JP2006259276A - Removing device for volatile organic compound and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a removing device for volatile organic compound which can prolong the life of a volatile organic compound removing filter by suppressing clogging in the filter due to paper powder and scattered toner by controlling pressure loss of the filter according to the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound and then not passing air through the filter unnecessarily. <P>SOLUTION: The removing device of the present invention for removing the volatile organic compound has the filter 101 for removing the volatile organic compound and a concentration detection sensor (detector) 103 for detecting the volatile organic compound, and is characterized in changing characteristics of the filter 101 according to the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the concentration detection sensor 103. In concrete, the pressure loss of the filter 101 is varied, for example, according to the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the concentration detection sensor 103. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a volatile organic compound removing apparatus that is provided in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine and removes a volatile organic compound generated in the image forming apparatus, and an image forming apparatus including the volatile organic compound removing apparatus. .

  Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, volatile organic compounds such as styrene and benzene generated from fixing rollers in the apparatus during image formation are exhausted to the outside by airflow control. It has been removed with a volatile harmful substance removal filter equipped with.

  For example, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the image forming apparatus 201 as viewed from above, and the image forming apparatus 201 includes an exhaust unit 100 and a fan 80 as a blower that controls the air flow in the apparatus.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the exhaust unit 100. A volatile organic compound removal filter 101 is attached to the exhaust port of the exhaust unit 100. The volatile harmful substance removal filter 101 is made of activated carbon on a nonwoven fabric. It is configured by impregnating and attaching to form a plurality of mountain-shaped bellows. When the air sent by the fan 80 passes through the volatile organic compound removal filter 101, the volatile organic compound contained therein is adsorbed and removed by the activated carbon. Further, the air that has not exited from the exhaust port of the exhaust unit 100 circulates in the apparatus again and is sent to the exhaust port again.

JP 2004-240270 A JP 2004-098014 A JP 2000-185215 A

  However, when image formation is performed, paper dust generated due to the conveyed paper and toner scattered when a toner image is formed on the paper are scattered in the air in the image forming apparatus. For this reason, the paper dust and the scattered toner gradually bite into the volatile organic compound removal filter 101 to cause clogging, thereby reducing the volatile organic compound removal capability of the volatile organic compound removal filter 101.

  The fan 80 is controlled in accordance with the temperature of the fixing device and the environmental sensor in the apparatus in order to prevent temperature rise in the apparatus, and the wind speed of the fan 80 is independent of the concentration of volatile organic compounds in the air. Is decided. Therefore, even when the concentration of the volatile organic compound in the air in the apparatus is low, air is passed through the volatile organic compound removal filter 101 unnecessarily, and clogging inside the filter 101 is promoted.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to control the pressure loss of the filter according to the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound, and to prevent paper from passing through the filter unnecessarily. It is an object of the present invention to provide a volatile organic compound removing device capable of suppressing clogging inside the filter due to powder and scattered toner and extending the life of the volatile organic compound removing filter, and an image forming apparatus equipped with the volatile organic compound removing device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a volatile organic compound removing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 includes a filter for removing a volatile organic compound and a detector for detecting the volatile organic compound, The characteristic of the filter is changed according to the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the detector.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the pressure loss of the filter is changed in accordance with the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the detector.

  An image forming apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is a blower capable of switching the wind speed to prevent temperature rise in the apparatus, and a volatile organic compound removal according to the first or second aspect, wherein the volatile organic compound is removed. And the characteristic of the filter is changed according to the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the detector and the wind speed of the blower.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, wherein the pressure loss of the filter is changed according to the wind speed of the blower and the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the detector. .

  According to the volatile organic compound removing apparatus and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, the pressure loss of the filter is controlled in accordance with the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound, and the paper dust is prevented from passing through the filter unnecessarily. In addition, it is possible to reduce clogging inside the filter due to toner and scattered toner, and to extend the life of the volatile organic compound removal filter.

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

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a full-color copying machine as an example of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 200 denotes a digital color image reader unit (hereinafter referred to as “reader unit”), and a digital color image printer unit (hereinafter referred to as “printer unit”) 201 is provided below the digital color image reader unit. Is arranged.

