JP2006220794A - Exhaust fan device, filter device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a filter device that effectively removes ozone and exhausts heat while preventing degradation in exhaust efficiency and increase of noise. <P>SOLUTION: An ozone adsorption sheet on the surface layer of which an ozone adsorption layer using a zeolite material having an inorganic porous crystals is formed is stretched over a feed roller and a winding roller, and a means for rotating and driving the winding roller is also provided to constitute a filter device. In this case, the ozone adsorption layer is an adsorption layer in which a zeolite material carries manganese, a non-woven sheet containing the zeolite material in its inside or is a coating film containing zeolite material powder in its inside. The filter device also includes: a means for measuring and detecting the light reflectance or light transmittance of the ozone adsorption sheet; and a control means for conveying the ozone adsorption sheet by sequentially driving the winding roller when the light reflectance or light transmittance reaches a preset value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a filter device for removing ozone generated in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, heat from a heat source, an exhaust fan device for discharging the ozone to the outside of the device, and the filter device. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having an exhaust fan device.

  A conventional copying apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the copying apparatus, FIG. 9 is a detailed cross-sectional view around the photosensitive drum 1000a, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the appearance, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of an ozone filter and an exhaust fan.

  1 is an apparatus main body, 2 is a document conveying unit that stacks a plurality of documents D and conveys them one by one, 3 is an image reading unit that reads image information of the document D, 4 is a recording unit including a laser beam printer, and 5 is a display. An operation unit composed of a section and an input key, 6 is a cassette sheet feeding unit that stores a plurality of sheets S and conveys them one by one, and 7 is an MP (multi-paper) sheet feeding unit.

An image reading unit 3 is provided on the upper part of the apparatus main body 1. A recording paper discharge unit 12 is provided below the image reading unit 3 and adopts a so-called in-body discharge configuration.
(leader)
An original table glass 501, a flow reading glass 502, and a jump table 503 are provided on the upper surface of the image reading unit 3. On the upper part of the image reading unit 3, a document transporting unit 2 having a document pressing plate 504 is provided behind the image reading unit 3 via a hinge (not shown).

  In the image reading unit 3, a contact image sensor 506 as an image reading unit, a carriage 507, a guide shaft 508, a timing belt 509, a driving pulley 510, and an image processing relay board 511 are provided, and an original size detection sensor 512 is optionally provided. It is possible to arrange.

  The contact image sensor 506 is a device in which a light source is arranged on both sides of a one-dimensional photoelectric conversion element (not shown), Selfoc Lens (trademark), and Selfoc Lens (trademark), and these are housed in one casing. .

  The contact image sensor 506 is elastically supported by a spring (not shown) on the carriage 507 and is urged in the direction of the document table glass 501 so that the distance to the document D placed on the document table glass 501 does not deviate from the depth of focus. Keep a certain distance.

  The carriage 507 is connected to a timing belt 509 driven by a reading drive motor 513, and reciprocates in the image reading unit 3 along a guide shaft 508 perpendicular to the one-dimensional photoelectric conversion element 506d in the contact image sensor 506.

  The position of the contact image sensor 506 is controlled by the rotation frequency and the rotation time of the motor with the detection timing of the home position sensor 514 as a base point. When the document D is placed on the document table glass 501 and the document conveying unit 2 provided with the document crimping plate 504 is closed, the document size detection sensor 512 detects the size of the document at a predetermined opening / closing angle.

  When the copy start key 601a is pressed, a recording paper of a predetermined size is selected according to the detected document size and variable magnification information input from the operation unit 5, and the sheet material S feeding operation is started. . If there is no recording paper of an appropriate size, a message to that effect is displayed on the display unit 602.

After the start key 601a is pressed, shading is performed, scanning is performed from the leading edge of the document, A / D conversion is performed by the image processing relay board 511 provided in the image reading unit 3, and the image is sent to the image processing unit 52 of the apparatus main body. The contact image sensor 506 and the image processing relay board 511 are electrically connected by a flat cable (not shown). When the scanning is finished, the reading drive motor 513 rotates in the reverse direction to return the contact image sensor 506 to the original standby position.
(DF)
The configuration and operation of the document conveying unit 2 are as follows.

