JP2006154499A - Cooling device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling device capable of cooling a plurality of heat sources without increasing the costs and size of the device and an image forming apparatus provided with the cooling device. <P>SOLUTION: A cooling part 94 for cooling a control part 91, a power supply part 92, a driving part 93, and a printer part 95 in a printer is provided with: a cooling fan 941 for sucking and exhausting outside air; a circular louver 942 arranged on the exhaust side of the cooling fan 941 and constituted so that a blade 942b is attached obliquely to the blowing direction of the cooling fan 941; a power part 943 consisting of a gear 943a and a motor 943a for rotating the louver 942; and a louver drive control part 912 capable of controlling the rotational position of the louver 942 by the power part 943. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device that cools a plurality of heat sources and an image forming apparatus including the cooling device.

The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a cooling fan and a cooling fan as a cooling device for preventing a fixing device that heats and fixes a toner image formed on a sheet from being heated to a predetermined temperature or higher. A duct for guiding the air flow to the fixing device is attached.
JP 2003-76209 A

  However, in the cooling device configured as described above, since the cooling fan has a single direction of air, each cooling device is required to cool a portion where the temperature rises other than the fixing device, such as the photosensitive drum and the power supply unit. Thus, there is a problem that the cost increases due to the increase in the number of parts and the size of the apparatus increases.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a cooling device capable of cooling a plurality of heat sources without increasing the cost and increasing the size of the device, and an image forming apparatus including the cooling device. Objective.

  A cooling device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a cooling device that cools a plurality of heat sources, the cooling fan that sucks and exhausts outside air, and the cooling fan that is provided on the exhaust side of the cooling fan. A circular louver inclined with respect to the air blowing direction of the fan and attached with blades; a rotating means for rotating the louver; and a rotation control means for adjusting the rotational position of the louver by controlling the rotating means; It is provided with.

  According to the above configuration, the inclination direction of the louver blades can be changed by 360 degrees by adjusting the rotational position of the louver by the rotation control means. Therefore, it is possible to blow air to each of the plurality of heat sources by one cooling device, and it is possible to cool the plurality of heat sources uniformly without increasing the cost and increasing the size of the device.

  An image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a plurality of heat sources and the cooling device according to the first aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus includes a plurality of heat sources according to the operation status of the apparatus. Selecting means for selecting a heat source to be cooled by the cooling device, the rotation control means rotating the louver by the rotating means, and inclining direction of the blades to the heat source to be cooled selected by the selecting means It is characterized by directing.

  According to the above configuration, the heat source to be cooled by the cooling device is selected from the plurality of heat sources according to the operation state of the apparatus by the selection unit, and the direction of inclination of the louver blades is selected in the heat source selected by the selection unit. The rotational position of the louver is adjusted by the rotation control means so as to be directed. Thereby, according to the operation | movement condition of this apparatus, when each heat source is driving, it can blow in the direction of the heat source, and can cool the location where the temperature is rising appropriately.

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the plurality of heat sources drive at least a power supply unit that supplies a power supply voltage to each part of the apparatus, and each part of the apparatus to perform a printing process. A drive unit that controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus, and a fixing unit that heats and fixes an image formed on the recording paper, and the selection unit sets the control unit as a cooling target when the power is turned on. The driving unit is selected as a cooling target during printing, the fixing unit is selected as a cooling target after printing, and the power source unit is selected as a cooling target during standby.

  According to the above configuration, the control unit is selected as the cooling target when the power is turned on by the selection unit, the drive unit is selected as the cooling target during printing, the fixing unit is selected as the cooling target after printing, and the cooling target is selected during standby. A power supply is selected. Thereby, according to the timing which each part of a power supply part, a drive part, a control part, and a fixing part operate | moves, it can blow in that direction and can cool the location where the temperature is rising appropriately.

  An image forming apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the image forming apparatus is attached in the vicinity of each of the heat sources, detects the ambient temperature of the heat sources, and cools the heat sources. Temperature condition storage means for storing necessary temperature condition data, and the selection means determines whether or not the ambient temperature of each heat source detected by the temperature detection means matches the temperature condition of each heat source. A judging means for judging is provided, and the heat source judged to meet the temperature condition of each heat source by the judging means is selected as a cooling target.