  In the reader unit 200, an original is placed on the original platen glass 211, and the original scanning unit 215 including the exposure lamps 213 and 214 is exposed and scanned at a predetermined constant speed by the optical system reading drive motor 212. Then, a reflected light image from the original is condensed on a full color sensor (CCD) 217 by a lens 216 to obtain a color color separation image signal. As the full-color sensor 217, a three-line CCD with R (red), G (green), and B (blue) filters arranged adjacent to each other is used.

  The color-separated image signal is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 218 and then sent to the printer unit 201. An operation unit is provided around the platen glass 211, and switches for setting various modes related to the copy sequence, a display for display, and a display are arranged in the operation unit.

  Next, the printer unit 201 will be described.

  A photosensitive drum (hereinafter simply referred to as “photosensitive member”) 1 as an image carrier disposed in the image forming unit 3 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A by a motor (not shown). A primary charger 7, an exposure device 8, a rotary developer 13, a transfer device 10, and a cleaner device 12 are disposed around the photoreceptor 1.

  The rotary developer 13 includes developing devices 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K for four colors for full color development. Reference numeral 42 denotes a drive motor for rotating the rotary developing member. As the drive motor 42, a stepping motor is used. 43 is a solenoid for operating a lock mechanism for fixing the position of the rotary developer 13, and 72 is a lock detection sensor comprising a photo interrupter for detecting the operation of the lock mechanism. Reference numeral 73 denotes a position detection flag attached to the rotary developer 13, and reference numeral 60 denotes a rotary developer HP sensor that detects the position of the rotary developer 13 by detecting the position detection flag 73.

  The developing devices 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K develop the latent images on the photoreceptor 1 with toners of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and K (black), respectively. When developing the toner of each color, the rotary developer 13 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R by driving the drive motor 42, and the position detection flag 73 attached to the rotary developer 13 is detected by the rotary developer HP sensor 60. Thus, after the reference position of the rotating developer 13 is detected, the developing device (13K in the illustrated example) of the corresponding color is aligned with the photosensitive member 1 by rotating to the predetermined rotating position.

  The toner images of each color developed on the photosensitive member 1 are sequentially transferred to a belt 2 as an intermediate transfer member by the transfer device 10 and the four color toner images are superimposed. The belt 2 is stretched around rollers 17, 18, and 19. Of these, the roller 17 functions as a driving roller that is coupled to a driving source (not shown) to drive the belt 2, and the roller 18 is a belt. The roller 19 functions as a backup roller for a transfer roller 21 as a secondary transfer device.

  In addition, a belt cleaner 22 is provided at a position facing the roller 17 with the belt 2 interposed therebetween, so that residual toner on the belt 2 after the secondary transfer is scraped off by the cleaner blade.

  The recording paper disposed in the recording paper cassette 23 is pulled up to a position where it contacts the pickup roller 24 by the operation of the lifter motor 40. The recording paper drawn from the recording paper cassette 23 to the conveyance path by the pickup roller 24 is fed to the nip portion, that is, the contact portion between the secondary transfer device 21 and the belt 2 by the roller pairs 25 and 26. Then, the toner image formed on the belt 2 is transferred onto the recording paper at this nip portion, thermally fixed onto the recording paper by the fixing device 5, and the recording paper on which the toner image is fixed is discharged out of the apparatus.

  In the case of the double-sided forming operation, the flapper 32 is operated and the recording paper is conveyed in the direction of the conveying roller 27. After the conveyance roller 28 conveys until it exceeds the flapper 33, the conveyance roller 28 is rotated in the reverse direction and the flapper 33 is operated to convey the recording paper in the direction of the conveyance roller 29 and are conveyed by the conveyance rollers 30 and 31. As a result, the recording paper cassette is joined to the conveyance path, and an image can be formed on the surface opposite to the first surface of the recording paper.

  In the color printer configured as described above, an image is formed as follows.

  First, a voltage is applied to the charging device 7 so that the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is uniformly negatively charged with a predetermined charged portion potential. Subsequently, exposure is performed by an exposure device 8 including a laser scanner so that the charged image portion on the photosensitive member 1 has a predetermined exposure portion potential, and a latent image is formed on the photosensitive member 1. The exposure device 8 forms a latent image corresponding to the image on the photoreceptor 1 by turning on and off the exposure based on the image signal generated by the image control unit 38.