  In other words, the document table 21 is provided with a slider 21a that can slide in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the document D (the width direction of the document D). The document D loaded on the document table 21 by the slider 21a. Both sides can be aligned.

  When the document D is stacked on the document stacking table 21, the presence of the document is detected by the document detection sensor 21b, and the size of the document is detected by the width detection sensor 21d and the width detection sensor 21d that detects the movement amount of the slider 21a. Then, information is passed to the main body control unit 51 in the apparatus main body 1, and a recording paper of a predetermined size is selected according to the scaling factor input from the operation unit 5. If there is no recording paper of an appropriate size, a message to that effect is displayed on the display unit 602.

  If the original detection sensor 21b does not detect the original, it is determined that the original is placed on the original platen glass 501 on the stationary reading side, and the contact image sensor 506 scans the original platen glass 501 side. To do.

  When the start key 601a on the operation unit 5 is pressed, the contact image sensor 506 performs shading, moves below the flow reading glass 502 on the side opposite to the document table glass 501 with the jump table 503 interposed therebetween, and stops. .

  A plurality of documents D stacked on the document table 21 are separated one by one by a separation roller 22b pressed against the separation pad 22a, and conveyed by a U-turn sheet passing path 22d by a document conveyance roller 22c.

  Further, after the document D passes the document leading edge detection sensor 22f, the document D is conveyed to the first image reading unit 515 by the paper feed roller 22e or the like, and the document leading edge reaches the image reading position where the contact image sensor 506 is stopped. The document image starts to be scanned, and the image signal is A / D converted by the image processing relay board 511 and sent to the image processing unit 52 of the apparatus main body 1.

  In the first document reading unit 515, the image information of the document D is read while the document D is brought close to the flow reading glass 502 by the document pressing roller 22g. The document D is picked up from the upper surface of the flow reading glass 502 by the jump table 503, and is discharged onto the document discharge tray 23 through the document discharge roller 22h.

When all the documents loaded on the document loading table 21 have been read and the document detection sensor 21b detects “no document”, the contact image sensor 506 returns to the original standby position.
(cassette)
The cassette paper feed unit 6 includes a feeder unit 301 that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 1 and a paper feed cassette 302 that can be attached to and detached from the feeder unit 301.

  The feeder part 301 has a function as a structure for supporting the apparatus main body 1 from below, and a plurality of feeder parts can be connected to the lower part of the apparatus main body 1.

  The paper feed cassette 302 includes a cassette intermediate plate 304 that urges the recording paper bundle to the pickup roller 303, a separation claw 305 for limiting the number of recording paper sheets in cooperation with the pickup roller 303, and a recording paper bundle. A side regulating plate 305 that regulates the width direction of the recording paper and a rear end regulating plate 307 that regulates the rear end of the recording paper bundle.

  The sheet material S is prevented from causing skewing and non-feed by restricting the side end surface by a side regulating plate 305 that is movably mounted according to the paper size.

  The image is recorded on the lower surface side of the sheet material S stacked in the paper feed cassette 302. The presence or absence of the sheet material S is detected by the cassette sensor 308. Further, in the present embodiment, the above-described paper feed cassette 302 can stack about 500 sheets of material, and is configured to be able to be pulled out from the apparatus main body 1 in the front direction (front loading system). Further, the sheet cassette 302 can be loaded with sheet materials of various sheet sizes (for example, A3, A4, A5, B4, B5, letter, legal).

  The sheet material S stacked on the sheet feeding cassette 302 is separated by a cassette middle plate 304 urged upward by a middle plate spring 309, pressed against a semicircular pickup roller 303, and positioned on the front end side of the cassette middle plate 304. It is bundled in cooperation with the nail 305.