  According to the above configuration, it is determined whether or not the ambient temperature of each heat source detected by the temperature detection unit matches the temperature condition of each heat source by the determination unit, and the heat source determined to match the temperature condition of each heat source is The cooling means is selected by the selection means. As a result, even if the temperature conditions that require cooling differ depending on the characteristics of the devices used for each heat source, only the heat sources that require cooling that match the temperature conditions set for each heat source can be cooled. And more efficient temperature control can be performed.

  According to the cooling device of the first aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of heat sources can be cooled by one cooling device, and the cost can be reduced and the device can be downsized.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, depending on the operation state of the apparatus, when each heat source is driven, the air can be blown in the direction of the heat source, and the temperature is increased. The part can be cooled appropriately.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, air is blown in the direction in accordance with the operation timing of each of the power supply unit, the drive unit, the control unit, and the fixing unit, so that the temperature rises Proper cooling is possible.

  According to the image forming apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to cool only the heat source that needs to be cooled that matches the temperature condition set for each heat source, and to perform more efficient temperature control. it can.

(First embodiment)
The image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. The image forming apparatus is a tandem type color printer, and includes a paper feed unit 10, a transfer conveyance unit 20 disposed above the paper feed unit 10, and an image formation disposed above the transfer conveyance unit 20. A fixing unit 40 disposed on the left side of the transfer conveyance unit 20, and a conveyance path 50 that guides the recording paper P subjected to the fixing process by the fixing unit 40 to the discharge tray 80.

  The paper feeding unit 10 includes a paper feeding cassette 11 on which recording paper P is deposited, a paper feeding roller 12 that picks up the recording paper P deposited on the paper feeding cassette 11 one by one, and discharges the recording paper P to the conveyance path 13 side. A pair of conveyance rollers 14, 15, and 16 that convey the recording paper P along the conveyance path 13 to the transfer conveyance unit 20 are provided. The image forming unit 30 includes image forming units 30K, 30Y, 30M, and 30C that form toner images of black (K), yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), respectively. Since the image forming units 30K to 30C have the same configuration, only the image forming unit 30K will be described.

  The image forming unit 30K includes a photosensitive drum 31, a charging unit 32, an exposure unit 33, a developing unit 34, and a cleaner unit 35. The photosensitive drum 31 is a cylindrical member, receives a driving force from a motor (not shown), and rotates in a clockwise direction (A direction in the drawing). The exposure unit 33 includes a light source such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode, and irradiates the photosensitive drum 31 charged by the charging unit 32 with an optical signal corresponding to the image data, thereby generating an electrostatic latent image of the image data. Form. The developing unit 34 includes a toner box 341 that stores K toner, and supplies K toner to the photosensitive drum 31 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed, thereby forming a K toner image. The K toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 31 is transferred onto the recording paper P by the transfer roller 22. The cleaner unit 35 removes toner adhering to the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 to which the K toner image is transferred.

  The transfer conveyance unit 20 includes a transfer belt 21, a transfer roller 22, a right roller 23, and a left roller 24. The right roller 23 is disposed below the image forming unit 30K, and the left roller 24 is disposed below the image forming unit 30C. The transfer belt 21 is an endless belt stretched between a right roller 23 and a left roller 24, and is rotated at a constant speed in a counterclockwise direction (B direction) by the right and left rollers 23 and 24. The The transfer belt 21 is made of a heat-resistant resin material such as polyimide resin. Four transfer rollers 22 are disposed on the inner peripheral side of the transfer belt 21 and at positions facing the four photosensitive drums 31. The transfer roller 22 is made of a conductive rubber material or the like, and transfers the toner image of each color formed on the photosensitive drum 31 onto the recording paper P.