  The image forming timing of this color printer is controlled based on a signal ITOP with a predetermined position on the belt 2 as a reference. The belt 2 is stretched around a roller group including a driving roller 17, a tension roller 18 and a backup roller 19, and a predetermined tension is applied by the tension roller 18. Between the driving roller 17 and the roller 19, a reflection type position sensor 36 for detecting the reference position is disposed.

  A developing bias set in advance for each color is applied to the developing roller of the developing device 13Y and the like, and the latent image is developed with toner when passing through the position of the developing roller and visualized as a toner image. . The toner image is transferred to the belt 2 by the transfer device 10 and further transferred to the recording paper by the secondary transfer device 21 and then fed to the fixing device 5. In full-color printing, toners of four colors are superimposed on the belt 2 and then transferred onto a recording sheet. The toner remaining on the photosensitive member 1 is removed and collected by the cleaner device 12, and finally, the photosensitive member 1 is uniformly discharged to near 0 volts by a static eliminating device (not shown) and is subjected to the next image forming cycle. Prepare.

  Reference numeral 50 denotes a paper surface height sensor for detecting the paper surface height in the recording paper cassette 23. Reference numerals 51 to 58 denote transport sensors arranged on the transport path. The presence or absence of the recording paper at each point or the transport timing of the recording paper is determined. Detect. In particular, the sensor 53 detects the presence / absence of a recording sheet and the conveyance timing, and detects the thickness of the recording sheet to be conveyed. Reference numeral 60 denotes a rotary developer HP sensor that detects the position of the rotary developer 13, and reference numeral 70 denotes a cassette attachment / detachment sensor that detects attachment / detachment of the recording paper cassette 23.

  Reference numeral 80 denotes a fixing fan capable of switching the wind speed. This fixing fan 80 prevents the temperature in the apparatus from excessively rising when the temperature of the fixing device 5 is high as during image formation. It rotates at full speed, and is controlled to rotate at half speed when the temperature inside the apparatus is low, such as during warm-up when the power is turned on.

  Reference numeral 100 denotes an exhaust unit including a volatile organic compound removal filter 101 (see FIG. 1), which will be described later, and exhausts the air inside the apparatus sent by the fixing fan 80 to the outside through the volatile organic compound removal filter 101.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the full-color copying machine according to the present embodiment.

  A CPU 801 performs basic control of a full-color copying machine. A CPU 801 is connected to a ROM 802 in which a control program is written and a work RAM 803 for performing processing via an address bus and a data bus. The reader control unit 806 and the printer control unit 807 are electric circuits including input / output ports for controlling each component of the reader unit 200 and the printer unit 201, respectively. The CPU 801 controls the reader control unit 806 and the printer control unit 807 according to the contents of the control program, and executes an image forming operation.

  The image processing unit 805 performs various types of image processing on the digital data of the document image converted by the reader control unit 806.

  The operation unit 900 normally displays the number of copies, selected paper size, magnification, and copy density, and performs various settings and starts an image forming operation by pressing a start key.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a volatile organic compound removing unit (exhaust unit) 100 that is a feature of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 101 denotes a non-volatile organic compound removal filter, which is configured by impregnating and attaching activated carbon to a nonwoven fabric to form a plurality of mountain-shaped bellows. Reference numerals 102 a and 102 b denote restricting plates attached to both ends of the filter 101.

  Reference numeral 103 denotes a volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor. The concentration detected by the concentration detection sensor 103 is output to the printer control unit 807 as a concentration signal. Here, the configuration of the volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor 103 is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1101 denotes an ultraviolet light source, which splits a volatile organic compound in the air into positive and negatively charged ions. A detector 1102 measures the charge of the ionized gas and converts the signal into a current. Reference numeral 1103 denotes an amplifier that amplifies the signal from the detector 1102 and outputs an amplified signal 1104.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes a stepping motor. By rotating in the forward direction, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the restricting plates 102a and 102b are moved to both sides and rotated in the opposite direction to move the position shown in FIG. 1 (a). It is possible to return the regulating plate to

  Since the non-volatile organic compound removal filter 101 is expanded and contracted by the restricting plates 102a and 102b while the area of the exhaust port is constant, the height of the bellows peak and the area of the exhaust port depending on the position of the restricting plates 102a and 102b. The number changes, and the pressure loss when the air inside the apparatus passes outside the apparatus fluctuates.

