, and FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the arrangement position of the intake section 10. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the intake section 10.
[0039]
The intake section 10 is provided at a predetermined position on the front surface of the housing 2a of the apparatus main body section 2. Specifically, the air intake unit 10 is provided at a position corresponding to the photosensitive drum 301 and the fixing unit 400 in the image forming unit 300 in front of the housing 2a.
[0040]
The intake portion 10 is fitted into the recess 40 provided in the predetermined position of the housing 2a, an intake port 42 provided through the housing 2a in the back bottom portion 40a of the recess 40, and the recess 40. The intake guide member 30 is combined, and the cover member 20 is fitted in the recess 40 with the intake guide member 30 interposed therebetween. Then, by the operation of the blower fan 700, the outside air is sucked from the gap 60 formed between the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 and the recess 40, and passes through the intake guide port 33 and the intake port 42 provided in the intake guide member 30. Outside air is taken into the housing 2a (see FIG. 8).
[0041]
Specifically, the cover member 20 is formed such that at least the outer peripheral edge is formed in a decorative shape such as a predetermined pattern or symbol, and the cover member 20 itself has a decorative effect. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cover member 20 is formed in a shield plate shape with a hexagonal outer periphery, and this itself functions as an emblem. Moreover, the cover member 20 is comprised as a plate-shaped body formed by bulging ahead as it goes to the center part in the width direction. In particular, in the present embodiment, predetermined characters, symbols, and the like such as company names and product names are displayed in the inner region of the cover member 20 surface. Further, the cover member 20 may be colored with a high brightness color, or may be configured to emit light by incorporating a light emitting means in the cover member 20.
[0042]
Locking pieces 21 projecting rearward are provided at predetermined locations (seven locations in the present embodiment) on the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20. The locking piece 21 has a locking claw 21 a that protrudes outward at the tip, and the locking claw 21 a is locked in a locking hole 34 (to be described later) of the intake guide member 30. 20 is fixed in a state in which it is fitted into a recessed space (described later) of the intake guide member 30.
[0043]
In addition, the cover member 20 is provided with columnar pressing protrusions 22 projecting rearward at two places in the upper and lower portions of the central portion in the width direction on the back surface side. The pressing protrusion 22 is for pressing the intake guide member 30 to an appropriate location in the recess 40 and providing a gap as a ventilation path between the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30 in the depth direction. The intake guide member 30 is provided so as to face a position restricting projection 32 described later. A female screw hole 22a is provided at the distal end surface of the pressing protrusion 22, and is fixed to the housing 2a together with the intake guide member 30 by a male screw (not shown) while the cover member 20 is fitted.
[0044]
Note that the number and the location of the protruding protrusions 22 are not particularly limited, and can be set as appropriate in consideration of the attachment of the intake guide member 30. Further, reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the cover member 20 are appropriately provided at appropriate positions on the back surface (back surface) side of the cover member 20.
[0045]
On the other hand, the intake guide member 30 is disposed on the back side (rear side) of the cover member 20 and is configured as a dish-like body with the front side recessed corresponding to the shape of the cover member 20. A ventilation gap 60 is provided between the peripheral wall portion of the intake guide member 30 and the cover member 20 in a state of being housed in the recessed space of the dish-like body. The total opening area of the gap 60 is not particularly limited, but is preferably formed to be equal to or slightly wider than the total opening area of the air inlet 42. If comprised in this way, it can inhale efficiently and generation | occurrence | production of the sound accompanying intake can be suppressed effectively.
[0046]
And the flange part 31 which protrudes outward is provided in the opening edge of this dish-shaped body over the perimeter. By engaging the flange portion 31 with the peripheral portion of the recess 40, a gap as a ventilation path is provided between the bottom portion of the intake guide member 30 and the deep bottom portion 40 a of the recess 40. That is, the bottom portion of the intake guide member 30 and the deep bottom portion 40a of the recess 40 are arranged in a state of being spaced apart by a predetermined interval.