  The fixing unit 40 includes a heat shielding box 41, a fixing roller 42 with a built-in heater, and a pressure roller 43. The toner image is fixed on the recording paper P by heating and conveying the recording paper P on which the toner image is formed. Let

  The printer includes a control unit 91, a power supply unit 92, a drive unit 93, and a cooling unit 94. The power supply unit 92 detects on / off of a power switch (not shown) attached to a predetermined position of the printer, and supplies or stops a power supply voltage to each unit of the apparatus. The drive unit 93 includes a drive control board on which a motor drive circuit and the like are disposed, and drives drive motors such as the photosensitive drum 4, the charging unit 5, the exposure unit 6, and the cooling unit 94. The control unit 91 includes an ASIC (Application Specific IC), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which program data is recorded, a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a work area of the CPU, and the like. The CPU is a control board that outputs a drive instruction of each part of the apparatus to the drive unit 93 based on the program data recorded in the ROM. The cooling unit 94 is attached in the vicinity of the rear side surface of the apparatus main body, and cools the temperatures of the power supply unit 92, the driving unit 93, the control unit 91, and the fixing unit 40.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram of the cooling unit 94. The cooling unit 94 sucks outside air from a suction port (not shown) provided on the rear side of the apparatus main body, and exhausts the air into the apparatus. The cooling unit 94 is disposed on the exhaust side of the cooling fan 941. And a power unit 943 including a gear 943a and a motor 943b for rotating the louver 942.

  The louver 942 includes a circular outer frame 942a having a gear-like side surface, and blades 942b attached to the inner side of the outer frame 942a so as to be inclined with respect to the blowing direction of the cooling fan 941. Louver 942 is connected to motor 943b through gear 943a, and gear 943a and louver 942 rotate in conjunction with the rotation of motor 943b. The rotation direction of the louver 942 changes the inclination direction of the blade 942b, and the wind direction of the cooling fan 941 changes. Here, a drive motor 943b dedicated to the cooling fan 941 is provided, but a louver 942 is connected via a clutch to a main drive motor that drives other drive systems such as the photosensitive drum 31 and the fixing unit 40, for example. You may use as motive power for louver rotation.

  3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the cooling unit 94. FIG. 3A is a rotational position of the louver 942 when the control unit 91 is cooled, and FIG. 3B is a rotational position of the louver 942 when the power source unit 92 is cooled. (C) is a diagram illustrating the rotational position of the louver 942 when the drive unit 93 is cooled, and (d) is a diagram illustrating the rotational position of the louver 942 when the fixing unit 40 is cooled. For example, when the control unit 91 is cooled, the rotational position of the louver 942 is controlled by the power unit 943 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 becomes the control unit 91, as shown in FIG. When cooling the power supply unit 92, as shown in FIG. 3B, the rotational position of the louver 942 is controlled by the power unit 943 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 becomes the power supply unit 92, and the drive unit 3C, the rotational position of the louver 942 is controlled by the power unit 943 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 becomes the driving unit 93 as shown in FIG. When cooling, the power unit 943 rotates the louver 942 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 becomes the fixing unit 40 as shown in FIG. There is controlled.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer. The printer unit 95 includes the paper feeding unit 10, the transfer conveyance unit 20, the image forming unit 30, and the fixing unit 40 shown in FIG. The control unit 91 is connected to the printer unit 95 and the cooling unit 94 via the drive unit 93 and controls the operation of each unit. The control unit 91 includes a fan drive control unit 911, a louver drive control unit 912, and a cooling target selection unit 913. The fan drive control unit 911 controls the rotational drive and stop of the cooling fan 941. Specifically, when a drive signal for driving the cooling fan 941 is output from the fan drive control unit 911 to the drive unit 93, electric power is supplied from the drive unit 93 to a drive motor (not shown) for the cooling fan 941 to cool the cooling fan 941. When rotation of the fan 941 starts and a drive stop signal for stopping driving of the cooling fan 941 is output from the fan drive control unit 911 to the drive unit 93, power is supplied from the drive unit 93 to the drive motor for the cooling fan 941. Is stopped, and the rotation of the cooling fan 941 is stopped.

  The louver drive control unit 912 controls the rotational drive and stop of the louver 942. Specifically, when a drive signal for driving the cooling fan 941 is output from the fan drive control unit 911 to the drive unit 93, power is supplied from the drive unit 93 to a drive motor (not shown) for the louver 942, and the louver 942. Is started, and a drive stop signal for stopping the drive of the louver 942 is output from the fan drive control unit 911 to the drive unit 93, and power is supplied from the drive unit 93 to a drive motor (not shown) for the louver 942. Is stopped, and the rotation of the louver 942 is stopped.