  FIG. 5 shows the characteristics of the volatile organic compound removal filter 101 used in the present embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a table showing the shape and pressure loss of the non-volatile organic compound removal filter 101 when exhaust is performed at an air outlet area of 200 mm × 236 mm and a wind speed of 3.6 m / s. A and B show states, and state A is a state in which there are 24 peaks at the exhaust port, the height of one peak is 48 mm, and the distance between adjacent peaks is 24 mm. State B is a state in which there are 40 peaks at the exhaust port, the height of one peak is 58 mm, and the distance between adjacent peaks is 40 mm. At this time, the filter area existing at the exhaust port is 2.1 times B with respect to A, and the pressure loss is 99 Pa for A and 127 Pa for B.

  Thus, the pressure loss of the filter 101 can be controlled by changing the shape of the filter 101 at the exhaust port.

  Next, the flow of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the CPU 801 starts an operation according to the control program written in the ROM 802. When the control of the volatile organic compound removal filter 101 is started in step S600, first, in step S601, the volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor 103 attached to the exhaust portion in the image forming apparatus detects the volatile organic compound. Concentration detection is performed. In this embodiment, the data obtained by averaging the data sampled eight times every 100 ms is used as the density data D.

  Next, in step S602, the positions of the regulation plates 102a and 102b are determined according to the detected density data D. In the present embodiment, when the concentration data D is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the pressure loss is increased and the filter 101 is moved to the end of the exhaust port as shown in FIG. If the density data D is larger than the predetermined threshold value, the restricting plates 102a and 102b are moved to the positions shown in FIG.

  In step S603, it is determined whether or not the current position is the same as the position to be moved. If the current position and the position to be moved are the same, it is not necessary to move, and the process proceeds to step S601 again. If the current position is different from the position to be moved, the stepping motor 104 is rotated in step S604 to move the regulating plates 102a and 102b, and the process proceeds to step S601 again.

  In the present embodiment, the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound is determined by one threshold value, and the movement positions of the regulation plates 102a and 102b are two. However, the position is moved to more positions by a plurality of threshold values. You can also.

  Also, instead of using a volatile organic compound concentration sensor as a detector for volatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds may be used depending on print job conditions such as when images are being formed on paper that is likely to generate volatile organic compounds. It is also possible to control the position of the restricting plate by predicting the amount of.

<Embodiment 2>
A flow in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the CPU 801 starts an operation according to the control program written in the ROM 802. When the control of the volatile organic compound removal filter 101 is started in step S700, first, in step S701, the volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor 103 attached to the exhaust unit in the image forming apparatus detects the volatile organic compound. Concentration detection is performed. In this embodiment, the data obtained by averaging the data sampled eight times every 100 ms is used as the density data D.

  In step S702, the current rotation speed of the fixing fan 80 is detected based on information from the printer control unit 807, and it is determined whether the rotation speed is full speed or half speed.

  In step S703, the positions of the regulating plates 102a and 102b are determined according to the detected density data D and the rotation speed of the fixing fan 80. In the present embodiment, when the density data D is smaller than a predetermined threshold and the fixing fan 80 is rotating at half speed, the pressure loss is increased and air is not passed through the filter 101 unnecessarily. Move to the end of the exhaust port as in a). In other cases, the restricting plate is moved to the position shown in FIG.

  In step S704, it is determined whether or not the current position is the same as the position to be moved. If the current position and the position to be moved are the same, there is no need to move, so the process proceeds to step S701 again. If the current position is different from the position to be moved, the stepping motor 104 is rotated in step S705 to move the restriction plates 102a and 102b, and the process proceeds to step S701 again.

  In this embodiment, the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound is determined as one threshold, the rotational speed of the fixing fan 80 is determined in two stages, and the movement positions of the regulating plates 102a and 102b are set at two locations. Depending on the rotation speed of the fan 80 having three or more threshold values, it can be moved to more positions.

  Also, instead of using a volatile organic compound concentration sensor as a detector for volatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds may be used depending on print job conditions such as when images are being formed on paper that is likely to generate volatile organic compounds. It is also possible to control the position of the restricting plate by predicting the amount of.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the volatile organic compound removing unit 100 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes a non-volatile organic compound removal filter, which is constituted by impregnating and attaching activated carbon to a nonwoven fabric to form a plurality of mountain-shaped bellows, and is composed of two regions 901a and 901b having different numbers of peaks. Is done. A partition plate 902 changes the air exhaust direction.