  When a trigger for pulling out the sheet material S is applied from the main body control unit 51 in the apparatus main body 1, the pickup roller 303 receives power from a motor (not shown) and is connected to the power by an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) to connect the sheet material S. Perform the unwrapping operation.

  The recording paper that has been fed in a bundle is separated into one sheet by a paper feed roller 310a and a retard roller 310b.

  A retry sensor 312 and a drawing roller 313 are provided downstream of the paper feed roller 310a, and when the sheet material S is not detected by the retry sensor 312 even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the trigger for driving the pickup roller 303 is applied, The control unit again triggers the rotation of the pickup roller 303 to perform the binding operation of the sheet material S.

  The separated sheet material S is detected at the leading edge by the registration sensor 209 after a predetermined time. If the registration sensor 209 does not detect the leading edge of the sheet material S within a predetermined time from the start of paper feeding, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the operation unit 5 is displayed.

In addition, as described above, the cassette paper feeding unit 6 and the apparatus main body 1 described above can be attached and detached. However, the second and subsequent cassette paper feeding units 6 having the same configuration as the cassette paper feeding unit 6 are provided. Further additions are possible.
(MP)
An MP (multi-paper) sheet feeding unit 7 includes an MP sheet feeding roller 201, an MP separation pad 202, an MP middle plate 203, an MP tray 204, an MP extension tray 205, an MP middle leaf spring (not shown), and a sheet regulating plate 206. It has.

  The sheet material S can also be conveyed from the MP sheet feeding unit 7. A plurality of sheet materials S are placed on the MP tray 204, and the MP sheet feeding roller 201 and the separation pad 202 cooperate with the separation pad 202. It is conveyed to the registration roller pair 210 inside the main body.

  When using the MP paper supply unit 7, the MP tray 204 that can be opened and closed is used for normal size recording paper, and the MP extension tray 205 is pulled out for recording paper that cannot be stacked on the MP tray 204, The trailing edge of the recording paper is prevented from protruding from the MP tray 204 and hanging down. Further, the MP intermediate plate 203 is biased upward by the MP intermediate plate spring. However, since the MP intermediate plate 203 is pushed down by a cam (not shown) in the standby state, the sheet material S is moved in the MP. It can be loaded on the plate 203.

  When a signal instructing the start of MP sheet feeding is output from the main body control unit 51 of the apparatus main body 1, the cam (not shown) rotates and the sheet material S stacked by releasing the pressing of the MP intermediate plate 203. Are pressed against the semi-circular MP paper feed roller 201 and separated and conveyed one by one by the frictional piece separation method by the MP separation pad 202. The separated sheet material S continues to be pressed and conveyed by the MP paper feed roller 201 and the MP separation pad 202, joins the cassette paper feed conveyance path 211, and is delivered to the registration roller pair 210.

When the registration sensor 209 detects the leading edge of the sheet material S within a predetermined time from the start of sheet feeding, the separated sheet material S continues to be pressed and conveyed by the MP sheet feeding roller 201 and the MP separation pad 202, Guided to the pressure nip N of the registration roller pair 210. If the registration sensor 209 does not detect the leading edge of the sheet material S within a predetermined time from the start of paper feeding, it is determined that a jam has occurred, and the operation unit 5 is displayed.
(Resist)
The registration roller pair 210 is controlled to stop rotating when the leading edge of the sheet material S reaches the pressure nip portion of the registration roller pair 210. The leading edge of the sheet material S is brought into contact with the pressure nip portion of the registration roller pair 210 in the rotation stopped state and locked, and thereafter, the sheet material S is fed by the MP sheet feeding roller 201 or the cassette-side drawing roller 313. Since a certain degree of bending loop is formed in the sheet material S, the leading edge of the sheet material S is made parallel to the nip line of the press-contact nip portion by the reaction force of the bending loop. The skew of S is corrected.
(Image forming part)
The image forming unit 13 includes an image forming unit 14 and a fixing device 15. The image forming unit 14 includes a laser scanner 701, a drum cartridge 1000, a developing device 1100, and a transfer roller 703. The drum cartridge 1000 includes a photosensitive drum 1000a and a charging roller 1000b. The developing device 1100 includes a developing sleeve 1100a and toner supply. The drum cartridge 1000 includes a container 1200 and is detachable in the left direction toward the main body. The developing device 1100 and the toner supply container 1200 are detachable from the developing device 1100 in the front direction.