[0047]
In addition, columnar position restricting protrusions 32 projecting to the front side are provided at two upper and lower portions in the central portion in the width direction of the intake guide member 30. The position restricting protrusion 32 is provided for providing a gap as a ventilation path between the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30 in cooperation with the pressing protrusion 22 of the cover member 20. Is set so that the front surface of the flange portion 31 and the front surface of the cover member 20 are substantially flush with each other in a state where the air intake guide member 30 is accommodated.
[0048]
As shown in FIG. 7, the position restricting protrusion 32 has a hollow shape that opens rearward (back side), and a positioning protrusion 41 (to be described later) of the recess 40 can be tightly fitted from the rear. ing. On the other hand, a female screw hole 32a is provided in the distal end surface of the position restricting projection 32 in a state penetrating the intake guide member 30, and as described above, together with the cover member 20 by a male screw (not shown) inserted from the housing 2a. It is fixed to the housing 2a.
[0049]
A predetermined number (seven in this embodiment) of intake guide ports 33 are formed around the position restricting protrusion 32 at the bottom of the intake guide member 30 so as to penetrate the bottom, and the cover member 20 and the flange 31 ( The outside air that flows in from the gap 60 between the recess 40) is introduced into the back surface side (the intake port 42 side) of the intake guide member 30. The intake guide port 33 is formed in a circular shape, and is formed at a position shifted from the intake port 42 provided in the recess 40 in a front view. That is, the air intake guide ports 33 are arranged in a staggered manner with respect to the air intake ports 42, and are formed so that air does not flow linearly from the front side to the back side of the housing 2a. The total opening area that is the sum of the opening areas of all the intake guide ports 33 is not particularly limited, but is preferably formed to be equal to or slightly wider than the total opening area of the intake ports 42.
[0050]
In addition, a substantially rectangular locking hole 34 is provided around the intake guide port 33 in the intake guide member 30 and at portions (seven locations) corresponding to the locking pieces 21 of the cover member 20. The locking claw 21a of the locking piece 21 is locked to the peripheral edge of the locking hole. In this locked state, the cover member 20 is temporarily fixed in a state where the gap 60 is formed in the recessed space of the intake guide member 30.
[0051]
Further, the intake guide member 30 is made of a synthetic resin material to which a colorant is added, and the whole is colored with a low-lightness color (for example, black, amber, dark brown, etc.). In selecting this color, it is preferable to set a color with low brightness, for example, a color with a brightness of 96 or less, and more preferably, the brightness is set to 48 or less. The hue is not particularly limited, but a hue having a relatively high saturation is preferable. As described above, since the intake guide member 30 is colored with a low-lightness color, the cover member 20 becomes conspicuous. On the other hand, the peripheral portion of the cover member 20 in the intake guide member 30 serves as an edge of the cover member 20. Function.
[0052]
In addition, as a coloring method, not only the thing formed with the synthetic resin colored as mentioned above but the thing which apply | coats a coating material may be used. Further, the entire intake guide member 30 may not be colored, but only the periphery including the flange portion 31 may be colored.
[0053]
The recess 40 is formed in a state in which the front wall of the housing 2 a is recessed, and has a shape corresponding to the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30. Specifically, it has a hexagonal shield shape corresponding to the cover member 20, is slightly smaller than the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion 31 of the intake guide member 30, and is slightly larger than the outer peripheral edge of the peripheral wall of the intake guide member 30. Is formed.
[0054]
A cylindrical positioning protrusion 41 that protrudes to the front side is provided at two positions above and below the central portion in the width direction of the bottom 40 a of the recess 40. The positioning protrusion 41 is fitted into the hollow space of the position restricting projection 32 of the intake guide member 30 to support the center portion of the intake guide member 30 and to perform positioning thereof. The height of the positioning protrusion 41 is adjusted so that a gap as a ventilation path is formed between the intake guide member 30 and the deep bottom 40 a of the recess 40.