  Reference numeral 903 denotes a volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor, and the concentration detected by the concentration detection sensor 903 is output to the printer control unit 807 as a concentration signal. A stepping motor 904 can move the partition plate 902 to the position P1 by rotating in the forward direction, and can move the partition plate 902 to the position P2 by rotating in the reverse direction.

  When the partition plate 902 is moved to the position 1 and when it is moved to the position P2, the number of peaks of the non-volatile organic compound removal filter 901 is different, so that the pressure loss when the air inside the apparatus passes outside the apparatus fluctuates. To do.

  Next, the flow in Embodiment 3 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.

  When the power of the image forming apparatus is turned on, the CPU 801 starts an operation according to the control program written in the ROM 802. When the control of the volatile organic compound removal filter 901 is started in step S1000, first, in step S1001, the concentration of the volatile organic compound is detected by the volatile organic compound concentration detection sensor 903 attached to the exhaust portion in the image forming apparatus. Detection is performed. In this embodiment, the data obtained by averaging the data sampled eight times every 100 ms is used as the density data D.

  In step S1002, the current rotation speed of the fixing fan 80 is detected based on information from the printer control unit 807, and it is determined whether the rotation speed is full speed or half speed.

  In step S <b> 1003, the position of the partition plate 902 is determined according to the detected density data D and the rotation speed of the fixing fan 80. In the present embodiment, when the density data D is smaller than a predetermined threshold and the fixing fan 80 is rotating at half speed, the partition plate 902 prevents the air from passing through the filter 901 unnecessarily by increasing the pressure loss. Is moved to position P1. In other cases, the partition plate 902 is moved to the position P2.

  In step S1004, it is determined whether or not the current position is the same as the position to be moved. If the current position and the position to be moved are the same, there is no need to move, and the process proceeds to step S1001 again. If the current position is different from the position to be moved, the stepping motor 904 is rotated in step S1005 to move the partition plate 902, and the process proceeds to step S1001 again.

  Also, instead of using a volatile organic compound concentration sensor as a detector for volatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds may be used depending on print job conditions such as when images are being formed on paper that is likely to generate volatile organic compounds. It is also possible to control the position of the partition plate by predicting the amount.

  As described above, the volatile organic compound removal apparatus and the image forming apparatus according to the present invention control the pressure loss of the filter according to the detected concentration of the volatile organic compound, and do not allow air to pass through the filter unnecessarily. As a result, clogging inside the filter due to paper dust and scattered toner can be suppressed, and the lifetime of the volatile organic compound removal filter can be extended.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the exhaust part in Embodiment 1, 2 of this invention. 1 is a side sectional view of a full-color copying machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a full-color copying machine as viewed from above according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the exhaust part in the prior art example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the characteristic of the volatile organic substance removal filter in embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a timing chart in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 2 is a control block diagram of the full-color copying machine in the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the exhaust part in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a timing chart in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the volatile organic substance density | concentration sensor in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

5 Fixing device 80 Fixing fan (blower)
100 Volatile organic compound removal section (exhaust section)
101 Volatile organic compound removal filter (filter)
102a Restriction plate 102b Restriction plate 103 Volatile organic compound removal sensor (detector)
801 CPU
802 ROM
807 Printer control unit 901 Volatile organic compound removal filter (filter)
902 Partition plate 903 Concentration detection sensor (detector)
1101 Ultraviolet light source 1102 Detector 1103 Amplifier 1104 Signal

Claims (4)

  A filter for removing volatile organic compounds and a detector for detecting volatile organic compounds, and changing the characteristics of the filter according to the concentration of the volatile organic compounds detected by the detector A volatile organic compound removing apparatus characterized by the above.   The volatile organic compound removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure loss of the filter is changed according to the concentration of the volatile organic compound detected by the detector.   A blower capable of switching the wind speed to prevent temperature rise in the apparatus, and the volatile organic compound removing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which removes the volatile organic compound, and is detected by the detector. An image forming apparatus, wherein characteristics of the filter are changed according to a concentration of a volatile organic compound and a wind speed of the blower.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pressure loss of the filter is changed according to a wind speed of the blower and a concentration of a volatile organic compound detected by the detector.

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