The laser scanner 701 includes a laser beam oscillator 701a, a polygon mirror 701b, and a folding mirror 701c. The modulation signal is emitted from the laser beam oscillator 701a, and the photosensitive drum 1000a is irradiated with scanning light by the polygon mirror 701b. The scanning light is reflected by 701c.
(Drum cartridge)
The photosensitive drum 1000a is integrally incorporated in the drum cartridge 1000 together with the charging roller 1000b, and is detachable from the apparatus main body 1. The surface of the photosensitive drum 1000a is uniformly charged by the charging roller 1000b, and a latent image is formed by irradiating the surface with scanning light from the laser beam oscillator 701a.
(Developer)
The developing sleeve 1100 a is incorporated in the developing device 1100 and is detachable from the apparatus main body 1. A latent image on the photosensitive drum 1000a formed by being uniformly charged by the charging roller 1000b and irradiated with scanning light from the laser beam oscillator 701a on the surface thereof is visualized by toner supplied from the developing sleeve 1100a. It has come to be.
(Fixing)
A thermal fixing device 704 and a first paper discharge roller 451 are arranged in the sheet conveyance path on the downstream side of the image forming unit 14.

  The heat fixing device 704 includes a heat fixing roller 704a, a pressure roller 704b, a pressure spring (not shown) that urges the pressure roller 704b toward the heat fixing roller 704a, and a fixing that releases the urging pressure of both rollers. A release lever 704c and a fixing frame 704d for supporting them are provided. A heater 704e is provided inside the heat fixing roller 704a, and a temperature detection sensor (not shown) is provided in contact with the surface of the heat fixing roller 704a. .

  When the registration roller pair 210 is driven at a predetermined timing based on a signal from the registration sensor 209, the sheet material S is conveyed to the image forming unit 14 by the registration roller pair 210. The predetermined timing is a timing at which the leading edge of the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 702a coincides with the leading edge of the sheet material S.

  After the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1000a is transferred by the transfer roller 703, the sheet material S is conveyed along the sheet conveying unit 705, and further, the toner image is fixed by the heat fixing unit 704. The paper is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 452 by the first paper discharge roller 451.

A fan duct is provided behind the fixing unit 15 and heat inside the apparatus is released to the outside by a cooling fan (not shown).
(cover)
The apparatus main body 1 is provided with a cartridge cover 212 that can be opened and closed. By opening the MP tray 204 and the cartridge cover 212, the recording cartridge 702 can be pulled out of the apparatus main body 1 and replaced. Further, the cartridge cover 212 is provided with an interlock mechanism, and the recording apparatus main body 1 is not operated when the cartridge cover 212 is opened or when the recording cartridge 702 is not set in the apparatus main body 1.

Further, when a jam occurs during recording, the sheet material S staying inside can be taken out by opening any of the feeder cover 314, the cartridge cover 212, and the paper discharge cover 453.
(Paper ejection)
The sheet material S after fixing is discharged to the first discharge tray 452 by the first discharge roller 451 including three rollers while the recording image surface is turned down by the first reverse path 454. The three first paper discharge rollers 451 are provided one on the outer side and two on the inner side of the first reversing path 454, and the two inner rollers are respectively urged by one outer roller. . The sheet material S is subjected to reverse curl correction along the outer periphery of the outer roller.

  When a large amount of sheet material S is stacked on the first paper discharge tray 452 and detected by the first full load detection sensor 455, the full load is displayed on the operation unit 5 and the recording operation is stopped. In addition, a second paper discharge tray 457 may be optionally provided above the first paper discharge tray 452.