[0055]
Further, the positioning protrusion 41 has a columnar shape, and is provided in a state where the female screw hole 41a passes through the axial center portion thereof. The female screw hole 41a is set to have the same diameter and concentric shaft as the female screw holes 22a and 32a of the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30, and one male screw can be screwed into these female screw holes. It is configured as follows.
[0056]
Around the positioning protrusion 41, a plurality (five in the illustrated example) of air inlets 42 are formed through the front wall of the housing 2a. The shape of the intake port 42 is not particularly limited, but is formed in a circular shape in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a plurality of intake ports 42 are provided, but the number of intake ports is not particularly limited, and for example, a single intake port may be provided.
[0057]
Further, a contact portion 43 that bulges into the recess 40 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 40, and the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the intake guide member 30 is in contact with the intake guide member 30 so that the intake guide member 30 is not rattling. It is supposed to be done. Note that at least the tip of the contact portion 43 may be formed of an elastic member. In this case, the contact portion elastically holds the intake guide member 30 and the holding force is improved.
[0058]
Next, the assembly of the intake part 10 will be described.
[0059]
First, the cover member 20 is assembled to the intake guide member 30. That is, the cover member 20 is housed and fitted in the recessed space of the intake guide member 30 with the engagement piece 21 facing the engagement hole 34 of the intake guide member 30. At this time, the locking piece 21 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the locking hole 34. When the cover member 20 is further pressed against the intake guide member 30 in this state, the locking piece 21 is elastically deformed to get over the peripheral edge, When the latching claw 21 a passes through the latching hole 34, the latching piece 21 is elastically recovered, and thereby the latching claw 21 a is latched to the rear side peripheral portion of the latching hole 34.
[0060]
Next, the intake guide member 30 to which the cover member 20 is attached is fitted into the recess 40 of the housing 2a, and in this state, male screws are screwed into the female screw holes 22a, 32a, 41a of the respective members from the back side of the housing 2a. Thus, the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30 are fixed to the housing 2a.
[0061]
Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, the intake portion 10 is provided between the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 and the recess 40, specifically, the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 and the flange portion 31 of the intake guide member 30. A gap 60 is formed between them. The gap 60 communicates with the space in the housing 2 a through the gap between the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30, the intake guide port 33, the gap between the intake guide member 30 and the bottom of the recess 40, and the intake port 42.
[0062]
On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the exhaust part 50 is provided on the back side of the housing 2 a, and has an exhaust port 51 provided on the back side bottom part of the housing 2 a and one end substantially at the intake part 10. An exhaust duct 52 that opens oppositely and communicates with the exhaust port 51 at the other end is provided. A louver (not shown) is attached to the exhaust port 51. The specific configuration of the exhaust unit 50 is not particularly limited, and a known mechanism is employed.
[0063]
Further, in the blower fan 700, specifically, two axial fans are provided inside the housing 2a, and are arranged side by side along the left-right direction (paper transport direction) on the back side of the air intake unit 10. One axial fan is disposed above the photosensitive drum 301, while the other axial fan is disposed above the fixing unit 400. Accordingly, the axial flow fan 700 can form a relatively fast air flow above the image forming unit 300 including the photosensitive drum 301 and the fixing unit 400. In addition, the fan 700 for ventilation does not specifically limit specific structures, such as a number and a kind, It is good also as what provides a single other well-known fan.
[0064]
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus 1 will be described.
[0065]
When the power of the image forming apparatus 1 is turned on, the heating roller 401 and the like are heated as an operation preparation, the inside of the housing 2a becomes a high temperature atmosphere, and when the copying operation is executed, the charging unit 302 in the image forming unit 300 is performed. Discharge generated gas is generated around. On the other hand, when the image forming apparatus 1 is powered on, the blower fan 700 is driven to form an air flow.