  The cooling target selection unit 913 selects a cooling target in accordance with the operation status of the apparatus. For example, when the power is turned on, the control unit 91 performs processing such as initialization of each part of the apparatus, and the ASIC, CPU, etc. Since the temperature of the device is expected to rise, the control unit 91 is selected as a cooling target. The cooling target selection unit 913 is expected to increase the temperature of the driving unit 93 while the printing process is started and the printing process is performed by the image forming unit 30 including the sympathetic drum 31, the exposure unit 33, and the like. Therefore, the drive unit 93 is selected as a cooling target. Further, when the printing process is completed, the cooling target selection unit 913 selects the fixing unit 40 as a cooling target to cool the heated fixing unit 40, and after the printing process is completed and a predetermined period elapses, shifts to a standby mode. Then, the power supply unit 92 is selected as a cooling target.

  The louver drive control unit 912 controls the rotational position of the louver 942 so that the cooling fan 941 is blown to the portion selected as the cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 913. For example, when the control unit 91 is selected as an object to be cooled, the louver drive control unit 912 rotates the louver 942 via the drive unit 93 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 faces the control unit 91, thereby cooling the louver drive control unit 912. When the drive unit 93 is selected as the target, the louver 942 is rotated via the drive unit 93 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 faces the drive unit 93. In addition, when the fixing unit 40 is selected as a cooling target, the louver drive control unit 912 rotates the louver 942 via the driving unit 93 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 faces the fixing unit 40, When the power supply unit 92 is selected as the object to be cooled, the louver 942 is rotated via the drive unit 93 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 faces the power supply unit 92.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the processing by the control unit 91 for controlling the wind direction of the cooling unit 94. The cooling target selection unit 913 determines whether or not the power is turned on (step S101), and when it is detected that the power is turned on, the control unit 91 is selected as a cooling target (step S103). The fan drive control unit 911 starts driving the cooling fan 941 (step S105), and the louver drive control unit 912 controls the rotation of the louver 942 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 is directed to the control unit 91. Then, air is sent from the cooling fan 941 to the controller 91 (step S107). As a result, the control unit 91 is cooled while the respective units of the apparatus are being initialized by the control unit 91 when the power is turned on.

  Next, the cooling target selection unit 913 receives a print start instruction from a host computer connected to the printer via a network such as a LAN, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the power was turned on, or shifted to a standby state. It is determined whether the process has started and the state has shifted to the printing state (step S109). As a result, when a transition is made to the standby state in step S109, the power supply unit 92 is selected as a cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 913 (step S111), and the louver drive control unit 912 changes the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 to the power supply unit. The rotation control of the louver 942 is performed so as to be directed to 92, and the blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is switched from the control unit 91 to the power supply unit 92 (step S113). During the standby state, Steps S109 to S113 are repeated to cool the power supply unit 92.