  When the sheet material S after fixing is discharged to the second paper discharge tray 457, the conveyance direction of the sheet material S is changed by the paper discharge flapper 456, and the second reverse path 458 and the second paper discharge roller 459 are moved. Then, it is discharged to the second paper discharge tray. The second paper discharge roller 459 and the second full load detection sensor have the same configurations as the first paper discharge roller 451 and the first full load detection sensor 455, respectively.

  When the second discharge tray 457 is installed, the sheet material S is discharged to the second discharge tray 457 without stopping the recording operation when the first discharge tray 452 is full. It is also possible to make it.

  In addition to the copy function, this apparatus has a facsimile transmission / reception function and a network print function, and can selectively switch the output application of the first discharge tray 452 and the second discharge tray 457. is there.

  Reference numeral 100 denotes a louver opening for discharging heat generated from the fixing device 28 or the like, or ozone generated from a transfer operation by applying a high voltage between the photosensitive drum 1000a and the charging roller 1000b or the transfer roller 703 to the outside of the apparatus. In addition, an exhaust fan 101 for exhausting the intake air A passing through the ozone filter 111 as the exhaust gas B is provided inside the louver. As the ozone filter 111, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, an aluminum material having a honeycomb mesh structure coated with an ozone-decomposable catalyst or an activated carbon material adhered to a corrugated cardboard substrate is used. Yes.

  Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, either an air path exhausted through a filter such as an ozone filter or a dust collection filter or an air path exhausted without passing through a filter is selected and exhausted. The method is known.

Further, a filter device that winds a filter using a winding roller as disclosed in Patent Document 2 is known.
JP-A-9-054527 JP-A-6-317950

  However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, either an air path exhausted through a filter such as an ozone filter or a dust collection filter or an air path exhausted without passing through a filter is selected and exhausted. This method complicates the duct structure and increases the cost.

  Moreover, in the filter device of the type which winds up a filter using the winding roller currently disclosed by patent document 2, the exchange property of a filter deteriorates and the service cost at the time of a maintenance tends to become high.

  4 and 5 described in the conventional example, for example, in an ozone filter having a honeycomb structure, the air blowing resistance inside the filter is increased, pressure loss is generated, the air volume from the intake A to the exhaust B is reduced, and the exhaust heat performance is reduced. May cause excessive temperature rise inside the apparatus. Also, if the fan speed is increased to compensate for the reduced air volume, the noise of the motor that is the drive source may increase, and wind noise caused by the blades and noise due to changes in air pressure inside the duct may increase. There is. In particular, when the thickness of the ozone filter is increased in order to improve the ozone removal performance, the internal pressure loss is remarkably increased, and the above-described adverse effect becomes remarkable.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and by removing pressure loss due to an exhaust fan and an ozone filter, ozone removal and exhaust heat are effectively performed while preventing a decrease in exhaust efficiency and an increase in noise. Another object is to provide an exhaust fan device, a filter device, and an image forming apparatus.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a low-cost filter device for realizing an easily replaceable filter device without impairing the lifetime of the ozone filter device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a zeolite material having an inorganic porous crystal on the surface of an exhaust blade for exhausting from the inside of an image forming apparatus to the outside and the surface of a flow path forming member for forming an exhaust flow path. The exhaust fan device is configured by forming the ozone adsorption layer used.

  Further, the present invention provides an ozone adsorption using a zeolite material having an inorganic porous crystal on an inner wall surface of an air passage guiding member for arranging an exhaust fan device inside and for guiding an air passage to the exhaust fan device. An image forming apparatus is configured by forming layers.

  Further, the present invention provides a means for suspending an ozone adsorption sheet having an ozone adsorption layer using a zeolite material having an inorganic porous crystal formed on a surface layer between a feed roller and a take-up roller, and rotating and driving the take-up roller. And a filter device is configured.