[0066]
Specifically, when the blower fan 700 is driven, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 8, the outside air flows from the gap 60 between the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 and the flange portion 31 of the intake guide member 30. And the air intake guide member 30, the air intake guide port 33, the air gap between the air intake guide member 30 and the bottom of the recess 40, and the air intake port 42, the air is sucked into the housing 2 a, and the apparatus inside the housing 2 a, particularly photosensitive The apparatus passes between the image forming unit 300 including the body drum 301 and the charging unit 302 and the fixing unit 400 to efficiently cool the devices in the apparatus and efficiently discharge the discharge generated gas to the outside of the housing 2a. The air flow inside the intake section 10 is arranged to be shifted from the intake port 42 and the intake guide port 33, so that it becomes a bent flow and effectively prevents dust and the like from being guided directly into the housing 2a. Is done. Then, the air introduced into the housing 2a is exhausted to the outside of the housing 2a through the exhaust part 50 together with the air heated by these in-device devices. As described above, since the air intake portion 10 including the air inlet 42 is provided in front of the housing 2a and in the vicinity of the image forming portion 300 and the fixing portion 400 that are relatively high in the housing 2a, the apparatus in the apparatus is made efficient. Can be cooled.
[0067]
In addition, by providing the air intake 10 on the front surface of the apparatus main body 2, the position where the air intake 10 is provided is not restricted even when a relatively large finisher 6, paper feeder 3, or the like is installed. The intake section 10 can be provided at an optimum position in consideration of the blowing efficiency for cooling and discharging the discharge generated gas.
[0068]
In addition, a relatively harsh operating sound is generated with the rotational operation of the blower fan 700. In this image forming apparatus 1, the intake guide member covers the front side of the intake port 42 on the front side of the intake port 42. 30 and the cover member 20 are provided, the operating sound does not leak directly to the outside, and the internal operating sound of the apparatus main body 2 is effectively blocked. Therefore, the discomfort given to the user by the operation sound can be reduced.
[0069]
Further, the cover member 20 is fitted and housed in the recess 40 via the intake guide member 30, and the front surface of the apparatus main body 2 is substantially flush, so that the appearance is not impaired and the decorated cover member Since the cover member 20 is bordered by the flange portion 31 having a low brightness, the appearance configuration is improved on the contrary.
[0070]
Even if dust or the like adheres to the periphery of the flange portion 31 of the air intake portion 10 with use, the edge portion of the cover member 20 decorated with the flange portion 31 having low lightness is not noticeable.
[0071]
In addition, dust or the like adheres exclusively to the bottom portion of the intake guide member 30 around the gap 60, but this bottom portion is located slightly recessed from the front of the housing 2a, so that the dust or the like adheres to the user who is operating the apparatus. Nor.
[0072]
Although the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment has been described above, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. is there. For example, the following changes are possible.
[0073]
(1) In the above embodiment, the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 is formed in a hexagonal shield shape having a decorative effect, but the shape of the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 is not particularly limited.
[0074]
However, if the outer peripheral edge of the cover member 20 is not a simple shape such as a circle or a square, but a decorative shape having a decorative effect, it is advantageous in that it is less noticeable even if dust or the like adheres. The decorative shape is not particularly limited as long as it has a decorative effect by itself, such as a cuboid shape shaped like an animal or a plant in addition to the emblem shape as in the above embodiment.
[0075]
(2) In the above embodiment, the cover member 20 and the intake guide member 30 are fixed to the housing 2a by male screws inserted from the back side of the housing 2a. However, this assembly structure is not particularly limited. .
[0076]
For example, the locking claw 21a of the locking piece 21 in the cover member 20 is not locked by the locking hole 34 of the intake guide member 30, but the locking piece 21 is inserted into the locking hole 34 and locked. It is good also as what latches the nail | claw 21a in the 2nd latching hole newly provided in the recessed part 40. FIG. If comprised in this way, an external thread can be abbreviate | omitted, and in connection with this, a number of parts and an assembly process can be reduced, and it is advantageous at the point of cost and labor.
[0077]
(3) A soundproofing material such as foamed synthetic resin may be attached to the back surface (back surface) of the cover member and the intake guide member to improve the sound insulation effect. However, when a soundproof material is provided, it is preferable to provide a heat-resistant soundproof material because the periphery of the intake portion 10 becomes relatively hot.