  On the other hand, when the printing state is shifted in step S109, the driving unit 93 is selected as a cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 913 (step S115), and the louver drive control unit 912 sets the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 to the driving unit 93. Rotation control of the louver 942 is performed so that the air flow direction of the cooling fan 941 is switched from the power supply unit 92 to the drive unit 93 (step S117). Further, it is determined whether or not the printing process is completed by the cooling target selection unit 913 (step S119). When the printing process is completed, the fixing unit 40 is selected as a cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 913 (step S121). Then, the louver drive control unit 912 controls the rotation of the louver 942 so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 is directed to the fixing unit 40, and the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is switched from the driving unit 93 to the fixing unit 40 ( Step S123). Then, the cooling target selection unit 913 determines whether or not the predetermined period has elapsed (step S125), and the blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is maintained by the fixing unit 40 until the predetermined period elapses, and the elapse of the predetermined period. Thereafter, the process returns to step S109, and the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is switched to the power supply unit 92 or the driving unit 93 by the transition to the standby state or the printing state.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the air direction of the cooling fan 941 can be changed by 360 degrees by rotating the louver 942, and therefore, the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the driving unit 93, and the fixing unit are performed by one cooling unit 94. 40 Each part can be uniformly cooled, and cost reduction and downsizing of the apparatus can be realized. Further, for example, after the power is turned on, an initialization process is performed by the control unit 91 according to the operation state of the apparatus, and the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is directed to the control unit 91 during a period when the temperature of the control unit 91 rises. During the printing process in which the temperature of the drive unit 93 rises, the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is directed to the driving unit 93, and after the printing process is finished, the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 is directed to the fixing unit 40 heated by the fixing process. Further, during the standby state in which the control unit 91, the drive unit 93, and the fixing unit 40 are relatively not driven, the air blowing direction of the cooling fan 941 can be directed to the power source unit 92, depending on the operation status of the apparatus. Thus, the portion where the temperature is rising can be appropriately cooled.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an image forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  The temperature condition storage unit 916 stores temperature condition data that requires cooling of the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the drive unit 93, and the fixing unit 40. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of temperature condition data stored in the temperature condition storage unit 916. The control unit 91, the drive unit 93, the power supply unit 92, and the fixing unit 40 have different temperature conditions that require cooling depending on the devices provided in the respective units. For example, the control unit 91 has an ambient temperature of 30 ° C. The cooling condition of the part 92 is an ambient temperature of 40 ° C. or more, the cooling condition of the drive unit 93 is an ambient temperature of 50 ° C. or more, and the cooling condition of the fixing unit 40 is an ambient temperature of 40 ° C. or more.

  Returning to FIG. 6, temperature sensors 917, 921, 931, and 401 are provided in the vicinity of or in the vicinity of the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the drive unit 93, and the fixing unit 40. The cooling target selection unit 914 detects the ambient temperatures of the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the driving unit 93, and the fixing unit 40 detected by the temperature sensors 917, 921, 931, and 401, and each unit is a temperature condition storage unit 916. A determination unit 915 for determining whether or not the temperature condition data of each unit stored in the table is satisfied is selected, and a portion determined to satisfy the temperature condition data by the determination unit 915 is selected as a cooling target.

  The louver drive control unit 912 rotates the louver 942 in order to direct the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 to the location selected as the cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 914. When the set temperature of the temperature condition data is exceeded at a plurality of locations among the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the drive unit 93, and the fixing unit 40, the louvers are arranged so that the inclination directions of the blades 942b of the louver 942 are alternately directed to those locations. Rotate 942. As a result, even when a plurality of locations exceed the respective set temperatures, the plurality of locations can be alternately cooled by the single cooling fan 941.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the processing by the control unit 91 for controlling the wind direction of the cooling unit 94. If the ambient temperature of the control unit 91 detected by the temperature sensor 917 is 30 ° C. or higher detected by the cooling target selection unit 914 (step S201), and the ambient temperature of the control unit 91 is 30 ° C. or higher ( If the control unit 91 is selected as a cooling target (step S203) and the ambient temperature of the control unit 91 is lower than 30 ° C. (No in step S201), the process proceeds to step S205. Further, it is determined whether or not the ambient temperature of the power supply unit 92 detected by the temperature sensor 921 by the cooling target selection unit 914 is 40 ° C. or more (step S205), and the ambient temperature of the power supply unit 92 is 40 ° C. or more. In the case (Yes in Step S205), the power supply unit 92 is selected as a cooling target (Step S207), and when the power supply unit 92 is lower than 40 ° C. (No in Step S205), the process proceeds to Step S209.

  In step S209, it is determined whether or not the ambient temperature of the drive unit 93 detected by the temperature sensor 931 by the cooling target selection unit 914 is 50 ° C. or higher, and the ambient temperature of the drive unit 93 is 50 ° C. or higher ( If the drive unit 93 is selected as a cooling target (step S211) and the drive unit 93 is less than 50 ° C. (No in step S209), the process proceeds to step S213. In step S213, it is determined whether the ambient temperature of the fixing unit 40 detected by the temperature sensor 401 by the cooling target selection unit 914 is 40 ° C. or higher, and the ambient temperature of the fixing unit 40 is 40 ° C. or higher ( If the fixing unit 40 is selected as a cooling target (step S215) and the fixing unit 40 is below 40 ° C. (No in step S213), the process proceeds to step S217.