  According to the present invention, the structure of the zeolitic material used as the base material of the ozone adsorption layer has extremely small continuous cavities on the order of angstroms, and has a characteristic of strongly adsorbing gas and moisture in the cavities. Further, since the surface area per 1 g of the zeolite material has a large area of about 350 m, ozone can be effectively adsorbed and removed even with a small amount of use.

  By supporting manganese on the zeolite material, the adsorptivity of ozone gas is further improved by utilizing the property that manganese is oxidized during ozone adsorption.

  Zeolite is a mineral resource that naturally exists in nature, and does not adversely affect the environment, so it can be used without problems even when reused or recycled.

  As a form of the ozone adsorption layer, a non-woven cloth sheet with a structure in which a zeolite substance is introduced, crystallized, and retained is pasted in a removable manner, and then replaced with a new filter sheet when the ozone adsorption and removal performance deteriorates. It is suitable for reuse and recycling.

  In addition, when a high-strength adhesive with higher adhesive strength than general-purpose double-sided tape is used, the old filter can be obtained by applying a new filter sheet on top of the filter sheet that has deteriorated ozone adsorption and removal performance. There is no need to peel off the sheet, and maintenance is improved.

  By forming an ozone adsorption layer based on a zeolite material having these advantages on the blade surface of the exhaust fan and the inner wall surface of the duct, there is a problem in the ozone filter having the mesh structure shown in FIGS. The pressure loss of the exhaust gas is hardly generated, so ozone can be adsorbed and removed without reducing the air volume on the intake side and exhaust side, and the heat generated in the machine can be discharged efficiently, and at the time of exhaust Noise due to pressure loss can be reduced.

  The ozone adsorbing layer based on the zeolite material is not limited to the above-described part, but also on the part that becomes the exhaust passage such as the surface of the rotating shaft 102 of the exhaust fan 101, that is, all parts that come into contact with the air containing ozone. Ozone adsorption and removal performance is further improved by forming.

  Further, the ozone filter having the mesh structure shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 is saved in space compared to a configuration in which the ozone filter is separately provided on the upstream side or the downstream side of the exhaust fan 101 and contributes to the downsizing of the image forming apparatus. To do.

  An ozone filter device by providing a means for suspending an ozone adsorbing sheet having an ozone adsorbing layer using a zeolite material on the surface layer between a feed roller and a take-up roller, and means for rotating and driving the take-up roller. Thus, it is possible to provide a low-cost, space-saving filter device for realizing an easily replaceable filter device without impairing the service life of the filter.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
This will be described with reference to FIGS. A description of the same parts as in the conventional example is omitted.

  An exhaust fan 101 for exhausting intake air A as exhaust gas B is in contact with the inside of the exhaust louver 100 by rotating a blade 103 integrally formed with a rotating shaft 102 rotating in the C direction. A duct 104 for guiding air to the exhaust fan 101 is connected to the upstream side of the air path of the exhaust fan 101.

  On the front and back surfaces of the exhaust blade 103, an ozone adsorption filter layer indicated by hatched portions in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed. The ozone filter layer is an ozone adsorption layer using a zeolite material having inorganic porous crystals. As a structure of the zeolite material, it has a very small continuous cavity of angstrom order and has a characteristic of strongly adsorbing gas and moisture in the cavity. Moreover, the surface area per 1 g of the zeolite material has a vast area of about 350 m. By supporting manganese on this zeolite material, the adsorption property of ozone gas is further improved by utilizing the property that manganese is oxidized during ozone adsorption.

That is,
Mn-zeolite + 2O ₃ → MnO ₂ + zeolite + 2O ₂
It becomes.

  Similarly, an ozone adsorption layer in which manganese is supported on a zeolite material is also formed on the inner wall surfaces of the four surfaces 104a, 104b, 104c, and 104d of the duct 104.

  As the form of the ozone adsorption layer, for example, using the principle that cellulose fibers are swollen by alkali, a zeolite substance is introduced into the swollen gap (amorphous region), crystallized, and held in the cellulose fibers. A fabric sheet is known.