[0078]
(4) In the above embodiment, the exhaust port 51 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 2a and the exhaust port 51 is exhausted through the exhaust duct 52. However, as shown in FIG. May be omitted, and the exhaust port 51 may be provided on the back surface of the housing 2a.
[0079]
Further, a fan for forming an exhaust flow may be provided at an appropriate position such as the upper part of the exhaust duct 52 or the peripheral part of the exhaust port 51.
[0080]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to effectively generate an air flow around the object to be blown in the image forming apparatus, and efficiently with respect to the object to be blown. For example, an object to be blown can be efficiently cooled, or gas generated in the operation process can be efficiently discharged. In addition, the position where the air inlet is provided is hardly restricted, and can be freely set from the viewpoint of improving the air blowing efficiency.
[0081]
In addition, the operating noise of the blower fan is effectively blocked by the cover member provided on the front side of the air inlet, thereby reducing discomfort given to the user.
[0082]
Furthermore, since the cover member is housed in the recess and made inconspicuous, the appearance can be improved. In addition, since the outside air is taken in from the gap between the entire peripheral edge of the cover member and the recess, the outside air can be sufficiently taken in from the entire circumference of the cover member, and dust and the like adhere to the outside air. However, it melts into the outer peripheral edge of the cover member and is not conspicuous, and a good appearance can be maintained for a relatively long time.
[0083]
In addition, dust and the like accompanying the above use adheres exclusively to the bottom of the concave portion recessed from the front wall of the device, so that the dust or the like hardly adheres to the user who is operating the device. The discomfort given can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an arrangement positional relationship of an intake portion of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing the arrangement positional relationship of the intake portions of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an exploded state of an intake portion of the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cover member of the image forming apparatus from the back side.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an intake guide member of the image forming apparatus from the back side.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow in the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow in the image forming apparatus.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an air flow in the image forming apparatus according to another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Image forming device
2a housing
3 Paper feeder
6 Finisher
10 Air intake part
20 Cover member
30 Intake guide member
33 Inlet guide port
34 Locking hole
40 recess
40a deep bottom
42 Inlet
51 Exhaust port
60 gap
300 Image forming unit
301 Photosensitive drum
400 Fixing part
700 Blower fan

Claims (10)

An intake portion having an intake port formed on the front surface of the housing; an exhaust portion having an exhaust port and formed on the back side of the housing; In an image forming apparatus provided with an air blowing fan that generates an air flow for air blowing,
The intake portion is provided at an appropriate position on the front of the housing, and corresponds to the recess shape in which the intake port is formed at the bottom and fitted into the recess and covers the intake port. An image forming apparatus comprising: a cover member having an outer peripheral shape; and a gap communicating with the intake port is provided between the entire periphery of the cover member and the recess. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cover member has an outer peripheral shape formed into a decorative shape such as a specific pattern or symbol. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a peripheral portion of the cover member is colored with a color having low brightness. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the cover member is colored with a high brightness color. The blower fan is disposed at least at the same height as or above the object to be blown, and the intake port is provided at a height corresponding to the blower fan. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1. An intake guide member having an intake guide port for guiding air introduced into the intake port is provided between the cover member and the bottom of the recess, and the intake guide port is shifted from the intake port in a front view. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is formed at a predetermined position. The exhaust part has a duct formed on the back side of the housing, and the duct is installed at a position where one end of the duct substantially faces the intake port, and the other end is formed on the bottom surface of the housing. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is installed at a position substantially opposite to the mouth. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the object to be blown is a fixing unit that fixes a toner image formed on a sheet by heating. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air blowing target object is a charging unit that charges the photosensitive drum. The air inlet includes an image forming unit that forms a predetermined toner image on a sheet when viewed from the front, and a fixing unit that fixes the toner image on the sheet disposed adjacent to the image forming unit when viewed from the front by heating. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming apparatus is located at a substantially central portion between the first and second portions.

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