JP2005079190A - Drive mechanism and image forming apparatus equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive mechanism which can discharge heat generated from a heat generation part in an apparatus outside the apparatus effectively and with space-saving structure, and an image forming apparatus equipped with it. <P>SOLUTION: The drive mechanism is provided with a driving motor 2 wherein a driven gear 4 in which a fin-shaped protrusion 10 is fixed to a part of rib 9. A fin 8 is fixed to an axial end in a direction opposite to a drive transmission pinion 3, and is used in the apparatus having the heat generation part. Electrical equipment substrates 5, 6 for object for controlling and power supplies are arranged to the downstream. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive mechanism section provided with means for cooling electrical components in the apparatus, and an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer provided with the drive mechanism section.

A technique for exhausting air in an optical unit of an image forming apparatus is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 5).
In these patent documents, a technique is disclosed in which a cooling fan is provided to exhaust air in the optical unit using a motor for driving a driving member in the image forming apparatus unit as a driving source.
JP-A-8-272169 JP 2001-106384 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-318496 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-129061 JP 2001-337499 A

However, in the above-described prior art, the heat generation amount from the power supply substrate is particularly large in the electrical board in the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and the heat causes deformation of the precision device such as another control board or hard disk due to heat. Adversely affected.
In order to eliminate the influence, a cooling device such as a fan is added in the image forming apparatus. However, it is difficult to arrange the substrate at a position where the substrate can be effectively cooled due to space limitations in the image forming apparatus. It was.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems by efficiently driving the heat generated from the heat generating part in the apparatus to the outside of the apparatus with a space-saving structure and an image provided with the driving mechanism part. It is to provide a forming apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 includes a driven gear having a fin-shaped protrusion on one portion of a rib and a drive motor having a fin attached to a shaft end opposite to the drive transmission pinion. In the drive mechanism unit used in the apparatus having the heat generating unit, the drive mechanism unit in which the control and power supply electrical boards are arranged on the downstream side thereof is the main feature.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus having the drive mechanism section according to the first aspect is the most main feature.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect is characterized in that the heat generating portion is an electrical board for control and power supply.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein a substrate that is located immediately behind the drive mechanism unit and that has a lower side for power supply and an upper side for control is disposed as the electrical board. Features.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, wind power is generated using the driving rotating unit without effectively providing a fan for exhausting heat generated from the electric circuit board disposed immediately behind the driving mechanism unit to the outside, and the substrate is effectively provided. Cooling can be performed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to generate wind force by using the driving rotating unit without effectively providing a fan for exhausting heat generated from the electric circuit board disposed downstream of the driving mechanism unit to the outside, and to effectively board the substrate. Cooling can be performed.
According to the third aspect, the heat of the heat generating part can be efficiently discharged to the outside.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the electrical board to be arranged is for the power source on the lower side and for the control side on the upper side, the heat from the power board is discharged to the outside by the wind force of the drive rotating unit before being transmitted to the control board. Therefore, the control substrate can be efficiently cooled.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic layout diagram showing an embodiment of a cooling means in an image forming apparatus implemented in an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
In an image forming apparatus A such as a copying machine or a printer, a drive motor 2 for driving the photosensitive member 1 to rotate or driving a paper conveying device (not shown), a drive transmission pinion 3 and a driven gear 4 for speed reduction are arranged. An electrical board (control board) 5 is laid out on the back side (right side in the figure) of the position to form a drive mechanism.
The electrical board (control board) 5 is laid out directly behind the position where the drive transmission pinion 3 and the driven gear 4 for deceleration are arranged. The direct back means that the electrical board (control board) 5 is arranged on the downstream side of the drive mechanism unit or facing the drive mechanism unit.
The control board 5 is arranged in a vertical state, the control board 5 is on the upper side in consideration of the workability of the user I / F, and a relatively heavy electrical board (power board) 6 is a machine. Considering the stability of the battery, it is placed on the lower side.
Then, since the power supply board 6 with a large calorific value is positioned on the lower side, the control board 5 on the upper side is affected by the heat. Although the board is divided into the control board 5 and the power supply board 6, if the expression of the electric board is used, both are electric boards. Therefore, the power supply board 6 is also arranged directly behind the drive mechanism, or on the downstream side or opposite thereto.
As a countermeasure, a cooling fan is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the power supply board 6 and the generated heat is discharged from the exhaust hole 7 provided on the exterior surface. In this embodiment, the function is not added at that time. To have.
In order to provide such a heat exhausting function, as one solution, the shaft 2a protrudes on the side opposite to the side where the drive transmission pinion 3 of the drive motor 2 is attached, and the fin 8 is attached.
That is, the output shaft of the drive motor 2 is projected not only forward but also backward, and the fin 8 is fixed to the rearward projecting portion and rotated when the shaft 2a is driven.

FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the driven gear 4 of FIG. In FIG. 2, the driven gear 4 has ribs 9 provided radially from the center, and the ribs 9 are provided with fin-shaped protrusions 10 so as to have a heat discharging function. The protrusion 10 has, for example, a shape in which the rib 9 is protruded in the axial direction of the driven gear 4. The protrusion 10 may fix another member to the rib 9, or the rib 9 may have a wide shape in advance.
When the drive motor 2 is rotated and transmitted, the air volume for cooling the substrate can be obtained from the drive (fan 8) and the follower (projection 10). Since the control board 5 is disposed directly behind the driving unit, the heat generated from the control board 5 can be effectively discharged to the outside.
Although not shown, a clutch is added to the drive transmission unit, a thermostat is provided near the control board, and if a temperature rise is detected even during non-printing, it is possible to obtain a cooling effect by idling the motor It is.
The present invention is considered to be a particularly effective means when there is no room for adding a fan in space. In a color tandem machine or the like, if there are four photoconductors and one drive motor is arranged for each photoconductor, the air volume can be obtained from a total of eight locations.
In addition, the cooling object by the fan of this invention is not restricted to an electrical component.
In addition, the drive mechanism portion provided with the cooling means of the present invention can be applied to electrophotographic image forming apparatuses such as copying machines, printers, and facsimile machines. That is, as is well known, an electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms an electrostatic latent image by irradiating an original reading light or the like onto a uniformly charged photoconductor, and this electrostatic latent image is developed by a developing device. And a general apparatus having a function of transferring and fixing a toner image obtained by developing with a developer from

  Applicability of the present invention includes a drive mechanism section provided with means for cooling the electrical components in the apparatus, a copier, a printer, and the like provided with this drive mechanism section.

FIG. 2 is a schematic layout diagram showing an embodiment of an image forming apparatus internal cooling unit implemented in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention. The right view which shows the driven gear of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

2 Drive motor 3 Drive transmission pinion 4 Driven gear 5 Electrical board (control board)
6 Electrical board (power board)
8 Fin 9 Rib of driven gear 10 Fin-shaped protrusion

Claims (4)

A heat generating unit comprising a driven gear having fin-shaped protrusions on one portion of a rib extending radially from the center, and a drive motor having fins attached to shaft ends opposite to the shaft ends supporting the drive transmission pinion In a drive mechanism used in an apparatus having
The drive mechanism unit, wherein an electrical board for control and power supply as a heat generation unit is disposed downstream of the drive mechanism unit.   An image forming apparatus comprising the drive mechanism section according to claim 1.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heat generation unit is an electrical board for control and power supply.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a substrate that is positioned immediately behind the drive mechanism unit and that has a lower side for power supply and an upper side for control is disposed as the electrical substrate.

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