  In this case, a non-woven cloth sheet filter is adhered and pasted on the front and back surface layers of the exhaust blade 103.

  In this case, by adopting a method that allows attachment / detachment of a general-purpose double-sided tape or the like, it is possible to replace it with a new filter sheet when the ozone adsorption / removal performance deteriorates, and it is also suitable for reuse and recycling. In addition, zeolite is a mineral resource that naturally exists in nature, and has the advantage that it does not adversely affect the environment.

  In addition, when a high-strength adhesive with higher adhesive strength than general-purpose double-sided tape is used, the old filter can be obtained by applying a new filter sheet on top of the filter sheet that has deteriorated ozone adsorption and removal performance. There is no need to peel off the sheet, and maintenance is improved.

  In addition to the non-woven cloth sheet, the ozone adsorbing layer can be mixed with a zeolite material as a powder in the paint or paint, such as a method of synthesizing a zeolite membrane on the surface of a porous support. The form to apply is known.

  It goes without saying that the ozone filter device of the present invention can be provided without being limited to these usage forms.

  By forming the ozone adsorption layer based on the zeolite material as described above on the blade surface of the exhaust fan and the inner wall surface of the duct, there is a problem in the ozone filter having the mesh structure shown in FIGS. As the exhaust pressure pressure loss hardly occurs, ozone can be adsorbed and removed without lowering the air volume on the intake side and exhaust side, and the heat generated in the machine can be efficiently exhausted. Noise can also be reduced.

  The ozone adsorbing layer based on the zeolite material is not limited to the above-described part, but also on the part that becomes the exhaust passage such as the surface of the rotating shaft 102 of the exhaust fan 101, that is, all parts that come into contact with the air containing ozone. Needless to say, the ozone adsorption and removal performance is further improved by the formation.

Further, the ozone filter having the mesh structure shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. To do.
<Embodiment 2>
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that description of parts similar to those of the conventional example and the first embodiment is omitted.

  101 is the exhaust fan described in the first embodiment, and ozone adsorption layers using a zeolite material having inorganic porous crystals are formed on the front and back surfaces of the exhaust blade 103. Reference numeral 120 denotes a duct for guiding the exhaust B of the exhaust fan 101 to the outside of the apparatus, and the ozone filter layer is formed on the inner wall surface of the duct 120.

  An ozone filter sheet 121 housed in the filter cover 125 is disposed at the end of the duct. One end of the ozone filter sheet in the sheet conveyance direction D is fixed to the sheet take-up roller 122, and the other end is fixed to the sheet delivery roller 123. A dustproof filter 126 having a mesh structure is fixed to an exhaust port 127 provided on the exhaust surface side of the filter cover 125. A drive input gear for driving the take-up roller 122 is fixed to one end portion of the take-up roller 122, and can be driven to rotate by a drive gear on the apparatus main body side (not shown).

  Since the engaging claw 125a formed integrally with the filter cover 125 is engaged with the case mounting portion provided on the outer wall side of the duct, the filter case is connected to the duct. By pushing the case with fingers from the direction, the engaging claw 125a can be easily removed, and the ozone filter replacement is easy. An opening for ventilating the exhaust B is provided on the surface of the ozone filter sheet 121.

  Reference numeral 129 denotes a light emitting element such as an LED, and a light receiving element 128 is provided on the opposite side through the filter sheet. The light receiving element 128 is detected, and the filter sheet is deteriorated, that is, manganese is oxidized. When the light transmittance falls below a preset lower limit value due to the color change over time to brown, a signal is transmitted to the apparatus body by a transmission means (not shown), the winding roller 122 is wound, and the use surface of the filter sheet is updated. Is done. In addition, the remaining number of sheets that can be updated is transmitted from the filter device side to the main body side, and when the number of possible update times reaches zero, a filter replacement sign is displayed on the operation unit on the apparatus main body side. .