  Next, driving of the cooling fan 941 is started by the fan drive control unit 911 (step S217), and the louver drive is performed so that the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 is directed to the location selected as the cooling target by the cooling target selection unit 914. The louver 942 is rotated by the control unit 912 (step S219). In addition, when there are a plurality of cooling targets, for example, when the ambient temperature of the control unit 91 is 30 ° C. or more and the ambient temperature of the drive unit 93 is 50 ° C. or more, the inclination direction of the blade 942b of the louver 942 is the control unit 91. The louver drive control unit 912 controls the rotation of the louver 942 so as to alternately face the drive unit 93. Thereby, the control part 91 and the drive part 93 are cooled by the ventilation of the cooling fan 941 alternately.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the ambient temperature of each part of the control unit 91, the power supply unit 92, the driving unit 93, and the fixing unit 40 is equal to or higher than the set temperature set according to the device and characteristics of each unit, the wind is generated at that place. Since the louver 942 is rotated so as to face, a portion requiring cooling can be effectively cooled. In addition, when a predetermined temperature is exceeded at a plurality of locations during continuous printing or due to a long standby time, the louver 942 is rotated repeatedly so that the wind uniformly hits those locations, and each is cooled efficiently. Temperature control can be performed.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a perspective block diagram of the cooling unit shown in FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the cooling part shown in FIG. 1, (a) is the rotation position of the louver when cooling a control part, (b) is the rotation position of the louver when cooling a power supply part, (c) is It is a figure which shows the rotation position of the louver at the time of cooling a drive part, and the rotation position of the louver at the time of cooling a fixing part. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the 1st Embodiment of this invention, it is a flowchart for demonstrating the process by the control part for controlling the wind direction of a cooling part. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the printer by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. In the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, it is a flowchart for demonstrating the process by the control part for controlling the wind direction of a cooling part. It is a figure which shows an example of the temperature condition data memorize | stored in a temperature condition memory | storage part.

Explanation of symbols

91 control unit 911 fan drive control unit 912 louver drive control unit 913, 914 cooling target selection unit 915 determination unit 916 temperature condition storage unit 917 temperature sensor 92 power supply unit 921 temperature sensor 93 drive unit 931 temperature sensor 94 cooling unit 941 cooling fan 942 Louver 942a Outer frame 942b Blade 943 Power unit 943a Gear 943b Motor 95 Printer unit 10 Paper feed unit 20 Transfer conveyance unit 30 Image forming unit 40 Fixing unit 401 Temperature sensor

Claims (4)

A cooling device for cooling a plurality of heat sources,
A cooling fan for sucking and exhausting outside air, a circular louver provided on the exhaust side of the cooling fan, and having blades attached to the cooling fan in a slanting direction, and the louver A cooling device comprising: a rotating means for rotating; and a rotation control means for adjusting the rotational position of the louver by controlling the rotating means. An image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of heat sources and the cooling device according to claim 1,
In accordance with the operation status of the present apparatus, comprising a selection means for selecting a heat source to be cooled by the cooling device from the plurality of heat sources,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation control unit rotates the louver by the rotation unit and directs the inclination direction of the blades to a heat source to be cooled selected by the selection unit. The plurality of heat sources are formed on at least a power supply unit that supplies power to each part of the apparatus, a drive part that drives each part of the apparatus to perform a printing process, a control part that controls the operation of each part of the apparatus, and a recording sheet. A fixing unit that heats and fixes the image;
The selection unit selects the control unit as a cooling target when power is turned on, selects the drive unit as a cooling target during printing, selects the fixing unit as a cooling target after printing, and sets the cooling unit as a cooling target during standby. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power supply unit is selected. A temperature detecting means attached in the vicinity of each of the heat sources, for detecting the ambient temperature of each of the heat sources;
Temperature condition storage means for storing temperature conditions that require cooling of each of the heat sources, and
The selection means includes
Judgment means for judging whether or not the ambient temperature of each heat source detected by the temperature detection means matches the temperature condition of each heat source, and the judgment means judged that the temperature condition of each heat source was met. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a heat source is selected as a cooling target.

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