  In addition, a reflective sensor having both light receiving and light emitting functions may be used instead of performing light transmission of the filter sheet by separate light emitting and light receiving elements. In this case as well, the deterioration of the filter sheet, that is, the fact that manganese is oxidized and changes its color over time to brown, is utilized.

  The winding roller driving mechanism is not limited to the above method, and a driving source such as a motor may be provided in the filter case 125 and driven by the filter device itself.

  Further, the filter deterioration information for updating the filter usage surface may be based on information such as the total toner consumption and the number of sheets to be passed on the apparatus main body side, in addition to the light transmittance and reflectance.

  With the configuration of the ozone filter device as described above, ozone can be effectively removed while preventing a decrease in exhaust efficiency by reducing the pressure loss due to the exhaust fan and the ozone filter, which is the effect of the first embodiment. In addition to the effect of being able to be performed, it is possible to provide a low-cost, space-saving filter device for realizing an easily replaceable filter device without impairing the lifetime of the ozone filter device.

It is a perspective view which shows the ozone filter apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the ozone filter apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an external view of a conventional image forming apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional ozone filter apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the ozone filter apparatus of a prior art example. It is a perspective view which shows the ozone filter apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the ozone filter apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional image forming apparatus. It is a detailed sectional view around the conventional photosensitive drum.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Louver 101 Exhaust fan 103 Blade 104 Duct 105 Ozone filter 120 Duct 120a Filter mounting part 121 Ozone filter 121a Filter opening 122 Winding roller 123 Feeding roller 124 Drive input gear 125 Filter case 125a Engaging claw 126 Filter cover

Claims (18)

  An ozone adsorption layer using a zeolite material having inorganic porous crystals is formed on the surface of an exhaust blade for exhausting air from the inside to the outside of the image forming apparatus and on the surface of a flow path forming member for forming an exhaust flow path. Exhaust fan device.   2. The exhaust fan device according to claim 1, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is an ozone adsorption layer in which manganese is supported on a zeolite material.   2. The exhaust fan apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a non-woven cloth sheet containing a zeolite material therein.   2. The exhaust fan device according to claim 1, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a coating film containing a powder of zeolite material therein.   The exhaust fan device is disposed inside, and the ozone adsorption layer using the zeolite material having the inorganic porous crystal is formed on the inner wall surface of the air channel guiding member for guiding the air channel to the exhaust fan device. An image forming apparatus.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is an ozone adsorption layer in which manganese is supported on a zeolite material.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a non-woven cloth sheet containing a zeolite material therein.   6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a coating film containing zeolite powder.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an air passage for exhaust and the filter device are provided in the air passage.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the filter device is replaceable with respect to the apparatus main body.   Means for receiving sheet passing number information from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and control means for conveying the ozone adsorbing sheet by a predetermined amount by sequentially driving a winding roller when the sheet passing number reaches the set number The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:   Means for receiving total toner consumption information from the main body of the image forming apparatus, and control for conveying the set amount of the sheet-like filter by sequentially driving the winding roller when the total toner consumption reaches the set amount 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means.   The ozone adsorbing sheet having an ozone adsorbing layer made of a zeolite material having an inorganic porous crystal formed on the surface layer is suspended between a feed roller and a take-up roller, and a means for rotating and driving the take-up roller is provided. Filter device.   The filter device according to claim 13, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is an ozone adsorption layer in which manganese is supported on a zeolite material.   14. The filter device according to claim 13, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a non-woven cloth sheet containing a zeolite material therein.   The filter device according to claim 13, wherein the ozone adsorption layer is a coating film containing a zeolite material powder therein.   14. The filter device according to claim 13, wherein a hole for exhaust is formed.   It has means for measuring and detecting the light reflectance or light transmittance of the ozone adsorbing sheet, and when the light reflectance or light transmittance reaches a preset value, the winding roller is sequentially driven to generate ozone. 14. The filter device according to claim 13, further comprising control means for conveying the suction sheet.

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